Near noon the next day, Link and his group finally returned to Flamel Castle through the international Floo Network.
This time, only Link, Emily, Krell, and Snape came back from Germany. Beckman and the other hunters stayed behind at Beckman Castle, things in Germany still hadn't stabilized. Beckman needed to keep attending Durmstrang, and they also had to guard the wealth they'd just taken back.
This dragging-around annoyed Snape quite a bit.
He could swear on his title as a Potions Master that Link's condition was merely a bit weak, nowhere near the point of needing a full night's rest before setting out again.
Watching Link and Emily tumble out of the gilded fireplace, laughing as if they'd just come back from a pleasant outing, Snape curled his lip, his expression somewhat resentful.
And as if he had sensed that gaze, Link suddenly turned his head in the middle of playing with Emily and met Snape's eyes.
"Heh."
Link chuckled softly, then turned his eyes away.
Snape had already explained everything the previous night.
In short, that unlucky kid Harry Potter had been spending his summer at his aunt's house as usual, enduring a not-so-pleasant vacation.
Then, he and his fat cousin Dudley were attacked by Dementors.
Although Harry and Dudley didn't get along, Dudley often bullied him, Harry still couldn't just watch his cousin get his soul sucked out. So, he used the Patronus Charm that Lupin had once taught him to drive the Dementors away.
And then, the most dramatic part happened.
Harry's act of saving a Muggle relative didn't earn him any praise from the Ministry of Magic or Hogwarts. Instead, the Ministry accused him of violating the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statute of Secrecy, because he had used magic in front of a Muggle.
They sent him an official notice demanding that he attend a public trial before the Wizengamot, where his punishment would be decided.
And according to that notice, the possible penalties included, but weren't limited to, expulsion from Hogwarts, having his wand snapped and magic rights revoked, or even life imprisonment in Azkaban…
Harry nearly collapsed when he received that letter.
After all, as someone who had grown up unwanted and mistreated, Hogwarts was everything to him, his only light in the darkness, his greatest reason to keep going.
And now, because of something so small, all of that was about to be taken away.
He just couldn't accept it.
Luckily, before he could do something reckless, members of the Order of the Phoenix, sent by Dumbledore, arrived.
They successfully moved Harry from his aunt's house to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, the old Black family home, which was now the Order's headquarters and a safehouse for him.
Things seemed to settle down for the moment, but Link knew this was only the beginning.
The Dementors that attacked Harry and Dudley were almost certainly sent by Voldemort, either to capture him or to gather intelligence.
That wasn't hard to understand. As creatures of pure dark magic, Dementors joining forces with Voldemort was only a matter of time.
Dumbledore had already warned Fudge about this, but of course, Fudge had ignored him completely.
As for that notice Harry received, that was entirely Fudge's handiwork.
After being publicly embarrassed by Dumbledore during the Triwizard Tournament incident, Fudge was desperate to find a way to get back at him.
And Harry just happened to give him the perfect excuse.
So now, Harry's troubles were the result of Voldemort and Fudge unwittingly working together.
This put Harry and Dumbledore in a very difficult position.
They now had to deal with Voldemort's potential attacks while also facing legal persecution from the Ministry.
That was why Dumbledore had urgently called Snape and Link back, he wanted Snape, his ever-"loyal" servant, to protect Harry, and Link, as the heir of the Flamel family, to use his family's influence to ease the Ministry's pressure.
Link wasn't pleased at all with Dumbledore's casual orders.
After all, he wasn't one of Dumbledore's obedient Phoenix followers, he was a partner.
Besides, Link knew full well that even without him or Snape, nothing serious would happen to Harry. Dumbledore could handle this just fine on his own.
So honestly, he'd only come back out of respect for Snape and Harry.
Unfortunately, Snape didn't seem to appreciate it.
Shaking his head, Link smiled and led Emily and the others out of the Floo Chamber.
Mrs. Flamel and Mr. Vicotria were already waiting outside. The moment they saw Link and the others, Victoria's eyes turned red, and she rushed forward to hug Emily tightly, crying with relief,
The scene looked more like Link was a criminal who had kidnapped her daughter than her actual son-in-law returning home.
Mrs. Flamel, by contrast, held herself together. Though she'd been deeply worried after hearing about Link's accident during a magic training session, she stood calmly now, smiling.
"Mother, I'm back," Link said, ignoring Emily's pleading look for rescue as he stepped forward and gently hugged Mrs. Flamel.
They quickly separated, and she took his hand, looking him up and down carefully before finally choking out, "You've grown taller… and stronger."
Link could only give a dry laugh.
He couldn't help thinking her reaction was a bit unusual, wasn't a normal mother supposed to say something like, "You've suffered out there. Look how thin you've become?"
How come his mother said the exact opposite?
But Mrs. Flamel didn't care what Link thought. Once she confirmed he was fine, her attention immediately shifted to Emily, who was still trapped in Victoria's emotional embrace.
Her gaze carried a faint glimmer of hope, lingering mainly on Emily's belly and the way she was walking.
