bioinnovel Chapter 82 Families are all deceptive tricks
Chapter 82 Families are all deceptive tricks
Chapter 82 Families are all deceptive tricks
This is no ordinary Muggle; we have to deal with them decisively!
Belvina simply refused to believe it; she couldn't understand an old, frail Muggle.
"Alright, Mr. White," Belvina said patiently, "would you mind telling me how you got this job?"
If the old man who called himself "White" hadn't been a Muggle and quite old, Belvina would have certainly made him understand the evil of Black.
Besides, this is still a rural area, so even though Belvina has always looked down on boxing, she can still beat old White to a pulp by virtue of the location advantage.
Old White paid no attention to Belvina's topic, instead pacing around the young witch, carrying heaps of hay.
From old White's cloudy eyes, Belvina saw disdain; he was disgusted that she wasn't doing any work and was just getting in the way.
"Mr. White, you've spent so much time with my grumpy great-aunt, you should know she's a witch, right?"
Belvina continued, "Or rather, you must know a lot about witches. I can easily read your mind."
It's as simple as flipping through a book.
She crossed her arms over her chest and followed old White like a shadow, muttering to herself.
"Of course, people's hearts aren't a book to be read at will. But if you continue to refuse to cooperate, I'll have no choice but to resort to unnecessarily forceful means to understand you. I don't feel comfortable letting a stranger walk around in my house."
Old White stopped and turned around, looking at the young witch who had issued the threat behind him. His cloudy eyes suddenly brightened.
"The Black family is still as cold-blooded as ever."
"It's always been like this. Cassiopeia didn't leave the farmhouse to Alaminta, but gave it to me, probably because I'm the best-tempered one."
If the farmhouse owner had been Alaminta Melifren, old White's best fate would have been to be kicked out on the first day, and his worst fate would have been to be used as a tool for amusement and tortured to death.
Looking at the entire Black family genealogy, apart from those who were removed from the list, Belvina is probably the most good-tempered.
This is likely a major reason why Cassiopeia left the farmhouse to her in her will, since she is still a professor of Muggle Studies and has shown a close affinity to the Muggle community.
"I don't have much to talk about with you," old White said. "I've always lived here. Cassiopeia needed help settling here, so I came. I didn't know she was a witch back then."
Old White makes it sound easy, but things are definitely not that simple.
If they need manpower, why not hire house-elves, or at least wizards? Why go looking for a Muggle?
Furthermore, this Muggle happens to be immune to Muggle Expulsion Charms and Muggle Interference Charms. So, what, are they expelled (interfered with)?
Over time, antibodies will develop!
Belvina wouldn't believe that, and neither would Lucius.
"Well, Mr. White, I don't know what you've got that's so special about you that you can attract Cassiopeia, and I don't know why you're so—well—disrespectful to me."
Belvina's good temper depends on who she's comparing herself to; she won't be all smiles just because old White is getting on in years.
Dumbledore was much older than old White, and was his boss, the greatest wizard of his time. Even when Belvina disapproved, she still spoke up.
"In that case, let's part ways amicably," Belvina said. "Tomorrow I will leave Fertile Plains, and I will no longer be the owner of the farmhouse, relinquishing this inheritance."
Cassiopeia's will was strange; she left the farmhouse to Belvina, whom she was not close to.
If Belvina wants to inherit the farmhouse in Fertile Plains, she must keep the Muggle who works there—Old White—and treat him well until he dies of natural causes.
This strange will left behind a meager inheritance and a mystery.
"The farmhouse will most likely be handed over to Alaminta, and you should know who she is," Belvina continued, using a feigned retreat to further threaten old White.
"Why do you insist on talking to me? You're a wizard, and I'm not. What can we talk about?" White said. "The Ministry of Magic, pure-bloods, or the wizards and Muggles here?"
Belvina shifted her posture and said, "I didn't expect Mr. White to know so much!"
Realizing he had spoken out of turn, old White no longer held back, saying bluntly, "I know just as much as you do! Over the years, I've watched one Blake after another be born and die, and I've witnessed the Blake family decline step by step!"
He seemed to know Blake well and harbored a deep resentment towards the old family.
"You all used to proudly proclaim 'forever pure,' and now?" Old White said, angrily throwing down his shovel. "Now you're the only one left. How does it feel to have Blake's great name weighing on your shoulders?"
The old man seemed to be releasing all the resentment he had accumulated over the years.
He continued, "What, am I wrong? 'Eternal purity' is utter bullshit! It's caused Blake to wither away, caused the paternal line to end, and Blake will be forgotten sooner or later, just like Gaunt!"
Old White flew into a rage, cursing the Black family members, from Phineas to Sirius, then from Sirius to Arcturus, Signas, and finally Orion and Volbuga.
However, Belvina couldn't tell which specific person the other person was insulting, so she proceeded to insult everyone on the family tree. There was no way around it; the Black family had too many members with the same name.
Belvina did not refute, nor did she want to, because she knew best the meaning of Blake's decline.
The once bustling Grimmauld Place is now desolate and deserted, with only two people, including Belvina, barely breathing.
Old White cursed for a long time until he was exhausted and finally stopped. He picked up the shovel that had been thrown away, leaned on it with both hands, and tried to calm his turbulent emotions while adjusting his breathing.
"Mr. White, who exactly are you?" Belvina asked. "You know too many secrets, so many that it makes me want to kill you to silence you."
Old White's knowledge of the Black family went far beyond mere familiarity; he knew them inside and out. Some of the family secrets, even those unknown to Belvina, were known to this elderly and frail Muggle.
It's a bit scary when an outsider knows more about your family than you do about your own.
"What, are you going to take out your wand and slit my throat, or turn me into a sheep?" Old White remained calm, as if he wasn't afraid of being threatened at all.
"Silly girl, let me give you a piece of advice: don't bother with that damned Black. Just let him go," old White continued. "And you, take your wealth that you could never spend in several lifetimes, find a good man to marry, and live a peaceful and stable life."
As he spoke, tears welled up in old White's eyes, but he didn't seem to care.
He wiped away his tears and continued, "Family honor is all a deceptive trick. If they truly valued family honor and reputation, Blake wouldn't be where he is today. Let's call it a day. It's fine."
Old White turned his back and let out a long sigh. He was clearly grieving, yet he genuinely hoped that the Black family would end like this.
It's a contradiction.
"I will not get married," Belvina said firmly. She had a vague idea of the other person's true identity, but she couldn't confirm it.
She continued, "I'm not going to be foolish enough to shoulder the family honor; I do everything for myself. But one day, the Blake name will be made great because of me."
Old White turned around in surprise, staring in astonishment at the young witch who could be his granddaughter. Was she arrogant and ignorant, or did she have a grand vision?
"You still haven't told me your last name, which isn't fair, Mr. White," Belvina said. "Although I already have a general idea, I still want to hear it from you."
"You're really cruel!" Old White exclaimed. "You're just like your mother, and you're just like Cassie."
"It is indeed cruel, but don't you think a long-awaited reunion is a very heartwarming thing?"
Old White fell silent, hesitating as he recalled the name that hadn't been mentioned in decades.
"Before I was eleven, everyone around me called me Marius," he said. "Marius Black."