HP Midnight Light

- January 1979, 6 - Smith Manor

"This is your first public appearance since you came back, it means a lot, so you have to show your best side, you know?"

A radiant woman was reflected in the mirror.

Aurora stared at herself intently. She hadn't fully adapted to her new identity yet, but she was already impressed by the gorgeous clothes and the grand manners of her new family.

"I know."

Her sister-in-law — who now runs the Smith estate — leaned over and adjusted the earrings for her: "You look stunning, darling."

For the first time, Aurora knew that Cinderella could really become a princess just by dressing up.She quietly touched the silk robe, a texture of clothing she had never seen before.

"What do I need to do?" She couldn't help asking nervously.

"You don't need anything, dear." Mrs. Smith smiled, "Just enjoy the banquet." She patted Aurora on the shoulder and exited the room.

"Is she dressed?" Mr. Smith waited in another room.

"Yes."

"That's good." He fiddled with the bow tie wearily, and Mrs. Smith stepped forward to help:

"For Merlin's sake, dear, you must be patient today."

"I will."

The purpose of this banquet is extremely complicated.The Smith family hopes to take this opportunity to clear up the notoriety brought about by the abandonment incident. On the other hand, they hope to deal with this troublesome family member as soon as possible.

In other words, it would be great if Aurora could be spotted by a single guy.

"Will the person in charge of Azkaban attend?"

"Yes."

"I hope he can promise to take care of them more." - "They" refers to Aurora and Mr. Smith's parents who were sentenced to Azkaban for six years.This is also the main reason why Mr. Smith dislikes this sister.

"The big deal is to bribe some more."

The couple fell silent.

In the past period of time, they have continuously paid a large amount of Galleons, which is definitely not a small amount of expenses for a declining ancient family.

Aurora saw a real banquet for the first time.Just the elven choir and unmelted ice decorations alone were enough to amaze her for a long time.

Such a scene of fragrant clothes and shadows made her feel dizzy for a while.

"Ann." She turned her head, and it was William who was also well-dressed, "I'm sorry, I should call you 'Aurora' now."

She smiled. "Yes, Gavin."

"This feeling is really strange." Gavin looked around the luxurious arrangement, "It's like breaking into another world."

"This is another world." Aurora reminded.

Gavin tugged his cuff buttons uncomfortably: "Maybe it will take me a while to get used to it."

Aurora didn't answer.Her eye was drawn to a lady's hair accessory, what was it made of--diamonds?

"They promised to take care of my adoptive father, and they did. I discussed it with him and chose the best nursing home in Edinburgh. My father has always wanted to live in Edinburgh, and he likes the scenery there."

Aurora frowned.

"Although they said that I can't tell my father my real identity, normal visits should be possible." Gavin said with great interest, "If possible, I really hope that the healer from the wizarding world can give him a visit." Look at the injuries..."

Aurora noticed that several nearby guests seemed to be attracted by Gavin's words. They pretended to be chatting, but she was very sure that they were laughing at Gavin's inappropriate speech.

"What have you been doing lately? I've been asked to learn some strange etiquette all this time. To be honest, I find it extremely awkward. Especially the speaking style of some of them..."

"For God's sake!" Aurora finally interrupted Gavin's extemporaneous speech annoyed, "Please, please don't repeat those stupid things here, please?"

Gavin looked at her in astonishment, and Aurora lowered her voice irritably: "We have recovered our true identities, now the most important thing is to integrate into the wizarding world as soon as possible instead of obsessing about Muggle things." She couldn't help scanning Glancing at the guests, Gavin noticed:

"You think they'll laugh at our talk? But that's where we come from. It's not our fault if it's funny, and it's the people who deserted us to blame—"

Aurora stomped her feet: "Hush! Are you crazy? Isn't it because we have recovered our identity that we have such a good life now?"

"But they abandoned us first." Gavin vaguely realized the reason why Aurora changed so quickly, "Are you enjoying your new life?"

"Aren't you?"

"It's to give my father a better life." Gavin stared at her, "You must know that this is a deal: we recognize our identity, they can save face, and in exchange, we have to provide us with material compensation. Do you have feelings for them?"

Aurora turned her head away in embarrassment——

"Dear sister," Mr. Smith appeared out of nowhere, "have you seen Mr. Greengrass—ah, so you are here, Gavin, your brother has been looking for you for a long time."

"Sorry, I happened to see Ms. Smith, so I talked to her a few words." The etiquette learning is not useless, at least Gavin now speaks with some posture, "Aurora, this is my brother Sean."

