In the Name of Continuing the Family Bloodline

Jon sat down at the dining table with enormous doubts weighing on him, unable to sit still.

He was indeed a little afraid that his father might be a little green man, and equally afraid that his father might come from a Pureblood Family.

Or perhaps he had actually been adopted?

Oh, heavens.

Jon's mind raced as he tried to figure out which of the Sacred Twenty-Eight Families might have distinctive traits that matched his own, as well as another very serious matter.

As far as he knew, aside from Pureblood Families with sparse bloodlines like his maternal grandmother's, there was almost no Pureblood Family at Hogwarts that was unrelated to Slytherin, except for the Weasley Family.

He certainly could not be a member of the Weasley Family. At the very least, his hair was black.

Heaven bear witness, he did not want even the slightest connection to those Slytherin Pure-blood Wizard families.

Perhaps noticing that her grandson was somewhat uneasy, Madam Carolina winked at her daughter. Then the elegant Old Lady took an exquisite little wooden box from beneath the table and flicked it toward Jon.

"Dear, we haven't formally congratulated you on becoming a prospective Hogwarts student yet."

Jon looked at the box before him, feeling as though it concealed an enormous secret.

He ignored the box, simply setting it aside. He raised his glass to his maternal grandmother from afar and took a sip of the Watermelon Juice inside.

"Why not open it and have a look? It's quite a nice gift."

Madam Carolina said with a smile.

Jon grew increasingly uneasy. The object inside that box—or perhaps the truth itself—was Schrödinger's cat to him. As long as he did not open it, he would not know the final result.

"I think it would be better to wait until after dinner and look at it in my room. That might make it feel a little more mysterious."

Madam Carolina burst into laughter, but Mrs. Smith turned her head and gestured for Jon to open the box.

He had no choice but to obey his mother's command. After all, whoever his father was, there definitely could not be anything wrong with his mother.

Jon helplessly picked up the box, preparing himself to accept the final outcome.

"Does Father know about this?"

Before opening the box, he still wanted to make sure whether the truth crossed his bottom line.

"Open it, dear Jon."

Mr. Smith clearly did not understand what his son meant. He replied, "I only found out about this today as well. To be honest, I'm as shocked as you are."

So he had guessed right after all?

But why were you smiling while saying that, Father? Was this really something to be happy about?

Jon was stunned and confused, but he did not show it.

He was not really a Child, after all. Some emotions could be handled quite well.

Then, he gently twisted the knob on the box and opened it.

Well, there were several folded sheets of paper inside. Having been stored for a long time, they had already yellowed somewhat.

Could these be letters left for him by that father he had never met?

Jon unfolded the papers with slightly trembling hands, mustered up tremendous courage, and read through them. Then he silently put them down and looked at his mother with an inquisitive gaze.

He could not understand them.

But one thing was obvious: this was not a letter, but something like a contract.

"These are the title deeds to the Smith Family's Old Manor, the old manor next to the estate."

The one who explained was not Mrs. Lin Smith, but Mr. Smith, who sat beside her.

His tone rose, clearly filled with excitement. "I only found out today that the Smith Family used to be a wizarding family as well. It's just that no one in our family has become a wizard for several generations. But Jon, my proud son, you inherited the Smith Family's Wizarding Bloodline and became a new Young Wizard. From today onward, the family Old Manor and the vault at Gringotts are both yours."

Jon: "?"

It sounded impressive, but he did not quite understand it.

Fortunately, Madam Carolina was an understanding Old Lady. She promptly explained to her grandson, "The Smith Family was still a wizarding family several generations ago. At that time, our two families lived next to each other. But for some reason, the Smith Family's Wizarding Bloodline suddenly died out several generations ago. Even when they married into other Pure-blood Wizard families, they could not produce children with magic. This continued until your father's generation. After discussing it with your grandfather, I decided to give it another try. I never expected that you would truly inherit the Wizarding Bloodline again."

...That really was astonishing news.

"All right, let me sort this out. My father is actually a descendant of a Pureblood Family, and he chose to marry Mother in order to awaken the family's Wizarding Bloodline. Is that right?"

"Simply put, yes."

Mr. Smith nodded. "But your mother and I truly love each other. Neither of us knew about this before. I thought you had merely inherited your mother's Wizarding Bloodline."

What a coincidence. That was what he had thought too.

After all the terrifying speculation prompted by Bella's earlier setup, this answer sounded unbelievable, yet it was far easier for Jon to accept.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith were very satisfied with the acceptance their son displayed. The expected shock never appeared, which made the couple very happy.

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow, I'll contact someone to renovate the Old Manor. Stay at your maternal grandmother's house for a few days first, then you can move in. Living alone might take some getting used to, so perhaps you can invite Bella to live there with you."

"What?"

Jon suspected he had been hit with an Obliviation. He did not remember agreeing to this at all. Besides, "Why do I have to move there alone? Aren't you two coming with me?"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible."

Mr. Smith looked troubled. "You know, your mother and I both have jobs. It's more convenient for us to live in Greenwich. Besides, living here alone is quite nice. I heard from your mother that if you live here, you can use magic freely. The Ministry of Magic won't send you warning letters."

Yes, I know all that!

Jon suspected that his father was not telling the truth, so he asked again, "But Mother's job doesn't require her to go into the office either! She can live here with me, can't she?"

"Don't worry, Jon."

This time, it was not Mrs. Smith who spoke, but Aunt May, who had remained silent all along. The middle-aged witch said gently, "Aunt May will take good care of you. Your family has finally produced a wizard again. I think your father and mother need to give you a few younger brothers and sisters."

"?!"