[HP] Astringent

Vanessa walked alone on the rugged country road in the village of Little Hangleton, surrounded by large crop fields, and a dilapidated farmhouse stood abruptly beside the woods, crumbling with the wind and rain.On one side of it there was only one haphazardly built shed dimly lit.

The woman wore a wide traveling cloak that concealed her fine figure, the hood almost covered her entire face, and her jaw was perfectly curved.She didn't open an umbrella or a lamp, and came quietly through the darkness.

The bell tower of the church in the distance was struck, and with the sound of the bell, the last light in the shed was also extinguished.

She took out her wand and tapped lightly, and the dilapidated door creaked open.There has been no sign of people living here for a long time, and the floor and furniture are covered with dust, covering up the original delicate carvings.She walked down the long hallway, searching room after room.Finally, in a room at the end, she found something different.In the showcase in the middle of the room, there is a ring inlaid with black gemstones. The moonlight shines on the gemstones through the broken glass window, reflecting a seductive light.

Vanessa reached out her hand in a trance, wanting to touch it, and even forgot to cast a few detection spells first.

"Vanessa, since you think this place is dangerous, let's leave, we can travel around the world, as long as you come with me."

A man with light brown hair stood beside the car and looked at Vanessa and smiled heartily. He opened the door and waited to come across the courtyard.

Van Nuss nodded arrogantly, twisted her slender waist, and pretentiously walked through the rose bushes in the garden. The printed long skirt twirled with her steps, like a butterfly flapping its wings flamboyantly.

The car had already driven a few kilometers, and Vanessa seemed to be enduring great suffering: "I want to go back! I can't marry you!"

The car stopped roughly on the side of the road, and the man kicked at the tree beside the road in frustration, got back into the car again, turned around, and drove back on a rampage.

Back to the garden full of roses, Vanessa hurried upstairs, opened the drawer of the bedside table, and dumped all the contents on the bed. The wand fell to the side of the bed. She didn't care, just wanted to hurry Find the ring and return it to him.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise downstairs, and Vanessa woke up and rushed downstairs. The car at the door was already on fire.There was no one around, only the huge Dark Mark flashing in the sky - a snake entangled in a black skeleton.

Vanessa rushed to the side of the car, ignoring the hot flames, and desperately pulled on the door.Only then did she remember her wand, and she rummaged in her pocket with trembling hands.

[Do you want to change the past?Put on the ring... put it on...]

A person cannot be resurrected after death, and the past cannot be changed!Vanessa forced herself to break free from the illusion.I didn't expect to see this memory again in this form.If she hadn't hastily agreed to the marriage proposal and wanted to regret the marriage, maybe he wouldn't have died.It was she who killed him, the last person in the world who loved her.

Before she could break free from the nightmare, please the scene changed again.

Vanessa was wearing a simple wine red dress and was sitting at the outermost table.In the middle of the grass, a man with dark brown messy hair is holding the hand of a red-haired woman in a modified white wedding dress, saying the most romantic oath in the world.She played with her smooth red hair absently, and her face was fastidious, like watching a clown show.Following her movements, the men around her looked at her distractedly and appreciatively, and she returned a sweet smile, raising her chin a little higher.

She felt a gaze, her heart skipped a beat, and she saw a man with black hair and black eyes walking slowly with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.The warm sun was shining brightly, and he strolled over in the setting sun.A soft halo enveloped his whole body, adding a little blush to his pale cheeks.He looked at her with piercing eyes and walked straight over.Vanessa's heart was beating faster and faster, and she felt that she could not breathe.The black-haired man walked up to him, knelt down on one knee, solemnly took out a black velvet box, took out the ring inside, and said almost devoutly, "Nissa, will you marry me?"

The sound of "Sha" passed through his tongue and lips, and turned into "Sa" through the deep and melodious voice, with a touch of lingering affection, sweeping across her trembling heart.

[Do you want to get what you want?Put on the ring... put it on...]

The man's deep eyes followed her closely, and she swallowed nervously.The hand raised involuntarily, reaching for the ring that was close at hand.There was a smile on the corner of the man's mouth, and his black eyes lit up a little: "Would you like it?"

【Put on the ring... put it on...】

Vanessa pursed her lips pretending to be reserved, and lowered the corners of her lips, but her brown eyes were filled with a happy smile.The man waited for her without any impatience, and said firmly, "Will you marry me?"

Surprise can't be hidden, she is about to touch that ring...

No!This is hallucination!She hadn't been to Lily and Potter's wedding at all!

Based on her relationship with them, it is impossible for her to be invited to the wedding even if they have studied together in Gryffindor College for seven years.What's more, he...how could he appear, how could he propose to her.

Vanessa withdrew her hand like an electric shock, her whole body was shocked as if she had been thrown into the icy lake water unexpectedly, she woke up instantly, tears welled up to the edge of her eye sockets, but she stubbornly refused to drip.

