[HP] Companion

"I thought you were going to live with Malfoy and grow old with him."

Tom is back.On the day he came back, the weather was unusually clear, without a single cloud in the thousands of miles of blue sky, and the summer wind was blowing with its unique heat.He took his luggage and entered the room amidst the panicked faces of the orphanage.

At that time, I had just finished lunch and was drowsy. I was lying on the bed and looking through the few books I bought. I didn’t even have the energy to be surprised when I saw him appearing at the door.But I still, at the right moment, sneered.

Apparently Tom has been having a great time at Malfoy Manor these last few weeks, and even my sarcasm doesn't add much to him.Of course, Mrs. Cole and the children in the orphanage are not as courageous as I am, but what they want to say is already on their faces.

—Why do you want to come back?

Why are you coming back.In fact, I also want to say the same thing. It's not bad to enjoy a room by yourself.

"That's a sad thing to say, Alice."

"Merlin, after spending a few days with Malfoy, you're as disgusting as he is when you talk."

I put the book aside, rubbed the goose bumps on my arms, and my liking for Malfoy dropped again.Yes, I don't like Malfoy.Their family is an ancient wizarding family with considerable influence in the wizarding world, so he is complacent and conceited—especially looking down on some Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. Although we have no intersection, he also No contempt was shown to me, but the attitude was irritating.

Moreover, his grades are better than mine, and he is always surrounded by people.His performance at Hogwarts seems to show that he must become a "privileged person" in the wizarding world after graduation.

—Yes, I am jealous.

Tom put the luggage away, and asked me what I did during the summer vacation. I told him that I didn't do anything, and I covered the quilt with my back to him and took a nap.When I woke up it was four o'clock in the afternoon, the sky was still bright but not so hot, a few hours was enough time for Nagini to explain everything to Tom, of course, I was not surprised.

It would be a miracle if Nagini chose to keep it a secret from me.

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and sat up with my messy hair. Tom sat on the bed and stroked Nagini's head. He looked at me with a playful smile on his face: "So you believed that—— Hellman? Why don't you ask me? I can ask Malfoy, or Black, please look into it. You know, it's not difficult."

Apparently he didn't take the whole thing about me seriously.

"No. I can do it myself."

"You would rather believe a stranger than believe me?"

"It's not about trust. I'm just trying to get it done on my own."

"You're not relying on yourself, you're relying on someone you don't know."

"Oh yes, I just don't want you—or your Slytherins to help."

Don't let others know, protect yourself.Those words echoed so clearly in my ears.If it was just a prank, why would he talk to me with such a serious expression?At least this sentence, he is sincere.Heilmann should have something to do with me, if not my family.At least he won't hurt me.But Tom and Slytherin... I don't have that confidence.

"Alice, do you remember what you said to me on the train when school started? You said that smiling at everyone might not do you any good, but it can never do you any harm—now, see Look at yourself, sharp and alone, wishing that everyone would stay away from you."

"...I didn't." I retorted automatically, but Tom was right, and I knew it better than he did.I hung out with the Hufflepuffs but never got close, not even with my roommates.I always choose to act alone if I can act alone.Once I was one of the most lovable kids in the orphanage, now I'm the one with the fewest friends.

Tom knew what I was doing at school, he was watching me.

"So what the hell are you thinking, Alice?"

This is obviously the sentence I should ask him, what the hell are you thinking, Tom?Did you ever consider me a friend?How does your attitude towards me compare to that of Slytherins?In your heart, who am I?

But it was too stupid to ask Tom such a question, and he couldn't possibly tell anyone what was on his mind.

I looked away, closed the book in my hand, and talked to him about something else: "I think I should change rooms, Tom."

Speaking of which, I chose to share a room with Tom because I was worried that my former friend Anne would be hurt if I couldn't control the magic.But now I have learned to control the magic power, and Anne, who is well-behaved and sensible, has also been adopted.Tom and I are 12 years old and I still kind of mind sharing a room with a boy - even though we've been doing that for five years.

