You Can Only Be the White Mouse

Looking at Harry's matter-of-fact expression, everyone was momentarily at a loss for words.

With a piece of pudding still dangling from his mouth, Ron mumbled, "What you're saying is true, but it sounds so irritating."

Tonks ' hair had turned from orange to light purple, and she said with a smile, "I love this confidence. Really, I really love it."

Kingsley cleared his throat, trying to steer the conversation back on track. "Harry, confidence is a good thing, and we believe in your abilities, but we still need to prepare for the worst. Voldemort has been operating in South America for so long; he must have quite a few trump cards up his sleeve."

"Kingsley is right," Lupin added gently. "Underestimating your enemy is always the greatest enemy. Even if your current strength far exceeds our understanding, we must remain vigilant."

Harry nodded, his smile fading. "I know. I just wanted to reassure you. I'm genuinely confident—and this isn't blind confidence, but a true awareness of my current limits—that Voldemort won't kill me so easily."

He spoke calmly, without any deliberate emphasis, which made his words all the more persuasive.

Veratia looked at him, a complex mix of emotions flashing in her eyes: relief, pride, and a hint of heartache.

She put down her teacup and stood up. "Alright, time is tight, but we can't push ourselves too hard."

That's all for tonight. Tomorrow we officially begin the countdown preparations. Now, those who need to rest should rest, and those who need to relax should relax. Ruby, is there any more hot chocolate?

"Yes, yes!" Ruby jumped up immediately. "Ruby, go get ready! Ruby will also bake new cookies!"

"Then I'll have to trouble you." Veratia smiled slightly.

As night deepened, the fireplace in the Living Room of Grimmauld Place, Number 13 illuminated every face. Some were still talking in hushed tones, some had already leaned back on the sofa with their eyes closed, and some were holding hot chocolate and lost in thought.

Anne was nestled next to Harry, already asleep.

Her head rested on Harry's shoulder, her breathing even, occasionally smacking her lips softly, as if she were having a sweet dream.

Sebastian's ghost hovered above her head, unusually quiet and offering no comment.

He just stared at Anne quietly, then glared at Harry through gritted teeth.

Harry looked down at Anne, then gently pulled the blanket that had slipped off and covered Anne's shoulders.

Cassandra sat on his other side, holding a hot chocolate, watching the scene intently, unusually offering no comment.

In the distance, Ron and Tonks were still examining the pile of equipment.

After an afternoon of hard work, they not only repaired the boots, but also made improvements to three protective vests and two anti-magic helmets.

Ron was beaming with pride, itching to put on his full gear and strut around the Living Room right now.

"I think we can open a shop," he said enthusiastically, "Specializing in selling this kind of gear designed for extreme environments. George and Fred will handle the ideas, Tonks will handle the improvements, and I'll handle the testing."

"You'll be the guinea pig," Tonks said mercilessly.

"What's wrong with lab rats? Lab rats are important too!" Ron said matter-of-factly.

Hermione, listening nearby, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

She put down the Parchment she was holding, walked over to look at the pile of equipment, and nodded. "It's really good. Much more stable than George and Fred's old versions that exploded all the time."

"That's because Tonks made the good changes!" Ron immediately gave credit to his partner.

Tonks's hair turned a shy pink, and she waved her hands repeatedly, "No, no, you just took the instructions too seriously."

Kingsley and Lupin were still talking quietly by the fireplace, but the conversation had shifted from tactics to lighter memories. Kingsley was talking about a mischievous Thunderbird he encountered when he was young and on a mission in Africa, which stole his wand and used it to tickle himself.

"And then?" Lupin asked with a smile.

"Then I chased it for three days," Kingsley said helplessly. "Finally, it returned the wand to me on the condition that I bring it a bucket of fresh fish every day. I made that deal with it for two whole months before I broke that habit."

Lupin laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

Bill was finally forced to rest by Phoebe. He leaned back on the sofa with his eyes closed, but a slight smile remained on his lips as Phoebe gently massaged his temples. Hermione glanced at them occasionally, wondering if Mrs. Weasley would go crazy if she saw this.

