[HP] Comparative

A few minutes later, Harry stepped on the thick fallen leaves of the narrow path, followed the tall boy at a short distance, and couldn't believe that the other party hadn't firmly refused just now.As long as Tom said no, little Crouch would definitely not agree to Harry's request; but Tom didn't say anything, and this seemed to be regarded by little Crouch as a kind of acquiescence...

Harry wanted to say something, but the other didn't look like he wanted to talk.The tall boy held up his wand, and the silver light at the tip illuminated their bodies.He stopped when he came across some open space, carefully examining some traces that Harry hadn't noticed.He will also release a kind of light ball flying in the air: it flutters forward leisurely, illuminating the low bushes in every detail; It looks like a large group of fireflies running away.

The black forest seems to have fallen asleep, the breeze gently blows the leaves, and a few scattered snowflakes come in through the gaps in the canopy.The air was damp and cold, and the tree trunks and small stones by the roadside were covered with moss.There was a strange humming faintly in the distance, and it was unknown what kind of animal it was.The path was still winding forward, slowly sinking into a dark mist of varying shades.

All of this cannot be said to be comfortable, but it unexpectedly suits that stern face, and it also highlights his calmness, even ease of use.

Harry could easily notice something fascinating about Tom without having to compare it with the frantic memories of the last time he entered the Forbidden Forest.The students turned pale when they heard about the Forbidden Forest, but Tom strolled around like he was in his back garden.Obviously, Tom has absolute confidence in being able to deal with all possible crises.

Harry finally worked up enough courage to try to break the silence. "Tom?" Something in his head has been screaming since he entered the woods, reminding him to take a chance, and he can't hold that voice anymore.

The tall boy seemed to have never heard of it.He didn't look back, and he didn't even change the speed of walking.

Harry believed that the other party heard, but didn't want to talk to him. "Then we have nothing to talk about," the resolute words flashed in his mind, and the wax-like pale face appeared with him. "You still mind me meddling in your business, don't you?"

The person in front paused subtly, but still did not reply.

It was almost an acquiescence, and Harry suddenly felt his previous sadness return.He probably really shouldn't be searching for Tom on the map all the time, but...

"It's not for me..." He tried to explain to himself, he couldn't say that he wasn't frustrated, "In the beginning, I was just curious... It wasn't until the buffet dinner that I realized that curiosity is an understatement, I..."

"That's enough," interrupted Tom at last, almost rudely. "There's no need to repeat what you've said."

Harry looked up, still only seeing the back of the tall boy's head. "You wouldn't believe it anyway, would you?" he asked, self-deprecating.

Tom stopped suddenly, Harry didn't notice for a moment, he didn't stop under his feet, and almost bumped into the other's back with his whole body. "How many times do I have to remind you before you can listen?" The tall boy turned around and growled with obvious annoyance, "The person you like doesn't even exist!"

"That's just what you said." Harry gritted his teeth not to be outdone, and withstood the pressure close at hand, "Let me tell you, you don't even know what liking is!"

There was more anger in this remark, but Tom choked for a moment.The expression on his face changed, and finally settled on a disgusted expression like "I'm stupid to argue with you". "If you don't learn the lesson, I really can't help it." After he finished speaking coldly, he started to walk forward again, with great strides.

Harry didn't want such a perfunctory answer. "Are you talking about the lake?" He trotted to follow, "Who saw us at that time?"

Tom ignored him and walked even faster.

Harry originally wanted to say that as the person involved, I always have the right to know, but the other party's uncooperative attitude made him change his mind. "Then let's change the subject," he followed to speed up, ensuring that there were only a few short steps between the two of them, "just mention today—you asked the students to practice combat, right?"

Tom snorted back at him through his nose. "You're making it sound like I'm the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

"You're not," Harry agreed, "but everyone can see how partial Professor Crouch is to you!"

Tom responded without hesitation at all. "If you can get an 'O' in every class, I'm sure all the professors will like you as much as they like me."

