Dinner was ready quickly, and Cocoa hurried to invite Senna, who hadn't shown her face much for the past two or three days, to come eat.
At the dinner table, Senna grabbed Fry and forcibly stuffed him into his little basket.
She announced she was going to participate in the International Potioneer Certification Assessment.
"I won't miss it again. This time, no matter what, I'm going to earn an Advanced Potioneer certification!"
Senna took a fierce gulp of wine and slammed her glass on the table, looking seriously at Lys and then at Noah:
"I'm going to America for the assessment. I'm leaving little Fly with you two. Take good care of him at home and don't let him chew on my materials."
Lys and Noah exchanged glances, asking cautiously: "Don't they allow family members to accompany contestants?"
Noah was thinking about Senna's terrible spellwork and temper.
Lys was thinking about those Death Eaters who had fled to unknown destinations.
Because of Bellatrix's actions that time, Senna's appearance had been exposed to some Death Eaters. The American wizarding world, due to its vast territory and sparse population, had become the favorite destination for illegal immigrants. No one knew if there might be escaped Death Eaters among these stowaways.
Lys was genuinely worried about Mother's safety.
Senna didn't seem to have considered this issue. She pulled out a qualification confirmation form from her robes and looked it over.
It didn't clearly specify these details, only mentioning matters requiring attention during the certification assessment, such as bringing your own rare materials.
Lys took it and studied it, deciding the whole family should go together.
But her decision quickly hit a snag.
The problem lay with Noah's identity. His werewolf status meant every movement represented extreme complications.
Exit procedures were relatively manageable—whether leaving from Britain or Germany, Lys had connections that could get the relevant departments to approve applications.
The tricky part was entry procedures. The country hosting the Potioneer Certification Assessment neither allowed nor approved applications from Noah, a werewolf.
Lys didn't want to leave Noah home alone. Even when traveling, Lys was confident she could control Noah during the full moon and prevent him from wandering off.
She made several attempts to secure approval for entry procedures to the other country, but received no permission. Finally, she approached the Karkaroff family's steward.
However, after taking on the international-level examination, the American wizarding world had become far stricter in managing incoming personnel, which meant Lys ultimately couldn't get her way.
Moreover, the Karkaroff family's steward showed Lys a regulation from there regarding the treatment of werewolves and other non-wizard creatures.
Lys could only thank him quietly after a moment of silence, abandoning her plan to bring Noah along.
American Magical Congress Non-Wizard and Near-Wizard Creature Management Act, 12th Supplementary Clause:
...When wizards face attacks from non-wizard or near-wizard species (including but not limited to werewolves, vampires, etc.) who fail to promptly prove their identity, any retaliatory action resulting in the attacker's death shall bear no responsibility...
Upon discovering unregistered werewolves and any highly aggressive, highly contagious near-wizard creatures, the American Magical Congress possesses all rights of attack and interpretation.
This was the status of werewolves in the American wizarding world. It was said to stem from historical legacy issues in their homeland—they had even had a history of hunting werewolves.
However, Noah had long anticipated this. He said it didn't matter. This kind of assessment would take half a month at the quickest, a month at most. With Cocoa there, he'd just need to be more careful during the full moon.
Senna even hesitated as the assessment approached. She really wasn't comfortable leaving Noah home alone to get through the full moon period.
But Noah talked her out of both leaving Lys at home and skipping the assessment entirely.
"You wanted to take this assessment when we first got married, but then little star arrived. Later, because of me, you couldn't leave this house. Now there's an opportunity. Even if it's so I won't feel so guilty, you have to go, all right?"
Seeing Senna still wanted to say something, Noah quickly added: "With little star by your side, I can rest easy. I've seen our daughter fight—she's really wonderful and gives people such a sense of security, doesn't she? So I won't worry so much, okay?"
Lys's response was to fill Senna's material shelves with rare ingredients she'd scrounged from who knows where, letting Senna practice potion-making.
When spring warmed and flowers bloomed, Lys carried Senna's luggage and material cases, used a Flying Charm to make Crunch and little brother Freedom float beside her, and said goodbye to Noah.
"Father, don't leave home easily. During the full moon, make sure to take protective measures and don't hurt yourself... Remember, I've put emergency Portkeys in the cupboard and under your pillow. Don't remove the alchemical items from your body, not even when bathing or sleeping... If there's anything that needs resolving, send a letter to this address—someone will help solve it. Wait patiently at home. Mother and I will definitely return with excellent results."
Lys fussed over Noah with instructions for quite a while, as if she were the parent.
And... yes, Lys had also registered, just so she could stay with Mother in the closed examination venue for contestants... This assessment had all sorts of people mixed together, and Lys wasn't comfortable with that.
Noah waved his hand with bittersweet emotions, then watched his wife and daughter Disapparate with their snake and son in tow.
Back in the house, without Fry's cheerful "gaga" laughter, only the sounds of Cocoa doing housework could be heard, making Noah feel rather unsettled.
After wandering around, he looked at the pet perch in the living room. Only the sleeping Cerebird was there—his son's Pygmy Puff was nowhere to be seen. Noah searched everywhere, even trying Summoning Charms and snack temptation, but couldn't find it anywhere.
"Cocoa! Where's Furball?"
Cocoa stared with his large eyes, hands clasped together, answering earnestly: "Oh, Master, Furball was taken by little Master Fry—packed in Miss Lys's trunk."
"..."
"Master, is there anything else you'd like to ask Cocoa?" Cocoa looked at Noah expectantly, hoping Noah would give him some work.
But Noah just opened his mouth and waved his hand, indicating Cocoa had nothing else to do.
He could only pray that Lys wouldn't be startled when she opened the trunk again. He'd only learned during Lys's last visit home that his daughter had developed an aversion to furry animals appearing suddenly.
He felt somewhat helpless about this. He suspected it was because of himself, this werewolf—he was the greatest shadow cast over this household.
Restraining his spiraling thoughts, he opened the newspaper on the sofa and a dictionary, but he couldn't concentrate on reading, let alone continue learning new words.
Standing up and pacing, not knowing what he wanted to do, Noah sat back on the sofa and picked up the newspaper. Even by nightfall, he hadn't absorbed a single word.
He stared at the densely packed text in the newspaper and returned to his study.
"Little star's account ledgers could perhaps be more streamlined. After all, if they're too complicated to write, she won't be able to find the right figures when arguing with others over accounts..."
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