[HP Doujin] 1943

Endless trials, investigations, and family property division disputes filled the front pages of newspapers for the next two weeks. The tragedy of the Smith family seemed to make many people feel uneasy, so when the summer of 1949 came, they flocked to the clean air of the countryside to cool off It has become a new fashion among wizards in London, as if this can temporarily escape the smog of London.

I still live alone in my red brick house in Yorkshire, studying for my therapist exams in September.A reply from Francis never came.After my exams, I had a week off and I spent the long summer afternoons picking fresh summer strawberries in the valley to make some jam.

When it was time for afternoon tea, Gillian crawled out of my fireplace, still in her therapist's green robe, with a heavy handbag in her hand.The kitchen door was open, and Becca and I sat on a stool in our aprons washing strawberries while a new single from some wizarding band was playing on the radio.

Gillian dropped her tote bag, sat down beside me, and popped a strawberry into her mouth.

"I'm starving," she said. "Today, a man who was burned by a curse made a fuss in our department all morning. It took me an hour to make him understand that he should go to the curse injury department."

She picked up the newspaper from the armchair, opened it to the front page, and read. "Hepzibah Smith's murder has come a long way," she said. "Can you believe it? An old house-elf with a dim eye could poison his master?"

I shrugged and dropped the last strawberry into the jar, and Becca picked up the jar and stood up, saying, "I'll get you some tea."

"That's great," Gillian said. "Anyone like the heavy cheese fritters from last time?"

"Of course!" said Becca, walking away excitedly.

I stood up and moved my stiff spine. The sun was sinking, and the golden-red and brilliant clouds covered the entire Savannah Valley, and the brilliant afterglow fell on the lush evergreen forest in the valley. He flew up and ran to the apple orchard on the other side of the valley.

Although I don't go out very often, I have been paying close attention to current events.I have a vague guess in my heart, or I can almost be sure that the tragedy of the Smith family has something to do with Tom and Francis.I was relieved to see the results of the trial in the papers, because I had been afraid that Tom would be implicated.Tom's distraught look that night is still deeply in my mind, and I can't get rid of it.

"So, are you sure you want a divorce?" Gillian gave me a look.I know she doesn't approve of me being with Tom, but she has always respected my decision and will never criticize me behind my back.

I thanked him and walked to the sink to wash my hands: "Tom is coming to dinner tonight."

"This is Francis' house."

"I know," said I, "that Tom and I will be moving to Edinburgh soon."

Becca opened a folding table in the garden, and Jillian and I used a magic wand to direct a few chairs to float to the table. The three of us were in the afterglow of dusk, breathing the air full of violets and Junes, Happily with refreshments.

As we finished our tea and ate a stack of heavy cheesefingers and reclined comfortably in our armchairs, a tawny barn owl flew towards us across the green woods with its back against the dazzling sunset .It landed on the folding table, knocked over the teapot, and stuck out a foot towards me with a St. Mungo's envelope tied to it.

The examination notice for therapist qualifications won't come out so early, I thought strangely, stuffed the half-eaten biscuit into the owl's mouth, and unwrapped the letter.Gillian also looked at me strangely.

"It's not from our department," I said, frowning, "It's from the Department of Magical Creature Harm."

"Dear Mrs Stuart,

We regret to inform you that because Mr. Stuart was attacked by an unknown creature, he was still in a coma when he was sent to St. Mungo's Hospital one minute and five seconds ago.The therapist is working hard to save the patient, you can't visit the patient yet, sorry.

We will keep you updated on the situation.

Jane Roberts, Trainee Therapist, Magical Creature Injuries, St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries,

Mark Nelson, Head Therapist, Magical Creature Injuries, St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries and Injuries. "

Before I could speak, another owl landed in Becca's cookie plate, aggressively shoving St. Mungo's barn owl aside and sticking out its feet in front of me.

