Hermione sat on the couch with a cup of herbal tea in her hand.

From time to time, her eyes glanced at Ms. Wenda Rozier, who was sitting opposite, and her heart couldn't stop being nervous.

Owen was talking to Ms. Rozier, but most of the time it was Owen talking, and he didn't speak.

She sat upright on the sofa, elegant and confident. His eyes are sharp and he can see through people's hearts. This made Hermione very uncomfortable.

Hermione cautiously took another sip of tea, trying to calm the tension inside.

She couldn't understand why she was so frightened and upset about the graceful witch.

It's like a natural enemy with her.

Despite her best efforts to restrain her emotions, she always felt an inexplicable sense of oppression whenever Ms. Rozier looked at her.

It's not just the scene of meeting parents, it's more about the two conflicting personalities, and the sense of alienation caused by the inability to reconcile, which is the main reason for Hermione's nervousness.

She couldn't stand to go to that kind of party with too much red tape, especially in the face of pure-blood aristocratic families

This way, she can only divert her attention to other places in a small way.

For example, take a look at the lavishly decorated manor or look at the paintings on the walls.

In the past half hour, Owen and she had told Sirius everything that had happened in Egypt.

After listening to their stories, the other party didn't stop at all.

After taking the four monsters in human skins with the suitcase, he left the place with the other two wizards of the Federation.

Professor Lupin was left behind by Sirius as a "tool man" to care for them.

As for why Sirius didn't stay on his own, Hermione speculated that it might be because Sirius didn't like pure-blood families like Rozier. He was an enemy of several members of the Rozier family, and the palatial estate alone brought back some bad memories for him.

Let's let Professor Lupin come on socially.

He has a gentle personality and is suitable for this kind of work, which he has been doing since he left Hogwarts.

As for Bill - he doesn't want to leave here.

A pair of eyes kept falling on the pink-haired man.

He'd always wanted to talk to Master Merlin.

If you can learn the truth of some legends from the other party's mouth, it is the best gift for him, an archaeological wizard.

It's a pity that the other party has been talking to a little elf, and Sirius calls him anxious.

And after a few words of communication with the elves, Mage Merlin left the manor with a bright eye.

He really didn't stand a chance.

I can only helplessly follow Sirius away, hoping that there will be a chance in the future.

As for Owen, he's volunteering.

Ever since he said - Grandma, you didn't go to work - after he was beaten.

began to laugh and offer courtesy.

It's leg pinching again, and it's shoulder pinching again.

In a word, he is trying to awaken the few maternal loves of the witch in front of him.

As for Wenda, she did not refuse to come, with her legs on the soft stool, holding a thick layer of parchment in her hand, and correcting it from time to time, leaving Owen running around without saying a word.

It was in this way that Hermione felt more and more dignified.

And—maybe I'm too sensitive.

Does that lady look at her often?

"Ahem—"

Hermione hurriedly put down the teacup in her hand

A cup of tea was tasted by her, and the hot tea turned into herbal tea.

It was her mind fluttering just now, so she almost choked on the water.

Then, she quickly glanced away, pretending to look around

This is a very luxurious estate.

Spacious and bright living room with marble floors smooth as mirrors and exquisite chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

Sunlight pours into the foyer through the windows where the ceiling meets the walls.

At the end of the living room there are hallways leading to the various rooms.

The walls on both sides are covered with some valuable paintings and ornaments.

The paintings—even if Hermione didn't have any artistic expertise, could recognize a dozen or so by the world's great artists, because their styles were so distinct that you could see posters or advertisements based on their paintings everywhere you went.

Hermione seems to have devoted her whole body and soul to the writings of the Impressionists, which had emerged in France in the second half of the nineteenth century.

I want to find out the true intention of the author from those brightly colored lines.

Among these paintings, there is one that catches her eye.

In the painting, crows fly over the wheat field.

The bright yellow wheat fields echo the blue, almost black sky.

It gives people a strong sense of poignant, sadness and despair.

And with the blessing of magic, the originally fixed paintings become vivid and flowing.

This deepens that feeling of sadness even more.

"Allah—I've had a full drink this time!"

Hermione was in the midst of the sadness of the painting.

A light voice saved her!

Archmage Merlin.

After hearing from the Rozier family's house-elves that the manor had an underground wine cellar, he rushed to the paradise of red wine.

It took half an hour to drink before I came back.

