cycle

I didn't fall asleep, and all kinds of thoughts were wandering in my head.In order to calm myself down, I took a deep breath and started trying to concentrate on recalling the content of the last transfiguration class, but every few minutes would be interrupted by panic and heart-wrenching confusion, and then I gritted my teeth and continued At first, it seemed as if if I could just recall everything Professor McGonagall had said in its entirety, Mother would be back at dawn.Probably until it was full light, I fell asleep in a daze because of being too sleepy, and felt that someone was approaching after a few seconds.

I opened my eyes suddenly, and I saw Miss Brown looking at me cautiously. Her hand was still hesitating in the air and making a funny gesture, probably intended to poke my face.

"It's rare that we're all packed up...and you're not up yet." I'd probably appreciate her a little more if she could change that look as if she's about to pull a mandrake , "Are you okay? What happened? Your eyes...like someone put a curse on them."

"It's okay." I should have smiled a little to express my gratitude for her concern, but I couldn't force a smile out of my lips, which made Miss Brown and Miss Patil even more scared.

"Well, let's go to have breakfast first! Don't be late." The two of them left in a hurry after leaving this sentence.

I walked into the auditorium and found that the Gryffindors were not wearing scarves and those small banners, so I realized that I remembered wrongly last night. The Quidditch match is not today, and tomorrow is the weekend.Yeah, how could there be a Potions lesson during a Quidditch match?No wonder Porter looked a little dazed when I talked about the game yesterday.

I arrived a bit late, and there were not many people eating breakfast in the auditorium, most of them were wolfing down, or just grabbed a few slices of bread and hurried up the stairs.The Potter trio was about to leave when I sat down, I thought he'd be telling his friends about me, but it doesn't look like it's because Black is still throwing slugs at me like yesterday eyes.

I felt a tinge of gratitude to Potter—I was afraid that many people would gather around and comfort me softly with sympathetic and regretful tones.I understand that these actions are out of good intentions, but these comforts don't solve anything, but make me feel more panic.Sympathy and regret are reserved for those who have lost their loved ones. I have not lost my mother. I believe that my father will find my mother and my mother will return to us. She promised me.

There are muffins on the table that I like to eat with a little floral scent, but I don’t have any appetite at all. Instead, I feel very full when I look at a lot of food, and I will spit it out if I eat more.But I have barely eaten since last night, and I have to force myself to eat a little.

After mechanically eating a plate of scrambled eggs, Professor McGonagall did not come over to announce the cancellation of Potions class today.It wasn't until I finished my Charms class and walked towards the dungeon with my old school bag that didn't have any Potions homework, that no one came to inform us that we didn't need to take these classes.

No one noticed my anomaly. Miss Granger was having a heated discussion with Ron Weasley about the Hippogriff named Buckbeak, and Slytherin was triumphantly promoting Della Coe's father prepares to submit news of its execution.

I know it sounds selfish...but at the moment I really don't care if the animal survives.It's a good thing I've always been on the fringe of Gryffindor and Slytherin, and they didn't come to ask for my opinion.

"Hey, hey! It's been a long time since I've stood on this podium—let me see, hey! Lily's daughter!!"

There was no reason why Potions class was cancelled, and now there was a half-bald old man standing in Dad's classroom, so fat that he seemed to be difficult to walk through the aisle.

Professor Slughorn, he is the Potions professor of my parents. He likes my mother very much. Even after my mother graduates and works, he still writes to invite her to some "slug party" from time to time. He often says that my mother is his favorite student.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" His enthusiasm made me a little overwhelmed, and I always felt that the next second he was going to give me a bear hug in front of a whole classroom of students, "Little girl, growing up More like Lily, don't you, Albus? Exactly the same beauty!"

Before yesterday, it would have made me happy to be praised for looking like my mother.But now he repeatedly mentioned my mother, which only made my expression stiffer.

"Let me introduce to you, this is Professor Horace Slughorn." Professor Dumbledore finally interrupted him, and said to the other stunned students, "Because of some special The reason - while he is away from Hogwarts, he will be everyone's potions professor and acting head of Slytherin."

There was a burst of cheers from the Gryffindor side, so enthusiastic that Professor Slughorn looked flushed and puzzled-he didn't realize that the Gryffindors didn't welcome him, They were just celebrating that my dad was gone.

This is the most disastrous Potions class I have ever attended. I was brought to the front. At the request of Professor Slughorn, I explained to him the current progress of the Potions class in detail, and then he asked to show everyone how to deal with it. Herbs used in this lesson.

I don't know where he got so many compliments. In fact, I don't like to process materials completely according to the textbook. Many steps in the textbook are cumbersome and inefficient.But he kept staring at me with interest, as if with each cut he had prepared new words to praise the talents I had inherited from my parents—and I almost ran off the stage for my life.

"Professor, my hand is hurt." When everyone began to bow their heads and start making their own potions, Draco's drawn out voice came from the Slytherin side, "I don't have the energy to handle my medicine."

