After thinking it over for several days, Joanne finally decided to move for the sake of her daughter's safety and future.
But where could a divorced woman with a young child move to?
Looking at the flat she had only been living in for a few months, Joanne let out a helpless sigh.
This shabby two-bedroom flat was already the best place she could find and afford at the moment.
And Catherine would be starting school in a few years. If she couldn't save any money now, the financial pressure would only get worse by then.
Damn it. Couldn't all this trouble just stay far away from her?
She sat down gloomily in a chair, covering her head with her hands as she sank into confusion.
"Mum, I... I won't go see Marvolio anymore, okay?" Catherine edged over carefully, tilting up a guilty little face. She thought she must have annoyed her mother by pestering her these past few days to go back to the café.
"It's not about the café."
Seeing the aggrieved look on her daughter's face, Joanne couldn't bring herself to be harsh. She gently rubbed her little head.
Of course, she didn't say it had nothing to do with Marvolio either...
Ding-dong.
"I'll get it!"
Without waiting for Joanne's permission, Catherine obediently and excitedly ran to the door.
"Ma... you are?" The moment she opened it, Catherine's excitement visibly faded, and she asked a little half-heartedly.
Feeling tense, Joanne hurried over behind Catherine and looked at the man standing outside.
A carefully tailored navy-blue suit, neatly groomed hair, and, most winning of all, a warm, approachable smile that seemed to come naturally to his handsome face.
The only thing that gave her, with all her sensitivity, the slightest pause was his clear, bright eyes. They were too deep for someone so young.
As though a soul completely at odds with his outward appearance were hidden inside them...
Still, he was far better than that bastard called Marvolio.
"You must be Joanne and Catherine. I'm Tver Fawley, director of the British government's Joint Operations Office. I've come to talk with you about what happened a few days ago," Tver introduced himself gently.
"The Joint... what?" A bad feeling immediately rose in Joanne's chest.
"Joint Operations Office. I agree, it's a mouthful, but however awkward the name is, you can think of him as my superior."
Marvolio stepped out from around the corner. This time he wasn't wearing a hooded robe, but in Joanne's eyes, that somewhat old-fashioned leather coat still didn't make him look like a good person.
"Mar... mmph!"
"Sorry, but I've never heard of any such bizarre government department, and I have absolutely no obligation to cooperate with you!"
Joanne clapped a hand over Catherine's excited face and pulled her back.
"Ma'am, don't you want to solve your current troubles? According to our records, your financial situation isn't looking very good right now."
"Sorry, you are my biggest trouble right now!" Joanne snapped, anger flaring. She grabbed the edge of the door and was about to slam it shut.
"All the troubles from your previous marriage will no longer affect you."
Joanne's hand stopped. Slowly, involuntarily, she opened the door again.
"You mean...?"
"That bastard is now your ex-husband, and he's forbidden from coming within a hundred miles of you and Catherine."
"With no time limit," Marvolio added.
Joanne found it hard to believe. She frowned, but her reaction was no longer as resistant as before.
"But I've never heard of the law imposing such a strict restraining order, and I've certainly never heard of a divorce case being processed in just a few days..."
"There is now."
Tver smiled and took out a document. It had taken him several days of "going through procedures" to get it done.
"This is the court order. There's a phone number on it. If you have any doubts..."
Affected by the confidence radiating from him, Joanne found herself believing him a little.
Still, she cautiously took the document and examined its contents with her limited legal knowledge.
The format. A standard court document.
The content. Exactly what Tver had said, plus many additional clauses in her favor that he hadn't even mentioned.
The seal. It really was stamped by the court.
Joanne tucked the document away, her expression complicated.
At first, she had thought Marvolio was merely some unusual person with strange powers, and that if she kept her head down, she could avoid getting entangled with him.
But now, it was obvious their ties to the government were far closer than she had imagined.
In that case, unless she fled Britain, or even Europe, moving anywhere else would be pointless.
"Thank you... and I'm sorry. Please come in. I was rude."
Joanne stepped aside from the doorway and led Catherine back into the flat.
All she could do now was pray that her life wouldn't get any worse.
"By the way, magic is definitely strange, but we haven't exactly come across as dangerous, have we? Why does she seem so afraid of us?" Marvolio asked under his breath as they entered, sounding mildly annoyed.
"Leave 'us' out of it. I'm the only relatively normal one."
Tver looked at the troubled Joanne as he followed her into the neat sitting room.
"And besides, this is the natural reaction of a mother who's had a hard life and has a sensitive heart. All she wants is for Catherine to have a stable life. That's the one thing keeping her going."
"I know this one well!" Marvolio nodded proudly. "In a way, this basically counts as paranoia!"
When it came to paranoia, he'd rank himself second. Only Voldemort, hiding out there somewhere, would dare claim first.
"...That isn't something to be proud of."
After the two of them sat down, Joanne brought over two cups of tea.
"What are you two whispering about?"
Although she didn't want anything to do with trouble, now that she had decided to hear them out, she wasn't going to be rude about it.
"The place is kept very nicely."
"This tea looks excellent... Tver was right."
"...Go on. What do you want from me?"
The conversation hadn't even begun, and Joanne already felt she was going to regret this.
"Just so we're clear, the bomb definitely had nothing to do with me, and Catherine was at the café because she was waiting for me to finish work..."
"No, no, you've misunderstood. I'm here to talk to you about work."
"Work?"
But Tver didn't explain any further. Instead, he signaled to Marvolio.
Marvolio gave a helpless smile. "Catherine, would you mind showing me your room?"
The little girl immediately slid off the sofa in excitement.
"Of course! I have lots of dolls in there. We can play together!"
She happily grabbed Marvolio's big hand and dragged him toward her room.
"I'm Superman. I didn't come here to play with dolls... fine, I can only watch from the side!"
Seeing Catherine pout and act wronged, Marvolio had no choice but to give in.
Joanne was a little displeased, but Tver taking the initiative to keep Catherine out of this put her more at ease.
Once the two of them had gone into the room, Tver immediately turned serious.
"Let me confirm one thing first. Your full name is... Joanne Rowling, correct?"