Christmas arrived as scheduled.
The school was eerily quiet, almost deserted. Felix attributed it to the daily reports in the newspapers about the latest developnts, subtly reminding the students: beyond the tranquil campus, a vigilant dark wizard lurked. So, during the Christmas period, their yearning to reunite with family grew stronger.
"It's not as dire as it seems," Professor McGonagall remarked. "During the last war, people always felt like they were living on the edge, decisions had to be made swiftly, no matter the consequences."
"Such as?"
"Such as getting married right after graduation, or young couples eloping abroad... not uncommon occurrences," Professor McGonagall's tone held a hint of disapproval.
Two seats away, Professor Sinistra was describing a spectacular solar eclipse she had witnessed while Professor Trelawney, usually silent, gazed thoughtfully at her. "Last sumr, I observed an eerie shadow on Jupiter through the celestial eye. It might correlate with the ongoing events... I regret not warning in advance, but I was down with a cold."
Her implications were too evident; the others at the table looked her way, intrigued.
Professor Sinistra asked with interest, "Are you referring to the astronomical spectacle of a cot colliding with Jupiter? I observed it from start to finish—initially, a massive explosion followed by a vast dark dust cloud lingering for months."
Trelawney fiddled with her beaded necklace. "Um... what I saw might not be the sa. You see... the vision for soone with the Inner Eye differs from a regular perspective..."
Felix glanced, then firmly averted his gaze.
"Very well," Professor Sinistra shrugged, delving into her beef pie. Dumbledore diverted his attention back to the conversation between Professors Babbling and Sprout. "I can't wait to see the latest developnts, Kerry. I must say, this research is quite significant, with minimal risks involved..."
"Yes, Pomona has been of great help," Professor Babbling said, burping contentedly. Professor Sprout smiled, pouring her a glass of wine.
"What about Sirius?" Professor Flitwick scanned the room.
"He went ho for the holidays, with his godson," Felix replied.
"You an Potter... oh, I find it hard to associate him with the term 'father,' perhaps because of the strong impression he left on ... but I must say, he's a competent professor, much better than I anticipated," Professor Flitwick said sentintally, prompting a disdainful huff from Snape.
Felix thought, whether it was the performance he heard from Mada Pomfrey or the more conspicuous title of 'Death Eater top-ranking mber, Azkaban's first escapee,' it overshadowed Professor Black's presence...
But Sirius had beco more steady now.
The cold wind howled, roaring fires burned in the Black Manor.
Monts ago, Felix had praised Sirius for his stability in his mind, but now, Mrs. Weasley stood hands on hips, her sturdy figure emanating imnse energy. "Vanishing without a word! Disappearing! Do you have any idea how worried we were? We thought you were abducted by so mysterious person, that wouldn't be too bad," she exclaid, "And you brought Harry along too?"
Sirius slumped on the couch, absentmindedly reaching to fiddle with a Muggle chess piece hidden in the crevice of a stone. Harry watched in silence. Mrs. Weasley scolded for a good half an hour; Ginny, Ron, Lupin, Tonks all appeared at the doorway at various tis, but none dared interrupt Mrs. Weasley in her fury. ????Ν????Ε??
It wasn't until Mr. Weasley returned that she rembered the beef stew still simring and hurried off to the kitchen.
"For rlin's sake, do sothing productive," she called out to Ginny and Ron standing by the staircase. Sirius, monts ago sulking, paused his movents, perked up, and made a face towards the stairs. Ginny looked stunned.
"Don't mind her, Harry. A man has to experience a bit of adventure... especially since I've checked it out in advance," he winked at Harry, "thump thump thump," and he bounded upstairs.
Ron, making sure their mum had indeed left, approached Harry, asking, "Where did you two go?"
"To visit a grave," Harry murmured through his teeth.
Ron gaped, then wordlessly patted Harry on the shoulder. "Don't think about it. I'll show you sothing good. When you were away, Ginny asked Tonks about so Auror training programs, and we think so could be used at the frontline lookout posts..."
Harry perked up. "I'll check it out—before dinner. Is it in Ginny's room?" He glanced towards the staircase, but Ginny had disappeared.
Taking a few steps, he noticed Ron staring at him strangely.
"I warn you... if you plan anything with Ginny, I won't allow it—" he whispered, as though he'd crafted this sentence in his mind for ages.
Harry was bewildered. "Why would—"
Their conversation was abruptly interrupted; Mrs. Weasley peeked in from the door, "Dinner's ready, kids, hurry and wash up. Where's Ginny?"
Harry and Ron simultaneously shrugged their shoulders, dismissing their previous topic. "Wasn't she with you?" Ron muttered.
"Each one of them is a handful..." Mrs. Weasley's voice trailed off.
Malfoy Manor.
Draco Malfoy sat at the lavishly adorned dining table, the magnificent golden fireplace ablaze behind him, tinkling his silver plate.
"Draco, mind your manners," Narcissa said, "If you're done eating, you can go check under the Christmas tree. While you nap, a few more elders have sent gifts."
Draco licked his lips, sitting upright, eyeing Lucius. "I, I need to talk to you."
"Is this about school?" Lucius calmly set down his fork, wiped his mouth, then leisurely picked up a goblet.
"No." Draco said breathlessly.
"What is it then?" Narcissa looked at her son in confusion. Her complexion was fair, yet her high cheekbones gave her an initially severe appearance.
Draco didn't answer his mother's inquiry; instead, he stuttered while looking at Lucius, "Dad, I want to talk to you... man-to-man."
Lucius and Narcissa exchanged a strange glance. "So, you think you're ready to take on responsibility?" Lucius set the goblet down, wiped his mouth with a pristine napkin, and leaned against his chair, staring directly at his son.
"Draco..." Narcissa's voice carried a glaring warning.
"I believe so." Draco insisted stubbornly.
"Very well, then," Lucius lowered his voice, "co with ." Draco sprang up from his chair. "Bring your wand," Lucius said coldly. Draco's expression froze.
...
The next day, the weather was bright, and Felix arrived early at Diagon Alley.
"What are these...?" Lupin looked surprised as Felix unfolded a scroll of parchnt.
"A plan and so details about the Mute spells," Felix explained, "So of the addresses might be outdated, but it doesn't matter if we can't find those people."
Lupin carefully perused the plan, his lips moving as he
read the erald green script. His expression gradually turned serious. "Exclusive wands capable of casting Mute spells, based on the principle of magical frequencies... each person is different?"
"Exactly. The so-called magical frequencies refer to precise asurents of magical fluctuations, unique to each wizard. In theory, you can accurately identify the wizard casting the spell through their magical frequency..."
"And in practice?" Lupin asked astutely.
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