With a mournful face, Hydrus returned to the old house.
She sat down heavily next to Momo and emptied all the Gold Galleons from her sachet.
She counted them, one by one, six or seven times.
There was no mistake. A total of 73 Gold Galleons...
She still had to lay low for twelve years. What good was this little amount of money!
'Oh, right, right, there are also the three Gold Galleons I threw earlier!'
...
The little Flying Arrow Snake didn't understand why the Little Mistress was rummaging around the courtyard. She was so absorbed she skipped meals, and even after an entire afternoon, she didn't stop!
Night fell.
Hydrus finally gave up.
She had only found one Gold Galleon.
Her already terrible situation had just gotten worse. She was now down two Galleons!
'Devastated. Heartbroken.'
Back on the second floor, the house-elf Momo was still unconscious.
Hydrus judged that Momo needed wound-cleaning solution and burn-healing paste. She might also have some internal injuries and needed a professional to look at her.
She had none of these medical potions in her little sachet.
Although Momo had caused her a lot of trouble, it was an honest mistake. Her unwavering loyalty alone was worth Hydrus spending a few Gold Galleons on her.
'Oh, more money to spend!'
With a sad face, Hydrus switched her constitution to that of a house-elf.
Feeling the magical elements floating freely in the air around her, Hydrus felt she could manipulate them at will.
Even though there was no magic in her magic circuits, in this state, she could cast spells freely!
'House-elves truly are a magical species!'
"Flying Arrow Snake," Hydrus asked the little snake, "are you willing to leave with me?"
The snake shook its little head. "My master ordered me to guard the old house. I cannot disobey his command."
Hydrus nodded. "Alright, then." She gently stroked the snake's smooth little head. "I'm leaving now. We'll meet again if fate allows."
The little snake nodded.
With a crack, Hydrus disappeared from its sight.
...
...
The Gray family's large estate.
Outside, a torrential downpour raged, and lightning roared in the clouds.
Candles were lit on the long table in the great hall.
More than a dozen men, women, and children sat around it, their expressions grim.
Stevenson Gray, missing a hand, stood before them, pale and trembling.
"Stevenson, are you saying that Hydrus Lestrange is not a Squib?"
"I don't know, Grandfather," Stevenson's voice trembled. "I just saw the girl spit out a glob of green phlegm, and then Uncle Norson died!"
"And Daniel and your hand were lost to curses in the Gaunt hovel?"
"Yes, Grandfather."
Bode Gray, the man at the head of the table, stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
The gazes of all the Grays followed his movement.
Outside, a bright bolt of lightning tore across the sky, followed by a deafening crash of thunder.
Bode's voice remained clear even amid the thunder. "Hydrus is very likely the daughter of That Man."
Everyone knew exactly who "That Man" was. A chill rose from the soles of their feet, and they all shivered in unison.
"There is no turning back now, everyone," Bode said, turning around, the storm and lightning outside now his backdrop. "We must find that girl and kill her!"
BOOM! Another clap of thunder. Bode, illuminated by the bright flash, appeared even more imposing.
"Notify the Ministry of Magic. Tell them Hydrus Lestrange is a Dark wizard who fled after killing two of our family members."
Selenis Gray asked worriedly, "Uncle, the Ministry won't believe that, will they? After all, that girl Hydrus didn't receive a Hogwarts admission letter this year. In the Ministry's eyes, she's just a Squib."
"It doesn't matter," Bode said. "Barty Crouch despises Dark wizards. We just need to tell him that Hydrus might be the Dark Lord's daughter, and he will issue a wanted poster!"
A sinister smile appeared on the old man's lips. "Minister Millicent Bagnold is getting old, and her control over the Ministry isn't what it used to be. As long as we pave the way with Galleons, there will be plenty of people to help us deal with that little girl."
He looked at the bag of treasure on the table and his smile widened. "Stevenson, you were at least clever enough to bring this bag back."
