Love in the Time of Dark Magic

In September, a drizzly rain fell over Godric's Valley. From the window, one could see endless dark clouds shrouding the entire valley—the weather was as dismal as Candice's mood.

The nine-year-old blonde girl leaned against the window, gazing outside for a while, before resigning herself to continuing packing her belongings.

She carefully stuffed all her clothes and daily necessities into the suitcase, only to find it might not be roomy enough. If she wanted to take everything she needed, another suitcase might be necessary.

Just as she was fretting, her father's voice sounded from downstairs.

"Candice, are you ready？" Mr. Bell's voice drew closer, indicating he was coming upstairs.

Candice set down the items in her hands and stood up to open the door: "Dad, I can't fit everything in."

Mr. Bell was in his early forties, with a stern expression and a pale face. His blue eyes fixed on his daughter as he said softly, "Let me handle this."

Candice moved aside, and Mr. Bell walked in. He helped her shrink some of the luggage, allowing her other things to fit inside.

"Done," Mr. Bell said, standing up and adjusting his top hat. "Speed up, we don't have much time. I'll wait downstairs."

Candice nodded in agreement, watching her father leave. He had lost a lot of weight lately, and his old clothes now hung loose and baggy on him.

It seemed that his mother's death three months ago had truly dealt him a heavy blow.

Candice resumed packing, unable to help but ask herself: compared to her father, was she too cold-hearted to move on so quickly from the shadow of her mother’s passing？

In truth, she was deeply saddened as well, but she knew she couldn’t show it, because there was someone who grieved even more than she did.

That was precisely why she was packing up today.

Three months after Madam Bell passed away, Mr. Bell decided that their old environment might remind Candice of her mother and make her melancholic, so he resolved to temporarily move out of their home in Godric's Valley until they could all calmly face the loss of a family member.

Candice shoved the last book into her suitcase, yanked the zipper shut with all her might, took one final look at the place she had called home for over nine years—soon to be a decade—drew a deep breath, and headed downstairs.

Mr. Bell had already grown impatient; he kept glancing at his pocket watch, then let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief when he finally saw his daughter lugging the large suitcase down the stairs.

“I'm ready, Dad.”

Candice wheeled the large suitcase over to her father. Mr. Bell drew his wand and helped shrink it down for her. After pocketing the diminished luggage, Candice linked her arm through her father's curved elbow, tilted her head upward, and gazed at him with a pair of blue eyes identical to his own, signaling that she was ready for Apparition.

Mr. Bell, however, hesitated ever so subtly.

He slowly scanned the room, as if sinking into some painful memory, his eyes reddening at the rims.

Candice pursed her lips together. In truth, although living here often reminded her of her deceased mother, she had never once considered moving away. This was her home—no matter where she might relocate, no matter how luxurious or not, nowhere could compare to this place.

Staying here, she could still always feel as though her mother were still by her side, which made her feel less lonely.

She was fully capable of accepting the fact that her mother had died of illness. What her father truly couldn't come to terms with and needed a change of environment for was actually himself.

"Let's go, Dad," Candice said softly, pulling her father out of his memories. Mr. Bell nodded wearily, and was about to Apparate with her when a boy's voice came from outside the window.

"Candice!" The energetic voice was very familiar; Candice knew immediately who it was.

She cast a questioning glance at her father. Mr. Bell furrowed his brows and pursed his lips, saying, "Make it quick."

Candice nodded, released her father's arm, and dashed to the window. She pulled it open, looked out, and called out with a smile, "Fremont!"

Fremont Potter was drenched from head to toe. He had heard from his parents that the Bell family was moving and rushed over despite the rain. Being just a child, he didn't know how to cast a water-repelling charm, leaving him in a disheveled, comical state.

"I heard from Mum that you're moving away？" Fremont's brown hair was a mess, and he looked through the window at Candice with reluctance in his eyes. "Where are you moving to？"

Candice said softly, "We're moving to London. Don't worry, Fremont, I'll write to you."

Fremont exhaled and said, "Can I come to visit you？ You'll set up the Floo network at your place, right？ How about connecting my family's fireplace too？"

Connecting the Potter family's fireplace wasn't a big deal, but the key point was: "My dad might not want to see the neighbors he knows too well for now. He chose to move because he needed some peace and quiet. I think if he kept seeing everyone, it would constantly remind him of Mum… so he probably won't set up the Floo network anytime soon."

