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Chapter 24
In 1991, the Protagonist Was Supposed to Start School.
Wait—Why Is It Me?
Serenis Grey was imprisoned in the dungeon beneath Grey Manor.
Her hands were pierced by iron hooks, her body suspended in midair by thick chains. The bloodstains on the stone floor had long since dried, leaving only dark, rust-coloured marks.
"Serenis! Serenis!"
An urgent voice rang out behind her.
Serenis struggled to lift her head. Her once flame-orange hair was now dulled to grey by the dungeon's dust. Through the tangled strands, she could vaguely make out her father rushing down the steps and throwing open the dungeon door.
After freeing her, her father cast several healing charms in quick succession.
Serenis's condition immediately improved.
Though still weak, she was no longer hovering on the brink of death.
"A family emergency meeting," her father said grimly.
"Come with me."
---
The great hall of Grey Manor.
The same group of people sat around the long table.
The only difference was that the seat at the head was now empty.
"Everyone, speak freely," someone said.
"Tell us what we should do."
"The Ministry of Magic is demanding the return of 17,000 Galleons, plus a 5,000-Galleon fine. The major families lost another 15,000 Galleons. That's 37,000 Galleons in total. How are we supposed to compensate them?"
"How?" another snapped. "Even if we emptied every vault we have, it wouldn't be enough!"
"Why don't we flee and dissolve the Grey family altogether?"
"I have a suggestion!" a clan member suddenly stood up.
"Serenis has always managed the family's finances. She should continue handling these matters!"
"That's right! Serenis was innocent all along. She was only imprisoned because the former Head of the family vented his anger on her! I support Serenis!"
"You still call that man the Head of the family?" someone sneered.
"If it weren't for him, would we be in this mess?"
"Exactly! He siphoned off most of the family's income for his so-called research. Now he's dragged the entire family down with him!"
"I propose that Bode Grey be stripped of his position as Head of the family!"
"I second that!"
"I second it as well!"
"Then how about letting Serenis temporarily assume the role of Head?"
"What do you all think?"
A brief silence followed.
Instinctively, many wanted to object—power struggles were etched into the bones of pure-blood families.
But when they thought of the family's current situation…
"I think Serenis is suitable."
"Yes, yes, I agree."
"I support it."
"Serenis… the family will rely on you from now on."
Serenis rose slowly and walked to the head of the table.
Her eyes were dull and lifeless as they swept across the room.
After being locked in the dungeon for a full month, she had figured out many things.
These people were useless.
If the Grey family was to survive, it would have to rely on her.
And more importantly—
She needed power.
She needed revenge against Bode Grey.
"I have three decisions," Serenis said coldly.
"First: sell all the treasures taken from the Lestrange family. No matter how rare—keep nothing."
"Second: to cover the compensation shortfall, we will imitate Hydras Lestrange's signature and sell the potion garden in Scotland. It should be worth around 50,000 Galleons."
"Third: all unemployed family members will search for the whereabouts of Hydras Lestrange and Bode Grey. Anyone who brings back reliable information will receive a reward of 1,000 Galleons."
Silence filled the hall.
Serenis slammed her palm onto the table.
Though her hand had been healed, the impact triggered phantom pain from where the iron hooks had pierced her flesh. Her brow twitched slightly.
"What are you still standing around for?" she snapped.
"Do you want the Ministry of Magic to raid this house?"
"Yes!"
---
Whether the Grey family would ultimately survive the crisis was another matter.
For now, Hydras had no intention of causing them further trouble.
Originally, she had been hidden in the shadows, while the Grey family stood in the open.
But now that Bode Grey himself was wanted and forced underground, she no longer dared to act recklessly.
Her anger had been vented.
The profits had been enormous.
This was the perfect moment to stop.
After all, the Grey family wouldn't survive the final battle anyway—and her adoptive parents would never let them off.
As for the Grey family squandering the Lestrange business income?
Honestly?
As long as she had the family fortune, it didn't matter.
Hydras no longer cared about that small amount of money.
With her earning power, she could confidently declare:
I am a tycoon all by myself.
She was rich.
As for the Grey family?
Let's just say she'd paid a few toll fees.
Of course, all of that was just her excuse.
The real reason was simple—
Hydras was lazy.
She had originally planned to buy textbooks and start studying magic, but after being interrupted by Dumbledore, she never went back to the bookshop.
Was it because she forgot?
No.
It was laziness.
Once the moment passed, she lost interest.
Her true nature was lazy and greedy.
In this life, the gods had given her extraordinary talent.
Why not use it to enjoy life?
Spending effort on meaningless things was a waste of existence.
As for singing—
She'd said it countless times already.
It was just her hobby.
So she lived a carefree life of singing, eating, sleeping, and counting money—
Until 1991.
