Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil

Chapter 176 You like him?

Puni could tell.

He didn't rush to ask, but simply poured Qiu a cup of hot water.

Qiu took the cup, smiled at him, and continued listening to Gabrielle speak.

Mr. Delacour flipped through the menu and finally couldn't help but speak.

"Are you two from England?"

"Hogwarts".

Puni said.

"I guessed it, you have a British accent when you speak English."

"Is your daughter also going to Beauxbatons?" Qiu asked.

Gabrielle looked up.

"I'm not old enough yet, but my older sister is."

Furong nodded.

"Sixth grade."

After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and drank water.

Qiu sensed that she was a little uncomfortable, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know how to start.

After the food was served, Gabrielle broke the bread in half and gave one piece to Qiu.

Mr. Delacour tried to stop him, but in the end he could only sigh.

"She's not usually this generous."

I like autumn.

Gabrielle said.

Qiu felt a little embarrassed by what she said.

We've only just met.

"You can like someone even if you've just met them."

Puni nodded in agreement.

"That makes a lot of sense."

Furong glanced at him.

She had wanted to see if the boy would be influenced by her, but his expression hadn't changed at all since they met.

She turned her attention back to Qiu, but the familiar magic within her remained eerily quiet.

Halfway through the meal, she finally asked, "What are you carrying with you?"

Qiu was stunned.

"What?"

"Something that can suppress magic power, such as amulets, potions, or something else."

Mr. Delacour put down his knife and fork.

"Hibiscus".

"I was just asking."

Qiu subconsciously looked at her cuffs.

She didn't wear any amulets, nor did she take any medicine.

Puni, however, already understood some of it.

"She didn't."

He said, "Can't you feel your own magic?"

Furong's expression changed.

She was unwilling to admit it in front of strangers, but her father had already frowned.

Gabrielle also stopped eating.

"Let's start with the movie theater."

Furong said, "I can't use it when I get close to her."

Autumn felt somewhat lost.

"Did I do something?"

"no."

Puni spoke quickly, "At least you didn't do it on purpose."

He gestured for Qiu to place her hand on the table.

Qiu Zhao made it.

Puni didn't touch her, but simply paused his wand above the back of her hand, a faint light emanating from the tip of the wand.

Mr. Delacour stared at the light.

"What kind of magic is this?"

"Just testing the flow of magic."

Puni said.

Autumn's magic was stable, without any trace of being cursed.

But when Furong sat a little closer, the light from the tip of the staff began to scatter outwards, as if pushed away by something soft.

Puni put away his wand.

"There is no seal on her body; it's probably just that your magic is incompatible."

"Incompatible?" Furong repeated.

"Some spells weaken when they come into contact with certain people, and some medicines work for one person but not for another. Not everything needs a scary explanation."

After hearing this, Qiu breathed a sigh of relief.

She smiled at Furong.

"If this makes you uncomfortable, I can sit further away."

Furong opened her mouth.

She should have agreed.

But Qiu spoke without any guard up, nor did she take the opportunity to show off anything.

The quiet that made her uncomfortable suddenly didn't seem so bad anymore.

"Need not."

Furong said, "I'm just... not used to it."

Mr. Delacour looked at his daughter, his expression softening somewhat.

Her maternal grandmother was a Veela.

He explained to Puni and Qiu, "After Furong started to grow up, she sometimes couldn't control herself, but that's not her fault."

Qiu nodded.

"I know."

"You know?" Gabrielle asked.

"Some people at school are talked about because they are different from others."

Qiu said, "It's not necessarily your fault, but it gets annoying after a while."

Furong looked up at her.

This time, she didn't look away.

When lunch was over, Mr. Delacour insisted on paying the bill.

Puni pushed him once, but didn't argue with him anymore.

Gabrielle pulled Qiu to look at the candy jars displayed by the door, while Hibiscus lagged behind.

"What's your name?" she asked again.

"Autumn Zhang".

Furong carefully repeated the name once.

"Autumn."

"Um."

Do you have any plans for tomorrow?

Mr. Delacour turned around.

"Hibiscus".

"I just wanted to invite her over for tea."

Gabrielle immediately agreed.

"Come on! I have a new flying tea set."

Qiu looked at Puni.

Puni didn't agree on her behalf, only saying, "I have to go to the shop tomorrow afternoon. You can go if you want, I'll take you there."

Qiu thought for a moment and nodded.

After leaving the restaurant, the two walked along the river.

Paris winters are wetter than Hogwarts; the snow doesn't pile up very high, but there's always water that doesn't melt on the cobblestone streets.

