The Prince's Tale

【8】Once Upon a Flame——William Prince

【Agnoscoveterisvestigiaflammae - I feel again the flame I once had】

After that day, I never saw William again.It's no wonder that in the past seven years, I have only seen him once, and that time was only a short 1 minute.When will the next time we see him again—seven years, ten years, twenty years?No one can give me a definite answer.

November [-], [-], a cold and gloomy day.I slowly got up from the bed with a bad cold, put two sweaters on my head, and walked down to the attic.

The bells of the Muggle church in the distance began to strike the hour on time - I counted eight in all - it was eight o'clock.Tiffany hasn't been in the drugstore for a month, and I'm indifferent.It's not bad for me, but I can delay getting up until eight o'clock, or even 08:30.

I poured some coffee beans out of the jar, deciding to use this as a way to drive away the drowsiness.Before I poured out all the coffee beans, there was a rapid knock on the door.

I put down the jar, grabbed a heavy coat and threw it around me, and opened the door.Standing outside the door were two tall wizards with sharp eyes and stern expressions. They didn't look like they were going to buy medicine and dispense it.

"Is that Miss Jane Mayer?" one of the thinner wizards asked, and I nodded slightly, "We are the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic, please come with us."

The two of them stepped forward, grasped my arms deftly left and right, and together they Apparated into...a fireplace in a long, resplendent hall.

Resignedly, I saw myself being led into the Ministry of Magic, amidst the turbulent crowd.I have come here before to apply for a herbal medicine import license.Given that I'm wearing a false identity, every time I come here I feel a pang of guilt.

They dragged me away from the stream of Ministry staff heading for the golden door, to a table on the left.I saw a "Security Check" sign hanging above the wizard in the peacock blue robe.

They finally let me go.I frowned and stared at them, straightened my collar, and saw that wizard raised a long golden rod like a radio antenna, and swept it at least three times from top to bottom on my chest and back.

"It can basically eliminate the danger, can't it?" He gave me a vicious look, as if I were a pest gnawing on the amphora in the storage room, "but for this kind of people..."

I didn't hear what he said next, because the two tall wizards grabbed me again, like they were pulling an old doll.As I walked through the gate into a smaller hall, it occurred to me that they didn't seem to be checking my wand.

"Wait, my wand..." My voice trailed off under their piercing, suspicious eyes.

"It has been taken away by us." They looked unwilling to talk to me.

There were at least twenty elevators in the rotunda, all blocked by elaborate golden grille doors.I found that although the small hall was full of people, except for the two Aurors who held me tightly to prevent me from escaping, everyone else kept a distance of at least half a meter from me, as if I was wearing some kind of Unclean germs.

This sense of uncleanliness is magnified under their eyes of curiosity, questioning or hatred.I listened to their whispers, and my hands couldn't help shaking.Don't listen, don't listen, don't listen...I close my eyes and try to get the bad words out of my head...It's just people who don't matter, I tell myself.

With clanging and rattling sounds, an elevator descended in front of us.The golden gate slowly slid open.A wizard with a neat, narrow moustache and neatly pressed black robes came out of the elevator, and he saw me first.

"Caught another one?" His stern approving eyes fell on the faces of the two wizards next to me one by one, and I saw "Barty Crouch, Director of Magical Law Enforcement" written on his chest, "Good job-"

A series of noises suddenly came from the magnificent hall outside - first hysterical laughter, and then the crazy laughter as if under a spell stopped abruptly, "Don't move!" "Look at him!" One after another.At this time, a small, stout wizard came running out of breath.

"Catch him!" He said breathlessly, and the sign that read "Deputy Director of Cornelius Fudge's Division of Magical Accidents and Disasters" kept shaking on his chest, and Barty Crouch frowned, as if Very dissatisfied with his undignified image, "We've got Sirius Black!"

Crouch's frown suddenly relaxed.He strode forward with strides, as if he was going out to witness the arrest of some heinous fugitive.But he didn't need to do that, because in the next moment, Sirius Black was brought in by two tall Aurors, one on the left and one on the right, just like me.It's just that his battle is much bigger than mine.His hands were in shackles, surrounded by at least twenty members of the Magical Legal Detective Squad pointing their wands at him vigilantly, as if worried that this young man with his hands shackled and without a wand would take the opportunity to escape .

