It was the height of summer. Although the hottest days of the year had already passed, the oppressive heat had yet to fade.
Eda was still dressed lightly in a T-shirt and shorts. Her long golden hair was tied into a ponytail that swayed from side to side with her steps, adding a touch of playfulness to her appearance.
There was a bakery on Magnolia Crescent, and that was Eda's destination, the motivation that had driven her out that afternoon despite the scorching sun.
Unlike nearby Privet Drive, Magnolia Crescent had no hedges made of privet bushes, nor did it have those box-shaped houses. The street did not give people that closed-off, cramped feeling.
With a light step, Eda and her mischievous ponytail arrived at the entrance of the little shop.
Before she even pushed open the door, she could smell the distinctive aroma of bread. When she opened the door, besides the wonderfully happy smell filling her nose, a refreshing coolness also greeted her.
What a pleasant mood! As expected, bakeries really were places that made people happy!
Eda looked around the shop, picking and choosing. She wanted to try everything, but there was no way she could eat that much.
At this moment, she had big eyes but a small stomach, and she wished she could transform into Ron Weasley and become Hogwarts' ultimate eating champion.
Suddenly afflicted with indecisiveness, Eda hesitated for a very long time. It was not until the sun gradually began to set that she finally made her extremely difficult decision.
But even after buying a large bag of bread, Eda did not leave immediately. After hesitating once more, she asked, "Excuse me, which one is the sweetest thing in the shop?"
The young shop assistant gave her an extremely sweet smile and pointed toward the doughnuts in the display window. She was not an especially beautiful girl, but when she smiled, she seemed incredibly friendly and comforting.
Just one glance was enough for Eda to feel a powerful ache in her teeth. This was the one! Eda raised one finger and said decisively, "I'll have one!"
In the end, carrying a bag of bread and a doughnut even sweeter than the shop assistant's smile, Eda walked out of the bakery that had filled her with happiness.
After wandering around for a while, Eda arrived at a small amusement park nearby, the same amusement park where she had first met Harry.
Speaking of Harry, she had to mention the Dementor attack he had suffered a week ago. Fortunately, it had only been a false alarm. If the Dementors had actually succeeded, Voldemort's magically evil "Eh-heh-heh" would have echoed throughout the universe.
Just a few days ago, the Order of the Phoenix's advance guard, led by Alastor Moody, had arrived at Privet Drive and taken the miserable Harry to London.
Half of the people who had protected Harry during the transfer were people Eda knew, and she could even say she was quite familiar with them.
There was no need to mention Moody, Sirius, and Lupin. She had met all three of them at school.
Nymphadora Tonks was the upperclassman Eda had unexpectedly met after being followed by someone. Tonks had passed her examinations last year and become a fully qualified Auror.
Dedalus Diggle was someone Eda had met when she worked as the Leaky Cauldron's waitress. He always said that he had seen Harry Potter. At the time, the pub's customers all thought Dedalus was bragging, but in reality, he really had seen him.
Kingsley Shacklebolt was an Auror Eda had seen many times, an Auror trusted by Fudge. They had first met at St. Mungo's, while their most recent meeting had been in Little Hangleton village.
That was what Eda found most amusing. The Auror trusted by Fudge was actually a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Eda really wanted to "eh-heh-heh" too.
As for the remaining four, Elphias Doge, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore, and Hestia Jones, Eda did not know any of them. However, since they had been sent to protect Harry during the transfer, they should also have been people Dumbledore trusted.
Eda sat on a bench in the shade of a tree, taking a bite of sweet, soft bread followed by a sip of cold, refreshing iced coffee. It was wonderfully relaxing.
"You're really not going to come out?" Eda said to the empty air in front of her. She had already finished the bread in her hand. "Fine. If you don't come out soon, I'm going to eat all of this!"
There was no response, as though Eda really was talking to herself.
But just as Eda reached out her sinful hand toward the doughnut...
"Take your hand away!" Dumbledore's voice came from the air, distant and faint. Yet the voice sounded not wise in the slightest, but rather extremely hungry.
Eda sensibly withdrew her sinful hand and teased, "You're going to come out sooner or later. Why drag it out until now?"
"When did you discover me?" Dumbledore asked.
The Headmaster suddenly appeared on the bench. With one hand, he grabbed the extra-sweet doughnut Eda had deliberately bought, while his other hand picked up the extra cup of iced coffee.
Eda did not immediately answer the Headmaster's question. She had been utterly shocked by Dumbledore. She felt that a doughnut sweet enough to make her teeth fall out after one bite was being devoured by Dumbledore with great relish, without him spitting out a single tooth.
