Even for England, the rain during this period was a little too plentiful.
The entire village of Hogsmeade was in a state of dispiritedness.
The wizards put on their cloaks and hats.
They hurried through the flooded streets.
Then they rushed into any clean and warm bar they saw.
But even at this time,
The business of the Pig's Head Bar was still a little bleak.
How should I put it? Compared with the Three Brooms, the leading bar in the bar world, its location was too remote, its name was too unpleasant, and its small, dark, and dirty front was too shabby.
And the head of the wild boar hanging brightly under the wooden signboard — it was still oozing blood! It was too unsuitable for children! In short,
Most of the time,
The customers who stepped on the floor of the Pig's Head Bar were the regulars who hid their faces in their hoods. They were as stubborn and tenacious as the dirt that had accumulated on the stone floor for centuries.
It also smelled unfriendly.
So, when the bar owner saw the young man who stepped into the bar,
He was a little surprised.
The young man also stuffed his whole body into the black cloak,
But from the way he walked and the sound of his voice,
He was no more than twenty-five years old,
He sat in front of the bar, put down a few sikes, and said in a low voice, "A glass of Flame Supernova, and three slices of lemon."
The bar owner glanced at the coins on the table and found that not one more, not one less, even the increase in the price of lemon was included. He couldn't help but look at the young man, but he only met a pair of clear green eyes under the muddy light.
Young green eyes.
The bar owner quietly pushed the flaming Flame Supernova in front of the young man and whispered, "I need to make it clear — this is not a place for children to drink non-alcoholic drinks."
The young man took a sip of the drink and chuckled softly, "I know. It's just that … I'm not a good drinker. I'm afraid I'll pass out after one glass. Then I won't be able to talk to you properly, Aberforth. "
The owner of the bar, Aberforth Dumbledore, raised his head. His face, which was covered by his gray hair and beard that looked like metal wires, was thin and weathered. But behind the dirty lenses, a pair of unusually sharp blue eyes were observing the young man who finally showed his face. "You look very familiar. You make me want to beat you up."
The young man with black hair and green eyes immediately covered his nose. "Don't hit people in the face."
Abfoss snorted, looking a little angry. "You're even more annoying when you smile."
The young man puffed up his cheeks and stopped smiling. He slowly drank the drink until his teeth hurt from the sourness. Then, he continued, "Aberforth, I want to ask you something."
Abfoss raised his eyebrows and sneered, "Why? With a cup of Flame Supernova? "
The young man was unaffected and continued to speak slowly, "It's about a portrait."
Abfors stood up from behind the bar counter, his huge shadow immediately covering the young man. The young man raised his head with a calm expression, his gentle green eyes filled with innocence and kindness.
Abfoss snorted. "Follow me."
The young man immediately stood up and followed the tall old man. They turned around the dirty and tattered counter and passed through a door. Behind the door was a rickety wooden staircase. The young man hesitated for a moment and waited for Abfoss to climb up before daring to follow. At the top of the stairs was a living room with a tattered carpet and a small fireplace. Above the fireplace hung a large oil painting of a blonde girl standing in front of the window sill, looking into the room blankly and tenderly.
Abfoss closed the trapdoor leading to the stairs behind the young man. He turned around and saw that the young man had taken off his hood and was standing in front of the girl's portrait, looking at it carefully.
"Abfoss … When was this portrait painted?"
Abfoss did not answer. Instead, he scanned the young man with a sharp gaze and said, "I still think you look very familiar."
"Well, maybe my father once came to the Pig's Head Bar for a drink?" The young man scratched his messy hair. "Everyone says I look like my father … Well, Abfoss, this portrait, this portrait of Arianna, when was it painted?"
The moment he heard Arianna's name, Abfoss's pupils constricted, and his voice became stern. "Where did you learn about Arianna? If it was Abfoss … "
"Not him, definitely not him!" The young man waved his hand repeatedly.
"Then …"
"I'm here. It has nothing to do with the private affairs of the Dumbledore Family. It has nothing to do with the German military terrorists. I'm here," the young man said sincerely. "It's for Jia Mei."
