cycle

In the next few days, Ron was like a snail that suddenly exploded from the tail (Merlin bless him without a tail) at any time, not only glaring at Ginny and Dean, but also gloomy at Hermione With a sneering face.

"What the hell is he going crazy about?" Hermione, who had been targeted by Ron all day, finally pulled me back to the dormitory angrily, and slammed the door behind her, ignored the probing eyes of the other girls, and asked suddenly I (the long hair tied into a ponytail slapped my face all of a sudden), "It was fine before... What did I do to offend him?"

I touched my face and didn't know how to explain it to her. I told her that Ron was like this because she kissed Viktor Krum two years ago?This reason is funny enough just thinking about it in my head, after all, it’s been so long, but it’s definitely not a good idea to let Ron and her go on in such a muddle-headed argument—just as I’m about to put this ridiculous When she told Hermione the reason, Hermione sat down on her bed angrily and opened the "Space-type Magic Advancement: Untraceable Expansion Curse", and said: "It's not that I can't understand that the Quidditch match is on the weekend. , he felt nervous...but he wouldn't lose his temper so unscrupulously before..."

As she spoke, her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she had seen a key part of the book, she hurriedly pulled down the bed curtain.With the words stuck in my throat, I heard the sound of her rummaging for something from under the pillow and starting to chant a spell in a low voice.Hermione had mentioned to me before that she wanted to try to learn the No Trace Expansion Charm, and I suggested she try it with the little beaded bag I gave her for her birthday, but she didn't go very well.As I said before, all space magic is very troublesome. Apparition may be the only space magic that has been evaluated by the Ministry of Magic as "promotable learning" since the general education of wizards became popular. This is based on the fact that all wizards are very familiar with themselves. Under the premise of body structure.

I wanted Hermione to be happy that she was making a little progress with the No Trace Extended spell, but Ron's irascible temper kept everyone from being happy - the last Quidditch practice before the game on Saturday was not only bad , and also yelled at the other team members. When Ginny returned to the Gryffindor lounge, her eyes were breathing fire, and she took the hand that Dean was holding and went back to the dormitory.Harry, who had been trying his best to encourage all the team members, let out a long breath after Ron returned to the boys' dormitory in silence, leaned back on the back of the chair and wiped the black hair on his forehead tiredly, Tallus patted Harry on the shoulder before waving away the whispering team members gathered around a corner.

"He looks like this, our chances of winning are too slim." I heard Harry whisper. Just now he enthusiastically said to his teammates who waved to him good night, "We will definitely win tomorrow." To be honest Yes, in my opinion, his current state is not much better than Ron, and he is also upset and stressed.It was late, and Hermione returned to the dormitory early to start her practice, and now Harry and I were the only ones sitting by the fireplace, he didn't seem to want to move at all, just curled up in his chair and looked at the ceiling The golden and red curtains hanging from above and the red rose knots that have been decorated by everyone are in a daze.

Although Hermione and I always express that we can't understand their enthusiasm for Quidditch, I actually know that for Harry and the others, Quidditch is equivalent to my potion cauldron or Hermione's. A thick book might have a flavor in the love potion.

"Maybe Ron will be in a good state tomorrow." I can only offer thin and useless comfort, "You also said that he is very unstable, so if you are lucky-"

Harry sat up straight suddenly, a gleam in his open eyes.He glanced around to confirm that no one was paying attention to our conversation, leaned towards me, and said to me in a low voice, "I thought of a way."

"What method?" I didn't understand why he suddenly swept away the decadence just now, and even seemed a little excited.

"Alice, do me a favor." He moved closer to my ear, "Lend me that bottle of Felix Felicia for a day."

I stood up abruptly, and almost couldn't control my volume: "You should have heard Professor Slughorn say that Felix Felicia is strictly forbidden to be used in all competitions and examinations, Harry, even if this competition is for you Say it's very important and you can't-"

"Listen to me." Harry pulled me back to sit down, "I assure you, there is not a drop of Felix Elixir in the medicine bottle - I am not good at making Felix Elixir, so you can Are you relieved?"

"Then what exactly do you want to do?" I looked at Harry suspiciously, and simply folded my arms, "I won't lend it to you if you don't make it clear."

Harry blinked, considered for a moment, and then said, "Then it's important that you don't have breakfast with Ron tomorrow, so that he doesn't see a flaw."

After I nodded hesitantly, he lowered his voice and said to me: "A white lie, can you understand?"

