The green fire swallowed him up. When Hoffa reappeared, he was standing on the smooth wooden floor with three simple rings of hanging lights above his head. The house was quiet and there was not much noise.
The clock in the house was shaking slowly. The steel eagle statue on the clock saw him and nodded at him. Hoffa also nodded at the statue. The statue extended its wings and pointed at the stairs. That was his statue butler, Adebe Ghoshak's wedding gift to him.
Hoffa walked up the stairs. At the corner of the stairs was a row of moving old photos. They were taken before he and Miranda got married. There were photos of Rome, Antarctica, the jungles of South America, and Tibet. He had been so busy that he did not have time to pay attention to it. It was not until he received Dumbledore's letter that he realized it. He had not gone on an adventure for 15 years and had not gone on a vacation with his family.
At a door on the second floor, he heard the faint sound of water flowing.
Hoffa pushed the door open.
A girl with long brown hair was sitting inside. She was about 13 years old and was lying in front of a big fish tank. Her black eyes were wide open as she observed carefully. The sound of water was coming from the fish tank.
Hoffa asked, "Chloe?"
"Shh …"
The girl quickly put her finger on her lips to stop him from talking. Hoffa did not say anything.
After a while, the girl waved at Hoffa. "Dad, look."
"Chloe …" Hoffa gently closed the door of his daughter's room and walked to her side. He touched her long brown hair. "Brother didn't come back?"
"No, come and see."
The girl waved at him without raising her head.
Hoffa put his head to the side of the fish tank, together with his daughter's little head. On the reef in the fish tank, there was a small and strange colorful seahorse. It was swimming and dancing with a pair of wings on its back.
Every time it flapped its wings, bits of debris would fall from its wings. It was very beautiful.
"Winged Seahorse," the girl whispered. "Do you see it? It's dancing."
"I see it."
Hoffa said. This fish tank was given to his daughter on her eleventh birthday. Naturally, he knew about the species in the fish tank. It was the Winged Seahorse, a magical and beautiful creature. When the male reached sexual maturity, it would grow a pair of beautiful dorsal fins. The dorsal fins were rich in nutrients, and during courtship, the dorsal fins would shatter and turn into nutrients to attract the female Winged Seahorse to mate.
As expected, after a short while, a timid female Winged Seahorse quietly emerged from behind the reef. She slowly swam towards the debris left by the male seahorse.
Chloe excitedly grabbed Hoffa's arm and whispered, "It's about to begin … It's about to begin …"
As expected, while the female seahorse was enjoying the nutrients on the male seahorse's wings, the male seahorse slid down at lightning speed and bit the back of the female seahorse.
The female seahorse immediately resisted, but after a series of scuffles, it was no match for the male seahorse. It was pinned under its body, and indescribable things began to happen.
Phew …
After watching the Winged Seahorse mate, Chloe stood up in satisfaction and let out a satisfied sigh. Then, she asked Hoffa, "Daddy, is this how you treat Mommy?"
Hoffa was speechless. "I'm not."
"Then how did I get here?"
"I picked it up," Hoffa immediately said. He then added, "In the trash."
"Tsk," Chloe immediately said, "You might be able to fool an idiot like my brother, but you won't be able to fool me."
Hoffa pursed his lips and stroked her hair. He asked, "Why didn't you go to class today?"
"I asked for leave to avoid embarrassing myself," the girl said faintly.
She leaned back into the fish tank and said with a pout, "That Sizerville fellow will definitely make a fool of himself and embarrass me. I won't let my friends know that he's my younger brother."
Hoffa broke out in cold sweat. His daughter had already predicted what would happen, but he had no idea. Could it be that he had not paid enough attention to his son?
Then, Chloe used her finger to draw circles on the fish tank. Bored to death, she asked, "Daddy, are you really not going to tell me how I got here?"
"You'll know when you grow up," Hoffa said.
"But I'm really curious. Why is my brother's body different from mine?" she asked, puzzled.
"You're a girl now."
Hoffa said. His daughter had grown up, and he would have to take separate baths in the future.
"Why are girls different from boys?" Chloe asked again.
"I was born with it." Hoffa shrugged.
