The butler, who stood still, tried to speak rationally: "But Miss Stella, the Crup is extremely loyal and has a strong protective instinct towards its owner. Generally speaking, it wouldn't..."
"What do you mean?!"
Stella jumped up and shouted loudly: "Are you saying that I lied to my aunt? That I hurt my own arm? Or do you think I abused my own dog? What are you insinuating?"
She looked furious, as if she were about to jump up and hit the butler, if it weren't for Ms. Picquery firmly holding her arm.
"I... I naturally don't mean that." The butler said stiffly: "I'm just trying to find out what happened."
He cast a pleading glance at Ms. Picquery.
This lady was a person of great poise and culture, even though she was dissatisfied with the bodyguards around her that seemed like surveillance, she understood that they were just following orders and never treated them harshly or allowed her niece to treat the servants rudely.
As the last bit of the wound ceased to bleed, Ms. Picquery seemed to finally have time to deal with other matters.
She did not blame Stella for her outburst, nor did she scold the butler for not following orders, she merely frowned slightly and said:
"We should quickly find Amy... if that child runs out and scratches a Muggle, or if its intelligence draws undue attention, it might bring us trouble."
"Find Amy but don't harm it! Bring it back properly!" Stella said fiercely, wiping her tears: "I want... I want to starve it for three days, and not give it lamb bone biscuits for a whole month!"
The butler showed an expression of speechlessness—what kind of punishment is that? A dog that hurts people should be dealt with directly!
Of course, he didn't say what was in his heart, he just looked at Vid who was standing silently beside him, hesitated, and said: "Has Mr. Gray's visit ended today?"
"Of course not."
Before Vid could speak, Ms. Picquery said: "I still want to talk to Vid about Voldemort and the Magic School league! Or... do you think Vid Gray would suddenly attempt to assassinate me? And I am so old that without a bodyguard, I wouldn't be able to do anything?"
She said this with a smile, but her tone and unreasonable demeanor were just like Stella's.
Stella snorted heavily, raised her chin, and looked provocatively at the butler.
"Of course not." The butler said with a wry smile, bowing his head: "We'll go right away to retrieve Miss Stella's pet."
Before leaving, he quickly glanced at Vid, looking at the boy who seemed slightly awkward and embarrassed due to the events unfolding, and felt relieved.
—He's just a boy.
Plus, an Alchemist! Even if they're skilled with spells, people like them are bookworms, incapable of much.
Thinking about the dizzying discussion between the two earlier, the butler quickened his pace as he walked out the door.
But as soon as he stepped outside, with the breeze blowing, his mind suddenly cleared a bit. He turned back and suspiciously glanced at the door that hadn't fully closed.
Is Miss Stella normally this unruly?
—No, this young lady has good upbringing, considerate of others and lively, and never speaks coldly even to a homeless person.
Why would a Crup, known for loyalty, attack its owner?
The butler edged closer to the door silently, listening intently.
In the basement directly below the study, a House-Elf wearing a pink pillowcase wiggled its finger.
At the same time, a fruit platter appeared on the study's coffee table, piled with plump and red cherries.
Ms. Picquery smiled gently at the cherries, picked one up easily, and handed it to Vid: "Try it... it comes from a Magic Farm cultivated for a hundred and fifty years."
"Aunt, listen to me..."
Stella clung to her arm, forcing Ms. Picquery's attention back to herself.
So the butler could hear Miss Stella's murmuring complaints inside.
She complained about her pet, about the disobedient subordinates, about the hot weather, and the boring Alchemy Competition broadcast, even seemingly taking subtle jabs at Vid Gray.
Listening until the end, the butler suddenly understood why Miss Stella was so irritable today.
—She was indeed venting, but her anger was not directed at these subordinates, but at Vid Gray, who embarrassed her at the Magic School league.
Thinking about the broadcast where poor, pampered Stella was first hit by the Stunning Spell and carried away like a corpse by poppets;
Then facing the Ghoul explosion with a group, getting splashed with corrosive fluid and flesh, the stench lingering for weeks despite washing.
In the end, she couldn't resent or blame Vid Gray for being too harsh for her elimination, but had to thank him... thank him for sparing them these competitors from directly confronting Voldemort, being killed or imprisoned by Death Eaters.
Imagining such an experience was enough to infuriate any observer, feeling wrath and frustration.
Yet Miss Stella, who experienced it all firsthand, could only think of revenge as... simply disrupting Vid Gray and Ms. Picquery's meeting, even hurting herself for it...
It's really... really too kind...
Even a bit foolish...
The butler, on one hand, felt moved that Miss Stella was not a spoilt second generation, on the other hand, deeply worried about the girl's intelligence.
He shook his head, sighed, hearing footsteps approaching the door, he hastened through the corridor, spotting a maid wiping the railings.
Thinking for a moment, he signaled to call her over, instructing: "Miss Stella is injured, go find a bottle of Scar Remover, send it to the study... if you notice anything unusual... notify me promptly."
The maid quietly nodded, and the two parted ways.
...
As the butler left the entrance, another platter of orange-yellow tangerines suddenly appeared on the study table.
Ms. Picquery eyed the newly appeared fruit, visibly relaxing. She silently stroked her niece's hair, then turned to Vid and said:
"The surveillance is temporarily relieved, but it won't last long. Mr. Gray, let's be brief."
"Yes!" Vid replied earnestly.
Stella sat up straight, saying: "Aunt Seraphina, I'll cast an Imperturbable Charm and Anti-Snooping Spell at the door!"
"No, just leave it, change nothing."
Ms. Picquery drew her niece back to her side, quickly saying to Vid: "Mr. Gray, the reason I can't deliver the information to Dumbledore through conventional means is that the so-called intelligence isn't something that can be freely narrated or recorded."
"It's a carefully preserved, fragmented memory piece. It can't endure more magic, can only be displayed once, and the memory will completely dissolve and become unrecoverable."
"Thus... it can't be copied, stored, any unsafe transport method would irreversibly harm it. The only way to take it back, deliver it to Dumbledore—"
She paused, speaking with an incredibly solemn tone: "is for you—Vid Gray, to witness this memory yourself, then take it back in your own mind!"
She took out a glass bottle covered in cracks, gently placing it in Vid's hand.
"Bathroom, sink, view it right here."
Ms. Picquery said with a bitter smile: "Trust me, you can't take anything unexamined out of this manor."
Stella pursed her lips tightly, still leaning against Ms. Picquery, but her expression now was silent and composed, somewhat gloomy compared to her earlier spoiled demeanor, as if she were a completely different person.
Vid grasped the glass bottle, hiding it in his palm.
Another platter of cherries appeared on the table.
Vid heard soft footsteps approaching the study, he stood up and calmly said: "Excuse me, ladies... could you tell me where the bathroom is?"