But after just a brief glance, that hope turned into deep disappointment.
"Looks like your trip to Germany didn't yield any results after all," she sighed.
She even let go of Link's hand, clearly dissatisfied.
This time, Link couldn't even keep up his awkward smile, he was utterly speechless.
After all, they had just taken over the entire Beckman family's assets. On top of that, they'd taken advantage of the collapse of the so-called "Despicable Alliance" to scoop up a fortune.
Krell had handled most of it, but when Link checked the final reports, he was stunned to find that the Flamel family's wealth had doubled.
And more importantly, their military strength and influence across Europe had skyrocketed.
If Mrs. Flamel's years of hard work had turned the Flamels from a near-ruined family, one almost destroyed by the Ministry, into a powerful British magical clan, then Link's success in Germany had elevated them into a major force across the entire European wizarding world.
You couldn't really say whose achievement was greater, but it was definitely not "no gain."
Link shot a glance at Krell.
He knew that after their previous argument, Krell and Mrs. Flamel weren't on good terms. And now that she'd brushed off their hard-won results, Link figured Krell was about ready to explode.
But surprisingly, instead of getting angry, Krell just lowered his head shamefully.
Apparently, he agreed with her, and blamed himself entirely.
"This is nonsense!"
It was Mr. Vicotria who suddenly spoke up.
His voice was hesitant, almost timid, but he stood firmly in front of Emily and Link like a mother hen guarding her chicks.
At once, Mrs. Flamel and Krell glared at him.
Especially Krell, his expression was so twisted it looked like he might tear the man apart any second.
"Don't you think you're being a bit greedy, Mr. Victoria?" Krell hissed. "You already got a full ten percent of our German profits, that was your hush money. I think you should be satisfied."
Mr. Vicotria went pale. "I didn't want the money! You forced me to..."
But before he could finish, both Mrs. Flamel and Krell cut him off with cold, mocking laughter.
Link could only glance at him with pity.
From what he knew of the man, Mr. Vicotria was probably telling the truth. Even though he still had a bunch of Squibs to feed at his manor, he genuinely hadn't wanted that money.
Link sighed quietly. He was sure that poor man was about to suffer, Mrs. Flamel and Krell were desperate for a grandchild, and anyone who got in the way would face their full wrath.
At that moment, Snape, who had been silently watching the chaos, finally lost patience.
"Enough!" he snapped. "Dumbledore and Harry are waiting for us. Link, we've wasted enough time. We need to go, now."
Link's expression instantly cooled.
"From what I know," he said calmly, "their situation isn't nearly as urgent as you make it sound."
"Yes, Severus," Mrs. Flamel added sweetly. "My poor child has just returned. Surely you're not planning to take him away again already?"
Snape took a deep breath. "In that case, do as you please. I'm going ahead."
He turned to leave, but before he could get far, Link's voice stopped him.
"I said, Professor Snape, don't rush. Things aren't as dangerous as you think. If you go running off like this, people will think you're being desperate, it doesn't suit your image, and it could blow your cover."
"Anyway, let's stay and have lunch first. We'll go after that."
"Oh, Mother, lunch should be ready, right? I've been craving Button's pumpkin stew."
"Of course," Mrs. Flamel said with a smile. "Come along, everyone."
And with that, she happily led Link, Emily, and the others toward the dining hall.
Snape froze in place for a moment, then, with a dark look, reluctantly followed.
The first meal after returning home is always a feast, that's true everywhere, no matter the country or race.
And with it always comes endless questions and conversation from the parents.
Mrs. Flamel was no exception.
Completely ignoring the impatient Snape beside her, she held onto Link and Emily and talked with them all afternoon.
Honestly, Link started to regret not going straight to see Dumbledore and Harry when he'd had the chance.
Because Mrs. Flamel's main topic was, when are you two going to have a baby?
Emily didn't seem too bothered, she blushed but played along.
For Link, though, it was pure torture.
In his previous life, he'd already developed a bit of marriage and child-rearing anxiety thanks to the harsh realities of life. Even after crossing into this world and meeting Emily, whom he truly loved, it had taken him a long time to overcome that fear.
And now, before he'd even fully adjusted, Mrs. Flamel was already pressuring him to have kids.
It honestly terrified him.
He could duel wizards and face down the Ministry or even Voldemort without blinking, but fatherhood? That was another story.
Finally, near evening, Link managed to escape from Mrs. Flamel and Krell's relentless persuasion. Together with Emily and led by Snape, they arrived at Grimmauld Place.
Standing before this iconic place he'd only read about in the original story, Link couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Grimmauld Place was small and shabby. Its center wasn't adorned with a fountain or statue like other squares, but overgrown with weeds.
Even though it was rush hour, there weren't many people around, just a few passing cars and pedestrians, plus a couple of ragged vagrants sprawled on the patched, uneven pavement.
And not far away, thick smoke poured from factory chimneys, turning the entire sky gray.
The grimy road and the dull sky together wrapped the whole area in a suffocating sense of decay.
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