[HP] Raven

Episode 24

The professors were right, as soon as the seventh grade arrived, their time would pass quickly. Apart from the homework in Alex's life, there was only the potions laboratory left, and Professor Slughorn squeezed them mercilessly. In most of her spare time, he frequently asked her to look up various documents for herself, and threw a brand new topic to her, like the bride's bouquet before the wedding.

"How to improve the water of life and death."

Alex's eyes repeatedly moved on this tricky "flower ball", hesitated for a long time, and finally chose several medicinal materials and walked towards the set of advanced potion equipment that Professor Slughorn presented to her.

The crude procedure of adding narcissus root powder to an infusion of wormwood was not enough to bother her, but the problem of improvement was far from simple.She went to Professor Slughorn's library and found a few books related to the raw materials for potion making, and planned to keep reading tonight.

Earlier, Professor Slughorn discovered that Alex could understand some German documents, and very enthusiastically suggested that she go to meet another contemporary potion master, Charlie Bergson, a German, next Bergson will leave Liechtenstein for an international Potions conference this week, and then go directly to England to meet Slughorn. The Potions Professor arranged the meeting in Hogsmeade, and he decided to take Alec with him. Silk.

"For a person of Bergson's status, even if he meets in the most exclusive restaurant in Hogsmeadry, it will inevitably be a bit out of class, not to mention that he doesn't like British local cuisine," Professor Slughorn flipped through Alex Kesi looked up the literature for him before, and nodded in satisfaction, "But he really should meet my favorite student."

--

Alex was intercepted by Sirius on her way to the potions laboratory in a hurry.She had some ideas about the improved water of life and death, and was suddenly interrupted by his appearance when she was in a hurry to go to the laboratory to prove her conjecture.

"Have you figured it out yet?" He asked, pulling her into a corner.

"What?" She blinked, looking at him inexplicably.

He frowned and lowered his voice to remind her: "Order of the Phoenix."

Alex realized that she had completely forgotten about it.She hadn't had a chance to think about anything except potions these days, and Professor Slughorn's work was taking up all her time.

She lowered her eyes. "Sorry, but I need to think again."

He paused, and there was inevitably an element of blame in his tone when he spoke. "You've been thinking about it for a month, Alex."

"Sirius, I'm sorry—"

He cut her off quickly. "No, you just don't want to join."

"Maybe it's just that there's nothing to do for the time being?" She raised her head and excused herself palely, "I'm really busy now, Sirius, why don't you give me a little more time to think about it..."

"James joined, Lily joined, Remus joined, I joined, even Peter joined. We all joined." Sirius was extremely disappointed, looking at her with heavy eyes, pressing down like a sandbag She gasped, "What about you, Alex?"

"Give me a moment, Sirius." Alex sighed.

"So how long do you need it?"

Alex thought about it. "I'll give you an answer before the end of the semester."

"It's been too long, Alex, the Death Eaters have infiltrated the school, they're all around you, and you've got two months to think about it."

His tone made Alex feel very uncomfortable, the kind of tone that lovers feel frustrated with each other.She knew she was constantly disappointing him.

So Alex was silent, swallowing her reasons in order not to disappoint him even more.

"You weren't like this before, Alex," Sirius began gushing about the past, "you were able to save Alice Burns from Rookwood and Rozier in the fourth grade, And told Dumbledore what they were up to, and that damned potion that Snape made, you were the smartest and calmest man ever."

Alex looked at him with folded arms.She understood what he meant. "Believe it or not, I would do the same thing now."

"I just don't understand why you don't want to join us."

"You've got a lot going on, I know, and Lily's been pretty busy in seventh year too. I'll join in, after term is over. But I've got potions to work on now, like improving Deathwater. After I graduate I'll—"

"Improve the water of life and death," he snorted, his tone becoming sharp and mean, "and continue dreaming."

Alex felt a prick in her heart. "What is a dream? Is improving potions so meaningless in your heart?"

"Everyone is talking about the war. Voldemort is about to capture the Ministry of Magic. His power is so powerful that it expands so quickly that even Dumbledore was surprised," he said faster because of excitement, "but your soul Living in a test tube, I only think about how to make a better potion that can make people dream of spring and autumn when they close their eyes."

"What about you, Sirius Black," Alex looked at him coldly, and finally lost her good temper towards her lover, she began to speak nonsense, "Can you defeat the mysterious man by joining the Order of the Phoenix?" ?”

Sirius glared at her through gritted teeth. "At least we're working toward it."

"I wish you success as soon as possible." Alex smiled mockingly, and she bypassed him and walked directly to the laboratory, "And, I think we should all calm down."