"Mr. Greengrass is about to graduate from Hogwarts this year. It is a great honor for him to come to our banquet today just after his exams." Mr. Smith introduced, "Sean, this is my sister O Lola."

Sean took Aurora's hand and kissed it. He looked into her eyes, and Aurora's heart suddenly missed a beat.

"Aurora, I wonder if you can allow me to ask you to dance together?" Gavin suddenly reached out to her at this moment, Aurora didn't react for a moment, she agreed instinctively.Gavin immediately took her other hand and led her to the dance floor. Aurora looked back subconsciously, but couldn't see Mr. Smith's expression, but met Sean's focused gaze.

Mr. Smith, who had previously been displeased by Gavin's behavior, naturally observed the subtle interaction between them.

"Aurora doesn't know the rules yet, don't mind." He tentatively said.

"On the contrary." Sean withdrew his gaze, "Your sister is a very charming lady."

After a few minutes of dancing, Aurora quickly got rid of Gavin and found an excuse to go upstairs.

She needed a place to calm down—Gavin said a lot of things like "not of this world" to her during the dance just now.Aurora doesn't agree with this. Her life principle is simple: wherever she feels comfortable, she wants to be there.This kind of life was her dream, and Aurora felt that Gavin's idea of ​​leaving everything behind and returning to the Muggle world was too naive.

At this time, she suddenly heard a burst of music.

Aurora walked towards the music, but saw a figure in the lounge on the second floor.

Sean Greenglass was sitting in front of a piano, playing a world-famous piece of Muggle music with his eyes closed.

The song is over.Aurora couldn't help but signaled her presence: "You can play the piano? I mean... Muggle music?"

"Miss Smith." Sean stood up politely. "I have some interest in Muggle art and literature. Although I haven't taken formal classes, I have studied a little in private."

"You play well."

"That's ridiculous." Sean paused, "Why did you leave the banquet?"

Aurora was startled: "I just wanted to catch my breath, sorry to bother you—"

"It's okay, I just want to find a quiet place." Sean smiled. "Miss Smith, I heard that you have studied Muggle literature?"

Aurora quickly denied: "No, Mr. Greengrass, I just read a few books."

Sean smiled: "Please call me by my name. Coincidentally, I am very interested in Muggle literature."

"Really?" Aurora blinked in disbelief, "Do you have any favorite writers?"

"Virginia Woolf." Sean quickly replied, "I like her narrative style very much. If I'm not mistaken, she should be a stream-of-consciousness writer, right?"

Aurora exclaimed in surprise: "I once wrote a dissertation about her..." She suddenly realized that it was inappropriate to talk about Muggle matters, and Aurora stopped talking quickly, hesitating and refusing to continue.

Sean saw her concern: "I understand, Miss Smith. But if you don't mind, maybe we can go for a walk in the garden? By the way, tell me more about Woolf, you know at It's always been difficult for the wizarding world to really understand Muggle literature."

- 6 July - Unnamed Castle, Cumbria

Cornelia put a line between the two names: "Master, Vera just happened to show a strong interest in Greengrass, do you think we should fulfill her little wish?"

"Do as you want, Cornelia." The Dark Lord lazily ordered, and this sentence attracted many envious and envious eyes from many Death Eaters for Cornelia.Evan, enjoying the publicity, chimed in with another incident:

"Master, Leah and I hope you will allow Barty Crouch Jr. to join us in the hunt for Caradoc."

"Crouch." The Dark Lord pondered for a moment, "Isn't he afraid that old Crouch will find out what he's doing?"

"Old Crouch is too absorbed in his work, Master. Unless Barty Jr. tortures Muggles in front of him, he won't be able to realize his son's position in another 50 years."

The Dark Lord hissed. "Stupid man...he gave a lot of public speeches, only to get stabbed by his own son."

"You agree, master?"

"Of course. Let Barty Jr. come and see the world with you. Tell him I'll brand him this Christmas if he does well."

Cornelia and Evan looked at each other calmly.

Signus at the end of the long table couldn't help but leaned over: "Master, I have learned about Dorcas' latest movements..."

"I've thought about it, Signus," the Dark Lord interrupted him, "you'd better capture the Meadows couple first."

Signus turned pale: "Master?"

"I'm quite curious whether Dorcas will be like Marlene, who would rather die than die, or will obediently fall to our side." The Dark Lord explained with rare patience, "Remember, catch the living."

