Hogwarts Slytherin

The Slytherin common room.

After bidding farewell to Greengrass, Reggie returned to his dormitory.

"Girls are so annoying." Anthony saw him coming in, holding a small box with exquisite packaging in his hand, and sighed helplessly, as if he was the one being annoyed.

Reggie smiled, walked to the table, and poured out all the gifts in his pockets.

Now Anthony, who was sitting on the sofa, couldn't help but move closer to him and take a closer look.

"Oh, the first gift is from me!" Anthony shook his long hair proudly, as if he was sure that this gift would satisfy his good brother.

A withered human hand, with its well-jointed head covered only by a thin layer of skin. It looked like the hand of a dying old man, lifelike and terrifying.

Reggie raised his eyebrows and reached out to hold the withered severed hand.

"Swish"

The withered hand like a work of art suddenly tightened and tightly held the owner of the other hand.

Anthony was watching Reggie's reaction with some excitement.

Even though he had been mentally prepared, Ruiji was still shocked, but it didn't show on his face.

Anthony curled his lips, a little disappointed.

"The Hand of Glory is a creation of dark magic. It is a withered human hand. After inserting a candle, only the person holding it can see the candlelight. This light can even penetrate the Peruvian invisible smoke bomb Darkness, this is something that most luminous spells cannot do."

"Wow..." Anthony didn't know what to say, "Okay, to be honest, the strange thing is that I didn't feel too surprised."

"Thank you. I have a feeling it will be of great help to me in the future." Reggie thanked him sincerely.

This hand came in handy more than 20 years later when the Death Eaters invaded Hogwarts, but now by chance, Anthony gave it to him. He looked at the withered hand on the table, This is obviously another profound alchemy item.

The next gift came from Amelia. She gave her a very useless book called "How to Fix Your Charms". Reggie casually flipped through a few pages and put it aside. How should I say, this book? At least remind him not to forget to study and take exams in the joy?

If Amelia had paid a little attention to him, she would have known that he was Professor Flitwick's most admired student.

Oh, and he never got anything other than an O in his Charms class.

It may also be that Amelia was forced to attend his birthday party only because of Lily's invitation. Reggie was more inclined to this guess, after all, he had almost no dealings with her.

Also, Marlene McKinnon's gift was "The Quidditch Teams of Great Britain and Ireland", and after opening James's gift, he found that the two of them had given him the same book, which was really - not surprising. Woolen cloth.

But one more book wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Remus's gift is a magical fairy tale book about plants. Although it is a bit childish, it records the knowledge of plants in great detail. It should not be too bad as a review material.

Mary and Peter were unfortunately among the group of people who forgot her birthday and sent her two chocolates.

It can be seen that it is really "careful".

Midsummer belongs to farewell.

The upcoming summer vacation and exams that will end almost in the blink of an eye have filled the campus with a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere.

The Black Lake has also changed from a remote place that no one cares about to a good place to escape the summer heat.

Students from the four major houses of Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw were wearing light clothes and playing by the black lake. A giant squid also emerged from the lake, revealing a small part of its body, lazily Enjoying the sunshine.

"What are you going to do during the summer vacation?" This is another question that comes up every year, but Peter just likes to ask the same question many times and never gets bored.

"Quidditch-" James laughed and uttered one word.

"World Cup!" Sirius added seamlessly, and the two whistled and high-fived happily.

"By the way, hasn't Royston Edwin resigned? Without him, the Quidditch World Cup will be half as interesting!" James complained loudly.

"He will definitely resign!" Sirius vowed.

"He's so annoying!"

"I also hope he resigns." A voice that did not belong to the predator came out, and Marlene stood in front of them with her arms folded.

"Good afternoon. James, Sirius, I have something to tell you."

"What's the matter? Marlene?" James asked curiously, leaning forward slightly.

"Edgar is already in seventh grade, and he will leave Hogwarts soon. As the oldest member of the Quidditch team, I want to hold a farewell party for him." Marlene showed a dazzling smile .

"There are more and more parties this semester..." James thought, but then his face began to look a little unnatural. Every time this time, he would scratch the back of his head to relieve his mood, "This... ..Is this a sign that he’s becoming popular?”

"Sounds good! When?" James asked with a hint of inexplicable arrogance in his tone.

"The day before you leave school, do you have anything else to do?"

"No." The two people said in unison, and Marlene smoothed her thick bangs.

"The Three Broomsticks, I'll be waiting for you at one o'clock in the afternoon."

"understood!"

......

It was just one o'clock when they arrived at the Three Broomsticks. Marlene was chatting with Miss Rosmerta. The two of them were smiling brightly, and many wizards looked at them quietly.

"Hey! James! Sirius!" Marlene waved, and the boy beside her shook, and his face emerged from the shadows - it was Edgar.

"Hey! Where are Marlene, Edgar, and Ezio?" James asked, looking around.

"Isn't he here yet?" Marlene frowned, "He promised me..."

"Perhaps he forgot," said Edgar in an old-fashioned voice.

After Marlene thought deeply, she smiled faintly: "It's not the first time anyway. Let it go. Edgar, you are the protagonist today, is there anything you want to do?"

"Me?" Edgar shook his head, "No, what do you want to do?" The three children stared wide-eyed, not knowing why they came here.

"Let's drink a few glasses of butterbeer first." James was the first to suggest.

Marlene snapped her fingers to agree with her suggestion. At this moment, she looked really heroic and became very - Potter?

If Lily were here, Marlene would never show this side of herself, drinking with boys—oh, my God.

Soon, cups of frothy butterbeer were passed into their hands.