Ruby came over with a large plate of freshly baked cookies and filled everyone's cups with hot chocolate. Looking at everyone in the room, a satisfied smile spread across her face—for House Elf, nothing is happier than seeing those they care for happy.

"Ruby, why don't you sit down and rest for a bit?" Hermione said to her.

"Ruby can't sit down! Ruby still needs to prepare breakfast for tomorrow!" Ruby waved her hand, insisting, "Breakfast can be prepared tomorrow morning." Veratia chimed in, "Sit down now and talk to us, 3..."

Ruby a moment, then finally sat down cautiously on the low stool by the fireplace.

Her eyes were sparkling; she was clearly enjoying the feeling.

"Ruby, how long have you been working for the Grindelwald family?" Tonks asked curiously.

"Ruby has been here since the old master was still alive!" Ruby said. "After the old master passed away, the Young Master rarely came back, Ruby stayed here alone, waiting for the Young Master to return home."

Her tone was flat, but everyone could hear the loneliness in it.

Harry suddenly remembered Ruby's near-fainting excitement when he first brought Veratia home. For House Elf, being abandoned in an empty house by their owner, waiting day after day, must be an unbearable ordeal.

"Not anymore," he said softly. "There will always be people here. We're all here."

Ruby nodded vigorously, her eyes slightly red.

Sebastian's ghost floated over and said, unusually gentle, "I'm here too. Though I'm a ghost, at least I can keep you company."

Ruby into laughter through her tears. "Young Master Sebastian is the best!"

Sebastian nodded reservedly, then gave Harry a disdainful look.

The night grew deeper.

The flames in the fireplace gradually died down, Ruby added a few more pieces of firewood to make the fire burn brighter.

The light in the Living Room softened, carrying a hypnotic warmth.

Anne was fast asleep, snoring softly.

Harry laid her flat on the sofa and covered her with a blanket. Sebastian's ghost hovered above her head, motionless like Patronus.

Ron was also sleepy, and his head was slowly drooping.

Tonks chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, "Go to sleep, we'll do it tomorrow."

"Ugh... okay..." Ron groggily stood up and staggered upstairs, then turned back halfway up. "Hermione, aren't you going to sleep?"

"I'll stay a little longer," Hermione said.

Ron nodded and continued walking upstairs. A moment later, the sound of a door closing could be heard.

Kingsley and Lupin also got up to say goodbye and returned to their rooms. Kingsley had to go to the Ministry of Ministry of Magic on official business the next day, Lupin said he would bring Tonks some information about Werewolf perception—although Tonks was not Werewolf, her ability to Metamorphmagus had some similarities to Werewolf perception, which might give her some inspiration.

Bill was already asleep on the sofa. Phoebe gently covered him with a blanket, then leaned against him and closed her eyes to rest.

Hermione was still looking at the documents, but she was clearly sleepy, her eyelids drooping.

Veratia walked over and gently took the Parchment from her hand. "Go to sleep, there's always tomorrow."

Hermione hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded obediently and got up to go upstairs.

Only Harry, Cassandra, Veratia, the sleeping Anne, Bill lying in the distance, and the ghost who dutifully guarded Anne remained in the Living Room.

The firelight in the fireplace flickered gently.

"You should go to sleep too," Cassandra said to Harry.

"And you?"

"I'll sit a little longer," Cassandra said. "I'm used to staying up late."

Harry didn't move. He looked at the flames in the fireplace and suddenly said, "Cassandra, thank you."

You've already thanked me today.

"That's something else," Harry said. "This time, it's to thank you for being here."

Cassandra was silent for a moment, then gave a soft "hmm".

Veratia looked at the two of them, a sour expression on her face. She picked up the now-cold hot chocolate, stood up, and said, "I'm going to sleep too. Don't stay up too late."

"Goodnight, Veratia," Harry said.

"Good night."

After Veratia went upstairs, the Living Room became even quieter.

Only the crackling of the fireplace and the occasional faint sounds from the distant streets of London remained.

Harry and Cassandra sat side by side, neither of them speaking, but the silence wasn't awkward; rather, it was quite reassuring.

