HP Starlight

Esther watched where Snape had left without moving until Aunt Connie came out to find her.

"Go back." Aunt Connie persuaded.

Esther still stood there, neither speaking nor moving.

Aunt Connie said in a bad tone, "He's a Death Eater, you see his mark."

"He's not, at least not now," Esther said softly.

"Who's right? People's hearts are unpredictable. You'd better stay away from him." Aunt Connie looked at Esther and said.

"I can't do it, auntie. He saved me, I know he's not a bad guy. He's gone to the most dangerous place now, I can't pretend I don't care, I can't do it." Este's voice was flat, It seems that what he said has nothing to do with her.

"The relationship problem you talked about during the holidays is not about him, is it?" Aunt Connie was surprised. "You like him? He is so much older than you, and he is still a Death Eater!"

"This is my private matter, auntie, I don't want to talk about it for now. You go back and rest. I want to be quiet by myself." Esther said angrily.

"You are just like your mother." Aunt Connie sighed, "I hope you think carefully, he is not suitable for you. Don't follow your mother's old path." Then she turned and went back to the castle.

Esther was the only one left in the empty field.The cool night wind made her shake a little.She simply sat on the grass and waited slowly.

"You're really persistent, Esther." After an unknown amount of time, Dumbledore's voice came from behind.

Esther didn't respond politely as usual, but kept silent as if she didn't hear it, and didn't even look back.

"Are you blaming me for letting him go back to Voldemort?" Dumbledore didn't blame Esther, but asked casually.

"No, sir. That's his own choice, and I have no reason to blame you." Esther finally spoke out, with a hoarse voice that had not been used for a long time.

Dumbledore also came to Esther and sat down, and said calmly, "Thank you for your understanding, Esther. I know some of your feelings for Severus, but now is a special period, we'd better not Feelings affect the overall situation, what do you think?"

"I don't think it has any influence, sir. Even though I warned him immediately, he still chose that dangerous path. His heart is not with me, so I can't influence him." Esther said coldly.

"What about yourself?" said Dumbledore. "You are a clever and capable witch, a warrior who has just won the Triwizard Cup. And now you sit here like a stone, without healing or rest."

"I'm not injured, and I'm not sleepy. It's my freedom to stay where I am." Estel said, "Or you can arrange some tasks for me and let me join your organization."

"Then are you here to defeat Voldemort, or for Severus?" Dumbledore asked with burning eyes.

"That doesn't matter, the result is the same." Esther shook her head irritably.

"Of course it's different. If you act out of personal feelings, you will be affected in action. If you encounter Severus during the mission, and you have to stand on opposing sides to confront each other, what will happen to you? Give up the mission or treat him Shot?" Dumbledore asked seriously.

Esther looked at Dumbledore for the first time, the light in his eyes was beating. "I would never hurt him," she said, "but I would never give up on the mission. To complete the mission, that's what he meant by risking Voldemort. I'd strike at him so he wouldn't come under suspicion. But I It will never hurt him, and if I can't even control the damage of the spell, I don't deserve to graduate from Slytherin."

"I hope you will do what you say, Esther." Dumbledore said with a smile, "I'm sorry that Severus didn't accept your feelings, you are a good girl."

"Nothing to regret, I'm just late. I respect his feelings." Esther said dryly.

The venue was quiet again.It seems that after a long century, there was a snap outside the gate.Esther stood up quickly and looked out the door.A black figure stabilized his figure a little, strode into the school gate, and walked towards them.

Seeing Snape come back, Dumbledore breathed a sigh of relief, "Welcome back, Severus. Voldemort didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"It's okay." Snape looked at Esther and didn't say much.

Esther looked at Snape's face, which didn't seem to be much different from before.But the folds and dust on the robe reminded her that Voldemort hadn't let him go easily.She felt distressed, but she didn't show it.After saying goodnight to the two professors, Esther returned to the castle.Instead of going back to the school hospital, she went to their Potions classroom.There was the cauldron and medicinal ingredients that had been stored there before, and she wanted to brew some palliatives and tonics of vitality while Snape reported to Dumbledore.Esther thinks he should be able to use it.

Esther had thought that Dumbledore would give her a mission as well as the others, but he didn't.When Professor Snape came back to his office and saw her, he took her back to the school hospital without saying a word, and told her to stay inside and not run around.She had to lie side by side with Harry in the school hospital with her eyes closed.

"I thought you were dead at the time, you don't know how uncomfortable I am." Harry said impatiently as soon as he opened his eyes and saw Esther.