"Mage Merlin, you." Hermione withdrew her gaze from the painting.

Hurriedly stood up, pretended to go over to greet him, and deliberately pronounced the word [Merlin] very heavily as he spoke, just trying to stir up the silent atmosphere in the living room.

"Oh—it's still polite for girls." Merlin approached, patted Hermione on the shoulder, and then smiled, settling with her on the couch in the living room, with her staff.

"Polite, you big-headed ghost." Owen immediately jumped out, thinking he couldn't hear the guy beating around the bush and saying that he was rude?

"You guy—" He was about to have a seizure, when the tip of his nose suddenly smacked a series of wine, and in an instant, Owen knew where Merlin had been in half an hour.

"You ran to steal my wine, didn't you?" Owen instantly became angry, "He stole my money before, and now he is stealing wine again, does the great magician [Merlin] like stealing things so much?" ”

Owen shouted louder than Hermione.

Well—his intentions were the same as Hermione's, actually.

It's all about this to get Wenda's attention.

Forehead - mainly because his hands are so sore.

His grandmother just didn't speak, so she didn't stop, she didn't stop.

As for the wine Merlin stole - was that his wine? Although the name is that the Rozier family wants to listen to him, if he really opens his mouth and asks the family to transfer 1.8 million gold galleons to his account first, believe it or not, his grandmother can immediately hang him in front of the manor and beat him.

Oh he! is a hypocrisy, the emperor of Shinra, the emperor of Cao Cao, who the family actually listens to - of course, it is the old woman in front of him

And in the face of the two little wizards shouting so deliberately, it finally attracted Wenda's attention.

She slowly put down the parchment paper in her hand that needed to be corrected, removed her legs from the low chair, and naturally put herself up, then leaned forward slightly, leaning on the armrests of the sofa.

A pair of striking gray eyes slowly fell on Merlin.

On the other side - on the table and chair in the other part of the living room. Professor Lupin also raised his head.

He was in front of all sorts of documents – these were some of the plans that the Federation was going to implement this year, and Professor Lupin's secretariat was going to come up with a draft as soon as possible.

What he has in hand is part of the draft, and he is hurrying to approve and amend it.

"Who is you?" Wenda said softly.

Then the tea cabinet on the wall automatically opened, and the teacups and teapots floated in front of her.

Then a cup of crimson liquid flows into the teacup.

Slowly, the teacup fell into her hand.

She took a sip of tea, but her eyes remained fixed on Archmage Merlin.

She was a little wary of this strange wizard, but because Owen was with him, she didn't say anything.

But as the host, she always had the right to know the identity of the visitor.

"Oh!" Merlin leaned on the couch, his staff turned into petals and disappeared, and then he looked at Wenda in surprise, "You are the little witch who tried to smash open the sea of stars?"

It's been a while, and it looks like you've accepted my thank you. ”

"Thank you?" Wenda frowned, facing this rather familiar guy, he was even more vigilant in his heart, judging from past experience, such a person came here just to deceive some Jin Galleon or plot the status and knowledge of the Rozier family.

There are even - and will try to be the girl of the family - in order to get a straight ticket to enter high society.

There have been too many such guys for hundreds of years.

"It can't be said to be a thank you gift." Merlin rubbed his chin and said lightly, "That's the prize of the test, and anyone who cracks it will get it." ”

"Hehe- I'm a little confused about what you're saying. Do we know each other? Wenda said coldly.

Merlin laughed, a sly glint in his eyes, and seemed pleased with Wenda's vigilance. He replied lightly: "Yes, I have seen it before." I've seen you before. And those interesting experiments of yours. ”

"He's Merlin." Owen immediately fanned the flames on the side and said, "He is outside the earth, observing humans for hundreds of years, and he is also a prophet, with a pair of EX-class clairvoyance, everything that happens to us here is caused by him, in short, it is right to find him if there is a problem." ”

"Merlin?" Wenda's brow furrowed even deeper. She put down the teacup in her hand and her expression became serious.

When she heard the word "experiment", her calm heart was already rippling.

There were some secrets—few people knew, and she didn't think the young wizard in front of her who dared to pretend to be Merlin would know.

"I remember you, you were the key link, you were the first witch in hundreds of years to successfully gouge through the sea of stars. and succeeded in contact with the gods. Merlin said nonchalantly.

Both eyes looked at the paintings on the walls.

