You Are Both My Wings

Is a fat man singing?

Harry seemed to vaguely recognize the name; it was Luciano Pavarotti, wasn't it? The excerpt was titled "Woman is Fickle."

What does the Godfather mean by this? Is he reminding me that Veratia is also fickle?

It's not impossible...

Harry was torn. He took note of his Godfather's earnest advice and was about to say something when he realized that his Godfather had already hung up the phone.

It's not that I've given up.

Since his Godfather couldn't offer any sound advice, Harry felt he had to rely on himself.

At worst, I'll just get hit by a few Ancient Charm, no big deal.

However, to Harry's surprise, Veratia wasn't the only one who came to Hogwarts this time; there was also an uninvited guest.

In the Headmaster's Office, two elderly men with gray beards sat facing each other.

"Long time no see, Al." Gellert winked mischievously at Dumbledore.

"I truly didn't expect you to come to Hogwarts at this time," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Did you come with Veratia?"

"Can't I come over by myself?" Gellert retorted.

Dumbledore smiled and said to him, "Unless Veratia wants to bring you here, I don't think you can leave Austria —after all, you are still a sinner of Austria to this day."

"What sinner!" Gellert retorted, waving his hands. "It's just a little hardship, my sister won't let me be exonerated, so I can only continue to change my appearance—"

"Veratia's concerns are valid," Dumbledore nodded. "You stirred up such a storm in Europe, causing extremely negative consequences—being imprisoned in Nurmengard Castle is already a good ending. I can't imagine how sad the people you hurt will be when you are declared innocent and released one day—like Theseus and Newt, do you remember? You killed Theseus's fiancée, Leta Lestrange."

Upon hearing the name, Gellert rolled his eyes and gagged.

He felt a little disgusted just hearing the name.

That woman was far too abstract; Gellert could never have imagined that she would have done that at Père Lachaise Cemetery—

Who gave her the courage?

"I was only acting in self-defense," Gellert reiterated. "If I wanted to do anything to the Scamander brothers,

"That stupid woman Lestrange can't stop my will!"

The two remained silent for a moment.

Outsiders might find it hard to believe, but although Gellert is the 1.0 version of the European vinegar king, he doesn't necessarily want Newt dead.

You could even say that he spared Newt's life out of respect for Dumbledore, so that Dumbledore wouldn't bother him with this matter when they met.

Dumbledore was well aware of this as well.

"Then," Dumbledore said again, "I still believe that your sister was entirely right."

Moreover, it is quite mature.

Gellert let out a chuckle.

Mature?

That woman?

After serving as Austria's behind-the-scenes Minister for Magic for only a few days, he was eager to push for the German-Austrian Merger, and even gave the Germans some reasons that they could not refuse.

Gellert didn't think Veratia was mature; in fact, he thought his sister was crazier than he was as her brother.

If Veratia hadn't time-traveled back then, perhaps by now, at least in the Magical World, all of Europe would have been completely unified. "Oh." Dumbledore didn't respond to the laughter, but instead asked Gellert, "I forgot to ask, what brings you to Hogwarts this time?"

"Of course," Gellert said with a smile. "I'm planning to come to the Christmas Ball and ask you to dance—what do you think?"

Dumbledore placed his hands on the table, smiled, and replied, "A good suggestion, but please allow me to decline—"

"Why?" Gellert asked, raising an eyebrow.

Although he didn't react much, he's in a pretty bad mood right now.

Being rejected is never a happy thing.

"Personally, I'd love to dance with you at the Christmas party, but the problem is—" Dumbledore said with a smile, "Abufosi will also be there, and he'll know exactly who you are—if you don't want him to ruin your good mood, I think you'll have to deal with him first—."

"You mean?" Gellert's face broke into a mischievous grin like Tom Cat's: "Him—"

As he spoke, Gellert made a gesture on his neck with his index finger.

That clearly meant to eliminate Abufosi one by one!

Dumbledore's face immediately fell, and his gaze toward Gellert carried a hint of displeasure.

"I need to remind you, Gellert!" Dumbledore said sternly, "I've already lost a sister, and I don't want to lose a brother too!"

"Okay, okay, I was just kidding—" Gellert raised his hands, striking a classic breast-raising pose. "So what do you think I should do?"

As he said this, Gellert was secretly laughing to himself.

You lost your sister?

You lost your sister, not because of my Charms —

If I hadn't decisively left back then and taken the blame, you would have lived the rest of your life in the shadow of having killed your own sister.

Besides, if that Goat Boy Abufosi had been more well-behaved and less noisy, would Ariana have suddenly had Obscurus attack?