"Didn't you see me use the ice shield when you were in the secret room?" Esther asked.

"The spell was different that time," said Harry, scratching his head.

"Improved." Esther told Harry the new spell, and gave him a demonstration, separating the two of them with a layer of frost.

"It's really almost invisible." Harry said, touching the cold layer curiously.

"If you look carefully, you can still find that Voldemort and Wormtail are probably too eager to carry out their resurrection plan, and they didn't expect this to happen. But I'm afraid I won't be so lucky next time." Esther shrugged and said.

"If only my parents could do the spell..." said Harry despondently.

"They'll be more, Harry, don't forget they've been fighting Voldemort. They died by choice, remember what Voldemort said? He's going to kill you, your mother died to save you. So he can't even touch You." Esther said to Harry seriously.

"But now he can touch me, and he stole what my mother left me!" said Harry bitterly.

"He can't steal it, Harry, love can't be stolen," Esther reassured him, "Stolen love isn't real, it's like a love potion. Even if he can touch you, he hurts you." Not for you, is it? He didn't succeed when he used the Killing Curse on you in the graveyard, did he?"

"Professor Dumbledore said it was because the cores of our wands are all the feathers of Fawkes. We are brothers and cannot hurt each other." Harry said.

"Your wand and Voldemort's wand are brothers? The wand chooses its owner, but will the two feathers of a phoenix choose the opposite owner?" Esther asked suspiciously.

Harry shrugged, indicating that he didn't know either.

Esther felt that the relationship between Harry and Voldemort was very strange. They had wands with the same core, and he was determined to defeat Harry in a duel.And 13 years ago, why did he kill baby Harry?If it is said to cut grass and roots, Esther is not surprised that Voldemort can do such a thing.But according to Voldemort, Lily died to save Harry, which means that his goal has always been Harry.

Esther looked at the boy beside him, what was so special about him that Voldemort treated him so specially?

Harry was a little embarrassed by Esther's look, and he rubbed his head, making his hair more messy.Esther smiled gently at him and looked away.

At night, Madam Pomfrey finally allowed them to leave the hospital hospital.Esther returned to the Slytherin dungeon, and it suddenly fell silent.Everyone was secretly looking at her, but when she looked over they pretended to be nonchalant and avoided her gaze.Especially Malfoy's group of people is particularly obvious.Esther suddenly understood that at least Voldemort's resurrection was not a secret here.And the fact that he and Harry came back together, in the eyes of the shrewd Slytherin, was equivalent to openly standing on the opposite side of the Dark Lord.Naturally, no one would be willing to approach him at this time.

Esther went back to the dormitory and carefully checked everything about herself.Fortunately, no one dared to do anything at Hogwarts.She put her things in the box and left the common room with all the luggage in full view.

She was going to move to the Room of Requirement for a few days, it was only the last week anyway.But just as she was about to walk out of the entrance of the dungeon, she was stopped by Professor Snape from behind.

"Where are you going?" asked Professor Snape sternly in his pajamas.

"Uh, professor, good evening. The dormitory is not very convenient. I'm going to go upstairs. There's a room where you can make a bed." Esther replied bluntly.

"Go back, no one dares to do anything at Hogwarts," said Professor Snape.

"But I'm worried that someone will be hated by them for talking to me. What if it hurts others or their families? Especially Orion, I'd better avoid his situation." Esther explained .

Professor Snape frowned at Esther, and after a while he said, "Come with me."

Esther wanted to fight again, but Professor Snape had already turned and walked back, so she had to trot after dragging her luggage.

Professor Snape took her back to his office, Esther hesitated.She could no longer live with Professor Snape as frankly as she did the year before.

She said in a low voice, "Professor, the upstairs is really nice. It won't be a problem for me to move there. Anyway, it's only the last week."

Snape ignored her, but tapped a display case against the wall with his wand.Together with the wall behind, the display case pivots sideways to reveal the room within.

"Go in," said Professor Snape in a non-negotiable tone.

Esther had to drag the luggage in.The furnishings inside were simple: bookshelves, desks, beds, wardrobes and a steaming bathroom.Snape waved his wand and conjured the same silver-green bed against the wall.

"You'll be sleeping here for a few days," Snape said.

"No need, professor, I can't influence you. I have a place to live, really." Estelle shook her head again and again, blushing up to her ears.

"You won't bother me, I'm sleeping outside." Snape said without changing his face.

"That's even worse, there's no reason for the guests to push the host away." Esther said as he dragged his luggage out.