"Why are we born with different bodies?" Chloe asked again.
"Because …"
Hoffa scratched his head. He did not know why either. However, his eldest daughter would always ask him all kinds of strange questions, and she would never stop asking. Usually, one question would be followed by a long string of "why" s, which gave him a headache. It was also a little embarrassing. Look, those big eyes were staring straight at him, waiting for his answer. It made him feel that his dignity as a father was slipping away with time.
Fortunately, someone appeared to help him out.
There was the sound of a Mirage shifting outside the door.
What followed was a big fuss. "Let go of me, Mom. If you keep pulling me like this, all my hair will fall out! Oh, God, do you know how long I've been combing my hair today? "
In front of the fish tank, Chloe pursed her lips and said in disgust, "Ha, the idiot is back."
Huo Fa sighed. That's right, that voice belonged to his own son, for sure.
He left Chloe's room and saw a black magic flying car parked outside the door. A beautiful short-haired woman dragged a little boy out of the car. She was wearing black sunglasses and holding a small black leather bag in her hand. She was so angry that her lips were tightly pursed. Her other hand was holding the little boy's clothes by the back of his neck. The little boy was wriggling around in her hand like a monkey.
The front door of the car opened, and the young man who was driving the car came out. He was dressed strangely. Most of his body was made of silver metal, and only a small part of him was made of flesh and blood.
The metal-clad young man caught up to the woman and begged, "Sister, don't do this. He's still young. He doesn't know anything."
"Uncle, save me! My mom is going to kill me! "The wriggling boy saw that the young man was begging for mercy and immediately yelled.
The young man saw the tears in the boy's eyes and felt sorry for him. He quickly squatted down and said, "Oh, my dear nephew, you can hit people if you want, but you should at least learn the Amnesia Curse first. Next time, after you hit them, use the Amnesia Curse on them. That way, they won't report you …"
"Mille!!"
Miranda was fuming with anger at this uncle and nephew pair. She kicked the young man and said, "Get back to driving your car. If you dare to indoctrinate him with such rubbish thoughts again, I'll tear you apart!"
"Ahhhh."
Mille was kicked. He clutched his waist and got into the magic flying car with a sigh. He started the car and poked his head out of the window. He shouted at the boy, "Remember, the Amnesia Curse, forget everything …"
Bang!!
A spell was cast on Mille's car door, shattering the glass. Mille drove his magic flying car and fled.
As soon as the young man left, Miranda was so angry that she threw the naughty boy, who had black circles under his eyes and a nosebleed, on the sofa. She picked up her wand and was about to beat him up. The boy immediately jumped down from the sofa and ran around the house with his hands covering his head. He ran around the house at lightning speed, laughing as he ran. "You can't catch me, you can't catch me …"
Hoffa saw Mille drive away and sighed helplessly. He turned down the stairs and stopped the boy.
The boy, who was playing hide and seek with his mother, bumped into Hoffa's stomach. He looked up and saw a face with the back of the light.
"Dad …!?" The boy's body trembled, and his eyes darted around. "Why did you get off work early …"
Miranda saw Hoffa appear. She threw her bag and collapsed on the sofa. She covered her face in anger and tiredness.
"Go to the room and wait for me." Hoffa said to his son calmly, "If you sneak away, I'll hand you over to your grandfather and lock you up until Christmas."
Grandpa …
Czerville shuddered when he thought of Adbey Ghoshak's poker face. He smiled awkwardly and said, "That's not necessary, Dad …"
"Are you going to be naughty with me again?"
Huo Fa was about to hit him, but César was startled. He slipped away from Huo Fa's arm like a loach and ran to the second floor.
After his son left, Hoffa came to the sofa and sat beside Miranda. Miranda murmured weakly, "I'm so angry …"
"It's just a small matter. Why are you so angry?" Hoffa comforted Miranda. "It's normal for children to fight."
"Normal!?" Miranda stood up and walked around the living room with her hands on her hips. She complained, "He threw a second-year student into the Black Lake and hung two Slytherin freshmen on a tree branch. With six other brats like him, they formed a group called the New Generation Alliance. On the train, they fought with several pure-blooded children all the way from England to Scotland. Their newly bought school uniforms were torn apart, and during the Sorting Ceremony, they ran shirtless to the Sorting Ceremony … "
Miranda got angrier and angrier as she spoke. She was about to cry.
