"Of course, we had to come."
The slightly plump woman caressed Caryll with a heartbroken expression:
"When we heard that your unit had been compromised, we left for Britain immediately. But no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't find any news about you. I thought… I thought…"
She began to cry.
Her tears left Caryll at a loss. Panicking, he hurriedly said, "Don't cry, Mom. Look, I'm perfectly fine…"
He glanced toward his father for help, only to see the tattooed man sitting beside them with a serious expression as he asked coldly:
"What exactly happened back then? How were you exposed?"
Confused, Caryll asked, "Didn't Glenwhite escape? Didn't he report back?"
The tattooed man frowned. "Answer my question, Caryll!"
His icy tone made Caryll uncomfortable.
The plump woman quickly explained:
"Glenwhite was afraid of leading the enemy back to our base, so after sending a brief message, he fled to Africa. We haven't heard from him since."
"…He was being overly cautious. Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts long ago," Caryll muttered, exasperated.
"My God, you encountered Dumbledore?"
The woman gasped in horror.
"How could this happen? Didn't our leader say that Dumbledore is probably the most powerful wizard alive? Why did you get involved with him as soon as you arrived?"
Thinking back to that moment, Caryll felt a lingering fear. He swallowed hard before recounting what had happened—
"When we first arrived in Britain, Glenwhite said we needed to investigate the disappearance of that werewolf, Will.
In the previous mission, they had used gold dust, yet they still failed… and it was a very strange failure. Glenwhite suspected there had been a traitor."
"He said that before taking any further action, we had to figure out which force was working against us, whether the British Ministry of Magic was involved, and how much information Will might have leaked."
"Will kept a journal… and during our investigation, Niller discovered that one person seemed particularly suspicious—"
"Before Will disappeared, he had found a well-paid job through a werewolf named Remus Lupin and had even received financial support from him—quite a large sum, too."
"And that Remus Lupin lives in Hogsmeade…"
"Dahl was killed by an Acromantula's venom, but Acromantulas are native to Southeast Asia. In Britain, there's only one place where a large number of Acromantulas reside…"
Though Caryll's account was somewhat disorganized, the tattooed man had already pieced together Glenwhite's reasoning. He slowly said:
"The Forbidden Forest next to Hogwarts."
"Yes."
Caryll nodded. "That's exactly what Glenwhite said."
"He believed that everything was somehow connected to that Remus Lupin... And for someone as dangerous as a werewolf to be living so close to the school, he must have had approval from the higher-ups at Hogwarts."
"Kurami suggested that if we could break the wizards' trust in that werewolf, we could force him out of Hogwarts' protective circle, making him easier to deal with."
"Besides, the werewolves in Britain have formed some kind of mutual aid group and signed the 'Werewolf Code of Conduct' with the Ministry of Magic.
Kurami said that we needed to remind Britain's weak-willed wizards of the dangers and brutality of werewolves—only then could we help the werewolves 'awaken'..."
Caryl's mouth twitched slightly. Even as he repeated it, he found this logic utterly absurd.
They were deliberately sabotaging the relatively peaceful lives of werewolves, provoking wizards into discriminating against and hunting them—only to then "help" the werewolves "awaken"?
—Do the werewolves of Britain really need this kind of 'help'?
But Caryll had no right to question it. After Kurami proposed the plan, both Glenwhite and Nile had agreed it was a good idea.
As he finished recounting the events, he carefully observed his parents' expressions—only to find that they didn't seem to find anything wrong with this line of thinking either.
—Is it possible that I am the one who is wrong for finding this plan ridiculous?
"Did you use the Lycanthropy Stimulant?" the tattooed man asked.
"Yes. Glenwhite applied for three vials before setting out. One of them was used on Remus Lupin—he transformed into a werewolf right there on the street..." Caryll said.
"But…" the plump woman frowned in confusion. "This incident wasn't reported anywhere, was it?"
Caryll lowered his head. "There were some powerful individuals in Hogsmeade… and at the time, Lupin was accompanied by a professor from Hogwarts. So when he lost control, there weren't any casualties."