Fremont was utterly crestfallen, standing foolishly in the rain. Candice couldn't help but say, "Don't worry, Fremont, I'll try to persuade him to get the fireplace connected as soon as possible. It's pouring rain now; you should head home quickly, or Uncle and Aunt Potter will start to worry."

Fremont gazed at her reluctantly: "Are we still best friends？"

In the moment of farewell, the young children were immensely sincere. Candice held Fremont's hand and said with a smile, "Of course, we've always been best friends. Run along now; we can still write letters, can't we？ And at worst, in two years we'll both be off to Hogwarts to study — then we'll have plenty of time to hang out together."

That made sense. Fremont nodded and finally withdrew the half of his body that had nearly climbed onto the windowsill. He waved at Candice, then dashed back into the rain once more.

At that moment, the rain grew even heavier, with raindrops as big as beans pelting down on Fremont's frame. The sight made Candice wince, as if she could feel the sting herself. Fortunately, Aunt Potter soon caught up in the distance, brandishing her wand to shield Fremont from the rain, which put Candice slightly at ease.

Returning to her father's side and closing the window behind her, Candice was caught off guard as an intense distortion wrenched at her body, as if she were being tugged in every direction — an extremely uncomfortable sensation. She quickly realized she was undergoing Apparition.

The process of Apparition didn't last very long, and such discomfort usually didn't linger excessively; it was within her tolerable limits.

When she stood firmly once more, Candice found they had arrived outside an old, dust-laden house. It was a two-story building of modest size, though the inside was considerably more pleasant than the exterior suggested—Mr. Bell must have come by earlier to tidy up. The interior had been expanded using an Extension Charm, with all essential daily necessities neatly stocked. Candice’s room, positioned near the window, had also been prepared for her.

"That's your room, " Mr. Bell said, restoring her luggage to its original size and pointing out its location, before shutting himself alone in his bedroom.

Candice stood still for a few seconds, swallowing her worry as she pushed her luggage into her own room.

She spent the entire day tidying up and arranging her belongings.

It was at times like this that she found herself missing Karrie, the house-elf they had already set free—Karrie’s presence always reminded her father of the days when her mother was still around and the elf helped with the housekeeping. Mr. Bell couldn’t bear it anymore, so he simply released her.

If only Karrie were still here, she could quickly help unpack the luggage, sparing me the trouble of sorting everything piece by piece… When will I finally grow up？ When I’m old enough, I can use magic freely—then I’ll be able to take care of both myself and my father.

Thinking of her father, who remained immersed in grief and only forced himself to stay calm in her presence, Candice felt a deep ache in her heart.

By nightfall, she had finally finished unpacking her luggage and went to find her father to see if he wanted something to eat, but his door remained tightly shut. She knocked several times with no response.

"…" Never mind then. Candice returned to her room in disappointment. With nothing to do now, she found herself idle in this unfamiliar place, with no peers her age to play with. She sat in a chair for a while, but eventually stood up and walked over to the window.

London wasn’t raining—just overcast. Peering through the window, she could make out a fairly large yard across the way.

Candice breathed on the glass, wiped it clean, and strained to make out what was on the other side.

That yard looked even more dilapidated from the outside than the house she was in. Behind it stood a square, gloomy, and rigid building, surrounded by tall iron railings. To enter the yard, one first had to pass through a large iron gate, which stood tightly shut at that moment. Above the gate, in weathered and ancient letters, a few words stood out—**Wool's Orphanage**.

An orphanage？

Candice stared in surprise at the orphanage glimmering with faint lights in the night. She could vaguely make out a few children walking out into the yard, lining up neatly, carrying things, and moving toward another door.

Orphans were children no one wanted. Candice understood that. Already feeling a little down, the sight of the orphanage only made her heart ache more. She thought, at least her father was still alive and well. If he had passed away like her mother, wouldn’t she have become an orphan too？ At that time, would she have to live in a place like that across the street？

At this thought, Candice shuddered. A sudden fear gripped her that her father might leave her. To soothe her inner anxiety, she ran to her desk, sat down solemnly, and began to write a letter.

