[HP] The Dark Duke's Candy

Hogwarts hasn't been peaceful lately.

Since the beginning of school this year, many students have entered the medical wing due to major or minor injuries. Mrs. Hill was so busy that she almost had no time to sleep, and strongly asked Principal Dippet to help her find an assistant.

Headmaster Dippet took the matter to Dumbledore, who quickly made his choice.

Candice became Mrs. Hill's assistant without a doubt.

When there were no lessons and no Quidditch training, she needed to help out in the medical wing.

It was also because of this that Candice had close contact with those injured students.

She found that the number of these students was far more than they had imagined, and their injuries were more serious than they had imagined, but none of these students could explain their injuries.

They couldn't figure out how he was injured, some said he fell down, but the injuries on his body were caused by magic spells.

Candice couldn't help asking Mrs. Hill when she was getting the potion: "Will so many people be injured at Hogwarts in previous years, Madam?"

Mrs. Hill's face was not very good-looking, probably because she was too busy and lacked rest. She said quickly: "How is it possible? This year is an exception! I really don't understand what happened this year. There are constant injuries to students. They are all freshmen, and a large part of them are seniors, how could they be so careless?"

Candice frowned and didn't say any more. She took the potion and walked to a hospital bed with a heavy heart. On the bed was Betty Harris, a fourth-year girl from Gryffindor College, one level below her.Harris was lying there wiping tears. In fact, she didn't suffer any serious trauma. Her self-esteem was seriously damaged.

Someone hung her upside down from a tree outside the castle, her skirt turned upside down, and the underwear inside was clearly seen by passers-by.

Few girls can bear this, not to mention that Betty Harris is not beautiful, usually very inferior and unwilling to socialize with others, and now something like this happened again, many students in the school have already regarded her as a public It's a laughing stock.

"It's time to take your medicine, Miss Harris." Candice spoke to her as softly as possible, but it still surprised her.

Harris looked at her in horror, before opening his mouth and saying, "I, I don't want to eat..."

"How can you recover without taking medicine?" Candice tried to persuade her, but Harris was very resistant.

"I don't want to be cured! I don't go to class! I don't leave the medical wing!" She covered her head and hid under the quilt, her screams attracted the attention of other students living in the medical wing, and even they started talking up.

Candice opened the curtain angrily and said to those who laughed at Harris: "Stop your comments and receive treatment! If you continue to disrespect your classmates like this, I will deduct points for you!"

She took a step forward, and the shiny prefect logo on the school robe made a group of people shut up obediently, but this was not a long-term solution.

Candice glanced worriedly at Betty Harris, who was shivering under the blanket, and placed the potion by her table.

When attending History of Magic, Candice was a little absent-minded. She wrote down the names of the injured students she knew on the parchment, and after linking them together, she was surprised to find that none of these people were pure blood.

Most of the injured students were Muggle-born wizards, a small number were half-blood, not a single pure-blood on this list.

Is this a coincidence?

Candice thought of the secret room incident last semester. The current incident of student injuries is not particularly serious, compared to the direct death of people last semester, so it has not caused much panic and attention, but if it is true It's related to the Chamber of Secrets incident, so...

Sooner or later something big will happen.

Candice was so frightened that she ran away by herself after class. Fremont still wanted to find her for training, but she couldn't even touch a piece of her clothes.

"Candice has been very busy recently." Anita sighed, "Not only do she have to attend classes, but she also has to practice Quidditch. The dean also asked her to go to the medical wing to be Mrs. Hill's assistant. Can't see her."

Fremont frowned and said, "The dean shouldn't let Candice be an assistant. She already has a lot of things to do, and she's going to compete again after Halloween. She's a girl, how can she support herself?"

Louise was also a little worried: "I think her face is already very bad, maybe we can go to the medical wing to help her?"

Euphemia echoed: "This is a good way, anyway, we have nothing to do now, aren't we?"

Freemont directly made a decision: "That's it! Let's go to the medical wing now!"

But in fact, Candice did not go to the medical wing.

She went to Professor Dumbledore's office.

The professor was grading homework, and Candice saw her homework on his desk. When she entered the room, he should be writing comments, and he had already written a few words.

Every transfiguration class paper, she will get a long comment from Professor Dumbledore. He will read her paper very seriously, and point out all the deficiencies for her patiently and carefully, so that she can make rapid progress. Unprecedented treatment.

