Dorset, the Red-Roofed Cottage.
Adam and Newt were out clearing the snow. Even though they could've just whipped out their wands and cleared it in a flash, they'd opted for good old-fashioned shovels and brooms instead.
Newt leaned on his shovel and slowly pulled a handful of thawing salt from his pocket, sprinkling it liberally on the ground in front of him. He then discreetly glanced back at the cottage, and when he saw no one was standing in the kitchen window, he asked Adam in a low voice, "What did you do to get Tina so mad?"
Adam, wearing thick woollen gloves, was busy rolling up snowballs. He picked up the Emicat, who had come out to watch, and used its little paws to make some paw-print patterns on the snowballs. He then tossed one with all his might into the distant woods, where it hit a garden gnome trying to dig its way into the garden. The sight of the stunned gnome eased his frustration a little, and he turned to Newt to explain.
"It's no big deal, really. It's just that I didn't write to Grandma Tina to tell her about all the little things that happened at school."
Newt raised an eyebrow, his gut telling him those "little things" weren't so simple.
That's because Tina had been talking to him all night about how to get Adam and Shirley to transfer schools. She was dead set on sending them to Ilvermorny in America, or even Beauxbatons in France. She was convinced Hogwarts was just too dangerous, especially after she'd read the letter Dumbledore had sent Newt, which only cemented her opinion.
Based on Dumbledore's knowledge of Voldemort, he suspected that Tom had likely created many Horcruxes. He was hoping Newt would soon take a trip to the forests of Albania to investigate the peculiar deaths of the animals there.
Unfortunately, Newt hadn't even finished a cup of afternoon tea after submitting his entry application before an owl delivered a rejection letter. The Albanian Ministry of Magic's letter politely stated that no magical creatures had been sighted in the forest and suggested Newt travel to other nearby countries. They even offered to prepare a few passports for him to disguise his identity, should he be interested, and promised he wouldn't be discovered by anyone.
"Alright, but I think after this holiday, you'd better stay put in the castle," Newt said, pausing to glance back at the cottage window. "And stop putting dangerous creatures like three-headed dogs in your suitcase..." He then sighed. "Never mind, I have a feeling you won't listen. Let's just decorate this Christmas tree. I think the holly and mistletoe were left in the courtyard."
Before he could finish, Adam had already raised his wand and whispered, "Holly, Accio! Mistletoe, Accio!"
The two of them quickly used the Levitation Charm to hang the decorations on the tree, turning the leftover mistletoe into a wreath and tying on a dozen sparkling golden pinecones.
Just as Adam was about to place a shiny five-pointed star on the top of the Christmas tree, a clumsy owl fluttered its wings and collided with the floating star, tumbling to the ground and staying still for a moment.
Adam pulled a small piece of dried jerky from his bag and poked the owl, who was playing dead, wondering how it had managed to get in. With the protective spells around, it shouldn't have been able to find the red-roofed cottage at all; it should have dropped the letter off in the mailbox disguised as a tree stump not far from the woods.
The fledgling owl was embarrassed, but it gratefully took the jerky, shook the snow from its feathers, and hooted nervously.
Newt picked up the letter from the ground, looked at the address, and a smile played on his lips. "It must have gone to the wrong place," he told Adam. "This letter is for our little neighbour next door. You should go deliver it. There's not much left to do here, I can handle the rest myself." He didn't give Adam a chance to refuse, shoving the letter into his hand and pushing him out before closing the gate behind him.
On the street outside, Adam and the owl locked eyes. It tilted its head and hooted twice at him. "Alright, you're a dedicated one," Adam said. "Once you see me hand the letter over, you can fly away." Adam walked over to the nearby cottage and knocked. The house-elf, Lilith, had a small, ever-present smile on her face when she saw him. The little witch was sitting by the fireplace, wearing a thick pair of pyjamas and reading. When Adam suddenly walked in, her face turned bright red and she hid the book behind her back.
A look of surprise crossed Shirley's face when she saw the letter. She hesitated for a moment before saying quietly, "This looks like a letter from Aunt Colleen..."
Adam's hand, which was holding out the envelope, froze. He quickly pulled a crystal from his pouch—one of Tina's signature curse-detecting crystals—and checked for any dark magic. Only after confirming that no light was floating from the crystal did he carefully hand it to Shirley and ask seriously, "Does she often write to you?"
"Every couple of weeks or so," Shirley replied. "But I haven't gotten any since I started at Hogwarts."
Adam frowned and leaned in close, watching as Shirley opened the envelope. The fireplace was warm and cozy, with sparks crackling as they jumped, lighting up the little witch's slightly flushed cheeks.
The letter was short. Other than a few Merry Christmas wishes, the rest was all about asking how Shirley's life at Hogwarts was going. It seemed like a simple, harmless letter, but it made Shirley frown. "Something feels off," she said seriously. "Aunt Colleen rarely asks me about these things. She usually shares little details from her own life, but this time she didn't mention a single one." She pointed to the last few lines. "And look here," she added, "The handwriting is really sloppy, like she was in a hurry."
Adam took the letter, scrutinizing it for any hidden messages, but couldn't find a thing. He turned to the little witch, whose face was etched with worry, and asked gently, "Are you very worried about her?"
Shirley stared at the pocket watch in her palm. Inside the watch face was an old photo of two girls smiling in a field of flowers. After a long silence, she said in a small, crestfallen voice, "Because she might be the only relative left in the world who still cares about me. But I just can't get over what she did to Mrs. Cole, especially after I saw her with her wand..."
Adam gently ruffled her hair. "You know," he said suddenly, "if you just asked her directly, you might find out the truth about what happened back then."
Shirley propped her chin on her hand and sighed, the half-finished blue and white scarf and the 'Best Scarf Knitting Manual' behind her now visible. "She lives in France," Shirley said. "Even if I sent a letter now, it would take too long. And I think this is something I should talk to Aunt Colleen about in person."
"Who says it's too late?" Adam said, setting his small suitcase on the ground and opening it. "Since there's a chance for a trip, I'd like to meet her myself."
A plump little creature with a head like a dragon's but the body of a round, flightless dodo bird poked its head out. It flapped its chubby little wings, struggled to fly over to Adam, and affectionately rubbed against his cheek.
read more inpatreon
ilham20