"But do you think it's really feasible?" I went back to the dormitory and brought the Felix Elixir to Harry, still feeling a little skeptical about the plan, "Let Ron think that drinking the Felix Elixir... will make him condition improved?"

"I told you before that his skills are good, but his performance is not good because of psychological problems." Harry, who got the Felicia, was invigorated and smiled, showing his white teeth, "Just wait and see, We'll win."

As agreed with Harry, I deliberately missed having breakfast with them the next day.Hermione thought I was still as reluctant to go to a Quidditch match as ever, and could tell she didn't want to have breakfast with the boys because she had had enough of Ron's recent antics, but after a while she ditched the I put on my scarf and gloves and hurried downstairs.

I lay on the bed and waited until Lavender, who was meticulously put on makeup, was the last one to leave the dormitory before I started to comb my hair. When I was looking for hairpins in the drawer, I saw the color-changing lipstick that the Weasley twins stuffed me during the summer vacation. I took it Went out to see and put it back.When I walked down the tower and was about to rush to the side of the court, I could already see bright golden-red and silver-green color blocks moving towards the court in twos and threes from the window of the castle, and I could even hear the faint roar of a lion in the distance sound.

The sky was clear and blue, and it was hard to imagine that last night I could faintly hear the vibration of the wind and rain beating against the windows.It seemed that the time for the game was approaching, so I quickened my pace and planned to take the shortcut that Harry took me to go to the stadium along the corridor on the eighth floor, but I didn’t expect to meet Dean next to the tapestry on the eighth floor where he was playing silly Barnabas. Raco.

Isn't today a Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match?I looked at him in confusion, and then looked out the window. There was already enthusiastic cheers from the other side of the field. It sounds like players from both sides should have entered the field. Why did he appear as a Slytherin Seeker? it's here?

"Aren't you... not going to the competition?" I asked him hesitantly. It had been a long time since I stood face to face like this. He didn't seem to have changed much from Mrs. Malkin's gown shop, but I felt that there was no reason for him. Compared with the beginning of school, he has a kind of...sickness, what is he doing during the time since the beginning of school?

"So you're going to the game?" He saw the gold and red scarf around my neck and the rosette on my wrist, snorted softly from his nose, and leaned against the wall in the corridor, "It's really rare."

There was a burst of cheers outside the window, which startled the birds perched on the top of the castle. It seemed that the game had already begun—Slytherin got a new Seeker?Draco is as passionate about Quidditch as Harry is, and I can't think of any reason why he should miss the first game of the term.When my eyes moved slowly to the blank wall on the other side of the corridor, I suddenly heard him say: "Alice Snape, you shouldn't forget that you still owe me something, right?"

I turned my head and continued to look at him. Although I didn't understand why he said this suddenly, I still nodded to show that I hadn't forgotten.

"How about a favor and a half-dance together?" He looked out of the window, the bright sunlight shone through the glass on his pale face, making his light-colored hair appear transparent, "Slughorn There's a Christmas party, take me with you."

I froze in place, and suddenly remembered the Christmas ball a few years ago, McGonagall announced to us with pursed lips that everyone needs to find a dance partner, saying that this is a rare occasion to "let your hair loose and relax yourself" Chance.I think of those girls who are hovering in the corner and watching the boys laughing in the past. While laughing, they carefully hide their secret expectations. While reciting dance steps, they silently guess the person who can put their hands together and dance gracefully at the ball. ;I think of those boys who are nervously swallowing and wiping their hair, approaching girls under the encouragement of their peers, flushing cheeks, stammering and struggling to finish an invitation, even turning around and running because of embarrassment , need the girl to catch up and say affirmative answer loudly - many of those boys and girls no longer live in this castle, some of them went their separate ways after graduation, some dropped out of school hastily after hearing the bad news of their relatives, and some were trapped in the castle. Panicked family members hurriedly picked him up and headed abroad.

At that time, the future looked as bright and brilliant as today’s sky. I wake up every day thinking that he should invite me today. He not only sent me a skirt but also a brooch that matched the color of the skirt, but why? Why hasn't he come to invite me?

"Not this time." I looked into his eyes, and had to lower my voice very softly to conceal the sudden choking in my throat, "I've already promised someone else, sorry."

"Oh," he didn't seem surprised at all, looked at me calmly, and even laughed: "Then next time."

