The air in the manor's sitting room was thick with the pungent smell of cigars.
A huge Christmas tree, hung with sparkling colored lights, stood all alone in the corner.
Logs crackled in the fireplace, drowning out the howl of the cold wind beyond the windows.
"If you ask me, the only thing you wizards have worth praising is chocolate!"
Joseph Bonanno flipped up his thumb and casually opened a box of Chocolate Frogs, offering it to a child. "Little Rose, want some?"
Hesitation flickered in the child's eyes as he looked up at his mother.
His mother looked nervous. Her weathered, exhausted face was taut with fear. Though she sensed the child's gaze, she did not dare lower her head or give him any instruction.
The Chocolate Frog soon sprang into action. With a powerful kick of its hind legs, it leaped out of the box, then kicked again, tracing an arc through the air as it fell toward the floor.
But it would never get another chance. A flash of silver streaked past, and a small knife pierced its belly.
"If you don't seize an opportunity, it'll run away, won't it?" Joseph Bonanno lifted the knife, put the Chocolate Frog—its legs still twitching—into his mouth, and slowly chewed.
The child trembled at the sight. Though he tried desperately to hold back his emotions, a whimper still escaped him.
It was as if that fleeting silver flash had pierced not only the Chocolate Frog's belly, but also the last shred of strength the child had been forcing himself to maintain.
"Am I really that scary?" Joseph Bonanno was clearly in a fine mood. "Little Rose... has your mother ever told you about the Salem Witch Trials?"
When the child timidly shook his head, Bonanno raised an eyebrow. "With a