In this treacherous and unpredictable world, people who look fierce are not necessarily bad — they may well be gentle souls, like Rubeus Hagrid.
And those who seem weak, harmless, and utterly insignificant might turn out to be the final boss of the year, like Quirinus Quirrell.
If one were to underestimate Thierry and Henry because of their jokey, clownish demeanor, that would be a grave mistake. Those who hide knives behind their smiles are the ones who kill without blinking.
To emerge unscathed from the most turbulent years was proof enough of Thierry's capability.
At first, Thierry did not approve of Eda either. He also did not want this half-blood girl to join the Rosier family, even if she was Vinda's granddaughter and Louis's daughter.
It was only out of regard for those two that Thierry opposed Alain and the others' radical actions. Eda could not be touched — but that was all.
One matter was one matter. Thierry would go through fire and water for Vinda, but not for Eda.
Only after gaining a certain understanding of Eda did Thierry change his view. He felt that this girl might be worth a try. After arriving in Britain, Thierry became even more convinced — Eda was worth betting on.
In the Muggle world, there is a book called Strategies of the Warring States, which contains a saying: Parents who truly love their children plan far ahead for them.
Thierry was already old. He needed to make arrangements for his own children. Alain Rosier was a broken ship — not only did it leak wind, it was taking on water as well. There was no need to drag his whole family aboard it.
Eda, however, was different. She was just about to set sail, precisely when hands were needed most, and those who joined her first were bound to receive the richest rewards.
This was the reason Thierry now fully supported Vinda. Vinda wanted her granddaughter to become the head of the family, and that would inevitably meet tremendous resistance. So Vinda needed a spokesperson — a compliant puppet on strings.
Apart from Henry, did Vinda really have a better choice? This was the reward Vinda offered, and Thierry was quite satisfied with it.
"Puppet" might sound unpleasant, but being one also required ability and contribution — not just any worthless person could fill the role. And Vinda's demand was simple: she only wanted her granddaughter to be able to stand in the light.
Moreover, it was obvious that Eda had no interest in the Rosier family — or rather, she didn't think much of Rosier at all. The only person she truly cared about was her grandmother, and she had no intention of interfering in the family's internal affairs.
This puppet role was acceptable. It was a very profitable deal.
As for Alain Rosier, it wasn't that Thierry looked down on him — it was just that, to Vinda and Thierry, these people's methods of scrambling for power were like children playing house. There was simply no point in watching.
Now, the only thing Thierry worried about was that his grandson Henry might be young and hot-blooded, unwilling to be a puppet, and develop ideas he shouldn't have. Fortunately, the boy wasn't foolish — he knew his own limits. Thierry's efforts in personally teaching him had not been in vain.
Vinda understood Thierry's calculations perfectly. They had known each other for decades — how could she not know what that old brother of hers was thinking?
Nor did Vinda mind Thierry having his own little schemes. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and Thierry's petty calculations were nothing to speak of.
Eda, on the other hand, didn't know what Thierry was thinking — but she didn't care. Or rather, she didn't trust him at all. One should never bare one's whole heart; Eda naturally understood that principle.
As for whether Alain Rosier was still hiding some sinister plot, Eda was even less afraid. She had no interest whatsoever in the Rosier family. In her eyes, all of their maneuvers were a joke — like throwing flirtatious glances at a blind man.
No matter what tricks the Rosiers tried to pull, Eda could simply bulldoze through them with her overwhelming strength. That was just how domineering she was.
The reason Dumbledore felt at ease letting Eda go to Paris alone was that he had full confidence in her strength and did not believe that a single Rosier family could trip her up.
And now, with Vinda behind her, offering counsel and wholehearted support, those petty schemers were nothing more than frost and snow under the sunlight — utterly unworthy of concern. It all depended on what kind of posture Eda chose to use to crush them.
Alain, who had come calling with the intentions of the family in mind, instead ran headfirst into a wall. One Cruciatus Curse and one misfired Killing Curse forced him to reassess the gap between the two sides. Only then did he finally realize how foolish his recklessness had been.
Fortunately, things had not yet reached the worst possible outcome. Alain felt that he still had room to maneuver.
As long as he stopped opposing that half-blood, there would be no more direct confrontations with Vinda, and no one would dare challenge his position as head of the family.
However, Alain had not completely resigned himself to this outcome. He believed his aunt was far too soft-hearted. If their positions were reversed, Alain would have put the other party to death without hesitation, rather than leaving them a chance to turn the tables.
Alain was waiting — waiting for an opportunity to reverse defeat into victory, waiting for a chance to trample the other side under his feet.
After that day passed, aside from Vinda and Eda remaining as steady as mountains, both Thierry and Alain underwent changes in their mindset. These changes also manifested in their daily lives.
When Eda went out again, the little tail that had been following her was finally gone. With no one sneaking around behind her anymore, Eda was finally able to enjoy her holiday properly.
Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and both banks of the Seine all bore witness to her tourist photos with the classic "scissor hands" pose.
In addition to Muggle landmarks, Eda also visited quite a few wizarding sites, and she even ran into Hermione, who was likewise vacationing in France.
Eda invited her junior schoolmate to visit her home — and the funniest part was that Henry also happened to come over to play that day.
Although Hermione was a Muggle-born witch, Henry was clearly not interested in a little bean who hadn't even grown up yet. He preferred mature, glamorous older women. Far away in Egypt, Ron let out a sigh of relief — one fewer romantic rival.
Speaking of Hermione, it was impossible not to mention Harry as well. Harry had blown Marge up like a balloon, then run away from home.
The Savior was currently staying at the Leaky Cauldron, enjoying the summer of 1993 and savoring a rare taste of freedom.
If the major event in the British wizarding world was Sirius Black's escape from prison, then the major event in the French wizarding world was the short-sightedness of the Rosier family.
The pure-blood families of France all knew that the Rosiers had gained a half-blood witch, and that the Rosiers did not dare take any action against this half-blood. They neither erased her nor expelled her, which inevitably made others speculate.
Very soon, they learned the name of this half-blood witch, and they also learned of Eda's deeds from their relatives in Britain.
On the surface, these pure-blood families sneered at the Rosiers; behind the scenes, however, they envied the Rosiers' absurdly good luck.
If it weren't for how the matter of Louis had been made widely known by the Rosiers back then, they could have quietly acknowledged Eda and let her "become" pure-blood. Gaining a "pure-blood" witch with a brilliant future — who wouldn't envy such a benefit?
If there was anyone to blame, it was only themselves for being foolish, for exposing family scandals in their struggle for power.
Matters related to Eda and the Rosiers also flowed back in the opposite direction to Britain, leaving the British pure-blood families dumbfounded.
Especially the Malfoys, the Fawleys, the Flints, and the Averys — they had never imagined that a Mudblood could suddenly turn into a half-blood, moving one rung up the ladder of contempt.
Everything in the world is in constant change; nothing remains eternal.
One day in August, Eda received a letter from Hogwarts. This letter was different from the previous ones — the envelope felt noticeably heavier. When she opened it with a letter opener, a badge bearing the letter "P" fell into her hand.
Looking at the red-and-gold badge in her palm, Eda smiled brightly.
She had become a Gryffindor prefect — the system-issued task had been completed!
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