Flies and Doves

Having uncovered so much information and presented the most reasonable hypothesis, Sean thought that was Stephanie's limit, but he never expected that she would have even more clues.

The Silver-haired Girl wasn't one to make a fuss. She simply unfolded the parchment she had taken out. It was a tattered page torn from a book, only more worn and older.

Have you heard of the Nott family?

Hermione nodded immediately. "The Nott family, mentioned in that infamous Pure-blood Directory, is one of the Pure-blood families —I remember there was a very aloof guy in Slytherin who was from the Nott family, named Theodore Nott."

Sean nodded, and not only that, he knew even more.

The Slytherin boy named Theodore Nott was a very thin and frail fellow. He always had a very indifferent face and rarely showed disgust or pleasure.

Furthermore, although Theodore Nott is a Pure-blood supremacist, he has not joined Malfoy's team, neither the small team in the past nor the large group now.

Theodore Nott is somewhat like a lone wolf in Slytherin, always alone and never joining any group. He probably only has a handful of people who can be considered his friends.

The reason Sean knew so much about this man was because Theodore Nott's father, Old Man Nott, was a Death Eaters. Back at the Malfoy Manor, the man was shrouded in a black cloak and cowered in his seat.

Sean investigated the personal information and family details of this type of person.

However, perhaps because Voldemort had not yet gained power, although Old Man Nott had become a Death Eaters, his son Theodore did not seem to understand the Death Eaters community.

He frowned. "Is it related to the Nott family?"

Stephanie nodded. "To be precise, it's related to the Nott family of the past—you should know that in England, many of the so-called Pure-blood families are not actually families that have been around for thousands of years. Many families are actually branches of Pure-blood families in other countries, and then gradually developed. Of course, when the main family declines, the branch becomes the only symbol of the family."

Sean nodded. For example, the Pure-blood families Rosier family of England originated from the Rosier family of France. The "chicken" Sean used as a warning to others, Evan Rosier, was from the England Rosier family, while Vita Rosier, the current headmaster of Newmontgard, was from the France Rosier family.

"The Nott family is not Pure-blood families born in England. I have done a lot of research and there is conclusive evidence that the Nott family is a branch of a foreign Pure-blood families that migrated to England."

Daisy asked doubtfully, "But what does the Nott family have to do with the clue you just mentioned? Could it be that the Nott family's ancestors were actually one of the characters represented by the animals in the nursery rhyme?"

Stephanie nodded. "To be precise, it is involved, look at this—"

Everyone looked at the parchment. On the old, yellowed paper was a crooked drawing. The paint had long since peeled off, and judging from the style of the drawing, it seemed to be from the Ancient Greek school.

In the scene, a middle-aged man dressed in strange clothes stares wide-eyed, rubbing his hands together. In front of him is an indistinct shape, seemingly some kind of treasure. Beside the man, a male wizard in luxurious clothes smiles and speaks.

Below the illustration is a text.

"The patriarch of the Nott family has welcomed a brand new guest, who seems to come from the Land of Mist, with large eyes that are filled with Greed and shrewdness. This guest has come to the patriarch of the Nott family with treasures from the Misty Lands, intending to exchange them for a place where he can settle down."

"The shrewd head of the Nott family recognized the value of the treasure. He gladly accepted it and provided the guest with a place where he could settle down and even gave him a portion of the family's assets."

"The two parties established a long-term trading partnership, and the Nott family used the treasures in the mist that this person brought back to expand their power wildly—however, the treasures in the mist also seem to have hidden dangers."

"One day, Nott, who had become a famous family head in the city, suddenly went mad. He completely lost his mind and was clutching a pure black book in his hand."

"The Nott family collapsed, and the guest in the mist lost his place of refuge. He took the black book and the Nott family's legacy with him and set off again to find a new master."

"Oh—by the way, when the Nott family asked the guest for his name, he referred to himself as ' Mr. Unfooled Spectator.'"

The text ended there, and the group of people all frowned.

"The mist and the black book..." Sean mused, "Are indeed highly related..."

Stephanie pointed to the ' Mr. Unfooled Spectator ' on the parchment and said, "And this..."

Sean was startled. "Audience, Fly..."

When used as a noun, "fly" means Fly. When used as an adjective, it can mean clever, gullible, fashionable, or charming.

"This person is the Fly who was there the whole time?!" Hermione covered her mouth. "He witnessed everything and came out of the Realm of Illusion. At the same time, he brought out the story ' The Poet and the Greedy Wisdom Snake '!"

Sean breathed a sigh of relief, "He might even be the author of the book."

Stephanie listened quietly to their discussion, and when it was almost time, she took out a copy of the picture.

"As you've deduced before, there's a difference of one number between the eight birds and the seven Sin, and the Dove or the Lark might be the only innocent one. In fact, it's quite possible that after the Nott family fell apart, no one knows where this ' Mr. Unfooled Spectator ' went."

"I've searched through all the information I could find, including family histories of various families, but I haven't found any trace of this person. The only exception is this one—"

Upon hearing this, Sean looked over, and his pupils contracted slightly. The copied picture was engraved with a family crest, which was a Dove with outstretched wings.

"A friend of my grandfather once discovered an archaeological site in the wild. There may have been a family of moderate size there for thousands of years. The ' Mr. Unfooled Spectator ' appeared in the history of that family, but only briefly. The last part mentioned that this person and the family had joined forces to resist an attacking force, but they failed. The family was completely wiped out, and this person also disappeared without a trace."

"And the family crest is Dove."

Sean immediately connected many things. "Judging from the previous records, he was just seeking refuge. When the Nott family Nott family was destroyed, he didn't seem to help them but simply fled—but according to the fragmented family history seen by Mr. Ollivander's friend, he and [the Dove] fought off the attacking forces together..."

