Dracula and Tesla materialized from the dark moon, appearing together before a simple yet exquisitely maintained wooden house.
Not far from the cottage stood a lush green lettuce field. About half of the patch had been harvested, while the remaining heads were still verdant, thriving under the moonlight. Seeing the familiar sight, a deep sense of emotion surfaced in Tesla's eyes.
It was this very lettuce that he had frantically eaten for a week when he was starved and weak. It was this lettuce that had provided him with just enough energy to drag his broken body from Serbia all the way back to Romania, allowing him to deliver the valuable intelligence to Dracula's Castle.
"Robert!"
Tesla couldn't control the wave of emotion that came with reminiscing about an old friend in a familiar place. He stumbled toward the simple wooden house, shouting loudly.
"Robert, are you there? I've come to visit you!"
He called out again and again, but no one answered. Tesla's expression shifted from confusion to a growing, despairing sadness. Just as he was about to force his way into the cottage to see what had happened, the window was suddenly thrown open.
"Who is it, making such a racket in the middle of the night?" Robert's old face peered out, his expression one of pure annoyance. "How strange. I've secluded myself in such a remote place, yet there are still people causing a disturbance in these mountains!"
Tesla's sorrowful expression froze on his face. As a vampire, it was perfectly normal for him to be active at night; he had subconsciously forgotten that a mortal's schedule was the reverse of his own.
Robert, lacking a vampire's excellent night vision, squinted into the darkness for a long time but couldn't make out the two dark-clad figures. Seeing no one, he muttered "Bad luck," and slammed the wooden window shut.
"Well… even though he doesn't remember you, at least we can tell he's in good spirits," Dracula said, patting Tesla's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Clearly, the side effects of the Memory Charm haven't manifested. You don't need to worry about your friend's safety."
Listening to Dracula's words, Tesla nodded, a wry smile touching his face. But he still couldn't believe that the old friend with whom he had shared such hardship could have so completely forgotten him.
Refusing to give up, Tesla walked to the wooden window and tapped gently on the frame.
"Robert, it's me, Tesla," he said softly. "I've come to visit. Can you come out and chat for a bit?"
A moment later, the window was pushed open with a sharp swish.
"Were you the one yelling outside just now?" Robert, now bare-chested, glared at Tesla with displeasure. "Why on earth would I get out of bed in the middle of the night to chat with you? Who do you think you are?!"
"Don't you recognize me? I'm Tesla! Your good friend from the boat!" Tesla said, a note of desperation in his voice.
Robert watched him silently, his eyes darting back and forth as if he were trying to recall something. A flicker of hope ignited in Tesla's eyes, thinking Robert had finally remembered him.
However, Robert's next words were merciless.
"I don't know how you learned my name or found my home. But I have to tell you one thing—young man, stop trying to take shortcuts. I haven't been the Auror Captain for a long time, so cozying up to me is useless!"
"Listen to an old man's advice: work hard, put in your time at the lower levels, and your chance will come. Think about me! I started as an intern in a regular Auror team and worked my way up to Captain. It took me over thirty years! Did I ever complain? No!"
"You need my spirit of hard work and dedication! Only then will the head of the Auror Office take notice of you. Then you'll have a chance to show your talent, and becoming a Captain like me won't be just a dream!"
Listening to Robert's tireless and earnest lecture, Tesla's eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
From a distance, Dracula leaned merrily against a tree on a hillside, striking his classic spectator pose. He never expected that helping a subordinate visit a friend in the middle of the night would provide such great amusement. This was an unexpected delight indeed.
Inside the house, Robert was still lecturing nonstop. He had mistaken the youthful-looking Tesla for an ambitious intern, assuming he had sought him out in this remote place to curry favor and climb the ladder through his old connections.
"Young man, I won't hold it against you for disturbing my rest this time. But you must remember what I told you today! No pain, no gain!"
With that, the bare-chested Robert solemnly patted Tesla's shoulder, then shut the window with a decisive thud.
The air instantly became deathly quiet.