"Sit down, Candy, what do you want from me?" Dumbledore greeted Candice to sit down, waved his wand and poured her a cup of hot drink, "Fresh juice, it tastes good."

Candice is a sweet tooth like Dumbledore, but she has something on her mind today, so she can't drink much.

"Professor, I have found something, and I want to discuss it with you." She took out the parchment with the names of the injured students from her pocket, and handed it to Dumbledore, "I was working as an assistant in the medical wing recently, and I found that these injured students One thing in common, none of them are pure blood."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows slightly, and he looked down at the parchment full of names seriously, unable to see what he was thinking.

"I think this may have something to do with the secret room incident last semester. The person who actually opened the secret room has not been caught—could it be that guy started to act again?"

This conjecture is a bit dangerous. Dumbledore did not answer her question directly, but instead asked her: "How is your relationship with Mr. Riddle recently?"

Candice froze for a moment before saying, "We're fine."

"Are you reconciled?" Dumbledore said vaguely.

Candice pursed her lips and said nothing, but Dumbledore had already got the answer.

"That's fine." He smiled, turned his eyes to one side, and said after a while, "Tell me about your conjecture, Candice, about the Chamber of Secrets and the accidents that keep happening this year. "

Candice nodded slightly, and quickly recounted the analysis she had done in front of Riddle, and by the way, explained what Riddle had done to her, and... what happened to Riddle during the summer vacation Tell Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked a little surprised.

"Don't you believe it, Professor?" Candice asked, watching him.

Dumbledore was silent for a moment before he said, "No. I just didn't expect you to tell me what he told you."

Candice was stunned and said, "Why?"

Dumbledore was speechless for a moment.

He pondered for a long time before saying, "I noticed what you mentioned, Candice, that ring—Mr. Riddle changed a ring this semester, and it looks very 'precious'."

Candice expressed her opinion: "That is the resurrection stone ring stolen by the Gaunt family that you mentioned. Although I don't think stealing is a good behavior, it is better to leave that ring in the hands of the murderer. Stay with him. Tom is at least a member of the Gaunt family, and it doesn't count as falling into outside hands."

That's right.

But the premise is that everything is true as Riddle said, Morfin Gunter is really a murderer, and the death of the old Riddle family has nothing to do with his young student.

Dumbledore has been secretly investigating this matter, and even ventured to Azkaban to meet Morfin, but he has not found any flaws so far, and he still needs time to make sure that nothing goes wrong.

"You said that Mr. Riddle promised to help you find the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets?" Dumbledore asked.

Candice nodded, and Dumbledore continued: "Then you have to hurry up, Candice, if, as we have guessed, these recent incidents, large and small, were indeed caused by that person, then It means he's starting to move again. Before he commits another murder, we need to find him and make sure that the Chamber of Secrets is really closed and will not be opened again."

As for the monster in the Chamber of Secrets, it must be related to the snake. Dumbledore agrees with Candice's idea, but they don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is and how to open it. Even Dumbledore has no clue about it at the moment. clue.

Their only way is to find the person who opened the secret room and let him reveal all the mysteries.

Candice thought about it and agreed to the professor's request.

She left the Transfiguration professor's office in a hurry.

Dumbledore sat alone behind the desk, looking at the homework with Candice Bell's name written on it, without looking away for a long time.

Dumbledore was wondering why he was so worried about Tom Riddle.

Even though he still has no conclusive evidence, he can't stop doubting him.

He thought that there might be some intuition at work here, and on the other hand, it was Riddle who was indeed suspected.

But the bigger reason, and the more important reason, he felt—maybe he was jealous.

What are you jealous of?

What was there in a kid as young as Tom Riddle that he should be jealous of?

Maybe... it was those blue eyes that never left her body, since he appeared, they have gradually gone away.

The meaning of Candice to Dumbledore is different.

He poured all his feelings that he could no longer give to Ariana on Candice, who was very similar to his sister.

Candice is his spiritual sustenance and his living treasure.

His affection for her is unrequited, but maybe sometimes, it needs a little reciprocation, at least when Candice was very young, when there was no one else between them, he never had Such complicated feelings at this moment.

Dumbledore's fingers slowly stroked the name written by Candice on the parchment, he slowly frowned, and finally failed to write any more comments, he ended the phrase casually, and put her homework on Get to the side and start reading the next one.

