0856 Solutions

The Depp couple sat huddled together on the living room sofa like two birds seeking shelter from a storm, their bodies were pressed close in mutual need for comfort and support. Amelia remained standing in front of them, clutching the photo album with trembling hands.

The fragmented golden light of early morning continued its slow advance across the room, creating constantly shifting patterns that played across the three figures frozen in this moment of painful revelation.

As the angle of sunlight changed with the earth’s rotation, so too did the emotional scene of their conversation, revealing sorrow that had been hidden beneath decades of silence.

The Depp couple who had sworn to each other on that terrible snowy day so many years ago that they would never speak of these events again were now themselves excavating those recollections from the depths of their souls.

Amelia listened with an indescribable mixture of emotions churning in her chest. This was the story of a sister she had never met, whose existence had been so thoroughly erased from family history that not even a whisper of her name had survived in Amelia’s mind.

Yet in a disturbing sense, Melina was closely familiar. Every photograph in the album showed a face that could have been Amelia’s own reflection.

The resemblance was so uncanny, that looking at Melina’s progression through life felt like watching an alternate version of herself who had taken different paths at every crucial juncture.

She listened as her father recounted Melina’s rebellious youth—how she gradually deviated from the right path in life, walked toward self-destruction, and even became despicable, step by step ruining her own life and the lives of others.

As she listened to all this, a strange feeling arose in Amelia’s heart, as if she were her sister, experiencing a life that could just as easily have been her own.

The conflict between the two sides had ultimately become irreconcilable.

No one wanted to show understanding or give the other another chance. Their family bonds were torn apart completely.

Melina Depp’s story finally ended on that cold, utterly chilly snowy day. Amelia jolted awake with a jerk. She wanted to reproach her parents—how could they turn away their daughter who had just given birth? But seeing the two elderly people curled up painfully on the sofa, the words that had risen to her lips were swallowed back down.

But when she actually looked at her parents, saw them as they sat curled together on the sofa.

Both of them looked utterly destroyed by their own memories. Mrs. Depp’s face was buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Mr. Depp’s eyes were red and swollen.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the destruction of a family didn’t happen in a single moment. The tragedy that had settled in that closed door had been built over years of small failures, missed opportunities for reconciliation, and pride that prevented either side from taking the first step toward healing.

Amelia had no right to condemn her parents for choices made in circumstances she couldn’t fully understand, made by pressures and emotions she had never experienced.

“Later, your mother and I made a decision together.”

Mr. Depp raised his head, forcing himself to meet Amelia’s eyes.

“We decided to leave London behind—to run away from everything that had happened there. We wanted to escape the past, to build a new life in a place where no one knew us.”

He paused, drawing a shuddering breath before continuing.

“Life in New York was peaceful in ways that London could never be again. A few years after we settled here, after we had begun to believe that we might be capable of happiness again despite everything… you were born.”

His gaze focused on Amelia’s face with an intensity that made her want to look away but couldn’t.

“I owe you a deep apology, Amelia. In the first few years after you were born, your mother and I were extremely strict with you. You see, you looked almost exactly like your sister. The resemblance was so uncanny, that sometimes when I looked at you, I couldn’t separate your face from hers in my mind.”

His voice dropped to a whisper, thick with self-blame.

“I even thought at the time that this resemblance was a curse. But your mother and I were absolutely determined not to repeat our mistakes. So, we were much stricter with you than with ordinary children.”

Amelia shook her head gently. These things weren’t important.

“So,” Amelia asked, “is Bryan the child that Melina brought back that year?”

“I think so.”

Mrs. Depp blew her nose heavily into a handkerchief that had become thoroughly soaked with tears.

“The moment I first saw that young man in the hospital; I felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity. His name was ‘Bryan’ the same name as your father. At first, we tried to dismiss this as sheer coincidence. Brian and Bryan are both common enough names. But when we heard you address him as ‘Mr. Watson,’ we began to realize something was wrong—”

Mr. Depp took over the tale, his voice steadier now.

“The things he told us about his background during our conversations at the hospital, all of it aligned too perfectly to be dismissed as coincidence. Your mother and I discussed it privately after that visit, and we became even more convinced that he had to be Melina’s son.”

“Does Bryan know about you as well?” Amelia asked.

“Oh, I doubt he has any clear understanding of our relationship to him.”

Mrs. Depp said with an aching heart, “He knows something about his father’s situation. But regarding Melina, regarding his mother… he’s almost completely in the dark about her.

