harry potter book of crimes

Previously, when Maka was busy traveling back and forth between the United States and the United Kingdom, the Black Mansion was also busy. Voldemort's infiltration of the Ministry of Magic has never stopped.

The members of the Order of the Phoenix don't have much time to rest, because there are always tasks in front of them one after another, leaving them no room to relax.

Kingsley's physical condition was getting better. He was concerned about the situation at the Ministry of Magic, so he just returned to his post and continued to work for the Order of the Phoenix.

When Kingsley was away from the old house, Lupine became the candidate for prime ministerial affairs. All kinds of intelligence documents, as well as report documents before and after the mission were performed, were piled up in front of him.

Now Sirius is finally back, but judging from his injury, taking a good rest is his first priority. So, even though he wanted to help Lupine, Lupine still pressed him down decisively.

On the bed.

But to be honest, the old Blake mansion is much more lively now than when it was first rebuilt.

Among the children that Maka rescued from the dungeon, those who were simply kidnapped have been sent back to their homes as they wished; while other children who had nowhere to go for various reasons were left behind.

Black House continues to look for possible ways out.

In any case, these children have one thing in common, that is, they have all experienced their first magic rampage and are children with wizard talents. After this incident, once they reach the age, they will probably be accepted as students in the magic school.

And the little girl who was first rescued by Maka was one of the remaining children. Her name was——

"...Isla, it's time to eat."

Lena, the elder sister of the pair of werewolf sisters, is still as precious as words. Even when facing children, she is no different from usual.

However, after living in Blake's old house for so long, she has not changed completely.

For example, her cooking skills seem to be more advanced than Mrs. Weasley's. It's just because she always likes to try a variety of "new menus", which leads to a strange-looking dish appearing on the table from time to time.

Dishes.

But it can be seen that at least she is very accustomed to the leisurely life here. As long as her sister Leni is happy every day, she can also enjoy it in her own way.

"I understand." Isla, who was sitting on the stairs in a daze, nodded after hearing this.

This little girl had obviously been greatly frightened in the dungeon, and before being captured by the old wizard, she seemed to have encountered some painful past events. Such experiences caused her to be confused many times.

He's just in a daze alone and doesn't like to talk much.

Speaking of which, when Maka met her in the dungeon, she was extremely dirty. Her dark dried blood was mixed with mud and dust, her torn clothes and her long, tangled hair looked as if she had been

A broken doll found in the trash can.

But when she was brought here and cleaned thoroughly, Mrs. Weasley and others discovered that she was a very beautiful little girl.

I'm afraid only an old wizard like Lenny who only cares about research would torture such a cute little girl into that state without mercy, right?

After notifying Isla, Lena walked past her and went upstairs to call the other children.

Isla pursed her lips, but did not get up immediately and go to the kitchen. She was still sitting on the wooden steps of the stairs, seeming to be thinking about something.

When Lena came downstairs with five or six children, she stood up gently and walked slowly to the opposite corridor without saying a word.

When passing through this corridor, you should be as quiet as possible. These children who have experienced hell are very sensible and are obviously more mature than their peers. They are always careful here and try not to give the elders as much as possible.

Anyone in the house causes trouble.

Therefore, the children like the old Mrs. Black, who was always disturbed by the rough-and-tumble Tonks, had never offended her once.

As Maka guessed, these children were very nervous when they were sent here. They had a great degree of distrust towards everyone and everything in this world.

In order to try to control them, Old Lenny often used both soft and hard tactics. It's not like these children have never seen the so-called beauty. But when that kind of superficial beauty passes by, what awaits them is always boundless fear and helplessness.

However, distrust and disobedience are two concepts that can be distinguished.

There may be no trust in their hearts, and even they may not be convinced from the bottom of their hearts by the big brother who saved them from hell. But even so, they will never be disobedient.

There is one truth they keep firmly in mind, that is - anyone who disobeys is dead.

