HP Midnight Light

- March 1979, 3 - Shafik House

Catherine escaped from the Dark Lord's unnamed castle under Bellatrix's eyelids in the chaos. She hibernated at home in fear and waited for the impending doom, but the punishment never came.Her uncle told her that several St. Mungo's healers had been called to Malfoy Manor in an emergency, and then news came that Mrs. Malfoy had suffered a miscarriage and that Cygnus was released by the Dark Lord that night.

Her uncles and aunts all warned her to stay at home not to go out for activities, and not to contact other people easily.But just a few days later, Catherine couldn't help but wrote to Burst Manor. She didn't have much hope, but Signus quickly replied that he would come to see her in the old time.

Catherine sat in front of the dressing table and dressed carefully. In order to meet her long-lost lover, she specially chose the dusty pink robe and pearl earrings that best suit her.After spending an afternoon dressing up, Catherine got up and went to the mirror to check her outfit. Her abdomen was obviously protruding, which made it difficult for her to move sometimes, but the therapist she found privately told her that it was a boy.This good news instantly erased all the hard work of the pregnancy, and Catherine was sure that the child would be the heir of Bulstrode and the eldest son of Signus...

Doorbell rang.She hastily adjusted her makeup, then swayed downstairs to open the door.

"Honey--"

Her coquettish voice got stuck in her throat.

"It's not the Shafiq family's way of hospitality, is it?"

Margaret stared coldly at Catherine's face condescendingly, and the latter's eyes dodged for a while, revealing undisguised panic.Marguerite smiled contemptuously, and passed her into the drawing room.

"Don't try to do anything to me." No matter how stupid Catherine was, she knew that the visitor was not kind. She gritted her teeth and looked at the clock on the wall. "Signus will be here soon..."

"Do you think that Signus can still reply to your letter?" Margaret sat down on the sofa by herself, raised her legs and raised her eyebrows to look at her, "Your news is a little behind. Burst Manor is in chaos right now. Gnass has no skills, do you think he can still take care of you?"

Catherine's heart was pounding, and she hated herself for not expecting the mystery in the reply: "My uncle and aunt will be back soon, you'd better not mess around—"

Margaret smiled suddenly: "What are you afraid of?"

"Signus doesn't love you." Catherine whispered, as if to encourage herself, "Your marriage is based on the exchange of interests."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that I will allow his betrayal." Margaret looked at the ordinary and inconspicuous witch in front of her since she was a student, "What's more, we have more than that. .”

"What do you mean?"

"One life for one life, it's fair." Margaret said calmly, she looked at Catherine quietly, but the latter suddenly read the dangerous prologue from the peaceful eyes.

"You—!" She belatedly realized what Margaret meant, and Catherine reached for the wand without hesitation, but before she could touch it, Margaret She has already disarmed her weapon first.

"It's too slow." Margaret held Catherine's wand tightly and stood up slowly. She put her fingers on both ends of the wand and exerted a little force. The fragile wooden remains were thrown at Catherine's feet.

"How dare you!" Catherine took a step back and screamed, covering her stomach with her hands, "My name is Shafik—"

"You can try to get revenge on me and see if you can succeed." Margaret raised her wand, her eyes were emotionless, "Crucio!"

Before the pain came, Catherine felt the slump of her abdomen, and the gray-pink robe was quickly stained with blood. She let out a weak gasp, and then screamed like all those who were tortured by the Cruciatus Curse.

"This is the only punishment I gave you." Margaret looked at Catherine on the ground, and there was no vengeful smile on her face: "There is a settlement between you and me, and Merlin will witness everything after that." She withdrew her wand, left the crying Catherine, and walked straight out of Shafik Manor.

Signus sat alone in the dimly lit living room in the dimly lit Burstead Manor.Those fragments of the past played back quickly in his mind-the medicine box in the study, Rabastan and Evan who collapsed on the ground, the resolute Francis, the dark and damp cell...he passed there without knowing the day and night A few days, and then...the cold and frozen body of the father, the story told by Amycus, the mother who was in pain, the sister who was grieving, the wife who was alienated and indifferent...