"Originally, Nile and Kurami took photos and recorded videos, but that very night… Dumbledore suddenly found us."
Caryll shuddered at the memory—when they were driving toward a new Muggle town, the car screeched to a stop in the middle of the road.
And there, standing in the darkness, was that terrifying wizard who stared at them with cold, piercing eyes—as if he had been waiting for a long time.
A chill ran down Caryll's spine. His face turned pale, his hands clenched into tight fists, and an unconscious fear flickered in his gaze.
Aside from the oblivious Muggle driver, everyone in the car had been scared out of their wits. None of them had even thought of resisting—they had simply screamed and bolted from the vehicle in a blind panic.
Glenwhite and Nile both knew how to Apparate, so they had managed to escape from that road on their first attempt—only Kurami lost a finger due to splinching. Honestly, they had been ridiculously lucky.
But later, they came to understand—that wasn't luck. It was the beginning of a nightmare.
"We didn't dare rest, didn't dare sleep. If we so much as stopped for a few minutes… that man would appear again."
"So you led him straight to the base in France?" the tattooed man suddenly asked.
Caryll was momentarily stunned before he tried to explain, "There were only Muggles there. Nile said that, considering the Statute of Secrecy Act, Dumbledore would definitely—"
"Idiot!"
Pah!
A burning pain exploded across his face, cutting off his words. His vision blurred for a second and his expression turned blank.
The tattooed man suddenly flew into a rage. After the slap, he stood up and delivered a vicious kick, sending Caryll sprawling.
"Muggles! Muggles! All you ever think about is that they were just Muggles—did it never occur to you why the organization had so many Muggles in that base?"
The tattooed man roared, "Those were valuable researchers! And because of you, they escaped the organization's control! Even our most precious research materials were taken—do you have any idea how enormous that loss was?"
Caryll trembled slightly but remained silent.
The plump woman stepped in and stopped the man from striking him again. She said angrily:
"How can you raise your hand against our child? Caryll didn't know anything—Glenwhite was the one who made all the decisions! Why are you taking it out on him?"
She crouched beside Caryll, and gently stroked his head as she comforted him.
"Don't be afraid, sweetheart. Mommy knows this wasn't your fault. Please try to understand—your father just lost control of his temper.
The losses at the French base were devastating, and the leader was furious. Your father has been under immense pressure because of it."
"The only reason he rushed into this dangerous country was because he was worried about you, because he loves you. Caryll… can you forgive your father?"
Caryll lifted his head and looked into his mother's eyes. It took a long while before he slowly nodded.
The tattooed man, his chest still heaving, took a deep breath and finally calmed down. He reached out, pulled Caryll to his feet, and even bent down to dust off the footprint on his chest.
"I'm sorry, son."
His voice was low and hoarse, filled with self-reproach. "I was in a terrible mood today and took my anger out on you. That wasn't fair to you."
Caryll lowered his head. "It's okay… I know you didn't mean to."
Both parents smiled in satisfaction. The plump woman even pulled Caryll into a warm embrace.
"Let's not talk about the French base anymore," the tattooed man said. "Caryll, do you still remember your mission?"
Caryll nodded.
"Then tell me, when I saw you in the street today, why weren't you with Wade Grey?" the tattooed man asked.
His tone was calm, but Caryll still shuddered involuntarily.
This time, he didn't try to argue that the Sorting Hat had placed him in Gryffindor, while Wade Grey was always mysteriously absent outside of class, making it nearly impossible to reconnect with him.
Nor did he mention that one of the people he had been spending time with was the so-called "Savior" of the wizarding world—someone Caryll believed was worth befriending.
More importantly, through this connection, he had found a way to join Wade Grey's club.
He knew that in his father's eyes, failing to complete a mission meant failure—no excuses.
Even if he was actually working on something more meaningful, any reason he gave would still be considered just an excuse.
Orders came first.
"I'm sorry, Dad," Caryll lowered his head. "I failed to meet your expectations. I'm truly sorry. I will do my best to complete the mission—please give me a little more time."