All illusions disappeared, and she was very close to the side of the showcase.Just getting close to this ring completely disturbed her mind, she couldn't imagine how much dangerous black magic was on it.She retreated outside and leaned against the cold wall, suppressing the trembling of her calf.

She tried hard to get the second vision out of her mind, and the name Severus Snape could not fade away for a long time... She thought she could face it calmly, after all, she had never seen him in the past 16 years, and she Also recalling the past less and less.The dusty past has slipped into the seemingly impenetrable heart like a needle.She only felt that her breath smelled of rotten dust.

Vanessa couldn't help recalling her funny, vain and chaotic first half of her life.Her misfortune all started from her luck. She has the appearance that countless girls dream of, with a tall figure, slender and straight legs, and exquisite curves; The peach blossom eyes and the red hair inherited from Weasley added a bit of charm to her, which made people unable to take their eyes off.

Almost without a teacher, she learned to use her advantages to get whatever she wanted, whether it was attention, a paper for her to copy or an expensive gift, without breaking a sweat.She is only obsessed with two things: the obsessive gazes of the boys and the jealous gazes of the girls, the stronger the gaze, the more satisfying she is.She circles around the sea of ​​flowers like a butterfly but never stays for anyone.

To be honest, no one in the whole grade can make her look different except Lily Evans.She couldn't believe that a girl could be both beautiful and intelligent. More and more boys turned their attention to Lily, and even compared the two of them in private, so as to elevate Lily's status.Vanessa gets her first taste of jealousy, and what frustrates her even more is the way Lily sees her downplaying her - unlike any other girl.

Vanessa wanted to teach her a lesson, and the most direct way should be to snatch away the boy beside her - Severus Snape.Although she couldn't figure out why Lily would repeatedly reject James Potter's pursuit for such a gloomy, greasy, unlovable Slytherin boy.It's just a game, a bet she made with her friends after being bored, and she is bound to win.

But life will always teach arrogant people what to ask for and what to regret for life.

Until Vanessa noticed the way Snape looked at Lily.It was a sunny afternoon, Snape and Lily were sitting side by side under the birch tree, the whirling shadows fell on their faces, creating a space that no one else could disturb.Lily just turned a leaf casually, and Snape looked up from the book, looking at the girl next to him with piercing eyes.

The boys in half the grade were all in love with Vanessa, but no one had ever looked at her with such deep and focused eyes.She has never been able to light up anyone's eyes.

She watched the two people in the bushes not far away.Lily dropped the leaf and got up to leave. Snape quickly picked up the leaf and put it in the book.

From that day on, Vanessa got deeper and deeper in an unrequited relationship...

When she was in the sixth grade, her dependent mother passed away due to illness. She buried this feeling deeply in her heart and never mentioned it again.

Later, the situation in the wizarding world became worse and worse. As soon as she graduated, she ran away timidly and went to the Muggle world, which she thought was safe.She lives alone in a strange environment with a magic wand and what little savings she has left.She will never be able to calculate decimal money conversion, use complicated electrical appliances, and take the bus.The waste of youth because of attracting bees and butterflies did not let her master much practical magic. At this moment, John White, a rich and young Muggle youth, helped her through the difficulties, and he even accepted her as a witch. .He proposed to her, and she said yes.

Just as they were about to leave, Vanessa fell asleep in the car and dreamed of Snape, the man who haunted her.She knew that she couldn't forget him, and she couldn't rely on her cowardice and incompetence to hurt a man who loved her.She wanted to return the engagement ring to him, but she did not expect to be attacked by Death Eaters.

From that day on, Vanessa really grew up. For the first time, she realized that the wizarding world was under the shadow of the mysterious man, and she, a Gryffindor, should not cowardly escape.It wasn't that she chose not to watch, the flames of war would not affect her.The funny thing is, when she picked up the wand again and wanted to fight side by side with her former classmates, there was good news from the wizarding world-the mysterious man was defeated by Potter's son, the Boy Who Lived.

Vanessa could no longer find a reason to return to the British wizarding world and lived a sojourn life incognito.If it weren't for the adventure in the Albanian jungle, she might never come back here again in her whole life—she was going to confirm a conjecture about a mysterious person.

She shook her head self-deprecatingly, suppressing the waves in her heart.Besides whiskey, only Occlumency could quickly free her from the terrible memories, although her Occlumency was limited to the introductory stage.She cast a few spells on the room to make sure no one would break in, flexed her wrists, and put the hood back on.

Another flash of lightning flashed across the night sky, and Vanessa disappeared by the decayed and dilapidated gate.

The author has something to say:

I have been under too much pressure recently, writing a professor's article to decompress...

2018.5.27

PS The original intention of writing this article is because after writing Professor [HP], my potion score can still be saved, and I feel that the young professor is happy, but the adult professor is not yet.

I feel that the professor is too lonely in the second half of his life, and I want to find someone for him to talk to.

Another fine and slow writing.

That's it.