"They begged you to do this. Your parents."
Bryan narrowed his eyes, staring intensely into Amelia's brown pupils which were nearly identical to his own natural eye color, both reflecting the warm firelight from the hearth in the same way.
He tried to detect any trace of dishonesty, any flicker of uncertainty that would show she was exaggerating or lying. But after a long moment of scrutiny, his attempt ended in complete failure. She was telling the truth.
After a long heavy silence, Bryan shook his head slightly with resignation, his voice dropping lower and taking on a softer tone.
"They may not fully understand how truly dangerous this is, Amelia. The reality of war, of facing Death Eaters and dark magic. You know your parents have already lost one daughter. Do you really want them to potentially lose another at their age?"
"I already told you—they understand the full situation."
Amelia's fists, resting on her knees beneath the table, clenched tightly.
"They know the British magical community may be facing another devastating war. I explained everything in detail about Voldemort's return, the Ministry's denial. But that's precisely why we all agreed together, after long discussion, that I should return to Britain to help you because you're the one facing the greatest danger."
Bryan had to admit, with reluctant warmth spreading through his chest, that he felt the warmth of family affection. The knowledge that someone cared enough to risk everything for him was deeply moving.
But it was exactly because of this feeling that he refused more adamantly to let Amelia willingly throw herself into the vortex of violence and death.
"No one can put me in danger, Amelia."
Bryan's tone turned deliberately cold and hard.
"And even if I truly faced danger that I couldn't handle alone, if I somehow can't protect myself despite my power, forgive my bluntness, Amelia—what exactly could you do?"
"I can help you fight the Death Eaters, just like Remus and Sirius do!"
A flush rose on Amelia's cheeks as she countered defiantly, her voice rising with passion. "Join the Order of the Phoenix! I can learn, I can fight—"
"Oh, I'm sorry to disappoint you—"
Bryan felt a headache coming on, pressing his fingers against his temples.
"The Order of the Phoenix isn't mine to run or control. I don't have any say in membership decisions. That's entirely Dumbledore's domain."
"I know that already."
Amelia seemed to have anticipated this response. The moment Bryan finished speaking, she quickly said with eagerness,
"So, I plan to write to Professor Dumbledore directly and ask him to allow me to join the Order of the Phoenix. This is my own decision as an adult witch, and you have no right to interfere, Bryan."
"Dumbledore won't agree either to admit you."
Bryan's eyebrows shot up sharply, his voice carrying an icy edge mixed with a trace of exasperation. It was a rare display of strong emotion for someone usually so controlled.
"He knows perfectly well that if he lets you join the Order without my permission, he'll very likely lose his office at Hogwarts—because I'll burn it to the ground myself!"
To be completely honest with himself, Bryan didn't regret making contact with the Depp couple in New York. Nor did he particularly care on a personal level that his identity and origins had been exposed to them.
But when he'd first sensed Amelia's magical signature at the airport earlier, when he'd realized who was following them, he did feel a sharp twinge of regret.
He truly hadn't anticipated that Amelia would secretly resign from her position at MACUSA and come all the way to Britain to join a war that had absolutely nothing to do with her, that wasn't her responsibility.
The future was uncertain and dark. Even he, with all his power and knowledge, couldn't guarantee that he'd make it through the coming conflict safely, not with so many unknown dangers still lurking in the shadows, not with Voldemort's plans still unclear.
Let alone Amelia, who had only graduated from magical school two years ago and whose combat experience was limited to a single vampire hunt.
If anything happened to Amelia in the war, he would have to bear full responsibility. He would have to tell her parents that he'd failed to protect their only remaining daughter.
The atmosphere in the dining room had completely frozen, the air was filled with tension. Amelia and Bryan glared at each other across the wooden table, both seeing unwavering determination reflected in the other's eyes.
Neither would back down.
"Cough, cough—"
A sudden, deliberate cough broke the silence. The wooden door on the stairs was pushed open with a creak, revealing Sirius and Remus with somewhat pale, guilty faces. They'd clearly been listening for some time.
When Bryan's rather "ominous" gaze shot toward them with accusatory force, the embarrassment on their faces deepened.
"I think you two—"
Looking at the two stiff-faced people still locked in their silent standoff, Sirius clicked his tongue with feigned surprise and awkwardness.
"You weren't arguing, were you? We heard raised voices..."
The corner of Bryan's mouth twitched with irritation, but he said nothing in response. Amelia likewise pressed her lips together in a thin line, fuming silently.
Seeing this tense scene, Sirius awkwardly scratched his eyebrow, clearly unsure of what to say to diffuse the situation.
Remus as always, the more perceptive one wouldn't naively assume that Bryan hadn't noticed their eavesdropping. He was the first to step slowly into the dining room and pulled out a chair to sit down.
After carefully observing the expressions of the two confronting people, noting the subtle similarities in their stubborn expression, he suddenly smiled gently.
"I have to say, blood relation is a wondrous thing, isn't it? Quite remarkable."
At these words, Amelia and Bryan reacted in completely opposite ways.
Amelia's expression immediately softened considerably, her shoulders relaxing. While Bryan's face, by stark contrast, became even colder and harder.
