Missandei's Identity
After leaving Shadowless Street, William and Hermione sped off on their motorcycles along the Ring Road.
Hermione held William close, but because the wind was too strong to hear clearly, she had to lean close to the boy's ear and ask:
"It seems those people don't know Gregorovitch's location. What should we do now?"
After leaving that wand shop, William took Hermione to visit several other shops, but none of the wandmakers knew about it.
Gregorovitch has been retired for almost ten years, and nobody knows where he lives.
William squinted, pondering slowly, sensing that something had been overlooked.
He suddenly opened his eyes wide and exclaimed excitedly, "Hermione, I know... I know! Who knows where Gregorovitch is!"
"Who?" Hermione asked blankly.
"Missandei definitely knows!" William laughed.
"Do you remember? When she led us into the Ministry of Magic, she mentioned her wand, the last wand Gregorovitch made."
Hermione raised her eyebrows and said excitedly:
"Yes, Gregorovitch has been retired for almost ten years, Missandei is only seventeen. It's impossible for her to buy his wand."
Unless she knows Gregorovitch and knows where he lives!
The screeching sound of tires suddenly rang out, and William executed a beautiful drift, changing direction and heading southeast again.
They escaped the Hofburg Palace earlier tonight, and now they're back!
But the most dangerous place is also the safest place.
The Ministry of Magic would never have imagined that the two of them would go back so recklessly!
The drift just now nearly caused a car to crash into the roadside green belt.
The driver pulled the car over to the side of the road, watched the two figures disappear from sight, and angrily shouted, "I can't believe it!"
"Don't they have any sense of public decency?! Tire friction and engine noise—the neighbors can't sleep!"
However, the motorcycle had already disappeared into the vast darkness, and no one could hear his words.
But William noticed the problem with the motorcycle; the sound was coming from near the Hofburg Palace and would surely be discovered.
Therefore, just before they arrived, William and Hermione changed into their Flying Cloak again.
The two returned along the same route, and from the underground parking lot, they entered the Austrian Ministry of Magic through a secret passage.
This time, they used the Disillusionment Charm beforehand, so they were not captured by armed soldiers along the way.
But once William entered the Ministry of Magic, he faced another problem.
He didn't know where Missandei's room was.
This girl had been staying in his room the whole time; who knows where she slept?
"I know where she is," Hermione said after a moment's thought.
"You know?" William looked at her.
Missandei should still be waiting in your room.
Don't forget to tell her we'll be back before you leave.
She couldn't just find any room; if she did, we wouldn't be able to find her when we came back.
"No!" Hermione frowned again and immediately objected, "That would be too obvious."
While the Ministry of Magic likely doesn't expect us to return, they might still be monitoring that room.
We certainly won't take the risk.
Missandei needs to find a neglected room, a room where we might still have a chance to return to...
William and Hermione exchanged a glance and said simultaneously:
She's in your room!
She's in my room!
The Ministry of Magic provided William and Hermione with two separate rooms, not too close together.
But Hermione never actually moved in; if the Ministry of Magic wanted to monitor anyone, they could only monitor William's room at most.
So Missandei would be in Hermione's room.
The two walked quietly down the corridor toward Hermione's room. She took out her room key and secretly opened the door.
The room was pitch black, but faint breathing could be heard coming from the bed.
William walked toward the bed, and as he approached, he reached out his hand, trying to wake Missandei.
But the person in the bed was already awake, or rather, hadn't fallen asleep at all.
She suddenly grabbed the knife under her pillow and swiftly thrust the blade towards William's right hand.
This way, the wand can be knocked off immediately.
William remained calm; his reflexes honed over the years in the time loop hadn't been for nothing.
He clasped his hands together and pressed them firmly against the blade, then gently struck Missandei in the chest with his palm.
The dagger and Missandei, who was gripping it tremblingly, fell backward together. Her face was flushed, but she still did not drop the dagger.
"It's us, Missandei!"
After Hermione drew the curtains tightly shut, the tip of her wand lit up slightly.
William bent down and took the dagger from Missandei's hand, held it above his head, gazed at the gleaming blade, and asked with a smile:
"Who taught you this? Hiding a knife under your pillow?"
The dagger is indeed a fine dagger; it even has the House of Habsburg's eagle head crest on it.
It's clearly an antique!
Missandei got up and got out of bed.
Her complexion had returned to normal, but she didn't dare look William in the eye. Instead, she turned to Hermione and asked:
"Have you found Grindelwald?"
"No, but we need to know where Gregorovitch is!"
Led by Missandei, the three left the room along the intricate corridors.
It's still not safe there, Missandei is taking William and Hermione to her house.
Although it was said to be Missandei's home, the three of them had only left the Ministry of Magic, but were still wandering around this enormous Hofburg Palace.
After passing through several secret passages, William finally landed heavily on the soft grass on the other side of the palace.
Hermione landed beside him and then surveyed her surroundings.
The place where they stood was a clearing in the woods, covered with moss and ferns. In front of them was a large grove of trees, and to their right was a stone path.
William stared blankly at the cobblestone path, which wound its way to yet another palace.
Led by Missandei, the three entered the palace.
There was a row of portraits in the corridor, and William looked at the one closest to him.
The painting depicts a famous woman.
Princess Sisi.
Princess Sisi was more famous than Princess Diana.
She was Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria, wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I of the Austria Empire, and played a key role in the formation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1867.
Yes, she was the aunt of Archduke Ferdinand, who was assassinated and which sparked First World War.
But Princess Sisi's portrait is placed here, while Missandei still lives in the Hofburg Palace.
William frowned and asked, "Who exactly are you?"
Missandei turned around and explained softly, "My name is Missandei Habsburg Lorraine."
"My grandmother's name was Elizabeth Mary, and she was the granddaughter of Princess Sisi."
So they're from the House of Habsburg.
William gazed at Missandei's face, but couldn't help wondering, "Why doesn't she have an underbite?"
No, this isn't a true Habsburg!