"Why did you come here instead of participating in the competition?" I yelled at Draco's back as he came downstairs, "What the hell are you planning? You can fool others but not me! I know that necklace must have something to do with you , but it's certainly not your main plan... the thing you mainly wanted to do didn't go well, so you came up with a flawed idea in a fit of urgency, and you—"

When he turned to look at me, I thought he was going to say something like he was taunting Harry in Professor McGonagall's office. I didn't have any certainty about the words I blurted out.But he just turned his head and looked at me silently. The sunlight cast the hollow patterns on the stairs on his face in the form of shadows. The stairs on the sixth and fifth floors were slowly rotating. I looked at the platform on the seventh floor. On the contrary, he had the illusion that he was slowly sinking in the whirlpool. This illusion made the rest of my words stuck in my throat.

"Don't do anything wrong, Draco." After a long time, I shook my head at him, "You can't do anything...you can't hurt people here."

He finally managed a mocking smile, and said before turning away, "You should go to St. Mungo's with Potter to see your brains. They might give you a double room for the Minister of Magic."

The game was drawing to a close when I finally found Hermione in the stands through the crowd.After the game ended, Ginny slammed straight into the commentator's stand, landed lightly amidst the screams and laughter of the crowd, and looked at Zacharias Smith, who was pressed against the wooden board and struggled helplessly. It took less than 15 minutes for him to taunt the Gryffindor players with five different rhetoric.It looked like the Gryffindor game went very well today, Ron didn't let a Quaffle from a Slytherin Chaser go into the goal, Harry even caught the Snitch while the score was far ahead and it was over easily During the game, the Gryffindors in the stands hugged each other excitedly and sang the song "Weasley is Our King", seeming to have completely forgotten the previous doubts about Harry and the others.

Hermione was obviously not one of them, she looked very angry, but because of the people around her, she grabbed my hand and walked through the crowded and celebrating audience to the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He walked to the locker room and pushed the door open without even knocking. Fortunately, the remaining three boys in the locker room had already changed their clothes.

"How could you—" Hermione asked me sharply, livid, "Alice! Don't you remember Slughorn saying it's illegal!"

Talus didn't seem to know what happened, because he was in a good mood after winning the game, he waved his hand and stretched out an arm to wrap Hermione's shoulder: "Be happy, Hermione, we won!"

"Win?" Hermione took a few steps back and closed the door of the dressing room. She crossed her arms and looked at me and then at Harry who turned to hang his ballgown on the hook on the wall. Nothing to be happy about—"

"Then what are you going to do, expose us?" Ron asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Harry shrugged.

"You! You borrowed Felicia from Alice and mixed it with Ron's pumpkin juice for breakfast!" Hermione said sharply. "I didn't expect you to—"

"No, I didn't." Harry walked up to me and put his arms around my shoulders. I think he was obviously overwhelmed by his victory in the first battle, and it's obviously not time to irritate Hermione at this time.

"You guys are lying! He just drank Felicia, that's why it went so smoothly, Slytherin couldn't make any shots, and Ron could save every ball! Alice hurried back to the dormitory last night Take something and go out again, I saw in the morning-"

"He didn't mix the Felicia in it." I really couldn't stand Harry's expression of a child who had succeeded in a prank, and I pinched his waist and told him to return the Felicity in the robe to me quickly. Show Hermione the wax-sealed stopper on the bottle. "Harry's plan is to make Ron think that he drank the potion...he has always had a psychological problem before, and if he can't solve it, he might as well take advantage of it."

"I didn't drink Felicia?" Ron was shocked, "but the weather is so beautiful today! Vasai didn't play, Malfoy called in sick, I saved so many balls - really I didn't drink it? "

"Of course not." I carefully put the Felix Elixir back into my pocket, "How could I agree to such a thing?"

Ron stared blankly at me and Harry for a while, then suddenly turned to Hermione and imitated her voice and said, "He just drank Felicia, that's why it went so well, Slytherin couldn't even get in the shot, Ron Well every ball can be saved - see! I don't need that help to save a ball, Hermione!"

"But in fact, you thought you drank the potion." Talus couldn't help but said beside him, "This method works this time, but it won't work next time."

"Then we'll talk about it next time." Ron walked out of the dressing room swaggeringly with his broom on his shoulders, deliberately brushing past Hermione.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry." Talus went over and patted Hermione on the shoulder, "Come on, let's go up to the celebration party."

"I really don't know what I did wrong." Hermione blinked desperately to hold back the tears that were already filling her eyes, "I don't want to know anymore, I'm tired of it...you guys go, I still have books to see."

"You!" I looked at Harry angrily after Hermione turned and ran out of the lounge, "Can't you tell her what's going on from the beginning like you told me!"

