The Moon Shadow Council

Elizabeth nodded in surprise. "You... you know my aunt?"

"Of course," Madame Maxime said with a faint smile. "We're old friends. And you, young man? Who are you?" She looked at Yulian.

"Hello, Madam. My name is Shiloh Yulian Black. I live nearby, at Black Vine Winery."

"Black Vine Winery? I see. I ran into your grandfather on Ruelle des Étoiles Filantes in Paris. Well, it wasn't exactly a pleasant encounter. That old rascal was quite slippery."

Yulian gave an awkward smile. He knew his grandfather often visited that place, after all. He'd gotten his very first wand there.

Maxime continued, "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Olympe Maxime, headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. This is my student, Fleur Delacour, a fourth-year."

Yulian's heart skipped a beat. He looked at the girl before him again. No wonder she looked like a stunning character modeled for a game. So this was her—the jewel of Beauxbatons, and a future champion in the Triwizard Tournament.

"Hello, Miss Delacour," Yulian said, hastily bowing.

Rosier, meanwhile, glanced discreetly at Yulian first. When she saw that he showed no unusual reaction to Fleur Delacour, she happily greeted Fleur in turn.

At Madame Maxime's introduction, Rosier recalled that her aunt had told her about Fleur Delacour's background.

She had a quarter Veela blood, which gave her not only a stunning appearance but also an indescribable natural allure, especially to men.

Yulian didn't seem to have lost his composure at all, and for some reason that made her a little happy.

"On behalf of Beauxbatons, I deeply regret that neither of you chose our school," Madame Maxime said bluntly. There was no reproach in her voice, only the regret of an elder.

"Especially you, Miss Rosier. I understand your predicament, but I believe you would receive better guidance at Beauxbatons. Would you really rather put your trust in Headmaster Dumbledore?"

Rosier's expression shifted slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. She merely nodded with a faint smile and didn't answer.

Madame Maxime seemed unconcerned by her silence. Instead, she changed the subject, lowering her voice. "Of course, I believe you have your reasons for choosing as you did. I'd simply like to take this opportunity to ask you to pass a message to Dumbledore."

She glanced around before continuing. "Recently, some unusual things have been happening across Europe. A wizarding organization called the 'Moon Shadow Council' has become unusually active."

"The Moon Shadow Council?" Yulian furrowed his brow. He'd never heard of it in his previous life, either. The only time he'd heard the name was when the man he'd just fought with Cassian had mentioned it.

"Yes," Madame Maxime said with a nod. "It's an ancient organization that has existed for hundreds of years. They're extremely secretive. They never showed themselves during Grindelwald's or Voldemort's time, as if deliberately staying clear of every power struggle."

Maxime chose her words carefully. "They don't seem to seek power, nor are they interested in causing chaos. Their interest... lies solely in knowledge itself, no matter how dark that knowledge may be."

"Illegal experiments, forbidden Dark Magic research, even the looting of ancient magical artifacts," she said, a chill in her voice. "Just last month, an ancient ruin near Beauxbatons was ransacked. It seems the Moon Shadow Council was responsible."

"Why have they suddenly become active now?" Rosier finally asked, her voice cool. She seemed to have grasped the crux of the matter, too.

"That's exactly what concerns us." Madame Maxime gazed into the distance, her expression grave. "Perhaps some event has set things in motion, or perhaps a lost treasure has resurfaced. In any case, I believe Dumbledore needs to know. I hope you'll relay my words to him exactly."

The dizziness of Apparition was gentler than that of a Portkey, but not by much. Fortunately, Yulian was in decent physical shape.

When his feet touched the ground, the familiar scent of grapevines and oak barrels unique to Black Vine Winery filled his nostrils. Snowflakes settled on his shoulders, melting at once into cool droplets. Before him stood the familiar wrought-iron gates of the manor's main building.

"Mr. Black, remember what I said." Madame Maxime's voice rang clear through the snow. Her towering figure stood firm in the night like a fortress. "Tell Dumbledore about the Moon Shadow Council's movements. He must not take this lightly."

Yulian nodded solemnly. "I will, Madam. Thank you again for your help."

Madame Maxime gave a slight nod without saying more, then turned to Elizabeth and Fleur beside her. "Let's go."

The three of them shimmered, then vanished in a flash of silver-blue light. The faint sound of Elizabeth Rosier saying goodbye lingered in the wind.

"What was all that commotion?" His grandfather Alphard's voice came from behind him. Yulian turned with a smile and embraced his grandfather. At last, he felt like he was home.

"Wasn't I supposed to pick you up after you landed?"

"One of my classmates happened to be coming this way. By the way, do you know Madame Maxime from Beauxbatons? She Apparated me home just now."

"That giant?" The old Black's mouth twitched. "We had a bit of a disagreement, I suppose."

"You mean she beat you up," Yulian said with a laugh.

"That woman's a match for Dumbledore," Alphard said with a wry smile. "Well, you can hardly even call her a woman." He glanced around afterward, as if afraid Madame Maxime might suddenly appear again.

"Hahaha!"

When Yulian pushed open the iron gate and entered the manor, the familiar warm light from the living room spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the snow.

He'd barely changed his shoes when Grandma Elodie came over with a cup of hot chocolate. Her wool shawl was warm from the fireplace. "My little wizard's home! Did you have any trouble on the way? I told your grandfather he should've gone to pick you up."

"Everything went smoothly, Grandma." Yulian took the hot chocolate, its warmth spreading through him. He winked discreetly at his grandfather Alphard. "The flight was delayed a little, but I still made it home in time for dinner."

His grandfather Alphard sat on the sofa, habitually turning the wedding ring engraved with Latin letters around his finger, his gaze deep. He knew that something must have happened if Madame Maxime had brought Yulian home herself.

"It's good to have you back. Rest for a couple of days, then I'll take you to the Town of Fonsali and show you the French wizards' market."

After a long talk with his grandfather that night, Yulian hadn't learned much. Alphard knew nothing about the Black Ancestor or the Magic Node. He only reminded Yulian to be careful in everything he did.

However, another book had appeared in his Magic Resonance Library: Pop! Where Am I?—A Beginner's Survival Guide to Apparition. In tiny letters beneath the title was the subtitle: "Don't worry. The first failure is just your body's last joke at space's expense."

Yulian skimmed through it. At his current level of magical power, the first attempt really might be his last. Still, there was no harm in practicing in secret, as long as he didn't hit this spell's "enter" key.

As for the Fonsali his grandfather had mentioned... wasn't that where Elizabeth had gone? How interesting.