"Either go back to the dormitory, or stay here," Snape said impatiently.

Esther had no choice but to resign herself to pulling the luggage to the side of the transformed bed, and sat down honestly to look at Snape.

Snape nodded in satisfaction and walked out of the room.

Esther stared at the ceiling in a daze until late at night, the new environment was really not easy to sleep in, especially Snape's place.Esther tiptoed to the door, wanting to listen to the movement outside, but the door turned open by itself.Snape was grading the test paper on the desk, he glanced at Esther, then buried himself in the test paper again, and asked casually, "Is there something wrong?"

"Uh, it's okay, you haven't slept yet?" Esther asked awkwardly standing at the door.

"Too much time has been lost these days, and there are still three grades of test papers that have not been judged. The results will be sent out before the year-end banquet." Professor Snape said quickly.

Esther came out and looked at the rolls of parchment test papers, as well as the grade book with the practical test results, and said, "Let me help you, I can't sleep in the new environment."

Professor Snape nodded, let the over-marked test papers and a few score books fly to the small table, and said: "Put the written test score on it, combine it with the practical score, check his usual score, and write down the total score. at the end."

Esther hummed and began to work hard.

Busy until breakfast time, Esther finally registered most of the grades for a grade.Esther simply didn't go to the auditorium, simply ate a sandwich in Snape's office and continued to work, preparing to register another grade.

During the day, Professor Snape had classes, so she was left alone in the office.This made Esther relax and fell asleep directly on the table.

Esther didn't sleep very well, dreaming that Aunt Connie's house was in ruins for a while, and dreaming that Leona and Orion's wedding was attacked by Death Eaters for a while.She ends up seemingly trapped in a bleak dungeon, with Voldemort's flat, snake-like face grinning grimly at her.Next to him lay a motionless Snape, dead or alive.She broke out in a cold sweat and woke up suddenly from the dream.

She stared blankly at the dim light in the office, and for a moment she couldn't tell whether she was still in a dream.

"Go to sleep in there, and use Occlumency to clear your mind before going to bed." Snape said while staring at Esther with his dark eyes, which made her wake up quite a bit.

"No, I'm awake, I'm not sleepy anymore." Esther shook her head, the dreams just now made her a little resistant to sleep.

For the remaining few days, Esther and Professor Snape tacitly took turns to rest, and finally sent the students' transcripts on the last day.

At the school year dinner, Professor Dumbledore changed from his usual relaxed humor and announced the news of Voldemort's resurrection to everyone with a serious attitude.Everyone in the auditorium murmured uneasy.Esther sat quietly in the corner at the end of the Slytherin table, but still received a lot of searching eyes.

After the dinner, Esther deliberately left the auditorium first to avoid giving other people the opportunity to contact him to inquire about the situation.

It was the last night at Hogwarts, and Esther couldn't sleep.She was thinking about where to live when she went back.Although she and Aunt Connie eased things up, she didn't want to move back.The dream of the previous few days was still fresh in her memory. If she continued to live there, she would probably hurt her aunt.But if she didn't go back, she couldn't think of where she could go.

Just when she felt that she had nowhere to go, a silver fox entered through the wall and stopped in front of her.Orion's voice came from the fox's mouth, "Come to the place where we meet, we will wait for you here."

Esther knew that Orion was talking about the Room of Requirement.She came out of the bedroom, Snape was not outside, probably on a night watch.She left a note telling Professor Snape that she would be back soon, and then put on her wizard robes and went to the eighth floor to meet the appointment.Carefully avoiding Peeves and Mrs. Norris, she took a short cut to the opposite of the Barnabas tapestry, when a figure suddenly emerged from the air and jumped on her.

"You're finally here, I'm so stiff from standing." Leona hugged her enthusiastically and said.

Then Orion also came out of the invisibility cloak, and looked around with extra vigilance, "Let's go into the house first, and we'll talk later." He conjured up a room and took the two of them in.

This is a room Esther has never been in.It was as big as a cathedral, but not spacious at all.The sundries were piled up in a haphazard manner, almost reaching the height of the roof.Several alleys were formed between the piles of debris for people to walk through.Esther looked at the things on both sides of the alley in surprise. In addition to the dilapidated furniture, there were mountains of prohibited items, thousands of books, expired potions, hats, jewelry, cloaks, eggshells, rusty Swords and blood-stained axes...

"How did you find this room?" Esther asked in surprise.

