Dance of Flames

Paris.

On the outskirts of the city, a sizable manor was brightly lit. Strangely, none of the passersby noticed the mansion; in fact, they completely ignored the space.

The original owner of this classic manor was a well-known entrepreneur; of course, the manor now belongs to Aiken.

Old Man Aiken, dressed in a velvet smoking shirt, leaned back in a luxurious rocking chair, with a roaring campfire flickering beside him, casting light and shadow on the middle-aged man's face.

"Damn it—" Old Man Aiken accidentally burned himself with the cigarette ash he had shaken off, but his face did not show any pain, only a gloomy expression.

His right hand, holding the cigarette, was far older and drier than the hands of a normal man his age; even a falling spark wouldn't cause him much pain. In contrast, his left hand was a pale silver.

Old Man Aiken tossed his half-smoked cigarette into the fireplace and, looking utterly disgusted, stroked his pale silver left hand.

Because of Grindelwald's curse, his left hand was permanently lost, and his life force was transferred to his right hand. No one could perfectly break this curse, and Old Man Aiken ultimately chose to pay a higher price—completely draining the life force from his right hand—in exchange for a usable left hand—though this hand was not very good.

All of this is because of Grindelwald! Old Man Aiken's face was gloomy, with a lingering fear hidden beneath.

Although he said he would capture Grindelwald at all costs, after the original Aiken Manor was burned down, Old Man Aiken still chose a new estate in the west of the city—in Paris, which is the farthest from Père Lachaise Cemetery in the east of the city.

Old Man Aiken knew his son had gone to Hogwarts to seek revenge on that boy, Wallerup. Old Man Aiken didn't object; Wallerp was just a third-year student who could use Grindelwald's name before, but things were different now.

Old Man Aiken still supported his son in eliminating the Nightmare. After all, his wife had passed away early, and he was his only son. The Aiken Family would eventually be handed over to him.

However, perhaps he should find a new woman? But young witches with pure and excellent bloodlines like his deceased wife are not so easy to find these days...

If all else fails, perhaps we can resort to some extreme measures...

Just as Old Man Aiken was pondering, a commotion suddenly came from outside.

Who?! Old Man Aiken instinctively jumped up from his chair.

"Young master, young master—" the House-elves's shrill voice rang out.

"Get out of here! Get as far away as you can!" a sharp, irritable young man's voice rang out.

Fabian? Old Man Aiken frowned upon hearing his son's familiar voice.

Shouldn't he be at Hogwarts...? What happened...?

Old Man Aiken didn't doubt the identity of the man outside who was punching and kicking the House-elves; he was just puzzled as to why his son had suddenly returned.

Although the original Aiken mansion was burned down by Grindelwald, and many Magical Item inside were destroyed, some items still remained.

For example, the special Portkey next to his son's feet can be used across several countries, and only those with the Aiken Family's special unlocking password can use it.

Only he and his son knew the password.

At the doorway, a House-elves dressed in tattered rags stood timidly with its head bowed, too afraid to even utter a sound of pain as its young master kicked it roughly.

Further away, several wizards hired by the Aiken family were coldly watching all of this.

Little Aiken seemed to get angrier the more he fought. He kicked the House-elves away and yelled furiously, "Get lost, you lowly thing!"

"Don't let me see you in this manor!"

The House-elves stood up shakily, its head drooping onto the grass, too afraid to utter a sound.

"Go to the basement. No dinner tonight." Old Man Aiken walked out of the room and gave the instructions to the House-elves, who immediately disappeared.

Old Man Aiken looked at Little Aiken with a serious expression.

"My child, I have told you, never let anger cloud your judgment."

Little Aiken —of course, the true identity hidden beneath Grindelwald's unique Transfiguration is Sean.

He had already digested the key points of Little Aiken's memories, so dealing with Old Man Aiken was no problem—especially since he was now playing the role of a young man who had lost his mind due to anger.

Sean's eyes were bloodshot, and his chest heaved violently. He glanced at Old Man Aiken irritably, but finally took a few deep breaths under the other's stern gaze.

"Look at the state you're in! Come with me to the study and tell me what's wrong," Old Man Aiken said in a deep voice.

Sean kept smoothing his hair back, took a deep breath, and then followed—a common gesture of Little Aiken.

The two entered the study one after the other. After closing the door, Old Man Aiken asked, "Your plan failed?"

