"Would you like some fruit?"
After a lavish meal, Mrs. Delacour asked thoughtfully.
"Thank you, but no," Leonard said, leaning back against the soft sofa.
"Then you two go ahead and talk." Mrs. Delacour nodded, then dragged Fleur away with her, even though Fleur clearly wanted to stay and listen in on the conversation between her father and Leonard.
Claudia and Gabrielle were playing in the living room, leaving only Leonard and Lehende in the cigar room.
"Let's get straight to the point." Lehende took a cigar from the box and, out of habit, offered one to Leonard. Then, seeing the odd look on Leonard's face, he slapped his forehead.
"Sorry. I always forget your age without realizing it. You don't mind if I smoke, do you?"
"Go ahead," Leonard said with a nod.
Lehende leisurely cut the cigar, lit it, and took a puff. As he slowly exhaled the smoke in his mouth, his mood visibly settled.
"Honestly, when I got your letter saying Raven had suddenly disappeared, I thought you were joking," Lehende said with a smile. "Now that the threat hanging over my head is suddenly gone, I actually feel a little uneasy."
"Reality is stranger than drama. Drama still has to be rational, but reality doesn't. It can catch you off guard at any moment in the most absurd way," Leonard said.
"That's a good line. Very philosophical." Lehende smiled. "So, should we celebrate?"
"It's too early for that." Leonard shook his head. "Raven may be gone, but the trouble isn't over. If anything, it's gotten even worse."
"Did something happen?" Lehende asked, his expression turning serious.
"Have you heard anything about the monster that attacked our train?" Leonard asked.
"No. I study plants. I don't know much about animals, and the Ministry of Magic wouldn't come to me for that. But I did hear they brought in Newt Scamander, the expert on Magical Creatures, to help with the research."
"They brought him in?" Leonard asked casually.
"Of course. It's a completely new species. Mr. Scamander would never miss that. And he just so happens to be coming to my place as well. Apparently he's bringing his new student in for a physical examination. I've no idea why that means coming all the way to me," Lehende said.
"Back to the previous topic," Leonard said. "That strange fish. There's a problem with it."
"It's not a Magical Creature. It's something more like an undead corpse."
"An undead corpse?" Lehende instinctively sucked in a breath and pulled the cigar smoke straight into his lungs, coughing so hard it sounded like he was tearing himself apart. "Cough... who... cough... who has nothing better to do than turn a fish into an undead corpse?"
Leonard shook his head. "It wasn't deliberately made. It was the result of gradual influence."
"So this is the trouble you were talking about?" Lehende cast a Cough-Suppressing Charm on himself and took two breaths. "What exactly is going on?"
"Have you ever heard of Death God?" Leonard glanced at the cigar room door. "Someone has gained Death God's power."
"Death God? That's just a fairy tale, isn't it?" Lehende relaxed a little. "Haha, Leonard, did you come all this way just to tell me a joke? Because it's not very funny."
"I don't have time for that. I came this time partly to see your precious plants, but the other reason was to persuade you not to let Fleur take part in the Triwizard Tournament." Leonard's tone turned serious. "Next school year, Hogwarts is going to be very dangerous."
One Voldemort was already more than enough to deal with. Add Odin, who could show up at any moment, and Hogwarts would be right at the center of the storm. One misstep, and everything could be torn apart.
Leonard's serious expression wiped the smile from Lehende's face. "You mean that?"
Leonard nodded.
"It's that serious? But Dumbledore is at Hogwarts." With his cigar clenched between his teeth, Lehende frowned deeply.
"Then let me tell you this. It's not just Dumbledore. There's currently a wizard at Hogwarts who is even stronger than Dumbledore, and even he would have a hard time facing this crisis," Leonard said.
"A wizard stronger than Dumbledore? You're joking, right?" Lehende let out an awkward laugh, but inwardly he was panicking.
That was Dumbledore. Dumbledore, the man known as the greatest wizard. And someone was stronger than him? What kind of joke was that?
More importantly, even a wizard stronger than Dumbledore couldn't resolve this crisis? Was the world about to end or something?
"What would I gain from lying to you?" Leonard rolled his eyes. "Anyway, you'd better not let Fleur go to Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament. That competition is dangerous enough as it is."
"I'd like to, but Fleur is Beauxbatons' ace. She'll definitely be going to Hogwarts with them, and the Champion will almost certainly be her."
He was obviously bragging about his daughter, but Lehende only felt bitterness in his mouth. For the first time, he felt that having such an outstanding daughter really was troublesome.
Children who were too exceptional were very hard to control.
"Fleur definitely won't give up on the Triwizard Tournament," Lehende said with a sigh. He knew his daughter well. "Could I trouble you to look after her a little?"
"Keeping an eye on her is no problem, but in this crisis, I'm at the center of the storm myself. Being around me isn't exactly safe either," Leonard reminded him. "If it comes down to it, break Fleur's legs and have her take a leave of absence."
The moment he heard that, Lehende bristled and raised his voice. "That's my daughter. How could I possibly bear to hurt her?"
"There are plenty of ways. As long as she doesn't go to school, she won't be in danger," Leonard said.
A conflicted look appeared on Lehende's face. He really was considering whether there might be some way to keep his daughter at home.
Just then, the cigar room door was kicked open with force. Fleur stood outside, her face flushed red with anger, glaring furiously at the two of them.
"Are these two gentlemen not planning to ask the lady herself what she wants?"
Even this angry, Fleur did not lose her composure. She was still elegant, but the look in her eyes made Lehende instinctively shrink back.
"This is for your safety," Leonard said.
"I've never thought myself inferior to anyone. If Hogwarts students can face danger head-on, then I think I can too."
Fleur's voice was calm, but every word landed with force. "I'm not a coward who only knows how to run when danger appears."
"Fleur, this isn't about bravery or cowardice. When you're facing a danger you can't fight, knowing how to judge the situation is just as important," Lehende said, trying to persuade her.
He truly did not want his daughter taking risks, but he also knew just how stubborn she was. Thoroughly flustered, Lehende shot Leonard a pleading look.