[HP] The Dark Duke's Candy

As soon as Candice got home, she started flipping through her books.

She quickly found "Hogwarts, A Piece of School History" and planned to bring it to new friends tomorrow.

Putting the book away, I remembered that I was seen by five Muggle children today, and I felt a little uneasy.She waited anxiously until Mr. Bell came back at night, seeing that he seemed to be no different from usual, so she breathed a sigh of relief.

It doesn't look like she caused much of a commotion.

That's right, she walked in such a timely manner that the adults didn't see her, and no one took a picture of her. Even if the adults listened to the children's descriptions, they would only think that they were talking nonsense.

Candice was relieved, and after taking a shower, she lay on the bed and got ready to sleep.But now that she has met new friends, she can't sleep at all. She tosses and turns, and as soon as she closes her eyes, Tom Riddle's face will appear in her mind.

She let out a long sigh of relief, sat up and patted her face, and found that her cheeks were extremely hot.

Oh shit, what happened to her.

Covering herself with the quilt in frustration, Candice tried her best to fall asleep, and finally managed to fall asleep in the middle of the night.

The next day, she woke up early in the morning, and this rare diligence made Mr. Bell stunned.

"Why did you get up so early today?" He looked at his pocket watch, "It's only past six o'clock."

Candice began to blush again. She couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. Why did she blush easily? Was it because of a guilty conscience?

"It's nothing, I just can't fall asleep." Candice said with a blushing face, "I'm going to wash Dad." After she finished speaking, she turned around and ran away, lest her father find out that something was wrong.

Mr. Bell stared at his daughter's back for a while, pursed his lips slightly, but didn't say anything.

At 08:30, Mr. Bell apparated to go to work at the Ministry of Magic on time. Candice watched her father leave, and waited patiently for a while, making sure that he would not go and return before grabbing the broomstick and With the book ready, fly towards the orphanage opposite.

Because it was purposeful and prepared this time, Candice was careful not to let anyone find herself.She landed in the dry forest where she met Tom Riddle yesterday, and waited for him leaning on the thickest trunk.

Holding the book in her arms, she happily thought about how to introduce Hogwarts to her new friends.She made many, many beautiful ideas in her mind, thinking that they could play and chat together, and she would no longer be alone at home, dazed and reading, which inevitably made her a little excited.

But the reality is disappointing.

Candice waited until noon for Riddle to show up.

She hid behind the tree and looked in the direction of the building, not even the five children who bullied Riddle yesterday.

Did he forget their agreement?Candice found it impossible. Although she had just met Tom, she firmly felt that he was not the kind of person who would break his promise.

After thinking about it, she decided to go home for dinner first, and come back in the afternoon, she thought—maybe he was delayed by something, the children in the orphanage don't have much freedom, maybe they were arranged to work.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt that it was so, Candy was not discouraged at all, stood up, patted her skirt, and rode home on a broom.

Mr. Bell helps Candice prepare lunch every morning before going to work, because he usually doesn't come home at noon.

Candice went to the kitchen and took out the lunch that her father had cast a heat-retaining spell on. The economic depression in the Muggle world did not affect the wizarding world. The food and accommodation at Bell's house were considered superior, and Mr. Bell, as the Ministry of Magic's magical accident And the director of the Disaster Department, the salary is also very impressive. Candice has never had to worry about not having enough food when she grows up.

But... She thought of her new friend again. There are so many children in the orphanage, and he is still the one who is being bullied. He must be living a bad life.You can tell by his sunken cheeks and thin body.

Looking down at her lunch, Candice saved the meatloaf and pudding and planned to bring them to Riddle in the afternoon.

After dinner, she waited patiently for a while before going to the orphanage again.

But this time she was disappointed again.

Riddle still didn't show up.

Candice came in high spirits and came back disappointed, and even Mr. Bell noticed her depressed mood when he came home from get off work.

"Candy." Mr. Bell's expression was tense, and he said after a while, "Do you miss your mother?"