—

Lanica Powell was in fourth year in Slytherin like Alice Burns, and they have always been very close friends.That day they gathered together at the corner of the long table to do their homework and chat as usual. Lanica saw a few senior boys gathered at the other end of the long table discussing something in a low voice. She frowned and looked at Alice Peng. Si leaned closer and said. "The activities of the Death Eaters are getting more and more rampant. They don't go out recently, Alice."

"They?" Alice glanced at the corner of the long table.Some faces are not unfamiliar, such as the star of the Quidditch team Regulus Black, and Professor Slughorn's beloved student Severus Snape, their cold and watchful eyes are always Staring at other students, it seems that they are afraid that others will overhear their secrets.

Lanica said anxiously. "Don't look that way, Alice."

Alice hurriedly looked away, pretending to be looking at a statue in the corner, then secretly turned her gaze back, and said quietly. "There are more and more of them."

Lanica nodded subtly, and lowered her head, pretending to be seriously writing her Potions homework. "At first it was just Black and Snape, then Graves, Borst and Crabbe were added, and now Goyle, Flint and Knott were added."

"Your family didn't join, did they?"

"My parents didn't, so my grandfather had a fight with them and almost had a falling out," Lanica frowned, "Dad insisted that he couldn't do this for me and my brother."

"My parents are Aurors," Alice Burns said quietly. "They told me to stay away from those people, and we could hide together."

Lanica blinked her eyes in agreement and affirmation.She looked at the Potions textbook in her hand and changed the subject. "Did you know that Professor Slughorn recently got an assistant among the seventh-year students?"

"I know, Alex, the senior who saved me in my first year."

"That's her? I heard that she is in love with another Black, I mean Black of Gryffindor. Parkinson has long since disliked her and wants to trouble her."

"Then what should we do?" Alice was a little anxious.

Lanica shook her head. "I don't know what they want to do, maybe throw a small note in her belongings? They don't like Gryffindor for a day or two, and now they probably want to smash Everly to ashes."

Alice stared at the notebook in front of her, and stood up without saying a word. "I'm going to find Alex."

--

Professor Slughorn took Alex to Hogsmeade on Saturday. The best local restaurant is called Le Brouillard. Yes, it is still French. The British are not confident about their food. The name of the restaurant reminded Professor Slughorn that he complained over and over again during the half hour he waited for Bergson to arrive that the climate in England would never be as good as sunny France and Italy.

The image of Bergson wasn't too much of a surprise to Alex, a German version of Professor Slughorn, with a bigger beer belly and better drinking capacity, who taught in Durmstrang before turning 30 Potions for a few years, but quickly opted for a higher paying position.Alex was recommended to Bergson by Professor Slughorn, and the title of "My Most Satisfied Student" was also introduced to him at the same time.

They talked for a long time about potions, Alex didn't say much, but listened very carefully the whole time.The two masters of Potions consumed a whole bottle of wine and a table full of delicacies in a slightly crowded restaurant, so their conversation for the last half hour seemed a bit illogical, and then Professor Slughorn signed the bill, The two of them went to smoke in the open space, and Professor Slughorn asked Alex to go back with his classmates first.

As she left wrapped in a cloak, she met Alice Burns and her fabled best friend, Lanica.

Alex glanced at his pocket watch, it was getting late. "Why are you here? I remember we have to gather."

Alice grabbed her by the sleeve. "Parkinson has no good intentions for you, they have always wanted to give you..."

"I know, Alice," Alex paused, remembering the crooked notes, "She, and her group of friends, have long been at loggerheads with me."

"What can we do then?"

She shook her head. "Thank you for the reminder, Alice, but I have more important things to do now. They...they can't do anything to me."

"By the way, Alex," Alice remembered.

"what happened?"

"Black joined the Death Eaters, he got the Dark Mark."

Alex thought for a moment before realizing that Alice Burns was talking about Regulus.

He got the Dark Mark.When exactly did everything start to change?Sirius said she had changed last time, but Alex felt that she was the one who was still, and they were the ones who changed.

Alex thought of the time of the infectious disease, sighed, and suggested to Alice. "It's best not to see him too much, Alice."

"I will not."

"Make sure you always stay with your classmates, not alone, okay?" Alex gave a friendly glance at the dark-haired girl who had been quietly following Alice, "I think this is Lanny Card."

"Yes, I'm Lanica Powell," she introduced herself to Alex.

Alex hoped that Dumbledore's protection would still take effect, no matter how rampant the Death Eaters were, it would be impossible to kill students directly under Dumbledore's nose.She nodded to the two girls and went back to school with them, where there was still a lot of work waiting for her in the potions lab.

