They walked along the ancient pale-yellow brick and stone around the ruins of the Palace of Knossos. The seaside sun was too blazing, too dazzling, spilling over Jessica and her younger brother, its heat making the agitation already simmering in their hearts burn even hotter.
"Ian, did someone cast the Imperius Curse on you? How old are you, acting so immature? You're not the Magical Congress. What use was there in saying that? What could it undo?" Jessica snapped furiously under her breath, almost wanting to stamp her feet. "Ask Allen to let them go? Forget whether he even did it—if he really had, would he agree just because you asked?"
"Jessica, you're my sister, not one of his lovers!" Ian's voice held a trace of anger. Then, rather uneasy, he asked, "Do you also think we bear more responsibility in this incident? That I got so many Muggles killed?"
"Of course not. And I don't think that just because you're my younger brother." Jessica spoke firmly, then smoothed her hair. "I saw a lot of old texts at Hogwarts University. If magic wants to develop, then there will inevitably be some things that aren't so bright. You took No-Maj Studies, so you should know that even in No-Maj schools, they have a history of experimenting on animals, even living people."
"You've been brainwashed by Hogwarts, Jessica." Ian abruptly leaned back, putting some distance between himself and Jessica. "You think taking those criminals' lives for the sake of magical progress is right?"
"Ian, you have to understand—like Uncle Leonard said, sometimes things aren't simply black and white. It isn't as if anything that isn't right must be wrong. Just like under this blazing sun, there are still patches of shade... and we have to admit, hiding in the shade right