The dining table in the kitchen was replaced by a larger long table, which was taken from the living room above. Even though the rooms in Blake's old house are very spacious, even the kitchen is the same, but after placing this long table,

It has also become quite crowded.

The children sat quietly at the long table, making as little noise as possible.

If someone could observe carefully during this period, they would find that the positions they are sitting in are all fixed. They have not changed since the first time they sat down to eat here.

However, this time it was a little different.

It was Isla, but this time she did not sit down like other children, but stood aside with her lips pursed. On her face, the expression of hesitation to speak gradually deepened.

It was lunch time now, and there were only a few people staying at the Black Mansion to have dinner. In addition, Mrs. Weasley took Percy, who was still awake, back to the Burrow yesterday, so this lunch seemed even more deserted.

"...What's wrong?" Lu Ping, who was sitting on the other side of the long table, asked softly, "Is there anything you want to say? It doesn't matter. Just say what you want to say. It'll be okay..."

"Yes, yes! Just say what you want to say, this uncle is easy to talk to!" Leni was still so lively.

"...Maka, I want to see Maka..." Isla said softly, "Where is he?"

"Oh - he's very busy now and can't leave," Lupine explained, "but Christmas is coming soon, and he will be back here by then."

"'Christmas'?" Isla seemed a little confused, "What is that?"

Her situation seems to be a bit special. It is obvious that she has never known about this holiday at all.

"Well... it was a sacrificial day used to thank nature and life. It was a major festival of ancient Druidism. But now Muggles call it 'Christmas', and we have gradually gotten used to it...

…”

Lupine was naturally surprised that Isla didn't know about Christmas, but he also gained some understanding from Sirius about the unusual experiences of these children. So no matter how surprised he was, he did not delve into it in case he didn't know it.

Shen Zhi touched the pain in the child's heart.

However, the more he explained, the more he felt that it was better not to explain, because Isla was obviously more confused when she heard it.

"...Well, in short, it is a happy day." Lu Ping finally gave up on explaining the origin of Christmas, and instead chose a simple and easy-to-understand explanation, "There will be delicious food, fun things, and there will be

Gift……"

Having said this, he suddenly nodded and said with a smile: "Oh, by the way! Remember to be well prepared on that day. Each of you will have a gift!"

"...That is to say, will Maka come back on that day?" Isla was obviously not very interested in gifts or anything like that. All she cared about was whether she could see Maka.

Unlike other children, Isla seemed to care very much about her big brother who gave her freedom and hope.

"Yes, he will come that day!" Lupine responded affirmatively, "And I'm sure he will also give you gifts - Maka is a person who has never missed such a heart-warming little detail.

!”

"Okay." Isla nodded slightly, then pulled out her chair and sat down, "Thank you for your answer, Mr. Lupin."

"I told you, don't be so polite to us, kid." Lu Ping waved his hand and said, "Eat quickly! You don't have to be so restrained all the time. It will be easier if you let go."

But no matter what he said, these children were always cautious, as if all this had become their habit.

While trying to remain silent as much as possible, they quickly finished the food that had been placed on their plates, then thanked them and left the table silently.

From beginning to end, none of them glanced at the plates in the middle of the dining table.

Generally speaking, there is no food on everyone's plate, and they are free to choose the food they like. But when Mrs. Weasley discovered that these children only took a little bit of food and ran away after eating, she

You have to match them on their respective plates from the beginning.

Because she knew that it was useless to rely on persuasion alone. If they took it themselves, they would still only take a little.

It is foreseeable that it will take a lot of time for these children to get back to normal life, and it will not be possible to adapt in a short time.

"...thank you for the food."

Isla also finished eating. Like the other children, after saying her thanks, she slowly walked out of the kitchen under Lupine's helpless eyes.

"Lena, you are relatively close in age to these children. How do you think we should get along better with them?" After watching the children leave one by one, Lupine couldn't help but turn his head and asked, "They always look like this.

It’s definitely not good.”

Lena put down her fork and looked at Lupin with a serious expression.

"have no idea."