—

Professor Slughorn agreed with a certain suggestion made by Alex: to control the concentration of the wormwood infusion and mix it with dragon's blood at a ratio of 1:100, and vetoed it with his own attainments in potions. Her remaining five research directions.After several months of experiments, it was quickly discovered that adding dragon's blood to a fixed concentration of wormwood infusion can really speed up the production of water of life and death.

In those few months, Alex wished to live in the potion laboratory, or she was preparing for the NEWTs exams for potions and ancient runes. She was very busy, and Sirius didn't see anyone all day long. They Haven't contacted each other for a long time.After the last quarrel, they had a cold war for a while, but they made up, and Sirius agreed to wait until the end of term.

One day, when Alex was almost falling asleep next to the experimental equipment, Professor Slughorn announced to her that the patent had been finalized.

The master of potions was very excited about the first joint patent between him and his favorite student. He quickly approved this patent to the Ministry of Magic, and the patent was approved within a week. Writes Patent Makers: H. Slughorn and A. Everly.

her name.

Alex went to the dormitory to sleep for a whole day, and after waking up and washing up, she considered whether she should tell Sirius the good news.She managed to find him near the long table... and Lily Evans, James Potter was nowhere to be found.

When Sirius saw Alex, he stood up from his chair and motioned for the two of them to talk in the corner.

Alex couldn't wait to tell him that she and Professor Slughorn's potion patent was successful, and she began to talk endlessly about their initial experiment assumptions, control variables, reaction conditions and final conclusions... and Maybe where else to improve, if possible.Maybe that could be the start of a second patent.

Then she looked expectantly at Sirius, waiting for him to sarcasm her sleeplessness and "Professor Slughorn should put you in a tiara of laurel branches" in his usual kindly tone.

However, he just looked at her coldly and asked back. "When will you give up this house-playing game?"

His indifferent tone struck at what Alex most cared about at the moment, and she froze for a moment. "It was a few months of hard work with Professor Slughorn. Why do you think it's a house game?"

Sirius didn't answer the question. "Professor Slughorn? Do you want to be like him?"

"Sirius, although the headmaster has his shortcomings, he has always guided me unselfishly, and Professor Slughorn's attainments in potions..."

"Yes, your head of Slytherin." Sirius moved his shoulders and smiled, obviously not because of happiness, "Compared to your great teacher-student relationship in Slytherin, light and justice are nothing at all ,Is not it?"

"You... you stupid Gryffindor!"

"What about you, selfish Slytherin?" He suddenly raised his voice. "Every day new members are injured and sacrificed for stalking the Death Eaters. Aurors, staff, students, everyone. James is hurting now." I'm lying in the hospital wing..."

"Potter? What happened to him?"

"While we were stalking the Death Eater, he was hit by Dark Magic," Sirius cursed, "Damn Dark Magic."

Alex sighed. "I'll go see him."

--

James Potter had lost his former spirit, lying on the hospital bed with his eyes closed, this was the most lifeless time Alex had ever seen him, she suddenly wanted him to sit up from the bed and laughed Then tell everyone it was just an elaborate prank.However, he still fell asleep motionless, his face pale, like a breathing plaster statue.

"Madam Pomfrey said he might wake up tomorrow." Lily followed James at some point and sat on James' bedside.

Alex reached out and hugged Lily. "I'm very sorry."

Lily hugged her back and whispered in her ear. "It was an emergency and James was shot trying to protect me. I was terrified, Alex, I was really terrified."

Alex couldn't say words of comfort, she could only pat Lily on the back, feeling Lily's face buried in her shoulders, trembling slightly.

"I'll be here until he wakes up." Lily let go of Alex, took James's hand instead, and gazed at him tenderly, as if she could see through him onto the white sheets .

Alex left tactfully, and Lily declined Alex's suggestion to help bring some food, saying that she was not hungry.Sirius walked out of the hospital wing with Alex. Alex wanted to talk to him a little bit and apologize sincerely. She didn't know that James' injury was the reason why he was so irritable today.

It's not that she doesn't know right from wrong, she knows what Sirius is doing is right, she has always known it.But before Alex could speak, Sirius left alone. He hurriedly said that he had something to do, and then disappeared like the wind in the blink of an eye.

Alex stood in the windswept corridor watching him go, all was quiet, as bursts of cold beat against the brick walls of Hogwarts, sleet pattered gently on the building Voice.She suddenly didn't know what to do, it was like an extra cave in her heart, it was terribly empty, she could only stand where she was, and look at the back of Lily sitting quietly in front of James' hospital bed through the half-open door of the medical wing.

they are very good.James and Lily.She blesses them.

Alex felt like she was sailing against the current, but she didn't understand why there was only a reverse current in front of her.A vague conclusion emerges from the bottom of my heart.She sighed weakly, her heart shrinking into a hedgehog.

The author has something to say: Oh again, this update rate is unsustainable... (x