https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-410-Abigail-of-the-Panther-College/13080993/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-412-Grindelwald-Give-Me-Your-Wand/13080995/
Chapter 411: How Could You Forget?
Chapter 411: How Could You Forget?
"...The Ministry of Magic has decided to deploy Dementors to track down the Silent Ones in order to restore peace and order to the British magical community as soon as possible..."
The Daily Prophet on the table was broadcasting the magical version of the daily news. Cornelius Fudge, dressed in a purplish-red suit, was waving his fists vigorously as he spoke.
"It's preposterous to suggest that Dementors attacked students at Hogwarts! In fact, they were conducting onboard inspections to ensure the students' safety."
"Of course, we made a small mistake here. Due to a lack of communication between the Ministry and the school, some misunderstandings arose, and several students fainted from shock. Aside from that, no further damage was caused..."
Harry, who was having breakfast, felt a lump in his throat and put down his bread.
"The students and a professor on the train recklessly attacked Ministry officials who were performing their duties. This is absolutely unacceptable behavior! However, considering the children's emotions, we have decided not to hold them accountable..."
Michael silently scoffed and shook his head, cutting his fried egg with a knife.
"I can assure you that Dementors always follow the Ministry's orders and are never out of control. Worries and suspicions about Dementors attacking innocent bystanders are unnecessary. Once the Silent Ones are captured, the Dementors will be immediately returned to Azkaban..."
"It was just a misunderstanding... It's a relief that the Ministry isn't pursuing the matter further," Fiona sighed in relief, then curiously asked, "What do Dementors look like?"
"They're like giant black cloaks, but the kind that's gone sour and stinky," Michael made a face and said, "They're hideous!"
"Hahaha..." Fiona laughed at his description and added, "They sound like formidable prison guards... Are they not a match for those Silent Ones?"
"I don't know," Vold replied. "There's no record in history of these two creatures fighting each other."
"Maybe the Dementors are powerful... After all, there are so many of them," Fiona speculated simply.
"Anyway, let's just hope those guys get back to Azkaban soon," Harry muttered. "I don't want to experience another 'inspection' like that."
The news on the Daily Prophet ended, and a Muggle musical film quickly took its place. Dozens of handsome men and beautiful women sang and danced in the mirror, creating a cheerful atmosphere that dispelled the gloom from the previous news.
"Unbelievable!" Michael exclaimed indignantly. "They're covering up such a major incident!"
"Given the Dementors' actions on the train, it's hard to tell whether they were inspecting or attacking," Vold said calmly. "After all, no one was really... truly harmed."
He glanced at his mother and swallowed the words "sucking out souls."
Unlike Ferdinand, who focused on the dangers and dark side of the magical world, Fiona usually paid attention to its wondrous aspects.
Her knowledge of Dementors came entirely from the Daily Prophet and the news in The Daily Prophet, which never mentioned the evil and terrifying nature of these creatures. Instead, it repeatedly emphasized—
Dementors are the most reliable guards in the magical world.
In Fiona's imagination, they were a group of tall, strong, and solitary figures, walking in the darkness, never revealing their true faces—a mysterious force.
However, after the attack on the Hogwarts Express, the image in her mind had been updated to a group of extremely rude and cold-blooded barbarians.
Dementors, or "Dementors"—just the name itself made it hard to imagine what kind of dark and rotten creatures they were.
After breakfast, the three little puppets bounced around, cleaning up the tableware, while Fiona and Ferdinand went upstairs to change into their outfits for going out.
"We're going to visit some friends. You can play as much as you like at home. There are drinks in the fridge, and we've bought new snacks in the cabinet. For lunch, you can order pizza or Chinese food nearby; I've left the number next to the phone."
Ferdinand instructed.
"Okay, Dad," Vold replied.
"See you tonight, dear," Fiona kissed Vold on the forehead and did the same to Harry and Michael, smiling as she said, "Feel free to make yourselves at home. If I come back and find everything neat and tidy, I'll be upset."
"You're underestimating the capabilities of Coco and the others, Mom," Vold responded.
"Don't worry, we won't let ourselves down!" Michael added, speaking up confidently.
Harry was still holding his forehead, looking dazed and a bit foolish.
The Grey couple laughed and bid farewell, putting on their coats and leaving.
After seeing them off, Vold turned back and asked, "What do you want to do next?
"Watch TV? Play games? Or do homework?"
"Besides the last one, anything else!" Michael wrapped his arm around Vold's neck, pretending to complain, "But Vold, you never told me your home was so cool!"
"Yeah..." Harry chimed in, "I thought it would be similar to the Dursleys' place! But it looks..."
Harry surveyed the room.
"It looks like a pureblood wizard's home."
Near the doors and windows, there were peepholes for surveillance, and in the living room, a Daily Prophet and a television were placed, though the latter seemed to have been idle for a long time.
Three tiny puppets were busily tidying up the house, and the mirror in the dressing room loudly commented on the person in front of it, offering seemingly reasonable suggestions on their attire.
"Scars are ugly, but a lightning-shaped scar is cool! Boy, you can wear a blue beret!"
The first time Harry heard this voice, he was startled.
In addition, there was a large astronomical telescope in the attic, and in the center of the room, a glass ball with a moving constellation model inside, which Harry liked very much.
The attic bookshelf was filled with books on the history of magic, all showing signs of frequent reading, and Mr. Ferdinand had also collected a thick stack of Daily Prophet newspapers, some of which were covered in dense annotations.
Harry felt a bit ashamed; he usually threw away his newspapers after reading them, and most of the time, he was most interested in the crossword puzzles in the paper.
"Fortunately, my parents are just interested in magic."
