33

Eli did not pay much attention to the adolescent love affairs of boys and girls, and soon cast them aside. This year he was forced to stay in school for Christmas, which has become a big thing on his mind recently.

It all started with the bracelets he and Arthur developed together. When it was first developed during the summer break of second grade, it did not initially attract widespread attention. Dumbledore secretly pushed the Ministry of Magic to purchase a batch of wristbands. However, the ministry was somewhat unimpressed by the one-off magical protection, and routinely sent one to aurors and front-line staff, follow the procedure as if it were an official document.

The change came after several sudden attacks by Death Eaters.

Ever since the war began, Voldemort, the Death Eaters, and the dark mark they brought with them have been a nightmare for all ordinary wizards. Anyone who comes into contact with them could be under a soul-snatching spell and return home as usual. A green skull might appear above the house, indicating that the person waiting for him at home will never wake up again... The happy and peaceful life can be broken at any time and place...

And when this tragedy befalls you, it's not because you've done something wrong, it's just because you don't share one person's pure-blooded, violent dominance-if you don't join forces, will bring fatal disaster to those around them.

In such a time when everyone was in danger, looking over his shoulder, a phoenix firework burst in mid-air, lighting up a dark night sky.

His first appearance came when the Aurors were ambushed by Death Eaters. No one was prepared for the first spell-but it was fended off by the self-triggering armour spell on the bracelet, and with a loud blast, a golden firework burst into a giant phoenix pattern in mid-air, startling both sides at the same time.

None of them had time to think about what was going on, but there was no doubt that a curse that was supposed to create chaos in the Aurors wasn't working as well as it should have. The Aurors and the Death Eaters fought a fierce battle. When one side suddenly faced the enemy and the other came prepared, they fought back and forth and were evenly matched. Eventually, reinforcements arrived, and the Death Eaters retreated resentfully, everyone was Treme glad that no innocent life had been taken.

Then, not long after, it appeared in Kent field couple's house above. Mr John Field, who works in the Ministry of Magic's Division of law enforcement, gave the bracelet to his wife, who is now a stay-at-home mom to their children, who are under a year old. Mr. John Field is a staunch anti-voldemort at the Ministry of Magic, and has made numerous efforts to establish a wartime bill for the ministry. Jenkens did a good job of quelling the Pureblood riots of previous years, but in the face of Voldemort's rise, she continued her repressive and cover-up policies, which were too soft on Death Eaters.

The Death Eaters' revenge on his family began quietly on an ordinary weekday afternoon. Mrs. John Field was at home with her children, as usual. She was a shrewd and vigilant witch, and she rarely left the house with her children these days. As the Death Eater broke through the window, a green light came straight at her-she had no wand in her hand, and in a Shriek of terror her first reaction was to push the baby's cradle away from her, a red light that was fleeting, she had no time to react.

Fortunately, her husband let her wear the magic armor, she has been well placed on the children's hands. As the baby, less than a year old, was pushed away from its mother, a light shone from the bracelet on its wrist, and the barrier thwarted a potentially fatal blow. A Golden Phoenix appeared over the Fields' home.

The John Field family lived in a witch colony where more than half the neighbors were witches. After seeing what appeared to be a distress signal, the neighbors took their wands out to check and saw something in the shattered glass of the Fields' window. Seven or eight men came together to fight off the uninvited guests.

This kind of thing happened a few times, magic armor and Phoenix emblem suddenly increased fame. Its existence and exploits spread like wings through the wizarding world, even though it was never reported in the daily prophet. The voices of wizards everywhere were asking each other: who invented the bracelets? Where Do I buy it? How can I Buy More? Who are they reaching out to?

As the source, the Ministry of Magic's telephones were busy. Seven out of the ten calls were busy, asking about the bracelet. The Owl also brought a snowflake of mail, many sorcerers have Fear Is the Key to protest the ministry's discriminatory treatment, hiding such useful shields from the public. The Ministry of Magic is currently swamped with complaints from all departments that deal with the opinions of Wizards.

While some wizards are less well informed, others know exactly where the armor comes from. The aurors office, which had repeatedly felt the benefits of the bracelets, immediately submitted a large number of applications to increase the number of bracelets to be issued after the first use of the bracelets, when they see a member of the division for the prohibition of the misuse of Muggle items in the ministry's elevators, they gratefully shake each other's hands, baffling a few unsuspecting officers; when they receive a message from their wife's patron saint, mr. John Field, who had hurried home in a state of shock, came to Arthur that very night with his wife and children, after a pale thanks to his neighbor for his help. The Weasleys, to Arthur and Molly solemnly expressed their gratitude, that this life-saving kindness, they will always be remembered.