Hermione's clever mind started working quickly, and she said excitedly, "The animals that appear in the nursery rhyme, the Fly and the Dove, are innocent witnesses, but because the poets possessed some of the power of Death God and Love God, they could not leave the truth clearly, and could only write a book in a roundabout way."

She spoke faster and faster, rattling off everything like a machine gun. "The innocent escaped from the Realm of Illusion, partly to spread the truth, and partly to avoid the poet's gaze—but the poet may have noticed the anomaly in the [Fly] and the [Dove]."

"This also explains why the Fly have been seeking refuge since returning from the Land of Mist, and it is very likely that the forces sent by the Poet destroyed the Dove family."

Sean said in a deep voice, "That makes sense, and considering the current clues, it's the most likely guess."

Stephanie nodded. "I have repeatedly verified the authenticity and date of the information. There are no signs of forgery. This history is indeed real. At least the [Fly] and the [Dove] really existed."

"Then our entry point is..."

The group exchanged glances and said in unison, "The Nott family!"

Sean clenched his left fist and smacked his right palm. "While the division of the family line might lead to the loss of much family history, the Nott family has survived from that era to the present day, so they most likely retain a lot of things they brought from the main family. These could be secret information, or some kind of magical artifact. Among them might even be information related to that ' Fly '..."

Hermione nodded. "We've at least found a foothold right in front of us. The only problem is, Theodore Nott might be a bit too easy to fool..."

Sean chimed in, "Let's give it a try. I'll use all the resources at my disposal to gain Theodore Nott's trust. At least Malfoy can talk to him..."

Of course, starting with Theodore Knut, a classmate in the same grade, was a last resort. The best way would definitely be to ask the head of the Nott family, namely Old Man Nott.

If it were Sean from two years ago, there wouldn't be a problem, but now, Old Man Nott has returned to Voldemort's embrace, and the Death Eaters he can control are most likely only Barty Jr. Crouch Jr. and Bella Lestrange.

If Sean were to rashly go to Old Man Nott, Voldemort might notice something, and the Returners might deduce something from it, which is something Sean absolutely does not want to see.

"Let's start with Theodore Nott," Sean decided.

Of course, he didn't say the last half of what he wanted to say.

If Sean can't gain Theodore Nott's trust and learn the Nott family's secrets through normal means, then he may have to resort to some less-than-legal methods.

Imperius Curse is unrealistic. It would be very wrong for this Unforgivable Curse, which has no way of being broken, to appear on campus. Sean might be unrestricted when dealing with enemies, but using the Unforgivable Curse on a classmate who has not yet decided on his side of good or evil is a bit too much.

Legilimency has no side effects, might be a better option... Sean thought to himself.

Although Stephanie's arrival today was a little awkward at first, the information she brought was amazing and effective, and Sean's embarrassment over Ayla's gluttony was relieved a lot - but the little guy's summer homework cannot be reduced.

The group, who had been searching for a clue to the mystery, finally found a practical entry point, and their spirits rose considerably.

After discussing some details, the group began to fully enjoy the afternoon tea prepared by Sean.

The mystery that had troubled them for so long finally found a starting point, and a corner of the truth might be revealed. Although none of them were sure, and all their ideas so far were just guesses and deductions, they were still quite relaxed. In addition, the delicious desserts made the atmosphere in the reception room much more relaxed.

However, the relaxed atmosphere didn't last long.

When the important business was over and the desserts were almost finished, the atmosphere began to subtly change again.

Everyone remembers what happened in the courtyard.

Sean ate the last Pudding as slowly as he could, regretting that he hadn't prepared afternoon tea for ten people.

Now I have no excuse for anything serious. Being in the same room with someone like this is practically torture...

Just as Sean was struggling with his dilemma, Stephanie glanced at the time and then stood up.

"Everything's been said, and it's getting late. There's a curfew in Diagon Alley now; if we go back late, we'll have to spend the night outside—"

Wow, that's so thoughtful!

Sean stood up almost with a grateful look in his eyes. "Oh, are you leaving already?"

Stephanie glanced at Sean; she could see that the boy looked much more relaxed.

The Silver-haired Girl smiled faintly, "Yes, thank you for your hospitality today, Sean — Daisy, Hermione, it was a pleasure to meet you both, and I look forward to seeing you again."

"Oh dear, you're leaving so early... Let me see you off." Sean laughed as well.

Hermione, who was still sitting behind, hesitated. Stephanie had already left, so should she leave too?

If she doesn't leave, she'll seem tactless and impolite. Besides, Stephanie has already shown her understanding side. She's already lagging behind, why should she stay?

But if we leave... what if Stephanie comes back after a while?

There are too many reasons, especially since the curfew in Diagon Alley can be given all sorts of legitimate excuses.

Wouldn't that mean she'd have to spend the night at Sean's house?!

Just as Hermione was hesitating and Daisy was about to step forward to speak, the private meeting room bell rang.

Sean walked over. This reception room was designed for privacy, but of course, the outside world could not be ignored, so Sean had his father install a communicator.

His mother's voice came through the intercom. "Sean, am I disturbing you? But you need to come out for a moment, Professor McGonagall from your school is in the living room right now."

Why did Professor McGonagall suddenly appear? Sean and the other girls exchanged surprised glances.

"Okay, we're out."

When the group left the reception room and entered the living room, sure enough, the serious professor of Transfiguration was sitting on the sofa.

"Oh, Sean, I apologize for disturbing you—" Professor McGonagall thanked Mrs. Wallop for the tea, adjusted her glasses, and stood up.