Autumn walked slowly, her feet sinking into the thin layer of snow on the roadside.

"Hibiscus is a bit fierce."

she says.

"She's been quite polite today."

How did you know?

"She wanted to ask even harsher things three times, but she held back."

Qiu turned to look at him.

"Can you read minds?"

"Won't."

"How did you know?"

"It depends on your looks."

Qiu smiled.

When they reached the bridge, Puni suddenly stopped.

He pointed to a huge movie poster on the opposite bank of the river.

The poster shows Belle wearing a yellow dress, the Beast standing by the window, and the French title printed below.

"Do you understand what I meant by Bell this morning?"

Qiu followed his hand and looked over.

"I think she's very brave."

"Um."

"But I will not live in the beast's castle."

Why?

"Because I'll ask him first if he brushed his teeth properly."

Puni paused for a moment.

"This is a very important issue."

Qiu nodded in satisfaction.

That evening, Autumn wrote to Marietta, telling her that there was a strike in the streets of Paris, that cats in France had no hair, and that a little girl named Gabrielle insisted on giving her candy.

When she wrote about Furong, she paused for a long time and only wrote one sentence: She doesn't seem easy to get along with, but she shouldn't be a bad person.

Puni was checking the accounts of the French branch in his study.

Moti brought over tea and then placed down a letter that had just been delivered.

The letter was written by Haig, and the handwriting was crooked and messy.

Purple Sweet Potato was willing to come out of its cage today.

It scared Ya Ya so much that she hid under the bed, but it didn't hurt her.

Lou Williams is eating well, no need to worry.

After reading the letter, Puni picked up his quill and wrote a reply.

Don't let the purple sweet potatoes eat too many sweet berries; Lu Wei's meat will still be served as usual.

He paused at the end and added a sentence.

Don't put two animals together.

Merti stood by and waited.

"Have the owl deliver it now."

"Yes, young master."

The next afternoon, Puni took Qiu to Delacour's house.

The house is located on the outskirts of the wizarding quarter in Paris, with neatly trimmed holly bushes planted in front of it.

Gabrielle had been waiting by the window for a while, and when she saw Qiu, she immediately rushed out to open the door.

"You really came!"

Qiu was pulled into the house by her, and she turned around and waved to Puni.

Puni stood outside the door, not leaving immediately.

Furong came out from the other side of the entrance hall and saw this scene.

Aren't you going in?

"It's your afternoon tea today."

Aren't you worried?

"What are you worried about?"

Furong glanced into the room.

"I."

Puni smiled.

"I don't need to worry about who Qiu makes friends with."

Furong did not respond.

She stood at the door, waiting for Puni to leave before turning around and going inside.

Gabrielle had already laid out all the tea sets.

The flying teapot circled above their heads, nearly hitting the chandelier.

Qiu reached out and caught it, then put it back on the table.

"Do you often let it fly like this?"

"Mom won't allow it."

Gabrielle said, "But Mom isn't home today."

Furong sat down opposite Qiu.

She didn't try to activate her bloodline again, but simply watched quietly as Cho told Gabriel about the Hogwarts staircase and the talking portrait.

Gabrielle listened intently, asking one question after another.

Are there really ghosts at Hogwarts?

"have."

"Won't they crawl out from under the bed in the middle of the night?"

"No—at least I've never seen it."

"What's the scariest thing you've ever seen?"

Autumn paused for a moment.

Furong thought she wouldn't answer, but Qiu said, "It's not a monster, it's just that some people do very bad things and still think they've done nothing wrong."

The room fell silent.

Gabrielle didn't quite understand and blinked while holding her cup.

Furong looked at Qiu and suddenly felt that her precautions yesterday were somewhat ridiculous.

"Have you been with Puni for a long time?" she asked.

Qiu almost spilled her tea.

"No, not long ago."

"You like him?"

Gabrielle immediately moved closer.

Autumn blushed.

"This is an adult problem."

"You're not that old either."

Furong said.

Qiu was speechless, so she could only lower her head and drink her tea.

Furong looked at her and smiled for the first time.

Mrs. Delacour returned as afternoon tea was drawing to a close.

As she entered the room, she saw a strange girl in the living room. Gabrielle was talking nonstop next to Qiu, and Fleur did not show her usual impatient expression.

"Are you having guests?"

Gabrielle jumped up.

"Mom, this is Cho. She came from Hogwarts and loves watching Muggle movies!"

Autumn:?

Madame de la Cour nodded to Qiu, then glanced at Fleur.