Vold led the two of them upstairs to the attic and dug out a pile of unopened boxes, asking, "What do you want to play? I have Contra, Desert Storm, and... Indiana Jones?"
Vold flipped through the boxes, reading the names on them.
Most of these were Christmas gifts he had received last year, and some were video games brought from abroad by Ferdinand's business partners, knowing that he had an underage son at home.
Although Vold wasn't interested in these games, Harry and Michael, being genuine thirteen-year-old boys, were sure to enjoy them.
Harry picked up another box from the side, with several figures holding swords or shields and wearing bull-headed hats printed on the cover.
Looking at the gem-encrusted sword, Harry felt an inexplicable affinity and softly read the name, "The Lost Vikings?"
"Vikings? Sounds good, let's play this!" Michael said with interest.
Harry's eyes lit up as well—at the Dursleys', although there was a game console, everything belonged to Dudley, and Harry didn't even have the right to touch it.
Although he always pretended to be indifferent, only he knew how curious and envious he was.
"Sure!"
Vold didn't mind which game they played. They opened the boxes, plugged in the power, and turned on the game console.
With the sound of loud music, the screen went dark and then lit up again, displaying three pixelated little figures.
...
"Creak... creak..."
The sound of boots crunching in the snow filled the air. Abigail and Major Baird walked along the street, their expressionless faces standing in stark contrast to the joyful crowd around them.
They walked through one street after another, and finally, Baird stopped outside a small tavern.
Above the tavern, a crooked sign hung, reading "The Stag's Head," and near the doorknob, a small wooden sign read "Temporarily Closed."
Baird ignored the sign and knocked on the door with his fingers. After a while, the sound of clinking chains came from inside.
An elderly woman with a wooden expression stood at the door.
"Come in," she said, "Brolin has been waiting for you for a long time."
Baird took a deep breath, his expression excited. But at this moment, he took a step back, gesturing for Abigail to go first.
Abigail's lips were tightly pressed together, and she strode into the tavern, followed closely by Baird.
"Cela, Major, it's been a while."
The man turned, speaking gently.
"Mr. Brolin," the two greeted with a bow.
"Hmm." Brolin nodded and then suddenly asked, "Have you read the latest issue of The Opposition?"
The two exchanged glances and shook their heads simultaneously.
"The Opposition publishes all sorts of bizarre articles," explained Baird. "In my opinion, it's not worth subscribing to."
"I used to think the same. It's good for a laugh, but sometimes you can find news in it that you won't see in The Daily Prophet. For example..."
Brolin suddenly turned his gaze to Abigail and smiled, saying, "Cela, I heard that you used the Patronus Charm on the train to protect those students?"
"Yes," Abigail replied, bowing her head. "Dumbledore knew I was on the train, and in that situation, if I hadn't acted, I would have been questioned..."
"No need to explain, I understand," Brolin said with a smile. "But this magazine is full of nonsense, claiming that the two Patronuses that drove away the Dementors were an eagle and a Doberman. Do you think that's possible, Cela?"
"Of course not," Baird said, relaxing. "It must be that those young wizards couldn't distinguish the breed of the hound, or they simply saw it wrong, right, Cela?"
He turned his head but saw his companion bowing in silence.
"Cela?"
Baird furrowed his brows, looking puzzled.
Brolin sighed softly.
"Expecto Patronum, Cela," he said without hesitation. "Let me see your Patronus."
Abigail slowly drew her wand.
A moment later, a silver-white hound ran two laps around the room and came to Abigail's side.
Its body was slender and agile, with a narrow and long head, looking majestic and elegant.
It was indeed a Doberman.
Baird's face changed slightly, and he slowly raised his eyes to look at Abigail as if he were looking at a stranger.
"Abigail, your Patronus used to be a Pit Bull!" Baird asked. "When did it change?"
The silver hound dissipated, and Abigail said, "I don't know."
If she had known that her Patronus had changed, she wouldn't have cast the spell, or at least she would have hidden its form.
When Abigail saw the Patronus rushing towards the Dementor, she was just as surprised and uneasy as the other students on the train.
Brolin asked softly, "Under what circumstances would a Patronus change its form, Abigail?"
"When..." Abigail paused and said, "When one suffers a mental blow or... or experiences a drastic emotional change..."
"Has that school changed you?" Brolin continued, "Have they made you weak? Have they made you believe in the poison of love or friendship, causing you to forget your own stance?"
"I haven't!" Abigail exclaimed.
"Patronuses reflect your true inner thoughts more than words," Baird said coldly.
"Don't be so harsh, Major. It's not uncommon to be influenced by innocent children."
Brolin spoke in a consistently gentle tone, "But Cela, while the world of children is pure and kind, those children won't remain children forever."
"Soon they'll leave school and use magic recklessly to harm innocent Muggles, becoming the kind of wizard you hate the most."
"Have you forgotten how your parents died? Thirteen years ago, two wizards chased and fought each other, and with a single spell, they killed twelve innocent Muggles—just because they were on the same street!"
Abigail's eyes instantly turned red, and she clenched her teeth, saying, "I haven't forgotten!"
Brolin looked at her with pity and continued, "No reason, no explanation, not even an apology! Your parents' remains were gone, and their names didn't even deserve to appear in the wizarding newspaper."
"Poor child... You joined the organization with a heart for revenge. Later, when you heard the news, you thought those two reckless wizards had been punished—one dead and the other imprisoned in the world's most terrifying prison."
"But what about reality? One became a world-renowned hero and might even join the Ministry as an Auror, while the other roams free, still at large."
"Only you... child, only you remember those who died. Your parents live only in your memories."
"Abigail, how can you forget? How can you become weak?"
(End of Chapter)
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