"What are your plans after graduation? Edgar." Marlene looked curiously at the boy she had known for four years.

"Perhaps I will enter the Ministry of Magic." Edgar said lightly.

"Cool!" Marlene smiled slightly, "Are you planning to join politics as a family?

"I don't know," Edgar said in the same tone. "My sister also wants to enter the Ministry of Magic."

Edgar's sister studied in Ravenclaw and had no interest in Quidditch. She was a complete "nerd", at least in the eyes of James and others, and she had almost no contact with them.

"Okay," James laughed, "you have to protect me if I do something wrong in the future."

"No." Edgar shook his head.

"You are really boring, Edgar. I finally know why you haven't had a girlfriend for seven years." James said dissatisfied.

The three children looked at each other again and began their conversation.

For Merlin's sake, James, you are the last person to say this!

Edgar was silent for a rare moment and said, "At least I won't be hurt by love."

"You were not hurt by love," Marlene said sarcastically, "you were hurt by me."

Edgar smiled lightly and shook his head.

What followed was endless chatting among several Quidditch enthusiasts. There was no sad atmosphere like a farewell party, but more like a friend going home. We sat together and said a few words, as if we would meet again tomorrow.

******

Sitting on the train on the way back, looking at the Hogwarts Castle that was gradually fading away, with only a vague silhouette visible, Nott couldn't help but fall into confusion - what had he done in the past entire school year? What did you get?

He still remembered the way he was riding this train to Hogwarts in June last year. Everyone was surrounded by him and he was very proud, and the whole compartment was filled with laughter and laughter.

But now, he was the only one left sitting in this private room.

Yes, he was alone now.

Since the end of the Christmas vacation, he had drawn a clear line with his past "friends", and then mustered up the courage and full of hope to go on the path that he believed should be more correct.

He sacrificed a lot for this—the pride of being a pure-blooded little wizard, the self-esteem that even an ordinary person would have, as well as his time, energy, gold galleons, etc.

He spent a lot of effort trying to please other people. Although it was his first time, he thought he had done a good job. He continued to say hello, flattery, and a large number of people every now and then for half a year. Small gifts that suit everyone's liking... These should be enough to impress anyone, and the other party indeed accepts them all, but the result is like pebbles being thrown into a bottomless black lake without any trace. respond.

Until the end of this school year, Professor Slughorn had not invited him to a private banquet he held once, and he had always hinted that he wanted to join the "Slug Club", but the other party had never even mentioned it.

Nott couldn't figure out what the problem was. Did he think it was too easy to please one person?Or is Slughorn's vision too high, or too greedy?

But he no longer has time to continue to suffer. From being uncomfortable to becoming accustomed to it, from being full of hope to gradually becoming numb, he has spent a full half a year on Slughorn, just like a small gamble at the beginning, and then the game became bigger and bigger. , like a desperate gambler who can't look back in the end, he can no longer give up.

What's more, for him, there is nothing better.

In today's Hogwarts, the only professor who can rival or even surpass Slughorn in terms of reputation is Principal Albus Dumbledore, but he has another identity - - President of the Order of the Phoenix. As everyone knows, at least in their circle, the Order of the Phoenix was established specifically to target the Dark Lord.

No matter what, there was no way he would fall to the Order of the Phoenix. Those purebloods would tear him, no, the entire Nott family into pieces.

What's more, Dumbledore was busy with who knows what, and he was almost invisible except for major holiday parties. Such a big shot was not accessible to a little wizard like him.

So he could only continue to persevere - spend more time on Professor Slughorn, and then hope that after this holiday, he might get a turn for the better.

King's Cross Station soon arrived, Nott dragged his suitcase off the train, and his father, Mr. Robert Nott, was already waiting for him on the platform.

He doesn't look too young anymore. He is wearing a dark gray wizard robe and a black velvet pointed wizard hat. He is holding a beautiful silver snake-headed short staff in his hand. His face is similar to other pure-blooded ones. The same arrogant look with nostrils turned upward stood out among the crowd.

After seeing Nott carrying the suitcase alone, old Mr. Nott immediately showed a smile on his face. He walked forward and took the suitcase. He really doted on him.

"Father..." Facing the smile of old Mr. Nott, Nott suddenly felt guilty and hesitated, not knowing what to say.

After all, he had spent the past six months breaking up with some of his partners and deciding to please Slughorn, all without consulting his father.

And now, it's obvious that he's accomplished nothing.

"I already know it all," old Mr. Nott said gently.

"But it's not a big deal. As a Nott, you certainly have the right to choose your own friends. As for pleasing your dean... Although it seems to me that it is completely unnecessary, you and I My mother will not blame you for this."

He reached out and patted Nott's shoulder, with a sense of relief, just like he often did in the past, and then took out the door key and completely dismissed the topic, "Okay, it's time to go back. We’re home, your mother has prepared dinner and been waiting for you for a long time.”

Of course, Nott didn't expect his father to really know nothing about what he did in school. Perhaps the day after he started to treat Grylls and others coldly, their parents had already sent them back with their sons. After hearing a letter from his parents, he ran to Knott Manor in panic, apologized to his parents and begged for forgiveness.

And his father's current reaction does not seem to be beyond his expectation. After all, he has always been doted on like this since he was a child.

But for some reason, even though he was not blamed, and he didn't see even the slightest disappointment in himself from his father's face, Nott still felt as if his chest was blocked by something, and he couldn't breathe. gas.

And this state lasted until his fingers left the door key, recovered from the violent spin, and then saw the familiar black door of Knott Manor...