HP Starlight

Another school year is over, and the Slytherins are a little unhappy because Gryffindor snatched the seven consecutive school cups they won because of the extra points for the year-end dinner.

But it was a happy thing that Esther could put aside all worries and get along with Harry when he got home.Harry's relatives locked up his things as soon as they got back.He happened to be able to go to Esther's house to read his homework every day, and he could face less annoying relatives.During the breaks between homework, they can still chat a few words.

"So Professor Snape hated your father to target you? And he helped you because he owed your father his life?" Esther asked suspiciously.

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore said so," Harry replied honestly.

"Revenge at the same time? Is he not crazy?" Esther teased.

Harry shrugged, wondering too, but couldn't figure it out.

"Is your scar hurting again?" Esther asked with concern.

"No, it never hurts." Harry touched the scar.

"It seems that he didn't hurt you this time, and he hasn't threatened yet." Esther said while biting the quill.

"But he'll be back sooner or later, won't he?" Harry asked a little worriedly.

"That's not the same. There is a big difference between being prepared and not being prepared. Now that we know it, we can start preparing." Esther said confidently.

"Preparing for what?" Harry also became interested.

"Mentality, spells, battle experience. You first learn the spells taught in class, and we can practice battles later." Esther said while thinking.

Half of the summer vacation soon passed, and it was Harry's birthday again.Esther gave Harry a pair of windproof glasses for the Quidditch match, and Harry was very happy.

But the next day Harry didn't show up.Esther thought something was wrong and hurried to find him, but was driven out angrily by his uncle and aunt.But Harry heard the noise calling to Esther through the crack of the barred window, telling her that he was locked up.It seems that Esther is no stranger to offending his relatives because of something.Better than being captured by Voldemort.

Although Esther couldn't help Harry out, it was still okay to stuff some food through the gap.Esther would sneak him some sandwiches and milk when Harry's aunts and uncles weren't looking.

At midnight on the third day, Esther was woken up by the sound of dogs barking. She looked out the window and vaguely saw a flying car disappearing into the night sky.The next day, Harry's Hedwig sent a letter to Esther, telling her that she had gone to Ron's house to reassure her.

A week after Harry left, Esther received a new term notification letter.As usual, she looked at the book list first, and to her surprise, there were all the books of Gilderoy Lockhart on it.She knew the author all too well, and she was counting on his book to complete her Christmas gift list, and now it seemed that she needed to use her brain again.

When she saw the contents of the letter, she couldn't believe it.The letter said she had been chosen as the new prefect.She read it again carefully, and then poured out a silver and green badge from the envelope, with a big "P" on the silver Slytherin snake embedded in it.After calming down for a while, Esther said to Aunt Connie in a not so proud tone: "Auntie, what do you think I got?"

"What is it?" Aunt Connie asked for her reputation. "Oh, a prefect badge. That's awesome. Your mother would be proud of you too, how about a glass of cider? We should celebrate!"

"I don't think there's a need to celebrate, it looks more like a 'fail'," Esther joked, but the corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably.

For the rest of the vacation, Esther didn't mention it again.But as soon as she entered the platform, she changed into a wizard robe and wore the prefect badge in a conspicuous position.

When entering the prefect's box, there were already many people standing or sitting in it.Leona was sitting among a group of Gryffindors, talking and laughing with Len Kent, the head of the Boys' Union of their college.Seeing Esther coming in, Leona waved to her enthusiastically.Kent also looked over and nodded politely when he saw that it was the prefect of Slytherin.Orion and the Slytherin prefects occupied a corner of the box together, glancing in Leona's direction from time to time, pursing their lips in displeasure.The Ravenclaw prefects were discussing something heatedly, not paying any attention to another person entering.The Hufflepuffs sat together and chatted relaxedly, nodding friendly to the prefects who came in behind.

When everyone arrived, Kent began to give a welcome speech, and briefly introduced the work content of some prefects.It can be seen that every year is similar, because the senior prefects seem to be a little absent-minded.Kent spoke very briefly, because the male and female prefects would introduce some details separately afterwards.

By the end of the lengthy meeting, Esther felt hungry.She didn't understand how it took more than an hour to introduce the work content and punishment methods in a few simple sentences.But she can't solve the problem of hunger right away, she needs to patrol the train corridor first to fulfill the duty of the prefect.

When Esther and Orion walked halfway to the carriage, they met Hermione who looked anxious.Esther remembered that she was Harry's friend, and stopped to ask her if she needed help.

"I didn't see Harry and Ron. I asked Ron's brothers, too, and they said they had indeed arrived at the station. Did you see them, please? If they missed the train, the school would Pick them up in the same way?" Although Hermione was anxious, her mind was still clear.

