Chapter 456: Clumsy

Croydon District.

The streets were piled with debris, and everywhere were people with sallow complexions and dazed expressions.

Professor Professor Sineipu quickly found the orphanage named Hollythatch; its entire structure was a Victorian semi-detached house that looked long neglected.

Orange lamplight shone through the thick windows; Roland Taylor, dressed in old clothes, gazed out the window with bright, light-blue eyes.

She always gazed at the dusk outside the house, waiting for the person everyone in this orphanage knew.

Some children watched her from outside the room, watching their headmistress. She was always so expectant, even personally delivering every letter to the post office, as if placing a letter in the green mailbox would make it arrive much slower.

Finally, when the setting sun withdrew its last Yu Hui, she waited for two strange guests dressed in black robes.

Her limbs were not at all clumsy like those of a woman of some age; instead, she quickly walked briskly out of the room.

Beside the peeling Youqi Sect door, where the faded "Oak Children's Home" plaque hung askew.

Seeing Ms. Roland rush out, Professor Professor Sineipu's expression changed slightly; he yanked Xiang Xiang Xien behind him—he remembered those dazed people on the street.

Xiang Xiang Xien could only poke a small head out from behind his wide robe.

Seeing this scene, Ms. Roland laughed silently:

"You must be Mr. Professor Sineipu; please bring Mr. Green inside."

She looked at that gloomy face bearing some hostility, then at the small face visible only by tilting its head behind him. Somehow, her eyes grew moist.

His complexion was much rosier; this was good...

Passing through the courtyard, now richer with play facilities, and entering the house, Xiang Xiang Xien saw that the changes inside the house were even greater than the last time.

Unlike the simple exterior, the orphanage's interior was quite adequate; for this impoverished area, it was already very excellent.

A warm fireplace burned, evaporating the raindrops on the windows;

The walls blackened by coal smoke were painted light yellow; though only cheap paint, they looked comforting; iron beds were replaced with new ones, hard but clearly numbered; every child also had their own iron bowl and wooden spoon.

A large central pot stewed vegetables; it bubbled with a gurgling sound, churning up rich ingredients, while some children with eager faces had already gathered nearby.

When Professor Sineipu and Xiang Xiang Xien walked in, the dinner began.

Here there was no distinction of status; the headmistress, the rosy-cheeked, stout-hearted caretakers, and the children all gathered around a long table to eat.

At the head seat sat Professor Professor Sineipu and Headmistress Roland, while Xiang Xiang Xien sat beside Professor Professor Sineipu.

Though there were no strict rules, whenever Xiang Xiang Xien attacked a certain dish, no one else here would move their knife or fork.

Seeing this scene, Professor Sineipu snorted coldly... a boring act.

Headmistress Roland sensed something keenly; she gazed for a while at Professor Professor Sineipu's cold profile, her eyes dimming slightly.

"Please forgive me, Mr. Professor Sineipu; the children here can only express themselves in a dull, clumsy way. If they cannot say any words... God will know, the culprits are not themselves."

She said softly.

Professor Sineipu inexplicably felt something; when he turned his head, this headmistress was looking at him with a gaze he could not understand, a strange gaze.

This made him loathe it.

Night fell with the end of the dinner, and the irritability in Professor Sineipu's heart grew clearer.

This place, the orphanage, would only make him think of one person.

A person whose name could not even be spoken.

Wizards who provoked the Dark Lord never had good endings; his inhumane methods manifested in Professor Sineipu's mind, so Professor Sineipu naturally looked at Xiang Xiang Xien, who seemed to know nothing.

Too stupid... how stupid must one be to offend the Dark Lord for an irrelevant person?

What mattered was that he, who was monitoring Professor Professor Qiluo, clearly had the chance to stop it, yet he knew nothing about it... just like in the vault.

He stood in the courtyard, forcing himself to think through every detail; regarding the Dark Lord's impending return, no amount of caution was enough.

Suddenly, he recalled that some Head of Gryffindor had apparently stayed in the Forbidden Forest for a while. At this moment, he could hardly suppress the anger surging up; he said gloomily:

"Does Minerva Marcus Maige know about this?"

Xiang Xiang Xien vaguely sensed something, but he still nodded and said:

"Professor Marcus Maige also discovered Professor Professor Qiluo's abnormality."

Professor Professor Sineipu swept coldly over this courtyard; he said in a hoarse voice:

"Tell me, what happened in the Forbidden Forest—how much does Minerva Marcus Maige know..."

The night was utterly silent; occasionally a crow flew by; Professor Sineipu, who had been somewhat calmer, was now shaking with anger.

An ignorant fellow, daring to decide to face Professor Professor Qiluo without anyone knowing.

"How many lives do you think you have?! You do not understand the danger and terror of the Dark Lord at all, Bai Chi! Utterly stupid! Do you think anyone will mourn for you? A troll-like brain, I tell you! Only fools want to be heroes! And do you know what true greatness is? Living! Surviving!"

His mockery was like a storm, yet his anger carried a deep, easily pierced fear.

"Why... didn't you tell me..."

He stared fixedly at Xiang Xiang Xien's eyes; those green eyes were not bright at this moment.

All of this would eventually be exposed.

Xiang Xiang Xien knew this matter, but before it ended, he said not a word, because at Hogwarts there was only one person who must not know Professor Professor Qiluo's true identity.

Just as Professor Professor Sineipu never declared that ritual, Xiang Xiang Xien likewise handled Voldemort's Era of lurking at Hogwarts with extreme caution.

For a double agent, any suspicion was enough to be fatal.

Before Xiang Xiang Xien possessed strength sufficient to decide the outcome of the war, he could not allow any deviation to happen to Professor Professor Sineipu.

He said nothing, yet Professor Sineipu saw himself reflected in those eyes.

He had once seen the same eyes, so he knew what that meant.

The sky was as dark as a lump of thick ink.

In the courtyard, only two figures in black robes stood.

The children here always loved something in a dull, clumsy way; they almost never spoke, acting only.

Headmistress Roland appeared at some unknown time; she watched silently until the streetlights lit up, illuminating the desolate street; until flames burned in the fireplace; until something seemed ignited within Professor Sineipu's heart.

"Remember your detention—"

Professor Professor Sineipu finally managed to squeeze out a few words.

A while passed.

In the distance, central London, the end of Spider Lane was always dirty and shabby.

In the house at the very end, which seemed empty of people, the cold fireplace had once again kindled a flame today.

Deer Owe Six Updates will be made up within a week. The detailed outline is finished; tomorrow, six updates first, ensuring quality and quantity, never breaking my word!