Chapter 97: New Neighbors and Shafiq Manor
After the End-of-Term Feast, the exam results were announced. Looking at his perfect scores in Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ethan nodded with satisfaction. His grades in Astronomy, Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures were also good, but History of Magic pulled his average down. When the final scores came out, Ethan, who didn't care much for History of Magic, had narrowly lost to Hermione, landing him in second place for the year. But Ethan didn't care about the result. Whether he came in first or not, as long as he had learned something, that was enough. Besides, given Ethan's current abilities, the only thing limiting his scores was the maximum points available on the exams.
After the grades were distributed, the dormitory seemed to empty overnight. Everyone packed their clothes into leather trunks, leaving only a few books on the shelves. Stuffing the last of his clothes into his trunk, Ethan stretched. "Finally, summer vacation. This year has exhausted me."
Since he'd burned one of his trunks, he'd had no choice but to secretly use a prohibited Undetectable Extension Charm to slightly expand the space inside his remaining one. He'd learned the spell from his dear Professor Voldemort. Casting it wasn't difficult, but without alchemical aid, maintaining the effect long-term was hard. He'd expanded his backpack many times, but after a few days the spell would fade and need to be recast. Eventually, deciding it was too much trouble, he had simply stopped using it.
The notice prohibiting magic use during the holidays arrived once again. "When the holidays start, you're basically useless. How sad." Ethan looked at his wand, shook his head, and pocketed it with a sigh.
Early the next morning, students in black robes swarmed out of their common rooms, through the Entrance Hall, and toward the platform where the Hogwarts Express waited. Older students traveled in small groups, pulling trunks and chatting as they climbed into the Thestral-drawn carriages at the gates. The first-years, perhaps for tradition's sake, were all gathered together and led by Hagrid across the lake in boats, just as they had been when they first arrived. Finally, after confirming that all students heading home had boarded, the train departed.
Hermione, Neville, Fred, and George sat in the compartment with Ethan. Harry and Ron had tried to squeeze in too, but the twins had crowded them out.
Fred chuckled. He and George hadn't been idle during the past week. "Before leaving, we dug a small pit at the edge of the Forbidden Forest," he said. "With a whole summer of rain ahead of us, we should have plenty of mud for our experiment."
The two high-fived in celebration.
Hermione felt they were pushing their luck.
She opened her mouth to speak, but they cut her off.
They'd known Hermione long enough to know what she was about to say. Fred quickly interrupted, "All right, all right. We know what we're doing." "As long as you're happy," Hermione said, though she clearly wasn't. The twins dropped the subject and soon left to find their roommate, Lee Jordan. The remaining students stopped talking as well. No one had seen their families in a long time, and they were eager to get home. Although Ethan had gone home for Easter, he still missed his parents terribly. As they approached the station, he took off his wizard robes and put on a jacket, returning to normal Muggle attire. At the ticket barrier, a wizened old guard from the Ministry of Magic stood watch, allowing only two or three people through at a time to avoid attracting Muggle attention. This meant it took a while for everyone to leave the platform. When Ethan and Hermione left the platform, they heard Ron tell Harry, "You have to come visit us this summer." Seeing Hermione and Ethan, he turned to them. "Of course, you two are welcome to come too. I'll send owls to invite you." Ethan agreed without hesitation. The four of them walked along, and people kept stopping to greet Harry. "Still famous, I see," Ron said with a grin. "There are your parents, Hermione." "I see them, too," she said, waving to her parents. Ethan spotted Sofia and Albert just then. He broke into a wide smile, motioning for them to wait a moment. He noticed a little red-haired girl and a plump witch walking toward Ron. "My mom and sister," Ron said, waving happily toward them. Out of politeness, Hermione and Ethan greeted them first before walking over to their own parents. Ethan watched the driver load the luggage into the trunk, then he carried the huge cage into the car himself. After dinner, they dismissed the servants and went upstairs. Alone at last, the couple felt comfortable asking Ethan about his life. Though Ethan had told them everything in his letters, they still wanted to hear about his daily life over the past six months firsthand. Ethan fielded their questions, feeling both annoyed and happy, until he was finally excused late at night. "All right, it's late. Get some rest. You must be tired from the journey."
Sofia kissed his cheek, said goodnight, and left his room with Albert. "Phew. That was close," Ethan said, relieved. They'd asked too many questions. He'd almost let something slip about Cyril and his study of dark magic. He hadn't mentioned Cyril because he worried they'd read too much into it, and he hadn't mentioned dark magic because he didn't want them to worry. If his parents knew nothing about the wizarding world, it would have been fine. But they'd read countless wizarding novels and fairy tales, giving them a dangerous half-knowledge of dark magic, the hardest kind to explain. So he kept his mouth shut. Early the next morning, after breakfast, Albert left for the office, and his mother, Sofia, mysteriously announced that she would introduce him to a neighbor. Neighbor? Which neighbor? Don't we know the families next door? Or did someone new move in? Ethan was puzzled. "You'll see when we get there." Sofia smiled mysteriously. Half an hour later, after Ethan had freshened up, Sofia led him to the villa on the left and rang the doorbell. "Isn't this Grandpa Christen's house? Did he move away?" Ethan had played in this villa when he was young. Of course he knew the owner. He'd assumed it was the other house, or that the house on the right had changed owners. He rarely saw anyone there. But it was the one on the left. "You'll know when you see who it is." Sofia rang the doorbell and waited another half minute before someone Ethan knew well stepped out. "Hello, Ethan," the old man said cheerfully. "Why did you move here?" Sofia smiled reproachfully and tapped his arm. "Don't be rude. Call him Grandfather." "Ah! What's going on?" For the past six months, he'd left out any mention of Cyril's visits in his letters to avoid raising his parents' suspicions. To his surprise, his mother and Cyril seemed to know each other well. "Come in, let's talk." Cyril led Ethan to the living room and sat down.
