Homecoming from Hogwarts

Chapter 1248 Snow House (V)
A thin layer of leaden clouds still lingered on the sky, making the earth dim.

The heavy snow had stopped, but as the bone-chilling wind passed by, a layer of floating snow on the surface of the thick snow layer on the ground was lifted up, creating white waves on the silver ground.

Jasna stood at the door with a cane, looking at the frozen world with a dull expression.

Although the snowstorm had stopped, the several feet of snow on the ground still posed an insurmountable obstacle for her to leave the isolated village.

The Anti-Apparition Charm was always in effect, but the Aurors from the German Ministry of Magic never showed up.

Jasna didn't know whether she should feel fortunate or unfortunate about this.

The pupils that seemed to be frozen in her eye sockets moved, and Jasna looked at another boring scenery.

On the other side of the river, there were a few black spots swaying in the pure white.

The heavy snow blocked the villagers' travel routes, and the dark figures were clearing a passage to the frozen river.

The old Muggle had already done the job.

He plowed the snow around the cabin, dug a path, and then pulled his human-powered sled across the glacier upstream. He had been away from home for half a day.

Thinking of this skinny old Muggle who was always silent, a trace of helplessness flashed across Jasna's face.

Please forgive her for having to call him an old Muggle in her heart.

She had been trapped here for several days, but she still hadn't been able to find out the old Muggle's real name. Without the wizard's means, her questioning skills were not very advanced.

wizard
Thinking of this, Jasna's heart was slightly moved.

That night four days ago, the old Muggle did give her a shock!
An old Muggle who lives deep in the mountains and seems to have hardly left the house in his life actually knows that there are wizards in this world.

Jasna immediately became alert and asked quickly.

"The wand—"

The old Muggle, sitting in front of the fireplace with his cheeks red from the flames, said calmly.

"You know wands!"

Jasna's lips were icy tight.
"You've seen it before, or..."

The voice suddenly rose, and Jasna stared at him sharply.
"You're a wizard too!"

Then there is no more.

Over the past few days, she had tried many times to dig out from the old Muggle why he knew the secrets of wizards, and the result was self-evident.

Gradually, she also figured out the old Muggle's temper.

He wasn't always silent, and when she asked him about some topics that 'interested' him, he would give some responses.

So, in an environment where she was helpless, seducing the old Muggle into talking became her way of passing the time.

"How long have you lived here--"

Jasna lowered her eyes and stared at the burnt salted fish in her hand, which made her lose the slightest appetite. She thought that the delicious bowl of stewed potatoes and fish was just an illusion.

However, staying alive is the most important thing.

She frowned, took a bite of the salty roasted fish, and asked casually.

"Fifty years—"

Jasna raised her head in astonishment and stared at the old Muggle who was chewing potatoes in front of the stove.

The reason for her surprise was, firstly, that she didn't expect her question to be answered, and secondly, she was shocked that the old Muggle had lived here for half a century.

"Have you ever had a family?"

Jasna asked subconsciously.

The old Muggle fell silent.

Jasna sighed with regret. Just when she thought he would not answer, the old Muggle turned around and said,
"Yes. What about you?"

This was the first question he asked her, and for this reason, Jasna was willing to say a few more words.

"I have a father. And a grandfather, but I haven't seen him for many years. I was with my father before I fell into the river. Have you really never seen him?"

Then, they didn't talk to each other again that night.

A long sigh echoed in the warm cabin.

Turning around, Jasna glanced at the newly sewn mattress on the pile of junk and her eyes froze.

The old Muggle had used up nearly all his stock in sewing it, and had also used up all his time except for chopping wood, eating, sleeping, and who knows what else.

Talk about it.
Turning her head to look at the pure white world outside the house again, Jasna's eyes showed a trace of worry. The old Muggle had been away from home for too long this time.

In the past few days, he would leave the house for a while every day, but no more than an hour or two later, he would drag half of the dead tree trunk out of the woods and return to his work shed to cut it apart.

There has never been a situation where I leave home for half a day and don't return.

Could there have been an accident? For example, did he accidentally fall into the river?
The moment this thought came to mind, Jasna's face changed.

"ridiculous!"

Inside the pinewood house, Jasna yelled loudly.

In the frozen world, the only things flashing in sight were the snow foam that made the cold wind visible and the villagers on the far bank struggling to clear the road. The skinny and silent old Muggle never showed up.

Suddenly, Jasna's frown relaxed, and a bright light flashed in her dark pupils that had not appeared for many days.

She limped to the bed, lifted the musk fur coat that served as a blanket and wrapped herself in it, then went out using the cane that the old Muggle made for her.

The hundred-plus feet to the river were the hardest walk she had ever taken in her life.

Every step you take must be taken with extreme caution, as the temperature of more than ten degrees below zero has frozen the snow into ice, and you can easily slip if you are not careful.

It took her more than ten minutes to overcome this fatal distance.

"Weak Muggles"

Jasna thought breathlessly as she stood by the frozen river.

If her wand still worked, she would have plenty of magic to help her broken leg heal.

If Apparition could be used, she could reach the other side in an instant instead of having to walk over step by step with such difficulty.

"Hey, this way!"

Jasna stood on one foot, waving her cane at some Muggles on the other side of the river.

However, the distance of three or four hundred feet was not too far, but the rustling cold wind muffled her voice. No matter how she shouted, the villagers could not hear her.

You have to be more careful when crossing the river.

Although the ice was solid and there was no need to worry about falling into the icy water, the ice with floating snow was more slippery. This was too challenging for a wounded person who could only walk with the help of crutches. In order to avoid the risk, she had to crawl over.

After looking around for a while and confirming that the old Muggle was not nearby, Jasna slowly lay on the ground with a stern face.

The stinging pain in her palms could not move her, but thinking about her current situation, Jasna suddenly had an urge to cry.

Like a lost dog.

"Oh, sorry."

By the time Jasna stood in front of these Muggles, she was already exhausted. Moreover, her right leg inevitably touched the ground during the walk, and now her broken leg began to ache again.

"Oh, who are you and where did you come from?"

No one wanted to stay in the snow any longer, so the Muggles who went outside to clear the snow lowered their heads and worked very hard. It was not until Jasna spoke that they stopped one after another.

Several plain faces looked at each other for a few moments, and a Muggle in his forties with two ridiculous mustaches stared at her and asked in surprise.

"Um"

After organizing her words in her mind, Jasna was about to speak.

"She was wearing old Enma's cloak—"

Another young man with pale skin and freckles on his face squinted at Jasna for a few seconds, and suddenly pointed at the cloak she was wearing and said.

Old Enma. Is that the old Muggle's name?
For some reason, Jasna suddenly felt relieved.

"Yes, I came from across the river--"

Jasna nodded.

"But."

The surprise on the brown mustache uncle's face faded, and he stared at Jasna suspiciously.
"Old Enma has always lived alone, hasn't he? I haven't heard that he has any relatives. Are you..."

"I am only staying with him temporarily."

Facing several pairs of inquiring eyes, an idea suddenly popped up in Jiasina's mind, and this idea made her change what she had originally planned to say.

"I'm from Berlin. I was trapped here because of the heavy snow. I came to this village because..."

Jasna stared at the faces of these Muggles with a serious look.
"I heard there are wizards here."

(End of this chapter)