"Professor, are you really sure you don't need to make an appointment with a dentist?" Eda asked weakly. "Hermione's parents happen to be dentists. If you need..."
Dumbledore remained focused on the doughnut in his hand, completely uninterested in Eda's recommendation.
Before long, Dumbledore had devoured the doughnut. He sipped his iced coffee noisily, looking even more content than Eda had earlier.
After eating and drinking his fill, Dumbledore switched into his wise and intelligent Headmaster mode. He said, "I came here from Hampshire."
At this point, it was necessary to mention the geographical location of Surrey, where Little Whinging was located. Surrey bordered London, Kent to the east, and Hampshire to the west.
That was the same Hampshire where Welfare Village was located, and where the Fowley family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families, had lived for generations.
"Oh." Eda responded indifferently and absentmindedly picked up a bread roll.
"When I went there, I happened to arrive in time for a funeral," Dumbledore said. "The Fowley family's funeral..."
Eda shot to her feet. She even pulled out the baguette she had placed in the bag, and her good mood for the entire day was completely ruined.
She said agitatedly, "What are they trying to do? That bastard had barely been locked up in Azkaban when they immediately started pulling strings and using connections everywhere, trying to get him released! Later, they finally got their wish, and that bastard escaped from Azkaban! Now he doesn't even have ashes left, and they're still holding a funeral for him! What are they trying to do?"
"Calm down, calm down. You have to let me finish what I'm saying!" Dumbledore said. He held his iced coffee in one hand while protecting the precarious bag of bread with the other.
"I can't calm down!" Eda said. "I'm not as good-natured as you are, able to remain completely unmoved even when people bully you!"
Over the years, Eda had seen Lucius Malfoy's provocations toward Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge's suppression of Dumbledore.
This was Dumbledore they were dealing with. If it had been Tom Riddle, or Grindelwald, would they dare?
Even if they had twice the courage, they would not dare! The kind-hearted were bullied, and even good horses were ridden to death. This principle applied everywhere.
"It wasn't Benedict Fowley's funeral, but his father's," Dumbledore finished what he had been saying. "I heard he died suddenly. A reason for death that works in any situation."
Eda stopped making a fuss and sat back down on the bench. She also stuffed the baguette back into the bag.
"What does this mean?" Eda asked doubtfully. "Is this their way of giving you, or the Ministry of Magic, an explanation? Sacrificing a pawn to save the king?"
That was what Eda thought. The reason the Fowley family was willing to abandon this father and son was to preserve the family itself and prevent Dumbledore or the Ministry of Magic from coming after them.
"During the First Wizarding War, the Fowley family always remained independent and stayed out of the conflict," Dumbledore said. "They neither openly supported Tom nor openly supported the Ministry of Magic."
The reason Dumbledore had previously prevented Eda from going to Welfare Village was because he was afraid that once her temper flared, she would completely offend the family and push them onto the opposing side.
Eda naturally understood the Headmaster's intentions, which was why, in a fit of anger, she had run to the orphanage instead of directly going to Hampshire.
The Fowley family was one of the so-called Sacred Twenty-Eight.
Whether Voldemort, who advocated pure-blood supremacy, won, or the Ministry of Magic, which favored pure-bloods, continued to rule, there was not much difference for this pure-blood family.
Since that was the case, why should the Fowley family take the risk of openly supporting either side? They could simply sit on the sidelines. No matter who ultimately won, they would not lose out.
The development of events also proved that the Fowley family's choice had not been wrong. After Voldemort's defeat, the families that had openly supported Voldemort all met unfortunate ends.
The British Rosiers simply disappeared, while the entire Lestrange family moved into Azkaban... Even the Malfoys and Averys, who had escaped trial, still had to give enormous wealth to the Ministry of Magic.
Many pure-blood families suffered devastating blows, but the Fowley family managed to preserve itself by staying out of the conflict. In order to maintain its rule, the Ministry of Magic had no choice but to rely on them.
This time, they had chosen to use the same strategy again, once more refusing to openly support either side. After all, when the day came for the war to be won, they would not be lacking their share of the spoils of victory.
Eda silently cursed. The Fowley family's so-called neutrality made her feel particularly disgusted. They simply wanted to enjoy the benefits without bearing any of the costs. What a load of rubbish this "neutrality" was.
"Professor, you came all the way here in this hot weather. You didn't come just to bring up this disgusting family, did you?"
"Of course not." Dumbledore put down the empty iced coffee cup. "I came to find you because I have something important to discuss."
...
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