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You not only had to circumvent the Magical Creatures Protection Act, but also avoid the Ministry's scrutiny.
"Daphne, your family's lifestyle is pretty incredible." During the break in the banquet, Ian turned to Miss Greengrass, who had been "retrieved" and brought back, and spoke with genuine emotion.
"If you like it, eat more, please, eat more…" Daphne forced a smile that looked more painful than crying. After speaking, she glanced timidly at her mother beside her.
Mrs. Armand Greengrass was a striking woman, full of the allure of a mature lady. At that moment, she was elegantly enjoying the meal alongside her husband.
"Share a bit about your holiday with your classmate, dear," Mrs. Greengrass gently prompted Daphne, trying to prevent the atmosphere from becoming awkward or cold.
"Uh…"
Daphne, however, had no idea what to say.
Was she supposed to tell this little monster and his overly eager parents that she had spent the entire summer describing to her younger sister how horribly she was being oppressed?
What a joke!
No way that was happening!
"Your younger sister seems a little shy?" Ian, ever the "considerate" one, took the initiative to steer the conversation away. His gaze fell on the little girl sitting tightly beside Theodore Greengrass.
She was a blond-haired girl of about nine years old, looking quite young and adorable. However, at this moment, the girl, Astoria Greengrass, appeared to be suffering from something akin to social anxiety or even autism.
She hadn't left her father's side since returning, and during the meal she kept her head down in silence. Her hands, holding the fork and knife, were trembling like leaves.
It had already been ten minutes since the start of the meal, and she had only eaten a few beans, and even those had been sucked into her mouth while pretending to act natural, after she noticed Ian looking at her.
"Parkinson! Yes, she has Parkinson's! She's had it since she was little! Very serious!"
Daphne, seeing her younger sister's state, blurted this out in a panic, her face full of alarm.
She was already regretting how she had exaggerated things while telling stories, painting Ian as some terrifying demon. How could she have known this so-called "campus demon lord" would actually come to her house?!
It was all her parents' fault!
"What nonsense are you talking, Daphne?" Mrs. Armande Greengrass, as the mother, shot Daphne a fierce glare, then turned her concerned gaze toward the blonde little girl.
"Astoria is usually very cheerful," Mrs. Greengrass had actually been keeping an eye on her daughter for a while and now finally seized the opportunity to gently ask her:
"What's wrong, darling? Are you feeling unwell?" The caring voice made Astoria's pale little face lift ever so slightly.
"I... I..." She looked at her elder sister.
"I'll take her to see the family doctor! She probably caught a cold last night! Yes! That's it!" Daphne, scared out of her wits, jumped straight out of her seat, not even caring about her parents' strange looks, and pulled Astoria out of the room.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She called back to Ian while running, panic written all over her face, likely because she felt the teasing look in Ian's eyes.
"Hysterical little girl," Lupin commented dryly next to Ian.
"Just a girl who's been scared stiff," Ian corrected calmly. Of course, he had already guessed what was going on. He also believed that Mrs. and Mr. Greengrass must have figured it out too.
"Maybe they really did catch a chill last night… stayed up all night and lost their heads a little," Mr. Theodore Greengrass tried, somewhat awkwardly, to smooth things over for his daughters.
"No worries. I understand." Ian resumed digging into the dragon meat.
"How's the food today?" Mrs. Armande Greengrass warmly offered assistance, using her own knife and fork to help Ian cut through the dragon loin.
"Absolutely perfect. It's obvious your family has a habit of dropping dragons to their deaths," Ian remarked with brutal honesty, causing both Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass to freeze slightly in awkward embarrassment.
"Captive-bred creatures… sometimes that's just how it goes… yes, exactly," Theodore tried to patch things up with a strained explanation, though it didn't sound very convincing.
"I get it. Totally get it." Ian nodded understandingly without missing a beat.
"If you enjoy dragon meat, we still have plenty left from the one we butchered yesterday. And of course, if you want more in the future, our family can always 'accidentally' find another dragon that died suddenly."
Theodore Greengrass offered this in an incredibly sincere tone.
It was quite a generous commitment, and a clear sign he was willing to pay a high price, because, as Lupin had noted earlier, even for Pureblood nobility, a dragon isn't exactly cheap.