Sean clenched his teeth, his eyes dark and brooding as if they were about to burst with tears.

"That Mudblood..."

As he spoke, he walked to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of wine, opened it, and took a big gulp.

"Fabian!" Old Man Aiken looked at him sternly, speaking with a tone of disappointment, "How many times have I taught you? Whether you succeed or fail, as a person in a position of authority, composure and calmness are essential!"

Sean, panting heavily, glanced at Old Man Aiken. Under the other man's stern gaze, he gradually calmed down. Finally, he gritted his teeth, feeling somewhat dejected and unwilling.

"I understand..." He took a deep breath, his gaze regaining its firmness.

"Yes, that's what the heir of the Aiken family should do." Old Man Aiken nodded with satisfaction.

His son, who has always had a smooth life, is easily impatient. Although he did not achieve satisfactory results this time, he was able to calm down so quickly, which means he has learned something.

This is what he most wants to see. As long as Little Aiken can truly possess the demeanor of someone in a position of power, then nothing else matters. After all, the Aiken family can afford the tuition.

Before Old Man Aiken, his son took another bottle of wine and two glasses, poured the wine, and respectfully handed them to him.

"Please teach me, I'm still far from good enough."

Hearing his son's words, a hint of relief appeared in Old Man Aiken's eyes.

The fact that he is becoming more and more mature is a good sign. He can start over if he fails, and he can teach others more.

Old Man Aiken picked up his glass and took a satisfied sip.

"Failure is not terrible, Fabian. Come, tell me, where exactly did your plan go wrong this time..."

As he spoke, Old Man Aiken's eyes suddenly widened. He felt his tongue rapidly going numb, and then the numbness spread quickly!

This is not Fabian!

Old Man Aiken immediately reached out to touch the bright silver necklace on his chest.

However, his hand was blown down limply as soon as he stretched it out.

In the luxurious and magnificent study, Old Man Aiken, dressed in an expensive smoking shirt, stared wide-eyed as he slumped helplessly onto the magic carpet worth a thousand Galleon.

A gentle magical force supported his falling body, but it was immediately overwhelmed by a tremendous force.

The man disguised as his son looked at him with disdain and coldness, and slammed his head into the ground with his hard-soled boots.

"In fact, your son's plan was flawed at every step... Please forgive my bluntness, but incompetent fathers are often responsible for the death of their foolish children."

Dead... Fabian is dead... Old Man Aiken is just like Little Aiken was an hour ago, he's panting like a dead dog.

But there was nothing they could do.

Naja slowly swam out of Sean's sleeve and then swam toward the necklace around Old Man Aiken's neck.

Pure-blood nobles are all the same, arrogant and stupid... They can't even remember being taught a lesson by Grindelwald several times...

Sean loosened the sole of his shoe, allowing Naja to remove the other person's necklace.

In Little Aiken's memory, his father's necklace was a very powerful Magical Item, but like other artifacts, it only protected against spells and forced takeaway, and was useless against Magical Creatures.

They believed that non-human Magical Creatures were inherently inferior and not worthy of attention.

What an incredibly foolish idea... Sean walked out of the room, then put on Little Aiken's gloomy face again.

Outside, several wizards hired by the Aiken Family were discussing in hushed tones.

"What's wrong with Young Master Aiken this time?"

"Oh, all the lights are off inside. Looks like you're quite angry."

"Tch, what can he do? He tried to prank someone but failed..."

As the group was inwardly criticizing their young master, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a cold voice called out, "Everyone, come here."

Little Aiken stood at the door and shouted to everyone.

"Looks like they're ready to completely break off relations..." someone said.

"Let him tear it up, it's just helping him kill a few people..." A wizard licked his lips.

Soon, nearly ten hired wizards gathered around.

They saw that Little Aiken's face was ashen, so he casually greeted them and led the way into the house.

The group followed. The room was dimly lit without the lights, and the large space made them feel somewhat uncomfortable. Of course, this was nothing to be afraid of for the wizard.

After rounding a corner of a corridor, the group was just starting to cook when they suddenly saw their young master turn to face them.

The other person had their eyes closed, a cold smile playing on their lips.

That wasn't the key point. What they saw was a huge head hovering in mid-air in the darkness behind the other party, with a pair of huge, terrifying, yellow vertical pupils staring at them all.

Those vertical pupils had a layer of crystal lenses on their surface...

