"Fool!"
"Slap!"
The stinging pain on his face interrupted Carrel's next words, leaving him staring blankly, his expression vacant.
The tattooed man suddenly flew into a rage, slapped him, then stood up, kicking Carrel out forcefully.
"Muggles! Muggles! All you know are those Muggles, why don't you think about why there are so many Muggles inside the organization's base?"
The tattooed man roared, "They are all precious researchers, but because of you, they escaped the control of the organization! Even a portion of the treasured research materials were taken away, do you know what a huge loss that is?"
Carrel's body trembled slightly, remaining silent.
The slightly chubby woman stopped the man about to strike again, angrily saying, "How can you lay a hand on a child? What does Carrel know, all the decisions were made by Glanwhite! Why are you taking it out on the kid?"
She crouched down, gently stroked Carrel's head, and comforted him:
"Don't be afraid, Mom knows it's not your fault. Also, please understand your dad couldn't control his bad temper—the French base suffered severe losses, the leader is very angry, and your father came under a lot of pressure this time."
"And the reason he rushed to this dangerous country was because he was worried about you and cared for you. Carrel...can you forgive your dad?"
Carrel lifted his head, gazed deeply at his mother, and after a long pause, slowly nodded.
The tattooed man, whose chest heaved uncontrollably, took a deep breath, finally calmed down, reached out to pull Carrel up, and leaned over to brush the footprint off his chest.
"I'm sorry, child."
The man's voice was low and hoarse, and he said self-reproachfully, "I was in a bad mood today and vented my anger on you, causing you grievance."
Carrel said, lowering his head, "It's okay...I know you didn't do it deliberately."
Both the couple showed satisfied smiles, and the slightly chubby woman gave Carrel a touching hug.
"Let's not talk about the French base anymore... Carrel, do you remember what your task is?" the tattooed man asked.
Carrel nodded.
"Then I saw you on the street today, why weren't you with Vid Gray?" the tattooed man asked.
His tone was calm, but Carrel couldn't help but shudder.
This time, he did not explain that the Sorting Hat placed him in Gryffindor, while Vid Gray was elusive outside of classes; it was hard to find chances to recall the past and bridge the gap.
Nor did he mention that among his companions earlier was the magical world's young Savior, and Carrel judged it necessary to maintain a good relationship with him, besides which it could help him join Vid Gray's organization's group.
He knew that in his father's eyes, an uncompleted task was uncompleted, any reason—no matter if he was actually engaged in more meaningful work—was an excuse.
Orders always come first.
"I'm sorry, Dad," Carrel said, bowing his head, "I couldn't meet your expectations, I'm really sorry. I will definitely strive to complete the task, please give me a little more time."
The tattooed man tensed his jaw as if he was about to lose his temper, but after getting a glare from the slightly chubby woman, he suppressed his anger.
He placed his palm on Carrel's head, saying as gently as he could, "It's okay, since you can recognize your mistakes, I believe you will do well in the future... Carrel, don't let me down again."
Carrel fought to suppress the discomfort from the top of his head to his back and solemnly nodded.
The slightly chubby woman happily clapped her hands.
"Alright, alright, let's stop talking about such serious topics—Carrel, have you not been used to the food at school these days? Mom has prepared a feast, let's have a meal together as a family, shall we?"
"Sure." The tattooed man laughed, "Ever since Carrel went to training camp, we've hardly sat down and had a proper meal together—Carrel, will this delay your return to school?"
Carrel finally showed a genuine smile this time.
"No." He said, "Today is a Hogsmeade weekend, I just need to get back before dinner."
"Can't stay that long." The tattooed man said, "We have people watching in the village; if Vid Gray appears, you need to find a chance to bump into him."
"...Alright."
Carrel's smile faded, and he responded sullenly, looking at the two who were not paying attention to his emotions, suddenly feeling the people before him were so unfamiliar compared to the memory of his parents.
—All because of that damn British Ministry of Magic discovering their family's vampire identity, forcing them to flee to the United States.
Carrel unwillingly recalled those tumultuous days. They hid from the assassination attempts and finally received protection from the organization.
His father and mother changed drastically due to this upheaval...it's not their fault.
Only by accomplishing the task can the family live openly, and his father and mother will return to their old selves...
Carrel silently clenched the fork in his hand.
The slightly chubby woman had already set a table full of delicacies—roast beef, jellied eel, stew, seafood chowder, sausage mashed potatoes...
The rich aroma permeated the air, and the atmosphere in the room finally became what a family should have.
...
"So stupid to be ambushed by a vampire bat!"
Sirius complained while directing a dining knife to carve a hole in a pumpkin in the yard:
"Has your skill deteriorated this much?"
His tone carried sarcasm, his eyes hidden with a cold gleam.
"What can I say?" Lupin smiled wryly, "I might have drunk too much at the time and wasn't on guard..."
Actually, he did sense an object flying rapidly toward him in advance.
But it might have been the alcohol dulling his vigilance; Lupin instinctively thought it was Vid, transformed into a bird, flying in, thus not dodging in time.
After all, in his mind, only Vid's Animagus was a bird-like animal.
By the time Lupin realized he was under attack, the syringe had already stuck into his body, the icy potion almost crashing into his veins like a squirt gun.
"Luckily Hagrid was there too..."
Sirius stared at Lupin's bloodless face, swallowed back his words, and asked Harry and Vid who came to visit Lupin:
"Did Dumbledore say anything?"
"I heard the vampire who attacked Remus is dead." Harry hurriedly said.
While Lupin was lying in the school infirmary, Harry had found both Professor McGonagall and the headmaster and learned part of the truth.
"Professor Snape tested those hormones and found it was a special hormone extracted from werewolf bodies that triggers lycanthropy."
Vid said, "Though Remus recovered this time, if it happens again, the lycanthropy might progress faster, more completely, and might become irreversible..."
Sirius clicked his tongue, disgruntledly said, "That greaseball..."
"Sirius." Lupin warned.
"Alright... alright... Snape!" Sirius shook his head like a dog and said, "Although he offered a bit of help this time, that guy is always good at intimidating others..."
"It's not 'a bit of help,' he saved me." Lupin said calmly, "If I really completely turned into a werewolf—Sirius, remember not to hesitate when you make your move."
"Impossible!" Sirius growled, "Don't believe that greaseball's nonsense! I don't believe there are any problems that can't be solved!"
Lupin forced a smile, neither refuting nor agreeing.
Harry contemplated for a long time and then whispered to Vid, "Vid... extracting hormones and such, it shouldn't be a wizard's method, right?"