She clearly sensed something, but didn't ask in front of the child.

When Qiu got up to say goodbye, Furong followed and saw him to the door.

"Will you come again tomorrow?"

Qiu was somewhat surprised.

"If Gabrielle wants to hear the story of Hogwarts."

"I'm asking you."

Qiu looked at her, then smiled.

"That's fine too."

When Puni came to pick her up, Furong was already standing at the bottom of the steps waiting.

She handed a small box to Qiu.

"This is for you."

Inside the box was a blue hair clip shaped like a feather.

Qiu touched the patterns on it, wanting to refuse but feeling it wouldn't be appropriate.

"Thanks."

"Don't lose it."

After Furong finished speaking, she turned around and went back into the house.

Puni watched her retreating figure.

"She's easier to get along with than I thought."

Qiu put the box into her bag.

"She just doesn't know how to speak properly."

"You know a lot about this?"

"I know a little more than you."

Puni did not refute.

In the following days, Qiu Bai would visit Delacour's house.

Gabrielle kept pestering her to talk about Hogwarts. Fleur initially just sat beside her reading, but later she would ask a few questions about the British school curriculum.

She frowned deeply when she heard that the Hogwarts students were going to take care of the mandrake.

"You actually let first-year students touch that kind of thing?"

"It has earmuffs."

Autumn said.

"That's also very dangerous."

"Doesn't your school have that?"

"Beauxbatons won't let students handle materials that are too dangerous."

Qiu didn't expose her.

Gabrielle added from the side, "Last year, my sister brought home a teapot that could breathe fire and almost burned down the curtains."

Furong's face darkened.

Gabrielle.

"It's true."

Qiu covered her mouth and laughed.

Their relationship did not immediately become close.

Fu Rong can still be quite sharp-tongued at times, and she gets impatient when Qiu doesn't understand her French slang.

But Qiu didn't avoid her.

She would directly ask Furong if her previous statement was an insult, and she would also change the subject when Furong remained silent.

One evening, Furong saw Qiu off at the door.

Aren't you afraid of me?

Qiu was putting on her gloves when she heard this and looked up.

Why should I be afraid of you?

"You know my bloodline."

"Know."

"You've seen it yourself, sometimes I can't control myself."

Qiu put on the other glove.

"When you lose control, do you intentionally hurt others?"

Furong frowned.

"Won't."

"Then I'm not afraid."

Furong stood still and didn't ask any more questions.

Qiu took two steps, then turned back.

"But if you keep staring at me like that, I'll still feel uncomfortable."

Furong's face flushed red.

"I wasn't watching him the whole time."

"have."

After Qiu finished speaking, she ran down the steps.

Furong stood at the door watching her back as she walked away, and only closed the door after a long while.

Meanwhile, Puni spends time at the French branch every day.

The strike was not over, but the streets were quieter than on the first day.

Some shops have reopened, with discount signs displayed in their windows.

The store manager held the new ledger, his face looking even worse than it had been a few days ago.

"The shop next door has started lowering its prices."

"Let them surrender."

Puni said.

"But the guests will go there."

"Then let the guest go."

The store manager held back.

"You're the boss, so of course you can say that."

Puni looked up.

"That's why I'm here, not so you can shoulder this alone."

He took out a new purchase order.

The French branch used to source its goods from the UK, which involved significant transportation costs.

Puni instructed the store manager to order from local Parisian workshops, keeping a few best-selling toys for now and turning the surplus stock in the warehouse into inexpensive holiday sets.

"Salary and bonuses remain unchanged."

He said, "But starting next month, the store will be holding a trial tournament, allowing students to come and play cards. The first round will be free."

When the male clerk heard "free," he paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up.

"The Battle of the Golden Dragons?"

"right."

The female shop assistant immediately started thinking about how to make the promotional flyers.

The store manager still had a frown on his face.

"The British approach might not work here."

"Then let's change it to French."

Puni said, "You make your own rules. Don't wait for the streets to reopen; find a way to get people in."

The store manager stared at the purchase order for a long time before finally taking it away.

"The prizes for the trial tournament need to be better."

"There is a credit limit in the account."

"I want an exclusive card."

"Can."

"Add another singing cat named Pu Rongrong."

Puni looked up at him.

The store manager coughed.

"The child will like it."

Filch won't.

The shop manager didn't understand the name, but he could tell that Puni was joking, and he smiled for once.

When Qiu returned from the Delacour family, Puni told her about it.

After listening, Qiu asked him if he would lose money.

"In a short time."

"Then why do you still do it?"