Bode said with a grin, "That girl is smart, too. She knew Galleons were harder to tamper with."
He tapped his wand lightly in the air. Silvery mist emerged from the tip, forming a moving image. The scene was of Hydrus, bent over in the grass, searching for the Galleons. It suddenly started to rain, and she hurried back into the old house.
"But she never would have guessed that all the Galleons in that bundle were the ones enchanted with the tracking spell! Hahahaha!"
BOOM!
Rumble...
The thunderstorm tonight was truly violent.
...
...
London's Qingjin Department Store.
It was an old, red-brick department store. Black, aged water stains on the red walls seemed to tell of hundreds of years of history.
Crack! Hydrus appeared at the department store's entrance.
The rain was pouring, and there were almost no pedestrians on the street.
Ignoring the "Closed for Renovation" sign on the main door, Hydrus walked straight to a display window.
In the window, an ugly doll stared at Hydrus with its old button eyes.
"Alright," Hydrus knew the rules. She had to state her case to the doll before she could enter St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
"My house-elf has suffered magical injuries and needs treatment."
The doll nodded, stiff and eerie. It raised its hand in a gesture, and Hydrus knew she had been granted permission.
She walked straight towards the glass window. With a ripple in space, she arrived in the waiting and reception area of St. Mungo's.
A portly, blonde witch greeted her warmly, "Oh, whose little darling is this? Aren't you pretty."
She bustled over to Hydrus and got a clear look at Momo in her arms. "It's a house-elf! Such severe injuries! You should go to the second floor, Magical Damage. Come along, child, follow me!"
Following the plump witch, she arrived at the Magical Damage ward. The hallway was lined with closed doors, and the occasional wail of a patient echoed in the empty corridor.
"Don't be afraid, child," the plump witch said. "Here at St. Mungo's, we have a complete set of safe and harmless treatment methods for common injuries. Usually, the treatment is almost painless.
The ones screaming the loudest are all idiots! The ways they get injured are beyond our imagination, if you know what I mean\~."
Arriving at the doctor's office, after a simple consultation and examination, the doctor treated Momo with great skill. With a combination of potions and magic, her injuries improved visibly.
"Alright," the doctor clapped his hands. "Treatment complete. Now you just need to wait for her to wake up on her own."
"That will be seven Gold Galleons!"
'So expensive!'
Hydrus felt as if her heart was bleeding. Now she only had sixty-seven gold coins left!
After paying, Hydrus carried Momo and walked towards the hospital exit.
It was already late. She should probably stay the night at the Leaky Cauldron. She was hungry, had just been caught in the rain, and was in desperate need of warm food and a comfortable bath.
"Little girl!" She had almost reached the staircase when the doctor suddenly called out from behind her.
Hydrus turned around suspiciously, only to hear the doctor say, "I think your house-elf might need a bit more observation. Why don't you stay here for the night?"
Hydrus shook her head. "No, thank you. Your medical skills are superb, Doctor. I trust you!"
'Seven Gold Galleons! That's the price of a young wizard's first wand!'
'It's not some complicated and rare disease. If you can't even cure this, St. Mungo's might as well close down!'
"No, no, no, just to be safe, I strongly recommend you stay for observation. We have several empty rooms. I'll make the call and let you use one for free tonight!"
'Free!'
Hydrus, who had been determined to leave immediately, was defeated by that single word.
She hesitated, then asked cautiously, "Is there anything to eat?"
The doctor laughed. "Seeing as you're so adorable, I'll treat you to our hospital's patient meal!"
"Alright," Hydrus nodded, grateful to have saved a little money. "Then I'll stay here for one night!"
After showing Hydrus and Momo into a hospital room, the doctor instructed the hospital's house-elves to make some food for Hydrus.
He then looked back at the closed door of the hospital room with a complicated expression.
'Such a cute little girl. No matter how I look at her, she doesn't seem like a ruthless dark wizard!'
'Sigh, so young, and already on the wanted list?'
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]