Vinegar Spirit

Sirius put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek with a loud "pop."

"That's true, but you still managed to win me over in the end."

Cassandra gave a soft hum and turned her face away.

Veratia looked at her. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"It's nothing," Cassandra said. "It's just that some people are shameless—certain boys in school, wearing glasses and with a scar on their head, you know who I'm talking about."

Fine, you might as well just tag me.

Harry laughed and leaned closer to her, "Cass's jealous, I know."

Cassandra rolled her eyes, the classic kind.

"You're overthinking it. I just think all men are the same."

"I'm different." Veratia smiled and nuzzled Cassandra's face, which immediately turned red again.

Anne watched from the side and couldn't help but laugh out loud; her laughter was as clear and crisp as a bell.

"Cass blushes but still acts stubborn every time Veratia teases her."

Cassandra glanced at her, her eyes filled with threat.

"Anne, whose side are you on?"

Anne thought for a moment, then answered seriously, "I'm on Harry's side. I'll believe whatever he says."

Cassandra: "----"

Veratia smiled, reached out and gently ruffled Anne's hair.

"A smart girl, she has a bright future."

Anne squinted her eyes, like a kitten being stroked, and let out a comfortable "mmm".

Sirius and Gemma sat on the sofa, chatting quietly, seemingly gossiping about a colleague from the Ministry of Magic.

Veratia and Cassandra are bickering again—this time over a cup of tea.

"I brewed this tea," Cassandra said, holding the teacup with a wary expression.

"What's wrong with me taking a sip?" Veratia said, reaching out to grab it.

"Can't you make it yourself?"

"I'm too lazy to move, but yours tastes good."

Cassandra took a deep breath, her chest heaving.

"Grindelwald! You're the President of the International Confederation of Wizards, and you can't even be bothered to make a cup of tea? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"

"It's precisely because I'm the president that I have to learn to slack off." Veratia said matter-of-factly, quickly snatching the teacup from her when she wasn't looking, taking a sip, and then handing it back to her. "Besides, the capable should do more work, right?"

Cassandra stared at the empty teacup, speechless.

Anne whispered to Harry, "Do they do this every day? Don't they get tired of it?"

Harry nodded. "Pretty much, it's a daily task."

Aren't you tired?

"They're having a blast. Look at their expressions."

Anne glanced at Veratia, who was grinning like a cat that had stolen a fish, Cassandra, though wearing a stern face, seemed to be enjoying herself as well.

Anne thought for a moment and nodded.

"That makes sense, isn't it? Is that what they call... romance?"

Harry smiled without saying a word and ruffled her hair.

In the evening, Sirius and Gemma said goodbye.

Standing before the fireplace, Sirius looked at Harry with eyes full of affection, tinged with a hint of reluctance.

"Take good care of yourself," he said, patting Harry on the shoulder. "If you need anything, come to me, anytime, anytime."

"Okay." Harry nodded, feeling a warm glow inside.

Gemma came over and gave him a gentle hug.

Take care, Harry. Come visit the Ministry of Magic sometime.

95

"Take care of yourself too," Harry said, smiling. "Take good care of Sirius, don't let him get too tired."

Gemma smiled, glanced at Sirius, and said, "He will. He'll have to listen to me whether he wants to or not."

A flash of green light, and the two disappeared into the fireplace.

The Living Room fell silent.

Veratia leaned back on the sofa, stretched, and let her hair fall onto the cushions.

"I'm exhausted. Hosting guests is more tiring than attending meetings."

Cassandra glanced at her. "What are you tired of? You've been arguing with me all day."

"Arguing is tiring," Veratia said seriously, "Especially arguing with you. I have to use my brain, otherwise I can't win the argument."

Cassandra gave a soft hum, but did not refute it.

Anne yawned and leaned against Harry like a lazy kitten.

Are you sleepy?

"Mmm." Anne nodded, her eyes half-closed. "Today was so much fun! There were so many people, it was so lively!"

Harry ruffled her hair; it felt soft to the touch.

"Then go to bed early."

Anne shook her head, snuggled closer to him, and found a comfortable position.

"I'll stay a little longer. I don't want to move."

Harry smiled and put his arm around her.

Veratia and Cassandra exchanged a glance, then stood up simultaneously and sat down next to Harry, one on each side.

The four of them were huddled together again.