"Yes." Signus nodded repeatedly.The Dark Lord looked away from him:

"We have eliminated the McKinnon family... the rest of the people will be wiped out one by one by us... Do you know why the Phoenix society has fallen into such a passive situation? It's very simple... Dumbledore is a good man, a wise man A wise leader who is always wasting his mind on unnecessary 'kindness', always trying to 'influence' us..."

Many Death Eaters held the venue and laughed.Regulus also laughed, and he sat beside Rodolphus. Bellatrix was absent from today's assembly, but she specifically asked Rodolphus to take good care of Regulus, the rising star of tomorrow. Star.After Sirius betrayed the family and ran away, the Black family was united and vowed to let Regulus go on the "right track".

"He even advocated that members of the Order of the Phoenix under his command should not use deadly spells." The Dark Lord raised his voice, and the room suddenly fell silent, "He thought he could win this war with the Stunning Spell and the Disarming Spell, which is impossible Of course... I don't just mean the Kedavra advantage... We have a secret weapon... a secret weapon that Dumbledore couldn't have imagined—" Under the burning gaze of the Death Eaters The Dark Lord lowered his voice dramatically, "That's me. An opponent who will never disappear, fall or fail."

Surprised expressions naturally appeared on some people's faces, and the Dark Lord certainly noticed:

"Think of your names, gentlemen... I have vanquished the last of my enemies - death. Nothing or anyone can now erase us from the world, even if I stand before Dumbledore without my wand and let him say Curse, he can't do anything to me."

Regulus' ears were buzzing, the Dark Lord's words matched the kind of black magic that Bella revealed - eternal life.Whatever the name of that magic, Regulus now had every reason to believe that the Dark Lord had actually used it and... Regulus suddenly shuddered.What if the Dark Lord split his soul into more than one piece?He only knew about the locket, but no doubt the Dark Lord would instead try to make sure he couldn't get further access to anything more, and he would have to find a way to keep his own soul safe... The Dark Lord underestimated house-elves, That's why Kreacher can reveal the secret, but he will definitely not leave more loopholes...

"Regulus!" Rodolphus stomped on Regulus's foot, and he suddenly came to his senses.The Dark Lord's scarlet eyes were fixed on him, and the Death Eaters at the long table were all staring at him, too.

Cold sweat broke out on Regulus's back: "Sorry, master, I was distracted just now."

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter." The Dark Lord leniently let Regulus' desertion go, "Regulus, I was just asking if you would do something for me."

"Please order, Master."

The Dark Lord fiddled with his wand: "Find the graves of the McKinnons and bring their bodies back here."

- June 6 - Caradoc's home

Snapped!

Two figures appeared out of nowhere on the street.

Caradoc held Dorcas tightly, and she struggled desperately: "No, no, I can't go home with you, Caradoc. They will find you, they will follow you, they will take you Like taking my parents—”

"Dorcas!" Caradoc raised his voice slightly.

"I'm not Marlene, I won't send it to your door easily. Let me go, Caradoc, so you and I are safe..."

"If you're wandering alone, it's no safer than being delivered to your door." Caradoc said firmly. "Relax at my house for the night, Dorcas. Tomorrow Dumbledore will come up with a perfect plan."

"I can't hurt you, Caradoc—"

"Now is not the time to be a hero, Dorcas, if they really come to you tonight, then we will beat them to nowhere, anyway, I can't let you stay outside alone." K took advantage of Dorcas's stupor and dragged her into the defensively-enchanted courtyard gate—which meant they were safe for the time being.

Dorcas shook his head. "I'm not worth your risk, Caradoc. I mean...you've risked enough."

"I was ready to die the moment I joined the Order of the Phoenix." Caradoc opened the door. "Come on, you need a calming cup of hot cocoa."

The three people hiding not far away naturally witnessed the scene where the two of them were pushing and shoving.

"That's Dorcas Meadows."

"That's right." This unexpected person made Evan frown and hesitate.

"We can kill them both, Father." Cornelia was eager to try.She didn't care if Signus would be mad at them for stealing his job.

Evan thought otherwise: "No. There are only three of us, we can't take risks."

Cornelia yelled in dissatisfaction: "Father!"

Evan glanced at her: "What did I tell you?"

Cornelia reluctantly shuts up.

"The appearance of Dorcas means that the reinforcements of the Order of the Phoenix are likely to arrive tomorrow morning, so we must act before the reinforcements come." Evan said, "Now we will ambush here, and after a while... maybe In the wee hours of the morning, we scrambled to trigger the defensive spell. Caradoc will definitely go out to check, and Barty will go up and fight him first. If Dorcas comes out later, then Leah, you will delay her, and I will help Barty Dee subdues Caradoc. If she doesn't show up, Leah, you're on guard."