"I know. You gave birth to a fighter for equality," Hoffa said casually.
"Bullsh * t. He just loves to fight. He feels uncomfortable if he doesn't fight for a day." Miranda cursed. "Do you know how many times he has fought this year? Thirty-seven times. That's an average of one every three days. And that's just me finding out!"
Huo Fa looked at his exasperated wife and suddenly felt like laughing. If others knew that Director Miranda of the International Affairs Department, who was always calm, was crying because of her son, they would be shocked.
He pulled the swaying Miranda into his arms and kissed her. "Darling, isn't this the same as you?"
"I'm not like him!" Miranda's voice became softer.
"Who said you're not like him? You were even more troublesome than him when you were in first grade." Hoffa ran his finger over his wife's lips.
Miranda glared at him fiercely. She softened and hugged his neck. "What should I do? He's too naughty."
Hoffa smiled and pointed his finger. The door upstairs slammed shut, and Chloe, who was peeking, let out a cry of surprise.
He whispered in Miranda's ear, "I'm giving you a day off. Let's go out for dinner tonight."
Miranda was shocked. "Then why did the meeting …"
"I asked someone else to take over." Hoffa looked into Miranda's eyes and sighed. "It's all my fault. I spent too little time with you."
Miranda gently kissed Hoffa's cheek and stroked his white hair. She suggested helplessly, "No, he made a mistake. If you take him out for dinner, he'll think he did the right thing."
Hoffa patted the back of Miranda's hand and said, "I'll talk to him."
With that, he stood up from the sofa and walked up to the second floor.
Upstairs, César was hiding in the crack of the door. When he saw his father come up, he immediately locked the door. However, that wasn't a problem for Hoffa. He took out the spare key and opened the door.
In the room Czerville gave a short shriek and hid under the bed.
Hoffa leaned over the bed and looked at his son. "Do you know that it's dirty under the bed?"
"I'll wash my own clothes. Don't worry about it," César said loudly.
"No girl will like you like this," Hoffa pointed out calmly. "You're dirty, smelly, and like to fight. Even your sister doesn't like you."
"Who wants her to like me? I don't like her!" César said angrily. "And I'm very popular among girls. You don't have to worry about me."
"Ha, keep bragging." Chloe had come to the door at some point. She leaned against the wall and nibbled on an apple. "Last week, you confessed to Lilith next door and were rejected. Do you think I don't know?"
"Ah!!" César's face was about to bleed. He crawled out of the floor in shame, waving his fists and shouting, "Chloe, I hate you!"
Hoffa swung his son into the air and grabbed him. He was still baring his fangs and brandishing his claws at Chloe. Chloe shrugged. "Brute." With that, she closed the door and left leisurely.
"I wasn't rejected. She just needs time to think about it," César yelled at his father with a red face, as if he wanted to prove something.
Hoffa patted the dust off his butt and put him on the bed. "Hitting people is wrong. How many times do I have to tell you before you understand?"
"You didn't see it. They started it first!" César crossed his arms and said indignantly. "Clark's family and Malfoy's family insulted the new generation of wizards and cursed them again and again. They even cursed them until they couldn't eat. That's why I took action!"
Hoffa raised an eyebrow. "What, you want to be a hero?"
"You don't care. Of course I want to be a hero!" The little boy waved his fists excitedly. "Those people I don't like, I'll beat them all down!"
Hoffa sat by his son's bed and looked at the angry little boy with a swollen face. He suddenly felt emotional. In the blink of an eye, he was already old.
He patted César's head and said, "Since you want to be a hero, I'll tell you a story."
"Eh? Okay! " When César heard that there was a story, he forgot everything. He was energized and excitedly sat cross-legged on the bed.