"A gift like that… I doubt it's just because I'm Daphne's classmate, right? In fact, I think you know well that Miss Daphne and I didn't exactly start off on the best terms." Ian gave Theodore a meaningful glance, slightly surprised, but after a moment's hesitation, decided to just be blunt.
No helping it—
The other party could hold his composure far too well.
And Ian?
He was still young—
He didn't have the patience to play the long game.
"Childish quarrels, when you look back on them after growing up, aren't they just beautiful memories? It's really not a big deal. I believe Daphne understands that too."
Theodore Greengrass paused with his utensils, looking quite unconcerned. Beside him, Mrs. Armande Greengrass also nodded in agreement.
"Uh... you're not trying to match me and your daughter, are you?" Ian suddenly became wary.
Upon hearing this—
Theodore Greengrass gave a helpless chuckle.
"Let's not even talk about how we can all tell that's impossible. Just look at your school…" Theodore stopped mid-sentence, clearly hesitant as he glanced at Lupin.
"Who would dare try something like that?" He abruptly changed the subject.
The little wizards at the table appeared half-comprehending.
But—
"Oh-hoh, as long as it's not what I'm thinking, then go ahead," Ian resumed his battle with the dragon meat, even taking out a bottle of his homemade hot sauce.
Theodore Greengrass fell silent for a moment, then continued:
"We're all aware of your situation at school. We also know what incredible, unimaginable things you've already done. It's clear you have a future far beyond anyone's imagination."
"Your future is unstoppable, immeasurable. That's why both Daphne's mother and I hope that one day she and her younger sister can stand by your side."
"I firmly believe this would be the wisest decision our Greengrass family has ever made," Theodore's voice was steady, his gaze burning with barely concealed passion.
"What exactly did he do?" Lupin was starting to feel like something was off. This proud Pure-blood noble was quite obviously pledging allegiance, to a twelve-year-old boy?!
Lupin, sensing that there was some vital piece of information he didn't know, suddenly found the delicious food on the table hard to swallow.
However—
Theodore Greengrass didn't respond to his question, leaving Lupin to mutter in frustration. He and Theodore had a few grudges from their school days after all.
"Yeah… what did I even do?"
Fortunately, Ian himself also looked confused.
Besides getting rid of one-seventh of Tom Riddle, what else had he done that would make a Pure-blood family so openly express their allegiance?
Where was the honor and pride of the Sacred Twenty-Eight?
Where did it all go?
"Mr. Prince, we're sincerely and wholeheartedly trying to align ourselves with you. So, there's no need for you to keep hiding it, many people have already begun to sense your intentions."
As the young wizard's eyes grew increasingly puzzled, Theodore Greengrass's tone grew more helpless.
"Not long ago, in Knockturn Alley, when you subdued a group of captive werewolves, though it was done discreetly, that place is under our control. We figured out your plans."
"Your ambition is now plain to see. There's no need to keep it under wraps… Wizards are clearly on the verge of a new order, and all I hope is that our house can once again stand on the right side of that order."
Theodore's words were utterly sincere and heartfelt, with no attempt to conceal anything.
"?????"
But the young wizard was sitting there with his mouth wide open, stunned at the absurdity.
He had only kept those werewolves around to study the properties of werewolf blood more effectively!
How had that somehow turned into a rebellious declaration of revolution in the eyes of these Pure-bloods?!
Just as he was about to open his mouth and pull Lupin over to testify for him,
"I knew it! I knew it! I knew something was off when you started dabbling in that kind of… that kind of stuff!" Instead of backing him up, Lupin suddenly betrayed him on the spot.
His face had turned deathly pale. His expression screamed enlightenment and horror, and he looked at the young wizard with a gaze filled with stunned disbelief.
"You understand nothing, you hammer-headed moron!" Ian wanted nothing more than to kick him across the room.
Look!
Just look!
Lupin's insane reaction immediately caused Theodore Greengrass to show that "I knew it" smirk, the classic expression of someone who finally confirmed their suspicions.
"..."
At this point, Ian seriously wondered—
Would jumping into the Yellow River be enough to clear his name?
(End of Chapter)