Whistles and teasing cheers rose from every corner of the Auror Office.
Ben Frick stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a piercing whistle, only for an elderly Auror beside him to smack the back of his head, nearly sending his face into the inkwell on his desk.
Lin Ze stood frozen, both hands hovering in midair, unsure where to put them.
In the end, Olivia was the one who let go.
She stepped back, quickly wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, then lifted her chin, resuming her haughty air as though she had not just hugged her boyfriend in front of everyone.
"You said you ran into three Death Eaters. What happened?" Her tone turned serious.
"Uh, last week. Three Death Eaters had a Ministry of Magic employee surrounded, so I went and dealt with it." Lin Ze tried to make it sound as casual as possible.
"What do you mean, 'dealt with it'?"
"I just... knocked them down, then brought them back to the Ministry and locked them up. Don't worry, I wasn't hurt."
Olivia looked Lin Ze over carefully, as if checking that he still had all his limbs.
Then she took a deep breath and turned to survey the colleagues still sneaking looks at them around the office.
"What are you staring at? Never seen a couple before?" She raised her chin slightly as she spoke, an utterly unfeigned arrogance in her lake-green eyes.
As though she was born to be the center of attention, yet these mere mortals actually dared to stare for so long-sheer insolence.
The wizards throughout the office lowered their heads in remarkable unison, showing not the slightest displeasure at being scolded by a young girl.
Only Frick had the death wish to mutter, "My senior was right. The prettier the woman, the worse her temper..."
The corners of Olivia's eyes curved slightly, a barely perceptible hint of amusement flashing through them, but she quickly put on a stern face again.
She reached into an inside pocket of her robes, took out an elegantly wrapped little box, and slapped it onto Lin Ze's desk.
"For you. Brought it from France. Their latest product."
Lin Ze opened the box. Inside sat two neat rows of chocolates, each coated in dark brown cocoa powder and giving off a rich, sweet fragrance.
"These are...?"
"Belgian magical chocolates. There's a tiny dose of Elixir to Induce Euphoria in the coating. One will keep you happy all day."
Olivia folded her arms and deliberately turned her head away. "I didn't buy them especially for you. I wanted some myself and just happened to get an extra box."
Looking at Olivia, Lin Ze couldn't help chuckling.
"What are you laughing at?" Olivia glared at him.
"Nothing. You just look especially pretty today."
Olivia flushed slightly, but quickly recovered her haughty expression. "Don't give me that. You think a few sweet words will get you off the hook for not writing to me for a month?"
Just as Lin Ze was scratching his head, at a loss for an answer, a figure walked slowly through the doorway.
He was a tall, middle-aged wizard with meticulously combed dark blond hair, graying slightly at the temples, and half-moon, gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.
He wore exquisitely tailored dark gray traveling robes, a silver brooch bearing the French Ministry of Magic's emblem pinned at his collar, and held a black walking stick topped with an amber-colored gemstone.
His features bore a fair resemblance to Olivia's, but their lines were colder and harder, with prominent brow ridges, deep-set eyes, and two deep creases beside his mouth that looked as though they had been carved with a knife.
The mere presence he exuded as he stood in the doorway silenced the entire office.
The wizards who had been whistling and cheering a moment ago now fell utterly silent.
Frick hunched his shoulders and tucked himself farther into his workstation, muttering, "Merlin's underpants... with that presence, he's at least a department head..."
Lin Ze froze.
He looked at the middle-aged wizard in the doorway, then at Olivia, who stood before him with her arms folded and a meaningful smile curling her lips.
Dark blond hair.
The French Ministry of Magic's emblem.
A resemblance to Olivia.
That made the gentleman's identity obvious.
"Dad, why are you here?" Olivia turned around, sounding slightly reproachful.
The middle-aged wizard did not answer her.
His gaze settled on Lin Ze, who felt as though a hawk had locked onto him as its prey.
So... meeting the parent already?
Hiss-
What a thrill...
The middle-aged wizard strode toward Lin Ze.
His walking stick struck the flagstone floor with crisp, rhythmic taps.
Every step seemed to land on Lin Ze's heartbeat.
Tap... tap... tap...
He stopped before Lin Ze and studied the young Auror.
His gaze traveled from top to bottom, then bottom to top, missing nothing from Lin Ze's newly bought dragon hide boots to the hair he had yet to tidy.
Silence.
Suffocating silence.
The entire office held its breath.
Lin Ze felt his back beginning to sweat.
He desperately scoured the original owner's memories, but the original owner seemed never to have met Olivia's father either. His memories of the man were a complete blank.
Just as Lin Ze was considering how to break this damned silence, the middle-aged wizard finally broke the awkwardness between them.
"Olivia."
His voice was low and steady, carrying the composure peculiar to someone who had long held a position of authority.
"Is this the young man you told me about?"
"Yes, my boyfriend. What do you think?" Olivia walked over to her father and linked her arm through his.
The middle-aged wizard nodded, then turned to Lin Ze.
"You're of Asian descent?"
"Yes, sir." Lin Ze straightened his back.
"How long?"
"How long... huh? You mean... Olivia and me?" Lin Ze asked cautiously.
"What else? You and me?"
At that, Frick let out a snort of laughter at the next workstation, then immediately covered his mouth and pretended to cough.
Lin Ze's face twitched. "...Two years, sir."
"Two years..."
"You've been together that long. How did you manage not to answer a single letter for an entire month after she returned to France?"
Lin Ze: "..."
He had no way to answer that question.
He could hardly say, "Because I've taken over the original Lin Ze's account, and I didn't know when I first transmigrated here," could he?
"I... things have been too busy at the Ministry lately, sir. I'm sure you know about the current situation..." He forced himself to make up an excuse.
The middle-aged wizard raised an eyebrow. "Rufus Scrimgeour mentioned you to me. Taking down three Death Eaters alone-you have some skill."
"Scrimgeour?" Lin Ze stared for a moment.
"Why else do you think I agreed to let my daughter come to the Ministry of Magic to see you?" Mr Delacour tapped his walking stick lightly against the floor.
"Scrimgeour told me you're a young man worth nurturing. I trust his judgment, and of course, I trust my daughter's judgment even more."
Just as Lin Ze began to relax a little, Mr Delacour added, "But if a man can't even be bothered to write a letter, then however outstanding he is at work, he still doesn't pass muster with me."
"Father..." Olivia tugged at her father's arm, a slightly wheedling note in her voice.
Unmoved, Mr Delacour continued staring at Lin Ze. "Well? Do you have anything to say in your defense? Or do you intend to let this matter simply blow over?"
Lin Ze took a deep breath and raised his head to meet Mr Delacour's gaze.
"You're right, sir. This was my fault. Being busy at work shouldn't be an excuse. I shouldn't have gone a month without answering her letters."
"Hmph."
Mr Delacour gave a cold snort. "Young man, admitting your mistake isn't enough. How do you intend to make amends?"
"Dad, he's at work right now..." Olivia protested quietly beside him.
"So now you're defending him? Why didn't you mention he was at work when you came looking for him?"
"Dad..."