"Let me explain," Sofia said after pouring the tea. She began recounting what had happened over the past six months.
"So you've known all along that Grandfather Cyril has been coming to school to see me every week?" Ethan couldn't process it at first, feeling nothing but upset at having been kept in the dark.
Sofia explained, "We didn't mean to hide it from you, Ethan. We just thought it would be better to discuss it in person. We were also afraid you'd get too emotional, like last time."
Cyril remained silent throughout. He was afraid that speaking would only make Ethan more defiant.
"All right, I understand." Ethan's face went blank.
Sofia noticed something off about Ethan's expression and quickly put her arm around his shoulders. "Don't be angry. It's our fault. We shouldn't have kept this from you for so long."
"Alright, alright. I'm not a child anymore," Ethan said. "Don't sweet-talk me like that."
Ethan's face fell. He had spent six months wrestling with whether to tell his parents about Cyril, but finally decided to wait for a better opportunity so they wouldn't worry about his leaving. But the current situation, though not what he'd expected, was better than he'd imagined. He was relieved.
Sofia put her arm around his shoulders. "Ethan, we discussed it with your grandfather. This year we plan to vacation in France, specifically to visit the Shafiq family estate.
"But there's a catch. You need to continue learning French. Your grandfather wants you to inherit the French property too."
Ethan looked at Cyril, his voice flat. "We still have time, right?"
Cyril looked perfectly calm. "Not much time left. Three or four years at most. Better to arrange everything early and avoid disputes later."
Sofia patted his shoulder. "You studied French before. Now you need to keep studying, at least until you can communicate without difficulty. Of course, becoming truly fluent would be even better." Ethan had spent every previous summer learning French. He stopped only last summer, when he was preparing to go to Hogwarts and was obsessed with studying magic ahead of time. Cyril said, "Next summer, I plan to take you to Egypt to explore ancient Egyptian magic and the legendary Book of the Dead. Of course, that's assuming I'm still alive." Perhaps because he had already died once, Cyril spoke with complete calm, showing none of the anxiety that a man facing death would have. Sofia was getting on in years, and the subject made her uncomfortable. "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this. Ethan, tomorrow your grandfather plans to take you to Shafiq Manor to see the inheritance that Rhett and Jenny left you." "Oh, okay." Ethan nodded. Early the next morning, Ethan had just sat down to breakfast when Cyril arrived. Once he finished eating, Cyril took him back to his own house. Cyril explained, "There are too many people at your place. It makes Apparating difficult." "Hold on tight," Cyril said. "We're leaving." Then, with a loud crack, the two vanished from the living room. Six months later, Ethan once again felt the sensation of being squeezed through a rubber tube. But the distance was shorter this time, so the side effects weren't as severe as before. "You'll get used to it after a few tries," Cyril said, patting him on the back. "Once you're older, you can Apparate on your own." "Mm-hmm, okay." After gasping a few times, Ethan recovered. "Where is this?" Ethan looked out at the barren landscape. "This is 27 Burleytan Village, Croydon. Shafiq Manor is here, just hidden by the Fidelius Charm," Cyril explained. When he finished speaking, an ancient manor appeared before Ethan. "If the Fidelius Charm hides this place, how did those thugs find it ten years ago?" Ethan suspected that his parents had been betrayed.
No grand conspiracy. The charm was cast after Rhett and Jenny were killed. They were overconfident, believing that with thousands of years of defensive measures in place, no one would dare risk offending an ancient Pure-blood family with a thousand-year lineage. After all, even the Dark Lord who once terrorized Europe never touched Shafiq Manor.
Cyril looked annoyed as he said it. He quickly composed himself. "Let's go in. You can see where your parents lived, and also see the wealth your father's ancestors left you."
Ethan nodded and followed him, pushing open the well-maintained metal gate. Cyril called out as they entered, "Coco! Come out and meet your young master."
A house-elf wearing a clean towel tied around his waist with a rope appeared before them. "Master," he said, bowing to Cyril first, then looking at Ethan. One look was all it took for Coco to confirm that this was indeed the child who had been sent away years ago. "Master Ethan, you are finally back." Big tears spilled from his tennis-ball-sized eyes, dripping onto the ground.
Ethan was puzzled. "How does he know my name?"
"Albert and the others didn't change your first name, only your surname. They really are very, very good people," Cyril sighed.
Ethan understood and quickly comforted the distraught elf. "Is your name Coco? Don't cry. It's, it's me. I'm back."
Suddenly, the house-elf cried louder. "As gentle as the mistress," he sobbed.
During their time together, Cyril rarely spoke of his deceased daughter and son-in-law, partly for fear of his own grief, and partly to protect Ethan's emotions.
Once Coco finally stopped crying, Ethan and Cyril walked together into the ancient manor that had stood for over a thousand years.
Shafiq Manor wasn't particularly large. After all, it wasn't a Muggle estate, so it consisted of only a few buildings surrounded by gardens.
Outside the garden stood a tall wall enchanted with various protective spells.
Passing through the well-maintained garden at the entrance, the two entered the small two-story building of the manor.
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