The fire in the fireplace flickered gently, making a warm crackling sound, and the firelight reflected on everyone's faces, sometimes bright, sometimes dim.

Outside the window, night has fallen, and the stars have begun to twinkle in the sky, shining brightly.

The night at Grimmauld Place, Number 13 was quiet and beautiful.

"Oh, right," Anne suddenly remembered something and looked up, "When is Pabbie coming back? I miss her."

Veratia said, "She said she'd be back in a few days. She has some things to take care of in France, I think it's something to do with her family."

"That's good," Anne said, her eyes filled with anticipation. "I miss her. Without her, I feel like something's missing."

Cassandra gave a soft "hmm".

"Me too, nobody's complaining about Veratia with me anymore."

Veratia smiled and reached out to poke her cheek.

"We'll be all together when Pabbie comes back."

"Everyone's here." Veratia nodded, looking out at the starry sky. "The whole family, all together."

When Harry came downstairs the next morning, the Living Room was quiet, with only a faint flame flickering in the fireplace.

Ruby was already busy in the Kitchen, and the soft clatter of pots and pans could be heard.

He walked to the window and looked out at the streets of London.

It's another beautiful day.

"Up so early?"

Veratia's languid voice came from behind.

Harry turned around and saw her coming downstairs in a nightgown.

"I can't sleep," Harry said. "Why are you up too?"

"I wake up the moment you move." Veratia walked to his side, leaned on his shoulder, and yawned. "I haven't been feeling very well lately; the slightest noise wakes me up."

Harry put his arm around her shoulder. "Want to go back to sleep?"

"No." Veratia shook her head. "I won't be able to fall back asleep once I'm awake. Talk to me."

The two stood by the window, looking at the street outside, enjoying this rare moment alone together.

"Pabbie will be back tomorrow," Veratia said. "She's finished taking care of things there."

"That's good," Harry said. "She missed you all."

"I was thinking of you, wasn't I?" Veratia smiled and pinched his cheek.

Harry smiled too, "I want both."

Veratia gave a soft "Mmm," leaned on his shoulder, and didn't say anything more.

After a while, footsteps could be heard again on the stairs.

Cassandra came down, also wearing a bathrobe.

She saw the two people cuddling by the window and raised an eyebrow.

"Wow, you're up early."

"Good morning." Harry waved to her. "Come here."

Cassandra hesitated for a second, then walked over and stood on the other side of Harry.

So the three of them huddled together again, looking out the window.

"Where's Anne?" Veratia asked.

"Still asleep," Cassandra said. "Sleeping like a Pigwidgeon."

Harry laughed. "Let her sleep. She's been too happy these past few days and is tired."

"That's great," Veratia suddenly said.

"What?"

"That's it," Veratia said, "I wake up in the morning and see you all here. No meetings, no business to handle, no dealing with those annoying politicians."

Cassandra gave a soft "hmm," unusually refraining from objection.

"It would be even better if Pabbie came back," Harry said.

At breakfast, Anne finally woke up, rubbing her eyes as she came downstairs.

She saw the three people already seated at the table, yawned, and then walked straight to Harry and sat down on his lap.

"Good morning," she mumbled sleepily.

Harry smiled and helped her tidy her messy hair.

Good morning. Did you sleep well?

"Mmm." Anne nodded, leaning against him. "I dreamt about you."

What did you dream about?

"I dreamt that the four of us were playing on the beach," Anne said. "Pabbie was there too. She splashed water on me, and then Veratia splashed water back at me. Cass was trying to get away, but we still splashed her."

This dream----

That sounds quite profound.

Cassandra gave a soft hum. "Even in my dreams, I can't escape it?"

Anne looked up at her, smiled, and said, "I can't escape it; I'm in control in my dreams."

Veratia burst out laughing.

Cassandra shook her head helplessly, but said nothing.

Ruby brought out breakfast, saw Anne sitting on Harry's lap, paused for a moment, then pretended not to see her and continued setting the plates.

"Ruby, sit down and eat too," Harry said again.

Ruby quickly waved her hand. "Ruby won't sit! Ruby is House Elf, she can't eat with her master!"

"You're family," Anne said, jumping off Harry's lap and taking Ruby's hand. "Come, sit down."

Ruby's eyes reddened, but she still shook her head.

"Luza, you should eat in the Kitchen. Luza is used to it."

