What Kind of Cruel World Is This?!

Mrs. Weasley's cooking skills are impeccable. After eating at Hogwarts ' dining hall all the time, it's nice to have some home-style dishes to change things up with, as they're easy on the stomach.

Just look at Tonks, she looks like a starving ghost, her belly is bulging, and she's still eating like crazy... Are you planning to fatten up for winter?

It's widely rumored that badgers are all gluttons, and it seems there's some truth to it.

After dinner, everyone chatted in the living room, discussing the upcoming International Confederation of Wizards Conference in Austria.

The United Kingdom have one characteristic:

They are very enthusiastic about criticizing, especially politics and the powerful.

To gain some insight, one only needs to look at two of the three great political treasures of humankind: "Yes, Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister," which are essentially British dramas that have governed the world.

I recommend an app that rivals the old version of the popular book tracker, with a wide selection of books and the ability to switch sources!

You can pick up any old man on the street and he'll talk to you about everything from the Queen's secrets to the Crown Prince's treason and royal scandals, as if there's no secret he doesn't know.

The wizards of the Order of the Phoenix were also gossiping about the representatives from various countries.

This includes the love story of Ms. Picquery, the United States representative, and Mr. Newt... a story that cannot be ignored.

Rita really did something terrible!

After discussing some gossip, they started predicting what might happen in Vienna this time.

William and Hermione's reputation as "city destroyers" has begun to spread back to the United Kingdom.

Even the black market is offering betting odds on the extent of the damage to Vienna.

The highest level of destruction would certainly be "nuclear annihilation".

Vienna's odds were completely unscathed, even reaching 4.5 to 1 at one point.

Looking at these incredibly attractive odds, it seems no one believes it will be safe after William and Hermione go there.

Logically speaking, the Austrian Ministry of Magic should have placed a large bet on the black market, gambling on Vienna's safety.

If the capital is destroyed, they can win a lot of money; even if they lose, it's just a way to buy peace of mind.

After chatting for a while, Hermione subtly hinted to William that he should follow her toward the restroom.

Under the strange looks from the crowd, the two left, seemingly to go to the restroom together.

Everyone knows you two are a couple, deeply in love, so it's normal for you to do whatever you want. But do you really need to go to the bathroom together?

Anne knew, however, that they weren't actually going to the restroom; they were just making an excuse to leave, so she followed them.

William and Hermione certainly weren't going to the toilet; they were just feinting and quietly making their way upstairs.

William asked in a low voice, "Did you find it?"

Hermione shook her head. "I didn't find it, but I found evidence to support my hypothesis."

The three of them walked up the dark staircase. On the wall beside them, there was a panel with a row of wrinkled heads, which looked particularly terrifying and sinister.

They all have the heads of House-elf.

"How could they do this?! Kill the enslaved House-elf? And hang them on the wall?" Hermione exclaimed angrily.

"It's Black family custom," William explained. "It's done by the House-elf themselves; they take pride in cutting off their heads and hanging them on the wall."

"Sirius should bury these heads instead of leaving them hanging here," Hermione said, disgruntled.

The three continued upstairs. This old house truly lived up to its reputation; it hadn't been cleaned in ten years and was filled with a thick layer of dust.

It has even become a paradise for Magical Creatures.

Among them, the most numerous are Doxy.

Are Doxy pests? Do they have tiny, needle-like teeth? And are they poisonous?

Beetle-like shiny wings? And they make a buzzing sound, like a fly.

Its small, delicate body is covered with thick, dark hair. Even a touch will cause its skin to redden and swell.

The three of them dealt with several groups of Doxy before reaching the top floor.

There are only two doors here, one in the room directly opposite the stairs, and a sign that reads: Sirius Black.

Hermione pointed to the room across the way and said, "William, look there!"

There was also a small sign on the door, with deep scratches on the paint underneath and neat handwritten letters:

Without my express permission

No entry

Regulus Arcturus Black

"RAB..." William stared at those letters.

Hermione took out the parchment from the locket and compared the handwriting on it.

"Isn't it just like the handwriting on parchment? You'll instinctively hook the 'R' in this picture."

And A, they all like to be connected here.

"This proves we didn't choose the wrong person," Hermione said excitedly.

RAB... doesn't necessarily refer to Regulus, but the handwriting is accurate, especially the writing style.

"The locket might be in this old house, but Sirius hasn't found it yet," Hermione whispered.

After learning that RAB might be Regulus, William had Sirius search the old house, but he found nothing.

"That's either because he didn't look carefully, or Regulus deliberately hid it," William said.

This old house is indeed a good place to hide things.

"What are you looking for?" Anne asked excitedly, looking up.

William and Hermione exchanged a glance, and then both grinned.

William immediately said, "Anne, during the time Hermione and I were away, I'm entrusting you with a very important task."

"What mission?" Anne asked excitedly.

With this assignment, she no longer needs to come here to clean every day.

Ginny has been working for three days now, and she's only been working for a short while, but she already feels aches and pains in her back and waist.

The garbage here is piled up like mountains, and it hasn't been cleaned up in ten years.

Hermione took a pendant out of the Safety Watch and whispered, "Anne, look carefully for a pendant that looks similar to this."

It's definitely more exquisite than this; you can tell the difference at a glance.

Anne happily accepted it and immediately put it into her Safety Watch.

She grinned expectantly and asked, "Where should I look? London? Paris? Or Vienna?"

Washington would be nice too, I could visit Newt and Nicolas.

William patted her head and said pitifully, "It's right here in this old house, right in these garbage dumps and the lair of Magical Creatures."

That's right, you need to clean more, and maybe you'll find it.

Anne: "..."

Hermione added seriously, "Once you find it, you must not touch it, and you must not give it to anyone else."

You must inform Professor Dumbledore immediately, understand?

Anne nodded reluctantly.

What a terrible human suffering!

She chased after me so excitedly, only to be asked to do chores?

Hateful!

Just then, a pair of large eyes appeared in the darkness.

A House-elf walked over.

Apart from a dirty rag around its waist, it was almost completely naked.

It looked very old, with loose skin that drooped in mid-air.

Although its head was bald like all House-elf, a large clump of white fur grew in its two large, bat-like ears.

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