Candice froze, pursed her lips and shook her head, "No, Dad. I'm fine, I'm just a little..." Lonely and lost.

Mr. Bell didn't know about Candice's little tricks in private, and thought she was pretending to be strong. As a strict father, he couldn't hug her as closely as his mother to comfort him, so he could only say awkwardly: "In a few days I'm on vacation, and I'll take you around Diagon Alley."

If it was before, Candice would shout happily, but today Candice is very abnormal, she just thanked her father with a smile, and went back to the room with the book in her arms.

Mr. Bell was a little worried, but he didn't say anything in the end. He picked up the Daily Prophet and tried to divert his attention, restraining himself from recalling the days when his wife was still alive.

Time passed day by day, until the fourth day, Candice still didn't see Riddle.

At that time, she finally gradually realized the reality-he might not come.

Why?Candice didn't understand, they clearly agreed.She lay prone in front of the window of her room, staring at the orphanage opposite, and there was no Tom Riddle among the children who occasionally went to the yard for activities.

Candice narrowed her eyes and suddenly realized that she seemed to have missed something.

She thought, maybe he didn't want to come, but he couldn't come?She left in a hurry that day and didn't notice what happened afterwards. Perhaps those children identified him together and caused him trouble?

Certainly so.

Candice straightened up immediately, picked up the broom and wanted to save her new friend who might be being punished, but when she walked to the door, she found that her appearance in this way would only cause more trouble.

Really annoying.

Candice retreated sleepily, wandering around the room, and when the sky was getting dark, she thought of a brilliant solution.

In Godric's Hollow, Fremont Potter received his long-awaited letter from Candice.

Candice's letter was very long, covering all aspects, Fremont read it with relish, until he saw the end of the letter, Candice was very embarrassed to borrow the invisibility cloak from him.

Fremont is a little bit in trouble.

It's true that he has an invisibility cloak at home. If Candice still lives in the valley, it won't be a problem for him to take it out and play with the two of them.

But if it is mailed, he is a little worried that his parents will not agree, and he is also afraid that it will not be safe enough.

But after all, this was Candice's request. Seeing at the end of the letter, Candice said that it's okay if it doesn't work, and he felt more and more that he couldn't let her down.

So a few days later, when Candice received Fremont's letter, she really found the Invisibility Cloak in that huge package.

Candice was very happy. She warmly entertained the owl of Potter's family, and then returned a long thank you letter, promising to send it back to him as soon as it was used up.

Candice used the cloak the night she received it.

In the early hours of the morning, after making sure that her father had fallen asleep, she picked up the broom and books, opened the window of her room, and prepared to fly out with the cloak of invisibility.

But before taking off, she turned back as if thinking of something, went to the kitchen furtively to grab a few pieces of bread, and then set off with peace of mind.

She flew directly to the courtyard of the orphanage, hid the broom, put on the invisibility cloak, and walked towards the dark and gloomy building step by step.

The way adults punish children is nothing more than confinement, and Candice has also been confinement because she knocked out the front teeth of the Muggle kid who bullied Fremont in the valley.

At that time, her mother was still alive, and her father only locked her in confinement for an hour before she was rescued by her mother.

Riddle didn't have a mother who could save him, that's why he was locked up for so long, right?

Wearing an invisibility cloak, Candice walked cautiously in the dark corridor of the building with a bag of hot bread.This was her first time in such a scary place, and it was still in the middle of the night, but she wasn't very scared, but more excited about exploring.She thought, it must be her Gryffindor blood at work, their whole family is Gryffindor, and she knew that she would definitely be in Gryffindor in the future.

Candice stared at the surroundings with wide eyes, but whenever she came across a room that looked like a confinement room, she would carefully check it out.The doors of most of the rooms can be opened from the outside, making creaking noises at night, but because the night is very late and everyone is fast asleep, no one notices such abnormalities.

It wasn't until she came to a corner on the fourth floor that she stopped in a hurry.