She retreated into the Kitchen, leaving the four of them looking at each other in bewilderment.

"She's always like this," Harry said helplessly.

"Take your time," Veratia said. "The Elf ' ideas are deeply ingrained and cannot be changed."

Cassandra nodded, picked up her teacup, and took a small sip.

After the meal, the four moved to the guest quarters.

Luza brought over hot tea and snacks, then retreated back to the Kitchen to continue her work.

Anne nestled in the sand, leaning against Harry.

Veratia sat on Harry's other side, casually flipping through a copy of the Daily Prophet.

Cassandra sat in the armchair opposite, holding a book, occasionally glancing up at them.

"What are we doing today?" Anne asked.

"I don't know," Harry said. "Is there anything you want to do?"

Anne thought for a moment, "How about we go for a stroll in Diagon Alley?"

"Okay." Veratia put down her newspaper. "I was just thinking of buying some things too. Harry, don't you need to buy some things for School Opening too?"

"Ron has already bought it for me," Harry said, crossing his legs.

Cassandra looked up from her book and said, "I have no objection."

"Let's go then," Harry said. "Just call for Kupper, but unfortunately she's not here."

"She'll be back from Norway tomorrow," Veratia said. "We can go shopping together then."

The four changed into their outermost clothes and traveled through the road network to Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley was quite crowded in the afternoon, but not congested. Owls flew overhead, and occasionally one or two would land on a windowsill, cooing.

Anne held Harry's hand, looking around happily; it had been a long time since she had strolled around so freely.

"Where do you want to go first?" Harry asked.

"The Owl Emporium!" Anne said. "I want to see the little owls."

"Good."

The four of them made their way through the crowd to the Owl Emporium.

The shop is full of cats and owls, big and small, all kinds of colors, cooing in their cages, while others stand on the shelves, dozing off.

Anne crouched in front of a cage, looking at a small, bluish-brown owl inside.

The cat-owl also tilted its head to look at her, its eyes round and bright.

"So cute," she exclaimed.

"Want to get one?" Harry squatted down next to her.

Anne thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"Forget it, I already have Sebastian. If I get a cat-fox, he'll get jealous."

"Sebastian will be jealous?" Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "Isn't he a ghost?"

"Even ghosts get jealous," Anne said seriously. "I owe a cat for talking to me; he's been going on and on about it for three days."

Veratia burst out laughing.

"No wonder he hates Harry so much; now I know the reason."

"That's just how he is." Anne stood up, her hand on her hand, "He may complain about me, but actually he cares about everyone."

After leaving the Owl Emporium, they went to Florin's Ice Cream Parlor.

Anne ordered a large cup of strawberry ice cream, and her mouth was covered in it. Harry wiped the cream off her lips, and she smiled, her eyes crinkling.

Cassandra ordered a Mint Tea and sipped it slowly.

Veratia ordered a coffee and watched the people coming and going on the street while she drank it.

"Look over there," Veratia suddenly said, pointing to the other side of the street.

Everyone looked over—a young wizard was buying ice cream for his girlfriend, but he clumsily spilled it on her clothes and was chased after.

Anne laughed, "How silly."

"You were pretty much the same just now," Cassandra said expressionlessly.

Anne glared at her, then laughed to herself.

"It seems so."

After finishing their cold drinks, they went to Flourish and Blotts. Cassandra plunged into the Ancient Books Section, with Veratia helping her find books, and the two occasionally whispered a few words. Harry and Anne were on the other side; Anne picked out a few books about magical creatures, and Harry helped her carry them.

"Look at this." Anne picked up a thick book; the cover featured a picture of a dragon, titled "The A Complete History of British Dragons."

"Want to study dragons?" Harry asked.

"I'm quite interested," Anne said. "Charlie's stories are very interesting, and I'd like to know more about them."

"Then I'll buy it."

After leaving the bookstore, they went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Anne's school robe needed to be remade; she had grown quite a bit taller since the Dark Magic Curse was lifted. Madam Malkin personally greeted them, and when taking her measurements, Anne stood ramrod straight, her face full of anticipation.

Harry watched from the side, feeling a mix of emotions.

When he first came here, he even asked Cassandra for her old clothes.

Now—oh now Cassandra likes to wear his clothes.

It has to be said that this is actually a kind of cycle.