"Because the store isn't open just to make the accounts look good."

Qiu thought about it.

"Why is that?"

Puni looked at several young shop assistants who were putting up flyers on the street.

"Let those who want to stay stay."

Autumn did not ask any further questions.

She placed the few cookies she had brought back from Delacour's house on the counter and handed one to the shop assistant.

"You guys try this first, Gabrielle said it's delicious."

The female shop assistant took a bite, and her eyes lit up.

"The French girl has a very good palate."

A week later, the store's first trial game began.

There were still strikers on the street, but many children were also pulling their parents into the store.

A paper dragon flew out from the table, and the cards collided with each other with a snap.

The store manager, standing behind the counter, yelled at the boy who was about to overturn the table while taking money: "No real magic wands allowed!"

Qiu sat in the corner, watching a group of children much younger than her scramble for a card holder.

Gabrielle and Fleur also came.

Gabrielle drew a little unicorn card and was so happy she almost jumped onto her chair.

Furong seemed to think she was embarrassing, but in the end she helped her put the card in a sleeve.

Puni stood at the shop entrance, watching the growing number of people inside.

The store manager came out from the back.

"I didn't lose out today."

"Congratulations."

"We might lose money again tomorrow."

"We'll think of something tomorrow."

The store manager nodded and said nothing more.

As their trip to Paris drew to a close, Mr. Delacour invited them to his home for a formal dinner.

On the table were roast goose, creamed potatoes, and a large plate of strawberry tarts that Gabrielle had requested.

Mrs. Delacour sat down next to Autumn and asked her about the weather in England, the Hogwarts lessons, and whether her family knew about the trip.

Qiu answered.

She paused when she spoke of her parents before saying that they knew Puni would take care of her.

Madame de la Cour glanced at Puni.

"Taking care of others is a difficult thing."

Puni put down the cup.

"I know."

"Knowing and doing are two different things."

Mr. Delacour coughed lightly, seemingly trying to ease the tension.

Qiu spoke first.

"He didn't make the decision for me."

Madame de la Cour looked at her.

"This is important."

Qiu said, "I came to France because I wanted to. He gave me gifts and took me sightseeing, but he wouldn't force me to go to places I didn't want to go."

Puni looked at Qiu without saying a word.

Madame de la Cour nodded.

"That's good."

Gabrielle, growing impatient listening from the side, forked a piece of strawberry tart.

"Can we talk about something else? Like, when will you be coming next autumn?"

Furong, who was cutting meat with her head down, looked up when she heard this.

"Will she come again?"

Autumn also looked at Hibiscus.

"If you go to Hogwarts, I will also host you."

"Beauxbatons isn't a place you can just go to casually."

Furong said.

"Neither Hogwarts nor..."

"Then let's write a letter."

Qiu smiled.

"it is good."

After the meal, Gabrielle gave Qiu a painting she had drawn herself.

The painting depicts a crooked castle, upon which flies a hairless Madagascar and a small purple dragon.

She rolled up the painting and stuffed it into Qiu's bag, then hugged Qiu tightly.

"Remember to reply."

"Yes."

Furong stood a little further away.

She handed a letter to Qiu after Puni and Qiu reached the door.

"My home address is on it."

Qiu took it.

"I will write it."

Furong nodded, then, as if feeling that this was too formal, added a sentence.

"Don't write too much nonsense."

"The same to you."

On the way back to the manor, Qiu held the painting in her arms the whole time.

Puni asked her if she was happy, and Qiu said she was happy, but also said she was a little reluctant to leave.

You will see them again.

How did you know?

"Gabrielle won't let you get away with this."

Qiu smiled and nodded, recalling how the little girl clung to her and wouldn't let go.

On the day of her return journey, Qiu stood in front of the fireplace for a long time.

She was clutching the chocolates given to her by the French Ministry of Magic, her face clearly showing she didn't want to go in.

Puni didn't urge her.

"Should we change to another seat?"

Qiu shook her head.

"I told you I'd try a few more times."

"It will be painful this time too."

"That would be uncomfortable."

She took a deep breath. "I can't keep going around this."

Puni took her hand.

"Don't loosen your grip once you're inside."

Qiu nodded.

As the green flames rose, she closed her eyes tightly.

Filo still made people dizzy, and when she landed in England, her legs were a little weak.

This time, however, she didn't squat down directly. Instead, she grabbed Puni's sleeve and stood for a few seconds before walking over to the bench and sitting down.

"A little better than last time."

Puni handed her the chocolate.

"Um."

"I'll do better next time."

"it is good."