"Scumbag," I heard Miss Granger say through gritted teeth, "he's already well enough to hang his own arm and execute poor Buckbeak!"

After Professor Slughorn walked over to Draco, Draco first told him what "tragedies" had happened to him, and then casually mentioned his parents' names.

"Well, let's see if your classmates can help—"

"Professor, can I ask Miss Snape to help me?" He smiled and looked at me, "I believe that with her talent, even if she helps me process the materials, she can quickly make her own perfect potion."

"Oh, I have no doubts about that, I don't even need to see - come, come, Alice, can you help Mr Malfoy?"

"He can use the one I just demonstrated." I pointed to the crocodile heart and ginger root powder that I had processed from the podium, "I just haven't used the two most troublesome ones yet."

"But my hand hurts, it hurts to move—"

"Alice, help him deal with it all." Professor Slughorn winked at me, "I will give you extra points, although I know you will definitely get full marks."

"Your schoolbag." When I sat next to Draco, lowered my head and began to pick open the slippery mucous membrane on the crocodile's heart with a knife, he pointed to his feet, his voice much colder than before, " Although it seems that this homework doesn't need to be handed in, you don't plan to take it away, do you?"

"Thank you." I muttered, the crocodile's heart is hard to hold, and it will jump off the table with a little force, but the slippery mucous membrane is actually not beneficial to the medicine, and the textbook does not ask students to deal with the mucous membrane first before quickly slicing.

"What happened to your eyes—were you... crying all night?" His tone changed suddenly.

My eyes are no longer swollen, and the redness has also subsided a lot. It is rare for him to see it in such a dimly lit dungeon.But he obviously misunderstood the reason for my crying, because his mood suddenly seemed too happy, several times happier than when he showed Slytherin his injured arm just now.

"Is there anything else you want me to cut?" After helping him cut the ginger root into fine powder, I asked him, "Do you need to wash the things over there?"

"Gol, come and help me wash it." He turned around and commanded impatiently to Gore who was staring blankly at the black smoking cauldron.

"Let me do it." Seeing that Goyle was about to squeeze his cauldron down, I stood up and jumped over Draco who was sitting to get the medicinal materials on the other side of his hand. The stem was divided into several parts, "It's all done."

"Don't be angry with me, okay? Every time we quarrel, I bow my head, Alice, you—"

"I don't really want to discuss this right now." I put all the materials on his desk in order, looked into his eyes and whispered, "Please, Draco, I don't want to argue with you now either — Discussing those things, I just want to go back and finish my potion now."

I have to concentrate on one thing, such as recalling every sentence the professor said in a class in my mind, such as brewing a complicated potion, or reciting some tedious spells.Only in this way can my attention be diverted briefly, so that I don't think about Albania every few seconds and feel that my heart is being held in the hands like those crocodile hearts.

"What's the matter?" Draco no longer sat on the chair lazily, he raised his head to look at Professor Slughorn, frowned and thought for a while, then looked at me with a pale face, "Ah Liz, talk to me, what happened?"

"Whoa! You guys have less than an hour! Let me see how you're going—"

"Let me finish the potion first." I pursed my lips tightly, "I don't want to talk about things in the classroom."

I didn't want to tell Draco about my mother - it was obvious how he, and his parents, treated my mother and Muggle-borns.I looked down at the bubbling foam in the pot. At this time, the potion should have a translucent gel texture. It was obvious that I had just miscounted the number of stirring times because of a daze.

I grabbed a large handful of cold smoked mint from the drawer and tore it up. I poured cold water into the pot after soaking the crushed leaves for a few seconds. Five minutes before get out of class was over, I got Professor Slughorn's generous praise.

"Miss Snape, Mr. Longbottom." After the class bell rang, I was busy packing my things, when I suddenly heard the voice of Professor McGonagall. She appeared at the door of the Potions classroom and gave Professor Slughorn slightly After nodding, he said seriously to me and Mr. Longbottom, who was emitting an unpleasant smell in the corner, "Please pack your things and follow me to the office."

My heart was pulled up, is there any bad news?When I lowered my head and frantically collected the medicinal materials, I grabbed a handful of hard fish bones with my hands. The sharp and hard fish bones stabbed my fingers, but I couldn't feel any pain at the moment.

Mr. Longbottom seemed to have blown up another cauldron, and the burnt smell lingered on him until Professor McGonagall tapped him with his wand and helped him repair the burnt sleeve by the way.I stared at Professor McGonagall's tightly pursed lips the whole time, and every second my brain was imagining what worse news she would say, and every time she spoke a new syllable, I felt that my hands couldn't stop trembling.

I thought I'd be calmer after a night of suffering, but it's obvious that I'm still like a teapot boiling over a blazing fire with all the openings blocked, just give me a little crack and I can scream hysterically Call.

"I need to talk to Mr. Longbottom about something first," I heard Professor McGonagall say to me, maybe it was my illusion, her voice was softer than usual in class, "you sit here and rest, Sne Miss Pu."