When Candice received her homework, she was a little stunned when she saw the few words of comments on it.

...In fact, this state is correct. Others' homework only has comments of this length. What she gets now is just the same as everyone else's treatment, but somehow she feels a little lost.

She was even a little irritable.

She put aside the homework with the best grade, lay down on the table, and buried her face in her arms.

A few days later, another accident happened in the school.

The injured person this time was Betty Harris, who had been hung upside down from a tree before.

Harris is an asshole, and she made a bigger joke this time. It is said that she mustered up the courage to confess to someone she likes, but was severely humiliated. The other party used extremely dirty words to describe her—— Mudblood.

"Who does she like?" Candice joined in the gossip, asking Fremont, who was vividly describing the scene.

Fremont was taken aback by her sudden appearance, but he quickly replied: "You will never guess who she likes, Candice." He exaggerated, "I really don't understand why A Gryffindor who likes Slytherin?" Speaking of this, he suddenly thought of the relationship between Candice and Riddle, and immediately changed his words, "I mean, how could he like Malfoy? Kind of people - what he despises the most is the half-breed and the bitch, Harris is a bitch, she ran to Malfoy to confess, isn't this asking for a dead end?"

This is absolutely true.

Who is not good to like, actually like Malfoy?

Candice frowned and looked across the long table. Abraxas was talking and laughing with Lestrange. After noticing her gaze, he looked over indifferently. That pointed chin, gray-blue eyes, reaching to his shoulders His long golden hair really...has a charming capital.

Candice stared at him thoughtfully for a while, but did not quickly look back, which surprised Abraxas.

He raised his eyebrows at her in a little surprise, and hooked the corners of his mouth seemingly, that smile was really enough to bring disaster to the country and the people.

"Even if Malfoy feels insulted again, he shouldn't have shot Harris!" Louise, who is of mixed race, reacted violently to this, and she was filled with righteous indignation, "And that Mulciber, he actually helped Malfoy cast spells on classmates together, two boys bullying a girl, it's too much!"

Candice looked away and said, "Or two against one?"

Louise nodded heavily: "Yes! Two against one! If Riddle hadn't appeared later and separated them, maybe something big happened to Harris."

Anita leaned over and said, "Yes, Riddle selflessly deducted fifty points from each of Malfoy and Mulciber, and even sent Harris to the medical wing. You said they were all in the same academy, but as a human being Why is the gap so big?"

Freemont said flatly, "Even if it's me, I have to admit that he did a good job this time. I didn't expect him to deduct so many points from his academy so hard."

Euphemia smiled and said, "Maybe it's because no matter how much you deduct, he can add it back without losing any points?"

Candice looked at the Slytherin table again, this time at Riddle.

He sat alone at the front of the long table, near the teacher's seat, and the seat next to him was vacant, opposite Avery and Rozier.

He looked over at Candice the moment she looked at him, and after their eyes met, he smiled at her.Candice was slightly taken aback, she was full of those weird things just now, but when he smiled like this, her mind suddenly went blank.

So lovely.

Now her mind and eyes are full of only this phrase.

Candice looked away blushing a little, and began to eat seriously, thinking about finding an opportunity to discuss with Riddle about finding someone. Professor Dumbledore even spoke, and she had to get things done quickly.

Of course, it must be under the premise of ensuring his safety.

Surprisingly, Candice met Malfoy before meeting Riddle.

This is really a narrow road.

They happened to be going to Potions class in the cellar, and Malfoy and the others were about Transfiguration class, so the routes crossed.

The four people led by Malfoy came from the opposite side, looking at their group with some malicious eyes.

Louise looked a little nervous, probably because of her blood relationship, Malfoy looked very cold when he glanced at her.

She trembled and grabbed Candice's hand, and Candice held her hand instead, walking forward without stopping.

Soon, the few of them faced each other. Malfoy stopped in his tracks, looked at Louise holding Candice's hand with a half-smile, and provocatively said, "Are you scared, that half-breed?"

He didn't even call Louise by name, and called her "that half-breed", which can be said to be very insulting.

Louise was shaken by what he said, but she also has an unyielding character. There are many people on Gryffindor's side, and Candice is by her side, so she mustered up the courage to say: " Why should I be afraid, Malfoy?"