Hydras was sixteen years old.
Incidentally, this was also the year Harry Potter, the so-called saviour, was due to start school.
But what did that have to do with Audrey, who had completely integrated into the Muggle world?
Her savings had reached £130 million.
After Peter Waterman spent endless effort persuading her—and signing countless one-sided contracts—Audrey finally agreed to film her first commercial.
And in doing so, she discovered a new world.
This job is easy!
Because she was still a minor, the advertising director indulged her completely.
Take a few photos.
Say a few lines.
Smile sweetly.
Money poured in.
From that moment on, the gold digger's wealth exploded.
There was no fairness in this world.
After all, she was a superstar who could rival Michael Jackson.
And she was only sixteen.
---
July 1st.
The final stop of the Astray siblings' UK tour.
London.
Rick insisted on ending the tour there.
It was where they had risen to fame.
It mattered.
---
Before the concert began.
Hydras sat in the backstage dressing room.
Her pupils were dilated.
Her hands trembled.
What… exactly… had she just seen?
She stared at the letter in her hand.
An owl-delivered letter.
The owl had even slipped into the venue through the ventilation ducts.
This was outrageous.
She hated round-faced, fat Scottish chickens.
---
"Dear Miss Audrey Astray,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed you will find a list of required books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your reply by 31 July by owl.
(A handwritten note followed: "Given your particular circumstances, alternative arrangements may be discussed.")
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress"
Audrey was stunned.
She had concealed her status as a Squib perfectly.
So how had it suddenly been exposed?
She checked her body and felt a wave of dread.
As young witches grow older, their magical recovery rate increases.
The greater the physical talent, the faster magic regenerates.
At this point, Hydras's body could be called a magical vessel.
The regeneration speed of her magic was absurd.
Her body could no longer disperse magic fast enough to keep up with the generation within her magical core.
Magic overflowed.
Magic flowed through her magical pathways.
And once magic flowed—
She was no longer a Squib.
She was a real witch.
Oh Merlin.
Oh Merlin.
Hydras went completely numb.
If she had known this would happen, why had she pretended to be a Squib in the first place?
Now she'd be attending school with Harry Potter.
Wasn't this just courting death?
If only she'd started school at eleven.
Then—
By the time Harry reached third year, she'd already have graduated.
She could've made up an excuse to go abroad and neatly dodged Voldemort.
Wouldn't that have been perfect?
Her grand plan of "survive until the final battle, get rich overnight, reach the peak of life"—
Had failed.
…Failed?
No.
She hadn't lost yet.
Audrey forced herself to calm down.
The vision of a rich, carefree life in the wizarding world reignited her determination.
But why stay in the wizarding world at all?
Her wealth in the Muggle world was already enough to live comfortably for a lifetime.
The answer was simple.
She was lazy.
What's the difference between getting out of bed to fetch a drink—
And simply lifting a finger and having it fly to you?
The difference was enormous.
After imagining her ideal retirement at twenty-three, her resolve hardened.
Nothing would stop her.
So she needed a new plan.
Yes.
Not going to Hogwarts was the perfect solution.
Direct. Efficient.
She'd talk to Uncle Waterman tomorrow.
The British market was too small.
America was where the future lay.
They'd move as a family.
Change nationality.
Hogwarts couldn't recruit students across countries, could it?
As for Ilvermorny in America?
Ha.
No Dark Lord.
No Voldemort.
Perfectly safe.
---
Just as Audrey was frantically revising her escape plan—
The dressing-room door creaked open.
A small head peeked in.
"Um… excuse me?"
It was a girl, about ten years old.
"Miss Astray… could you sign an autograph for me?"
She looked a little dejected.
"Because of… certain reasons, I might not be able to come to your concerts much in the future. I want to keep a signed record as a memory."
"Of course," Audrey said, taking the record.
"What's your name?"
The girl beamed.
"Hermione! Hermione Jane Granger!"
Hermione Granger.
How could Audrey not recognise her?
She'd even worn Hermione's face in Diagon Alley once.
"Wow!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed, pointing at the letter in Audrey's hand.
"That's a Hogwarts acceptance letter! I just got one too!"
Her eyes sparkled.
"So… Miss Astray is a witch as well?"
Audrey curled her lips faintly.
"I suppose so."
"That's wonderful!" Hermione said excitedly.
"We're classmates! I think we're really destined to meet!"
Destined my foot.
This was karmic entanglement, and she wanted none of it.
You protagonists had better stay far away from me.
Audrey forced a smile and saw Hermione out.
Tomorrow.
America.
First thing tomorrow.
No—she'd contact Uncle Waterman tonight.
She'd pack as soon as the concert ended.
They'd leave tonight.
She'd already run into Hermione—
What if Dumbledore showed up at her door tomorrow morning?
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