That night, the two of them struggled for a long time before falling asleep, and by the time they woke up the next morning, the sky had already brightened.
Both of them had dark circles under their eyes, and as they stepped outside, they saw Zhao Lun dressed in a loose white robe, wiping sweat with a towel.
The little girl, Maria, was chasing after a few dogs, laughing so loudly that they could hear her even from a distance.
She was holding a Nimbus 2000 broomstick, a sight that filled them with envy. Then, with a whoosh, she flew off. The speed and grace with which she soared were beyond words.
Maria's display once again shattered their perception of her.
Whoosh! A gust of wind swept by as Maria zoomed past them, causing their hair to blow wildly. They had to use their hands to shield themselves from the wind.
"Hee-hee..."
The little girl's delighted laughter lingered as she disappeared into the distance.
"..." The two of them were speechless and then ran toward Zhao Lun.
Seeing them running toward Zhao Lun, Maria stopped teasing them. She put away her broomstick and joined Zhao Lun's side.
"Ellen, you were right. Maria flies incredibly well. She's definitely going to be a great seeker one day!"
"Yes, I've never seen anyone with as much talent as hers. She's simply amazing!"
"Judging by her looks, she's not that young anymore. Can she attend Hogwarts soon?"
For the first time, the two of them truly acknowledged Maria. A wizard's kindred spirit is another wizard. In this world, wizards recognize each other most.
Previously, when Zhao Lun said that Maria was a witch, they had their doubts. But after witnessing her flight, they were fully convinced that Maria was indeed a witch.
"She probably won't be able to attend Hogwarts until next year."
Zhao Lun confirmed.
Ellen's age had been too young to gauge Maria's accurately. Zhao Lun, with his different method of calculation, had only recently figured out her true age.
Recently, Maria had been growing rapidly. Not only had she grown taller, but her beauty had also blossomed.
She looked every bit as tall as Ginny Weasley, the sister they had seen at the train station.
If Zhao Lun wasn't mistaken, Maria wouldn't be able to attend Hogwarts until next year. She wasn't too happy about it, feeling that the wait was too long. She didn't want to be separated from her brother for that long.
"Really? I think it will be so much fun when that happens."
"Yes, Hogwarts will definitely be exciting."
The two of them looked forward to Maria's entry into Hogwarts with anticipation.
Breakfast, as usual, was made by Mulan. This time, Maria didn't tease the Weasley twins. Instead, she gave them a smile, and the atmosphere around the dining table was warm and cheerful.
"Come on, I'll show you something different."
Zhao Lun led them to the laboratory and sat down on the sofa beside it.
"Athena, open the relevant video files, find those related to war, and play them."
"Yes, Sir."
Zhao Lun spoke to the laboratory, and a voice responded. A projection appeared, followed by a document opening and a video about war playing.
After the shock of the previous day, neither of them gasped this time. They were still astonished by the sudden appearance of the projection. They hadn't expected Muggle technology to achieve such feats.
Boom! Tap! Tap! Tap! Boom!
The projection showed smoke and explosions, gunfire resounding all around.
Ruins everywhere, the land scorched, and no plants surviving. People fell like weeds under the barrage of gunfire.
Unarmed civilians were dragged out and lined up, shot down like chickens.
Weapons tests—Boom!
Mountains were turned over!
A mushroom cloud rose, and everything was destroyed...
Countless people were displaced, homeless, while everything was destroyed. The environment was ravaged, and animals and plants perished...
Disasters... War had never ceased, and in some areas, it was still ongoing...
The two of them stared blankly, their fingers trembling.
After watching the video, neither of them could sleep that night. The next day, they woke up sluggish, dark circles under their eyes, yawning like wilted eggplants.
"How are you? Didn't sleep well?"
Zhao Lun poured them tea made with Divine Nation spring water, which instantly revived them.
"It's not that... we were just shocked."
"Yes, I didn't realize Muggles could be so cruel. Their slaughter is unimaginable. Compared to them, wizards are so pure."
"Now that I think about it, even the Dark Lord doesn't seem so terrifying."
"I think we finally understand why wizards are so determined to keep their existence hidden from Muggles."
Thinking about the brutal scenes from the video, their faces still looked grim.
Zhao Lun didn't interrupt them but listened quietly.
The video they had watched had completely overturned their perceptions. They realized that Muggles were not as simple as they had imagined and far from weak.
Perhaps the reason wizards hid from Muggles was because of their brutal nature? The two of them occasionally wondered about this.
No! That can't be true! They couldn't believe it and quickly dismissed the thought.
Muggles had only recently advanced so quickly. In recent years, it seemed as though Muggles had found some sort of cheat code, rapidly developing advanced technologies and destructive weapons.
