Easter's Surprise

As they chatted, Madam Crouch suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, right, Easter... it's almost here."

"Mm..."

Lucretia responded softly, her gaze still fixed on the booklet in her hands.

Madam Crouch said with a smile, "Barty is coming back for a week."

Lucretia couldn't help but glance out the window towards the greenhouses.

Madam Crouch noticed her daughter's small movement and reached out to stroke her hair.

"I was thinking, once the weather warms up a bit more, all the plants in the garden will start to sprout. Those Bouncing Bulbs should be sprouting soon too, shouldn't they?"

Lucretia closed the book and gave Madam Crouch a shy smile.

"Hotaru and I went to check this morning, and little sprouts have already appeared. They were hopping in the soil... as if saying hello to me."

Madam Crouch said gently, "I know, Hotaru told me you take care of them every day."

Lucretia lowered her head, her voice small, "Because... I promised I'd take good care of them."

Looking at her serious expression, Madam Crouch was reminded of a veiled instruction in her son's letter, and she found it amusing.

These two children.

One was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, showing concern while pretending to give orders.

The other was thoughtful, caring deeply but saying it was just what she was supposed to do.

She said casually, "That corner used to be Barty's territory. He never let anyone touch the plants there, not even when we had guests with children, he wouldn't let them play there."

Lucretia listened quietly, her fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of the book's pages.

"On Easter, I'm planning to have Hotaru prepare some Easter eggs. Barty loved this when he was little; he always had us hide the eggs in various corners of the garden."

Madam Crouch sighed softly.

"Your father's work has become busier over the years... Our family hasn't had a lively Easter in so long."

Lucretia looked up, a hint of confusion in her expression, "Easter eggs?"

Madam Crouch explained, "Our wizarding Easter eggs... they aren't ordinary eggs. Hotaru will enchant them with house-elf magic. Some will shimmer with rainbow colors, some can sing... and some will suddenly bloom when found."

Lucretia's eyes lit up, "Really?"

"Barty loved playing this game when he was little. He was full of tricks and always thought of bizarre places for Hotaru to hide the eggs. Once, he hid an egg inside a dandelion. The little rascal was quite clever; he had Hotaru cast a color-changing charm on it beforehand so it matched the dandelion, making it impossible to see."

Lucretia could almost picture Little Barty's smug expression.

She couldn't help but press, "And then what happened?"

Madam Crouch shook her head and smiled.

"Well... the egg suddenly sneezed, blowing all the dandelion fluff into the air. The entire garden was filled with golden parachutes, it was beautiful.

Barty was overjoyed and said it was the prettiest thing he'd ever done. We can start again this year. Hotaru said she's preparing twelve eggs, each enchanted with a different spell, and you can all search for them in the garden."

Lucretia thought about Barty's not-so-friendly attitude towards her and felt uncertain, "Do... do I have to search too? Can I just sit in the garden and watch you guys?"

Madam Crouch hugged Lucretia a little tighter.

"Of course, you have to join in! Barty might seem cold, but he really wants someone to play with him. Besides, aren't you particularly sensitive to plants? Maybe you can find the eggs hidden among the flowers before he does, and then we'll see how smug he gets."

Lucretia lowered her head, her face flushing slightly, "Will the plants tell me? Maybe they'll even cover for each other."

Madam Crouch winked, "Who knows? But I think Barty might have Hotaru deliberately hide the eggs near those Bouncing Bulbs. He'll definitely want to see if you've been taking good care of them."

Lucretia's fingers once again brushed the edge of the book's pages.

She thought of the little sprouts hopping merrily in the soil and suddenly felt that this year's Easter might be quite interesting.

Madam Crouch continued, "Just between us, Hotaru said she's making a special egg this year, and your father and I have a surprise too."

"Father is coming too?"

"Hmph, he initially said he'd participate if his work wasn't too busy. But I specifically emphasized to him that this is the first family holiday you'll be spending since coming to the Crouch household, so he must be free."

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

After Madam Crouch finished making arrangements for the Easter eggs, Lucretia heard clanging sounds from the kitchen just as Professor Boot's class ended that afternoon.

"Hotaru? Is that you in the kitchen?"

She gently pushed open the door, and the sight before her stunned her.

The kitchen was a mess. Hotaru was standing on a chair, desperately trying to catch an Easter egg that was bouncing around in mid-air.

The egg glowed with a faint blue light. Every time it was almost caught, it would suddenly make a sharp turn and bounce elsewhere.

Flour was scattered all over the floor from it.

"Miss!"

Hotaru turned around in a panic, nearly falling off the chair.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! Hotaru was practicing new magic on the egg... but... but it's too mischievous..."

Lucretia couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

The Easter egg was playfully circling above her head, as if showing off its agility, hopping from her left shoulder to her right.

She adjusted the egg on her shoulder and asked Winky, "Do you need my help?"

Winky waved his hands frantically. "No, no! This is a surprise for Miss and Master. Winky must do it himself— Ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, another Easter egg on the shelf suddenly came to life and jumped onto the counter.

Then came the third, the fourth…

Soon, the entire kitchen was filled with hopping Easter eggs.

Some glided like ice skaters above the cabinets, some spun on the windowsill, and others tried to burrow into a flour sack that had already toppled onto the floor.

Lucretia stood at the doorway, watching Winky scramble, when a thought struck her.

"Don't panic, wait a moment."

She closed her eyes, quietly sensing the presence of the plants in the kitchen.

The herbs on the windowsill, the rosemary in the corner, and the various dried herbs on the shelves…

Slowly, the plants began to sway gently, as if moving to an invisible musical beat.

The previously hopping Easter eggs gradually quieted down, captivated by this magical rhythm.

Winky's eyes widened as he watched the eggs settle down one by one into the piles of herbs.

"It's amazing! How did Miss do that?"

Lucretia shook her head and crouched down to gently touch the most mischievous egg.

"I just… suddenly remembered Professor West teaching me to dance. She first had me listen to music and feel the rhythm. They seem to like dancing."

"Then Winky knows how to make them behave! Master loved watching Winky magically transform the Easter eggs when he was little. He always asked Winky to make the eggs into different shapes, and also…"

The house-elf suddenly stopped, feeling a bit embarrassed as he recalled the Master's pranks on the Miss.

"Did Winky say too much?"

Lucretia comforted him, "It's okay, aren't we friends? I'd also love to hear about his… Barty's childhood."

Winky's expression slowly relaxed. He began tidying the kitchen while recounting past events.

"Back then, Master always loved causing trouble in the garden, asking Winky to hide the Easter eggs in the most unexpected places. Once, Madam searched for an entire afternoon, only to find the egg magically turned the color of stone, lying by the path. He laughed so hard, it infuriated Madam."

Lucretia listened quietly, watching Winky begin to cast spells on the Easter eggs again.

This time, the eggs didn't act up. Instead, they drew beautiful arcs in the air, like a flock of dancing butterflies.

"Miss, Easter will definitely be lively!"

Yes.

Lucretia thought.

This would be her first Easter spent at the Crouch's home.