HP Starlight

When Esther returned to the office, Professor Snape seemed to have just returned from outside.She told Professor Snape what happened just now, and handed over the bag.

Snape carefully tested it repeatedly with magic, then stared at the diadem with a frown, lost in thought.Esther had to wait quietly by the side.Fortunately, she used Occlumency to block the communication between Guan Guan and herself, so that she would not be bewitched by Guan Guan again.

After a while, Professor Snape put the crown back into the cloth bag, said "Follow me" to Esther, and led her out of the office.

They came to the stone beast on the third floor, and Esther knew that they were going to see Principal Dumbledore.She straightened her tie and wizard robes, and followed Snape to the winding staircase behind the stone beast.

Snape asked Esther to wait outside and went in first.Esther stared at the griffin on the door in a daze.After a while the door opened, and Professor Snape came out, beckoning her to go in.

Esther walked into the room and saw Dumbledore sitting behind his desk in a purple nightgown and looking at her gently, which made her feel a kind of peaceful power.

"Please sit down, Esther. Would you like something to drink?" Professor Dumbledore said, "How about lemon black tea?"

"Okay, Professor. Isn't Professor Snape coming in?" Esther asked looking at the closed door.

"I hope you don't mind I would like to speak to you alone," said Professor Dumbledore. "Can you tell me how you found this diadem?"

"Yes... it was a conjured room on the eighth floor, and a lot of things were hidden in it. I could hear the crown talking, and it wanted me to wear it. At that time, Leona and Orion stopped me. Then I I thought I had the same feeling when I saw Voldemort's diary, and I thought it might be a dark magic item, so I gave it to Professor Snape." Esther said briefly.

"Can you hear it?" Professor Dumbledore seemed interested.

"Yes, Professor. But others don't seem to be able to hear it. Leona said that maybe I was deluded and had hallucinations." Esther said.

"Can you still hear me now?" Dumbledore asked.

"I can't hear with Occlumency. Shall I try disabling the magic again?" Esther asked.

"No need." Dumbledore said, staring at the diadem, "I don't think it will talk to you now."

"Professor?" Esther waited for a while, seeing that Professor Dumbledore seemed to have no intention of continuing, he asked, "So these are also Voldemort's things? What are they?"

Dumbledore looked directly at Esther with bright blue eyes, and asked, "What do you think?"

"Uh, the Tom Riddle who came out of the diary last time is different from the Voldemort seen in the cemetery, which means that they are not exactly the same as him. Riddle is like a ghost, but he can cast magic with a wand, which means that it is not A purely magical imprint, but some real things..." Esther saw that Dumbledore did not object, and continued, "The diary was destroyed, but the crown was still intact, which means they are not related to each other. .But they all obey Voldemort's will... Sorry Professor, I can't think of any magic that can make these things."

"It's pretty good to be able to analyze these things," Professor Dumbledore looked at Esther approvingly, "I wasn't very sure before, but I'm probably sure now."

Esther looked at Professor Dumbledore suspiciously, hoping that he could give himself a clearer explanation.

"You can think of it as a memory of Voldemort. They are part of Voldemort, and as long as these things exist, Voldemort will not die," Dumbledore explained.

"So Voldemort was indeed mortally wounded the night he attacked Harry, but he didn't die because he still had these things." Estelle said thoughtfully, "If you want to destroy him completely, just kill him It’s not enough, you have to destroy what he left behind first. The diary is one, the crown is the second... He said that he walked farther than anyone else on the road to longevity, so there may be more than two?”

Dumbledore nodded, "So now you know how hard it is to resist him. Are you sure you want to continue this way? Or take your aunt's advice and go back and hide, away from danger."

"I won't hide." Esther twisted his hands together, "It's better to face the news directly than to wait for the news in fear every day."

"If you decide, I hope you can join the Order of the Phoenix." Dumbledore said sincerely, "This is the organization I created to fight against Voldemort, if you are willing..."

"It's an honor." Esther replied decisively.

"Thank you for your trust, Esther." There seemed to be a flash of emotion in Dumbledore's eyes that Esther could not understand, "I think you probably inherited the abilities of the Shafik family, otherwise you would not have heard these things sound. If you find a similar item in the future, be sure to bring it to me."

Est nodded.

"Don't tell anyone about this for the time being," Dumbledore added.

"Even Professor Snape and Harry can't tell?" Esther asked.

"Harry, I'll tell him when the time is right. Severus has enough to hide, and the more he knows the more dangerous it is, isn't it?" said Dumbledore.