Then, inadvertently, he told a shocking secret, "Those who have been before have failed."

I had no choice but to keep the Weasleys accountable for what they shouldn't have to. to delay the birth of a certain person. ”

“.”

Hearing this, Wenda's pupils constricted.

There was a strong sense of uneasiness in my heart.

An extremely absurd thought arose from her mind.

Back then, did the stone carvings she found from the ancient ruins in North America be deliberately placed there?

No—it can't be, those ruins are at least a thousand years old, and the man in front of him - how big can he be.

Unless—unless he's really Merlin.

Wenda took a deep breath, trying to calm the shock inside. She looked at the young wizard in front of her with a lot of thoughts.

Merlin Merlin

Could it be that such a character is really still alive?

————

On the other hand, Wenda's conversation with Merlin also caught Owen's attention, and the thief, he had just said, had never told him. He couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean, those guys from before?" Who is it? ”

In the face of Owen's inquiry, Mage Merlin did not evade, but said bluntly, "Do you think it is easy to deceive the gods?

Oh - I've got a perfect body here, come and take possession!

If only it were that easy. ”

His gaze was on Owen and Wenda, back and forth, "The person who executes this plan must have other goals, or beliefs, so that she can not be doubted in the gods' deception, and in addition to this, she must complete the various tests of the gods, decades of tests."

In this way, there is a possibility of success. ”

"The previous wizards, they couldn't even pass the first level, and most of them turned black into the evil creatures you just saw after seeing the stone tablets I left behind, or they had limited abilities and couldn't do anything at all."

"What do you mean, that group of people in Ionian City, you are also involved?" Owen's face gradually froze, originally he just wanted to distract his grandmother, but now, this conversation is a bit widespread, and it will fall on him in the end.

"Making Variables." Merlin's face was still as usual, and it was clear that what he was saying could be stained with the blood and lives of hundreds of people behind his back, and it was as easy as stating what to eat at noon.

"The thread of fate is not static, what contributes to the realization of destiny is often related to the choice of the individual, in a larger system, if there are enough variables, maybe there will be miracles?

The brave man who saved the world or something.

It would be best if we could achieve our goal halfway, but if we couldn't, it would not hurt us. ”

"Harmless?" Owen sneered, "The Order of the Divine Favor has been raging on all continents for at least a few hundred years, and it is estimated that it will not be a problem for the dead and wounded to fill the entire manor, if this is also called harmless, it is indeed quite harmless." ”

"So they're gone, aren't they?" Merlin said.

"You"

For the first time.

For the first time, Owen realized the ruthlessness and cruelty of the man in front of him.

In order to defeat the outer gods, he is really unscrupulous, and absolutely rational, maybe in his heart, anyone is a chess piece that can be manipulated, as long as he can achieve the goal, he will not hesitate.

A more brutal version of Dumbledore?

How similar to the headmaster.

"Wait—" Suddenly Owen thought of something.

He walked over to Merlin, "To what extent are you involved in this project?"

If you want to guarantee my birth, the union of mother and father"

"Well, I guided it." He admitted it outright.

"Then my grandmother met my grandfather."

"I guided it, too."

"What about my grandfather?"

"The meeting of fate, this is the most important thing, all the aftercauses start from Godric's Valley, only the source."

“Fuck。” Owen stared at Merlin deeply, he had never been so emotionally out of control as he was now, before, when he learned that his fate had been arranged by this Merlin archmage, in fact, Owen had more of an indifferent attitude, he was just a wandering spirit, he had already died once, and he would earn it by living for one more second, as for Merlin's purpose, he didn't bother to know it.

But he won't allow the people around him to be in the calculations of the people in front of him.

In a trance, Owen had the feeling that Snape was facing Dumbledore.

"Then that strange magical world I went to in my dream." He was covered in a chill, and he couldn't help but think of the week in his dream.

That strange, correct world of magic.

"Legend has it that when King Arthur was young, Merlin taught him how to govern the country through dreams." Merlin didn't answer directly, but spoke of his legend.

"You" Owen seemed to be choked, which was the result of his biggest secret - it was also a fucking fake.

Gasping for breath, he slowed down for a long time before he spoke, "Why—why did you dream and pull me into a world like that." ”

"Well—it's a test." Merlin said lightly, and his usual frivolous appearance became more stable

"Test?" Owen raised an eyebrow.

