Volume 4: The Sea and the Ship Heading North Chapter 211 The Meaning of Black
In fact, Jon didn't need to explain anything on the boat. The reason he chose not to stay on the tower on the first night was just to be safe.
If the friendliness at dinner was all an act by Lord Stoker, and he had actually discovered the identities of John and the others from the beginning, then he would definitely try to report this to Voldemort tonight.
The temptation of all the students in Hogwarts to Voldemort is undoubtedly huge. As long as he can capture all the students, Dumbledore will be afraid to act rashly, which will be of great benefit to him in consolidating his rule over France.
The first night is the most dangerous.
It’s not that we can rule out Sir Stock as a suspect just because nothing went wrong tonight, but if he did have a problem, there would be no reason to continue waiting.
The longer you delay, the more accidents are likely to happen. Report your findings as early as possible, so that no matter what problems arise, you will get all the credit.
A night passed.
The whole night was as calm as the sea they were on, and no accidents happened.
So early the next morning, Jon took Neville and the others back to the tower.
It was still the house-elf named Rabill who received them and led them into the reception room.
Sir Stoke was having breakfast, and he had specially prepared a portion for Jon and the others.
"This tower is actually very large. I converted some of the floors into pastures, where I keep a lot of poultry, pigs, cattle and sheep. Rabir usually takes care of them. This ensures that I can be self-sufficient even though I live so far away from human habitation."
Breakfast was a sandwich with milk and fried eggs. Although Jon and the others had already eaten on the boat, they did not refuse to eat.
"I have arranged everything on the ship, sir. I will have to stay and bother you for a few days."
Jon exchanged pleasantries and said some meaningless words, then asked with a smile.
"I wonder if you could introduce this tower to us? You know that children of this age are very curious. Since we have accepted your invitation to stay here, we must respect your rules."
Sir Stoke wiped his glasses. His movements were serious and elegant. His clothes and appearance were as meticulous as those of an orthodox nobleman. In response to Jon's question, he spoke calmly.
"Don't worry, Professor Johnson. I'm not hiding anything dangerous in the tower." He was straightforward, his eyes clear and even sincere. "I understand your concern for the safety of your students, but I'm not a dark wizard who lives here for the convenience of dark magic experiments. The only thing I'm interested in in my life is astronomy. After graduating from Beauxbatons, I even forgot how to use Apparition."
"You can freely enter and exit any place in the tower. I can guarantee that there will be no danger. But the reason I am willing to ask you to stay is that I do need your help with something."
Jon had not spent much time with Lord Stoke. The two had only known each other from last night to this morning. He could clearly see that he was not very good at socializing or getting along with others.
Not only was he straightforward in his words, but he was also straightforward in his actions. Jon originally thought that the "ulterior motive" behind his warm hospitality to him and others would take at least two or three days to reveal some clues, but he did not expect that he would express his need for help without any reservation this morning.
But think about it, it is normal . He has not communicated with outsiders for a long time. If he is a social genius, then people would be suspicious.
Jon was naturally happy to make his words more clear.
"If you need any help, please tell us directly, sir. We have accepted your hospitality and will certainly not refuse any help we can provide."
Sir Stoke put down the knife and fork in his hand. Instead of answering Jon directly, he stood up and said.
"If it's convenient, Professor, can you go with me somewhere alone ? Rabir will take these students of yours to visit the tower. If they have any needs, they can directly ask him."
Jon, Neville and the other five looked at each other, then nodded and spoke in a slightly stern voice.
"Don't cause trouble to others in their homes. Don't forget that we are guests."
Neville understood what he meant and nodded his head in agreement.
"We'll be watching, Professor Johnson."
Then Jon followed Sir Stoker out of the drawing room.
After they left, only the other four of them, Neville, and the elf Rabil were left here, well, or you could count the black cat.
Luna was obviously more curious about the black cat. She waved to the cat tentatively, but the cat just lay on the armrest of the sofa and looked indifferent.
"Black animals have ominous meanings in some places."
She whispered to herself, and only Hermione, who was sitting next to her, heard what she said.
Hermione first glanced at Rabill, and after making sure that it had not heard Luna's obviously disrespectful remarks, she lowered her voice and spoke.
"It's a matter of custom. For example, ravens are also black, but in the UK they are a symbol of good luck. Muggles used to clip part of ravens' wings to ensure that they would not fly away from the Tower of London and ensure that the country would not suffer bad luck."
Li heard their conversation and couldn't help but complain.
“If I were a crow and someone clipped my wings and prevented me from flying away, I would definitely not be in the mood to bless them.”
"So this is just a metaphor and a symbol." Hermione said, "People only care whether this symbol exists, but they don't consider whether its existence is reasonable."
While they were chatting, Neville began to take action.
In Jon's absence, he was the one among the five students responsible for making decisions and taking action.
He looked at Rabir, who had been standing respectfully nearby.
"Can we just take a look around?"
"Of course you can. The master said you can go anywhere in this tower without restrictions."
After getting confirmation from it, Neville took Ron and Hermione out of the reception room, went down the stairs, and began to walk around the tower.
Just as Sir Stocker promised, Rabil did not stop them from going anywhere, but he did not let them go completely either. Instead, he followed them all the time, saying that he was ready to provide them with service whenever it was convenient for him.
But Neville was not an ordinary 14-year-old boy who grew up under protection and care. From Rabil's current behavior, he could clearly understand that the knight did not have any taboos on their behavior in the tower as he said verbally.