"Are you really thinking about him? Or is it because you don't trust him?"

"I assure you, I have more reasons to believe him than you do."

"Can you tell me the reason?"

"No, that's my agreement with him. If he doesn't take the initiative to tell you, then neither can I. "

Esther tried her best to hide her regret, and asked another question, "Professor, I have always been curious why Voldemort pursued Harry. I know Lily died to protect Harry, and Voldemort's goal has always been Harry, why?"

Dumbledore hesitated for a while before saying, "Because of a prophecy, the prophecy said that only one of the two of them would survive."

Esther felt a chill on his body, "Only one can live? Harry must defeat Voldemort to live?"

"I'm afraid so," said Dumbledore.

Esther saw the sad look on Dumbledore's face for the first time.She opened her eyes wide in disbelief, and asked without thinking, "Does Harry himself know?"

"I don't know yet, but I believe this matter will not be hidden for long." Dumbledore said.

The room was temporarily quiet, and even the portraits on the wall stopped talking.

"So what's my mission?" Esther asked bluntly, seeming more aware of the seriousness of the matter than before.

"The specific tasks will wait until the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Before that, I want to make sure of some things. Are you an unregistered Animagus?" Dumbledore stared at Esther wisely.

"Yes, Professor." Esther said turning herself into a bat.She flew around Fox and changed back into a human form, and sat back on the chair.

"Brilliant, Minerva would be proud to have a student like you. I guessed that bat was unusual last year when I caught Peter away from the werewolf. When did you learn it?"

"In the fifth grade, Professor." Esther said a little embarrassedly.

"Remarkable. You still use Patronuses to deliver messages, don't you?"

"Yes, Professor. Professor Lupine taught me." Esther said, waving his wand to summon his Patronus.

But to her surprise, the Patronus that came out was not her little bat, but a vague cloud of silver mist, vaguely a four-hoofed animal.Esther's heart trembled, and the silver mist dissipated.

"I'm sorry, Professor, it didn't look like this...it...I..." Esther stammered and explained.She seemed to understand what was going on in her heart, but she didn't want to admit it.

"It's nothing, child. The Patronus Charm is a sentimental spell, and it's normal to change with people's mood. You have to dare to face your own heart." Dumbledore's words seemed to have the power to comfort, making Esther Not so nervous anymore.

Esther took a deep breath, cleared his brain of excess emotions, and used the Patronus Charm again. "Call God to protect you!" She yelled this time, as if it would strengthen her confidence.The silver mist sprayed out from the tip of the staff again, and slowly condensed together.Just when the patron saint was about to take on its full form, Esther subconsciously dispersed it into a cloud of silver mist, allowing her voice to spread out from the center of the white mist.

"You don't like the new form of your Patronus?" Dumbledore's half-moon mirror reflected a light.

"I'm not used to it, I like my original one better." Esther looked at the cloud of silver mist and said, "By the way, Professor, my Patronus Charm is a little different. Offend me."

Speaking of Esther let the Patronus enter Professor Dumbledore's body.

Dumbledore said with a little surprise, "Probably because your soul strength is relatively high. It's not without reason that the Shafik family has a high affinity for souls."

After a while, Dumbledore continued, "Can I finally see your magic against the Killing Curse?"

Est nodded and summoned the ice shield. "Professor Snape helped improve it, otherwise Peter's Killing Curse might not be able to stop it."

"Do you mind if I tell everyone about the spell? In case it's useful..." Dumbledore said hesitantly.

"Of course I don't mind, but it's better to avoid it. If you can't stop it, it will be troublesome." Esther said with an embarrassed smile.

"Thank you for your generosity. Of course, nothing is foolproof. I will remind everyone to pay attention." Dumbledore said gently, "Well, it's getting late, go back and rest. You don't have to go to the station with them tomorrow, West Fleurs will take you home."

Esther nodded, said good night to Professor Dumbledore, and left the principal's office.

As soon as he went down the stairs, he saw a black figure standing beside him.Esther subconsciously jumped to the side, drew out her wand and stood guard against the figure.

"The response was good, but it's a pity that there is no brain. Who would wait to do it outside the headmaster's office." Snape said sarcastically.

"Sorry, Professor," Esther heard the voice clearly, and quickly put away his wand, "I thought you had already gone back, it was just a startled reaction."

"I'm afraid you may also be infected with the bad habit of night-swimming." Snape's voice showed a trace of impatience, "Follow me." As he spoke, he strode towards the basement, his black robe flipping up and down behind him.