There is a very old wooden door here, which is tightly closed and locked.

She lay on the ground wearing an invisibility cloak, and looked inside through the gap under the door. There was a faint light inside.

This is the first time she has found light in the room since she came here, and Candice tried to look in through the gap and saw a pair of familiar shoes.

It was Tom's shoe, Candice remembered.He seemed to be on the ground, and she couldn't be sure where the light was coming from, the only thing she could be sure of was that he looked very, very bad.

He may be injured, or he may have been starved for a long time, what is he lying there on, although she can only see his shoes and a small part of his ankle, but she can be 100% sure of these, otherwise why is he not lying on the bed?It was almost October now, and the weather in London was not that warm at night. He would definitely get sick if he lay there for a long time.

Candice was very angry and a little bit distressed. She blinked and tried to open the door again, but the door was locked and she couldn't get in.

Candice keenly thought of the Mrs. Cole that the children were talking about.

She rolled her eyes, put on the invisibility cloak again and left Zhisato, saying in her heart, wait for Tom, I will be here soon.

Candice came back really quickly.

In fact, she had met Mrs. Cole before she found this confinement room.She should be the administrator of the orphanage, and the room she lives in is the best one, which is very easy to find.And the place where she put the keys is not a difficult place for Candice, who often plays pranks, to find a large bunch of keys when she rummaged through them while wearing an invisibility cloak.

Not knowing which key belonged to the confinement room, Candice took them all.

She returned to the confinement room on the fourth floor as quickly as possible, trying keys one by one.

This process did not last long, but Candice felt as if a century had passed.

When she was sweating profusely, she finally heard the "click" sound that seemed to come from a dream.

The door opened.

Candice was very excited, but she still opened the door very carefully, trying not to make a sound.

When she finally opened the door and walked in, she found that she guessed right, Tom Riddle was locked up here.

He fell to the ground as she expected, leaning against the wall behind him, his face pale and half awake.

Candice was still wearing the cloak of invisibility. She turned around and closed the door before turning around and walking towards the unconscious boy step by step.

He looked thinner than when he first met, probably because he had been locked up since the day they parted, and there were still some unhealed wounds on his body.

Candice's eyes were red, she quickened her steps towards him, and when she was about to approach his body, the boy who had kept his eyes closed suddenly opened them, and looked at her imposingly——

"Who!" He shouted hoarsely, if he was still in a healthy state, it should be very deterrent, but now he is so hungry that he can't move, let alone scaring people, even the sound he made is very subtle.

Candice remembered her invisibility cloak, opened it immediately and walked out, lowering her voice, "It's Tom, I'm here to see you."

The tired and pale boy looked at Candice who appeared out of nowhere in disbelief. Candice couldn't ignore that look. Although she wanted to see his physical condition immediately, she had to explain to him first: "It's the invisibility cloak, I borrowed it from Fremont—he is also my friend." Candice stepped forward and squatted beside him, her eyes were red, her voice trembling, "How could they treat you like this? Have you been hungry for a long time? She took out the still warm bread from her bosom, handed it to him and said, "Eat it quickly, it's still warm."

Riddle hadn't eaten much for days.Mrs. Cole may have meant to let him die, and if it hadn't been for the food that the animals occasionally managed to bring, he might have starved to death as she wished.

The bread that Candice gave him looked like something that appeared in his dream.

He had never smelled such a good smell.

That's the same sweet, girlish smell about Candice.

He took the bread and devoured it. Candice sat on the side and watched quietly. She didn't show any dislike or dissatisfaction with his unrefined and embarrassing eating, and her eyes were even full of tears.

"How could they do this to you?"

She kept repeating these few words in a low voice, and began to cry unconsciously, which surprised Riddle very much.

He lived for more than ten years, and it was the first time someone shed tears for him.

Wiping the bread crumbs from the corner of his mouth, Riddle's breath finally became a little normal.

"How did you get in here?"

He asked, and moved the candle on one side a little closer so that Candice's expression could be seen more clearly.