I recognized at a glance that it was a manila envelope from the Stuart family, with the family coat of arms in the shape of a coat of arms on the bright red sealing seal.I tore off the letter and opened it.This letter is very brief.

"Mrs Stuart,

Mr Stuart was attacked while giving a speech at the Wizengamot this morning.The Ministry of Magic has been urgently sealed off, and all on-site personnel have been quarantined for a full investigation.

Mr. Stuart has been taken to St. Mungo's and is not out of danger. Please come to the Strand at once.

Jonathan Fries,

Senior Assistant to the Office of the Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. "

"Merlin..." The sudden news made my mind go blank, I stood up in a hurry and knocked over the chair.I ran to the house with the letter in my hand, calling out for Becca.Gillian snatched the letter from my hand, glanced at it hastily, and turned pale with fright.

In my heart, I have always felt that Francis is the kind of person who is invulnerable to all poisons. He is so smart and capable that no one can ever threaten him.

I remembered that the last time I saw him, we mentioned his will when we were talking mean things to each other, and I felt a twinge of anxiety.

Becca came running downstairs, and I said to her, "Pack up and go to London."

"I'll go with you," Gillian said, taking my hand, and a warmth flowed into my numb heart.

As soon as I reached the Strand, Francis's chief assistant, Jonathan Fries, emerged from his study, a stiff, freckled man in his mid-thirties, wearing an ugly brown suit.

He said to me, "Ma'am, you'd better come with me."

There was a lot of noise in the study.Some four or five lawyers and assistants were standing in front of the fireplace, some were sitting on the sofa, arguing endlessly with each other.

"According to the regulations of the Ministry of Magic, if an official at the director level or above is assassinated, the minister must make an emergency nomination within 24 hours!" An official from the Department of International Magical Cooperation said angrily, "This is a deliberate assassination. What matters is the stability and unity of the Ministry of Magic, and we cannot let them succeed!"

"Mr. Stuart is still alive!" a lawyer roared. "The law stipulates that he must be assassinated and killed before he can be reappointed! Mr. Deputy Director, I know you wish Mr. Stuart could die now, so you can Nominated, aren't you? Maybe you're the one behind the assassination!"

The lawyer's words ignited another round of angry roars, and the men in black robes apparently lost their minds, and the situation was completely messed up.Jonathan knocked on the door frame with his fist, coughed hard, and said, "Mrs. Stuart is here."

I stood at the door with a pale face, silently watching the group of passionate men.Although I don't understand what happened, I know that I can't show the slightest fear.

"Thank you, Jonathan." I said to him steadily, then turned to the study, and glanced at the group of people one by one with cold eyes, "First of all, gentlemen, if you have any objections, please go to the Ministry of Magic to argue, don't There are endless disputes in my family; secondly, my husband has not died yet, and no one is allowed to mention the matter of the new director, otherwise, I promise that after he wakes up, you will make your life worse than death. If there is nothing else, Jonathan, see off."

After I finished speaking, the group of lawyers and officials fell silent, and some of them still looked at me with angry and strange eyes, but I didn't avoid their eyes and looked back calmly.

After they filed out of the study, I took a deep breath, went to Francis's desk, poured a glass of his whiskey, and took a long gulp to calm down.

"Ma'am, they've all left." Jonathan walked back, looking at me with a much friendlier look than before.He is Francis's most capable assistant at work.He was usually the one who contacted me on behalf of Francis when there was an issue.So he knew better than anyone about my rift with Francis, and he probably didn't expect me to side with him at this critical moment.

"Get the children from Stuart Manor," I told him.

"But..." Jonathan looked hesitant.

"Do as I say," I said, feeling a surge of fear that I didn't want to speak out about.Jonathan looked me in the eye and I knew he understood what I was thinking.

"I see, ma'am." He bent slightly and walked out.

If Francis does die, I'll at least let his kids see him one last time.