"Excuse me, excuse me—" the leader squeezed us away and led us up the elevator, with exhaustion in his voice, "We managed to catch him. You know, the one in your hand looks relatively mild--"

I watched in amazement and bewilderment as Sirius Black was led into the elevator by the crowd.The golden fence gate slowly closed.A second before the lift starts, I look at Black.He happened to look up too.In an instant, the four eyes met.

I could see nothing in his gray eyes.Whether it was the high spirits or the mocking arrogance, they have been replaced by irreversible emptiness and dead silence.He seemed to be immersed in a self-enclosed siege, no longer caring about what happened around him.I'm sure he didn't recognize me.His pretty gray eyes passively reflected people and things outside like a mirror, and nothing was reflected in his heart.

It seems that there are two people who laughed wildly just now.

I didn't have time to think more about Sirius Black.Because at that moment, the elevator he was on slid backwards sharply, and another golden gate in front of me slowly slid open.The Auror who grabbed my arm led me, who was gentle, involuntarily.

The next 24 hours became another unforgettable 24 hours in my life.

Now I already know why I was brought to the ministry so early in the morning.

The Ministry of Magic received an anonymous letter in July, claiming that there was a pharmacy in Diagon Alley that was providing secret medicines to mysterious people.The content of this letter coincides with the information they have, and it can explain many phenomena very well.People from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement spent two months investigating the two big pharmacies belonging to the Prince family in Diagon Alley, and even dug out the old accounts from more than 20 years ago, but found nothing.Only then did they turn their attention to the small pharmacy where I was.

A week ago, they captured Tiffany Hale, and almost captured the wizard who developed the potion with her.Just a few hours ago, Tiffany finally spat out two names - Severus Snape and Jane Prince.

I don't know how Tiffany found out who I was, but impatient Aurors have no reason to trust a Slytherin with a pure-blood surname.They quickly discovered my false identity (I wonder why they hadn't for the past seven years), waited in front of my pharmacy early in the morning, and brought me over.

"Name?" In the interrogation room, a wizard who didn't even have time to shave sat behind a long table.Behind him, two more Aurors stared at me.

"Jane Mel." I said listlessly, and I began to miss the herbal tea flavor cake that I just made successfully yesterday.

"Real name!" a low growl.

"Jane Prince." I obediently said my real name very spinelessly.

"age?"

"25 is old."

"Profession?"

"pharmacist."

I'm reminded of a census that the Diagon Alley Trading Council seemed to have done a long time ago.I don't know if I'm going to say "unmarried and childless" again.But I know that if I say this this time, no one will be able to stop laughing.

"When did you start working for the mysterious man?" The wizard in charge of the interrogation leaned forward slightly, revealing his desire for answers.I could feel that as soon as this question came out, they stared at me more intently.

"I didn't do anything for You-Know-Who." I said sincerely.But they obviously don't believe it.

"Never?" He repeated my words suspiciously. "Then can you explain why you stayed in a small drugstore for seven years incognito? With your grades and the power of your family, you don't have to work so hard. Unless it's for another purpose..."

"Yes, I had another purpose," I said gruffly. "I was running away. My father wanted me to marry Blake—"

"Which Black? Sirius Black?" He seemed fascinated by the name.

"Yes, it's him," I licked my chapped lips, "but I don't want to marry him. Although I don't think he will marry me either, I still ran away to be safe."

"So you were coerced by the mysterious man's subordinates?" The wizard opposite raised his eyebrows.

I shook my head impatiently. "I didn't work for them... I grew up wanting to be a pharmacist - it's a dream I shared with my brother. You know, you can only do a second pharmacy apprenticeship after two years The pharmacist qualification exam, so I went to that pharmacy."

"According to Tiffany Hale's confession, you have been working with her?"

"Yes, we've been working in the same drugstore. She's been there since I first entered Brown's."

"And did you know that Hale imprisoned John Brown?"

I froze.I never thought about it.

"Tiffany? Imprisoned old Mr. Brown? Are you kidding me!" I smiled the first time I came here, "How is that possible? She has always been respectful to old Mr. Brown. Besides, didn't he go out to travel around the world?" ?”

The wizard sitting behind the table didn't find any flaws on my face, and looked a little disappointed.I saw their serious expressions became less determined than before.