The tattooed man clenched his jaw, as if about to lose his temper, but after receiving a sharp glare from the plump woman, he forced himself to suppress his anger.
Placing a hand on Caryl's head, he tried his best to sound gentle. "It's fine. Since you recognize your mistake, I believe you'll do better from now on... Caryll, don't disappoint me again."
Caryll suppressed the discomfort crawling from his scalp down his back and solemnly nodded.
The plump woman clapped her hands happily.
"Alright, enough of these serious topics—Caryll, you must not be used to the food at school, right? I've prepared a feast for you. Let's sit down and have a proper family meal together!"
"Great idea," the tattooed man said with a smile. "Ever since Caryll went to training camp, we haven't had a good meal together in so long—Caryll, will this delay your return to school?"
This time, Caryll finally showed a genuine smile.
"Not at all," he said. "It's a Hogsmeade weekend. I just need to be back before dinner."
"You can't stay that long," the tattooed man interjected. "We have people watching the village. If Wade Grey shows up, you need to find a way to run into him."
"…Okay."
The smile vanished from Caryll's face. He mumbled his response as he looked at his parents—who didn't seem to notice his mood at all—and suddenly, they felt like complete strangers compared to the parents he remembered.
—All because of that damned British Ministry of Magic. Why did they have to discover that my family are vampires, forcing us to flee to America.
The painful memories of that desperate escape—Caryll didn't even want to recall them. They had only survived because the organization took them in and sheltered them from being hunted down.
Dad and mom changed so much because of what happened… but it isn't their fault.
As long as I complete my mission, our family can live freely again. Dad and mom will go back to the way they used to be…
Caryll secretly tightened his grip on the fork in his hand.
The plump woman had already set the table with a feast—roast beef, jellied eel, stew, seafood chowder, sausage with mashed potatoes…
The rich aroma filled the air, and for the first time, the room felt like a real family gathering.
—
"How pathetic—getting ambushed by a vampire bat!"
Sirius complained while directing a knife to carve a pumpkin in the yard. His tone was mocking, but his eyes carried a sharp glint.
"Have your skills really deteriorated this much?"
"Well..." Lupin gave a bitter smile. "I might have had too much to drink and let my guard down."
In truth, he had sensed something flying toward him at high speed.
But perhaps due to the alcohol dulling his reflexes, his first instinct was to assume it was Wade in his Animagus form.
After all, in his mind, the only Animagus he knew that could turn into a bird was Wade.
By the time Lupin realized he was being attacked, the syringe had already pierced his skin, and the icy liquid shot into his bloodstream like a water jet.
"Good thing Hagrid was there too..."
Sirius glanced at Lupin's pale face and swallowed back the rest of his words. Then, turning to Harry and Wade, who had come to visit, he asked:
"Did Dumbledore say anything?"
"I heard the vampire that attacked Remus is already dead," Harry quickly replied.
When Lupin was in the hospital wing, Harry had spoken with Professor McGonagall and the Headmaster, so he had learned part of the truth.
"Professor Snape analyzed the hormones and determined that it was a special stimulant extracted from werewolves, designed to accelerate transformation."
Wade added, "Although Remus recovered this time, if he gets dosed again, the transformation might be faster, more extreme, and possibly irreversible..."
"Tch." Sirius clicked his tongue in annoyance. "That greasy git..."
"Sirius." Lupin warned.
"Fine, fine... Snape!" Sirius shook his head like a dog shaking off water. "Even if he was useful this time, that guy loves to scare people..."
"This wasn't just 'a little help'—he saved my life." Lupin said calmly. "If I ever lose control completely—Sirius, promise me you won't hesitate when the time comes."
"No way!" Sirius growled. "Don't listen to that greasy git's nonsense! I refuse to believe there's a problem we can't solve!"
Lupin forced a small smile but didn't argue—nor did he agree.
Harry thought for a long moment before whispering to Wade:
"Wade… extracting hormones and all that… doesn't really sound like a wizard's method, does it?"
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
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⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
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