Tesla stared at the closed wooden window, and thinking of Robert's earnest words, he felt an absurd urge to laugh. But the feeling in his heart was one of profound sadness. He knew, now, that the good friend who had once saved his life had truly forgotten him.
Dracula slowly walked over, and seeing the mix of a pained smile and unshed tears on Tesla's face, he sighed softly.
"Tesla, what are your plans now?" he asked.
Seeing Dracula approach, Tesla silently turned his head to wipe away a subtle tear from the corner of his eye, calming his complex emotions.
"You're making fun of me, Lord Dracula," he said softly. "I wonder, do you have any clues about the villain who did this? I will surely repay this disgrace in blood."
"Hmm… I have more than just clues," Dracula said with a light chuckle. "In fact, I've already found the wizard who erased Robert's memory. It was from him that I learned of a man like Robert, who would actually dare to befriend a vampire."
"Besides, you don't need to bother looking for anyone. I already captured that wizard…"
As he said "captured," Dracula's words suddenly halted. He remembered a very crucial detail.
In his haste to respond to Serena's urgent signal, he had completely ignored Lockhart, who was standing right beside him. He had instantly departed the Danube, leaving the amnesiac wizard behind.
Which meant that Lockhart, memory wiped clean, had been abandoned on the riverbank.
…
The Danube at night was a shattered mirror of the starry sky. Countless points of light glittered in the ripples of the water. A gentle breeze stirred the surface, and a few leaves floated aimlessly, trivial imperfections on the bright canvas.
Beside this beautiful river lay a dirty, disheveled man, dressed only in a pair of shorts.
His face and hair were caked in dried, yellowish mud, and his entire body was covered in a dusty grey film, as if he had rolled countless times on the ground. Despite this, if one looked closely, they might still vaguely discern his handsome facial features and the ghost of his once-immaculate golden hair.
When Dracula and Tesla arrived at the bank of the Danube, this was the sight they saw.
Lockhart lay on the ground, filthy all over, occasionally letting out a pained groan. Because Dracula had forgotten to remove the Silencing Charm, his lips were still stuck together, preventing him from crying out and only adding to his desolate appearance.
"Lord Dracula, is your subordinate a fool? I don't understand why you brought me here to find such a down-and-out vagrant," Tesla said, looking at the man on the ground with hesitation.
Even with Dracula's sharp eyesight, it took him a long moment to recognize Lockhart. He didn't know where to begin.
"Hmm…" he said dejectedly. "Although I don't know how to explain it, the vagrant you're looking at is, in fact, the wizard who erased Robert's memory."
Looking at Lockhart's current state, Dracula was just as stunned as Tesla. He couldn't understand how the man had gotten himself into such a state in just a few short hours.
"Ah?" Hearing Dracula's explanation, Tesla couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment. "Robert's memory was erased by a guy like this?"
The thought of his friend being ambushed by such a miserable creature left a sour taste in Tesla's mouth.
At that moment, Lockhart raised his head at the sound and saw Dracula walking closer.
"Wuh… wuh… wuh!" With his lips sealed, he could only make muffled, desperate noises. He scrambled to his feet, a mess of snot and tears, and rushed toward Dracula.
Dracula extended a hand in disgust, magically freezing Lockhart a foot in front of him. At the same time, he lifted the Silencing Charm.
"Waaah—!" Lockhart finally opened his mouth and burst into tears. His crying was a truly pathetic spectacle, a heart-wrenching, soul-stirring wail of pure misery.
"Alright, alright, tell me what happened. How did you end up like this?" Seeing him cry so pitifully, Dracula felt awkward speaking harshly and could only adopt the soothing tone one might use with a child.
After crying for a while, Lockhart, still sobbing, recounted his tale.
"Where did you go?! Why did you leave me alone?!" he wailed, letting tears and snot run freely. "Not long after you left, I got so hungry. But I didn't dare go far, I was afraid you wouldn't find me! I just looked for something to eat nearby…"
Lockhart truly lived up to his reputation. Even without his memory, his storytelling ability was still excellent.
