"Then it's settled, Miss Hamilton." Before leaving, Dumbledore nodded slightly, confirming their arrangement once more. "Once you receive your new wand, I will notify the Ministry of Magic."
"Mm... mm!" Lyla pursed her lips and clenched her hands, her eyes gleaming with eagerness.
Seeing her so highly motivated, Dumbledore smiled gently, pushed open the parlor door, and left.
"Um... Miss Hamilton." Lupin looked at Lyla's excited expression. He subconsciously wanted to warn her that working for the Ministry of Magic might not be as thrilling as she thought.
But as the words reached his lips, he worried if speaking up would disrupt Dumbledore's careful arrangements. So, he awkwardly opened and closed his mouth, finally only managing to say, "Your wand probably won't be ready for a while."
"For the next few days, you should just rest well."
With that, he pushed open the door, preparing to leave the room.
"Please... please wait a moment... Mr. Lupin." The timid girl called out to him from behind.
"Is there something else?" Lupin paused and turned slightly.
"Um... do you know of any books about Magic Array Studies...?" Lyla whispered. "And things like parchment and quills..."
"I want to... I want to do some research over these next few days..."
Is that so? Lupin felt a slight headache coming on. He had never even heard of such books before today.
"If it's too much trouble, then forget it... I'm... I'm sorry for asking such a thing," Lyla's voice grew softer and softer, shrinking into herself.
Looking at her pathetic state, Lupin sighed softly. "I'll go to a bookstore and take a look."
"Then... then I thank you very much! You are truly too kind to me, Mr. Lupin!"
Click.
As the door closed, Lupin stood in the hallway, silent for a few seconds. He seemed to be indeed a bit too kind to Miss Hamilton. But why?
Was it because she was his friend?
Or was it... because she was like him?
At the thought of the girl who tried her best to hide her pointed ears and silvery hair beneath a hood, Lupin shook his head.
How could that be?
How could a filthy werewolf and a beautiful half-Veela ever be considered the same kind of person?
He walked away with heavy, weary steps.
Meanwhile, Lyla was completely unaware of Lupin's melancholy. She happily sprawled out on the bed, her pointed ears wiggling non-stop in her excitement.
She was finally going to see the ancient Magic Array mechanisms that pure-blood wizards had kept hidden for centuries! Would there be any arrays her father hadn't mentioned? What about the ones that were completely unique?
Lyla wished she could march over to the Ministry of Magic right now!
Wait... Lyla suddenly frowned, freezing in place.
Wasn't she supposed to be fighting for the great cause of Lord Grindelwald?
How did her mission suddenly turn into colluding with the Ministry of Magic to investigate Dark artifacts?! And she had even been personally recruited by Albus Dumbledore! What exactly had she agreed to?!
Lyla rolled around frantically on the bed until her head slammed into the wooden corner of the bedside table.
"Ugh!"
Clutching her throbbing forehead, Lyla clenched her fists. I am researching Magic Array Studies to advance Lord Grindelwald's great cause! she told herself.
What do you mean, helping Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic? I am using them!
That's right, I am simply using them!
Lyla took a deep breath, incredibly satisfied with having found a foolproof rationalization for her actions.
However, after a chaotic day of stampedes, duels, and interrogations, she was indeed exhausted. Why not rest for a bit...?
Closing her eyes, it wasn't long before she fell into a deep sleep.
"Lyla... come here."
In a sunlit courtyard, a kind middle-aged man sat in a wooden chair and waved to a timid little girl hiding under the eaves. "Daddy has your favorite 'sparkle' to show you."
"Spa... sparkle..." Lyla pursed her lips and looked up at the woman holding her hand.
Her mother was a breathtakingly beautiful young woman with a pair of pointed ears and golden, almost silver, hair.
"Go see," her mother said softly, gently letting go of her hand.
So, the little silver-haired Lyla trotted over to her father's side.
"Look... it's this." Her father gently stroked Lyla's head while handing her a small pendant.
As Lyla's tiny fingers touched the metal, the star-like pendant began to shimmer with a warm, magical light.
"So... so beautiful!" Lyla gasped, pursing her lips. She held the glowing pendant high in the air. "Just like the stars in the sky!"
"These are the stars in the sky," her father laughed. He looked at his happy daughter with deep affection. "Just like you... Magic Array Studies are as dazzling as the stars in the sky."
"Magic Array... Studies?" The little girl looked at her father, completely puzzled.
"Magic Array Studies is the profound knowledge of engraving magic onto physical objects using ancient runes and layered spells..."
The middle-aged man's lecture was cut short by the young woman, who walked over and playfully tapped his forehead.
"Phillip... you know Lyla is only six years old," she chided helplessly. "Even if you want to teach her Magic Array Studies, isn't it a bit too early?"
"Not early at all," Phillip replied with a bright smile. "It's never too early to learn the beauty of Magic Arrays."
"Yes!" The little girl, still clutching the glowing pendant, suddenly looked up with fierce determination. "I want to become a Magic Array expert just like Daddy!"
"I want to make Magic Array Studies... flourish!"
"Hahahahahahaha!" Phillip roared with laughter at her grand declaration, and the young woman beside him chuckled softly.
"Then Daddy will wait for little Lyla," Phillip said, scooping his daughter up into his arms. "When you become a grandmaster of Magic Array Studies, don't forget your dear old Daddy."
"And Mommy, too." The young woman leaned in and gently kissed the girl's forehead. "Mommy has provided many lunches for the future master of Magic Array Studies..."
"Okay, okay!" The little girl pursed her lips and nodded seriously. "Then Lyla will make Daddy and Mommy her very first students!"
"Hahahahaha." The two parents exchanged fond glances and laughed even harder.
Under the child's bewildered gaze, however, their smiles gradually faded. Phillip gently shook his head, his eyes turning somber.
"Daddy doesn't need Lyla to become a grandmaster of anything. Lyla just needs to be herself."
"After all..." He paused, sighing somewhat helplessly.
"Alright... Phillip, don't say such heavy things in front of the child," the young woman interrupted. She turned and smiled brightly at the girl instead.
"So, Professor Lyla... can you tell Mommy what you want to eat for lunch today?"
"Eat... eat apple pie!"
"Alright! Then we shall eat apple pie!"
Phillip smiled warmly as he watched the young woman lead Lyla away. He watched them until they completely disappeared from the courtyard.
"..."
"Sigh..."
After a long, heavy silence, he sighed softly and slowly reached for a letter resting on the patio table.
It was an ordinary, unremarkable envelope, filled with ornate handwriting and heavy demands.
But the contents weren't the main point. Phillip lowered his gaze, his eyes locking onto the sender's wax seal and signature.
Gellert Grindelwald.
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