"So let's make a quick decision, and then go back and report to the Dark Lord?" Barty Jr.'s voice trembled with excitement and nervousness.

"No, we have to get out of here as soon as possible with Caradoc Apparation, don't forget that they should be able to easily move in reinforcements." Evan emphasized again, "The only thing we have to do here is Take Caradoc as quickly as possible...to the Dark Lord's castle, where he will never escape again. And the Dark Lord prefers a living captive."

"I see." Cornelia nodded, "Then let me trigger the alarm?"

"Yes." Evan said, "Barty, you and I are lying in ambush on both sides of the yard, you go first—don't worry, I will guarantee your safety."

"I am always ready to give my life for the Dark Lord, Mr. Rozier." Little Barty said without thinking.Cornelia smiled at him, and Barty Jr. felt that he had completely let go of all hesitation.

"Good boy." Evan patted him on the shoulder.

"I cleaned up a bedroom for you, it's upstairs."

"I don't want to rest, Caradoc." Dorcas curled up on the sofa.

"It's okay, you can do whatever you want." Caradoc waved his wand, "Would you like coffee?"

"Thank you."

There was silence for a while.

"This is the second time you've saved my life." Dorcas put down his glass. "The last time was in Edinburgh."

Caradoc coughed unnecessarily: "Uh...you're welcome."

Continue to be silent.

"Dorcas?"

"Ok?"

Caradoc fiddled with the coffee cup in his hand uneasily: "It may not be a good time, but... If Dumbledore agrees, I will participate in the operation to save your parents." He suddenly became nervous, "My It means... well... if you understand..."

Dorcas blinked: "What do I know?"

Caradoc lowered his head in frustration: "You must be playing stupid."

Before Dorcas could answer, there was a sound like an explosion outside the door, and Caradoc and Dorcas quickly grasped their wands.

"They're coming, Dorcas, call headquarters by the fireplace. I'll go and see what's going on—" Caradoc rushed out the door.

Dorcas rushed to the fireplace to grab a handful of flashing Floo powder, and a few minutes later her head appeared in the fireplace of the Order of the Phoenix headquarters: "Is anyone there? Emergency: The Caradoc family needs support, food Dead Apostle Raid!"

"I'll be there soon." Someone quickly responded, it was Remus, "Peter has already gone to notify the people on duty, and he and I will leave the headquarters immediately, hold on!"

Dorcas reappeared in front of the Caradoc fireplace after a whirlwind, and without hesitation she grabbed her wand and rushed out the door.

"Avada Kedavra!" Before she could see the situation clearly, she narrowly avoided a Kedavra curse. The defensive spell had been broken, and Cornelia jumped over the fence and began to fight fiercely with Dorcas.

On the other side, Evan has also joined the battle, and Karadoc is evenly matched against him and Barty Jr. at the same time.

"They're coming soon, Caradoc, hang in there!" Dorcas cried, as she noticed a green light brush dangerously past Caradoc's ear. "Beware!"

"Quickly imprisoned!"

Dorcas let out a short scream, tripped over a rope, and struggled to raise her wand, while Cornelia had shifted her target:

"Passed out!"

"It's time!" Evan saw that Caradoc was tired of parrying the three of them, "Leah! It's time!"

"To pieces!" At the same time Dorcas blasted the rope, Cornelia spun on the spot, Evan and Barty Jr. had firmly grasped Caradoc, and he was struggling frantically to get rid of them. shackles—

"No!"

Dorcas let out a piercing scream: "All petrified!"

However, those four people had disappeared into the night.

The spell nearly hit the newcomer, and Remus raised his wand aloft: "Dorcas?" Peter followed beside him.

"He's gone!" screamed Dorcas, "they've taken him!"

The author has something to say:

Note:

1. [Mr. and Mrs. Smith]: The parents of Zaka Rice Smith in the original book.But Zacharias wasn't born yet.

2. Gavin (William) is set up as a poor boy from the lower class, and he certainly can't adapt to his new life.In contrast, Aurora (An) who has received a certain amount of education is much better.

3. What the Dark Lord said "defeated the last enemy-death" was understood by other Death Eaters as his magical ability was so powerful that Dumbledore could not kill him. Only Regulus, who knew part of the truth, really understood.

4. The Dark Lord thought Kreacher didn't escape the cave, but he did.Here's the sequel.

5. For the clues of Caradoc and Dorcas, see Chapter 1978 of Volume 10, which is very obscure.

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