Tom looked at me with strange eyes: "It's war time, Alice. There are more people in the orphanage than before, and our rooms are already counted."

It is now [-].

The war has already left countless scars on the city, and more and more babies are being abandoned. The orphanage managed by Mrs. Cole has no more vacancies.Most of the rooms were packed with three or four children, and Tom and I were already "advantaged."

But even being squeezed in a room with others and being looked at with monster eyes by others is a hundred times a thousand times better than Tom.Yes, his elusiveness, his scheming, his ambition, are unsettling, even frightening.I even think that maybe one day he will kill me in my dream.

I wanted to get rid of him more than ever.

"Stay here, Alice."

"Stay here."

After speaking, Tom left.I lay down on the bed, and instead of following him, Nagini climbed onto my bed. Nagini was cold, but helped me to calm down.

"Tom sees you as a friend, Alice. He's protecting you in his own way. I've known him before you. I know what he thinks."

"I do not like this feeling."

"You know Tom's temper, Slytherin's ways are always different. You choose to trust a stranger and reject Tom, he will be sad."

I know, but I'm still afraid of him.

I was terrified of Tom, and even though I often taunted him and contradicted him, the truth was, I was terrified of him.

He's better than me, and he's darker than me.We have never been equal, he has me as his property and I have been living in his shadow.

He might really care about me now, but I can't be sure he'll always be that way.I am afraid that one day I will become his victim.

"Tom won't hurt you, trust me, Alice. Even if he wanted to hurt you, I wouldn't let it."

I think there are other reasons to stay away from him.

I know Tom is dangerous, even so I want to be able to match him.I have been working hard, trying to be as good as him.

But I can't, at least not right now.What I saw was that he went to Slytherin and I went to Hufflepuff.The gap between us is widening.I can't, I can't be like him.

I can't keep up with his footsteps.I can't stand shoulder to shoulder with him.I am not his companion.

If I can't be the one who stands shoulder to shoulder with him, I might as well stay away from him earlier.Cut off my hopeless delusion.

Damn Riddle.

The second half of the summer vacation was uneventful.In the end, I still failed to move out of the room. Seeing the terrified faces of the children in the orphanage, probably even if Tom agreed, these children would not be willing to sleep with me.

Tom stayed in the orphanage for the rest of the time, earning money by selling potions, and usually read books in his room.And I went to work at Lihen Bookstore, responsible for organizing the bookshelves and handling some weird books (such as invisible books and flying books). I went there for another reason. I wondered if I would meet the previous that man.

The truth is no.

Heilmann didn't reply, and he didn't show up.It seems that the adventure that day was just a real and clear dream, gradually fading and withering in the memory.

But I didn't find out nothing.

The owner of Lihen Bookstore is a passionate and knowledgeable witch. When there is no business in the store, she will chat with us clerks. Once I asked her if she knew "Hellman".

The next thing I saw was the wonderful change in the face of the knowledgeable shopkeeper. She looked around and finally asked in a low voice, "How do you know? The name?"

"I overheard it before." Lying is not difficult.

"I don't know who mentioned this family to you, but you must never inquire about it again in the future, and you must not provoke the Hellman family."

Hellmann is the oldest family in the wizarding world in Germany. The current patriarch is second only to Gellert Grindelwald among the saints. Before that, Hellmann had been in control of the entire German wizarding world.Of course, the power of this family does not stop there, and every country and every family has various contacts with it.

...sounds like something out of some third-rate Muggle novel.

Of course, the store manager's words cannot be false, but if I am really from the Hellman family, how could they have been unable to find me?Since they have so much power, why don't they take me away quickly?

If I wasn't from the Hellmans, why did he lie to me that day?

It's really puzzling.

The summer holidays are coming to an end, and the owner offered me a higher salary than previously agreed upon, much to my delight.I took the money to prepare myself for the new year's school supplies, and set foot on the train to Hogwarts.