Every day, people were killed by these weapons, while wizards, when compared to Muggles, still seemed far too kind-hearted.
Wizards had immense power. With just a wand, they could become superheroes. But in terms of sheer killing capability, they were no match for the lethal Muggle weapons, which claimed countless lives upon their invention.
If a war broke out between wizards and Muggles, would wizards face devastating losses?
Could wizards resist a sudden nuclear attack from Muggles?
Would wizards eventually fall under the dark rule of Muggles in the future?
The more they thought about it, the darker the future seemed. Wizards had no future. Their thoughts spiraled into a dead end, and neither of them could sleep that night.
In the end, they voiced their concerns to Zhao Lun.
"Heh, you're being too pessimistic. Muggle weapons are powerful, but wizards are no pushovers either. Both sides have their advantages, and neither will give them up..."
"Wizards and Muggles won't engage in such a conflict."
Zhao Lun smiled and reassured them, explaining things to put their minds at ease.
"Is that so?"
"If that's the case, we can rest easy."
Hearing this, they felt somewhat relieved. With Zhao Lun's comforting words, the brothers momentarily set aside their worries and went to eat breakfast.
"Time for breakfast! Let's go!"
Zhao Lun invited them to eat.
The lavish breakfast still felt a bit unfamiliar to them.
"Ah, I wonder if I'll have trouble adjusting to potatoes again when I get back home?"
"Yeah, just thinking about it, I want to stay a little longer."
After the meal, the two brothers seemed to have completely forgotten about the cruel scenes from earlier, instead joking with Zhao Lun.
"Then stay a few more days. You can leave after you've had enough fun." Zhao Lun invited them.
"Let's not. We've been out long enough. We have to head back this afternoon."
"Yes, there are things I need to discuss with my father."
They were ready to say their goodbyes. After watching the video last night, neither of them wanted to stay any longer.
After having some tea and resting briefly, they grabbed their broomsticks and, with Maria, asked Zhao Lun if they could play a Quidditch match.
Maria, feeling it wasn't fun to play alone, naturally agreed.
This time, it was a mixed doubles match: Zhao Lun and Maria versus Fred and George. The game was based on hitting the flying Bludgers. If the other team couldn't catch it, they lost a point.
This style of play tested endurance, skill, and teamwork.
Maria's talent truly shone. Though she was younger, her abilities were formidable. With the foundation of Divine Nation spring water, her stamina surpassed that of ordinary people.
The two brothers were very coordinated, and in the absence of using their full strength, the game remained evenly matched.
The match continued until noon, and despite their best efforts, Fred and George were exhausted. They couldn't gain the upper hand and ultimately lost.
"Maria defeated Fred and George!"
"Maria is the best!"
After winning, Maria couldn't resist showing off, practically parading her victory.
"Hey, Maria, don't get too cocky. If your Nimbus 2000 wasn't the latest model, we wouldn't have lost."
"Yeah, look at our brooms. They're ancient Comets. We're just lucky they can still fly."
"If you don't believe us, shall we swap brooms?"
Fred and George, annoyed by Maria's smugness, pointed out that her victory was due to having a superior broom.
"Hmph! You want Maria's broom?"
"Maria wouldn't swap with you guys!"
Maria hugged her beloved broom tightly, giving them a knowing look.
With a proud flip of her hair, she strutted away, basking in the glory of her victory.
"..." Fred and George were left bewildered. Did they really seem like people who would try to trick her out of her broom?
"Let's go."
Zhao Lun gestured for them to follow, then returned to rest.
No matter what, the lively exercise had helped the two of them move past the cruelty of the Muggles.
"Since you're heading back this afternoon, I've prepared some familiar dishes for lunch."
"Potatoes and fish."
Zhao Lun smiled and introduced their lunch.
"Did we hear that right?"
The two of them were stunned. Potatoes and fish, foods they ate every day, were being served as a treat?
The ingredients were simple, but the preparations were anything but ordinary, making it hard to believe the food was made from just potatoes and fish.
When Fred and George sat down, they found the meal far more extravagant than they had imagined. It was anything but just potatoes and fish.
Even the potatoes were made into dishes they could never have imagined, and the fish had been transformed into works of art.
The meal taught them something new, and they ate with great satisfaction.
In the afternoon, since they were returning home, they didn't go out to play again. Instead, they stayed at the estate,
talking about everything that had happened recently and discussing their lives and dreams.
After a while, when the wind began to change, they gathered their things.
With the little girl Maria waving them goodbye and with Zhao Lun's farewell, they slowly turned and headed back to their own world.