These were the last things these people were aware of.

"Thump, thump, thump..." The petrified body fell heavily to the ground.

At the very back of the line, a wizard who hadn't even turned around witnessed this chilling scene.

He felt a chill run straight to the top of his head, and pulled out his wand, preparing to retreat swiftly.

However, before he could make a move, a Thorn Sheath hanging under the lampshade of the table lamp next to him suddenly grew larger!

The terrifying fangs pierced his throat without any resistance!

The only sound in the room was the bubbling of blood in the throat.

They only had to walk into one room before all the wizards hired by the Aiken Family were wiped out!

"Thank you for your hard work." Sean pressed the button in his hand, and the Basilisk's open eye patch was put back on.

"It's an easy task." The Basilisk hissed with a hint of pleasure; this was its first 'mission' since officially following Sean.

Judging from Sean's voice, he had done a good job— the Basilisk was very satisfied.

It casually swept its tail, smashing all the stone sculptures on the ground into powder.

On the other side, after Dave confirmed that the wizard he was talking about no longer had any signs of life, he spread his wings and flew back to Sean's side.

"Wash yourself," Dave said, opening his mouth willingly.

"You've become sensible; you know you need to brush your teeth now." Sean gave Dave a Aguamenti with considerable satisfaction.

For Sean, the memories of Little Aiken gave him information: these wizards hired by the Aiken Family either had a dirty past before being hired, or they did many shady things for the Aiken family after being hired.

Therefore, after doing all this, Sean felt absolutely no emotional fluctuation.

He wasn't even afraid of being discovered; he just felt that a major battle would be too much trouble.

After gathering his companions, Sean headed towards Old Man Aiken's bedroom, where Chamber of Secrets contained some of the Aiken Family's treasures.

A moment later, Sean emerged from the Chamber of Secrets with a look of heartache on his face.

Too much was burned by Grindelwald's fire... Originally, a large family like this should have had an enormous amount of inventory...

The biggest gain was actually a huge amount of Galleon; Old Man Aiken didn't like saving money in the Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

Teacher, your crimes are heinous...

Sean sighed and released the Wampus Cat, letting it carry everything into the ring. Then, he went back to his study.

As soon as she entered, Naja, like a precious treasure, climbed onto his lap with a necklace in her mouth.

"Thank you for your hard work." Sean patted the coquettish Naja and praised her.

He took the necklace, a look of surprise in his eyes.

Little Aiken's memories also included descriptions of his father's most prized necklace, but Sean only truly appreciated its exceptional craftsmanship when he actually held it.

Just experiencing the magic, the Ancient Runes engraved on the necklace made Sean feel a little dizzy.

It possesses over ten Protego Maxima, two triggered emergency Healing Spell, five actively activated quick Healing Spell, five anti-curse spells, five anti-hypnosis spells, and triggered counter-spells including Stunning Spell, Petrification Charm, anti -Anti-Summoning Charm spells, anti-theft spells, and so on. The necklace owner can even actively activate Anti-Apparition Jinx and anti- Anti-Apparition Jinx...

Wow, they're really rich! This magic necklace alone must cost at least tens of thousands of Galleon... Sean tossed the necklace in his hand with considerable admiration.

You can wear this yourself first, and when you become stronger and no longer need it, you can give it to someone else. You just need to replenish the magic spells in it regularly.

"Thank you, generous Mr. Aiken." Sean smiled and patted the chest of Old Man Aiken, who was still lying on the ground.

"Let... let..." Old Man Aiken's will was really strong. The Paralysis Potion that Sean used could have overwhelmed a small Fire Dragon, but the other party was still able to struggle and spit out a few words.

However, Sean paid no attention to what the other person said. He elegantly took out his wand, like a brilliant conductor.

"Combustficus".

The golden-red flames showed no mercy; they engulfed Old Man Aiken, whose eyes were filled with terror and despair, without allowing him to utter a single cry of anguish.

Sean walked briskly out the door, and behind him, flames licked everywhere except the hem of Sean clothes.

They wanted to dance wildly, but they tried to restrain themselves around Sean.

Sean turned around and gave a graceful greeting, but his eyes showed no warmth whatsoever.

The Portkey warped space, and he vanished from the spot.

The flames finally broke free of their restraints and rose up wildly and joyfully.

Happy May Day to everyone tomorrow!