"We can help you find it. Go back to the carriage first. I'll let you know if there's news. If he really misses the train, someone will pick him up." Esther comforted Hermione, but he was actually very anxious.She wasn't worried about Harry not being able to go back to school, but about meeting Voldemort's supporters or himself on the platform.

Esther walked quickly through each carriage, and Harry was nowhere to be seen until the last carriage.It seemed that he really didn't get on the train, Esther's heart sank, and he quickly borrowed Orion's owl, and wrote a text message to Principal Dumbledore, telling him that Harry and Ron had been to the train platform, but they were not on the train .As the train rumbled forward, Esther prayed in her heart that nothing would happen to Harry.

There was no news from Harry until he entered the castle.Esther let Orion and Leona go in first, dawdling at the door to see if Harry would show up.

"I think Miss Collins is still the prefect of Slytherin for the time being, there is no need to be so concerned about a Gryffindor." A deep voice came from the door.

Esther looked up and saw a pair of dark eyes staring at him, panicked inexplicably. "Good evening, Professor Snape. I just wanted to know if he was safe. You know last term when you fell to the ground..."

"Shut up! Some people can directly call the mysterious man by his name because he has absolute strength, while others are because he is—stupid." Professor Snape looked disgusted. "It is obvious that Miss Collins does not have either of these conditions."

Esther has been through it for four years and has gotten used to his way of speaking.As Professor Snape's more tolerant student, Esther was not so afraid of him when he was alone. "Professor, are you praising me for being smart? Thank you. I also thank you for choosing me as a prefect. I hope you have a good cooperation this semester." She smiled at Snape happily, and quickly walked across the hall into the auditorium.

After the banquet started, someone got the news that Harry and Ron drove the flying car to the school and hit a Whomping Willow.People are talking about it.Most of the Gryffindors are extremely sought after, while the Slytherins are more of a sniff.

At breakfast the next day, Esther was relieved to see Harry sitting at the Gryffindor table.His good friend Ron Weasley got a howler letter from his mother for driving to school with Harry.It's really funny to see other people get Howler letters.However, Esther's good mood quickly dissipated with the news of Orion.

"I heard that the Malfoys bought seven Nimbus 2001s as a present for the Slytherin team, so that Draco Malfoy could be in the team as Seeker. And I think Flint means yes. He is trying to find a reason to expel you from the team, so be careful." Orion said anxiously.

"Why Seeker?" Esther asked.

"Because you're the only one in the team...you know. And Potter is also in this position, and they don't like each other." Orion said vaguely.

Esther understood what Orion hadn't said.She is the only female player, and more importantly, the only mixed-race player.Slytherin attaches great importance to blood, and although Esther often acts alone with Orion and is not too affected, he still knows these things.So it was quite a surprise when she received the prefect badge.However, having a pure blood like Orion as a friend made her feel a lot easier.Moreover, the story of her duel in the second year was getting more and more exaggerated by everyone, and Slytherin, who valued strength, still gave her considerable respect.

But it seems that it was wrong not to teach Malfoy some lessons last year, so that he dared to make up his own mind.As the new captain last year, Flint didn't dare to touch himself, but this year he became bolder after seeing someone backing him up.Esther gritted her teeth fiercely.As a prefect, she couldn't punish the Quidditch captain. Malfoy had just sponsored such a large sum of money to the team, so it might not be appropriate to find fault with him now.

In the end, Esther decided to take the initiative to leave the team, to retreat, to endure for a while, and to find a chance to get revenge later.Before breakfast was over, she walked up to Flint and said tactfully, "Flint, I have to prepare for OWLs this semester, and I have prefects. I am too busy to participate in Quidditch anymore, please forgive me. "

The students around protested one after another. In their opinion, Esther is a very good Seeker, and he has never made a mistake except for losing to Harry last time.Moreover, Esther performed well in all kinds of extreme weather, and everyone trusted her very much.

Flint didn't expect Esther to bring it up, which pleased him.After all, talking to a prefect about expulsion from the team put him under some pressure.However, he had to take into account the feelings of the students around him, so he had to keep his smile to a minimum and match his regretful expression, which made him look very weird.

"That's a pity, Collins. I also wish you had passed the tryouts without a test. You're a very good Seeker."

Esther felt sick at hearing Flint's false politeness.With a sneer in his mind, he planned to give Flint some amnesiac potion for the final final wizard's level exam.

Soon Esther was thankful for quitting Quidditch.