"To be fair, Bryan—"
Sirius followed Remus's lead, casually pulling out a chair and sitting down as if this were a normal dinner conversation. Looking at Bryan with sincere directness, he said:
"Amelia is an excellent adult witch. We all saw that during the vampire battle. She has the right to decide what she wants to do with her own life and the ability to take responsibility for her own decisions, doesn't she?"
Bryan wasn't ignorant of these simple truths, these basic principles of independence and respect. In fact, he knew perfectly well he truly had no right to interfere with Amelia's autonomous decisions about her own life. But perhaps, as Remus had said, blood relation was indeed a wondrous and strange thing.
Even though he had always appeared quite indifferent to family ties, had built his entire life without them, when it actually involved him personally, when someone claimed him as family, he found himself unable to completely let go.
Sirius and Remus appearing in the kitchen at this particular moment, breaking the stalemate, clearly meant they were here to actively resolve the conflict between the two, to mediate and find middle ground.
Remus, who was himself somewhat closer to Amelia at the table, also looked at her kindly and said with gentle honesty,
"As a member of the Order of the Phoenix myself, Amelia, I'm very grateful for your recognition of the Order and of us members. Your willingness to fight means a great deal. I'm sure Albus would be very pleased to see a foreign witch voluntarily join the resistance against Voldemort. However—"
He paused meaningfully.
"I believe that even without Bryan's interference or objections, Albus probably wouldn't easily agree to let you into the Order of the Phoenix. Not immediately."
Amelia froze, her confident expression faltering. She turned her gaze toward Remus in confusion and disappointment.
"You see, the Order of the Phoenix is a top-secret organization operating completely outside official channels," Remus explained patiently. "Albus created it specifically to resist Voldemort's forces during the first war, and he's restarted it now. This is an extremely dangerous undertaking, perhaps the most dangerous work anyone can do.
We not only face external pressure from Death Eaters and dark creatures—internally, we must also constantly guard against those who might betray our cause, whether unable to withstand the fear of death and torture, or succumbing to the temptation of personal gain and promised power.
If such people appear among us, if we're betrayed, they could bring fatal danger to all Order members and their families. So Albus couldn't possibly easily admit a witch he doesn't know personally, whose character he hasn't observed over time."
Amelia frowned as she listened to Remus's careful explanation, processing this perspective. Emotionally, she felt somewhat disappointed, this was yet another obstacle. But thinking rationally, forcing herself past her initial reaction, what Remus said did make sense.
From the perspective of the Order's leader, from Professor Dumbledore's position of responsibility, he couldn't possibly make an exception just because she was related to Bryan. He couldn't accept a witch he barely knew into the Order of the Phoenix without proper inspection, no matter how eager she was.
"The struggle won't end in a day, Amelia."
Remus said gently.
"This will likely be a long, difficult fight. I don't think you need to rush immediately to join the Order of the Phoenix. You also need some time to understand the situation here, to see what you're really committing to, before deciding whether to stand with us in this particular way. In the meantime—"
Remus glanced at Bryan carefully, and seeing his expression had calmed to something more neutral as he listened, relaxed slightly before continuing,
"You could first take a position at our workshop to support yourself financially and get settled."
With Remus and Sirius's patient mediation efforts, with both men working to find compromise, Bryan and Amelia finally reached a "preliminary consensus".
After dinner ended in a relatively pleasant atmosphere, Sirius enthusiastically offered to show Amelia around the Black Manor's many rooms. Having received Bryan's subtle nod of tacit permission, Amelia's spirits lifted considerably, and she gladly accepted the invitation.
After listening with fascination to Sirius's detailed account of how ownership of this ancient Manor had ended up in Bryan's hands, Amelia couldn't help but giggle at the absurdity.
"I need a place to stay while I'm in London, but I don't know the city very well—"
But once her laughter subsided, Amelia suddenly remembered this practical matter. She turned her head, biting her lip nervously as she looked at Bryan with a troubled, uncertain expression.
Bryan's face remained tense for a moment. Then he sighed deeply in acceptance and resignation, and said:
"Just stay in this house. The Black Manor's defensive magic is comprehensive and ancient with some of the best wards in Britain. There aren't many places in the entire British magical community safer than here, especially with the protections I've added. This is the most suitable place for you."
Amelia's eyes immediately lit up with joy. She knew instinctively this meant Bryan was no longer actively preventing her from staying in London.
Sirius and Remus exchanged knowing glances and smiled in unison, pleased with this outcome.
All along, the Bryan they knew was a man of his word, someone who rarely changed his decisions once made. His mind was usually set. This unexpected flexibility showed that Amelia already held significant weight in his heart, whether he admitted it to himself or not.
This was a good thing, a very good thing. Though they had never discussed it directly with Bryan out of respect for his privacy, as his closest friends, both Sirius and Remus could vaguely sense that deep in Bryan's heart existed a block of solid ice—perhaps caused by his tragic origins, by years of emotional isolation.
But Amelia's appearance, her insistence on being family, seemed to show promising signs of melting that ice, of bringing warmth to places that had been cold for too long.
Night fell gently over the quiet square on London's outskirts, adding a touch of ethereal, almost magical quality to the cool wind wandering between wilderness and city boundaries. Stars emerged one by one in the clearing sky.
"Get some rest early tonight—"
Bathed in the bright moonlight streaming through the kitchen windows, Bryan seemed to radiate a gentle glow himself as he looked at Amelia warmly.
"Tomorrow we'll go to Diagon Alley together."
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