Abraxas smiled derisively and said, "Need I say that? Your hands are shaking like sieves. And if I remember correctly, that Mudblood is a Gryffindor too? Are you Aren't you worried that you will end up with her?"

That was too much, but they didn't think so at all, and Mulciber, who was standing beside him, even said excitedly, "Why bother with a bastard, Abu. Why don't you just leave her to me and let me— —”

Abraxas listened with a smile and folded arms, but Mulciber did not finish.

Candice cut him off.

She said lightly, "What do you want to do, Mulciber?" She stood in front of Louise and said, "Have you been deducted another fifty points?"

These words aroused Mulciber's dissatisfaction. He stepped forward to do something, but Abraxas stopped him.

He shook his head at Mulciber, reminding him that it was inappropriate. Mulciber was reluctant, but eventually gave up fighting back, but that didn't mean he would shut up.

"Be careful, Bell." Mulciber said dangerously. "There will be times when you will suffer—the Quidditch match after Halloween. I hope you don't break any bones this year."

Abraxas frowned invisibly, and he was the one who ended the topic: "Then, see you later. Let's have a good chat next time when you don't hide behind Miss Bell—that half-breed .” After he finished speaking in a drawn-out tone, he led a group of people away, and Anita and Euphemia were too frightened to take a breath.

"If only Fremont was here just now, they wouldn't be so arrogant." Euphemia frowned and said, "It must be because we only have four girls..."

"Candice can beat a few boys by herself, Mia." Anita said with a smile, "Look at Malfoy, he doesn't dare to talk to Candice at all, and he doesn't make much eye contact with her."

Euphemia thought for a while, and realized that it was true, she couldn't help but asked, "Why is he so afraid of Candice?"

Louise looked at Candice with red eyes, and Candice said speechlessly: "Is he afraid of me? No wonder! Even if he is afraid, it is probably just because I am afraid that I will deduct points for them. After all, I am a prefect, and they They are not."

She said something quickly, and then led the other three girls to class.

After that day, on Halloween night, she finally met Riddle as she wished.

She complained as soon as they met.

"Mulciber threatened me and wanted to beat me hard in the Quidditch match." She snorted coldly, "He really flattered himself, thinking that I am the same as I was that year? I don't I will never give him any chance to attack me."

"Mulciber?" Riddle whispered, leaning against her. "Palmer Mulciber?"

Candice nodded and said, "Yes, that's him, the guy who used to love to follow you."

...Well, he always likes to follow him now, but he didn't let Candice see him.

Riddle turned sideways, leaning his back against the stone railing of the Astronomy Tower, and said, "He won't be able to participate in the Quidditch match."

Candice was taken aback: "Why?"

Riddle turned his head and said, "Because he was injured, he couldn't play."

"???" Candice's face was full of question marks, "No, I saw him alive and kicking at the dinner just now?"

Riddle said earnestly: "It was all pretended by him. If you observe again tomorrow, you will find that he is not in good spirits."

Candice was silent for a while and said, "Really? Why was he suddenly injured? I thought no pure blood would be injured."

Riddle's eyelashes twitched, and he asked nonchalantly, "Really?"

Candice said without doubting him: "Yes, I did a survey and found that recent Hogwarts accidents, large and small, happened to mixed-race or hemp students, and Mulciber was the first pure-blood student injured. Blood." She frowned, "If pure blood can also be injured, does that mean that this matter may have nothing to do with the person who opened the secret room?"

Riddle pondered for a moment and said: "The reason why Mulciber was injured was because he made a mistake while practicing the spell in the waiting room, and it has nothing to do with the accident."

Candice asked in surprise, "Is that so?"

"I saw it with my own eyes," he said.

"...Then maybe his injury is just a coincidence." Candice thought for a while, and said the ultimate purpose of coming to see him today, "If his injury is a coincidence, then it can be excluded from the statistics. That means, we The conjecture is still very possible." She quickly told him her thoughts, and Riddle listened carefully, and it seemed that he, like her, wanted to find that person as soon as possible.

"That's it." Candice pulled Larkin's red scarf and said, "I think it must be that guy started to act again, we have to find him before he kills again." She warmed her hands with a sigh, "Have you discovered anything lately, Tom?"

Riddle didn't answer her question directly, but asked her: "What about you? Do you have any suspects?"

His black eyes looked at her without blinking, and the breeze stroked his black hair, making him look even more mysterious in the night.