Hoffa said, "This is the story of a king, and also the story of a wizard. A long, long time ago, there was a prince. He was born in the palace. At that time, wizards were still everywhere, just like now … "
He sat by his son's bed and told Silby's story. He told him about his gifted birth, how he saw different palace maids fighting because of their looks, and how he made all the palace maids' faces look the same. He also talked about how his guards were treated differently because of their different heights, and made all the guards the same height. In the end, he offended his father and was locked in the tower.
When César heard this, he laughed and said excitedly, "Are you going to lock me up too, Dad?"
Hoffa smiled and shook his head, continuing the story. "From the prince to his escape from the manor, to his meeting with Slytherin, to his learning of magic and fighting with Gryffindor. Finally, he married the queen. "
When César heard this, he drooled, as if he was the one who married the beautiful queen.
However, Hoffa changed the topic again. He talked about the Pope's conspiracy, and then he ascended to the throne and killed everyone. Finally, he gave up the throne and went into seclusion deep in the mountains. Then, he reappeared and established a library of forbidden magic. Then, he was abandoned by his friends, and finally, he was cursed by Slytherin.
When he heard this, César became extremely confused.
However, Hoffa still did not stop. He fabricated a version of himself and changed the main character of the story into someone else. He briefly described Silby and some of the strange things that happened to him from beginning to end, and finally, he killed him amidst white light and shouts.
After the story was finished, an unknown amount of time had passed. César's expression was emotional but dull.
After a long time, he asked Hoffa, "What's the king's name?"
"Like you," Hoffa replied.
"Like me?!" César was shocked.
Hoffa said, "The previous owner of your name had the soul of a genius, but he voluntarily limited himself to a mortal body and finally gave everything to the world. I think that the reason a person is a hero is not because he enjoys more freedom, but because he sees more restrictions. "
A hint of struggle appeared on César's face. He dodged his eyes, unwilling to look directly into his father's eyes.
Hoffa patted his head. "If you want to become a hero, you must first learn to restrain yourself. Restrain your anger, restrain your impulses. Even your emotions. "
"I understand." César lowered his head, his voice as soft as a mosquito's.
Hoffa saw that his son's eyes had calmed down a lot and was about to leave. But just as he was about to leave the room, César called out to him.
"Dad, what about you?"
Hoffa turned his head and looked at his son in confusion.
"What about me?" César said seriously, "If a king is a great hero, then what about you? Are you a hero?"
Hoffa couldn't help but laugh. "Who praises themselves as a hero?"
However, César was unwilling to give up. He said firmly, "I heard from my sister and friends that you are the youngest minister of the Ministry of Magic in history, and the only minister of the Ministry of Magic to serve three consecutive terms. You ended the war and worked for more than ten years. Are you a great hero?"
"What do you think?" Hoffa asked his son with a smile. Do you think I am?
"No," César said flatly. "You only take me and my sister out once a year, and you only have dinner at home once a week. It's too little. It's not great at all."
Hoffa's heart was stirred. He squatted down apologetically and touched his little head with curly chestnut-colored hair. "Forgive me, César. When my term is over, I'll take you on a trip and come back for dinner every night. "
"Okay," César said in surprise.
"But the premise is that you have to do as I said and restrain yourself, okay?"
"Don't worry, I'll do what I promise you."
César patted his chest and said in a very manly manner. He was very arrogant, but also very serious.
Hoffa hugged him. "Thank you, César."
The boy hid in his father's arms. At first, he was a little stiff, but soon, he rubbed his soft hair against Hoffa's chin. He hugged him back and asked in a very small voice, "Dad, do you really not think you're a hero?"
"I don't think so …"
Hoffa hugged his son and said calmly, "I'm not a hero, I'm just an ordinary person."
César looked very disappointed. He muttered softly, "Oh …"
Seeing how disappointed he was, Huo Fa's lips curled up slightly. He kissed his son's hair and said in a very low voice, "But actually, I have another secret identity. Do you want to know?"
César's eyes immediately lit up. He asked secretly like a thief, "Hey! What identity? "
Hoffa said seriously, "If I tell you, you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone else."
César nodded vigorously, his nostrils flared with excitement.
He stretched out his pinky. "If you don't believe me, let's pinky swear."
Hoffa hooked his son's pinky.
He bent down and whispered in his ear.
"I'm a legend."
(The
End)
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