HP: The Duelist of Hogwarts - 381

Chapter 381: A Family of Four

Hogwarts Express.

Sean sat by the window, watching Hogwarts rapidly recede into the distance, his thoughts wandering.

Before the third round of the Triwizard Tournament, Sean's strength had grown rapidly from serving as Moody's teaching assistant, gaining abilities from Moody with each class. At that time, he had been somewhat self-satisfied, though he did have reason to be—a fourth-year student possessing strength at the elite Auror level or above certainly deserved some pride.

Not until Sean faced Voldemort head-on did he finally realize his strength was still insufficient. Even his ultimate weapon, the Serpent King's Gaze, only caused Voldemort some trouble, delaying him briefly without inflicting greater damage.

Now Sean's attitude had been corrected. He planned to search for more Horcruxes, and the suspected Ravenclaw treasure location he learned about from Lockhart was also time to investigate. Compared to Lockhart, he should be much stronger now and could explore that place safely.

Additionally, Kulkan still hadn't returned. Though Sean didn't worry much about her safety now, after so many years together, her sudden departure left him very unaccustomed.

He wondered how she was doing and whether she'd found what she was searching for.

King's Cross Station.

Sean found Aldrich waiting there, accompanied by an adult wizard from the orphanage who had come to pick up Daisy and Duke.

As the first orphanage children to enter Hogwarts, Daisy and Duke truly cherished their opportunity. Especially after learning about Sean's grades and dedication to studying, they studied with crazy determination. Ultimately living up to expectations, they achieved first and third place, respectively—Daisy taking first, Duke third.

Before leaving school, Professor McGonagall had found Sean to tell him Duke deliberately left some questions unanswered to score slightly lower than Daisy and rank third. In daily studies, professors felt Duke had some of Sean's qualities. Normally, Duke consistently outperformed Daisy, and the questions he didn't answer were ones he certainly could have solved—he simply chose not to.

Children this age, smart as they were, still lacked maturity in handling some matters.

Sean didn't say much about this. Duke had an inexplicable protective and possessive desire toward Daisy. Though not biological siblings, Daisy had always protected Duke at the orphanage and previously at the Bulstrode home. To call their relationship romantic would be nonsense, but they were definitely close.

Sean didn't plan to interfere in this matter. As long as they didn't go overboard, he'd let them be. After all, as long as they learned the knowledge, whether first or third place didn't really matter.

"Aldrich, things have gotten serious lately. Though the orphanage is protected by the Fidelius Charm, we still need to stay vigilant. Have you prepared the evacuation plan I asked for?"

Nodding, Aldrich said, "I've prepared everything, Young Master. You can count on me."

"Good. I'm entrusting the orphanage to you. You don't need to worry about my parents—I'll find a way to protect them. Just focus on the orphanage."

"Young Master, I actually can—"

"Aldrich, just listen to me."

"Yes, Young Master."

Temporarily saying goodbye to Blaise and the others, Sean and Aldrich returned home.

It must be said that Sean's home had relocated again. The original house was listed for sale. The current home was now a house protected by the Fidelius Charm, with Sean himself as Secret-Keeper.

Previously, Sean had snuck out of Hogwarts to Gringotts for books and briefly returned home. Having already learned Apparition, he moved quickly. With Aldrich's cooperation, they finally managed to change houses and apply the Fidelius Charm.

Looking at the house that seemed squeezed between two neighboring buildings, Sean said goodbye to Aldrich and walked inside.

Emerald had already brought Sean's luggage home and begun preparing lunch.

Upon entering, before Sean could speak, a small figure stumbled, rushing into his arms.

"Brother... brother..."

"Caesar, I'm home."

"Brother, like..."

Kissing Caesar's face, Sean held his little brother and turned to his parents coming to greet him, smiling. "Mom, Dad, how's the new house? Though only two floors, each floor is quite spacious. Are you settling in comfortably?"

Nodding, Yard and Martha repeatedly confirmed they were comfortable.

"Sean, you said before we couldn't go out freely. Has something happened?"

Sean didn't hide anything, telling Yard and Martha directly. "There is indeed a problem. Do you know about You-Know-Who?"

"You-Know-Who!"

Yard exclaimed, his face full of fear, while Martha looked confused, clearly unaware of Voldemort's existence.

Stepping forward, Yard asked Sean, "Sean, are you saying You-Know-Who has returned? But didn't he die at Harry Potter's hands?"

"Dad, You-Know-Who has been resurrected, which is why I'm having you hide."

Hearing this, Yard was about to ask more but suddenly closed his mouth.

Seeing Yard's expression, Sean knew his father understood quite a bit about Voldemort. He obviously didn't want his mother to worry, so he kept some things unsaid.

The father and son briefly explained to Martha.

Though Martha was also afraid, since their family was already hidden and she rarely went out anyway, she didn't need to worry too much. She went to personally prepare the meal, with Emerald assisting her.

At this time, Sean held the sleeping Caesar and went with his father to the second-floor study.

"Sean, have you provoked You-Know-Who?"

Nodding, Sean told Yard, "That's right. I recently dueled with You-Know-Who. He didn't kill me, so I'm now a thorn in his side. He'll definitely want to kill me. Father, don't tell Mother about this—it would only make her worry."