It was so precise and hard that Harry choked.His grades in Defense Against the Dark Arts were good, but his other subjects were above average.He thought for a long time before he could hold back a sentence: "Didn't you say that you don't care about grades that much?"

"Yes, but I didn't say that other people don't care." There was a hint of complacency in the tall boy's tone, which sounded very unflattering.

Harry couldn't help grinding his teeth.He can no longer be led by the nose by the other party, otherwise he will never get the answer he wants. "With the excuse of investigation, even if the news about your entry into the Forbidden Forest leaks, you still have a good reason to explain." Because he didn't want to be interrupted, he spoke quickly, "Can I think that all the things I mentioned , have you prepared corresponding countermeasures?"

"So what?" Tom seemed impatient.His tone cooled down, and he didn't mince words with Harry again, "It's never my style to sit and wait."

Harry didn't expect the other party to admit it so quickly, and his eyes widened uncontrollably. "I didn't say I was going to expose you!" he shouted emotionally. "Or do you think I am that kind of person?" Besides, he couldn't expose Tom at all—could he hand over the Marauder's Map? ?

Again, Tom stopped abruptly.He knew Harry had worries that he had to take into account in terms of making it public; but at the same time, he didn't think he could ignore the Gryffindor boy's apparent excess of sense of justice.It is very dangerous for his secret to be known by this kind of person: if Harry mentions it to Dumbledore, or just tells his parents, he may be completely exposed... not yet, it is still early...

"It doesn't matter whether you think or not, and I don't have any opinion about you." Tom said coldly, the icicles in his words were so sharp that they were almost visible, "I just make sure everything is in my expectation."

Harry was stunned by this unexpected but reasonable answer.Yes, that's the reason.Tom liked being in control and hated anything that might escape his control.And he, Harry, has been off track since the twin wands.

"...So you really don't like me all the time."

By the time Harry came to this hurtful conclusion, Tom had already gone a long way.He was full of incomprehensible grievances, and finally gritted his teeth and followed.

After such a trip, the rest of the journey was even quieter.They went deeper along the path, and Tom made a lot of marks along the way.I didn't come across any suspicious creatures. They were probably either asleep or scared away by the outsider's breath on the two of them.When the two stopped again, there seemed to be a small river nearby, and the stream was gurgling.

Harry found Tom carefully watching the stars through the canopy, and suspected that Tom was using this to judge the time.Speaking of which, they have traveled so far, and they should go back...Suddenly, he caught an unusual movement, like some animal drinking water.

Werewolf?

For a split second Harry's mind raced through this horrible surmise.But then it occurred to him that today is not a full moon.This made him feel a little relieved, and at the same time quietly moved in the direction of the sound.The silver light flickered in front of him, and he tried his best to push away the bushes that blocked his vision——

It was a small lake, and the light he saw was reflected from the rippling water.On the opposite side of the lake is a pure golden animal. It is drinking water with its head down. Its limbs are slender, and its fur is shining with beautiful colors among the star water, like a dream.In the forest farther away, there are faint silver creatures moving, and the sharp horns on their heads are particularly conspicuous.

"...It's a unicorn!" Harry couldn't help exclaiming.Lily often mentioned this magical creature in her bedtime stories, but this was the first time he had seen it alive.

There was the sound of boots on fallen leaves behind him, as if Tom had noticed his side.Harry turned around, just in time to meet the calm face of the tall boy - who didn't look at all excited about meeting the unicorn.

But Harry didn't have time to think about why Tom's reaction was so commonplace right now.In fact, he couldn't even take care of their unpleasant conversation just now. "Can we stay a little longer?" he asked in a low voice.

Hearing the earnest request inside, Tom gave Harry a strange look.The swaying water light gently brushed over his face, with distinct layers, very handsome.For a brief moment, his dark eyes filled with Harry's reflection. "You like unicorns?"

Harry shook his head, trying not to overthink it. "It's not me, it's my mother." Speaking of Lily, he became more earnest, "I want to get a unicorn's mane for her."

