Chapter 59 – Before Halloween
Faced with Glenda Chittock's proposal, Audrey shook her head.
"Miss Chittock, I have my O.W.L.s this year," she said seriously. "I really don't have time to rehearse."
Glenda's expression instantly became… complicated.
There was mockery, amusement, confusion, and a hint of speechlessness all mixed together.
"But Miss Astray," Glenda said leisurely, "I've heard that you've already been exempted from eight subjects. And out of the remaining four, you've applied for exemptions from three more. As for the one subject you didn't exempt yourself from—Herbology—well…"
She smiled knowingly.
"I hear that seeds tend to mysteriously disappear from the greenhouses."
Glenda looked utterly confident.
"The fact that you even dared apply for exemptions shows how certain you are of yourself. Your O.W.L.s should be effortless."
…Damn it.
Glenda has an informant inside Hogwarts!
"Ahem," Audrey said stiffly. "Even if I pass my O.W.L.s, I'll still be very busy! I have a lot to study! After all, I'm only a first-year student!"
Glenda's all-seeing gaze made Audrey deeply uncomfortable.
This woman knew far too much about her.
Where on earth was she getting this information?
"All right," Glenda said with a smile, finally relenting. "Since Miss Astray is so busy, perhaps you could still spare a little time to prepare three songs?"
Audrey was just about to refuse when Glenda added casually:
"How about one thousand Galleons per song?"
Audrey tried desperately to convince herself that three thousand Galleons was only the equivalent of fifteen thousand pounds—and that she could just stay in bed reading Flying Three Thousand Miles on a Broomstick instead.
But her mouth betrayed her brain.
"No problem."
…Damn it!
Why did I agree?!
Is this some kind of advanced soul-stealing charm?!
Glenda laughed brightly.
"Excellent. I'll see you on Halloween night. There are four days left—please send me the playlist as soon as possible so the band can familiarise themselves with it."
Audrey hesitated. "Don't I need to rehearse?"
Glenda adjusted her glasses and looked straight at her.
"I trust your ability. Besides," she added lightly, "don't you still have plenty to learn?"
For no reason at all, Audrey suddenly felt as though the woman in front of her was ancient.
Her methods, her tone—far too reminiscent of a certain white-bearded headmaster.
…Could this be Dumbledore using Polyjuice Potion?
No.
Dumbledore wouldn't clear obstacles with Galleons.
But this woman absolutely would.
As expected—anyone whose face ended up on a Chocolate Frog Card was no ordinary figure.
---
Grey Family Manor
Serenis sat lifelessly at the head of the long conference table.
Several figures sat stiffly on either side.
The past two months had been hell.
First, the family vault was robbed—five years of savings vanished overnight.
Then came the massacre.
That night, Serenis had hidden in a narrow storage stairwell, trembling as she listened to the screams echo through the manor.
She had survived—but barely.
No one knew why the attacker had suddenly withdrawn instead of wiping them out completely, but the result was clear.
The Grey family was effectively ruined.
Nearly all core members were dead. Only the peripheral branches survived—and they were now stronger than the main family.
If nothing was done soon, rebellion was inevitable.
"Say something!" Serenis roared hoarsely. "What should we do now?!"
The five people present kept their heads bowed.
What could they say?
Silence.
The grandfather clock struck eight.
Finally overwhelmed, Serenis buried her face in her hands, her long hair spilling loose.
"Hmph."
A cold voice echoed through the hall.
"It seems you've had a miserable time since I left. Anyone can trample over you now."
Everyone looked up.
That voice—
Bode Grey descended slowly from the ceiling, robes billowing.
"Serenis," he asked calmly, "do you know why the Grey family has fallen to this state?"
She shook her head weakly.
Even after everything he had done to her, she couldn't summon hatred—not after her family had nearly been annihilated.
"Strength," Bode declared loudly.
"You lack strength."
"Strength…?" the others murmured.
"Yes. Power."
Bode stood beside Serenis and gestured.
She immediately rose and yielded her seat.
He sat heavily at the head of the table.
"Five years ago," he continued, "you blamed me for wasting enormous sums on research, didn't you?"
A chorus of hurried denials followed.
"Why be afraid?" Bode sneered. "What's done is done."
He pulled back his hood.
"You didn't understand my work—doubt was natural."
He raised his hands.
One was wreathed in ice.
The other crackled with lightning.
"I was researching ancient magic."
"Ancient magic?!"
"Yes. Magic powerful enough to command wind and rain—to reshape the world itself."
With a flick of his left hand, the grandfather clock froze solid.
With a snap of his right, lightning obliterated it—no fragments, no debris, erased completely.
The Greys gasped, their eyes burning with desire.
Bode nodded in satisfaction.
"With power," he asked softly, "would those tragedies still have happened, Serenis?"
She shook her head.
No.
Not if they had been strong.
"I can teach you ancient magic," Bode said, reclining. "But what will you offer in return?"
One voice immediately rang out:
"We welcome your return, Patriarch!"
Bode turned to Serenis.
"My dear niece?"
She gave a bitter smile and bowed her head.
"Uncle… you are the head of the family once more."
Bode was pleased.
Though the main family was diminished, as long as the branches were suppressed, the Greys still had value—far more than his Hydra's Fang rabble.
"I recall Amy's son is attending Hogwarts," Bode said.
"Yes, Patriarch."
"What is his name?"
"Alan Ash."
"I need him," Bode said coolly. "As an insider."
"Will you be going to Hogwarts, Patriarch?"
"Yes. There is a student named Audrey Astray—the key to deciphering the ancient magical ruins."
"I must capture her."
Serenis replied immediately, "I'll contact Alan Ash at once."
"And one more thing," Bode added. "This manor is too empty. I have men with me—arrange for them to move in."
"Yes, Master."
---
Back at Hogwarts
After agreeing to Glenda Chittock's request, Audrey returned to her dormitory.
If she was going to perform, she would do it properly—and show that vixen what a real superstar looked like.
"Pick a song… pick a song…"
She rummaged through her sachet, searching for the playlist she'd compiled from her past life.
"I know I put it here…"
After learning the Seamless Extension Charm, she had expanded the pouch's capacity—but now it was a mess.
"Is this it?"
She pulled out several books.
"Tsk—no."
She tossed one onto the bed, then froze.
The title was written in runes.
Introduction to Ancient Magic
by Percival Rackham
Audrey paused.
Right—these were books she'd taken from the Grey family vault.
Back then, she hadn't understood ancient script or Old English, so she'd shelved them.
But now?
She was officially exempt from Ancient Runes.
Percival Rackham—
Wasn't he a key figure from Hogwarts Legacy?
Why had the Grey family possessed this book?
With growing curiosity, Audrey opened it.
---