"Harry," Cassandra said softly, "It's my good fortune to have met you."

Harry turned to look at her, and their eyes met.

The firelight from the fireplace reflected in Cassandra's eyes, giving them a warm golden hue.

Harry suddenly felt that at this moment, all words were superfluous.

He simply took her hand gently.

The next morning, Grimmauld Place, Number 13 awoke to Ruby's bustling activity.

The Kitchen was filled with the sounds of pots and pans clattering and the aroma of toasting bread. Ron was the first to rush downstairs, a tuft of hair still sticking up, but his eyes were already shining.

Ruby! What's for breakfast?

"Fried eggs, bacon, roasted tomatoes, sausages, mushrooms, toast, and a chicken leg that Ruby specially prepared for young master Ron!" Ruby rattled off a long list of dishes.

Ron almost drooled.

The others came downstairs one after another. Hermione was already dressed and her hair was neatly combed, clearly having slept well the night before.

Kingsley, dressed in Auror robe, looked quite spirited and held a copy of the Daily Prophet in his hand.

Lupin woke up a little later than usual, but his complexion was rosy, clearly indicating that the relaxation he had enjoyed the previous night had been very beneficial.

Bill was pulled downstairs by Phoebe, his face still showing a dazed look, but he immediately woke up after smelling the aroma of breakfast.

Tonks got a new hair color today, a bright sky blue, supposedly to match the nice weather.

Breakfast was as lively as ever, with Ron's eating habits always being the center of attention. But now that Tonks was around, she always liked to conjure up a pig's nose or a bird's beak to provide some laughs for everyone.

The only difference was that Anne was unusually clingy to Harry today, practically hanging on him while eating breakfast.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Harry asked.

"It's alright," Anne said. "I had a dream that you were fighting Voldemort."

"And then what happened?"

"And then you knocked his nose out of shape," Anne said seriously. "He was covering his nose the whole time in his dream, it was so funny."

Sebastian's ghost drifted over and said in a low voice, "Symbolically speaking, the nose represents dignity; breaking a nose crookedly might mean destroying his pride."

"Can you stop analyzing everything?" Anne rolled her eyes.

"I'm a ghost, what else can I do besides analyze?" Sebastian matter-of-factly.

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.

After breakfast, everyone dispersed to begin preparations for the new day.

Bill plunged into his makeshift laboratory—actually just a corner of his study, but which he had magically partitioned off into a separate area—specifically to study the pile of Crystal shard.

Phoebe is going back to France today to handle some family matters. Before leaving, she repeatedly reminded Bill not to stay up late, not to skip meals, and not to take his health for granted.

Bill nodded repeatedly, but as soon as Phoebe left, he immediately went back to the pile of crystals.

Hermione occupied the largest table in the Living Room and began organizing the data she had received from Bill the day before.

She used her wand to arrange the Parchment one by one in mid-air, forming a complex information wall, and then used Quill to mark and circle them, occasionally exchanging a few words with Lupin in hushed tones.

Kingsley went to the Ministry of Magic to handle some routine Auror Office matters and coordinate the final assembly plan for the Confederation's main force.

Tonks also went along; her ability to Metamorphmagus is irreplaceable in certain missions, and Kingsley needs her assistance.

Ron continued his struggle with the equipment in the basement. Fueled by yesterday's success, he was determined to test the remaining five vests and three pairs of boots in one go.

To prevent any accidents, he kept the basement door open, ready to rush out immediately in the event of an explosion. This precaution later proved to be very wise, because around 10 a. m., a muffled thud did come from the basement, but it was much smaller than the day before, with only a small plume of gray smoke.

"It's nothing!" Ron's voice came from below, "Just a small blast! Equipment intact! I'm fine!"

"Are you sure?" Hermione called back.

"Confirmed! -- Probably!"

Hermione sighed and decided not to investigate further.

There's no point in digging deeper; Ron is getting closer and closer to his two Twins brothers, and he seems to enjoy creating mysterious and wonderful gadgets.

The difference is that the Twins always succeed, while Ron —well, he's more like a success story for his mother.