"You—are you telling the truth? Hale imprisoned old Mr. Brown?" This time it was me observing them. After a few seconds, I felt that they were unlikely to deceive me with this matter, "Okay— —So you caught Tiffany Hale first and got me out of her mouth. You think I'm probably a Death Eater too, so you got me too. Now do you want to get me out of my mouth? What can you get out of it?"

One wizard nodded slightly, seeming to think I was sensible.

"But I'm really not a Death Eater. I don't have the Dark Mark—" I rolled up my sleeves to show them my clean arms, "so you've got the wrong guy."

"How do you know about the Dark Mark?" asked the wizard who had been asking me before.I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"I'm not a Death Eater, but there must be Death Eaters among the people I know," I said, not wanting to mention William's name—although I knew they would know, "I'm not Bai Zaisi either. Leitlin stayed for so many years." I muttered under my breath.

"So you never suspected Halle?" the man asked. "As far as we know, the two of you don't get on very well."

Hey, they even found that.I have to admire their ability to work.

"You said that—" I pondered, pretending to be thinking, "sometimes strange things do happen in the pharmacy. For example, there will be less herbs in the storage room for no reason, but when you check out at the end of the month There's nothing wrong with the accounts. And Tiffany disappears every now and then—"

"You never thought about what she did when she disappeared?"

"Thought about it," I nodded seriously, "I think she should have found another part-time job outside. You know, it's easiest to make money when everyone wants to save their lives. Besides, if she comes to work, 08 Appeared at the door of the pharmacy at :30. I wish I could be lazy if she didn't come to work."

They seem to have finally concluded that I have nothing to do with Death Eaters.At this moment, the wizard in charge of the interrogation took out a piece of paper and motioned for the wizard next to me to pass it to me.

This is a photocopy of an anonymous letter.I took it and read it suspiciously:

To the Ministry of Magic,

In Diagon Alley, someone is developing potions for the Dark Lord in his spare time.

I hope you will not disappoint my tip-off.

I will keep an eye on your actions.

Very elegant cursive characters, it can be seen that the writer has received a good education.The inscription is blank.I moved my eyes down and saw that there was another line of writing in the lower right corner, which seemed to be used to decorate the letter paper.

Agnoscoveteris vestigia flammae

"I think I know who wrote the letter." I smiled easily, and finally a heavy burden was lifted from my heart.Such a handwriting, such an arrogant tone, and that last sentence—it was not difficult for me to guess.

A few Aurors stared at my face with interest, a mixture of excitement and eccentricity.

"William Prince, my brother," I waved the photocopy with a smile on my face, "I know his handwriting."

I watched them look at each other with some annoyance, and couldn't help shouting: "Is it so difficult to believe in a Slytherin?"

They stopped whispering and all turned to look at me like a house-elf barking for a vacation.There was odd concern on their faces.

"Perhaps you don't know, Miss Prince—" said one of the wizards slowly, "William Prince is dead."

"Dead? How could it be?" I didn't notice that my voice had risen an octave. "It's impossible!" I said rudely.

"Just last month," another wizard said calmly, "during a battle between Aurors and Death Eaters."

My ears started buzzing, and my mind began to blur, as if someone had just smacked me on the head with a cauldron.My chest was heaving violently, and I suddenly understood what was going on—it was them, it was them—

I don't quite know what I did or what happened.I only know that in the next second, I was hit by two blocking spells at the same time, and I fell back to the chair.The face of the wizard who was grabbed by the collar by me just now has turned purple.

It was also at this time that a group of noises in the corridor was getting closer.The door of the interrogation room seemed to be kicked open, and someone ran in like a wind and surrounded me, roaring and saying:

"Stop! This is my fiancee!"

Edward Jones proclaimed his domain like a majestic lion, though the bandages on his head dampened his roar a little.The angered Edward and his words once again refreshed my understanding of him.

Maybe I never really saw him clearly.

But at that time, all I could think about was William who died at the hands of the Aurors, and I didn't even realize that he had said the weird word "fiancée".Even though I've guessed that such a day will come, even though I know he'll be tried by the Wizengamot and thrown into Azkaban if he's alive, but, but—

Agnoscoveteris vestigia flammae

- I feel again the flame I once had

"Since you have chosen the darkest road without hesitation, why do you turn back? Don't you know that the way back is more difficult than the way forward? Don't you know that creatures that have been hiding in the dark for a long time will be killed Does the sun burn you?" I couldn't help but question him in my heart, but the listener had long since died.I can even imagine what's going on beneath the cold, wet soil of the cemetery.