As a one-time defense device, the wristband could not withstand death eaters' attacks so effectively every time. If there were too many people on the scene and there was no support around, it doesn't really change anything. But that doesn't completely obscure its significance. Its presence, it seems, provides an exciting incentive to look forward to the kind of help that comes along when you're in danger, when you're in danger, when you're in danger, when you're in danger, when you're in danger, when you're in danger, when you're in danger, when you're in danger, when you're in danger, when you're in danger, when you're in danger, when you're in danger, when you're in danger, when you're in danger, when you're in danger, when you're in danger, the Phoenix will illuminate your side.

Sales of defensive wristbands have seen a frightening explosion in the months since their launch. But there's a catch to all this exuberance. Just the other day, the Weasleys' burrow was raided by Death Eaters, and the village of St. Catchpole is not a traditional witch colony, fortunately, Curie was alone that day, and Mrs. Weasley returned with her two children to her mother's house -- and as the tension grew, the prewitts could no longer be angry with their little girl for running away, it's good enough that the family is alive and together.

This Death Eaters sneak attack did not cause any substantial damage, but the shock to the public is far-reaching. Although the armour wristband was mainly developed and improved by Arthur, because it involved negotiations with the Ministry of Magic, Arthur, who worked in the Ministry of Magic, was obviously not fit to appear. Therefore, he hid behind the scenes the entire time, the order of the Phoenix is mainly responsible for all matters. The magic bracelet was now very popular in the magical world, but few people knew about it. The only people who knew about it were some sharp-nosed people in the Ministry of Magic. Most of the rest thought that he was still working on improving the magic phone, he made a lot of money and put an end to the Weasley family's poverty stereotype.

But the Death Eaters knew, and were sure, that they had attacked his home to teach him a lesson.

If they know about Arthur, then... ? ... Who's to say they don't know about Eli?

Mrs. Smith felt threatened. It happened a few days before Christmas. She immediately called the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts and asked Dumbledore to call Eli to the headmaster's office, he is strictly forbidden to go home at Christmas. Eli listened to her reasons and did not object to detention, but frowned with concern and asked, a little tensely, "What about you, are you safe there?"

Mrs. Smith paused, and this time she did not hide it from him. Her voice grew serious.

"You've grown up, Eli, and you're quite a troublemaker to the naked eye. I don't think there's any point in keeping it from you... ... If my information is correct, your father and I are safe for the time being . After the L^′Estrange idiots and their friends attacked us, there was intelligence that ... You-know-who is very angry with them for being so presumptuous."

Eli paused, thought for a moment, and asked tentatively, "Because they were so rude... ?"

"That's right. The mysterious man is clearly smarter than my two idiot cousins. He probably figured it out. If he wants to win you over, getting rough with your father and me will only have the opposite effect and push you further and further away. Unlike my cousins, who were so preoccupied with the idea of a L^′Estrange traitor who wasn't loyal to you-know-who, I think he was thinking more rationally. ... but it's not good for you at all."

Eli was silent, listening to his mother speak in a strained, breathless voice.

"To be seen by that man is like being stared at by a serpent with a message... ... You know what I mean, son, the day you make a really clear choice, maybe what happened to the fields and the Weasleys today is what's going to happen to us as a family."

Eli hung up the phone and was silent for a long time.

"Am I doing a good thing, Professor Dumbledore?" He murmured to the headmaster, a little perplexed, "If it weren't for me, my parents would still be able to lead a carefree and prosperous life without being targeted. They wouldn't have to be so worried. It would be like having a knife hanging around their neck. They would be able to live a happy life every day."

"Your and Arthur's bracelets have spared the lives of several aurors, saved John Field from losing his wife and children, and provided a solid foundation for anyone in The wizarding world who doesn't want to be associated with Death Eaters," Dumbledore said solemnly, his tone was placid and did not give him a definite yes or no. His blue eyes looked at him gently.

"Do you think you're doing the right thing, Eli, and would you choose not to do it in the first place if you could?"

Eli did not have an answer to Dumbledore's question at the time. He spent the holiday alone at Hogwarts, the first Christmas he had not spent with his family, which left him feeling unusually lonely.

The books in the library no longer absorbed him. Eli recently began to read a lot of books related to incantation, from time to time to consult Professor Flitwick practice details. Professor Flavie expressed surprise at his progress, but taught him without reserve.