It turned out that in his vanity, Lockhart hadn't eaten a single thing at his own tea party, choosing to stay hungry to maintain his figure in a tight-fitting robe. By evening, even with his memory gone, his body was crying out for food. But he didn't recognize anyone and was afraid to leave Dracula, his only anchor.
When Dracula vanished, a deep panic set in. He dared not wander far, looking for food only in the immediate vicinity. His luck was good, in a way; he found a few young men having a picnic by the river. He shamelessly gestured, trying to beg for a bite to eat.
However, these were not kind young men. They were local thugs who demanded money. Having no Muggle currency, Lockhart rummaged through his pockets and found a few Galleons, thinking the gold coins would be more than enough.
It was those very coins that sealed his fate. The thugs' eyes lit up with greed. They surrounded Lockhart, beat him viciously, and searched him from head to toe, finding over a dozen gold Galleons and several silver Sickles. But they didn't stop there. Noticing the fine fabric of his robes, they stripped him of everything, mercifully leaving him with only a pair of shorts before swaggering away into the night.
…
After listening to Lockhart's story, Dracula was filled with a strange sense of emotion. Who would have thought that the wizarding world's most famous author, the dream lover of countless witches, so proud and celebrated in the morning, would be reduced to a poor wretch bullied by common thugs by evening?
He turned to look at Tesla.
"See? This wizard has lost his memory, and his mind is likely broken," Dracula said. "I leave him to you. Take your revenge however you wish. I will not interfere."
Tesla looked at the disheveled, frozen figure of Lockhart and remained silent for a long time.
"Forget it," he finally sighed. "He has already received his lesson. To seek revenge on him now would be beneath my dignity as a vampire."
"Are you sure?" Dracula asked with a light laugh.
"Yes, I'm sure," Tesla nodded. "I have other things to do. There's no need to waste my time on a fool."
He turned and began to walk in the direction of Robert's cabin.
"Lord Dracula, thank you for telling me about this. Otherwise, I might have never known that Robert had lost all memory of me," Tesla said, stopping after two steps to bow solemnly. "Also, may I request a period of leave? I wish to attend to some private matters."
A soft chuckle escaped Dracula as he observed Tesla's determined expression. He gave a slight nod. "There's no need for 'Lord Dracula.' Just 'Dracula' will suffice."
"Thank you for your generosity, Dracula," Tesla replied, offering another deep bow. With his purpose renewed, he turned and strode toward Robert's home.
…
Tesla stayed under the eaves of Robert's cabin until dawn.
The sun slowly rose, painting the clouds in brilliant colors that streamed through Robert's window. As an old man living in seclusion, Robert's internal clock was precise. He woke on time, pushed open the wooden door, and stepped out carrying his scythe.
He looked at the bright sunlight and yawned. He'd been sleeping soundly until some young man had woken him. Robert was still a bit annoyed. Really, who tries to curry favor in the middle of the night? Such an unobservant fellow would never get ahead. He should rely on his own tireless efforts!
Robert was very pleased with the lecture he had given, and a pleasant smile crossed his face. He began humming an old tune as he walked toward the other half of the lettuce field. Looking at the lush green plants, he felt a sense of deep, spiritual solace.
"Robert."
A voice called out to him. Robert turned, puzzled, and looked toward the cottage. There, standing in the deep shadow under the eaves where the sunlight had not yet reached, was a figure in a formal suit.
"Young man, didn't I tell you? I'm no longer the Auror Captain!" Seeing the man from last night, Robert said with exasperation. "And this is no way to curry favor! You should at least wait a few days, give your superior time to forget your face, and then come back!"
"Let me tell you, young people like you really need to hone your skills at the lower levels…"
"Actually… I'm not here to cozy up to you," Tesla interrupted, a gentle smile on his face.
"Oh?" Robert was taken aback.
"I'm a little hungry, and I haven't found anything to eat," Tesla said softly, looking deeply into Robert's eyes.
"Robert, could you give me two heads of lettuce?"
[Chapter Complete]
***
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