"If you don't mind," Dumbledore held up a finger, "you can dress up as an old woman—"

R

Before he could finish speaking, Gellert stood up and slammed both hands on the table.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" he roared. "Al, you're delusional—I would never disguise myself as an old woman! If anyone should be doing makeup, it should be you!"

"I am Gale, the Headmaster of Hogwarts," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I would love to dress differently, but my identity dictates that I can only appear as Dumbledore."

Upon hearing this, Gellert suddenly slumped down, his arms hanging limply.

"Fine," he said, "women's clothes it is—"—If I could stay at Hogwarts and attend the Christmas Ball, that wouldn't be a problem, but you absolutely must keep it a secret!"

"I promise you," Dumbledore said, but he couldn't wait to share the news with Veratia.

Hahaha, this will definitely be the biggest black mark in Gellert's history, unprecedented in all of history. Even if the Blood Pact's black mark was stolen by the Niffler, it wouldn't be one ten-thousandth of this.

The snowfall outside the castle gradually intensified, with heavy snow falling on the castle and the grounds.

Beauxbatons' light blue carriage looked like a large, frosty pumpkin in winter, and the gingerbread house next to it, sprinkled with icing sugar, was Hagrid's little cabin; a layer of ice had formed on the gunwale of Durmstrang's great ship.

It became smooth and translucent, and a layer of white frost covered the sail ropes.

The House Elf in the Kitchen below were busy preparing a variety of hot stews and sweet puddings, while only Phoebe Delacour could find an excuse to complain.

"The food at Hogwarts is so greasy!" Ron and Ginny said as they passed through the Entrance hall. "My Dress robe are about to burst!"

"Oh, that's so tragic," Ginny said sarcastically, watching Phoebe walk out of the Great Hall and into the Entrance hall. "Even knowing it's greasy, she still loves to eat it. She just can't control her mouth, can she?"

Upon hearing this, Ron suppressed a laugh and lowered his head.

"So, who are you planning to go to the ball with?" Ginny asked, looking up. "My dear brother,"

I don't want to hear that you're all alone at the ball—you know I've always been one to make fun of people, and I'm ruthless about it. Even if you're my brother, I'll let the whole family know that you're going to the ball all by yourself—"

"You don't need to worry about that, Ginny," Ron said, puffing out his chest and lifting his head. "I already have a dance partner."

A very, very good dance partner.

"Oh, it can't be Hermione, can it?" Ginny wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Well, besides Hermione being so kind, I really can't think of anyone else who would go to the Christmas Ball with you. It can't be Professor McGonagall taking pity on you and reluctantly becoming your dance partner, can it?"

1

After being teased by his sister, Ron felt a little embarrassed.

What I said before is fine, but what does this last part mean? Does it mean I'm really unwanted?

"That's outrageous, Ginny!" he said, his face flushed. "How could I possibly be like that! Merlin, my dance partner is absolutely the prettiest girl! The prettiest girl in Gryffindor!"

Ginny curled her lip in disdain. Everyone knew that the prettiest girl in Gryffindor was Ron's sister, Ginny Weasley.

This is a widely accepted fact, and no one denies it.

Just then, Neville suddenly appeared, his face flushed.

"Ginny," he stammered.

"Oh?" Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Longbottom, is there something you need?"

"I, I, I want to invite you, um, to be my dance partner, is that alright?" Neville asked very nervously.

He was actually prepared to be rejected outright by Ginny, this lively girl, and to be mercilessly mocked.

However, the expected scolding did not come. The girl in front of him simply tucked her hair behind her ears and said softly, "Why not?"

"So—" Neville asked excitedly, "You agreed?"

"Of course," Ginny said with a smile, "I can definitely be your dance partner."

"Hey!" Ron was a little angry, feeling like his own little cabbage had been eaten by a pig. "I'm still here, okay? I'm still here!"

"You're just my brother, not my dance partner, Ronald!" Ginny gave her brother, who was now in a defensive mood, a disdainful look. "It's my freedom to be whose dance partner I want—alright, I'm leaving now, you stay here, bye~"

With that, she left the Great Hall with several Gryffindor girls, chatting and laughing.

"Hehe—" Neville scratched his head.

Seeing Neville like this, Ron was furious.

But he couldn't say anything, so he could only sigh and walk toward the Common Room.

What's wrong with you?

Hermione, who was reading in the Common Room, saw Ron walking over listlessly and asked him with concern.

"Don't even mention it," Ron waved his hand. "Ginny didn't believe I could find a dance partner. She even agreed to be Neville's partner, Merlin! It feels like someone stole the cabbage I've been growing for years!"