"Get it for her..." repeated Tom, looking completely bewildered now, "if you want unicorn hair, you might as well ask Hagrid."

Harry didn't doubt the gamekeeper's collection - he'd seen a lot of rare material in Hagrid's house - but that was different. "My mother said that the hair or horns offered by unicorns can bring good luck to people."

There was disbelief in Tom's expression now.If you want to translate it, it probably means "you are such an adult and you still believe in fairy tales".But maybe Harry's expression was too sincere, he didn't say that. "Let me remind you that unicorns are afraid of people and don't like men near them."

Harry could only hear the acquiescence behind the words, and he almost jumped up with joy. "It's okay, I have a solution!" He excitedly said, "You wait for me here for a while—quickly, 10 minutes at most!"

Saying that, Harry ran away in a flash, leaving Tom staring in that direction inexplicably.He was sure that good luck or something was just talk, at least not in the books he'd read, and that it was said that killing unicorns would bring curses; Forbidden Forest...

Sure enough, he is a child who grew up in love, so stupid... He can forgive others easily, and he can't think of anything bad...

Tom's thoughts wandered wildly, including what would happen if he turned away now.After waiting for a while, he didn't hear screams or any other abnormal movements, so he bent down and approached the gap in the leaves that Harry had picked out earlier.

The unicorn cub is still standing by the lake, but it is not drinking, and it is turning its head to look behind.A little farther away stood several adult unicorns, and two of them had their heads close together, as if whispering.A little further on, there was a stag, with its large and forked horns, its front hooves rubbed unconsciously on the ground, and it seemed to be tense and expectant.

nervous?expect?a deer?

Tom suspected he was dazzled.He straightened up, wondering where the deer had come from, and why he could see human-like emotions in a deer's movements.Obviously there was no imminent movement in the scene just now, and he couldn't understand the words of animals other than snakes...

Not far away came a slight thud, the sound of hooves running.It approaches, then disappears.After a while, Harry emerged from the woods.His black hair became more messy, and several leaves were stained on his cloak, but his face was full of joy, making his emerald eyes even brighter.

Tom suddenly found that smile a bit harsh.He ignored the other party's intention to present the treasure, and simply turned his back: "Hurry up, we must be late."

Because you've already gone through it once, the return journey is much faster.It was still very quiet in the woods, and Harry couldn't help thinking about what Hagrid had said before, as long as he or Fang was with him and along the path, he would be fine.It's not that he wants to meet any dangerous creatures, but for the Forbidden Forest at night, aren't the two of them a bit too lucky?Didn't even touch a spider and ended up seeing a unicorn?

Thinking of this, Harry couldn't help touching the pocket containing the unicorn hair.Thinking of how ecstatic Lily would be when she received this gift, he couldn't help stepping lightly, and even the silence that fell again didn't feel so hard.

Crossing fresh broken logs and crossing low ravines filled with humus, the entrance to the forest is not too far away.Harry was estimating in his mind how much road was left, but the tall boy stopped suddenly and cast a wary look at a place on the side of the road.

Harry froze for a moment, then looked over.At the beginning, he didn't find anything unusual, just that there were many twisted and tangled tree roots in that dark corner; then, he realized slowly that this place was very familiar, and he used to hide behind the thickest tree roots To avoid the attacks of many big black claws...

"Wait!" Harry's hand grabbed Tom's arm before his brain reacted, so as not to let him jump, "Can't go there!"

The tall boy had already rolled up his sleeves and raised an eyebrow at Harry. "open."

Of course Harry couldn't do that. "I came here when I was in first grade," he explained as quickly as he could, "and that's a nest of acromantula!"

Tom really doesn't need to go into too much detail.In fact, he hit it off right away. "As for what Vincent said?" He flattened his eyebrows, "That's even more of a problem."

What is it called? No problem?Harry was in a hurry. "I don't know how Crabbe is bragging about himself, but there are a lot of spiders there!" He emphasized the second part of the sentence, "There are only two of us, and we are not enough to deal with!"