Although Abfoss was still frowning, he slowly withdrew his wand from his sleeve. The young man continued, "I just want to know … Jia Mei, did she really exist?"
Abfoss stared at the young man for a moment with suspicion and vigilance. Seeing that the young man did not emit any danger signals, he walked to the sofa and sat down. In this position, he could just look at Arianna's portrait.
"Jia Mei …" Abfoss frowned impatiently. "Jia Mei is Arianna's fantasy. It's a bird. I suspect that the Muggle dramas Abfoss took her to see stimulated her imagination. At least … that's what I thought before I saw the blue-tailed bird."
"Blue-Tailed bird …"
"Yes … Blue-Tailed bird, a very beautiful big bird. It stopped in front of Arianna's window that summer. My little sister told me that it had a name. It was called Jia Mei." A nostalgic and sad expression appeared on Abfoss's face. "But at that time, we — Abfoss, and that person — all thought that it was Arianna's crazy fantasy."
The blonde girl in the portrait smiled at Abfoss, and he also smiled bitterly. "Arianna kept telling us about Jia Mei. She said that Jia Mei was a spirit bird with mysterious magic. She said that Jia Mei would bring blessings to people. She said that Jia Mei would protect her treasures … But at that time, I was still very young, child, even younger than you are now. And for some reason, I was angry every day and didn't really listen to Arianna …"
The portrait of Arianna had also grown melancholy.
"And Abfoss … that idiot, he obviously didn't have extra energy to spare for his mediocre brother and crazy sister. At that time, he was completely fascinated by that German. They chatted day and night about their great future … At that time, we were all in our own prisons, and no one cared about Arianna."
The young man seemed to be fascinated. "You all thought that Arianna was living in a fantasy, but it was all true."
"It's true." Abfoss looked very depressed. "'Jia Mei's Blessing' — that's a spell that the green bird left for Arianna. It sounds beautiful, like a guardian spell, right? Arianna learned it, and she used it to protect her treasures … "
The young man gradually saw the end of the story.
"What kind of girl do you think Arianna is, child?" Abfoss suddenly asked. At this time, the young man seemed to see a very young, rough-looking, sloppy boy peeking through Abfoss' wrinkled face and tangled beard. "She was only fourteen years old at that time, but she was imprisoned by our mother, Kandra, for eight years. The only peace and happiness in her life was the days when she fed the sheep with me … Perhaps it should be counted as the days when she was immersed in her 'fantasy'. Arianna, gentle, shy, and kind Arianna, what do you think her treasure was? "
The blue eyes that seemed to be able to see through magic looked straight at the young man. "That day, we quarreled. I pulled out my wand first on Grindelwald, and he also pulled out his. Then he used the Heart Piercing Spell on me, so Abfoss joined in … Our lightning and loud noise alarmed Arianna. How could she withstand this kind of stimulation? I guess she wanted to help, but she didn't know what she was doing until …"
Abfoss's face turned pale. "Until Abfoss fell." He looked straight at Arianna, who was covering her face. "Grindelwald and I both used the Life Piercing Spell. I don't know who hit Abfoss … But after Abfoss fell, Arianna calmed down, and so did I. I was in pain, but I calmed down, and Grindelwald also knelt down …"
He looked at the young man in shock as if he had learned the truth for the first time. "But the one who died in the end was Arianna. Isn't it strange? I was at Arianna's funeral! " Haha, only then did we know what 'Jia Mei's Blessing' was and what Arianna's' treasure 'was … That spell tied my and Abfoss's souls to Arianna's. We were the treasures that Arianna was willing to exchange her life for … "
The old man was tired. "We will never know who killed Arianna."
The young man was silent. He thought of a tombstone he had seen in Godric Valley on a snowy night and the epitaph engraved on it: Where the heart is, there is the treasure.
The fourteen-year-old Arianna, forever fourteen-year-old Arianna, looked at her dejected brother and shook her head. Then she reached out a hand to the person outside the portrait. The young man was shocked. "Abfoss?"
Abfoss covered his eyes with one hand. "Go, Arianna wants to see you."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