Hermione chuckled, amused by Ron's humor.

"Hermione," Ron said, turning his head to look at her, then suddenly frowning, "your teeth—"

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"My God, they're different—I just noticed—"

"They are certainly different—"

"Hermione said with a smile, "I went to the Hospital Wing to beg Madam Pomfrey to reduce the size of my front teeth, you know. They were so big before, I looked like a chipmunk. How could a lady have such big teeth?"

"Madam Pomfrey just agreed to that?" Ron asked curiously.

"Actually, Madam Pomfrey didn't want to agree at first. After all, if she set a precedent for this kind of plastic surgery, it would be difficult for her to refuse others who came to her later," Hermione said with a smile. "But I promised that no one except you and Harry would know about this, and I told her that this might be the only chance I'll ever have to attend a ball in my life Madam Pomfrey softened and agreed."

"You really have a knack for this." Ron looked at Hermione with a bit of fascination. After her front teeth were shrunk, the more he looked at this girl, the more beautiful she seemed.

Even the acne on her face seemed to have disappeared; I wonder if it was thanks to Madam Pomfrey.

"My mom and dad won't be happy. For years, I've been trying to persuade them to let me shrink my teeth, but they want me to stick to those braces," Hermione said, shaking her head and laughing. "You know, they're dentists. They think teeth and magic shouldn't be linked. Magic is magic, and teeth are teeth. If everything needs magic to help, then what's the point of having dentists?"

"Oh, that's true," Ron agreed. "But sometimes it's good to be open to new things. I think these things could also be used in Uncle Granger's dental clinic, wouldn't you say?"

"He's very stubborn; when it comes to dentistry, he insists on using Muggle methods," Hermione shrugged. "But in other areas, he's always eager to try new things—"

"What else can I say?" Ron spread his hands in response.

Compared to the relaxed atmosphere among the boys and girls at school, the French restaurant in Diagon Alley didn't seem so—well, not so calm.

Cassandra and Veratia sat in the private room, their eyes meeting, and Harry could practically see sparks fly between them.

Like the sparks that fly when two Charms collide in mid-air, "I think we should order now, Veratia," Harry whispered a reminder.

Veratia then turned her gaze away from Cassandra and looked at the menu spread out in her hand.

After ordering, the waiter left their private room.

"I should say," Veratia said with a light laugh, "That French cuisine is truly a gem; at least it can save us from the misfortune of being ravaged by Britain food, can't it?"

"Actually, Britain food can be quite delicious too," Harry remarked from the side.

"For example?" Veratia asked in return.

"Listen---"

Harry listened for a long time but still couldn't figure out what was so delicious.

Fish and chips don't count; this isn't considered a formal dish.

Cassandra wanted to make a sarcastic remark, but considering that Austria is also a culinary powerhouse, she wisely kept quiet.

To speak up would be to invite utter humiliation.

Before long, several appetizers appeared on the table.

Veratia picked up a slice of Parma ham with her knife and fork, placed it on her plate, and looked up to ask, "It's been over a hundred years since we met, hasn't it?"

"Seven years?" Harry asked tentatively.

For him, including the time travel and the return journey, he and Veratia had indeed only known each other for seven years.

After all, he met Veratia during his second-grade summer vacation in Austria, and by the time he returned to the present at the School Opening sixth grade—it was indeed seven years later.

Veratia put down her knife and fork and glanced at Harry.

"It's been over a hundred years," Harry quickly corrected himself.

"From Potter's perspective, it certainly hasn't been more than ten years," Cassandra said with a smirk. "But for this ungrateful guy, I never see any difference between ten years and a hundred years—or rather, if there's a girl better for him, I think he'll definitely turn around and leave you, Grindelwald."

That's pretty blunt. I was so good to Potter back then, but I still couldn't stop him from falling into your arms.

Then you should be prepared that one day he will also fall into someone else's arms.

"Oh,"

Veratia casually cut a small piece of Parma ham, elegantly put it in her mouth, chewed it gently, swallowed it, and then reached out to pick up the coin and dab it on her lips a few times.

Then she put down the bill, looked up, and said, "Well, I think that girl who was abandoned before should understand one thing: it's not that Harry was fickle; is it possible that it was a problem with her own character?"

"What's wrong with her?" Cassandra asked, squinting.

"For example—being extremely arrogant?" Veratia curled her lips into a smile. "Always acting like the master, never showing him her best side, and more than once putting him down— Cass, do you really think a woman like that can find love?"

It wasn't until this point that Harry understood what it meant.

