The Greengrass family in this generation had three daughters.
The eldest was Agnes Greengrass, the second was Daphne Greengrass, and the youngest was Astoria Greengrass.
Greengrass Manor was huge, and every family member had their own independent room.
But precisely because of this, the manor felt very cold and lonely.
In this vast estate, only the youngest sister, Astoria, got along with Agnes.
As for Daphne Greengrass, she was the true "young miss" of the manor. Although Agnes was nominally the eldest daughter, her actual identity was that of an illegitimate daughter born to the family head, Mark Greengrass, outside of his marriage.
While Agnes was chatting happily with Astoria, Daphne walked in with a cold face. "Astoria, it's time for your etiquette lessons."
Hearing Daphne's voice, the smile on Astoria's face instantly faded.
"Go on, don't keep Mother waiting. After your lessons, I'll teach you how to make even better candy," Agnes comforted her.
A smile returned to Astoria's small face. She nodded and ran out.
Daphne didn't follow her out. Instead, she lifted her chin at Agnes and said, "That is my and Astoria's mother. Your Muggle mother died a long time ago."
Her arrogant, condescending tone was incredibly annoying.
Agnes just gave Daphne a slightly cold look and smiled. "Try saying that in front of Mother."
"You!..."
A simple sentence left Daphne speechless. She choked on the word "you," not knowing how to follow up. After a pause, she said viciously, "Hmph! Don't think Mother actually likes you. It's just to maintain the family's reputation."
Dropping those words, Daphne stormed out of the room in a huff, and the smile on Agnes's face vanished.
---
Linda Greengrass, the current matriarch of the Greengrass family, was also the biological mother of Daphne and Astoria.
Big families have many rules, especially for the matriarch. Without some serious patience and tolerance, she probably would have died of anger in that position long ago.
Agnes was a precocious and sensible girl. Although Linda didn't like her, both of them wore masks and played their roles perfectly.
Everyone in the family knew this, but no one poked holes in it. That was why, on the surface, Linda acted like a real mother, giving Agnes everything she should have—except true motherly love.
The cold family atmosphere made Agnes feel lonely. perhaps her little sister Astoria was her only real family.
Agnes didn't take pride in being from a pure-blood wizarding family. On the contrary, she would have preferred to be born into an ordinary family.
Living in this huge manor while wearing a mask was exhausting.
So, rather than returning home, she wished she could stay at school.
"I wonder how that guy is doing now. Will he come to find me?"
Agnes sighed, thinking of Rey and his magical problems. Then her thoughts drifted to Helena Ravenclaw.
"I really envy Helena, having someone who loves her so much."
---
Time passes so slowly in the eyes of the lonely. Conversely, for those who need it, it flies by like a white horse flashing past a crevice.
In a blink, the holiday after Easter was nearing its end.
However, over this month, Rey hadn't made much progress in taming the magic within his body.
He had tried many methods to transform into a giant dragon, even using the orthodox Animagus training methods.
But only one accidental incident had caused the magic within him to stir, allowing him to use magic.
It happened when he visited Hagrid's hut. After leaving the hut, lost in thought, he wandered into the Forbidden Forest by mistake and ran into a troll.
When a person is too engrossed in thought, they might not even notice a car driving right up to them.
That was the case for Rey, except it wasn't a car approaching, but a troll's club smashing down.
Sensing the sudden danger, Rey raised his wand without thinking and cast a Shield Charm to block.
Magic surged within his body, casting the spell without a hitch. The temporary protective barrier blocked the troll's club, though the impact sent Rey rolling backward several times.
Trolls aren't exactly fast. Rey had originally wanted to use magic to finish off the suicidal troll, but he had to give up in the end. He had to rely on his speed advantage to escape the Forbidden Forest.
Because after that one moment, his magic failed again. The magic within him circulated, but he couldn't cast any spells. That Shield Charm block seemed like a fluke within a fluke.
His magic was like a problem child—unless it was a life-or-death situation, the little brat just wouldn't work.
Knowing the characteristic of his magic was Rey's biggest gain over the past month.
"If that's the case, then I'll force you one more time."
Having figured out the temperament of the magic in his body, Rey thought ruthlessly.
---
Where is the most beautiful place at Hogwarts?
Some say it's the top of the Astronomy Tower because you can see the entire landscape of Hogwarts from there.
If you asked Rey, he felt there were two places that were the most beautiful.
The first was the top of Ravenclaw Tower because that was where he and Helena often met.
Since there was a first, there had to be a second.
As for this second place, Rey only discovered it today.
Hogwarts sat at the foot of a high mountain. And Rey felt the highest cliff on this mountain was the most beautiful place.
Usually, the scenery from a high cliff is stunning because it's rarely visited. Without human destruction, the pristine state itself is a kind of beauty.
Today, Rey sat by this cliff edge for the entire day, from sunrise to sunset. Watching the sky fill with red clouds, he felt a sense of nostalgia, like someone savoring their last moments in the world.
"The scenery here is truly beautiful. It's a pity no one is here to watch it with me," Rey sighed to himself. He couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be if Helena could sit beside him and watch the sunset together right now.
However, after looking around, Rey felt Helena probably wouldn't come out.
The sun had set, leaving only a bit of twilight in the sky. It was about time.
Rey stood up and looked down at the cliff beneath his feet.
The cliff was high, easily over a hundred meters. One look down made his legs go soft and his center of gravity waver. If he fell, it would be ten deaths with no life.
Taking a deep breath, Rey overcame the fear in his heart. The reason people fear standing in high places is that humans can't fly. Once you can fly, no matter how high you stand, the word "fear" disappears.
Only true danger could stir the magic within him, allowing him to successfully cast spells.
Rey had already confirmed this.
So, now he was prepared to do the truly dangerous thing: jump off this cliff.
If he could transform into a giant dragon, he would naturally be able to fly. If he failed... there was no "failed"; after failure, he wouldn't know anything anymore.
Because there was a very high probability he would die!