"I wonder what your choices would be in a wrong world, in a situation where you are in the camp of evil."

"So, I'm a good choice." Owen scoffed.

"Yes."

"So what if I choose the wrong one?"

"I don't mind waiting another thousand years." Merlin said flatly.

"You're fucking—you're damned!" Owen roared, then grabbed Merlin's shawl and scolded, "I—they're all free, not pawns or playthings on your chessboard. ”

But Merlin did not heed his anger and continued to elaborate his point calmly: "In this world, there are people who are destined to play an important role, to fight for the greater good. Their fate may not be entirely in their own hands, but their choices and actions can affect the fate of countless people. ”

Owen glared at Merlin, the mysterious man who seemed to know everything about everything, which made him feel a sense of powerless anger and frustration, but Owen knew that no matter how angry he was, he couldn't change Merlin's mind.

"Besides, I respected their will."

He reached out and gently tapped Owen's forehead, and the next moment, Owen suddenly appeared beside Wenda.

"Alternatively, you could ask your grandmother if she regretted meeting a wizard named Gellert Grindelwald. Ask the wizard Grindelwald if he regrets meeting Albus Dumbledore. ”

"I'm not blaspheming their will, I'm just fueling it."

"Hmph—that's interesting."

Wenda suddenly reached out and grabbed Owen before he rushed over and gave the calm guy a kick.

"Do you know who you look like right now?"

"Who?"

"Like my grandfather, like Grindelwald." Owen looked at him mockingly, "No matter how great an excuse is, it can't be changed, what do you do, it's disgusting." ”

"Hiding in the shadows, plotting self-righteous justice."

"Maybe." He didn't refute, but got up on his own, and the staff reappeared in his hands, "You should think this is a joke of a stupid man who interfered with the fate of countless people with a playful mood." ”

Merlin smiled heartily, "Well-compared to these ethereal things, it's really more important to eat." When are we going to eat.

Oops - there was a fight, weren't you all hungry? ”

“.”

There was silence all around, and no one spoke.

"Well, since you don't have much appetite, I'm going to have another drink."

With that, he took his staff and walked towards the outside of the manor step by step.

The marble floor tiles reflect the figure who left alone.

His steps are light but tenacious, and his steps are still so steady.

"Wait—"

Just before Merlin was about to leave the living room door, Owen snarled and spoke, "Why are you telling me this—is this still your test, just to see how I react?" ”

Hearing this, Merlin stopped, then rubbed his head and turned around, "Ahaha-it seems to be." ”

"you." Owen picked up her grandmother's teacup and threw it out like a bomb.

Unfortunately, the teacup went straight through Merlin's body and didn't do him any harm.

"Haha—that's sooner or later." As he spoke, the annoying figure completely disappeared in front of the court.

Owen sat next to Wenda, gasping for breath, Jiang Tao in his mind.

He stared at the paintings on the wall beside him.

He also noticed the painting, the uneasiness buried in the empty field.

Between heaven and earth, it is like a whirlwind rising suddenly, and the waves are turbulent.

There is no trace of peace in sight.

The painting seemed to foreshadow something.

It was his fate.

"What are you playing with that wizard?" At this moment, a cold voice entered Owen's ears.

He glanced sideways at Wenda, and then pretended to be calm and said, "It's nothing, it's just a joke." ”

"Jokes?" Grandma pressed her hand on Owen's head, and the corners of her mouth outlined an arc that seemed to be smiling but not smiling, as if there was a storm condensing.

"Knowing too much is not good for your health, you are in your nineties" said that, Owen's face was pinched by Wenda, and then lifted.

Owen struggled twice, and after feeling the strength of his cheeks growing, he said helplessly: "What—dear, beautiful and elegant grandmother, can we have dinner?" ”

"I'm hungry."

"Hungry?" Wenda let go of her hand and looked at Owen with a complicated look, she knew that the little guy in front of her was changing the subject, and she could feel the turbulent heart behind him pretending to be relaxed.

Her eyes were also on the painting on the wall.

That's what she brought back.

In her most powerless days, she discovered the painting.

The only person who supported her during that time was her own daughter.

Her daughter's strong interest in learning forced her to turn her attention to teaching, which indirectly alleviated her pain at that time.

"Get up." She rubbed Owen's cheek, which had been pinched a little red by herself.

"The restaurant is on the other side."

(End of chapter)