But he didn't say anything, he just kept his head down and ate voraciously.

This Parma ham... it's really ham!

And this caviar, it's real caviar!

"That's still better than some people being so despicable." Cassandra raised her long eyebrows. "Since you know about that girl's feelings for Potter —why did you force your way in and take away her servant?"

"What about Harry?" Veratia asked with a mischievous smile.

Cassandra's face suddenly turned red. Although she had avoided the word out of shame, she still couldn't bring herself to say it when Veratia pressed her for it.

"Look, you don't even know what she means. Do you really expect Harry, that blockhead, to understand?" Veratia continued to press.

Harry suddenly looked up. No, Weitou? Are you talking about me? Or about Senior Wood? Didn't he already graduate? Did he also go to work at the Austrian Ministry of Magic with Miss Farley from Slytherin?

He wasn't listening to anything we were saying; he was just focused on eating.

Rice is great! This food smells so good...

Cream of mushroom soup, in particular, is the perfect treat to eat with a baguette.

Cassandra fell silent. She was well aware of what she had done back then that had led to the current situation.

It should be said that she was the one who pushed Harry into Veratia's arms. She can't blame anyone else for this; she can only blame herself for being too arrogant.

"Of course." Veratia picked up her glass, took a sip, and said with a smile, "If she can realize her mistakes and willingly beg me, I can reluctantly take pity on her and accept her as my sister—of course, she must respect me from now on."

Harry's hand trembled.

no?

What's going on here?

Oh, so Veratia isn't opposed to sharing with Cassandra, but the problem is, Veratia wants to be the boss.

How could the proud Cassandra accept such a condition? A disdainful smirk appeared on her lips.

"She won't admit defeat willingly, Grindelwald." Cassandra raised her head, her long, swan-like neck smooth and white. "I acknowledge her as the Queen, the one whose talent made the Zungh submit. And the Zungh acknowledge her as the Queen?"

"So, Cong is trying to challenge my authority," Veratia said, narrowing her eyes.

Interesting, really interesting...

She's stopped acting now and directly asked Cassandra, "Would I admit defeat, Cong Rengong?" Cassandra crossed her arms, still holding her head high, "Or do you think I'll lose?"

"Then we'll wait and see." Veratia didn't dwell on this further, but instead looked at Harry, "So— Harry, has he decided to choose Cassandra as his dance partner?"

"Hmm." Harry reached out and took a cod bone and put it in the bowl. "Actually, I really wanted to invite the three of you to the ball, but unfortunately, each of you can only invite one female companion - so I can't choose Cassandra either, since you're not at school."

Veratia didn't ask that stupid question, "If I were in the top 100 at school, who would Cong choose among us?"

A wise woman knows how to give a man a way out, and she is extremely understanding. Veratia is clearly such a woman.

"However," Veratia said, "In principle, warriors can indeed have one dance partner, but in principle, students under the age of seventeen are also not allowed to participate in the Triwizard Tournament. I think since the rule has already been broken, why don't we break another rule? Let the youngest warrior invite two female partners to the dance at the same time. What do you think?"

This hundred really gave Harry a headache.

That makes perfect sense. I was already participating in the Triwizard Tournament when I was fourteen, so why couldn't I have two female companions?

No, there are three.

Since the decision has already been made to engage in group activities, why not bring Pabbie along as well?

But Harry also sensed another layer of meaning from Veratia.

Veratia didn't mind sharing him with Cassandra at all, after all, she felt extremely guilty towards Cassandra.

But Pabbie, um—

"What about Pabbie?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Hmm?" Veratia suddenly smiled. "Two dance partners aren't enough, do you want three? How greedy of you, Harry— "

As a man, Harry can be tough.

There's no way around it; if we miss this opportunity, this store will be gone forever.

"After all, Pabbie —well," Harry nodded, "If she hadn't experienced a year of loneliness like we have, I wouldn't have invited her either; but now that she's gone, she's been through a year of torment."

I·--"

Veratia sighed.

"Since Cong insists..."

She wasn't worried that Pabbie would eventually surpass her and become the eldest of the three.

Even if you lend her ten karma seeds, Pabbie wouldn't do something so reckless and suicidal.

Her position as the most bullied person has been decided; now it's a showdown between Veratia and Cassandra.

It distinguishes between high and low, and also determines who is superior and who is inferior.

Seeing Veratia's expression, Harry finally breathed a sigh of relief, wondering who was really the boss and who was the second-in-command.

Thank goodness, as long as there's no friendliness, it's fine.

In one argument, he actually believed he had to withstand several Ancient Magic.