She wanted to write a letter to her father, reminding him not to forget that she was there for him. She hoped he would snap out of it soon and never, ever give up or leave her all alone.

Perhaps moved by his daughter's heartfelt but clumsily worded letter, Mr. Bell, after a gloomy first day following the move, gradually perked up in the days that followed.

Seeing this change in her father brought Candice great joy and relief. It also lifted her spirits, and she now felt inclined to go out and explore.

Although her father had strictly forbidden her from running around before going to work, she had been cooped up at home for several days. Being naturally playful, she was the queen of children in Godric's Valley; staying indoors and doing nothing here would be worse than death for her.

So, on a sunny day, after watching her father disapparate to the Ministry of Magic for work, Candice excitedly grabbed her child's broomstick and went out to play.

She didn't dare fly far, knowing that outside the range of her house, which was protected by a Muggle-Repelling Charm, riding the broom might risk being spotted by Muggles.

If discovered and not handled properly, it might even make the Daily Prophet, which would surely cause trouble for her father.

Candice planned to just fly around the house, lightly stretch her limbs, and absolutely not cause any chaos. However… ideals are always beautiful, and reality has been a long way from them.

She never expected that her first time out for some "fresh air" would lead to an incident.

The incident didn't happen to her, but at the orphanage across the street.

At that moment, Candice was in the air, about to pull a dive and head home to rest, but before she could descend, she caught sight of a scene unfolding in a corner of the orphanage's yard.

Tucked away in that remote corner, surrounded by bare, scabby trees, it formed a nook so hidden that Candice, from her perch in the sky, only stumbled upon this grossly unfair scene by pure chance.

Oh, it was ugly—a shameless, five-on-one setup that had Candice boiling with fury. Five puny bullies were cornering a tall, scrawny boy, playing a cruel game of threats and intimidation.

That trapped boy stood in stark contrast to the cowardly pack. Even though the odds were stacked against him, he didn’t flinch an inch. He planted his feet bravely, eyes sharp, staring down all five foes with alert defiance. Candice got it—they were the same age, and she could read the vicious intent behind those sneers: they were itching to lay into him for a beating.

Her temper cranked. One-on-one fights, sure, they could pass as a proper little duel among gents. But with a whole retinue lurching on one kid for no good purpose, how feeble was that talent？ Candice itched to help like crazy, yet she had to bite her tongue. If she whizzed in on that broom, a moment’s wrath would brand her as some freak to those Muggle mini-brigands. Oh, and when Father got wind of this forbidden jaunt？ The next bit of coax-to-wander would likely taste mighty tedious.

Yet just as Candice hesitated, a startling scene unfolded—behind the group of children, countless small stones floated in the air, as if poised to strike the five kids surrounding the boy.

Candice was stunned. She instinctively flew a bit closer, and once she confirmed that those small stones were being levitated by the boy who was cornered, she could no longer hold back.

The one being bullied was a young witch!

After all, young witches were incredibly precious in the wizarding world, and Candice had grown up deeply cherished. She couldn't stand seeing her own kind treated so callously. So, throwing caution to the wind, she risked being discovered, brazenly swooping down on her broomstick straight into the backyard of the orphanage. She felt like the reincarnation of Merlin himself as she stood heroically in front of the boy.

"Stop! Put an end to your bullying!" Candice shouted with powerful authority.

The five children surrounding him were stunned—four boys and one girl, their eyes locked onto Candice, a girl who had descended from the sky wearing a strange, long robe. Candice widened her sapphire-like eyes and glared back, causing the children to let out strange shouts before shoving each other and scattering into a run. One of them even seemed to yell something about "going to tell Mrs. Cole.

"I knew this would happen," Candice huffed softly, ignoring the frightened Muggle children who had scattered. She turned back to look at her own kind—a fellow wizard, standing behind her—and broke into her brightest smile. "Hello! Are you alright？"

Candice had full confidence in her smile; every time she flashed it, no matter the request or which adult she was facing, her wishes were always granted.

She believed her smile was irresistibly lethal, easily capable of winning the boy's friendship, but…

When she got a clear look at the expression on his face as he stared