"I..." Candice bit her lips and said, "I don't like to suspect someone without evidence, but..." She thought of Betty Harris who was attacked into the medical wing, and Lou who was threatened. Louise couldn't help but said, "But maybe... Malfoy has something wrong?" She told Riddle about Louise's being threatened after the Betty Harris incident, and Riddle's expression became serious.

After she finished speaking, he made a decision.

"I'll keep an eye on him." He said seriously, "If I find anything, I'll let you know as soon as possible."

Candice nodded, it was getting late, and it was time for them to separate.

She looked at him with some reluctance. She was so busy recently that she didn't have time to have a good chat with him. She finally met him this time, and she felt a little guilty about something that had nothing to do with feelings.

It always felt as if she was really using him.

"It's time to go back." Riddle whispered, "The curfew is coming soon, you are a prefect, you must lead by example."

Candice frowned and said, "I can say that I am watching the night."

Riddle couldn't help smiling, he hugged Candice's shoulders, kissed her cheek, and whispered in her ear, "You don't want to be separated from me?"

"...I just feel that I haven't talked to you properly for a long time."

"Do you hope you can talk to me a lot every day in the future?"

Candice's eyes were a little red, and she said to Night Breeze, "Don't you want to?"

Riddle looked down at her blue eyes, and said with a deep smile, "Of course I want to." He grabbed Candice's hand and said softly, "So, let's get married as soon as we graduate."

Candice froze, looking at him incredulously, this...is this a marriage proposal?

"Professor Mellors is about to retire." Riddle said, playing with Candice's fluttering blond hair, "I want to apply for his current position after graduation. Do you think I can succeed?"

"You want to be a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Candice looked a little surprised.

"Yes, this is a promising job that I like." He smiled, "If I succeed in applying for the job, maybe I can become your seventh-grade professor." Loughton, he drawled his tone, "In this way , we won’t be able to see each other for a whole year.”

Riddle was a year older than her, and she was in sixth form when he graduated, with a year to go, and Hogwarts was a boarding school, which meant that if he graduated, they'd be together for the year after that. The relationship can only be maintained by correspondence and vacations.

This is indeed a bit difficult for couples in love.

Although they can't meet each other at any time now, at least they both know that they are not far away from each other. If he graduated... That year was really a torment.

But like he said, if he could be a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor...

After a long silence, Candice leaned into his arms and whispered, "Then I hope you can succeed."

Riddle said "hmm", hugged her and said, "Then you promised me?"

Candice was puzzled: "Promise what?"

"—Of course I will marry as soon as I graduate, and become the professor's wife."

……

Of course she would not give the second answer.

Her heart has always been the same, it has been from the beginning.

Candice didn't know how she got back to the dormitory in the end.

She tossed and turned and couldn't sleep, her mind was full of thoughts about the future of the two of them.

She suddenly thought that when she left in the end, she was so dizzy that she even forgot to tell him to be careful.

Oops.

He'd better not be hurt by Malfoy or Malfoy's supporters.

But this possibility is actually not very big.

No matter how you look at it, Riddle is much stronger than that dude Malfoy.

Candice tossed and turned here, unable to sleep all night, and Riddle was not idle either.

After he and Candice separated, he did not return to the dormitory, but quietly cast a disillusionment spell on himself, and sneaked into the medical wing.

He found the unconscious Betty Harris, bent down, pointed at her with the powerful yew wood wand, chanted a spell, and whispered in her ear: "Now, you decide not to If you like Malfoy any more, you will count the damage he has done to you in front of Candice Bell, and after completing this task, you will wake up completely."

Betty Harris, who was in a coma, twitched and quickly returned to normal.

Riddle slowly straightened up, turned and left without hesitation.

The Imperius Curse is really useful.

It can make people do whatever he asks, and it won't leave a handle like a love potion. It's really... perfect.

Magic is really fascinating, isn't it.

Riddle was grinning all the way back to the common room.

He seemed in a good mood, walked into the corridor of the boys' dormitory, and was not in a hurry to go back to the prefect's dormitory, but came to the door with the nameplate of Mulciber.

He chanted a spell to open the door, and stepped in. Not long after, Mulciber's screams sounded from inside the door.

The night is still long.

Candice rolled over on the bed, sound asleep.

The corners of her mouth were always upturned, not knowing what kind of dream she was having.