I don't know when the children arrived in London, because I stayed in the hospital and didn't get home until early in the morning.Gillian was on duty at the hospital, and she advised me to go home and rest, since I couldn't go into the ward anyway.

I sat in the hallway outside the emergency room, chilled all over, my throat tightened, and I couldn't speak a word.I don't like him, but that doesn't mean I really want him dead.Although we have hurt each other all these years, he is Charles' father and my husband after all.For him, I have developed a feeling that I can't explain myself, like a relationship between relatives.And that was something I didn't realize until that long, cold night, sitting outside the emergency room.

The therapist came out a few times, each time in a hurry, wearing a mask, and the green robe was stained with shocking blood. Jonathan walked over to ask, but they didn't answer him at all.

I was also accompanied by Gillian, who brought me hot tea in the pantry on the sixth floor.When Jonathan went to smoke in the corridor, she said to me: "I just went to the office to check the news. One thing you need to know is that Francis was attacked while giving a speech at the Wizengamot. After the incident, Auror Immediately blocked the entire Ministry of Magic to investigate one by one. Now the Ministry of Magic has become a mess, and many family members of officials who were blocked went to the streets of London to protest, and many Muggles have noticed."

I nodded, holding the cup tightly in my hand.The heat of the tea passed through my palm to my cold body.

"Tony Randall, Sylvia Black and Abraxas Malfoy are all trapped in the Ministry of Magic too," she told me in a low voice, "though the Daily Prophet didn't say anything, but I heard There are rumors that Francis was attacked by a well-trained poisonous snake."

With a bang, the teacup in my hand shattered heavily on the floor, and the hot tea spilled all over the floor.

"I'm going to deliver a letter to Tom," I said abruptly, standing up.

******

It wasn't until four o'clock in the morning that a group of therapists came out exhausted. The leader was Mr. Nelson. I walked up to him with a pale face. He came to me and took off his mask. His tired face There was a trace of relief on the face: "Mr. Stuart is out of danger for the time being."

Jonathan was supporting me, who was trembling all over, and asked them some questions familiarly. He seemed much calmer than me.Most of the people around Francis who are highly valued have this kind of calm ability.

"Mrs. Stuart, I suggest you go home and take a good rest," Mr. Nelson said, "Mr. Stuart is still in closed rescue, and the therapist cannot leave him for 24 hours, and you cannot go in to see him. Come back tomorrow."

When I got back to the Strand the children were already asleep.The nurse didn't know what was going on, and she asked me as she packed the children's clothes, "Mrs. Stuart, is there something wrong? Why are we all called to London so suddenly?"

I turned to Becca and said, "Throw out all the newspapers in this house and keep them out of the children's eyes."

Becca walked away, and the nanny's expression became terrified. I patted her and tried to say in a calm tone: "Mr. Stuart had a little accident. Don't worry, and don't tell the children, understand?" ?”

"Yes, Mrs Stuart," she said.

Exhausted from exhaustion, I threw myself on the bed and fell asleep.It was already noon when I woke up, and Becca brought lunch to my room. After I finished my meal, I took a shower and planned to go to the hospital. I checked the sky outside, but there was still no sign of an owl.

I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn't help but be taken aback by the haggard woman.For a day, I was tormented like this by fear and worry.I hadn't even gone outside when I heard a snap and someone Apparated into my room.

Subconsciously, I went to get my wand, and then I heard Tom's deep voice: "Shut up, it's me."

I took a few steps back, threw the wand in my hand on the ground, and said in a panic, "Why are you here? Have you received my letter?"

"No," said Tom, still clutching his wand tightly, his face stiff and tense, "don't write to me again, don't you know, every letter of yours is People under Tuart stopped and checked. Listen, I don’t have much time, and they will suspect me soon, so I may have to leave for a while recently, and we can’t meet.”

I said quickly, "Is that snake yours?"

He nodded and said, "Yes, that's my snake."

"But why did you do that?" I grabbed his collar in despair, "I'm already planning to divorce him, why do you insist on getting yourself into this situation?"