He was abandoned, Amelia. As soon as he was born, Melina left him at the orphanage. She gave him the name ‘Bryan Watson’ and then disappeared from his life. He grew up not knowing his mother’s face, not understanding where he came from or why he had been cast aside. He—oh god, that poor child—waaah!“

Mrs. Depp covered her face again, unable to speak.

Amelia looked at her mother’s breakdown but found herself unable to offer comfort. She was thinking—did Bryan really know nothing?

Bryan Watson was renowned throughout the magical world for his extraordinary intelligence and powerful abilities. His first notable achievement had been discovering Hogwarts’ legendary Chamber of Secrets that had gone undetected for nearly a thousand years despite countless searchers attempting to locate it.

He had subsequently thwarted numerous dark conspiracies. He had even invented miraculous alchemical devices like the Learning Machine.

Could such a brilliant wizard really have failed to connect the dots that now seemed so obvious to Amelia?

Suddenly, Amelia remembered the first time she had met Bryan at the immigration office.

When Bryan had first seen her face, his expression had shown such obvious shock that it had been visible even to outside observers. Mandy had misinterpreted that reaction as romantic attraction, assuming that Bryan had been so struck by Amelia’s appearance that he had specifically requested her to serve as the Security Department’s liaison for ‘supervision’ of him.

But that interpretation had never quite made sense to her. Now, the truth became obvious.

Bryan had known all along! As soon as he entered immigration, saw her, saw that face, and heard her name was “Depp,” he had already figured it out.

That’s why he had agreed to the dinner invitation despite its obvious awkwardness. That’s why he had accepted the expensive watch without objection. That’s why he had been willing to stay overnight in the guest room rather than making excuses to return to his hotel.

All the doubts and confusion that had tormented Amelia through the long night suddenly resolved themselves. Her heart felt clear as a silver mirror.

But alongside that clarity came a realization so absurd, so utterly implausible, that it made her head spin even as she accepted its truth.

The light flashing in Amelia’s widened eyes carried equal shock and alarm as she processed what she had just learned.

Bryan Watson, the world-famous wizard whose achievements attracted international attention and whose name was spoken with respect in magical communities across multiple continents was actually her nephew.

A wizard of legendary status was related by blood to her, an unremarkable young witch who had only recently graduated from magical school and hadn’t yet even earned official Auror status.

No wonder her wand had reacted so strangely when Bryan touched it during the Nundu incident. No wonder he had been able to use it so smoothly despite the general principle that wands worked best for their matched owners.

Amelia shuddered as her thoughts snapped forward to the present moment, to the predicament Bryan was currently facing.

A deep sense of guilt flooded through Amelia’s heart like poison spreading through her veins. She had enjoyed a complete family throughout her life: parents who loved her despite their occasional strictness, a comfortable home, financial security, educational opportunities, and the thousand small advantages that came from growing up in a stable household with people who cared about her wellbeing.

But what about Bryan?

He had experienced none of those advantages. His childhood had been spent growing up in a London orphanage where children were fed and clothed and educated but rarely received the separate attention and unconditional love that molded healthy emotional development.

He had known no warm, comfortable family environment, no parental care or guidance, no sense of belonging to something larger than himself.

This contrast made Amelia feel as if she had somehow stolen the family affection and security that should have belonged to Bryan by right. She had been living the life that might have been his if circumstances had been different, if her parents hadn’t made that choice on that snowy day, if Melina had received the support she needed to keep and raise her child.

The guilt was irrational. Amelia understood this intellectually that she had no responsibility for events that had occurred before her birth, that she hadn’t chosen to be born into the family security that Bryan had been denied.

But emotions rarely responded to logical analysis, and the sense of having benefited from another’s suffering couldn’t be dismissed through reason alone.

Her breathing gradually grew heavier as these thoughts spiraled through her mind, creating increasing psychological pressure that demanded some form of release or action. A flush of pink appeared on Amelia’s face rising in response to the emotional intensity building within her chest.

A strong impulse was brewing in her heart, swelling rapidly from vague notion to determined purpose, she had to do something for Bryan.

But what could she actually do?

Go find Director Graves and plead Bryan’s case? No, that would be completely useless. Amelia had already tried approaching Graves about other matters related to Bryan’s activities in New York, and those attempts had gone nowhere.

