By the time they left the Delacour home, it was completely dark.
The streetlights in the West End of London had come on, their dim yellow glow spilling over the flagstones and stretching Lin Ze and Olivia's shadows out long.
The night breeze carried a slight chill, gently lifting Olivia's blond hair. She unconsciously edged closer to Lin Ze.
With both hands in his pockets, Lin Ze swaggered down the street, an irrepressible hint of a smile on his lips.
He felt his performance at dinner had been nothing short of perfect.
Not only had he successfully defused his father-in-law's challenges, but he had also taken the opportunity to show off his intelligence-gathering abilities and his quick thinking.
His impassioned speech at the end about "not wanting to be a deserter" had almost convinced even him.
Of course, what pleased him most was that he had finally figured out what the father and daughter were really after.
"You two were in on it from the start, weren't you? Your dad played the bad guy, and you played the good guy. A whole good cop, bad cop routine?"
Olivia lowered her head and twisted her hands together like a child who had done something wrong.
"Actually... it wasn't like that at first." Her voice was very quiet.
"I only wanted to come and see you, honestly. But when Dad heard I was coming to Britain, he insisted on coming along. He said he wanted to meet you..."
"And then?"
"Then, on the way here, he told me he wanted to use this opportunity to test you..." Olivia's voice grew quieter as she spoke.
"He said that if a man couldn't even stand his ground under pressure, he wouldn't be able to protect his family when real danger came either..."
"So everything your dad said at the table was an act?" Lin Ze asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Not all of it..." Olivia raised her head, her lake-green eyes looking especially bright in the darkness.
"He really is worried about my safety, and he really did consider having you go to France. But he said he wouldn't make the decision for us. He just wanted to see what you would choose."
"So how do you think I did?"
Olivia stopped and turned to face him.
The streetlight fell across her face, tracing her delicate features.
"Actually, you don't need to worry about my dad. He might look fierce, but he really admires you. Uncle Scrimgeour mentioned you in a letter to him before, saying you were a young man worth nurturing. Dad talked to me about you for days after reading it."
"I am pretty curious, though. What's the connection between Scrimgeour and your dad?" Lin Ze asked.
"They attended the International Auror Joint Training Course together when they were young. They were classmates. My dad has kept in touch with people in Britain all these years. How else do you think I ended up at Hogwarts as an exchange student?"
Understanding dawned on Lin Ze.
No wonder Scrimgeour took such good care of a newcomer like him. So there was that connection too.
But another question immediately occurred to him. "So did your dad have something to do with Scrimgeour recruiting me into the Auror Office too?"
"No, that wasn't connected. I only found out about Dad's connection to Uncle Scrimgeour afterward." Olivia shook her head.
Lin Ze nodded. "Still, you nearly got me killed."
"Hey!"
"Just kidding, just kidding." Lin Ze raised his hands in surrender.
"But once things here are over, I'll still make a trip to France."
"When?"
"Probably..." Lin Ze silently counted the days. "In another month."
It was early October now, less than a month before Voldemort's downfall.
Once Voldemort fell, the Death Eaters were brought to account, and the Ministry of Magic underwent a reshuffle, all the dirt he had been gathering would come in very handy.
Then he wouldn't be going to France to seek refuge. Instead, he could go openly as a representative of the British Ministry of Magic for an exchange visit.
Olivia looked into his eyes, seemingly trying to find some clue in his face.
But Lin Ze's expression was utterly sincere, as innocent as a blank sheet of paper.
"All right, then. I'll wait for you in France. If you dare stand me up again..."
"I wouldn't dare. Absolutely not."
"I'll trust you this once." Olivia rose onto her toes and gave him a light peck on the cheek.
"I'll head back now. Dad's still waiting for me."
"All right."
"Lin Ze."
"Hmm?"
"Take care!"
"Mm."
They parted, and Lin Ze slipped his hands back into his pockets and slowly headed toward the Leaky Cauldron.
All along the way, he planned how, besides gathering dirt and grinding experience over the next month, he also needed to make time for more combat practice.
After all, tricks alone wouldn't get him far in this world. What really counted was raw strength.
It was nearly midnight when he returned to his apartment.
Lin Ze took off his coat, threw himself onto the bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling.
When Voldemort fell in a month, the upheaval at the Ministry of Magic would be considerable.
When that happened, whoever held leverage over others would be able to seize the initiative amid the chaos.
Huh?
Since when had there been a water stain on the ceiling?
Damn it! This dump even leaked!
"If only I could move somewhere decent..."
Lin Ze rolled over, buried his face in his pillow, and let out a muffled sigh.
But moving somewhere decent required money.
After his raise, his weekly pay was twelve Galleons. Adding Crouch's fifty-Galleon bounty, he now had close to sixty Galleons in his pocket.
It wasn't a small amount, but it wasn't much either.
A reasonably decent studio apartment near Diagon Alley cost at least fifteen Galleons a month in rent. If he wanted somewhere nicer, even twenty Galleons might not cover it.
"Still broke." He sighed softly.
He had only just closed his eyes when a fluttering of wings came from outside the window.
Lin Ze opened one eye and saw a gray barn owl perched on the windowsill with a letter in its beak.
"Again?"
Muttering, he got up, walked barefoot to the window, and pushed it open.
The owl dropped the letter into his hand, flapped its wings, and flew away without even asking for a drink of water.
It probably thought this shabby attic didn't look like the sort of place that had owl food.
Lin Ze opened the envelope and pulled out the parchment inside.
The letter was so short that he wondered whether the owl had made the trip for nothing.
"Come to my office at nine tomorrow morning.-Barty Crouch."
That was it.
Just that one line.
Lin Ze turned the letter over and back three times, confirmed there was nothing else, then set it on the table, lay back down, and resumed staring blankly at the water stain on the ceiling.
Crouch wanted to see him.
He had sent an owl with the letter straight to his lodgings.
He tossed and turned for half the night, running through every possibility in his head.
After all that thinking got him nowhere, Lin Ze simply stopped.
He would find out when he went tomorrow anyway. He would deal with whatever came his way. At worst, he could play dumb.
That was what he was best at.
He pulled the covers over his head and forced himself to sleep.
The old wizard next door started brewing his potions right on schedule again. The bubbling sounds carried through the thin wall, somehow having a strangely hypnotic effect.
Lin Ze fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.