Longbottom gave me a dazed expression. Besides my father, he probably feared Professor McGonagall the most, but the expression on my face may not help him at this time. I guess my face and ghost can World War I.

I don't remember how long I sat there, it could have been just a second, it could have been hours, or it could have been long days, the spring outside was over before I heard a slight click of the door lock The sound of opening.

"It's getting late. In order not to affect your dinner time, I'll make a long story short, Miss Snape." I mechanically sat across from Professor McGonagall, and after tidying up my crumpled robes, she said, "Dumbledore Professor Lido believes that you have the right to know what happened, and unnecessary speculation and rumors will only make you more disturbed, and you should have noticed that your father is not at Hogwarts right now."

Did she just come to inform me about it?In other words, no new bad news?I sat up straight for a moment, but felt that this would make my reaction look strange, so I tried hard to suppress my relieved expression, and tried to make my expression look confused and confused.

"When the Auror team was on a mission to search for the fugitive Peter Pettigrew in the Albanian forest, they were attacked by unknown creatures. The weather conditions were bad at the time. After the chaos, your mother lost contact with the Auror team. This incident has been going on since then. It hasn't been more than a day, that is to say, Lily still has a great possibility to be alive. Both your father and Professor Dumbledore have already rushed to Albania. Because of the special nature of that place, the Ministry of Magic has banned the news— —I know it's cruel to have you go through this alone now, but Alice—"

"It's all right," I said in a thin voice, "thank you for telling me the truth, thank you, Professor McGonagall."

She held my hand, not as soft and warm as my mother's hand, but it also has the power to make people feel stable: "Your father will find Lily, leave this matter to him, okay?"

"I won't cause trouble for adults." I looked into Professor McGonagall's eyes and said, "I will stay at Hogwarts and wait for Dad to find Mom."

"Good girl." She patted me on the shoulder lightly. These should be the gentlest words Professor McGonagall has ever said to me.

"What if," I whispered, taking a deep breath, "professor, if there is any news, will I know it too?"

Professor McGonagall paused and nodded to me: "Of course, Professor Dumbledore thinks you have the right and qualification to know."

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall."

I didn't go to the auditorium for a cup of hot cocoa, even though I knew I needed it right now.I don't know why I walked to the lake when most people were still finishing their meals.

The night falls, and the calm of the lake is broken by several huge bubbles from time to time, causing ripples.I can still vaguely see a few golden and red shadows shuttle back and forth in the sky on the other side of the Quidditch pitch. Tomorrow is Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw, I slowly remembered.

I also saw Hagrid's hut and the huge pumpkin, but the house was not lit, and I slowly recalled that Miss Granger said earlier today that Professor Hagrid had wings because of the Hippogriff The Beast has been summoned to the Ministry of Magic.From the other side of the grass came the small and light laughter of men and women. This is the holy place for Hogwarts senior couples to date. It is said that throwing a prank firework into the grass by the lake can blow up at least five couples.

It is so strange that so many people are still living happily, and so many people are struggling to survive in all kinds of troubles.

I threw a ball of grass that I crumpled into a ball into the lake, watched a bubble bubble up, engulfed it, and a few seconds later it was thrown into the air again, and I seemed to hear a dull thud The voice seems to be complaining why this is not edible bread.

"Have dinner?"

I turned my head to see Draco standing there, the dangling cloth disappeared.He tousled his blond hair and sat down beside me.I hugged my knees quietly, watching him take out a bag of tightly packed pastries and two boxes of drinks from his bag.

"The meals at Hogwarts are terrible." He unpacked them and handed them to me, complaining with a frown. "Only those people eat with relish every day."

"You're not going to tell me what's going on, are you?" he asked me, with no emotion in his voice, as I took the drink he'd warmed.

"It's okay not to say anything." Before I could think about what to say, he said to himself, "Anyway, you know that I will accommodate you in the end. Every time I say to myself, this is the last time I will accommodate Alice. Snape, next time I'll have to wait for her to cry and confess to me before forgiving her, guess how many times I've succeeded, huh?"

When I finally wept softly against his shoulder, he made a rare comment or protested that my snot and tears had stained his newly-made robe and tie.He was silent all the time, reaching out to hold my hand that was stabbed by a fishbone in Potions class, his fingers were as cold as the weather that has not yet warmed up, and I finally began to feel the faint pain of the wound.

"Cry, eat after crying."

He didn't tell me like everyone else, it's okay, it's going to be okay, be strong.In fact, what he said was not comforting at all, and even had a "I knew it would be like this" tone.

I have a lot of memories of Hogwarts, before and after, I have different feelings in retrospect.I am not a person who dwells on the past, I am more like a mother in this respect.But I occasionally think of this drowsy night, the first time I cried uncontrollably outside of my mother's arms.

It would be great if some people, some things, always stop at a certain point, don't go forward, don't look back.