Chapter 30 Friendship Between Vampire And Muggle

As the surroundings began to shift once more, another night unfolded.

Sanguini sneaked into the Badminton Estate for the second time.

This time, before coming, he seemed to have gone through an intense internal struggle and finally made up his mind to erase all memories of himself from Patty's mind tonight.

His steps were firm as he first entered the staircase, but the higher he climbed, the more hesitation and conflict appeared on Sanguini's face… emotions that shouldn't have been there.

Until he pushed open the door and entered the room that wasn't even locked.

Moonlight streamed through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, soft as a silver veil, draping over the entire room.

The girl in the wheelchair sat quietly by the window, bathed in the silvery glow, looking serene and peaceful.

Seeing that Patty was obviously waiting for him, Sanguini's hand holding the wand trembled slightly.

"Don't you ever sleep at night?" He asked with difficulty.

"A cripple like me can rest at any time of the day."

Patty replied calmly, tilting her head as she looked at Sanguini, "Are you still determined to modify my memories?"

Even someone as blunt as Harry could see that Sanguini could no longer bring himself to do it. At this moment, Sanguini's hands were shaking so badly he couldn't even cast a simple Levitation Charm!

But the young vampire stubbornly insisted, "According to the wizards' Statute of Secrecy, Muggles aren't allowed to know these things. If I don't do this, the Aurors will eventually find out, and they'll send someone to erase your memories!"

"Then why can't you just kill me?" Patty still sought death from Sanguini.

Sanguini visibly grew agitated, frustrated by Patty's indifference toward her own life.

"Why do you speak of death so lightly? If you really want to die, why don't you do it yourself?!"

But the moment the words left his mouth, Sanguini realized his mistake. His face turned even paler.

But Patty didn't seem offended. She simply continued gazing at him quietly, "They don't give me the chance to end my life. I couldn't even open the window on my own."

Sanguini fell silent.

He knew Patty was right.

There wasn't a single sharp object in the bedroom, and considering that Patty couldn't even take care of herself, she had lost even the right to end her own life.

"Have you ever left this room?" Sanguini suddenly asked.

Patty looked at him and said softly, "They allow me to go out, but only under constant supervision. No one wants to be treated like a dog, taken outside on a leash every day, right?"

At that moment, Sanguini suddenly walked toward Patty and grabbed one of her hands.

Such an action made the girl hold her breath. Her eyes, which were originally hollow and lifeless, like those of a dead person, now flickered with rare panic and uncertainty.

But Sanguini paid no attention to her reaction. Instead, he gripped her hand, helping her exert enough force to push open the deliberately stiff window that was nearly impossible for her to open alone!

The night breeze rushed into the bedroom, lifting their hair.

At this time, Sanguini let go of his hand.

"Now the window is right there." He took a deep breath and said, "You can do whatever you want, anytime, without needing anyone's help."

Patty stared at Sanguini in a daze, but she quickly reacted.

Without the slightest hesitation or delay, she used her arms, the only limb she could still control, to begin the arduous climb toward the window frame!

Even in her seated position, she could have easily reached the open window, yet this still became a grueling battle.

She relied on the nearby curtains and the locked wheels of her wheelchair, using only her arms to pull herself toward the window frame, slow and deliberate, like a sluggish snail.

Finally, after a full twenty minutes, she draped her upper body over the open window like a discarded handkerchief!

Patty could now see the ground ten meters below. If she fell straight down, there was a chance that she would fall headfirst onto the cobblestone road that extended from the lawn.

It was a suicide method with an exceptionally high mortality rate.

She didn't immediately let herself drop. Instead, with one last effort, she turned her head to look back at Sanguini.

"Can I know your name?"

Sanguini stared at her blankly, at this girl so determined to die.

"Sanguini..." He murmured.

"My name is Patty, Patty Somerset. We're friends now, aren't we?" Patty, who hadn't hesitated even in the face of death, now struggled to keep her voice from trembling.

"Yes..." Sanguini was also doing his best to keep his own voice from sounding hoarse and strained.

And the moment that word left his lips, Patty's arms braced against the window frame, and with one final push, she flung herself forward!

The wind caught her dress and her chestnut-brown hair, making her seem so light, so fragile, as if a single gust could carry her away!

In that same instant, Sanguini lunged toward the window and leaped out after her without hesitation!

As he jumped, he held the wand tightly in his hand, without any trace of trembling. He then pointed it so accurately at the girl falling in mid-air and chanted the spell!

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Harry's heart leapt into his throat. He instinctively wanted to rush to the window to see if they were alright, but before he could take a single step, Snape's hand clamped down on his shoulder.

The scene around them changed, and when it stabilized, they were already on the lawn outside the house.

