The Shadows of Fonsali

The Black Vine Winery was blanketed in snow on the morning after Christmas, ice crystals coating the grapevines like curtains strewn with diamonds.

After two days of festive celebrations, the place had finally fallen quiet.

After breakfast that day, Alphard donned a dark brown leather coat, tucked his wand into his belt, and set off for the Town of Fonsali with Yulian.

Their carriage traveled along snow-covered country lanes, its wheels crunching through the snow as the village appeared and disappeared in the distant mist.

Yes, a carriage. Wrapped in a thick, dark green wool cloak, Yulian sat beside his grandfather Alphard and let his imagination run away with him. There were no Thestrals here, let alone any noble Thestrals.

"Why aren't we driving there?" Yulian asked curiously.

"Are you mad? Driving to a wizarding town? Fonsali is a truly hidden place, known only to old-fashioned wizards. When I was young, I often came here to buy the lavender spices your grandmother loves most. Even now, she has no idea they're only available in the wizarding world. She thinks I'm the only one who can get her favorite kind. Ha ha!"

"Is there lots of fun stuff there?"

"Fonsali isn't as flashy as Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, but it has plenty of hidden treasures." Alphard stroked his neatly trimmed mustache as he drove the carriage. "The magical furniture makers and potioneers there are old masters, and it has the best magical pastry shop in all of France."

After parking the carriage in the designated spot, grandfather and grandson strolled into Fonsali.

The town was fairly large, with neat stone houses lining its cobbled streets and red tiles covering their roofs.

Every windowsill was crowded with magical plants that still bloomed in winter. For the holidays, wreaths of mistletoe and ivy woven by magic hung above the doors.

Most of the shops were clustered in the town center. In front of a little shop by the roadside, its owner was using a Silencing Charm to direct a broom as it swept the snow from the entrance. An owl wearing a miniature Santa hat perched on a mailbox, curiously watching the steady stream of passersby.

The bustle here was quite different from the festivities at the Black Vine Winery over the past two days. It was less luxurious, but had more of the simple warmth of everyday life.

Just as the two of them stopped outside a shop selling handmade wand polish, a smooth, melodious woman's voice came from behind them.

"Monsieur Black!"

They turned to see a middle-aged woman with fair skin and a slender but not frail figure, dressed in a deep purple velvet robe.

She was around sixty, but her back was as straight as a pillar in the Palace of Versailles. Her clear, gray-blue eyes were like the sea off Brittany, and an ancient silver filigree brooch adorned her collar.

"Hello, Clotilde!"

The moment Alphard saw her, his trademark smile spread across his face. "It's wonderful to see you!"

The woman smiled too, lifting a hand to smooth her silver hair. Her sleeve slipped back, revealing a sliver of wrist adorned with a delicate old silver bangle. It chimed softly as she moved.

What caught Yulian's attention first, however, were the two girls standing beside the woman, one older and one younger.

The older one was Fleur Delacour, whom he had met the other day. She was holding the hand of a little girl who looked about four or five.

Fleur wore a beautifully tailored white cashmere coat that day, and her long silver hair shimmered in the sunlight. Surprise showed in her deep silver eyes as well.

The little girl beside her had the same delicate features, but a more innocent, carefree expression. She was clutching her sister's hand and curiously sizing up Yulian.

"Miss Delacour, hello." Yulian smiled and nodded to them, his tone easy. "I didn't expect to run into you here. This must be your younger sister?"

"My name's Gabri. Who are you?" the little girl chirped. Then she slipped free of her sister's hand, ran up to Yulian, and tilted her face up to him without the slightest shyness.

Yulian blinked, then crouched down to meet Gabri's clear gaze. "Hello, Gabri. It's nice to meet you. My name's Yulian."

"Hello, Yulian. I'm happy to meet you too!" Gabri clapped her hands excitedly, then grabbed his sleeve as though she'd found a new toy. "Is this your first time here? I can show you around!"

Fleur smiled helplessly and stepped forward. "Hello, Yulian. My sister can be a little mischievous. I hope you don't mind."

Meanwhile, the older woman and Alphard were catching up. After they were introduced, Yulian learned that she was the Delacour sisters' grandmother, and that they lived in Fonsali.

After they chatted for a while, Yulian's grandfather Alphard and Fleur's grandmother decided to visit some old friends together, leaving Fleur and her sister to show Yulian around.

And so the three children set off together. Gabri was like a cheerful little bird, tugging Yulian over to look at singing porcelain dolls in shop windows one moment, then pointing at colorful paper cranes circling overhead and peppering him with questions the next.

Fleur smiled beside them, occasionally answering her sister's far-fetched questions. Yet her gaze often returned to Yulian, perhaps because the look in his eyes when he watched the sisters remained utterly clear and sincere.

They passed through an arcade hung with colorful lights, and suddenly the view opened onto an ancient stone building standing at the far end of the square.

It had a towering spire and stained-glass windows, but most of the windows were broken. With withered vines crawling over its walls, it looked particularly desolate.

"Is that... a church?" Yulian asked in surprise. As far as he knew, wizarding settlements rarely had purely Muggle religious buildings like this.

"Mm," Fleur said, nodding. Her voice grew quieter. "Grandmother said that, centuries ago, Fonsali wasn't entirely populated by wizards. Muggles and wizards used to live here together. Then, for some reason, the Muggles gradually moved away, and the church was abandoned. Everyone says it's haunted now, and no children dare go near it."

Yulian was about to ask something else when, from the corner of his eye, he caught a figure darting out of the narrow alley beside the church. The person wore a loose gray cloak, its hood pulled low.

But just as the stranger raised a hand to adjust the cloak, Yulian clearly saw a tattoo on the inside of the exposed forearm: a crescent moon entwined with thorns.

The Moon Shadow Council!

Yulian's heart gave a sudden jolt. What was the mark of this mysterious organization doing here? And in a seemingly peaceful wizarding town, of all places?

Fleur seemed to have noticed it too. Her expression turned serious as she exchanged a look with Yulian. For the moment, neither of them knew what to do.

Yulian instinctively wanted to chase after the stranger, but Gabri tugged at his coat. "Big brother, they're selling candy apples over there!" Her voice brought him back to reality.

Right, Gabri was with them. He couldn't take any risks.

Just then, a familiar voice, edged with coldness, came from behind them.

"Well, what a coincidence, Mr. Black. I thought you'd be celebrating the holidays at your luxurious winery. What, are you interested in this country market too?"

Yulian turned around. Elizabeth Rosier stood a few steps away.

She wasn't wearing her trademark dark green gown today. Instead, she had on a simple black riding outfit that made her skin look even fairer.

Her gaze swept over Yulian, Fleur, and Gabri, who was clinging tightly to Yulian's arm. At last, it settled on Yulian's face, filled with a complicated emotion that was hard to name.

"Ah, Elizabeth. It's wonderful to see you." Yulian straightened and replied politely. "Getting out for a walk over the holidays beats being cooped up at home. Did you come alone?"

"I have my own reasons for being here." Rosier answered coolly, her chin lifting with her usual arrogance. "But it seems your holiday has been quite... eventful."