Merlin's Prophecy
Before we knew it, the sky had completely darkened.
The rain intensified, sounding like a crying, unruly child from someone's house.
The water level continued to rise, almost reaching the garden. But the problem was that Bagshot's house was situated on high ground, nearly two meters above sea level.
Judging by the rain, if it continues for another two or three days, the Venice will be able to see the sea from their rooftops.
William recalled Death's words:
The flood will inundate the sky.
Could this heavy rain be what they call a flood?
Bagshot seemed to sense the approaching dusk as well. She tucked her thick coat in and asked, "You two haven't eaten yet, have you?"
"No," William shook his head. "We arrived in Venice this morning and have been pursued ever since."
"Hmm." The old man slowly stood up, his back hunched, and smiled kindly, "You must be starving. Let's go eat first, and then we can continue our chat."
Hermione nodded and obediently took the old man's arm.
William held up an umbrella and placed it over Hermione and the old man's heads. The three of them walked slowly through the garden toward the house.
"The accommodations provided by the Italy Ministry of Magic will certainly be guarded by Auror. You can sleep here tonight," Bagshot said softly.
"Won't this cause you trouble?" William hesitated.
"The Italy Auror seem to use some kind of magic to always pinpoint our location," Hermione said curiously.
"It's nothing," the old man said casually.
"There are many protective spells around the house. When the Auror arrive, they will trigger the alarm."
"When the time comes, all you need to do is run. What can they do to an old witch like me?"
"That's the good thing about getting old; you never know when you'll die. They're afraid I might suddenly die in Venice."
Bagshot laughed out loud, then couldn't stop coughing. Hermione quickly patted the old woman's back to help her catch her breath.
This is hardly a joke.
Neither William nor Hermione laughed.
When William entered the living room, he found Trene asleep at the table, drooling and soaking her sleeves.
William felt a great deal of guilt.
This matter had nothing to do with her at all, but they got dragged into it because of her.
Hearing footsteps, Trene opened her eyes abruptly and cried out in a panic, "William, Hermione, run! The Auror are coming!!"
"..."
Her nervous demeanor was exactly like that of a vendor seeing the city management officers:
Run! The urban management officers are back with a sting operation, trying to trick us into setting up stalls!
Trene was relieved when she saw that it was William and Hermione. She then wiped her drool off without any regard for her image and stretched.
The tight-fitting leather jacket accentuated her stunning curves, making her look like a heavy, ripe persimmon in early autumn.
"Are you leaving?" she asked.
"No, we'll stay here tonight," William said.
Trene paused for a moment, then nodded after a couple of seconds of thought, "That's great."
William and Hermione sat down on the sofa. He looked around and noticed that there were many books on the shelves in the room.
In front of the books, there are also various photos.
A photo at the back caught his eye, so he walked over and picked it up.
The two boys linked arms, appearing exceptionally close.
Especially the blond boy, who turned to look at the person next to him, his lazy smile carrying a hint of doting.
It's the bittersweet taste of love, no doubt about it!
"Madam, where did you get this photograph from...?" William asked, looking up.
Bagshot seemed to know which photo he was asking about, and explained softly, "This is the one I took."
I am Gellert Grindelwald's great-aunt.
That summer, he came to Godric's Hollow to see me.
I introduced young Albus to him and even helped them find... the grave of Ignotus Peverell.
Bagshot launched into a long, rambling introduction. In her words:
"These two children, who had tasted the vicissitudes of life at a young age, hit it off immediately, as compatible as fire and a pot."
William and Hermione exchanged a glance. They already knew that the headmaster and Grindelwald had an unusual relationship.
There had simply been no concrete evidence until now.
Okay, now it's confirmed.
Also, the fact that Bagshot introduced the two people sounds a lot like... a blind date.
"Gellert, hurry up and come here! My neighbor is a handsome young man who just graduated this year. He's never been in a relationship, is honest, and never dated anyone in school."
He came from an ordinary family; his father died early, and he was raised by his mother, along with his younger siblings.
He's a good person, I'll introduce you to him.
Of course, he's not a brother-supporting demon, but he is a sister-supporting demon. You should consider whether you can accept that...
"Little Albus, I have a distant relative who is a handsome and extraordinary man."
However, he wasn't highly educated; he was expelled from school before graduating and was a petty hoodlum with little formal education.
But as the saying goes, what's the point of having such a high level of education?
You just need to be talented, and he just needs to be beautiful.
"You two should try meeting up first, and then see if it works out."
Can you picture it now?
Soon, the House-elf brought out the food.
Dinner was sumptuous: Switzerland cheese fondue, with rich Italy cheese and truffles in the pot.
A Munter meat dumpling, with a rich, cheesy filling, cooked in butter and sprinkled with Parmesan.
There are also three bowls of special Italy pasta, with a whitish color and an enticing aroma.
No wonder Italy on the battlefields of World War II; with noodles this delicious, even William wouldn't want to fight.
The three of them had been starving for a long time, so they devoured the food in no time, eating with great relish.
During dinner, Hermione asked, "Trene, do you know the graves of the Doge of Venice, Dandolo, and Santa Lucia?"
Trene is a native of Venice, so she probably knows more about this than Bagshot.
"A tomb? We need to find a tomb?"
She seemed thoughtful as she said, "Santa Lucia's remains are most famously buried in the Church of San Geremia in Venice."
But that's only part of it.
"Her remains are scattered all over the world, even in Venice alone."
The reason is simple: people believe that her remains possess special powers, and anyone who possesses them will live a long life.
Therefore, her remains were stolen, moved, and dismembered countless times, eventually ending up in the hands of some of the most powerful people in history.
Just for longevity!
"As for Governor Dandolo's tomb..."
"Every Venice knows," Trene said, "That he was buried in Constantinople."
"The Goblet of Fire in Constantinople?" Hermione frowned.
"No," Bagshot shook his head and said decisively, "You've overlooked the last sentence."
She said softly:
"Deep within the Phoenix's Rebirth"
The lagoon does not reflect the stars.
The monster waits in the darkness.
Merlin's Prophecy will eventually come true.
"Of Merlin's Prophecy, as far as I know, there's only one that involves monsters."
The old man said in a hoarse voice:
King Vortigern wanted to build a tower, but he failed.
No matter how hard his soldiers worked during the day, the tower would suddenly collapse overnight.
Merlin, who was only seven years old at the time, explained that the tower was built on top of a pool of groundwater.
He also predicted that if the groundwater were drained, two sleeping dragons would be found inside the two hollow boulders.
Merlin also predicted that the two dragons would fight each other: the red dragon would eventually defeat the white dragon.
"So..."
"So, Merlin used magic to trap those two dragons in the Goblet of Fire," the old man murmured.
"The floods in Italy were caused by the awakening of one of the dragons."
You must find the Goblet of Fire first, then stop the dragon.
Otherwise, this country will surely be destroyed by it.
(Seeking recommendation votes and guaranteed monthly votes at the beginning of the month!)
Thanks to "Ace101" and "Trance Xiaobai" for the reward.)