[In light of the considerable interest from numerous gentlemen and ladies regarding the story of Blood Love: The Vampire and The Muggle, we have specially contacted its author.]
[Mr. Hoffmann (Worple's pen name) replied to inform us that, although he is eager to present the final conclusion of the story, today is evidently not an appropriate time.]
[This Saturday at 8 p.m., The Quibbler, with authorization from Mr. Hoffmann, will release a special edition, not only providing a complete ending to this touching tale but also addressing all the doubts and suspicions surrounding the book.]
When today's issue of The Quibbler was delivered to its subscribers, the witches and wizards who had been eagerly awaiting it were sent into an uproar!
Saturday… that is, tomorrow!
After reading this preview in the newspaper, many speculated that the truth behind the poisoning case and Snape's escape would also be revealed on this day!
Of course, even more people dismissed this as The Quibbler deliberately hyping up the news for attention and sensationalism!
Most crucially, though Lovegood's wording was subtle, anyone with normal reasoning skills could discern the implication behind his statement: 'Today is not an appropriate time!'
Those who already suspected he had connections to Snape and his fugitive group now found their suspicions further confirmed.
The Ministry could no longer afford to turn a blind eye.
Scrimgeor dispatched a team of Aurors to Lovegood's home and conducted a thorough search of his house. However, they found no evidence of value, nor any proof of correspondence between him and Snape.
In the end, the Aurors chose to take Lovegood back to the Ministry.
However, less than half a day after they took Lovegood away, countless wizards sent furious Howlers to the Ministry!
The Auror Office was so overwhelmed by the letters that it nearly ground to a halt. Under public pressure, Scrimgeor was forced to issue a public statement via The Daily Prophet, assuring the public that the Aurors had no intention of using illegal interrogation methods on Lovegood and that he would be released that very afternoon.
This incident alone demonstrated just how loosely governed the Wizarding World was by the Ministry… in other words, it was even more democratic than Muggle democratic governments.
When public sentiment grew strong enough, the Ministry had little autonomy to act otherwise.
Put another way, the government's decisions could be swayed and even hijacked by public opinion.
And this was precisely what Severus had hoped for.
The Cotswolds, a region located west of Oxford and south of Shakespeare's birthplace, was an area brimming with historic architecture and quintessential English village charm, making tourism its primary industry.
On Friday evening, in the eastern farmlands of the Cotswolds, Severus parked the car in front of a farmhouse gate.
He instructed Harry and Worple to stay in the car to look after Patty while he, wearing sunglasses, stepped out with Sanguini.
Hearing the car, a middle-aged Muggle dressed in cowboy attire emerged from the house, looking at Severus and Sanguini with puzzlement.
"Can I help you?"
Severus remained silent, letting Sanguini do the talking.
"S-sir, have you ever heard of Polk Farm?" Sanguini looked at the Muggle with nervous and expectant eyes and asked, "About ten years ago, it went by that name, but after old Mr. Polk passed away, the farm was sold to someone else."
The middle-aged Muggle took off his cowboy hat and frowned as he recalled.
"Old Polk? That rings a bell..."
"When my father passed the farm down to me, he mentioned that the land southwest of here used to belong to him. He also said that the old man was stubborn as a mule… He kept a whole field just for growing flowers, even though they didn't make any money. Just because his granddaughter loved them."
"Yes!" Sanguini exclaimed excitedly. "Was it a tulip field? White ones? A huge field!"
The middle-aged Muggle looked him over.
"Why are you asking about this? Old Polk's been dead for years. I heard that he had only one daughter who died in an accident before him. His aristocratic son-in-law had no interest in managing the farm, so he sold it to someone else."
"We're friends of old Mr. Polk's granddaughter." Sanguini said sincerely, "She misses that place dearly, especially her grandfather's flower field."
Hearing this, the middle-aged Muggle couldn't help but shake his head.
"Then don't get your hopes up too much. I heard years ago that the person who took over that farm wasn't making much profit, so he probably plowed that flower field under and planted something else long ago."
He lit a cigarette and added gossipily, "But lately, the prices of tulips and daffodils have gone up again. That poor sod must be kicking himself now."
Sanguini's face paled slightly, but Severus patted his shoulder. After thanking and saying goodbye to the middle-aged Muggle, they returned to the car.
"Don't overthink it. Let's go take a look at the farm first."
Soon, they drove to the farm the Muggle had mentioned, which is located in the southwest.
But this place has completely changed, and it bore little resemblance to the farm Patty had described to Sanguini.
While the sky was still as clear and blue as if freshly washed, half of the farmland had been converted into pastures for cattle and sheep.
As for the other half, there was no trace of flower fields… not even much wheat. Instead, vast stretches of sugar beets covered the land.
Next to the beet field, they can still vaguely see a dilapidated building. It should have been a red windmill, but it had clearly been abandoned for years. Most of its blades were missing, and its walls were overgrown with ivy, exposing patches of bare concrete.
They finally stopped in front of the farmhouse, where an elderly couple ran the place. The old woman had a foul temper and a fierce expression.
"Old Polk? Yes! That's right! We bought this godforsaken place from him!"
The old woman, wearing a headscarf and an apron, leaned on her hoe and shouted at her husband in a loud voice.
"I've slaved away my whole life! That old coot lied to me, saying this place would let us live out our days in peace. And what happened? I'll be toiling here till I drop dead!"
Hearing her loud voice, Sanguini hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, "Excuse me, ma'am… could we borrow your farm for a day tomorrow?"
The old woman narrowed her eyes at him.
"Borrow? What do you mean, borrow?"
"No, not borrow." At this time, Severus took the initiative to speak on Sanguini's behalf, "We'd like to rent it. We'll pay you a fair price to use the farm for a day."