[HP Doujin] 1943

I stared at Gillian dumbfounded, unable to believe I would see Ada again at this very moment.

But I really saw her, that girl in my memory with long flaxen hair, tall and thin, with a shy expression, always talking about gossip and gossip.The door of the conference room opened, and a tall, slender young woman stepped out in high heels, wearing a very cheap-looking blue robe, holding a large pile of documents in her hand, and a very old-looking one hanging on her arm. The heavy black document bag followed closely behind Luke Michelson with a sour expression on his face.

"—We are very happy to cooperate with the "Daily Prophet" to promote the cooperation between the Russell family and our hospital in the field of herbal medicine research." Mr. Kahn's familiar and polite voice sounded, and he and another editor-like person were Stand at the door and shake hands.

"Lizzie, are you still going? We're going to eat." Gillian called me.

When I came to my senses, Ada had heard Gillian's voice.She turned her head at once, and the word "Lizzie" caught her attention like a prick.

When she saw me, she was not as surprised as I was. It seemed that she had heard that I was working here.

"What's wrong?" Gillian noticed something was wrong with me, walked up to me, looked at Ada out of curiosity, and then at me, "You...do you know each other?"

I nodded, forced a smile, and said, "Yes, we used to be in the same academy."

It seems a little awkward to say this, and it seems ridiculous to use "a college" to describe the inseparable relationship between Ada and I.

Ada had an inexplicable smile on her face, seeming to be mocking my choice of words.She took a step closer to me and said calmly, "Hi, Lizzie, nice to meet you."

I also greeted her dryly, and there was a sense of embarrassment in the air.

"We haven't seen each other for a long time," Ada said, "how about we go out and talk tonight, are you free?"

I nodded and said, "I get off work at five."

"Okay," she said, "then we'll meet at the Leaky Cauldron at six, shall we?"

"No problem." I said.

Gillian and I watched Ida walk away with several other newspaper editors, smacked our lips, and said, "Ida Woodson is from your college, I always thought she was a Hufflepuff. "

"Why?" I asked her in surprise.

"I also had other classmates who worked at the Daily Prophet, and she told me something about Woodson," Gillian said. She didn't have an easy time at the newspaper."

Just as she didn't ask why I never mentioned Tony to her before, Gillian didn't ask why I never mentioned Ada to her.Gillian is such a character, she will never invade the private territory that others want to protect.It was a huge relief.If it were Ada, she would definitely get to the bottom of it, and would never stop until she reached her goal.

******

It was an early December night, and the air was chilly with frost.Wearing a black cloak with the hood pulled low, I pushed open the dilapidated wooden door and walked into the dimly lit bar.

I bought a glass of cider at the bar, walked over to a table in the corner, and said, "Good evening, Ada."

Ada was still wearing the dark blue robe, and her flaxen hair was pulled back into a tight bun.She wore light makeup and looked nervous.When she saw me, she stood up and shook my hand stiffly.

"It seems that you have been doing well," she said with a smile, "at least much better than me."

I sat down opposite her, put down my hood, and smiled awkwardly: "How did you hear from me? We haven't been in touch since we graduated."

"No contact doesn't mean I don't follow you, Lizzie," she said, looking up at me. "I heard you went straight to St. Mungo's after graduation, and because of the Randall family, your Work has always been smooth, hasn't it? To be honest, I really envy you, I don't have any family background, so things have always been rough at work."

After hearing what she said, a slight unhappiness welled up in my heart, but I held back and didn't show it on my face.

"No, you're mistaken," I said. "I've been living alone since graduation, and I've had very little contact with the Randalls."

"Lizzie, are you really stupid or are you just pretending to be stupid?" Ada said. "Do you really think Tony Randall won't say hello to the upper echelons of St. Mungo's? But, in order not to hurt your self-esteem, He just didn't tell you. Never since your first day at St. Mungo's has any of your superiors tried to make things difficult for you, have they?"

With the warm cider in my hand, I stared at the wooden table in front of me, too dazed and shocked to say a word.

Ada sighed softly: "It seems that you really don't know."

I silently shook my head, took a sip of my drink, and asked, "Chris and Carl...how are they?"

"Carl works at Gringotts, he is making a lot of money now, and he spends more than half of his time away from home."

