All day long, they holed up in the study, discussing their next moves. Even lunch was just a few snacks Jeff had sent over. But compared to Cynthia, who trusted unconditionally, Marvolio had far more questions. For one thing, his understanding of the Memory Charm was limited to its use. Concepts like curing it or soul damage were entirely new to him.
"So the Memory Charm can actually do that?"
Marvolio fiddled with the little notebook like he'd found a new toy, unable to put it down. Then he grabbed Tver and Cynthia, insisting they explain the unique applications of the magic. The stranger the concept, the more eager he became to explore it.
On the other hand, there was his work as an Auror.
"Hey, Tver, can you help me predict where these fugitives are?" he pulled out a thick stack of wanted posters. Ever since becoming an Auror, he'd gotten used to carrying this stack with him.
"Get lost! Do your own work!" Tver snapped irritably. "And I've told you—I can't do divination, and my teacher never taught me any method for it!"
Divination required talent. Grindelwald had tested his predictive ability after taking him as an apprentice. Tver knew exactly where he stood, and in school he'd simply dropped all divination-related courses.
"Fine, fine. But I need the points if I want a promotion. You'll be the one benefiting in the end," he muttered, snatching the list back.
"Exposing Lockhart will earn you enough credit to surpass most Aurors." Tver offered a half-hearted consolation.
After all, taking control of the Auror Office was crucial for abolishing the Statute of Secrecy. Otherwise, a swarm of Aurors chasing him around would be misery enough to kill him through sheer irritation.
They discussed everything until dusk, finally managing to summarize their plans for the near future.
Preparations for the Christmas banquet were underway as well. As a side note, tonight's feast was made by Cynthia and Jeff together. As a guest, Cynthia wasn't expected—nor supposed—to help, but no one could restrain her enthusiasm, so she slipped into the kitchen anyway. Her cooking was genuinely impressive. The Nordic and Russian dishes she made earned even Chef Mills's enthusiastic praise.
Yet staring at the table full of delicious food, Marvolio felt nothing but frustration. Being a being of pure life force, he lacked real digestive organs. Even if he ate, he couldn't taste anything or feel full.
Brenda noticed he'd only taken a few bites before setting his utensils down.
"Dawlish, don't you like these dishes?"
"He probably ate too many snacks earlier and isn't hungry," Tver said with a laugh.
Marvolio shot him a subtle glare before turning back with a polite smile.
"It's delicious, but I just love those pastries too much."
"Honestly, why do kids these days all love snacking? You're like this, and so is Tver—none of you eat properly," Brenda complained.
"At least Cynthia isn't like you two. Here, eat more."
Brenda placed a huge platter of roast meat in front of Cynthia, watching her with encouraging warmth. Faced with a mountain of meat, Cynthia's cheeks puffed out slightly. She gave a stiff, awkward nod.
"Oh, right! Tell us more about your work at the Ministry."
After speaking, Brenda discreetly shot a glare at her son, who was still absorbed in his meal.
"Um..." Cynthia glanced nervously at Tver. "I'm currently Deputy Head of the International Magical Law Enforcement Office, responsible for investigating international magical crimes."
Tver froze mid-cut with his steak knife. The Department of International Magical Cooperation had three divisions: the International Magical Trading Standards Body, the International Magical Office of Law, and the British branch of the International Confederation of Wizards.
The International Magical Office of Law was the most powerful and important among them. It handled international law revisions and could deploy Aurors to enforce them. It was essentially the international counterpart of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Tver hadn't expected Cynthia to become the deputy head in just a year. He'd clearly underestimated her.
Unlike Brenda, Mills actually kept up with wizarding affairs. Hearing Cynthia's words left him even more shocked than Tver.
"I never expected you to be this impressive, Cynthia. Achieving so much at your age is remarkable." He spoke with genuine admiration, giving Tver a pointed look.
"Honestly, I have Dawlish to thank. He helped me catch several groups of international criminals in a row, but somehow all the credit ended up going to me."
Marvolio shot Tver a triumphant raise of his eyebrow.
The gesture immediately drew Brenda's attention his way.
"And you, Dawlish? Being an Auror must be dangerous, right?"
"It's actually fine. Most of those criminals are pretty weak. Once you figure out how they think, arresting them is easy. You can even—"
"Ahem."
"Even what?" Brenda asked, intrigued.
Under Tver's death glare, Marvolio quickly softened his tone.
"Even make them lose the will to resist, so no one gets hurt."
They talked animatedly as they enjoyed their Christmas dinner.
Naturally, Brenda's curiosity kept the conversation lively. She'd never been interested in the wizarding world, let alone the Ministry. At most, she read Lockhart's books to get a sense of magical stories. Compared to dry text, Cynthia's international work and Marvolio's crime-fighting stories were far more exciting.
She hadn't given up trying to persuade her son to switch jobs either. Even an Auror faced less danger than a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.
It wasn't until Jeff reminded them that they realized how late it had gotten, and the dinner came to an end.
"Miss Cynthia, Mr. Dawlish, your rooms are ready," Jeff announced, stepping lightly up to the table.
In all his years serving the Fawley family, he had never seen the manor this lively. The Master and Mistress were quiet people with almost no friends in the wizarding world, and they rarely interacted with other families. They did have a few Muggle friends, but of course they couldn't bring them to the estate.
He'd even worried the young master might grow up isolated.
Then today the young master brought two friends home, and Jeff had been delighted for hours. Naturally, a few more would have been even better.
After Cynthia and Marvolio headed to their rooms—they would be staying for several days, since the Ministry offered plenty of holidays, perfect for relaxing…
Tver glanced curiously at Jeff, who was still smiling.
"You seem very happy today. Can you tell me why?"
"Because the young master is becoming more mature," Jeff said proudly, lifting his little head.
"People always grow up, don't they?" Tver replied, his tone full of meaning.