Signus tries to put things into context, even when the truth seems unmistakable.Signus almost thought he was crazy when Amycus told him the crimes his father had confessed to!He did reveal most of his plans to his father, and asked him to remind his mother to pay attention to his words and deeds indirectly, but...he didn't believe that his father, who had always been stable and reliable, would do such a willful and dead-end thing!

He believed that his father's death was unknown, but he couldn't find the truth.

He then recalled his father's funeral.The cause of Mr. Birst's death was a well-known secret. There were very few guests at the funeral, and the Bursted Manor was empty overnight.Signus knew that the others had concluded that the Bulstrode family was doomed, but he couldn't admit defeat—

The door was slowly pushed open, interrupting Signus's chaotic thoughts.It was Margaret who entered, and with a wave of her wand she lit the lamp in the living room, then took off her hood.When he saw her, Signus felt a sense of gain and loss between longing and resistance. He understood that Francis' reputation was the last pillar supporting the Bulstrode family at present, but he was not willing to let Margaret saw him in a mess now.

"Is Mrs. Malfoy feeling better today?" he asked casually.Margaret will go to Malfoy Manor to accompany Narcissa from time to time, and stay at home to deal with some affairs that she would not interfere with before.

Overnight, there was a change of power in the Birst family, and Mrs. Birst retreated to the background, replaced by Margaret.

Marguerite said nothing; she took off her traveling cloak and threw it on the armchair.Then he looked at Signus with a meaningful gaze, as if they were meeting each other for the first time.

Signus' heart missed a beat, and he couldn't help standing up from the sofa: "Maggie?"

She approached slowly, but remained expressionless.Signus looked at her in bewilderment, and he suddenly sensed a hint of a storm coming.

"If I were you," Margaret suddenly smiled, hypocritical and dangerous, "I would go to Shafik Manor to visit Catherine right now."

Signus' head seemed to be hit hard, and his mind was spinning: "Maggie—"

She rested her fingers lightly on the back of the armchair, her nails dug deep into the expensive leather: "Thank you, Signus. I didn't unpack the Christmas present you gave me last year..."

There was a loud buzzing in Signus' ears, and he could no longer hear Margaret's next words.His eyes went black.Signus staggered forward a few steps: "Maggie..."

At the same time, the door that had just been closed was suddenly slammed open.Signus grabbed the back of the sofa to stabilize his body, and he saw in despair that Francis Watson was standing in the doorway, with deep disgust, hatred and disgust on his face.In that instant, Signus suddenly saw the truth of the matter.

Mrs. Burst and Olivia were alarmed by the loud noise downstairs. When they hurried down the stairs, they saw such a spectacle of three confronting each other.

"Father." Margaret looked a little surprised, "How could you..."

"I know exactly what you did." Francis looked at Signus with palpitating hatred in his eyes, and he strode forward to Margaret and grabbed her daughter's hand, "Come back with me Home, Maggie, get out of this place. It's better to wander the world than to stay in this wolf's den!"

"You know about Shafik?" Margaret asked quickly.

"Not only that. Shafiq is just a stone for this beast to sharpen its claws." Francis looked at the two women who were walking down the stairs, "Mrs. Burst, do you know what your beloved son is going to do to my daughter?" ?”

Mrs. Bistro's face turned slightly pale, and she subconsciously stood in front of Olivia.

"Mother……"

"Shut up, Ollie." Signus interrupted his sister in a low voice.

Francis sneered: "It seems that you are very clear."

"Please calm down, Francis." Mrs. Bistro said with trembling but forced calm, "We can get rid of that woman, it was just a mistake made by Signus in a moment of obsession..."

"Shut up! Don't pretend, I don't have the heart to talk nonsense with you. Very good, you all know it all, and only keep my daughter in the dark." Francis scolded without grace, glaring at Signus, "Do you want to speak for yourself, or let me summarize your good plan?"

Signus forced himself to calm down. He was surprised that he could still keep smiling at this moment: "I think you must have misunderstood. I heard some people with a heart preaching on the cusp of this..."

"Then it's up to me." Francis said softly, looking at Margaret, "Maggie, this beast in front of you has proposed a plan to the Dark Lord called 'The Source of Life'. He It is suggested that the Dark Lord let the Death Eaters and the pure-blood families have children. These children will be deliberately trained and cultivated from an early age, and when they grow up, they will become a new generation of loyal Death Eaters... Wonderful. Dead Apostles and pure blood are passed on from generation to generation, and on the other hand, they can take this opportunity to satisfy their own selfishness..."

Signus closed his eyes.

"...He went to 'lead by example' and went to Catherine Shafik to personally test the feasibility of this plan. But this is not the worst thing, he also said to the Dark Lord that the pure blood should be further expanded, he-" Francis's The Adam's apple rolled, "So he decided to dedicate you to the Dark Lord as a common use of the Death Eaters..." He couldn't go on anymore, Margaret's body trembled slightly under the robe, and Francis slowly let go Daughter's hand.

"This is not true." Olivia suddenly shouted, "Signus, this is not you!"

"Avada Kedavra!" Francis turned around and swung his wand vigorously. Signus instinctively bent over to avoid it. oil painting split in half.

"Dad!" Margaret stopped Francis, she looked straight at her father and shook her head, "He's not worth it."

"Maggie..."

"How dare you talk to my daughter!" Francis roared, pointing at Olivia who was protected by Mrs. Bulstrode, "Will you give your sister to them? Will you! I Forget..." He sneered, "You've sold your sister for a good price. Well, I'll see how many days you can fool Black! Signus Burst, even the last one in hell The upper echelons will not accept your filthy soul!"

"Signus?" Olivia turned to Signus with a pale face, but Mrs. Burst covered her mouth to prevent her from continuing.

"I want to go home, Dad," said Margaret softly.

Signus knew she would neither give him a chance to defend, nor cast him a glance.

"The only reason I let you live is because I have to take care of my poor daughter." Francis pulled off his cloak and put it on Margaret's shoulders, and he laughed back angrily, "You will be punished! Merlin It will cost you equal or even double the price! Mark my words, Signus—go to hell with your master!" He took Margaret's right hand and took the wedding ring from it, Francis raised his hand, and at the same time as the door closed heavily, the ring was thrown in a perfect arc.

Emeralds shone brightly in the light.

bang.

It fell to the ground, and Gululu rolled at the feet of old Mrs. Bulstrode.

The last glorious marriage of this era ended.

- March 1979, 3 - Bath

"Philip and I met in his uncle's bakery. It was during Easter in 1966. He was studying in London at that time, and he went to help with some work during the holiday." Mrs. Figg dug out her and Mr. Figg's Show the photo album to Hyacinth, "He's being scolded by his uncle because he can't make croissants well. I saw the ugliest one on the baking tray at a glance, and Philip was so red-faced that he didn't dare to answer back." , I don't think he looks like a baker—”

"—and you bought the loaf?"

Just like in all movies.

"Yes." Mrs. Figg smiled shyly, pointing to another photo, "After we officially fell in love, I went there to work as a shop assistant for a few days. Our wedding cake was designed by Philip's uncle himself. The most popular style."

"Richard!" Hyacinth exclaimed in amazement, and she pointed to the plaque of the bakery in the photo, "Could you be talking about the one in Greenwich that has been open for many years and is still there?" bakery?"

"Oh...Jesus, I remember you living in Greenwich too, didn't you?"

"We lived there until my mother died—"

"I see." Mrs. Figge drew a virtual shape in the air, "Richard's uncle said that his trademark was drawn with the help of a lady nearby. It couldn't be your mother by such a coincidence?" Mrs. Figg said Laughing, "God, I should have made Philip write and tell old Richard! Richard mentioned your mum the year his bakery was remodeled, so I got it right...he remembers you too, Said that the lady had a very cute little daughter, but I don't know where you went after that."

"Richard was no longer working in the bakery when I got a chance to find him," Hyacins said. "The last time I saw Richard was before I went to school."

"Yes, his business is very popular. Now old Richard is busy planting flowers, raising cats, and occasionally showing his leadership at family gatherings." Mrs. Figg picked up another photo album and turned to the last page. , "Look, this is the cake he made for Richard's little granddaughter's birthday last year."

"Is Richard still living in London?" asked Hyacins hopefully.

Mrs. Figg shook her head: "He moved to Windermere to enjoy his old age, and only occasionally returned to London for a short stay."

Hyacinth was inevitably a little disappointed.But at this moment, someone knocked on the door.

"It's Spencer! I forgot to tell you that he is coming to my house for dinner today." Mrs. Figg answered and opened the door, but Mr. Barnold was not the only one who entered, followed by Sirius.

"Aunt Arabella." Mr. Barnold and Mrs. Figg explained to Hyacinth after saying hello, "I happened to meet Mr. Black at the intersection."

"I thought you were still in the record store."

"I did buy a few." Sirius held a cardboard box in his hand, "The owner of the record store also showed me something called a 'CD', which is light and compact and has better sound quality, but I haven't invested in it yet. Production."

"I used to listen to tapes all the time," replied Hyacins. "There's an antique gramophone in the orphanage, but it's never allowed to be used."

"But tapes are easy to screw into a tape recorder, aren't they?" Sirius cast a shrinking spell and stuffed the record into his pocket, completely forgetting that he didn't have a stereo.

However, Hyacinth cast her eyes on Mr. Barnold: "Can you take a step to speak, Mr. Barnold?"

"Of course." Mr. Barnold agreed, and he handed the gift to Mrs. Figg, and then walked into the living room.Sirius came over and sat beside Hyacinth. She fiddled with her fingers anxiously, and Sirius asked instead:

"Do you know any information about the trial five days later?" He put his arm on Hyacinth's shoulder comfortingly. "Actually... that Miss Ann Smith is a friend of ours."

Mr. Barnold sighed: "Actually, if there are no accidents, a letter from the Ministry of Magic to Miss White will arrive at the house this evening."

Hyacinth straightened her back.

Mr Barnold said: "Skeeter's report was so sensational that the Ministry of Magic had to redouble its attention. They have been busy in recent days looking for all kinds of witnesses, whether Muggles or wizards. A few days ago the Assistant Director came Come to me and ask me if I know the latest address of Miss White—for I have helped Miss White with her succession—they want Miss White to be a witness at the trial."

"Mr. Barnold, why do they call this a 'trial'?" asked Hyacinth.

"Don't worry, Miss White, this name refers to the Smith and Greengrass families." Mr. Barnold hesitated and continued, "These are insignificant details so we can disclose... The Ministry of Magic is preparing to formally legislate against this This act of abandoning squibs, once this bill is passed, all related families will be severely punished."

"It's not that easy to pass this bill, is it?" Sirius sneered disdainfully, "They will definitely try to prevent it from being enacted."

"That's right." Mr. Barnold nodded. "In short, the Ministry of Magic found your address, and the letter should arrive tonight."

"But what do I need to do?"

"I don't know either." Mr. Barnold said, "Actually, I resigned this afternoon." He paused for a moment, smiling proudly, "A French institute invited me to do the History of Magic in Europe Research."

"Congratulations!" Hyacinth congratulated, "So how long are you going?"

"I'm afraid it will be several years, so that's why I came to visit Aunt Arabella today." Mrs. Figg just came out of the kitchen at this time, and she said proudly:

"I'm afraid you don't know that Spencer has sixteen NEWT certificates!"

"Sixteen." Sirius repeated.

"The four extra are alchemy, ghoul research, Muggle art, and wood chip divination." Mr. Barnold said modestly, "It's nothing, I heard that the highest record in Hogwarts history is two Ten."

"How many do you have?" Hyacons asked Sirius.

"I believe we don't need to talk about studying after graduation." Sirius emphasized emphatically, "Besides, I'm not Ravenclaw."

"Do you really think it's impossible to pass that bill?" Hyacinth and Sirius returned to London in the afternoon, but they insisted on wandering in the city center until it was late and then set off home.

"That's right." Sirius grabbed her hand and stuffed it into his pocket, and changed into a mocking tone by the way, "Because the 'pure blood family member' mentioned by Skeeter is my good mother."

Hyacinth choked on the cold wind: "Cough... I thought your mother wouldn't talk to these reporters."

"Perhaps, but as Mrs. Black she still has to maintain a good relationship with the Ministry of Magic and the newspaper." Sirius muttered. "It's a good thing I escaped."

"It's strange that Mrs. Druella, who is also Mrs. Blake, obeys your mother."

"That's because she is too strong. I think only Bella can compete with her a little bit, but you may not believe it. When I was young, she would tell Regulus and me bedside stories—" Sirius Vigilantly stopped, Hyacinth looked up and found a faint figure downstairs where they lived.