"I hid things here," Orion said, "and I often come here to get some things. Today is the last night, and I'm going to take some useful things away. It's too wasteful to leave them here. Ace How about you come to find a treasure too?"

"I thought you two came here to ask me about that night." Esther said while pulling a bunch of things.

Leona looked at a box and said, "There is no doubt that the mysterious man is resurrected, there is nothing to ask. We will not be like those fools who can bury our heads in the ground and pretend nothing happened."

"Be careful when you go back, Leona." Esther was a little worried about her.

Orion chuckled, "It's not her turn yet, and besides, I will protect her well."

"What about you? Did your mother write you a letter?" Esther looked at Orion.

"She's fine for the time being. The Death Eaters haven't looked for her yet. Malfoy tried me a few times, but he didn't dare to say so, so I dismissed him casually." Orion said calmly.

"In Voldemort's eyes, your father is quite loyal. I'm afraid he will—" Esther suddenly stopped, "Did you hear any noise?"

The room suddenly fell silent, save for the humming of the wings of a few Cornish elves as they flew by.

"Is it them?" Leona asked looking at the place where the elf disappeared.

Esther shook her head and said, "No, it was talking, didn't you hear it?"

"Is there a ghost here?" Leona looked at the other end of the alley, "There is nothing, did you hear wrong?"

Esther listened intently, and followed the sound to the depths of the room.Whispers come and go, and it takes Esther's full attention to catch them.Finally, she stumbled to a blistered cabinet and fixed her eyes on a pile of messy things.These things looked like they hadn't been touched in a long time and were covered with a thick layer of dust.Esther picked up everything—scrolls of parchment, battered goblets, ugly statues, old dusty wigs...

At last she touched something, an old dark eagle-shaped diadem.Although the crown has faded and the huge gemstone in the middle is also dimmed, Esther is staring at it obsessively, as if looking at some rare treasure.

"Can you hear me?" Diadem seemed to speak to her.

"Yes, I can hear it," Esther replied.

"It's so strange that no one has ever heard me. Maybe you have special abilities. Are you a student at Hogwarts? I can help you become a better wizard, just put me on your head, I It can give you extraordinary wisdom." Guan Mian said persuasively.

"I..." Esther was full of curiosity about the crown and wanted to find out.It felt familiar, but she couldn't remember what it was.

"What are you hesitating about? Not everyone has this kind of opportunity! Are you willing to be mediocre and remain unknown all your life?" Crown became stern.

Esther felt that what Guan Guan said was right, she had already missed an opportunity last time, and she didn't want to experience that feeling of regret again.She raised the diadem to place it on her head, but a hand held her back.She stared blankly at the person pulling her, and it took her a long time to recognize it as Leona.

"What's wrong with you? Something seems wrong..." Leona's voice seemed to be coming from far away.

"Don't let her influence you, she is just afraid that you are better than her." Guan Guan said contemptuously, "Take me, only you are worthy of my wisdom."

"She's not like that! She'll only really congratulate me and never be jealous of what I get!" Esther argues with Crown.

"Who are you talking to?" Leona's voice gradually became clearer, "Esther? Look at me!"

Esther looked at Leona suspiciously, and said, "I talked to the crown, didn't you hear what it said?"

"Don't scare me, you are the only one talking to yourself here. This thing can't be a black magic item, are you confused?" Leona looked at the crown cautiously, as if it would disappear in the next second. To become a monster.

Orion became vigilant when he heard what Leona said, "I think Leona is right, Esther, why don't you put it down first."

"They are stopping you from being successful! Think about it, now you are friends, but once you have supreme wisdom, they will become ants. That's why they don't want you to have me." Crown Continue to persuade Esther.

Esther clutched the crown tightly.She didn't believe it, but she didn't want to put it down either.

"Is it still talking to you?" Orion approached Esther slowly, and handed her a cloth bag, "Why don't you put it here first, take it back and study it carefully."

"He just wants to take it from you, don't listen to him." Crown said.

But it underestimated Esther's trust in Orion.Esther threw the crown into the bag with only a moment's hesitation.Her ears calmed down, and her brain seemed to gradually regain clarity.

"Is it better?" Orion asked with concern, "Can you still hear it?"

"Much better, thanks!" Esther said gratefully.She suddenly remembered what attracted her so much last time - Tom Riddle's diary - the thing that could conjure Voldemort.She couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat with fear. If she had put on the crown just now, she didn't know what would happen.

"This thing is too dangerous, I have to show it to the professor." After thinking about it, Esther decisively took the bag and went back to the office to find Professor Snape.