"Didn't you say that the road you chose had to endure pain even if you walked on thorns and bare feet? Seven years have passed, and I have never disobeyed your word. Why did you disobey it?"

I feel that I have gradually become two of me: the one sitting on the chair with dull eyes and numb expression, unwilling to say a word; the other me is full of resentment towards the whole world, and has completely collapsed in hysteria.

Looking back on that time now, I can still feel the heart-piercing pain coming from a distant time.You may ask, since I have already run away from home and cut off contact with my family, why am I so sad at this time?

I thought maybe I wouldn't have been so sad if I hadn't read that letter and hadn't known that William Prince had tried to fight back.That way, I can at least keep my sanity, because I know that's what he deserved.

But when I knew what he had done, that he was not completely depraved, and that he had tried to make some changes, a heart-wrenching pain spread from my heart.As an incompetent younger sister, I feel distressed and guilty, and I am in pain.

I opened my closed eyes, and my eyes seemed to have aged for decades.I felt Edward wrapping me tightly in his arms.Through the thick cloth, I can still feel the warmth of his body, but the distant temperature cannot reach my cold heart.

"He has repented intentionally, why don't you give him a chance?" My voice was very soft, but the question I asked weighed heavily on my heart.I saw that some of them were in disbelief, some were at a loss, some had indifferent eyes, and suddenly laughed softly.

In the oppressive silence, this laughter is so strange.

"Just because he's a Slytherin?" I looked at them, my sharp eyes seemed to pierce them right into people's hearts.

After that, I got really sick.Edward took leave of absence and stayed with me to take care of me.I think his superiors must be able to grant him leave during such a short-staffed period because he still has a bandage on his head.

A habit of five years had kept me from asking Edward how he had been hurt.In fact, at that time, I was pale and sleepy, and I didn't speak more than five sentences a day.

While I was lying in the hospital bed, all kinds of news kept coming.For example, how the one-year-old son of the Potters defeated You-Know-Who, how much gold the Malfoy family gave to the Ministry of Magic to escape from prison, and how Sirius Black was thrown away by Barty Crouch without trial. Azkaban.

I don't know if it was the credit of the anonymous letter, but the Ministry of Magic dispatched staff to check carefully what William Prince had done.Finally, they discovered that this heinous Death Eater had secretly provided them with a lot of help.It's just that due to his conceit and suspicion, almost no one knows his true identity.

I also finally ditched the name Jane Meyer I had for seven years and changed back to "Jane Prince".I saw William's will - he left everything to me.

In early December, I received William Prince's Order of Merlin, Second Class, without the slightest ripple in my heart.I know that in this war, the losses of pure-blood families are too heavy.And they occupy more than half of the social wealth, the Ministry of Magic must comfort, compensate, and win over.

I just glanced at the medal with William Prince's name on it and threw it aside.It was Edward who put away the medal, and gently advised: "It's an honor he bought with his life. You can't treat it hastily like this."

I looked at him funny, never expecting him to understand the pain in my heart.

"Honor? In my heart, no honor is more important than his life." I murmured.

Peace, dignity, freedom, these feathers that I usually value and take good care of, I can remove all of them.I give everything I have, I just want the people I love to live well in this world.

But it was too late.Even if I were willing to give everything in exchange, William Prince would never come back.

I carved the phrase "Agnoscoveterisvestigiaflammae" on his tombstone myself.The moment I stood in front of the tombstone, I suddenly realized again.I think I'm smart, but I've never really seen the path he chose.

In order to protect his family, he chose to obey the mysterious man, but for some reason he secretly provided help to Auror.He has never completely disappeared in the dark, nor has he completely thrown himself into the light.He has always walked at the junction of darkness and light, bearing the torn force of the two forces, and never told others.

And when he suffered all this, I nestled comfortably in the small pharmacy in Diagon Alley, complaining about Tiffany’s strictness every day, using my cleverness to be lazy, and thinking that I could live a peaceful life in an age of panic complacent about life.

I guess I'm just a total coward.For the first time in my life, I felt ashamed of my cowardice.And this guilt will stay with me for the rest of my life.

"I feel again the fire I once had"

My fingers touch the cold marble.I think I can feel the pain, struggle, and pride behind his words.