When he turned to look at Cassandra, he found that she was looking at him like he was trash.

"What's wrong, Cass?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Ha." Cassandra turned her head away. "Cong disgusts me. Potter, it turns out Cong really is the kind of fickle, opportunistic, and easily swayed man—."

"I'm a boy," Harry said with an adorable expression, changing the subject.

"Heh." Cassandra didn't say anything, but instead gave him a cold laugh.

Originally, a dance partner was supposed to be unique, but now that Grindelwald has arrived, there are three.

Thinking about this Cassandra feel somewhat aggrieved.

Seriously, this guy—

"Have something to eat," Veratia said gently. "The main course is served; try their foie gras."

The food was delicious. And these lamb chops—I must say, even the Austria court chefs couldn't have made them better.

Cassandra glared at Harry, then at Veratia, but said nothing.

Seeing her like this, Veratia looked down at Harry and asked, "Looks like Cong didn't manage to win her over?"

"Take it down?" Harry looked up and asked, puzzled.

"It's like—" Veratia thought for a moment, then whispered in Harry's ear, "like how Cong took me that night, take Cassandra— "

"No, no, no—" Harry quickly waved his hands, "We haven't even gotten to that point yet, don't make wild guesses, Veratia— "

Veratia pouted, chuckled, and said, "Cong—don't worry about me. I don't mind if you have anything going on with Pabbie Cassandra, but you can't leave without asking my opinion, understand, Harry?"

Is this the enlightenment that Gong Niang Niang gained?

Harry leaned back strategically, filled with awe.

"Or rather—" Veratia glanced at Cassandra, who was eating, then smiled seductively and whispered in Harry's ear, "Or perhaps you want me to help you?"

"Help me?" Harry didn't know what Veratia meant.

Can you help me?

When did Veratia become so magnanimous? Shouldn't we be saying, "Will Cassandra mourn for her?" and then ending with an Ancient Charm?

"Believe me, if Cong could win her over, I definitely wouldn't have gone to such lengths to persuade her—" Veratia smiled faintly, her voice even more alluring, "Or is Cong really planning for me to join him in winning over Cassandra? Hmm—if that's the case, Cong has to promise me compensation—"

Harry, on the other hand, also showed great respect.

Together?

this-

Is there really such a good thing?!

The thought of Cassandra and Veratia, two vibrant and alluring beauties, lying in bed waiting for him made Harry lose his appetite.

After all, they are sports enthusiasts; their rich imagination is one aspect, and their physical strength is another.

"Is it really okay?" Harry asked in a low voice, ready to take the plunge.

Even if Veratia was testing him, he would close his eyes and crawl inside—such an opportunity was extremely rare. "Oh, right." Veratia even stuck out her pink little tongue and licked Harry's ear. "Cong knows that Cass is always a bit hypocritical. I can help Cong—help Cong remove all her defenses—what do you think, Cong?"

"When?" Harry asked quietly.

"Let's wait until after the ball," Veratia said with a light laugh. "Turtle Sky is definitely out of the question. After all, I promised Dumbledore that I would make sure Connie and Cassandra returned to school safely. Harry really wanted to ask if adding Pabbie would be okay, but considering that such an opportunity was already so rare, asking for more would seem a bit greedy, so he held back and didn't ask."

"They are my wings," Harry finally said after a long pause. "Zong is my left wing, Cassandra is my right wing, and neither can be missing—"

"Heh." Veratia reached out and ruffled Harry's hair, whispering in his ear, "Don't worry, I won't break my promise—after the ball, Cong and I will put our plan into action!"

"Okay!" Harry nodded expectantly.

The voices grew a little louder, Cassandra looked up in confusion; she hadn't quite caught what the two were saying.

But her instincts told her something was wrong, as if the two of them were discussing how to deal with her in the shadows.

If Veratia knew what she was thinking, she would definitely give her a thumbs up.

Yes, we were discussing how to deal with Cong together, my dear little Cass.

Noticing Cassandra raise her head, Veratia raised her glass and gave her a seductive smile.

"Tsun should use that seductive charm on Potter," Cassandra said coldly. "He'd like Tsun like this, Grindelwald— "

Veratia didn't say "hundred," but Xi just chuckled.

After dinner, the three of them strolled around Diagon Alley, planning to bring back some gifts for their classmates and professors. Harry picked out a Charlie's Team hat for Ron, as Ron loved the team the most.

Hermione's gift was a set of books containing many fascinating stories and anecdotes from the Magical World.

After all, Hermione loves these kinds of anecdotes the most. As a typical Academic Bully, she's like a sponge, eager to absorb any knowledge.