Thomas knocked on the door, but no one answered.
Eileen might have gone to work at the factory, but Thomas thought today was the day they were returning, so she should have stayed home to wait for them.
Severus's face showed unconcealed disappointment: "Mom's not home."
Thomas put his arm around his shoulder to comfort him: "How about we wait a bit at that little park we went to last time? Maybe we'll even run into that Little Witch."
Thomas knew that Little Witch was the future Harry Potter's mother, and also the person Severus had once liked.
Severus was not in high spirits: "Let's just wait for Mom here."
"Alright." Thomas sighed, pulling out Aegis from his pocket, who had been quite restless: "Aegis, didn't we agree you wouldn't run around until we settled down today?"
Aegis wagged its tail: "But, Thomas, I smell blood."
"What?"
"It's coming from over there." Its tail tip lifted slightly, pointing directly at Number 19, Spinner's End.
An ominous premonition welled up in Thomas's heart.
"Thomas, what's wrong?" As a twin, Severus could keenly sense his brother's emotional changes.
"N-nothing, I just suddenly remembered that we seem to have forgotten to buy Mom a present."
"Buy a present?"
"Yes, we've been away for so long, Mom must be very unhappy. Let's buy her a present to cheer her up."
"You're right!" Severus's dark eyes lit up, fully agreeing with Thomas's idea.
Thomas took out the shillings left over from buying seeds from his pocket.
"Severus, how about you go buy Mom a flower? You know, that shopping street we went to. Do you still remember how to get there?"
Severus nodded, his memory was excellent, then asked with some hesitation: "Thomas, aren't you coming with me?"
"I'm watching our luggage here!" He deliberately acted spoiled: "I don't want to walk that far, it's all up to you, Severus!"
Severus gave him a helpless look: "Alright."
Taking the shillings, he walked towards the shopping street. His steps were quick, thinking he could return sooner, and soon his small figure disappeared around the corner ahead.
Thomas took a deep breath, pulled out an ivy seed from his pocket, and a slender vine broke through the seed and drilled out, skillfully slipping through the keyhole.
With a soft 'click', the door opened.
What Thomas smelled was not blood, but a familiar scent of decaying corpses... Inside, the light was dim, and the air was filled with an indescribable stuffiness and the smell of death. Everything was shrouded in a heart-wrenching mess, furniture was overturned, and items on the coffee table were scattered everywhere. It was clear that a fierce struggle had taken place here.
Tobias and Eileen were both lying on the floor. Judging by the state of decomposition of the bodies, they had been dead for a long time.
Tobias's body lay unnaturally on his back, eyes wide open, his face frozen in an expression of unwillingness and shock. A sharp blade, the bread knife from their home, was plunged into his chest.
Eileen was lying face down, her fatal wound not visible, and a large, horrifying pool of dried blood beneath her had turned a dreadful Black.
Thomas stood pale amidst the chaos. Although he didn't have deep feelings for these parents, he was still shocked by the scene before him. It had been a long time since he had seen a dead person, and bad memories from his previous life surged through his mind like a tide.
Thomas formed a hand seal and used 'Spirit Summoning', his abilities and magic were much stronger now than a month ago, but no soul responded to his call.
"Thomas, run!" A Black raven flew in through the open door!
"Boris?" Thomas's voice was hoarse.
Its Black wings flapped rapidly, its voice urgent and fast-paced: "Run! I saw that hooligan Danny grab Severus, and they said they're coming to get you now! They've been watching your house for a long time!"
"Is that so?" Thomas's heart burned with towering fury. Under this anger that almost overflowed his chest, his lips curved slightly, forming a cold and complex smile: "Then let them come."
Danny stood at the door of Number 19, Spinner's End. The door was ajar, easily pushed open.
He already knew the situation inside, everything was under control, but a subtle unease lingered in his heart: "You go in first." With a glance from Danny, one of his subordinates immediately understood, pushed open the door, quickly scanned the surroundings, and after confirming it was safe, he cautiously entered the house. Nothing strange happened, but after a few steps, he froze.
"S-sir, the other child is here." His voice trembled, seemingly terrified.
Under Danny's command, the other subordinates also entered one by one, their expressions wary.
Only two remained outside to guard.
One of them was particularly conspicuous, holding Severus like a chick, his body hanging limply, unconscious.