Only then did Candice realize that the tiny light in the room came from the burnt out candle.

She stared at the candle in a daze, Riddle stared at her in silence for a while, and explained: "This is my... trophy." After talking about this topic, he said to her, "Every time I am locked up, I will use... magic to light it with magic." This way he will not feel so cold.

I will no longer struggle and despair because of the hatred and evil thoughts deep in my heart.

Candice was out of breath, but was careful not to make too much noise.She leaned close to Riddle, leaning slightly towards him. He was very cold. Candice lowered her eyelids and watched for a while, then took off her wizard robe and gave it to him.

"You're so cold, it'll be better if you wear it." Candice said softly, "I'm not cold, you should wear it."

Riddle passively put on her robe, pursed his lips slightly, his handsome face was slightly sunken under the candlelight, but still very charming.

He seldom says thank you to people, and he doesn't want to say it now. He still talks to her forcefully and directly: "How did you get in?" He asked the question he just asked again, and Candice answered in detail this time over him.

"That Mrs. Cole actually snores when she sleeps, louder than I opened the door, I don't have to worry about being discovered by her." Candice said angrily, "How did someone like her become an administrator? How dare she treat you like this, if it is in the wizarding world..." She thought that her assumption was unrealistic, so she didn't continue talking, and she was very unhappy with her mouth flattened.

Seeing a beautiful girl like an angel get angry for herself, shed tears for herself, and bring delicious food for herself. This feeling is like a dream. Although it is illusory, it is unexpectedly good.

She gave Tom Riddle many firsts in his life, and they didn't know it then, and he would dedicate many more firsts to her in the future.

In fact, Mrs. Cole was so angry this time because of the big trouble this time.After Candice left that time, Tom Riddle did not leave.The word escape was not in his dictionary. He went out and taught those five guys a good lesson. When Mrs. Cole found out again, Billy Stubbs and the others were already covered in blood.

But Candice never needs to know this kind of thing, and Riddle doesn't feel that he has made any mistakes.

It was those people who provoked him first, and he just resisted so that they would never dare to provoke him again.

"That's the invisibility cloak?" He pointed to the invisibility cloak not far away, seeming very interested.

Candice brought it over for him to check. The two children chatted by candlelight in the middle of the night, and they felt a little warm.

Candice also gave Tom the copy of "Hogwarts, a School History". The book was several days late, and finally arrived in front of Riddle. His interest in the invisibility cloak was suddenly diverted, holding the book Look carefully.

Although the orphanage is desolate and hard-working, in addition to working and starving, someone will teach them how to read and write.

But Riddle didn't thank them. Those people taught them how to read. Others didn't know why, but he knew it very well.

When they know how to read, they can help them do some jobs that can earn more money. They are only doing it for their own benefit.

This book is a complete introduction to Hogwarts, the wizarding school where all wizards over the age of 11 go to study.

The words about Hogwarts in the book were like magic, attracting all of Riddle's nerves. When he finally understood everything and turned his head to look around, he found that his shoulders were heavy.

Candice fell asleep, leaning on his shoulder.

She should indeed be tired. It was probably the first time she experienced such a long-lasting "expedition". She also cried a lot, and her eyes were still a little swollen when she slept.

Riddle's shoulders were very thin, and she didn't have any reliable feeling, but she leaned on it very reassuringly, snoring lightly in sleep.

A girl, a beautiful and sweet girl, even exhaled an indescribably good smell when she fell asleep.

Riddle frowned slightly, he turned his head sideways, and approached her face a little bit, staring at her beautiful and lovely face under the faint candlelight, and there was an extremely turbulent undercurrent in his heart.

She has everything a normal child should have.

A happy family, a beautiful childhood, and even the kindness and sincerity that are shown to anyone regardless of levels and types are all things that normal children should have, but he doesn't have them.

He has never had these, nor does he bother to have them.But seeing her living so flawlessly, as false as a dream bubble, he suddenly wanted to burst this bubble.

