Not long after Severus had left the French Ministry of Magic-

Harry and Draco, who had broken the broomstick in the broom shed and thus felt too embarrassed to go back and play there again, were idly playing wizard's chess in their room.

The chess set had been borrowed by Severus from Yuma at noon, but before he could even finish teaching Harry how to play, he was summoned by Girard regarding the photograph matter.

However, the chess pieces remained, and Draco, who had just finished writing a reply to his family, immediately began flaunting his skills at wizard's chess, using the excuse of teaching Harry to dominate him on the board.

They hadn't even finished two games when Lupin returned alone.

He didn't tell the boys exactly what Severus had gone to do, only that he was handling some other matters and would return soon.

After that, Lupin began watching the two play, occasionally offering Harry some advice, which noticeably increased the number of pieces Draco lost.

The living chess pieces on the board scolded their commander for poor strategy, and Draco angrily shifted the blame to Lupin, accusing him of being 'Dursley's accomplice'!

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

This surprised all three of them. When the door opened, they saw that it was the Rosier's young couple.

"Just now, the wizards lifted the restrictions on our movements, though they said we still can't return home yet." Rosier explained, "After reuniting with Marie, the first thing we wanted to do was thank you. So we asked around and found you here."

Rosier expressed his sincere gratitude to Harry and Draco.

Harry felt a bit awkward, as he didn't think he had actually done much, merely passing along a few words.

Draco, on the other hand, felt strangely pleased.

Though the other party was just a lowly Squib and an insignificant Muggle, this was the first time someone had genuinely thanked him for his actions.

He felt that this felt pretty good, so he waved his hand pretentiously and said, "Since you express your sincere gratitude, then I-"

Harry quickly clapped a hand over his mouth before he could utter something embarrassing.

Draco struggled free with great effort, and as the two glared at each other, on the verge of a fight, Lupin stepped in.

"They were happy to help, though they didn't really do much."

"No, no, they helped us tremendously. And Dudley's teacher… that gentleman had already done so much for us back in England, though at the time I didn't even know his name."

Rosier glanced around but didn't see Severus.

"Is he not here?"

"Professor's handling some business." Harry replied.

"Did they say when you might be able to go home?" Lupin asked.

"No. Our apartment is still under lockdown, and we have nowhere else to stay."

Rosier shook his head, pausing briefly before adding, "And from what they told us, all our furniture and appliances are gone. Even if we could return, we wouldn't be able to live there right now."

Harry had always felt sympathy for the Squib's plight. Rosier's family struggles reminded him of his own life at the Dursleys', though Rosier's situation was clearly far worse.

"You were forced into this situation. Once everything's been investigated, they'll definitely compensate you for your losses."

Rosier didn't seem much comforted by Harry's words. He merely fell silent for a moment before nodding.

"I hope so."

Beside him, Marie looked at her husband with concern. She could tell that ever since identifying the flashlight that morning, something about Rosier had changed. He spaced out more often and had grown even quieter.

After exchanging a few more words, Rosier stood up to leave.

This time, even Harry noticed that he seemed different, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.

As the Rosiers left, Harry and Lupin walked them to the door.

Just before departing, Rosier turned to Lupin and said, "In about twenty minutes, I'll have Marie bring over some biscuits. It's the only thing we can offer as thanks right now. I hope you won't mind?"

His words were strange and overly humble. Lupin, as if worried that a delayed response might cause some misunderstanding, immediately said:

"We'd be delighted!"

Finally, the couple left.

Watching their retreating figures, Harry said with some doubts:

"I feel... like Mr. Rosier seems different somehow."

Lupin just patted Harry's head and sighed.

"Repeated setbacks and hardships may not completely break a person, but they always leave some mark on their spirit. I hope after this, their luck turns for the better."

Just as Lupin finished speaking, a piercing, earsplitting alarm suddenly blared through the entire Auror Office!

Lupin reacted instantly, pulling Harry and Draco close to him while drawing his wand from his sleeve.

Within moments, nearly every Auror still stationed in the Auror Office rushed out of their rooms, cloaks billowing behind them.

Under the command of their respective team leaders, they began lining up to march into the roaring green flames of the Floo Network.

Among them, Lupin spotted Yuma.

"What happened?"

He grabbed Yuma, who was rallying his team, and asked urgently:

"Is the Ministry under attack?"

Yuma shouted back:

"No! Not the Ministry… it's the monastery! Those damned bastards broke through our defenses there! They're launching a terror attack! We have to reinforce them now, or Merlin knows how many people those lunatics will slaughter!"

At this time, the ground suddenly shook noticeably, and all the wizards in the Ministry of Magic could feel the shaking!

At this time, Yuma's face drained of color, his lips turning deathly pale!

"Merlin's beard… what have they done now? What have they done?!!!"

At the same time, above ground in Paris, where night had just fallen-

From the direction of the monastery, a towering pillar of fire erupted into the sky, accompanied by a thunderous explosion that shook the entire city!