"He's been the smartest of us since we were in school." I smiled and said.

Ada nodded in agreement.

"What about Chris?" I asked. "He went to the north alone when he graduated. I don't know how he is now, except for occasionally sending me a postcard."

"Chris once asked me if I wanted to go with him," Ada lowered her eyes, a haze of memories passing over her face, "but I refused."

"He's always liked you, you know that."

Ada was silent for a few seconds, then smiled wryly and said: "Since I rejected him, he has never contacted me again. However, I heard from other students that he is now with a mining team. Nordic expeditions, working for the Stuart family's mining company."

Listening to the life experiences of these classmates and friends in the past, my heart sank little by little-life has always been so difficult, but I didn't realize it at all, because someone has been silently protecting me.Although I have never expressed the slightest gratitude to my mother, Mr. Randall, and Tony, but... I think with a mixture of bitterness and shame that they have always been my family.

"I should have known from the very beginning that people's fate is predestined," Ada said, "The three of us have never been as lucky as you. Even without the things you and Riddle have done, we will still gradually drift apart , isn't it?"

It made me so uncomfortable that she spoke so directly about our estrangement in seventh grade because of Riddle.To hide my emotion, I took another sip of cider from the glass.

I set the glass on the table and looked at the shorthand quill she was holding.Noticing my gaze, she stuffed the quill into her handbag and said, "I always carry these with me...it's become an occupational disease."

"I know."

"I'm currently in charge of finding interviewees for Mr. Michelson's column," she said, clasping her hands on the table. , you are quite suitable. Would you like to help me?"

I hadn't expected our conversation to turn out like this, and my eyes widened in surprise.

"Me?" I asked, "Are you kidding me?"

"Of course I'm not kidding," said Ida. "You're Tony Randall's sister. He's one of the most promising young men at the Ministry and the most talked-about single man in London society. Rumor has it that you The relationship with him is not as simple as brother and sister, would you like to talk about the relationship between the two of you?"

I believe my face must have turned blue.

"Want I to tell you all about my story so that you can write it in a newspaper and sell it? Do you think I look like a lunatic?" I said.

"Lizzie," Ada said, shaking her head, "for me, you people are the only resource I can rely on to survive."

"Do you know what you're talking about?" I said angrily.

"If you don't want to, I think I may have no choice," Ada's tone became natural, "Do you remember what your previous boyfriend did?"

I said calmly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't need to pretend anymore, Lizzie." Ada said, "You know that the malicious attack in the Chamber of Secrets is related to Riddle, and Margaret's imprisonment is also inseparable from him."

I looked at her with a pale face, as if someone had just slapped me.

"I live in the same dormitory with you," she looked straight into my eyes, "There are some things that you just think I don't know."

"I should never underestimate your powerful gossip abilities, should I?" I said sarcastically.

"You can imagine," Ada ignored my sarcasm, and continued, "Whether I have evidence or not, as long as I compile these conjectures into a report and send it out, Riddle will become a person who is suspected and cast aside by the entire magic community." object."

"I think," I said slowly, "that no one knows where he is now. He's long gone."

"This will strengthen the public's suspicion of him. My article will be more credible and more selling point: The president of the student council with the most outstanding grades in Hogwarts history disappeared after graduation. Multiple evidences point to his relationship with The death of Myrtle Warren is related to—”

"Enough!" I cut her off, my breathing becoming more rapid with rising anger.I looked at her and said slowly, "Ada, you were my best friend until the seventh grade. I never imagined that one day, you would make trouble like this."

"Did I make trouble?" Ada laughed and said, "I just did what I had to do."

"Must?" I demanded. "What did you have to do? Turn down the only man who truly loved you, hoping to gain fame in the newspapers and get Tony's attention through these sneaky behaviors? Did you know you had How pathetic?"

"Don't talk too much." Ada's face was as cold as a piece of marble.Her eyes looked horrific as my words hit her most vulnerable.

"Then don't go too far yourself." I said coldly, "Don't force me."

"Do you know what I hate about you the most? What I hate the most is the damn self-confidence and complacency on your face like 'the whole world belongs to me'," Ada said more and more quickly, " You just inherited the genes of your vixen mother, except for that face, what are you better than me?"

I laughed back in anger, and counterattacked viciously: "Yes, I just look better than you, are you not convinced?"

