Father, I've Come to See You One Last Time!

The night was dark, and the rain poured down.

The black figure, like a ghost, crawled ashore from the canal.

She had only taken a few steps in St Mark's Square when five Auror, who were secretly guarding her, appeared in Apparition.

They all raised their wands.

The woman, completely unfazed, brushed the water droplets from her hair and shouted, "Tell Oberon Martell... that I've brought the Goblet of Fire!"

The Auror looked at each other, whispered among themselves, but none of them were willing to leave.

Finally, they resorted to rock-paper-scissors, going through seven rounds before deciding on the unlucky one, who was then sent to inform Secretary General Mr. Martell.

The other four stayed behind to "monitor" the witch, and incidentally... admire those incredibly long legs.

It's a pity; if you weren't wearing leather pants, you could have worn shorts or a skirt instead.

But honestly, this witch in front of me is really tall. She's a full 1.85 meters. It really proves the saying, "All legs below her neck."

Less than five minutes later, Secretary General Martell strode over, his pupils contracting as he looked at the witch.

"You may all leave," he commanded.

"But..."

"Don't worry about me, child." Martell looked at the five Auror. "I'm not old enough to need protection."

But...

They didn't want to leave; they just wanted to see the legs!

After the Auror left reluctantly, St Mark's Square fell silent once more.

Neither of them spoke.

The atmosphere was heavy, with only the sound of the river flowing in the background.

A moment later, Martell said, "Long time no see, Trene."

"Yes, Father!" Trene gave a cold smile.

Where is the stuff?

"Hmm? So eager?" Trene walked around the square twice.

"I thought... you were going to go on and on about your father-daughter relationship."

"Give me back the Goblet of Fire you stole, and I'll have my way with you... Otherwise, the Auror will have to do it." Martell lowered his voice.

"Steal?" Trene leaned back, tilting her head, and for the first time tonight looked directly at her nominal father, scoffing.

"It's just the two of us here, and you're still going to maintain that facade."

"You're the one who stole the Goblet of Fire; I just happened to be there and took it from your office."

Martell's eyes were dark as he calmly said, "I took the Goblet of Fire to stop a monster."

That monster appeared seven hundred years ago; it flooded Sardinia. I just want to save Venice.

"So, you're a good person?" Trene seemed to have heard something amusing and burst into laughter.

"To stop it... you'll wake it up first?" Trene scoffed.

"That logic is unparalleled. But isn't this your usual tactic?"

Martell's gaze swept past Trene's shoulder, looking ahead in silence. After a long pause, he finally spoke with growing indifference:

How much do you actually know?

"I know... everything." A smile played on Trene's lips.

She didn't know everything and never understood the most crucial question:

Why would my father, who is clearly nearing the end of his life, stage such a spectacle as flooding Venice?

Even if he becomes the Chosen One of Italy and a hero in the hearts of all wizards.

But at this age, what kind of trouble can he possibly cause?

To obtain a record for the oldest Minister for Magic and the shortest-serving Minister?

But last night, the conversation between William, Hermione, and Bagshot made her understand everything completely.

That almost Prophecy feeling made her instantly understand Martell's true purpose.

He planned to find Santa Lucia's remains, extend his own lifespan, and then become that... Dragonslayer.

With this added prestige, the Italy Ministry of Magic would be his for the taking.

"Why did you betray me, Trene?!" Martell's voice was filled with anger.

"I've raised you all these years, not so you could turn against me."

"Betrayal? I wouldn't call it that." Trene shook her head. "I just don't want you to continue making mistakes, and I certainly don't want the whole of Venice to be destroyed with you."

"No, just give me the Goblet of Fire," Martell said firmly. "Venice will not be destroyed, and I am the true Dragonslayer."

"Of course." Trene nodded. "I came here to return the Goblet of Fire to you, but... I have a condition."

You said you'd agree to anything I could do.

"Notify the Auror to withdraw the arrest warrants for William and Hermione. Declare them innocent."

You framed them both, weren't you just trying to find a scapegoat to take the blame for stealing the Goblet of Fire?

That's me!

Martell raised his right hand, smoothed his graying temples, and chuckled softly, "It seems... you like them both?"

He leaned back slightly, as if he had regained control of the situation. He said lazily, "Of course I can agree. The newspapers tomorrow morning will clarify things."

But... what about the Goblet of Fire?

"I'll take you to find it," Trene said.

Why should I believe you?

"You can only trust me. I've hidden the Goblet of Fire in a place you'd never expect," Trene said earnestly.

"Don't even think about catching me and using Veritaserum."

She raised her arm, pulled up her sleeve, and revealed a distinctive scar on her wrist.

"I made Unbreakable Vow with someone, swearing that I would never tell anyone the location of the Goblet of Fire."

So I'll have to go find it myself, and you'll come with me.

Martell thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay."

He silently thought to himself, "I can withdraw the warrant, but both of them must die."

After all, who knows how much of the truth Stark and Granger know?

Only the dead can keep secrets.

Including Trene.

Trene, unaware of Martell's thoughts, turned her head to look in a certain direction.

Since she came, she had no intention of leaving alive.

What a pity about that Quidditch World Cup ticket.

Early in the morning, William opened the window of his room and found that the water had flooded the garden and was about to rise up the steps.

It's like having the sea view from inside a house.

This ocean-view property in Bagshot was a great buy.

"Hermione, the rain outside is getting heavier; I bet a lot of fish are going to drown," William joked.

"Is the gondola we left in the yard still there?" Hermione trotted over and peeked out from behind William.

"It's still there, but it's already floating."

"Perhaps... we should buy a house in Venice," he said thoughtfully.

Because he couldn't afford a house in his previous life, William developed a bad habit: he wanted to buy a house in every city he visited.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the boy.

"This isn't a sea-view property, it's an underwater property. If I were to really buy, I'd prefer Florence."

William shrugged, offering no objection.

"Let's go, today's going to be busy." Hermione tucked the documents under the bed into the Safety Watch.

I went to bed very late last night, and I didn't have time to tidy up these things, so I just left them on the floor.

After the two left the room, Hermione knocked on Trene's door.

"Trene, are you up? We're leaving soon."

But no one answered.

William frowned, cautiously pulled out his wand, and tapped the door lock.

"So, Trene just left like that?"

Sitting at the bow of the gondola, looking at Trene's letter, Hermione felt somewhat dejected.

They met this friend when they came to Italy.

"What can we do?" William, also somewhat reluctant.

"Trene said in her letter that her father was dying and she was rushing back to see him one last time; we couldn't stop her."

Hermione put the letter away, rubbed her cheek, and said, "She must be very sad."

William, however, did not see it that way. When Trene mentioned her dying father last night, she showed little sadness, but rather indifference.

In short,

I hope her father is alright!

William opened the cockpit hatch and located the button to start the engine.

The good news is, Trene isn't here today, so he can do whatever he wants with the gondola, right?

William wanted to drive it yesterday, but Trene absolutely refused to let him.

Now it's all right.

He can now speed across the sea to his heart's content.

"Hold on tight, Hermione, we're about to start!"

William was excited, and with a throttle, the gondola sped off.

A beautiful ripple was left on the canal.

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