"Why is the Old Man involved in this too?!"
Kai Adler's expression twisted slightly in disbelief.
He stared at Uncle Leon, carefully choosing his words. "How old was my father back then?"
Leon shrugged, nodding his chin toward the photo album. "Matthias was an exceptional Magician even in his youth. He was barely twenty when they sent him to fight Grindelwald."
Kai exchanged a glance with Hermione, both visibly relieved.
They'd clearly thought the same thing—the terrifying possibility that his parents' disappearance was tied to Grindelwald's rise or fall. But judging by their appearance in that photograph—mid-thirties, vibrant, with no signs of the ravages Grindelwald's era left behind—the timeline didn't match.
"I thought Grindelwald might've been involved in my father's disappearance…" Kai admitted under his breath.
Leon snorted. "Impossible. Matthias hadn't even met your mother at that point."
His eyes sparkled with amusement as he leaned back in his chair. "Speaking of which, that Matthias was quite the character…"
Leon smirked in memory, his voice dipping with teasing amusement. "Off he goes on some 'diplomatic mission,' and next thing we know, he returns with a stunning foreign woman by his side. Tsk."
Kai's golden eyes narrowed coolly. "Watch your tone, Uncle Leon."
The older man cleared his throat, raising both hands in mock surrender, chuckling awkwardly.
"Pure admiration, I promise—strictly platonic."
Kai's polite smile sharpened like a blade. "Good."
Leon coughed, steering the conversation back on track.
"Your mother really was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he admitted more sincerely this time.
Kai's tone remained measured. "Since you admired her so much, tell me about her."
Leon shifted in his chair, visibly hesitating, but then pressed on, his expression sobering.
"Listen, your father and I were like brothers—loyal, thick as thieves. My respect for your mother never crossed any lines."
Kai nodded faintly, keeping his scrutiny locked on the older man. Leon exhaled heavily and leaned forward, lacing his fingers together.
"Her name was Mintz Corvinus. German-born. As your father explained it, her name's derived from an old German word meaning 'moonlight.' Quite poetic, no?"
Kai's eyebrow twitched, connecting the dots internally.
Moonlight. Luna his pet owl, Selene the vampire… now Mintz, his mother—all tied to the moon in different languages.
At this rate, if he suddenly started sprouting fur under moonlight, it wouldn't even surprise him.
Oblivious to Kai's inner commentary, Leon continued.
"She was supposedly just a Muggle—caught up in the mess of our world by accident."
Hermione tilted her head, puzzled. "Muggle? You mean—non-magical?"
Leon chuckled. "Right. You British call them 'Muggles.' Americans say 'No-Maj.' Germans? We just say 'Unbegabte'—the ungifted."
Hermione's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "New vocabulary acquired!"
Leon smirked at her enthusiasm, returning to his story.
"Matthias found her in the middle of some chaos—rescued her, technically. But instead of performing a memory-erasing charm like regulations demand, he… brought her home."
Kai frowned. "Memory-erasing?"
"The Reinherz Zauber, Purity of Heart spell," Leon explained. "It calms the mind, wipes harmful memories if needed—but leaves harmless knowledge intact. Far better than your British 'Obliviate'—you lot just butcher people's memories left and right."
Kai's eyes gleamed with interest. "That's a smarter approach."
Leon nodded approvingly. "I always say, your Ministry's treatment of non-magicals is outdated. Our magician Orders prefer a gentler hand."
Seeing Leon gearing up for a full lecture, Kai raised a palm. "Focus, Uncle. My mother."
"Right, right." Leon chuckled, steering himself back.
"Matthias brought her home. Fell hopelessly in love, proposed within months. They married shortly after. Gorgeous couple."
Leon's expression softened, then grew serious.
"But over time… we noticed something strange."
Kai's eyes narrowed, sensing where this was going.
Hermione, ever direct, blurted the obvious. "If Kai's father fought Grindelwald over forty years ago, and they only had Kai recently, they'd both be well over fifty—but they didn't look it."
Leon nodded, pleased. "Bright girl."
Hermione beamed, flushed with pride.
"It's common, you know. Wizards, Magicians —we age slower with exposure to magic, Black Magic especially. Take me, for example."
He gestured to himself, unbothered by their skeptical expressions.
"Eighty-six years old. Look forty, maybe fifty? Magic preserves us."
Indeed, despite his slightly disheveled appearance, Leon looked remarkably young for someone nearing a century of life.
Kai conceded that much, but another concern gnawed at him.
"And my mother? You said she was a Muggle."
Leon's gaze darkened slightly, his voice quieting.
"That's where things turned strange."
He folded his arms, the weight of memory creeping into his expression.
"Mintz showed… abnormalities. She never displayed magical ability, no aura, no Black Magic residue. Yet, she aged even slower than Matthias."
"She was stronger, healthier, unnaturally youthful—for a supposed 'Muggle.'"
Kai absorbed every word, his mind racing.
"Your father tested her. No magical traces. No hidden creature bloodlines. Fully human… but undeniably different."
Hermione's brow furrowed, her curiosity piqued.
Leon's voice lowered, now almost conspiratorial.
"She knew things she shouldn't. About both our world and yours. She navigated magical politics like an insider—but never left the house, avoided attention, lived like someone hiding from… something."
"I was the only one here who ever met her."
Kai's suspicion deepened. His hand unconsciously tightened over the photo album.
Leon held up a finger, his expression deadly serious.
"And the strangest fact of all—despite being married for decades, they couldn't conceive. Both were healthy. All tests confirmed it."
Kai and Hermione exchanged confused looks.
Leon's tone turned grave. "They tried for years, decades… and only at fifty did they finally succeed."
Kai's expression soured instantly, the implication not lost on him.
Fifty years old. Conceiving a child after half a lifetime. That wasn't natural.
"You're saying…"
Leon shrugged, voice low. "Mintz wasn't what she appeared. Your father never forced the truth—respected her secrets."
Kai's eyes sharpened with quiet intensity.
"And where are they now?" Hermione asked, breaking the tense silence.
Leon's expression dimmed, the teasing light gone from his face.
He exhaled, voice heavy.
"That… begins the year you were born…"