With a snap, the ale in her hand splashed in my face.

With a crash, I pulled out my chair and stood up, picked up the wine glass in front of me and threw it at her.She lowered her head for a moment, and the glass shattered on the wall behind her, which caused a burst of exclamation in the bar, and everyone looked towards us.

"You bitch, Lizzie!" Ada jumped to her feet, drawing her wand.

Ada's Limp Legs hit me, and as I fell, I threw a Batsy Charm at her, but the spell missed and hit the ceiling, and more people screamed.Just as the situation was getting out of hand, someone dragged us apart and a stranger in a black robe forcibly dragged me out of the bar.There was a black car parked on the corner of the street, and the stranger opened the door and stuffed me in the back seat.

There was the smell of cigars and cologne, and Francis Stuart sat next to me in a gray cashmere coat.In front of the car sat the driver and the stranger who dragged me out just now.

I opened my mouth wide in surprise, turned around and wanted to open the door and jump out.But with a "snap", he waved his wand and locked the car door.

He turned his face slightly, and said to me in the semi-darkness: "Tony might not be very happy if he saw the scene just now."

"I want to go out!" I said anxiously, while searching for Ada, "I still have something to say to that bitch!"

Francis ignored me and ordered the driver: "Drive."

"Let me get out of the car!" I said loudly, kicking the door.

He waved his wand again, and a dark gray soundproof panel came down, separating the back seat of the car from the front. He looked at me sternly and asked, "What's the matter? There was a conflict, but I didn't expect it to be you."

"Ada - a reporter from the Daily Prophet has the nerve to threaten me with my personal affairs for her column. Get me out!" I got angrier and blushed as I continued. Beating on the car door.

Francis grabbed my wrist and held me in place.

"Aren't you just a little reporter? How can you be so flustered?" His gray-blue eyes looked at me with a serious expression, "It is common for people in our circle to be threatened, followed and intimidated. You have to get used to it as soon as possible. at this point."

I looked at him blankly.

"They're just bluffing, and they're not allowed to do such childish and ridiculous things as pulling out their wands in public. If you really stun that reporter today, I'm afraid St. Mungo will have to fire you tomorrow, even if there is Landau It's useless for the people of Er's family to protect you."

"What if she wasn't bluffing?" I asked.

"Those people are opportunists, they just want to use certain information to blackmail." He said flatly, "Let them jump up and down, if they don't get your response, they won't get any benefit from exposing you .”

"No!" As soon as I thought that Ada might write an article about Tom, I became anxious and began to speak incoherently, "I can't take risks, you don't understand, I—"

"Okay, okay, don't cry," he held me in his arms like comforting a child, patted my back lightly, and said in a reassuring and steady tone, "I'm here, it's okay Yes. Tell me the name of that reporter."

Only then did I realize that I had shed tears unknowingly.I wiped away my tears in embarrassment, then raised my head and looked at him stupidly, not quite understanding what he meant.

"Tell me, what's the name of the reporter who threatened you," he repeated patiently to me.

"I don't... I don't think you should be bothered, Mr. Stuart..." I said.

"No trouble," he said, "I've dealt with this kind of thing too much, it's just a trivial matter."

"Ida Woodson," I whispered to him after some hesitation, and then I added, "Please don't hurt her."

He smiled: "How is it possible, I always distinguish the importance of things, don't worry."

"Don't tell Tony."

"it is good."

"Thank you." I wiped away the tears on my face, got out of his arms, and smiled at him very embarrassedly.

He adjusted the silk tie on his chest, smiled and said, "This is the second time you have stained my clothes."

Hearing him mention the last time I fell asleep on top of him and drool on him, I was so embarrassed that I wanted to jump out of the car immediately.Fortunately, he saw my thoughts immediately, so he reached out and knocked on the sound insulation panel, and the driver slowly stopped the car on the side of the road.

"I still have something to do, you can get off here." He said, "Don't cause trouble for your brother outside in the future."

"All right," I said, getting out of the car, bending over him, "good-bye, Mr. Stuart."

"Francis," he said quietly, gazing at me, "my name is Francis."

I was stunned, and before I could figure out the meaning of his words, the car door was slammed shut, and the black car drove away, disappearing on the streets of London when the lights were just coming on.