"Who are you?" she called from a distance. "Go to the light."

The man walked towards them step by step, Sirius moved his hand slightly, and Hyacinth knew that he was ready for the battle, and she also clenched her wand tightly.

"It's you!" When the person was completely enveloped by the lights, Hyacinth yelled in fear, and Sirius immediately embraced her and drew out his wand to point at the person's face:

"stop."

"I have no malice." The man raised his hand to show his innocence, and then said to Hyacinth, "I have been waiting for you for a long time."

"I have no special friendship with you!" Hyacinth also raised her wand, "I don't care how you found this place, leave now!"

Under the light, Edmund Parkinson smiled slightly. He still held his left hand high, but his right hand reached into his pocket and took out a roll of sealed letters: "I'm just here to deliver." He turned the letter so they could see the seal The coat of arms of the Ministry of Magic.

"Why is the letter in your hand?" Sirius didn't put down his wand, "The Ministry of Magic always uses the uniform grey-headed eagle to deliver letters."

"The situation is special, Mr. Black." Edmund smiled, "After all, I came to invite Hyacinth—"

"It's Miss White."

"You can also call her 'Mrs. Black'." Sirius said provocatively, and Edmund blinked:

"Oh... I don't seem to have seen it in the newspapers recently..."

"The wedding hasn't been officially held yet. But don't worry, we will send you an invitation when the time comes." Sirius played with Hyacinth's hair lazily, "Maybe you can become the godfather of our third child —Sorry, the line is a bit long, but maybe you won't have to wait long."

Edmund's face became obviously colder, and he held the corner of his mouth lightly: "Very well, congratulations—I'm here to invite Miss White to attend the trial in five days' time as a witness."

"Why you?" Hyacinth asked back.

"Because I just took office today as a member of the Misuse of Magic Office, and I happen to be responsible for notifying all witnesses."

"Oh, I didn't know you loved your work so much." Hyacinth sneered, "You even sent letters to your door even if you stayed downstairs."

"I've always been serious and responsible." Edmund raised the letter in his hand, "Then can I ask you to come forward and get it?"

"The letter is flying in!" Sirius grabbed the letter with his free left hand, "I accepted it, please make a special trip. Would you like to go upstairs and have a cup of tea?"

"You're welcome, Mr. Black." Edmund put away his smile and said coldly, "Then see you in five days...Miss White."

The author has something to say:

Note:

1. As mentioned in the previous chapter, Bella believes that Cornelia is responsible for Narcissa's miscarriage, but Margaret believes that it is Catherine's fault.

2. [Curse of Boster]: The thing repeatedly mentioned in "Night of Dawn", the benevolent sees the benevolent and the wise sees the wisdom.Either Merlin's punishment, or Francis or Margaret's magic.

3. Signus' feelings for Margaret: The same is true for the beholder.

4. [The Last Glorious Marriage of This Era]: Judging from the 19 years after the original work, both the prejudice between colleges and the importance of pure blood are slowly fading.According to the original inference, the combination of Narcissa and Lucius should represent the last glory of the pure-blood family marriage, but here it is changed to Margaret and Signus.

5. 【Windermere】: This refers specifically to the town of Windermere.It is a town of the same name and a holiday resort in the Lake Windermere district of Cumbria.This lake district was the filming location for the movie "Prisoner of Azkaban".

6. The CD player was put into commercial use by Sony Corporation of Japan in 1982, but Sirius had already gone to prison at this time, and it is estimated that he had never seen this thing in the rest of his life.

7. [Alchemy, Ghoul Research, Muggle Art, Wood Chip Divination]: All from HPwiki.Hogwarts has a total of 20 advanced courses.

8. [Research on the History of Magic in Europe]: This is an easter egg, corresponding to the introduction to Barnold in the opening chapter.

9. The Spencer Barnold story didn't end there.

10. [Attention! ]: At this moment, Sirius didn't know what Edmund had done to Hyacinth before.

11. [Office of Prohibition of Misuse of Magic]: The reason why Edmund is arranged here is that this trial is mainly aimed at the issue of pure blood families using magic to erase the traces of squibs.

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