Esther shrank her neck and trot to follow.She sighed in her heart that Professor Snape was so good at predicting things, if he hadn't caught her, she might really have gone back to the Room of Requirement to spend the night.

Back in Snape's office, Esther refused to go into the bedroom without saying anything.Just discovering the transformed Patronus made Esther even more flustered when he faced Professor Snape again.She insisted on lying on the table to make do for the night.Snape didn't force himself, and walked into the bedroom by himself.After a while, there was a faint sound of water inside.Others might not be able to hear it at all, but Esther's ears have always been good, which made her face turn red.

Probably because of the long-term living at the bottom of the lake, the faint sound of water is the most powerful hypnosis for Este.Soon she was slumped on the table and fell asleep.In the dream, she seemed to be lifted up by something warm and solid.She wasn't worried, it was much more comfortable to fly like this than on a broomstick.She curled up and rubbed against the thing supporting her, adjusted a comfortable posture, and fell asleep again.

The next day, Esther was woken up by the noise of talking outside and the sound of luggage being dragged.She opened her eyes to find that she was lying in Snape's bedroom, and the owner of the bedroom had long since disappeared.She quickly jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom to wash her face.She looked at herself in the mirror, and suddenly wondered how she got to the bed, which made her have to rinse with cold water again.

Back in the bedroom, Esther remembered the change of her patron saint.She looked outside, and Snape hadn't returned.She stabilized her emotions, drew out her wand and summoned her Patronus.The silver mist quickly condensed into a solid body, and an elegant doe walked slowly in front of her.Est subconsciously took a step back, as if he was reluctant to approach the patron saint.

The doe looked at her with big innocent eyes blinking, as if aggrieved by the cold treatment she received.Esther was in a turmoil. If he still had doubts yesterday, he couldn't lie to himself today.This patron saint is undoubtedly the one summoned by Professor Snape in front of Lily's grave, and its significance is self-evident.And this Patronus might be... Esther shuddered, and she looked at the living doe in confusion.She respected Snape's feelings and admired Lily, but that didn't mean she was willing to share a Patronus with them.

Esther dragged his luggage listlessly out of the bedroom and saw a few sandwiches on the desk.She grabbed a piece and put it in her mouth, it tasted like chewing wax.At this moment the office door opened suddenly, and Snape came back to see Esther looking at him in bewilderment with a sandwich stuffed in his mouth.

"What did the headmaster tell you yesterday?" Professor Snape asked casually as he tidied up the things on the table.

Esther tried to swallow the food in his mouth and said, "Let me pay attention to the mysterious man's..."

She remembered that Dumbledore didn't want Professor Snape to know about the mysteries left by Voldemort.She played with the sandwich in her hand, trying to figure out how to answer.

"Pay attention to what?" Professor Snape asked.

"Pay attention to what Voldemort left behind," Esther struggled for a long time and decided to reveal something to him, "like yesterday, I seem to be more sensitive to those things than others. Professor Dumbledore felt that there were more than one or two of those things. I'll keep an eye out, and if I find it again, I'll hand it over to him."

"You agreed?" Professor Snape frowned.

Esther stared at the sandwich in his hand and said, "I don't think it's anything, it's easy, since I have this ability..."

"You won't be so lucky to slip under his nose every time." Professor Snape suddenly became angry, "You don't know how powerful he is, let alone he has noticed you. At this time, you should stay away from him, be your therapist, and don't make trouble for yourself!"

"I didn't plan to get close to him, it was just his stuff." Estelle argued.

"His things are as dangerous as himself! How do you know he didn't perceive you through these things? There are already quite a few wizards and witches who have died at his hands, so you don't need to contribute to this number!" Professor Snape Rarely emotional.

"Then I should find these things as soon as possible, so that he can be eliminated as soon as possible." Este said firmly.

Snape showed an impatient expression, "Even Dumbledore dare not say that he can destroy the Dark Lord, what can you do as a kid who just graduated?"

"Do what I can, Professor. Of course I am afraid of death, and I don't want to be a self-sacrificing hero. But I also have reasons to resist him. Besides, what you are doing is more dangerous than what I am going to do. You are not afraid, I have nothing to fear." Estelle said confidently.

Snape looked deeply at Esther, and after a moment of silence he said, "You are different from me, what I do is what I have to do, but you still have a choice."

"Then I'll choose to stand by your side." Esther looked seriously at Snape's dark eyes, expecting a glimmer or fluctuation in his eyes.But there was nothing, calmer than the Black Lake.Esther smiled self-deprecatingly, "I have no choice for a long time, earlier than I realized..."

There was a sudden deathly silence in the office.

Finally, Esther broke the silence and asked Snape abruptly, "Professor, is Lily's Patronus a doe?"

Snape pressed his lips into a tight slit, and just when Esther thought he wouldn't answer, he suddenly hissed slightly. "Yes," he said.

Esther tried to force a smile, "Thank you for telling me. I have to go, I have to find a place to settle down today, and I will go to St. Mungo's for an interview tomorrow. I hope they won't make things difficult for me because of the NEWTs. Goodbye, then, Professor."

Estella walked out of the office quickly with her luggage, she was very worried that she would lose control of her emotions and collapse in front of Snape.She uses Occlumency to the extreme to keep herself calm.

"Wait." Snape called Esther from behind, and handed her a crumpled note, "Remember this address and burn it. Nine o'clock at night, don't be late. If you decide."

Esther looked down at a line of cursive words in circles: Order of the Phoenix Command is at 12 Grimmauld Place, London.

"Thank you," Esther said in a calm, almost nonchalant voice.She waved her wand, and the paper in her hand turned into a ball of flame and flew into the air.

After Esther dragged his luggage out of Hogwarts, he apparated to Hogsmeade, and walked into the deserted Hog's Head Bar, ready to have a drink to relieve his depressed mood.Also allow yourself to organize your thoughts and at least come up with a place where you can spend the night.

"I thought the students had all gone on the train." The barman slammed his glass on the bar roughly.

"I'm delayed by something, a glass of fire whiskey, thank you." Esther said casually.

"Only butter beer, drink it or not," said the barman gruffly.

Esther glanced up at him, a tall, thin man with long gray hair and a beard, and a pair of impatient blue eyes.

"I don't like sweets, a glass of Firewhiskey, I know you have." Esther was more irritable than he was.

"I'm the boss." The bartender pushed over a glass full of butterbeer.

Esther reluctantly paid for two Sickles, drinking butterbeer while thinking about where to go.

St. Mungo's in London, the Leaky Cauldron should be a good choice.If the interview is successful, then slowly find a house with a reasonable price to rent, or it is better to live in St. Mungo.

Making up his mind, Esther drank the butterbeer in his glass.Say to the bartender, "Can I use Floo?"

"Ten nuts a time." The barman pulled out the Floo powder.

Esther paid the money, grabbed a handful of Floo powder, took a deep breath, held her breath, and dragged her luggage into the fireplace. "The Leaky Cauldron," she called out.The flames engulfed her in an instant, and she felt her eyes hurting, so she quickly closed her eyes and mouth, shrinking her body as much as possible.She was sucked and twirled.The constant rotation made her a little sick, and she heard a lot of messy voices, and occasionally could distinguish the sound of wind and some short words.Just when she felt that it was going to be too much, she finally stopped spinning and stumbled out of the fireplace.

Tom, the owner of the bar, took Esther's luggage without surprise, "Accommodating, miss?"

"Yes." Esther rubbed her head.

"Room 16." Tom handed over the key, and got another waiter to deliver Esther's luggage to the room.

Esther packed her things and went to Madam Malkin's Robe Shop in Diagon Alley to buy some casual robes and a formal attire for the interview.I went to Lihen Bookstore to choose a few guidance books from the therapist.Back at the hotel, Esther took a tranquilizer to bring to the interview.Then I leaned on the bed and read the books I bought.

After afternoon tea, Esther was about to leave for the headquarters.She checked the map carefully and got a general idea of ​​the location of Grimmauld Square, so she transformed into a bat and flew northwest.

Flying at high altitude is much faster than on land.Even though he deviated from the direction several times due to unfamiliarity with the route, Esther was two hours earlier than expected.Esther flew around the old house a few times and found No. 11 and No. 13, but no shadow of No. 12 was seen.

It seems to be hidden by a spell, Esther thought.She was hanging upside down on the eaves of No. 13 and concentrated on looking down. Just now, a different door suddenly appeared at the position of No. 11.A door with mottled black paint was scratched left and right.A serpentine silver knocker hung over the door.Esther wrapped her wings tightly and stood in the shadows, waiting for the others to arrive.

Mrs Weasley came first.She rang the bell and waited for a moment, when there was a clang of metal and the rattling of chains.The door opened from the inside, and at the same time, there was a harsh curse, "Bastard, scum, beast, the dirty and sinful son of my birth..."

Sirius came out of the door and said irritably, "Oh, Molly, as I said, don't ring the bell. Just open the door with your wand, I don't mind."

"Sorry, I forgot." Mrs. Weasley said awkwardly and walked into the house.The door was quiet again.Esther shook her head, the screaming scolding made her ears hurt a little, too good hearing is really not a good thing sometimes.

It took a long time before other members appeared near the house one after another.Esther didn't know most of them, but through their strange Muggle costumes, Esther could tell who were wizards at a glance.

What surprised Esther the most was that Mrs. Figg was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix.Esther and Harry visited her house as a child to see her cats.But Mrs. Figg never used any magic, maybe because it was well hidden, Esther guessed, or maybe she was a Squib.

It was getting dark, and the wizards entered the house one by one.Not long after Professor McGonagall entered, Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore appeared in the square together.Dumbledore drew his wand as Esther watched them approach the door.Suddenly he stopped and looked up in Esther's direction. Snape noticed his pause and followed his gaze to her.

"Come down, Esther, how long have you been there?" Dumbledore said happily.

Esther flew down and grinned at Dumbledore, showing two small fangs.By the time she hit the ground she had turned back into a witch.

"About two hours. They didn't find out, how did you find me?" Esther still kept the expression of a bat, but the fangs were gone.

"I don't think bats will stare at people with such strong and straightforward eyes." Dumbledore said with a smile.

"I will pay attention next time." Esther nodded, silently remembering this mistake in her heart.

Professor Dumbledore took out his wand and knocked on the door. When the door opened, he walked in first.

Esther and Professor Snape kept their distance and walked last.A row of old-fashioned gas lamps in the hall gave off a dim and flickering light, making the long hall look eerie.On the wall are old and blackened portraits, and the peeling wallpaper and old carpets show the oldness and decay of the place.The snake-shaped chandelier and candlesticks gave Esther a sense of Slytherin identity, but the rotten smell made her feel uncomfortable.

"Dumbledore, you're finally here. I thought... Snotluck? What's he doing here!" Sirius' voice.

"I also don't want to come to this—a place like a kennel," Snape said lazily, looking around, "you can't pack up and do a big cleaning because you're just doing nothing here every day?"

"Who are you talking about doing nothing?" said Sirius angrily.

"Okay," Dumbledore stood between the two of them, "You are all members of the Order of the Phoenix now, you must put aside your old differences and unite as one."

"He also joined the Order of the Phoenix?" Sirius said disgustedly. "Then Voldemort will wipe out all the members of the Order of the Phoenix tomorrow."

"I trust Severus as much as I trust each of you," said Dumbledore gravely.

Sirius glared at Snape fiercely, and turned sideways to let Dumbledore pass.Snape glared back at Sirius too, walking slowly past him with his hands in his pockets.Esther took a few quick steps, greeted Sirius, covered Snape's exposed back without any trace, and followed into the inner room.

Behind the foyer is a dining room with long tables.There were already a dozen people sitting on both sides of the long table.Hearing someone coming in, everyone turned their eyes to the door.

"Miss Collins—how do you—have you joined the Order of the Phoenix?" said Professor McGonagall in surprise. "She just graduated, Dumbledore!"

"I believe Miss Collins is ready, Minerva, we need more power," said Dumbledore.

In order to reduce the time his gaze stayed on him, Esther chose to sit down quickly near the door.After sitting down, she realized that next to him was Remus Lupine, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor from last year.

"It turned out to be Professor Lupine. Do you remember me? Esther Collins, your student. Nice to meet you." Esther said eccentrically.

"Esther, don't be like this, I didn't mean not to contact you." Professor Lupine said gently, "After I came out of Hogwarts, I would come here every month when I transformed. At that time, it was more crowded than now. It took me a long time to clear out a few usable rooms. Later I heard that you were selected as a Hogwarts hero. I was more worried that contacting you would distract you. It won't affect others..."

"You just think you'll never see me again, and there's no need to keep in touch," Esther said meanly.

"Keeping in touch with people like me won't do you any good..." Lupine's eyes darkened.

"What do you think I want to make friends for?" Esther said angrily with a suppressed voice, "If you have to think so, well, I can tell them that I have treated werewolves when I go to St. Mungo's for an interview tomorrow. See if this counts as a benefit!"

"Sorry, I'm not..." Lupine wanted to explain again, but Dumbledore had already called the meeting open.He had to shut up and turn his attention to the meeting.