Danny was the last to enter, walking slowly to the front, and saw Thomas sitting calmly on a broken sofa amidst the mess. The boy sat with an incredible composure, if not for the scattered debris, broken furniture, and the two long-dead, decaying corpses around him.
Then his disdainful attitude would easily make one think he was sitting on a throne.
A pitch-Black raven perched on Thomas's shoulder, its sharp eyes fixed on Danny and the others. As they approached, the raven suddenly let out several piercing "caw caw" cries, eerily strange, as if singing a dirge.
Most of Thomas's face was hidden in shadow, only a corner of his mouth visible, curving into an inscrutable smile. That smile contained both mockery and coldness, sending a chill down one's spine.
One of Danny's subordinates involuntarily swallowed, this child looked like a demon crawled out of hell... But Danny's eyes only showed a moment of shock, then full of appreciation, truly the child he had set his sights on: "What a cold-blooded child, just like your monster mother."
He glanced at Eileen on the floor, his eyes disdainful: "Looks like she still couldn't resist killing her own husband."
"What did you do to them?" Thomas's gaze locked onto Danny, recognizing him as Tobias's 'friend'.
Danny unfolded the paper in his hand: "Look at this, Thomas, this is an agreement personally signed by your father, Tobias Snape. To pay off his bottomless gambling debts, he sold you two brothers to me."
"A father, capable of such a cruel act, it's truly regrettable." A hint of mockery flashed in Danny's eyes, and he continued: "And I, Danny Blackwood, have the privilege of becoming your 'new master'."
"I will take you to London, a new world you've never seen."
"That place is always especially covetous of children like you with special abilities. The headquarters is already eager to put you on the market, an unprecedented auction is about to begin."
"Help me achieve greater things, let the name of Black Wood resound throughout the entire underworld. Believe me, this is your glory." Danny's eyes gleamed with fanaticism.
Thomas sneered: "No matter how eloquently you speak, you're still just a human trafficker."
He reminded word by word: "I remember, buying and selling people is illegal in this world."
Danny heard this, a cold smile playing on his lips, mocking the boy's naivety: "Oh, Thomas, do you think this world is really as Black and white, with justice always prevailing, as it's written in textbooks?" "Let me give you your first lesson today: in a world where the strong prey on the weak, rules are made by the strong, and the law is just a card in our hands, a piece of scrap paper that can be discarded or used at any time."
He stepped back half a pace, giving the order: "Grab him."
"Yes!" The subordinates swarmed forward.
Danny believed he had the upper hand, his face twisted in a smile, as if enjoying the pleasure of controlling everything and playing with other people's destinies: "Child, you can try calling the police, calling for help, louder, see if anyone comes to save you."
Thomas finally stood up: "Since you claim to be above the law, then I will grant your wish." He waved his small hand, and a Black seed flew out. A strange fluctuation emanated from where the seed landed, and a giant plant instantly grew out of thin air, blocking the path of everyone.
Those originally arrogant and heavily tattooed men were now all stunned into silence by this sudden sight, their eyes filled with disbelief and fear. "God... what... what kind of monster is this!" One of them cried out in a trembling voice, his voice echoing in the empty space, sounding particularly harsh.
The plant had several thick, dark green vines growing on it.
Unlike ivy, the surface of these thick vines was covered with wet and slimy mucus, studded with sharp barbs, and they writhed like terrifying tentacles.
This was precisely a C-class prohibited trade item in the Wizarding World — the Venomous Tentacula.
When Mrs. Greene from 'Dogwood and Toadstool' Seeds gave it to Thomas, she never thought the child could grow it.
At the same time, the two people guarding the door suddenly heard unusual noises from inside. Just as they were about to turn back to check, they were entangled by something and instantly disappeared from the doorway.
Aegis's tail tip hooked, very thoughtfully 'handing' the door shut.
Two people hidden behind a large tree on the other side of the river witnessed the previous scene: an incredibly thick snake tail coiled around the two people at the door and pulled them into the house.
The brown-haired man among them spoke hesitantly: "I already called the police, do you think they can make it in time?" The main problem was that now they didn't know who the police should save.
"If those idiots could arrive in time, there wouldn't be so much crime happening," his companion, a tall man with Black curly hair, said mockingly. At the same time, he had already started running towards the house, an expression of panic on his face.