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Back at Père Lachaise Cemetery, Newt had been cornered by a furiously jealous Gellert Grindelwald, who spat out the question:
"Mr. Scamander, do you think Dumbledore will mourn for you?"
Merlin's beard, what an awful memory—it made Newt's head spin with a silent Finite Incantatem.
"I think you shouldn't be too confident, Miss Grindelwald," Newt ventured cautiously. "Perhaps… we could go with you? Just in case something unexpected happens…"
"Thank you for your kindness, Professor Scamander," Veratia replied softly. "But this is a Grindelwald family matter. I don't believe my brother would dare raise a wand against me…"
Newt opened his mouth but said nothing more.
Veratia had a point. This was their family business, and he, a Scamander, was an outsider who had no place meddling. Besides, as the saying goes, one doesn't air dirty laundry in public. If that old man Grindelwald had done something… No, wait, he definitely had…
Newt recalled the bond between Grindelwald and Dumbledore, closer than brothers, and a shiver ran down his spine.
Merlin, he didn't just feel sorry for Grindelwald—he almost wanted to mourn for Dumbledore. Yet, he had no intention of warning Professor Dumbledore. For one, he trusted the greatest wizard of the century. For another, Dumbledore was in the right, wasn't he?
"Is this really okay?" Harry whispered to Veratia. "Should we add a bit more magic…"
"Oh, I should warn you," Mr. Flamel interjected suddenly. "Recharging magic has its drawbacks. Since your connection isn't intimate enough, the effect may last longer, but the strength of the magic will be weaker…"
Veratia drew her wand and flicked it at the ceiling, casting a spell.
"Lumos!"
Harry glanced at the flickering light at the wand's tip, scratching his head.
"Expelliarmus!"
The spell hit the chandelier, and several candles snapped off, clattering to the floor.
"I wouldn't recommend further experiments, Veratia," Mr. Flamel sighed. "My alchemy lab can't withstand any more of your havoc…"
"It's about what I expected," Veratia said cheerfully. "It might not be perfect in a duel, but with my experience, it's enough to handle an ordinary dark wizard."
"Ordinary dark wizard?" Newt interjected quickly. "Miss Grindelwald, your brother is no ordinary dark wizard. He's caused chaos across Europe."
"I understand," Veratia said, turning to Harry. "Harry, will you come with me?"
"Of course," Harry replied. "Even if you can't take on Gellert, you've got me, haven't you?"
His impression of Gellert lingered on the eight-year-old boy from a century ago—a tiny sunflower parrot who'd had quite the grudge against him. Still, Harry wasn't underestimating him. A name on a Chocolate Frog Card was no small fry, especially one who'd been young Dumbledore's rival. His spellwork couldn't possibly be weak.
"I think you should recharge more magic, Veratia," Poppy said, looking up. "Even if Gellert recognizes you as his sister, his dark wizards might not…"
Newt lowered his head, sighing silently.
Merlin's beard, my dear aunt, you're too honest… Aren't you practically handing Potter over to Miss Grindelwald?
"You're right," Veratia said with a soft laugh, pulling Harry closer despite his protests and settling him on her lap.
"Are you shy?" she whispered in his ear, her breath warm.
Harry stiffened, but her teasing spurred him on, and he stopped resisting.
"Shy? It's just recharging your magic," he said, trying to relax but failing, sitting rigidly on her lap.
It was, without a doubt, the closest Harry had ever been to a girl. Even a century ago, he'd never… Well, that wasn't entirely true. Unbeknownst to him, after being knocked out by a spell, he'd briefly enjoyed Cassandra's lap as a pillow—though she'd promptly shoved him aside when he stirred, knocking him out again.
"Thinking about Cass?" Veratia asked suddenly.
"No," Harry answered honestly.
A brief silence fell between them.
"Don't worry, Harry," Veratia said softly. "She's not just your friend—she's my dear friend, too. I don't want her to stay lost in some eternal slumber either… Besides, you promised Mr. Malfoy you'd bring his daughter back safely."
"Yeah," Harry nodded. Cassandra could be… difficult, but he missed her.
Sometimes, when he thought about it, back at Hogwarts a century ago, aside from the Weasleys, Cassandra was the one who'd been unconditionally kind to him. He didn't know why, but it was true. Even if her sharp tongue had annoyed him at the time, in hindsight, he realized she'd been pretty great.
"Actually," Harry said quietly, "I miss her a lot. I wish I could see her right now…"
Veratia's senses sharpened.
What's this? I thought you found Malfoy insufferable. Why are you suddenly missing her? Have you changed that much?
But proud as she was, Veratia wouldn't stoop to scheming. Enduring a century of solitude spoke volumes about Cassandra's feelings for Harry—and Veratia, having faced her own century of loneliness, knew exactly what that meant.