The fifth grade curriculum can be said to be a nightmare level.Due to the preparation for OWLs, each professor has stepped up the course content and left the amount of homework that would have been left in the previous three weeks.In addition to the sharp increase in learning difficulty, the high-frequency in-class tests also make students feel overwhelmed.

However, these courses do not include Defense Against the Dark Arts.

The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor-Professor Lockhart's class is the only class without any pressure, and the requirements are not high, as long as he can read and write.During the class, Lockhart randomly selected one of his books for them, asked them to read the chapters in it, and then asked questions about the relevant content in the book when the class was over.This is the first time that Esther was preempted by others in the random question.And seeing the fiery eyes of the girls in the class, Esther couldn't figure out what was so fascinating about the professor who didn't even hold a wand.If you just look at the appearance, she thinks that the actor who played the priest Slope in the TV series that Aunt Connie chased after a few years ago is more interesting.

However, in addition to those students who were fascinated by him, more students expressed dissatisfaction with Lockhart's teaching.It is impossible to expect a few novels to pass the OWL exam.Everyone protested to Professor Lockhart one after another, but he still went his own way, making people helpless.

In addition to schoolwork, the weather also upsets Esther.Continuous rainy days but no lightning, she has been doing the spell twice a day for more than nine months, she can feel the second heartbeat long ago, but the thunderstorm has not come, she does not know that she is under the pressure of the fifth grade. How long can it last.

Finally, in late October, a thunderstorm rescued Esther.The sky was overcast that morning.In Defense Against the Dark Arts class in the afternoon, Esther was holding "Wandering with Werewolves" to cover his face, and his eyes were fixed on "Practical Defense Against the Dark Arts", silently reciting the five characteristics of werewolves and how to deal with them.Suddenly a flash of lightning flashed across the sky, and strong light came in from the window, lighting up the entire classroom.Esther stood up suddenly, and the book standing on the table fell to the ground with a bang, which startled everyone.Professor Lockhart is no exception.

"Student, what's the matter?" Professor Lockhart smiled a little stiffly.

"Well, I have a stomachache, Professor. I need to go to the school hospital." Esther made up a random reason.

"Oh, then go quickly, do you need to find a classmate to accompany you?" Lockhart was easy to talk to.

"No need, Professor." Esther quickly packed her schoolbag and ran out of the classroom without looking back.

Esther ran to the Room of Requirement in one breath, and walked around the door three times.A door slowly appeared on the wall, which was the room where she hid the potion.She dodged into the room and found the potion from the locker in the corner.Esther held the crystal bottle, staring at the blood-red potion inside with some hesitation.Gritting her teeth, she made up her mind, took out her wand, said the spell one last time, and swallowed the potion in one gulp.

From the moment the potion touched his throat, Esther felt a burning pain spread from the place where the potion touched to his whole body.Big drops of sweat came out from head to toe and wet the floor beneath him.Esther curled up, feeling her whole body burn.Another beating frequency came from the heart, which violently hit the chest cavity.Esther bit her lip to try to stay awake, but it also made her deeply feel the tingling pain that burned to the bone.Slowly, a flying animal appeared in Este's mind, with a furry body and thin film-like wings.

As the image in his head gradually became clear, Esther also changed.Her body shrank and shrunk, with brown down poking out of her skin, and her arms and legs were connected by membranes.Finally, the long transformation process was over, and the burning pain gradually disappeared.Esther lay on the ground gasping for breath, not wanting to move.

After completing the transformation, Esther felt much more comfortable.She shook her arms, and the membranous wings unfolded.After a few tries, a bat struggled crookedly and flew up from the ground.It seems that after the transformation, you don't need to learn to know what to do.Esther flew a few times in the air and hung upside down from a cabinet in the room.Seeing everything in the room is still clear, but hearing is even clearer.The sound of insects flapping their wings, the sound of rat whiskers shaking, could not escape her ears.After flying a few more laps, Esther began to like the feeling of freedom, flying by himself without the help of a broom.

Finally, she was tired from flying and fell to the ground, trying to recall her human appearance.There was another burning sensation, but it didn't seem as strong as before, maybe she had gotten used to this feeling.She gradually grew in size, her fur shrunk, and she returned to a human form.Esther carefully looked at his hands until there was no trace left, and finally became an Animagus completely.She let out a cry of joy.

By the time Esther left the Room of Requirement, it was already dinner time.She walked to the seat Orion had left for her, and munched on the pumpkin pie.Transformation made her feel hungry.Orion looked at her worriedly: "You didn't come back for the whole class, and we didn't see you when we went to the school hospital. Where did you go?"

"The Room of Requirement. I remembered something and had to go there," Esther said simply.She didn't want to show off her new skills in front of Orion, especially after he had given up.