"No." Harry obviously didn't expect things to turn out like this, but he still said, "Only by making Hermione think that Ron drank Felicia, will Ron feel that he really drank Felix, the two of them It's always been that way."

What he said made sense, but I was still annoyed, and by the way, even Draco forgot to tell him that he wasn't sick, turned around and ran out of the dressing room to find Hermione.But Hermione didn't go to the library, and I went back to the Gryffindor common room, and I didn't see her at the gala.Many people surrounded Harry, patting him on the shoulder and saying all kinds of words of praise and admiration. Brother Creevey followed him closely with his automatic shorthand quill. After seeing me, he wanted to walk towards me, but Once again caught in the encirclement of a large group of girls.

"Sorry, I already have an appointment." I drank butterbeer outside the crowd and continued to look for Hermione. Mida Vani said.

"She asked me to take her to Slughorn's Christmas party." Harry took a swig from another bottle of butterbeer I handed him. "Did you see Ron?"

"I see," I stared blankly at the corner opposite the drink table, "but...he seems to be busy right now."

Harry followed my gaze and nearly choked on his beer.Ron and Lavender Brown hugged each other tightly in front of the whole lounge - or they had forgotten that there were people in the lounge, and the two were so inseparable that it was impossible to tell which hand was whose .

"Did you see Hermione?" I felt a chill.

"Over there." Harry pointed to the portrait hole that had just been closed, "I just saw her hair—"

We hurriedly climbed out of the portrait hole, but the corridor was empty.

"Hermione?" We walked along the corridor, and finally saw an unlocked classroom door, and there was a pleasant bird song from the door.Hermione sat on the podium and looked up calmly at the little yellow birds flying around her head.

"Will you guys practice with me?" she asked me in that high-pitched voice, and I knew she was trying to look normal, and I nodded and replied, "Yeah, I've never been good at Transfiguration."

Harry coughed and I stomped on his foot to shut him up.

She waved her wand, and those little birds landed on the table and she turned them into golden pieces of paper, and then with another wave, they became the little yellow birds that were just chirping.When I pulled out my wand to practice with her, she said awkwardly, "Ron having a good time?"

Harry and I exchanged glances, and were about to pretend we didn't see it, Hermione chuckled, "It's too hard not to see it, they didn't hide on purpose, did they?"

The door of the classroom opened suddenly, and I watched in horror as Ron walked in, grabbing Lavender Brown's hand and laughing.

"Oh." Ron stopped suddenly when he saw the three of us standing on the podium.

"Ouch!" Lavender giggled and exited the classroom, the door closing behind her.

I felt a suffocating silence, as if a storm was brewing every second, and the emotions that did not explode increased exponentially with each moment of delay.Ron coughed and looked away, stared at Harry and said in a strangely assertive voice, "Hey, Harry, I was wondering where you and Tallus went!"

"Isn't Tallus drinking butterbeer a few meters away from you?" Before Harry could answer, Hermione slid off the podium, and the yellow birds continued to chirp around her, her tone was calm, As if just stating a fact, "You're probably too busy to see."

"Oh." Ron looked at me and then at Harry, as if expecting the two of us to have something to say at this moment.

"You shouldn't have Lavender waiting for you outside." Hermione walked towards the door, walking slowly and proudly with her head held high, "Don't be cloudy with your girlfriend, she will be sad."

Her hand was on the doorknob, and I felt extremely uncomfortable. Just as I was about to go up to her, Hermione suddenly turned around, pulled out her wand and pointed it at Ron's face, screaming almost hysterically, "What if?" All the shots!"

The swarm of birds rushed at Ron like heavy golden bullets, pecking and scratching every inch of his skin within reach.I hurriedly opened the door to catch up to Hermione, who was running away, and I heard Ron growling in pain behind me.I kept running along the deserted corridor, and finally saw Hermione crouching in the shadows and crying under the statue of the hunched witch. When she hugged my shoulders, her face was already wet with tears, falling into me. The tears in the neck were warm at first, then cold.

"It's okay." I reassured her carelessly, "it will pass, it's okay."

"What in the past!" She gritted her teeth vaguely, "What does it have to do with me!"

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter at all." I could only follow her words, glaring fiercely away at the portrait who came over curiously to watch.

"There are so many people...it doesn't matter at all in the end." Hermione sobbed, "It has nothing to do with me!"

"Yeah, a lot of people are like that at the end and it doesn't matter at all." I put her on my shoulder so we can sit on the pedestal of the hunched witch and it's not so cold, "A lot of people are like that, it's okay .”