There was no one in the corridor.
Not a single person.
This was very abnormal.
Logically, the Gray family and the Aurors should be here, guarding it heavily, with traps set and waiting for her.
Because she would definitely come back to get Momo, especially after she had shown off her powerful Apparition.
Hydrus walked cautiously towards Momo's hospital room, but she maintained a very proper and calm posture.
'Who knew if some cunning Auror had cast a Disillusionment Charm and was hiding in a corner, waiting to ambush her?'
She walked naturally, opened the door naturally, and walked into the room naturally.
The hospital bed was empty. Momo had been taken.
Hydrus sighed. 'Take her if you must, but at least leave me a clue. Otherwise, how am I supposed to be "lured into a trap"?'
'I don't even know where the trap is!'
'It seems I'll be separated from Momo for a short while.'
She was quite fond of that little house-elf.
She pulled the door open, and a wand was pressed against her forehead.
It was a well-maintained wand, with a glass-like finish, so polished it was reflective.
"Who are you, and why did you enter this room!"
'Sure enough, Aurors are all cunning, every one of them is devious. Just as I guessed, hiding under a Disillusionment Charm and waiting for me to walk into their net!'
'If I hadn't borrowed Tonks's face, a Stupefy might have already hit me!'
This was a dark-skinned Auror, wearing an African-style kufi cap on his head.
Kingsley Shacklebolt, an old acquaintance who often "visited her home" with Barty Crouch.
A member of the Order of the Phoenix, an elite Auror, and a future Minister for Magic.
"I'm Nymphadora Tonks. My dad is Ted Tonks. He's a patient here. I... I just went into the wrong room."
Kingsley was skeptical. "Take me to your father's room. I assume you won't get lost again?"
"That's hard to say," Hydrus shrugged. "All the rooms on this floor look the same, and there are no room numbers, just pictures of magical creatures as signs. It's too difficult."
She pointed at the plaque on the door behind her and complained, "There are so many magical creatures with four legs. Who can tell them apart so clearly?"
Kingsley looked at the plaque she was pointing at—on a brass base was a silhouette of a four-legged animal, with a long tail and a round head. It was indeed hard to identify.
Just then, the door of the room diagonally opposite opened, and the pink-haired girl revealed half her face.
"Um, I thought I heard someone call my name?"
...
Kingsley's heavy-lidded eyes widened to the size of bronze bells. He looked left, then right. 'How could there be two identical little girls?'
He knew of Ted Tonks. He had married the youngest daughter of the Black family. Because Ted was a Muggle-born wizard, that youngest daughter had been disowned from the "always pure" Black family tree.
And as far as he knew...
'They only have one daughter!'
'Not twins, so...'
'Polyjuice Potion?'
...
Tonks was also a bit stunned.
'That person opposite me... is me?'
'Then who am I?'
She quickly sorted through her jumbled thoughts.
Although she was only thirteen, she was a future Auror, after all. She instantly identified the problem.
The girl in front of her, who looked identical to her, was wearing the exact same clothes Hydrus had been wearing earlier!
'So Hydrus really is wanted by the Aurors!'
'And my little cousin is a Metamorphmagus, just like me?'
...
This scene also caught Hydrus completely off guard.
She had just told a lie, and it was immediately exposed by the facts.
At this moment, only four words were in her mind:
'This is so awkward!'
"Look! Mr. Auror!"
She braced herself and said, "Isn't this my father's room right here?"
After speaking, Hydrus walked past the still-dazed Kingsley and quickly headed towards Ted Tonks's room.
In Kingsley's eyes, the girl with her back to him had hair that rapidly changed from pink to black.
And in Tonks's eyes, "Tonks" walked towards her, her face rapidly changing into Hydrus's.
"Don't move!"
Kingsley shouted. This girl was very likely that Hydrus Lestrange!
Tonks, on the other hand, had an "I knew it" expression.
Hydrus stopped and raised her hands. "Alright, alright, Mr. Auror. You've caught me."
Tonks wanted to do something, but she was completely stunned. Her cousin was only eleven. What had she done?
But the next moment, she saw Hydrus give her a playful wink.
'Five-second cooldown complete! House-elf magical constitution... switch!'
Crack!
Hydrus vanished from before their very eyes.
...
...
A few minutes later.
Audrey was frying scrambled eggs with tomatoes in a pan.