"Who told you there were two people?" Tom waved his hand disdainfully, as if Harry had said something extremely funny, "Of course you went straight back—don't tell me you don't know the rest of the way."

"I...what?" Harry wanted to continue to dissuade him, but was stunned when he heard the words, "You have to go by yourself..."

Tom took Harry's wrist, which was clasping his arm, and pulled it away. "I'll go down and check the situation," he said, his voice was very soft, but his tone was unquestionable, and his actions were even more forceful. "You go back first."

A surge of anger burst out of Harry's heart and rushed straight to the top of his head. "I don't!" he exclaimed angrily.One hand was pulled away, he simply aimed at the tall boy's waist, rushed over and hugged him forcefully.

Tom had already taken off, but being hit by such a bump, both of them lost their balance at the same time, and rolled down the side of the road.The dense weeds were rolled down by them in pieces, and the blades of grass still hurt people's necks.Fortunately, the slope was steep, but the drop was not high, and they didn't fall too hard.

As soon as it came to a stop, Tom tried to wrestle himself away.However, with just one movement, he found that the robes of the two were messily entangled. "you……"

Harry opened his eyes, and what he saw was a tall boy suppressing his anger, and the flames in his black eyes were still burning. "I'm sorry!" He apologized reflexively, and felt that he needed to add something after hearing it, "But I can't look at you alone..."

A sudden, dense rustling interrupted Harry's next adventure.The two were startled and looked in the direction of the sound at the same time.In the field of vision, countless black shadows were moving, obviously awakened by the huge movement made by the two of them.

Thinking of those black-haired carnivorous spiders approaching, Harry broke out in a cold sweat.It was too late to review his recklessness, and he quickly reached for his wand, elbowing Tom several times in the process.Finally, he felt the familiar touch of a holly wand—

"Dizzy!" Harry yelled, pointing his wand at the nearest shadow.

At the same time, Tom also touched his wand that had been knocked out of his hand on the ground.Both wands glowed red: they looked like two long-stretched bullets heading straight for the same target.

But before that, something happened——

As if attracted to each other, the two red lights deflected toward each other; they became brighter and brighter until they brightly illuminated the entire dark place.Countless spiders were frightened and ran away, except for the direction where the two were.

The next moment, the tips of the two red lights collided with each other, and then burst open one after another.

The light was so blinding Harry had to shield his eyes.It wasn't until the burst of light had dissipated that he realized that the wand in his hand was trembling spontaneously, and the tentacles were hot.Not far away, the spiders were lying on the ground in a mess, each with their legs upturned, and some were still twitching weakly.

As for this, it’s just a stun spell...

"Just, what happened just now?" Harry stuttered from being overly shocked.

Tom looked shocked too.But soon, they all turn into more complex emotions.Uncharacteristically silent, he used a silent charm to undo their tangled robes, then pushed Harry away and sat up.

During this process, Harry noticed that Tom's wand was also quivering.But the tall boy just grabbed it, the knuckles were bluish white, as if he didn't notice the hot hands.

Harry was bewildered and overwhelmed, not knowing what to do next.In this case, he could only keep an eye on Tom until a third person hurried up shortly afterwards.

"I saw a red light," Little Crouch said nervously, still gasping for breath, "Are you two alright?" In a blink of an eye, he saw those acromantulas clearly, and he took a deep breath.

The author has something to say:

Acromantula: md smells like a basilisk, which spider wants to approach you!I told you not to come here!Ah ah ah don't suffer me!

Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated the nutrient solution~

Thanks to the little angel who voted [Bazooka]: Tang Chen branded 1;

Thanks to the little angel who threw [Grenade]: 1 mint tea grass;

Thanks to the little angels who voted [Line mines]: 2 for Wanqi; 1 for Amomo, Sesame Cakes with Buns, and Yatsudai;

Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:

10 bottles for tomorrow's weather;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!