Chapter 51: Ferdinand's Fear
Chapter 51: Ferdinand's Fear
On the day of Professor Moriarity's party, Victor dressed in a suit and dragon-leather boots that Fiona had carefully picked out for him after breakfast. He stood in front of the mirror as Fiona circled him, making minor adjustments.
"You look so handsome, sweetheart!" Fiona exclaimed with exaggerated admiration. "You'll definitely be the most dashing young gentleman at the party. Come on, why don't you wear the necklace I picked out for you? The bow-and-arrow pendant is so cool; all the other kids will be jealous."
"No way, Mom. I'm not a three-year-old," Victor refused firmly without hesitation.
Fiona sighed. "You didn't want to wear it when you were three either—"
"So there's no way I'll wear it now that I'm eleven," Victor asserted.
Ferdinand glanced at his wristwatch from time to time and looked toward the door expectantly.
"The professor said he'd come at ten, right?" he confirmed with his son.
"Yes, that's what the letter said."
However, with just a minute to ten, there was still no sign of anyone at the door.
"Do you think he's late?" Fiona wondered.
"Perhaps something delayed him," Ferdinand suggested, glancing at the door again. "I just hope they don't suddenly appear at the door."
"That won't happen. There are Muggles all around here! Imagine how many people would see!" Fiona said confidently. "I'm sure they've been held up by something. Maybe we'll get an owl any moment now."
As Fiona spoke, she ran to open one of the windows to allow an owl to fly in if it arrived. Just as she turned, the fire in the fireplace turned green, illuminating the room with a greenish tint, and a dark shadow stepped out from the fireplace.
Ferdinand jumped to his feet, his right hand quickly reaching behind him to draw his pistol, while his other hand pushed Victor back, shouting, "Who's there?!''
"Dad, it's Professor Moriarity!" Victor exclaimed, grabbing his father's arm and feeling his palm turn ice-cold.
He looked at his father in surprise and noticed Ferdinand's jaw clenched tight, the veins on his neck bulging. His tense expression seemed cold and unfamiliar.
Victor was stunned.
Ever since he had received his acceptance letter from Hogwarts, the Grays had always appeared happy and enthusiastic. They were curious about the magical world, eagerly embracing it, and often seemed to know more about the wizarding community than Victor did.
Or so Victor had thought.
But now, he suddenly realized that his father might have been hiding a deep-seated fear of the wizarding world all this time.
Fiona, on the other hand, was only startled at first, but she quickly calmed down when she heard Victor's explanation. She stepped forward curiously and asked, "So this is how you travel by floo?"
Ferdinand took a quick step forward as if to greet their guest with his wife, but Victor noticed that he was actually standing in front of Fiona, shielding her.
Indeed, it was Professor Moriarity who emerged from the flames. He dusted off the soot from his clothes and smiled, "Yes, it's a safe and convenient way to travel, aside from the soot one has to deal with afterward. Good day, Mr. and Mrs. Gray. I am Professor Terence Moriarity, as I believe you know."
"Of course," Ferdinand replied, his pistol already safely tucked away, and his face betraying no signs of the recent commotion. "Welcome, Professor Moriarity. Apologies, our fireplace hasn't had a thorough cleaning in over two years."
Fiona poked her head out from behind her husband and asked, "Can we also travel through the fire?"
"Oh, probably not." Professor Moriarity smiled. "You see, the Ministry of Magic forbids the connection of fireplaces in Muggle homes to the Floo Network. I had someone temporarily grant me access to the Floo Network just to pick up Victor, and it will be restored after we leave—Victor, I'm glad to see you're all ready."
"Yes, Professor," Victor replied.
Glancing at his parents, Victor tucked his wand into the wand pocket of his robe and walked over, asking, "Shall we go now?"
"Of course, the guests are all waiting for us!" Professor Moriarity produced a small bag of sparkling powder with a flourish and asked, "Have you used Floo powder before?"
"No, Professor," Victor answered.
"It's quite simple, watch me."
He handed the bag to Victor, pinched a bit of powder, and threw it into the fire, causing the flames to turn emerald green instantly.
"Remember to enunciate clearly—Suo Luo Garden. Close your eyes and don't wave your arms about in the fireplace, or you'll get knocked around and might even end up in the wrong fireplace."
Demonstrating, Professor Moriarity stepped right into the fire and said, "Suo Luo Garden."
In a whoosh, he vanished from the fireplace.
Victor also pinched some Floo powder and approached the fireplace. Just as he was about to throw it in, he turned back, looking deeply into his father's eyes, and said, "Dad, I'll be back tonight."
"Mhm." Ferdinand's throat bobbed as if he wanted to say something but held back, looking up at him. "Follow your professor—don't get into any conflicts."
"I understand," Victor nodded seriously.
Feigning anger, Fiona placed her hands on her hips and asked, "Saying goodbye to Dad but not Mom?"
"How could I not?" Victor smiled and hugged his mother. "Goodbye, Mom."
He threw the Floo powder into the fire, and the flames immediately turned emerald green. Suppressing his instinctive fear of the flames, Victor stepped into the fireplace as if he had done it countless times before.
The flames enveloped him like warm breath. Through the firelight, Victor saw the lingering unease in his father's eyes.
It was the unease that came from having a stranger intrude upon what one thought was a safe haven... an intrusion that brought unease and apprehension.
"Suo Luo Garden," Victor said clearly, maintaining eye contact with his father.
In an instant, his parents and the living room vanished from view. He spun at high speed in the emerald flames, countless fireplaces flashing by. Victor closed his eyes as the spinning made him dizzy, and just as he was about to fall, a strong pair of arms caught him.
"Not feeling too well, are you?" a voice asked. "I heard it's your first time using the Floo Network."
The man pulled him out of the fireplace, and Victor coughed a couple of times, rubbing away the ash that had accidentally gotten into his eyes. Before him stood a giant of a man.
He was remarkably tall, probably around two meters, with a sturdy build and somewhat fierce-looking features, but his eyes, as he bent down to look at Victor, were gentle.
"Cough, cough—and you are?" Victor inquired.
A cup of water was handed to him.
"Here, have some water." The giant waved his wand and cast a Scouring Charm, instantly removing all the soot from Victor's body.
"I'm Steven Moriarity, son of Terence Moriarity. My father was supposed to be here to greet you, but a friend from France just arrived, so he had to go welcome him—feel free to walk around and help yourself to some food."
(End of Chapter)
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