"But why are you in such a hurry, Smith?" He inquired with concern, "You may not be the only student who learned the fifth-grade mantra in the third grade, but you were watching the fourth-grade mantra last week-learning to do it step by step. I always thought you had a good sense of your own pace."

"I'm afraid I Won't make it in time, professor," Eli said, pursing her lips, a little wearily, and bending the corners of her lower lip, "Better safe than sorry, right? After all, if I'm attacked by Death Eaters outside, they won't care if I or the people around me have learned the defense spell. They won't be able to reason with me."

His vigilance and tension came in secret and silent, the news did not really spread to the school inside, his classmates are still happy to immerse themselves in the relaxed campus life. Few of his classmates knew he was related to the magic bracelet, and the few who knew him expressed their concerns in different ways.

"Don't be afraid of them, Eli," Jaime encouraged him. He seems to have been doing a lot of spell training over the last year, and he's always been a bit of a mess. It's amazing how much time he can squeeze in outside of training in Quidditch. He put his dirty face on his shoulder and smiled at him with a thumbs-up.

"But seriously, you did a great job, man," he said, his face full of admiration and desire, "Heh, one day, I'll declare war on the dark forces like you! Declare War on the Righteous Gryffindor! Uphold my morals and fulfill my ideals! Even if it costs me my life!"

Don't say such unlucky words. Eli murmured, but looked at his manly posture, or could not help but show a little smile.

As Arthur did outside, a few sane people looked at the magic armor and looked suspiciously at Eli. After all, he was already in the papers in the first grade, apparently a Dumbledore, arguing with Arthur. Weasley co-developed the Magic Telephone, seems to be very suspicious.

The skeptics weren't malicious. They were just curious. At most, they secretly asked Luke if he could supply them with magic wristbands in bulk. The price was negotiable. Eli, pretending not to take the hint, says he has no idea. But there was a small group of people who looked at him maliciously, and Severus Snape walked among them, tensed against their organized questioning.

"Don't we have anything more important to discuss?" He asked with a puzzled look on his face. There was a hint of impatience on his face, seemingly inadvertently drawing their attention back, "Don't we have more important things to do? Don't mind the little guys."

The Slytherin wondered if he had a point, or if what was about to happen was important, and the subject had finally shifted from Eli to something else. Severus Snape, walking alone behind, pauses as he passes a classroom door. He silently pulls it open, and the two look into each other's eyes for a second.

"Be careful," Severus Snape said, almost without moving his lips, and walked away with the rest of Slytherin's classmates.

How am I supposed to pay attention? Eli sighed softly and closed the door of the empty classroom again, feeling a rare twinge of annoyance.

Over time, the situation has not improved significantly. As the Death Eaters' terrorist acts continued and intensified, the status of magical armor also rose, in the end, it even got to the point where everyone had one -- Eli found in a Hogwarts student observation that students at many different colleges were already wearing protective gear, and it seemed to be doing its job, this makes their act of invention itself significant.

For him personally, though, there was more stress and worry, but Eli could say with certainty that his answer to Dumbledore's question was no. Even if he had to choose again, he would still make these things-he could see the difference they made, and it was undoubtedly a great cause.

Although it is true that his personal condition has not improved. At the end of the summer, Eli had thought about whether he should stay at school, but he couldn't stay at Hogwarts. He had to get on the Hogwarts train with a lot on his mind, worried about the coming summer vacation.

But by the time the car reached London, he was happy again: After all, he hadn't seen his parents in a year, and being able to see them again was enough to offset all his other misgivings.

When the train pulled into the King's Cross station, it was strangely cold. It was July, but it seemed that the hot summer heat and the noisy cicadas had disappeared at the same time... As the train drew closer to the station, the joy of being reunited with his family seemed to slowly pull away from him...

He didn't know what had happened, and the other students were equally confused. But everyone was visibly depressed, as if someone had sucked their happiness out at the same time, and everyone had a dull, somber look on their faces.

With a vague uneasiness in his heart, Eli hurried up to the platform with his luggage. His mother was not far away, and he saw her, and he quickened his steps towards her

His steps suddenly stopped, the whole person stopped in place, pupils uncontrollably enlarged, rigid to pull his luggage, completely unable to move.

Someone came up behind him and whispered in his ear.

"Eli Smith..." the man whispered, his voice soft and hoarse, almost like a snake spitting out a message.

"There you are."