Gradually, he looked at her with a gloomy expression, but all he did in the end was wake her up by softly calling her name.

"Why did I fall asleep?" Candice straightened up abruptly, blushing a little too afraid to look at Riddle, "Have you finished reading?"

Riddle gave a soft "hmm", and she was embarrassed for a long time before looking at him cautiously.

When she looked over, she found that he was staring at her. Candice froze for a moment, her cheeks getting hotter.

"By the way, I don't know how old you are yet?" Candice looked for a topic in a panic. She didn't want the conversation between the two to stop. Once it stopped, she would feel the temperature of her cheeks and the accelerated heartbeat uncontrollably. She I feel like I can't even breathe normally.

Riddle answered faster this time. He said to her, "Ten years old."

Candice's eyes lit up and she asked him, "Then when is your birthday?"

This time he didn't answer for a long time, Candice thought he was unwilling to answer, and was about to tell him her birthday first, when she heard him say in a cold and indifferent tone: "December 31."

Candice was stunned, and then she showed an incredulous expression: "December 31?" She opened her eyes wide, "Me too."

Riddle was stunned, and looked at her in surprise, Candice said excitedly: "Our birthdays are the same! Both are on December 31! This is really great! We can celebrate birthdays together in the future! "

Birthday?That was too far away. He had never had a birthday when he grew up, and he didn't want to.

That would keep him thinking about how he was abandoned at the gate of the orphanage.

Candice didn't notice his increasingly depressed mood, she was still counting the days for him: "Our birthdays are the same, so you won't be able to make it to Hogwarts this year." Candice regretted, "Hogwarts The school will start in September, and if you exceed this month, you can only enter next year." She pouted, "You are one year older than me, and I will be able to enter school one year later than you."

Riddle pursed his lips and said nothing, Candice asked him curiously: "Which college do you want to enter, Tom?" After she finished asking, she didn't need him to answer quickly, and said directly, "I think I will definitely enter Gryffindor Well, our whole family is a Gryffindor, and Albus is a Gryffindor! He's also the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts!"

After Fremont, another strange name came out of Candice's mouth. This person was not a child, but a professor of transfiguration at Hogwarts.

Tom Riddle's black eyes darkened. Under the girl's questioning, he raised the corner of his mouth and said softly, "I think I must belong to Slytherin."

Candice was stunned when she heard the words, and she didn't speak for a long time. Riddle showed a mocking smile. He felt it in the book. Slytherin and Gryffindor seemed to be old enemies, and they were not harmonious enough from the founders. , and he also learned about a very important thing to him - Parseltongue.

That is the special ability possessed by the founder of Slytherin, the great Salazar Slytherin and his descendants.

And he has that ability.

"Why do you think that you must belong to Slytherin?" Candice said hesitantly, "Slytherin...my dad always said that they are always...unique." She used a more pertinent and fair word , "They advocate pure blood. Although I am also pure blood, I think that if you really go to that academy, Tom, you will be excluded."

In Candice's view, Tom Riddle was probably abandoned when his parents discovered that he had magical powers, so he was a Muggle-born wizard.Merlin knew something terrible would happen if he entered Slytherin with that blood.It's not that she has a prejudice against Slytherin, even if the students of Slytherin House judge this matter, they will agree with her.

Come on, is it crazy that a pure-blooded academy has entered a witch?

However, her new friend, the boy who made her blush and heart beat, said something to her in the dawn of the sky.

One thing enough to completely convince her.

"I can talk to snakes."

Tom Riddle, who was still young, had a certain acquiescence to the girl who helped him and showed him the secrets of the wizarding world.He disarmed, and showed kindness to the first girl he met, not for status, benefit, or anything, but simply being nice to him, and expressed his abilities.

His black eyes were shining brightly under the thin light of the early morning, and Candice looked into those dark, bottomless pupils, and her heart skipped another beat.

The way he looks at her now is no longer so guarded and indifferent, and even seems to be a little gentle.

very nice.