Proud as she was, she couldn't bring herself to badmouth Cassandra or sabotage her bond with Harry. Victory or defeat could wait until they met face-to-face, she decided.
"We'll see her," Veratia said gently. "Once we get Cassandra's whereabouts from Gellert, I'll go with you to find her."
Nearby, Newt exchanged a glance with Tina.
This Miss Grindelwald… doesn't seem as bad as her brother?
From her demeanor, Newt sensed Veratia was sincere with friends and loyal to those she loved. How could someone like her be that Grindelwald's sister? Or, as Eastern wizards might say, had the Grindelwald family's "feng shui" gone awry, producing a rogue like Gellert?
Mrs. Flamel appeared, leaning against Mr. Flamel with a fond smile as she watched Harry and Veratia.
"Young people," Perenelle Flamel said wistfully. "Nicolas, weren't we like this in our youth?"
"Indeed," Mr. Flamel replied. "Back then, we were so innocent—blushing just from holding hands by the river."
"Those were good days," Mrs. Flamel reminisced. "Only six hundred years ago, the Seine was clear as crystal, the air unpolluted. You could drink the river water without falling ill…"
"That sounds like a song lyric," Tina whispered to Newt.
"It's from a German folk song," Newt whispered back. "'We Wish Old Kaiser Wilhelm Would Return.'"
"Oh," Tina nodded, enlightened.
Harry pulled a chocolate bar from his wallet, about to take a bite, when Poppy bounded over.
"What're you eating? Break me off a piece!" she demanded, lunging for the chocolate.
Harry grabbed her horn, stopping her.
"Ow, ow, ow!" she yelped. "Easy, that hurts…"
"Quit pretending," Harry snorted. "Mr. Flamel told me you can't eat human food… Speaking of, Mr. Flamel, what's wrong with Poppy? Why's she stuck like this?"
"Well," Mr. Flamel said, glancing at the pitiful Poppy. "There are some minor issues, but…"
"But they're fixed!" Poppy chirped, bouncing energetically.
Veratia frowned slightly, her gaze piercing as she studied Poppy.
Poppy caught the look, faltered, and lowered her hooves with an awkward chuckle.
"Heh, forgot we're in Mr. Flamel's alchemy lab," she said sheepishly. "Wouldn't want to break anything…"
"Didn't you say she can't taste anything?" Harry pressed. "Last time, I mixed up dark chocolate with milk chocolate, and she insisted the dark was sweet…"
"That's why I don't recommend feeding her," Mr. Flamel said with a sigh. "As I said, her body isn't like a normal unicorn's."
"So what do we do?" Harry asked. "She can't stay like this forever, can she?"
He turned to Veratia. "Veratia, didn't we agree to check on Poppy's condition once you were back? Any ideas on how to turn her human again?"
"I don't have a solution yet," Veratia admitted. "But we could document Poppy's symptoms and consult the three professors in the Map Chamber at Hogwarts."
"Great idea!" Harry said, clapping his hands. "Professor Rackham's the most knowledgeable—he'll know what to do."
But from his angle, he didn't see Veratia's complex expression as she watched Poppy.
"Enough talk," Mr. Flamel said, changing the subject. "It's time for dinner." He looked at Veratia, still holding Harry. "After being cooped up in Slytherin's study for so long, you must miss home cooking. Perenelle had Lucy prepare some dishes from your homeland. I hope she hasn't forgotten the flavors of the Austrian Empire."
"It's the Austro-Hungarian Empire," Veratia corrected, her attachment to the name almost palpable.
"You'll forgive an old man, Veratia," Mr. Flamel said with a wistful sigh. "In the first half of my life, it was always the Holy Roman Empire…"
"If you call it that, I won't object," Veratia said, raising an eyebrow. "Greater Germany should be united, not shattered into countless pieces."
Newt leaned toward Theseus and Tina, whispering, "But the Holy Roman Empire was fragmented too…"
You're so right, I'm speechless.
Dinner was lavish—perhaps because of the guests, or because Lucy was serving her mistress again. It rivaled the feasts of Vienna's imperial court.
"I must say, I love this Tafelspitz," Harry said.
After devouring the beef and sausage, he grabbed a piece of bread to mop up the broth, soaking it thoroughly, then paired it with a bite of fried cutlet. It was pure bliss.
Austria has a storied beef culture, with centuries-old recipes still cherished today. Among them, Tafelspitz stands out, a favorite of Emperor Franz Joseph I. The dish involves simmering beef in broth for hours until it melts on the tongue. Served with potato borscht, root vegetables, horseradish, apple sauce, and chive sauce, it's a feast for the senses.
"If Miss Malfoy saw you like this, she'd scold you for being uncouth, Harry," Poppy teased, practically drooling.
"In her words, 'Only barbarians lack such decorum, not even sparing the broth.'"
"Is that so?" Harry replied.
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