"The matter between me and your husband is far from over," he said.

"But--"

He interrupted me impatiently: "I don't have time to explain to you."

After finishing speaking, he stepped forward and hugged me tightly, buried his face deeply on my shoulder, without saying a word.He held me so tight, he squeezed all the air out of my lungs, I felt almost suffocated.

To this day, I remember it as a cold, pale noon, with the windows of my room wide open, the air filled with white mist and the smell of baked bread in the bakery, as a taxi drove down the street, two A high-pitched horn blares.

I heard the bell of a tram passing the road. Grammar school students in uniform and square black leather bags jumped out of the car. Their carefree laughter broke the heavy fog. A girl's and a boy's voices sang cheerfully and fragmentarily—

Should auldacquaintancebeforgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should auldacquaintancebeforgot,

forthesakeofauldlangsyne.

Their singing was so clear and loud that it carried far and wide in the cold March air.I hugged Tom tightly. At that moment, it seemed that a torrent of years rolled past us, going backwards to 1943, when the bombardment was raging.I hugged his body and trembled, as if holding onto the last straw in my life.

I looked over his shoulder and saw my own paper-pale face in the vanity mirror across the room.There was an old brass chime clock on the dresser, and the room was silent except for the ticking of the second hand, click, click, click... Second by second, step by step, in my life, I have never felt the passing of a second can be so real and painful.

I want to save our time, I want to save our love.

"Goodbye, Elizabeth." He whispered softly in my ear, his voice low and quiet.At this time, I heard footsteps on the stairs outside the door, and Becca knocked on my door outside: "Mrs. Stuart, Mr. Jonathan's car will be here in another hour. The nanny asked me to ask if you To wake Charles up and take him—"

"Don't come in!" I said in panic, "Go and prepare for the children, I'll come out right away."

"Okay, ma'am." Becca walked towards the nursery without any doubts.

"I'll go first," said Tom. "It's no fun to be found together by the Stuarts right now."

I looked up at him, opened my mouth, my heart was filled with countless questions, but I couldn't say a word.He let go of me, and gently pulled away my pale, thin arms that wound limply around his neck.

I grabbed his wrist and begged childishly like a child: "Don't leave, okay? I'm ready to divorce him. I don't want to spend my whole life in Stuart's house. I've already—"

With a snap, nothing but air remained in my hand.

I kept the original posture stiffly, stared blankly for a while, and faced the empty room, I finished the rest of the words on my own: "I have already planned to give birth to your child and spend the rest of my life with you."

The nurse was banging on my door again, and I walked like a ghost and opened it.

"Ma'am!" She looked at me in amazement, "why do you look so pale? Didn't you sleep this morning? Becca asked me to ask if you want the ermine fur-trimmed cloak for you or the silver-trimmed otter fur that piece--"

"Whatever." I said, then closed the door, opened the closet, changed into clothes, and then sat down at the dressing table to comb my hair.My hands trembled violently. When I reached for the perfume bottle, I knocked down a stack of books stacked on the table. A 15th-century Irish witch poetry anthology was opened on the floor. I bent down to pick it up, and read There was a piece of yellowed parchment between the pages of the book, on which was written the following verse:

Myonlylovesprungfrommyonlyhate,

Too early seen unknown, and known toolate.

Prodigious birth thof love itistome,

That I must love a loathed enemy.

From the ashes of hatred burns the fire of love,

If we should not know each other, why should we meet.

Enemies of yesterday, lovers of today,

Our love will be the bane of this life. 【30】

I stood up slowly, crumpled the parchment in my palm, and threw it in the wastebasket.

When I copy the lines, I see only the romance of the rhyme; when I taste the misery of the world, I wish I never read such lines.

【30】Poetry excerpted from "Selected Works of William Shakespeare", "Romeo and Juliet", ActOne, SceneFive. The Chinese version is translated by Yueming Heqi.