It looked like Rick rarely cooked at home; the kitchen utensils were almost all new.
The vegetables in the fridge looked like they had been bought ten days ago. They were wilted and not at all fresh.
Ding!
The toast was ready. Audrey poured the scrambled eggs and tomatoes directly onto the toast.
Carrying this creative late-night snack upstairs, she knocked on Rick's door.
"Brother, it's almost ten o'clock. I made you something to eat."
Rick opened the door with a surprised look. Smelling the fragrant dish, he took the plate.
"This... you made this?"
Audrey nodded. "There wasn't much food in the house, so this is all I could make."
"Wow, wow, oh..." Rick took a bite without waiting. The country youth, accustomed to English cuisine, was instantly captivated by this dish. "What I mean is... wow!"
"This is wonderful!"
Audrey graciously accepted Rick's praise. She gave a sweet smile. "I'm glad you like it! Just don't stay up too late, it's bad for your health!"
"Ah, ah, okay."
Rick was flustered, his words incoherent, as he foolishly watched Audrey go back to her room.
'Wow, I really did pick up an angel!'
But sleeping early was impossible. Mr. Peter Waterman was coming tomorrow morning to check on his creative progress.
He had to at least get the fourth draft of this song finished tonight!
But before that, he had to finish the dish in front of him.
'It's so good!'
...
...
Hydrus locked her door and sat down on the bed with a plop.
'OK!'
'Rick won't be bothering me tonight.'
'It was nothing, Hydrus just added a little bit of the Draught of Living Death to the scrambled eggs and tomatoes.'
'The Draught of Living Death, a powerful sleeping potion.'
...
Hydrus prepared to return to Lestrange Manor.
The night was dark and windy, and all was quiet.
She was going to be a "gentleman on the beams" in her own home!
That phrase always sounded a bit strange.
She smiled. The Gray family would never expect her to launch a counter-attack.
Crack!
Hydrus appeared in Lestrange Manor, inside her own room.
However, looking at the plain room, she began to suspect she hadn't Apparated successfully. 'Am I still at Rick's house?'
The room was familiar.
But where was her bed?
Where was her vanity?
Where was her wardrobe?
Hydrus rushed out of the bedroom, standing dumbfounded at the door. She was not okay.
Never mind the precious paintings and rare collectibles, even the woolen carpet lining the hallway had been taken away, leaving only the bare, unwaxed wooden floor.
In truth, this floor was made of agarwood, very valuable.
But she couldn't possibly pry up her own floorboards and sell them!!
'The Gray family indeed didn't expect her to counter-attack, because there was no need to worry about it. The entire manor had already been emptied...'
'Gray!!'
'GRAY!!!'
'GRAY!!!!'
Hydrus panted, her small fists clenched tightly.
'Gray family, since you're going to be this ruthless, don't blame me for not being polite!'
'Even if you wanted to capture me, to kill me, I could have dismissed it!'
'If you had left me even a little bit of property to live lavishly, I could have tolerated you living until Voldemort's return.'
'But now! You dare to empty out all my lovely little money?'
'Fine, fine. In that case, we're going to have some fun!'
'The day after tomorrow is the day the Lestrange family's earnings from its various properties over the last month are transported to Gringotts.'
'Now, those Galleons will obviously no longer be going into the Lestrange vault, but will instead fall into the hands of the Gray family.'
'Hydrus wants to snatch this batch of Galleons, as the first step in her revenge against the Grays.'
'Obviously, Gringotts has the tightest security.'
'At least for the current Hydrus, she has no confidence in breaking through the goblin guards to steal the Galleons from the Gray vault.'
'In that case, there's only one way to get this batch of Galleons.'
'And that is... highway robbery.'
'At that time, four Thestral-drawn carriages will be heading to London from all over the country.'
'As the young lady of the Lestrange family, she knows the flight paths and departure times of those four carriages like the back of her hand.'
'The only problem is, she can't fly.'
'At least, not right now.'
'But who gave her the ability to copy the constitutions of magical creatures?'
'As Draco Malfoy's older cousin, she has visited the Malfoy family's dragon reserve quite a few times!'
'Hehe, have you ever been sitting in a flying carriage, counting your gold, and singing a song, only to suddenly be blasted by dragon's breath?'
'That must feel great!'
'Gray family, just you wait!'
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]