"The prefect just skipped class!" Orion raised his eyebrows, "You should let me go with you, class is so boring."

"You have to leave a prefect as an example." Esther jokingly responded to him.

"No kidding, Professor Snape asked you to go to his office." Orion returned to his usual appearance.

"What is it?" Est asked.

"Do you think Professor Snape is a talkative person? He will tell me?" Orion gave Esther a white look.

Esther finished dinner in a hurry, saw that Professor Snape's seat was empty, and hurriedly got up and left the auditorium.In the basement office, Professor Snape was already sitting at his desk checking the signature lists of the third-year students.Seeing Este come in, he gestured to the cauldron on the table with his eyes.

"Make the refreshment potion first. Madam Pomfrey is worried that I haven't prepared enough, and I hope to add some more. Make it according to the recipe I wrote, and find the ingredients in the locker by yourself." Professor Snape bowed his head and got busy after finishing speaking.

It turned out that they were just catching laborers, Esther breathed a sigh of relief.She threw down her schoolbag, looked at the writing on the parchment, and found out the medicinal materials one by one, put the crucible on the shelf, picked up the silver knife, and prepared to deal with the ginger root first.

As soon as Esther made the second step, he heard a burst of brisk footsteps.Then a cheerful voice rang out in the dark office: "Ah, ah, Severus. I haven't had a chance to catch up with you after so long. You know it's too much to be famous. Busy, especially after my fans know I've become a professor. If it wasn't for Harry's help to reply, I might be busy until next Christmas!"

Esther didn't need to look up to see Professor Lockhart's white teeth flashing at Professor Snape, who should have looked disgusted.

"It's surprising that there is anything Potter can help with," said Professor Snape coldly.

"Are you making up lessons for the students? Let me say that there is no need to be so demanding on them, is it? You are the little girl who took time off from class in the afternoon, are you okay with your stomachache?" Harold smiled and looked at Ace Special, like a peacock spreading its tail.

Esther didn't expect him to mention this, and was taken aback for a moment.Feeling Professor Snape's gaze, she secretly hated Lockhart's talkativeness. "Yes, professor, it's much better." She said perfunctorily, then quickly lowered her head and continued to work on the refreshing medicine.

"Ask me to say you're being too harsh on your students, Severus." Lockhart thought that Esther's lack of enthusiasm for him was because of Professor Snape's presence. "Don't pay too much attention to academic performance, that doesn't represent a person's future achievements. You see, the current professor of Potions is you, not Lily Evans, whom Professor Slughorn has always praised. Look at her Ignore me, now an internationally renowned person and author, recipient of the Order of Merlin [-]rd class, honorary member of the Anti-Dark Arts League, and five-time winner of the "Wizard Weekly" most charming smile award. Even Headmaster Dumbledore invited me personally To be a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Oh, oh, who would have thought of that."

Lockhart was immersed in his praise, without feeling the slightest change in the atmosphere.But Esther saw from the corner of his eye that when Lockhart mentioned Evans, Professor Snape's movements obviously froze.With her keen perception, she can also rarely feel the sadness that the black-robed professor rarely has.Lily Evans?Is it because of this person?

But Professor Snape instantly changed back to a cold look.

"I hope Dumbledore is not mistaken," Snape said perfunctorily.

"Of course, if you ask me to say that although he is old, he will never be dizzy, right? He also admires my books very much, and allows me to list the whole set of books as teaching materials. Think about it, what could be better than those real books?" What happened is more worth learning?" Lockhart kept his charming smile, and Esther wondered why the corners of his mouth didn't twitch.

"Indeed, if they actually happened." Professor Snape sneered.

"Absolutely true," Lockhart said unaffected, "I can tell you the details of every book, which one do you like best?"

Seeing that Snape didn't respond, Lockhart showed a disappointed expression for the first time. "Oh, don't tell me you haven't read any of them!"

"Yes." Snape didn't bother to move his mouth.

"Merlin! You really haven't read any of them! I have to send you a copy, and I will sign it. I don't sign everyone. Of course, if this student wants to sign, I will not be stingy." Just come and find me in my office." Professor Lockhart winked mischievously at Esther, then turned around and strode out of the basement office.

"Did you skip Defense Against the Dark Arts class?" After Lockhart left, Snape began to pursue.

"Yes, Professor. But it's not just me. Everyone thinks this class is useless, and they all say that if this continues, they can't pass the OWL exam." Esther felt that lying in front of Professor Snape would be better than admitting it directly.

Professor Snape's face softened a lot. He didn't blame Esther, but just reminded her: "You can't skip class, but you can use the time in class 'reasonably'."

"Good professor." Esther responded obediently.