She—she should go find Remus. He was Bryan’s good friend; he should know what to do. And this was also what Bryan himself had instructed her to do.

“I need to find Remus Lupin. He’ll know how to help Bryan!”

Looking at her parents still immersed in grief and unable to detach themselves, Amelia suddenly said in a loud voice, “We can’t wait any longer. I don’t know what will happen next. I must hurry!”

Before the Depp couple could react, Amelia had already disappeared from where she stood.

Sounds came from upstairs. The couple couldn’t afford to grieve anymore. They supported each other as they rushed upstairs, and found that Amelia had already efficiently changed her clothes. She pointed her wand at her head, and her brown hair was tied into a ponytail at the back of her head.

“Mom and Dad, you need to stay here at home where it’s safe. I’ll send you news as soon as I have any information worth sharing.”

After saying this, the Depp couple, who had just arrived, saw their daughter disappear in front of their eyes once again.

Taking a slight detour to purchase the morning edition of the New York Ghost from a street vendor who looked at her with the indifferent gaze, Amelia scanned the newspaper’s front page with rising frustration.

Not a single word mentioned Bryan Watson being detained by MACUSA. The lead stories concerned routine magical community events, minor international trade disputes, and a scandal involving a prominent pure-blood family’s financial difficulties.

The arrest of one of the most famous wizards in the world had been completely suppressed from public knowledge.

Fire rolled in Amelia’s eyes as she crumpled the useless newspaper and discarded it in a nearby container. She knew immediately what must have happened: the Security Department should have imposed a complete news shutdown on the situation, preventing any word from reaching both the magical press and the larger international community.

If they hadn’t taken such drastic measures to control information flow, by this evening the Woolworth Building that held MACUSA’s headquarters would have been literally crushed under the number of reporters rushing in from magical communities across the globe.

The British Ministry of Magic would have been demanding explanations, the International Confederation of Wizards would have been calling emergency sessions, and Albus Dumbledore himself would probably have been preparing to travel to New York.

After taking a slight detour, Amelia finally found where Remus was. She had thought Remus would be with a group of officials from the International Magical Cooperation Department and many members of prominent magical families at a meeting.

But in reality, when Amelia found Remus, he was at a niche goblin hotel.

The hotel wasn’t open for business. The individual guest rooms had been transformed into offices, with many goblins hunched over their documents showing weariness.

The one-armed goblin who led her brought Amelia to Remus’s sickbed—yes, a sickbed.

“What happened to you, Remus?”

Looking at Remus lying in bed with a gray, defeated face and listless spirit, Amelia was so astonished she forgot to mention Bryan’s situation. “You were attacked!”

“Oh, attacked… no.”

Remus smiled very weakly. With his eyes, he indicated the glass bottle on the bedside table.

“I was too absorbed in work and forgot… I think you should also know, last night, the full moon… I nearly caused big trouble. Fortunately, I’m in the habit of carrying Wolfsbane Potion with me at all times.

I managed to dose myself just in time, but the potion’s effects when taken at such a late stage are… unpleasant. Hence my current condition.

But you seem to have urgent business, Amelia… Where’s Bryan? You should be with him, shouldn’t you?”

So, Amelia began to speak. And with her rapid tone, the scattered unfocused look in the eyes of Remus lying on the bed gradually sharpen and concentrate.

“What do you think we should do now, Remus?”

Having finished her account, Amelia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked anxiously.

“The situation is far more serious than I initially feared.”

Remus took several deep, steadying breaths.

“Could you help me sit up, Amelia? I need to be upright for what comes next, there’s something critical that needs to be done immediately, and you’re the only person I can trust with this responsibility.”

“Of course, but what—”

With Amelia’s support, Remus forced himself into a sitting position despite the obvious discomfort the movement caused him.

“You need to go see Albus Dumbledore. You must travel to Britain and tell him everything about Bryan’s current situation.”

Amelia’s mouth fell open in shock.

“Go immediately, don’t waste time questioning or second-guessing this decision. The goblins have methods of international transport that don’t rely on MACUSA’s Portkey authorizations or Floo Network monitoring. They can send you to Britain through their own channels, though I must warn you that this is illegal border crossing.”

He met her eyes steadily, making sure she understood the serious nature of what he was asking her to do.

“Go to Britain, find Albus Dumbledore, tell him everything, and then follow his instructions. If anyone can resolve this situation and ensure Bryan’s wellbeing, it’s Dumbledore.”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep