HP Starlight

In the summer vacation of 1988, the students had already gone home.The Hogwarts campus lost its lively atmosphere and became empty.

In a tower on the castle, Professor McGonagall was flipping through a large book made of parchment with a black dragonskin cover.This is her job every summer. From this admission book, she finds young wizards who match her age, sends them admission letters, and invites them to come to Hogwarts to study.

"Good morning, Professor McGonagall." Dumbledore also came to the tower.

"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore." Professor McGonagall nodded slightly at him, and continued to work.

He walked to Professor McGonagall and watched her carefully check each name one by one. He took out a piece of nougat from the pocket of his robe and handed it to Professor McGonagall. "A piece? Honeydukes' new product, it tastes great."

"No thank you." Professor McGonagall simply refused.

Dumbledore opened the package, put the candy inside into his mouth, and smacked his lips contentedly, as if he thought it was very delicious.

"Professor Dumbledore, I remember that Harry's relative's house is on Privet Drive in Little Whinging, right? When I looked at the street signs, Magnolia Road seemed not far away." Professor McGonagall looked at the admission address under a name on the book, to Dumbledore.

"Oh? Really? I thought there were no other wizarding families around there." Dumbledore also leaned over to look with interest.

On the yellowed parchment, a few lines of small characters were displayed in beautiful fonts:

Esther Collins, a witch, was born in London on March 1977, 3.

Address: Small bedroom on the second floor, 2 Magnolia Road, Little Whinging, Surrey

Father: Jed Collins (Muggle, separated)

Mother: Wendina Shafik (witch, died of illness)

Aunt: Connie Shafik (witch, living together)

"It's the children of the Shafik family. It's the first time I've heard from their family since they went into hiding. Are there only two left?" Dumbledore said, looking at the names.

"The mysterious man really looked for the Shafik family back then?" Professor McGonagall asked in surprise.

"We're going to call him Voldemort, Professor McGonagall." When Dumbledore said the name, Professor McGonagall tensed the muscles on his face. "Yes, he not only looked for it, I guess he found it. He may have experimented with them secretly, so the family disappeared without a trace." Dumbledore said with a serious expression.

Professor McGonagall covered her mouth with an expression of disbelief.After a while she asked, "Is the legend true? The Shafiq family can really make people live forever?"

"I'm afraid the rumors are wrong, otherwise a mother would not be willing to abandon her child." Professor Dumbledore sighed while looking at the column of the mother's death.

"It's really terrible. To kill a family, and it's a pure-blood family, for a non-existent thing. Aren't pure-blood families always mysterious people, I mean, Voldemort's wooing object?" Professor McGonagall said His voice trembled slightly when he said the name.

"Yes, the premise is that they are willing to obey. The people of the Shafik family are very kind, and I am afraid they will not support Voldemort's cruel methods. Of course, the rumors about their family also make it impossible for them to avoid disaster." Dumbledore was silent for a while , and then said, "Oh, I have said so much, it has delayed your work. If you encounter any problems, you can come to me at any time. I have been in the office these days." After finishing speaking, Dumbledore Chao Mai Professor Ge nodded and left the tower.

A week later, Dumbledore came to Little Whinging to visit a friend, Arabella Figg, on Wisteria Road.Mrs. Figg is a Squib. She was entrusted by Dumbledore to move here to protect Harry Potter.Wisteria Drive was very close to Privet Drive, only two blocks away, and if something happened, she would know immediately.And she has a lot of cats, some of them are of cat lizi blood, very smart, can help her understand the situation of the residents in this area.

"Good afternoon, Arabella," said Dumbledore cheerfully.

"Good afternoon, Professor Dumbledore. Come in quickly, I have prepared tea and dessert, come and have a taste." Mrs. Figg enthusiastically invited Dumbledore in.

Dumbledore sat down in an old-fashioned armchair, and Mrs. Figg's cats rubbed affectionately at his feet.He scratched their necks friendly and heard them purring comfortably.

After drinking a cup of tea, Professor Dumbledore got down to business. "Arabella, do you know a kid named Esther Collins?"

Mrs. Figg laughed and said, "Oh, that little girl. A polite little girl. Lives with her great-aunt, Mrs. Connie. Harry asked her to come over to my house this year for Harry's cousin's birthday. Visiting. The chocolate muffins she brings are really delicious, I heard she made them herself. She also brought them canned cat food for Kicks. Kicks like her very much."

"Oh, what a thoughtful child. Did you find out she was a witch, then?" Dumbledore's blue eyes shone brightly behind half-round spectacles.

"She's a witch?" Mrs. Figg gaped from ear to ear in astonishment. "Merlin's beard, I always thought she was a Muggle, so I didn't mention her to you in the letter. She seems to have moved here with her mother seven years ago, and no one has seen her father. So everyone said she It was an illegitimate child. Her mother died of illness not long after she moved here. Her aunt, Mrs. Connie, is an old resident here, and she has been living in seclusion, and there is no rumor about it."

Dumbledore thought for a while and said, "Do you know when Harry met her?"

Mrs. Figg thought for a while, "A year at most. When Harry came to my house last year, I didn't hear him mention any friends."

"Harry and her are very good friends?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yeah, it looks like that. Harry was relaxed and happy when he talked to her. They seemed to have a good relationship. I'm really happy for him, to be honest, he's having a hard time making friends here." Mrs. Grid answered all questions, and it seemed that she was paying attention to Harry all the time.

"Does Harry know now that he is a wizard?" Dumbledore asked with some concern.

"It seems that he doesn't know. His uncle and aunt have never told him anything. Oh, yes, Collins is also a witch now. But she didn't say it, didn't she know it herself? No, she didn't Abnormal behavior means that she knows and hides it well. But can a child control himself so well? Even if there are adult wizards at home to watch over, it is impossible not to be discovered at all, right?" Mrs. Figg wondered say.

"Thank you for the tea, Arabella. They are delicious. If you don't mind, may I take some home?" said Dumbledore.

The holiday is over in a flash, and the castle is bustling again.Dumbledore has been wanting to meet this descendant of Shafik ever since he finished chatting with Mrs. Figg.Of course, Dumbledore was not interested in whether the Shafik family had the secret of immortality, what he cared about was the child's influence on Harry.

Harry is the key to defeating Voldemort, and Dumbledore must ensure that he grows up safely.Even if that security came at the expense of Harry's happiness and health.Although Voldemort has disappeared now, Dumbledore believes that he is not dead, and there are not a few Death Eaters who have escaped punishment. Harry's life may be in danger at any time.

It would certainly be safest to hide Harry at his aunt's house and use the power of blood magic to protect him.But Dumbledore didn't expect that the Shafik family was also hiding nearby.He hoped that Harry's new friends wouldn't let things get out of hand.

The new semester began, and the freshmen were brought into the auditorium to prepare for sorting, and soon Esther Collins' name was called.Unexpectedly, she was sorted into Slytherin.Dumbledore's expression was slightly dignified.He didn't have a lot of prejudice against the House, just worried that it might lead Harry in the wrong direction.Dumbledore glanced at Collins carefully, and the little guy seemed to sense his sight, and his eyes searched this way.Sensitive little one, Dumbledore thought, perhaps he should let Severus watch her.

Severus Snape was the dean of Slytherin and a highly capable professor whom Dumbledore valued.Not every professor can conquer a group of ambitious Slytherins by strength and become their leader.Although his stern attitude and the way he treats his house differently from other houses makes him very unpopular among the students.But the rigorous teaching and strong knowledge of potions are still recognized by colleagues.Privately, the staff at Hogwarts did not reject him, and occasionally asked him to help prepare some potions.

Every year at the beginning of school, there will always be a period of hectic days, so that everyone has no time to care about others.So when Dumbledore was free to talk to Snape about Collins, it was already a month later.

"Would you like one, Severus?" Dumbledore was sitting in the headmaster's office eating a licorice wand, and when he saw Snape walking in, he enthusiastically recommended it to him.

"No, thank you. Can you call me here, Headmaster?" Snape was always concise and straight to the point.

"How are the Slytherin students doing recently? According to Madam Pomfrey, a little boy named Wilkes always seems to be in some trouble." Dumbledore asked casually.

"No one in my college did anything to him, they have always behaved well." Snape said in a businesslike tone, "But you know, his father was killed by an Auror on the spot because he resisted arrest, and his identity as a Death Eater It was made public. The children left behind by those killed by the Death Eaters are currently studying at Hogwarts. They hate him and always want to make him trouble."

"Perhaps talk to him and see if he needs some help?" suggested Dumbledore.

"I don't think it's necessary for the time being. It's just a small trouble of the lower grades. But I will pay attention to him and won't let him be in any danger." Snape said.

"I believe you can handle it well, Severus. Also, can you tell me about Esther Collins? She is also a freshman in this class."

"Collins? Is there a problem with her?" Snape asked suspiciously.

"I heard that her house is very close to where Harry lives, and the two seem to be good friends." Dumbledore didn't intend to hide it.

Snape became alarmed. "You mean, she approached Potter on purpose?"

"No, no, you misunderstood, Severus. She did live there all her life, and Harry didn't know anything about it until they were friends. I think Miss Collins knew about him, but she I never told him about it, and I even hid my magical abilities very well. I was just curious about her." Dumbledore explained.

"Is that so?" Snape thought, "Actually, I met her in Diagon Alley before school started. She has a good talent for potions and studies hard. Her observation and judgment are very good. Except Aside from being a little overwhelmed, it seems to be fine."

"Does she have friends at school?" Dumbledore asked.

"She had a good relationship with everyone, but she seemed to be very close to a Gryffindor girl in terms of friends," Snape recalled.

"A Gryffindor friend? That's really rare. It's not easy for Slytherin to be friends with Gryffindor." Dumbledore said ecstatically.

Snape hung his head, looking a little depressed.

"Help me pay more attention to her, please? If she is fine, I hope you have the opportunity to guide her. I think Harry may need some capable friends in the future." Finally Dumbledore said to Snape.

After a period of observation, Dumbledore felt that Collins was indeed a good student.Although she is thoughtful and doesn't like to show off, she has good grades and doesn't like forming gangs.

Collins and Wilkes became friends in the second grade and sent several people who often troubled Wilkes to the school hospital.Dumbledore rushed to the school hospital to visit the seriously injured students as soon as he got the news.When he and the two deans arrived, Collins was chatting with Dearborn, who was unwilling to accept treatment.

"He's not his dad, he's not a criminal; just like you're not your dad, you're not a hero...

...you're just looking for a scapegoat...

...But I hope they do it directly, so at least in my heart my parents love me, and I can hate them openly. "

Dumbledore noticed that she trembled slightly as she spoke, that she was not as calm as she appeared.A child longing for affection after all, the Death Eater's influence kept her from being part of Voldemort's camp, much to Dumbledore's delight.

Although the two parties had reconciled, Dumbledore still took them back to the office for processing.After all, he violated the school rules, so he had to understand what happened.It was determined that the two of them were only passively fighting, and the reason for the heavy shot turned out to be because of panic.Dumbledore couldn't help laughing inwardly. The seemingly mature and stable little girl, who has been hiding in the Muggle community for so many years, would cast spells indiscriminately because of panic during the battle?

But facing the sincere eyes of the little girl, Dumbledore chose to believe it.After everyone left the office, he walked to Fox and stroked his feathers and asked softly, "What do you think of this little girl?" Phoenix tweeted melodiously, and closed his eyes to enjoy Dumbledore's touch.