In the end, Patty did not fall on the stone road as she wished. Instead, her body was caught by an invisible force, hovering about a meter above the ground!

By the time Sanguini landed gracefully on the grass, Patty's mind was still blank.

She had been fully prepared for death, ready to embrace it… yet here she was, still alive.

It took her a long moment to regain her senses. When she finally turned her gaze to Sanguini, he was smiling at her, looking utterly at ease.

"You're not as honest as you pretend to be."

Faced with her cold words, Sanguini didn't seem to care. He grinned proudly.

"I'm a thief. My credit rating with the goblins is zero… they'd never lend me a Knut."

"So, how does it feel to be reborn?" He asked.

Patty, with no regard for ladylike decorum, sprawled limply in midair, with her arms outstretched. She didn't answer, refusing to even look at Sanguini… clearly furious.

Unbothered by her silence, Sanguini guided her with his wand, taking her on a nighttime tour of Badminton Estate.

"You're not as helpless as you thought, are you? You escaped that cage on your own, returned to the free world… so why not take a proper look around?"

"Maybe this place isn't so bad. You've probably never really explored your own home. Tonight's the perfect chance."

"Hey, Patty, you said we're friends. So do your friend a favor, alright?"

Finally, Patty seemed to be persuaded by him.

She began to struggle, trying to push herself upright in midair. Seeing this, Sanguini quickly waved his wand to assist her.

But as a vampire, he had never attended Hogwarts, and his magic was entirely self-taught. After fumbling for a long time and spinning Patty around in every direction, he finally managed to help her sit up, leaning back slightly while still floating.

"You're a lousy wizard." Patty said sarcastically.

Sanguini avoided her gaze, not directly responding to the remark. Instead, he guided Patty forward with his wand.

They strolled through the garden, soon crossing the vast lawn and arriving at the stables near the manor.

With Sanguini's help, Patty mounted a horse for the first time since her paralysis. A smile spread across her face, and Sanguini couldn't help but smile back.

For that moment, they were like true, close friends.

Soon, they ventured deeper into the stables, and Sanguini keenly discovered the secret base of Septimus and the kids in the feed warehouse.

Sanguini had never touched a Muggle video game, let alone Patty.

The two complete novices fumbled with the controllers at first, laughing and mocking each other, playing and bickering until the sky began to lighten.

They shared an unspoken understanding. Sanguini didn't bring up the memory erasure again, and Patty no longer spoke of ending her life. Before dawn, Sanguini sent her back to her room.

Many more nights passed like this, with Sanguini visiting Patty each evening.

They explored nearly every corner of the Badminton Estate together.

Patty discovered that Sanguini was interested in the motorcycle in the garage, so she volunteered to teach him how to ride one. However, the noise was so loud that it even alarmed the servants and they were almost discovered.

Sanguini sensed Patty's curiosity about the Wizarding World, and thinking that her memory would be erased later, he told Patty various stories from [The Tales of Beedle the Bard].

They tried to make the garden's buds bloom and helped a mare give birth to her foal in the middle of the night.

Sanguini used a Mending Charm to repair a tulip brooch left by Patty's mother, while Patty guided him to the kitchen so they could enjoy a midnight feast.

They truly began to understand each other, accepting one another and becoming the closest of friends.

It was a beautiful time, so beautiful that both of them temporarily forgot their troubles.

But forgetting didn't mean the problems disappeared.

Soon enough, Sanguini's friend, Eldred Worple, a rising writer in the British Wizarding World, noticed something was amiss and quickly uncovered the truth.

"You must cut ties with her immediately!"

"Why?"

"The current Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnall, is retiring next year. She wants to leave on a high note, she's been pushing the Aurors to crack down on any incidents to prevent any serious incidents from happening!"

"I'm just… just being friends with Patty." Sanguini defended weakly.

"They won't care what you're doing! All they'll see is that you've violated the International Statute of Secrecy! You know how strict that law is, it's absolutely non-negotiable!"

Worple stared at Sanguini intently.

"And don't forget what you are, Sanguini! The Ministry is even harsher on non-human beings. Unless..."

Sanguini, who had originally been dejected, suddenly raised his head.

"Unless what?"

"Unless you marry that Muggle. Make her your wife. Then she'd be exempt from the Statute of Secrecy."

However, after hearing these words, Sanguini only felt more powerless and desperate.

He clutched his head and said in pain.

"I'm a vampire! You know how it is, Eldred… vampires are barely better than werewolves! I..."

Worple sighed and patted his friend's shoulder. Shaking his head, he said, "Then you need to make a decision fast. Erase her memory, sever the connection. You still have debts to pay, don't you? You need to earn money to settle them. You don't have time to play house with some Muggle!"

Sanguini fell into a long, heavy silence.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, his expression turned numb and he nodded mechanically.