[HP] Astringent

"Snape!" Harry was the first to stand up angrily, and the chair legs slid across the ground making a screeching sound.Dahei also stood up angrily, and put on an offensive posture, showing his sharp teeth.Vanessa hurriedly stood between them.

Snape was looking at Harry sneeringly, with undisguised disgust in his eyes.Harry's expression pleased him instead, and his smirk became more pronounced.

"It's Professor Snape, Harry." Vanessa tried her best to block the big black who was about to rush over at any time, and said as calmly as possible, "Mr. Snape, I just want to answer Harry's little question. Of course I know how much my potion score is."

"It's a pity that it's summer vacation now, and I can't deduct another five points for Gryffindor." Snape regretted it sincerely, his cold black eyes swept across Harry, and stayed on Vanessa's face.

Vanessa ducked her head, avoiding his gaze.Only then did she notice a shivering little girl in Muggle clothes standing behind Snape.She knelt down and touched the little girl's head: "Are you a freshman this year?"

The little girl's face softened a little, and she nodded.

"Do you also need to guide the new students?" Vanessa frowned slightly, and complained in a low voice, "Principal Dumbledore is really domineering." Snape didn't deny it, and his expression softened a lot.

Vanessa looked back at Snape, who was wearing a black robe that looked more like a suit, buttoned up to the top.The shoulder-length black hair seems to have just been washed, and it is softly attached to the side of the face.His face was still pale, his forehead was covered with thin sweat, and his eyes were faintly black and blue with infinite exhaustion.

"Albus has something to tell you." He stopped talking and glanced at Harry.Harry stroked Dahei, pretending not to notice them, but actually pricked up his ears.

Vanessa asked thoughtfully: "Want to have a cup of afternoon tea together, Mr. Snape? The little girl should be interested in trying Florin's ice cream balls?"

Snape nodded slightly: "Miss Brown, I hope you can sit here honestly for the next 10 minutes." The little girl shivered and looked like she was about to cry.

Vanessa sighed amusedly, and bought a big ice cream for the little girl: "Harry, can Dahei ask you to take care of it?" Harry reluctantly agreed.

The waiter at the coffee shop across the road had already handed over two menus. Vanessa held up the menus, almost covering her face nervously.Snape didn't open the menu at all, he waited quietly for a while, typing on the menu with his fingers.He pursed his lips, took the menu from her hand, handed it to the waiter together, and said without a pause: "A cup of black coffee without sugar and a cup of orange juice."

"A cup of black coffee without sugar and a cup of orange juice, thank you." Vanessa sat in the Three Broomsticks bar and ordered two drinks with ease.

"Would you like a cup of butter beer? Little wizards like this." Ms. Rosmerta, the proprietress, enthusiastically recommended it.

"No, neither my friend nor I like this taste very much." Vanessa looked at the door, and Snape happened to push the door open, and she waved enthusiastically, "Snape, this way!" Snape said Under the gaze of the people around, he reluctantly made it to the opposite side of Vanessa.

"I knew you were going to wait for Evans here." She pushed the freshly served coffee in front of Snape, "I'm going to wait for my friend anyway, don't you mind waiting together?"

Snape took a sip of his coffee and remained silent.She took a big sip of orange juice on her own, narrowed her eyes contentedly, and asked curiously, "Why do you like coffee, don't you think it's bitter?"

He shook his head slightly, and said blankly: "Compared to those sweet things, at least coffee can keep people awake."

Vanessa propped her face with one hand, and with the other hand used a straw to stir the ice cubes in the quilt. She looked deeply at the boy with undisguised admiration in her eyes.Snape bowed his head uncomfortably, and took another sip of his coffee.

She pouted with a slight smile, and said softly, "I don't like coffee, and the smell of alcohol in butter beer, it's astringent and bitter."

Snape listened quietly, his fingers rubbing a faint pattern on the coffee cup.

Vanessa raised her head and drank the remaining juice, looked at the door, raised her eyebrows and said to Snape, "Evans is here."

Snape turned his head quickly, missing the flash of loneliness in Vanessa's eyes.

He was looking for the money bag in his pocket, and Vanessa waved her hand: "I have already given the money, if you think it is inappropriate, you can buy me orange juice next time." She blinked and pointed out the window , "My friend is here too, I wish you a happy weekend." She made a gesture of blowing a kiss, stepped on slender high heels, passed Lily, and walked out of the bar gracefully.

Vanessa held the freshly served orange juice, and the water droplets on the glass wall rolled into her palm.

"Miss Weasley." Snape took a sip of his coffee, slamming the cup back on the saucer.He looked at the untouched juice, frowning tightly, with a few obvious marks between his brows.

"What's the matter, Headmaster Dumbledore?"

Snape took another sip of coffee, and Vanessa sensed his displeasure for no reason, and hurriedly pretended to ask for advice humbly.

Only then did he say in his characteristic velvety and silky voice: "I can't figure out what made Miss Weasley give up her life in the United States and choose to return to England to apply for the position of a teacher."

Vanessa hesitated, hiding her bold guess. "It's been too long since I've been away. Maybe my mother misses me too. I want to come back and be with her." She didn't lie, and she often sees her mother in her dreams recently.

He didn't comment, but changed the topic: "Maybe Miss Weasley doesn't know that Britain is not peaceful recently."

"You mean Blake?"

Snape's eyes darkened, and he continued, "I think life in America is easier. Or are you also attracted by the halo of the savior, and can't wait to come back to be a babysitter?" His eyes fell through the crowd and fell on Harry's. body.

"No, I...Harry is very much like his parents."

"Like his father." He sneered.

Vanessa didn't want to talk about this anymore: "It has nothing to do with me that Black escaped. Besides, that person has been wiped out, so how big a wave can Black make."

Snape snorted noncommittally: "Stay away from that troublesome center, you shouldn't come back after you left. This is a piece of advice." He finished his last sip of coffee, put Gallon on the table, stood get up.

Vanessa froze for a moment, then whispered, "Thank you."

With his back turned to her figure, Snape paused, she took a sip of the juice, the refreshing aroma of oranges filled her lips and teeth: "I haven't drank it for a long time, it tastes pretty good."

He didn't answer, just walked out of the cafe.

When Vanessa finished drinking the juice and returned to the ice cream shop, Snape and the little wizard had already left, and Harry had written more than half of his thesis, and was leisurely eating the ice cream that Florin provided him for free.It's almost dinner time, the heat has dissipated, and there are fewer pedestrians on the road.She packed up the manuscript, and the two of them walked back together.

"You know Professor Snape...?" Harry asked.

"Yes, we are classmates. He is actually a nice person, but he has a bad temper." She ignored Harry's rattle-like shaking of his head, "Why do you suddenly ask this?"

"I think Professor Snape is more pleasant when he talks to you." He clicked his tongue and shivered at his words.

Vanessa turned her head to meet Harry's green eyes, and laughed out loud, "Unfortunately, if you've seen him in a really pleasant way, you wouldn't say that." Just like when he faced Lily, Both eyebrows are stretched, and there is always a lingering smile in his eyes.

Harry curled his lips as if seeing a terrible picture.

"And do you know Blake?"

Vanessa knew what he wanted to ask, but how could she tell Harry that Black had been his father's best friend.She shook her head: "Sorry, Harry, I can't help you. Although I'm a Gryffindor, I don't know him very well."

Dahei suddenly squeezed between Harry and Vanessa, his huge head pressed tightly against Harry's waist, and Harry giggled.

Vanessa threw the empty coffee cup among the piles of coffee cups on the floor, and she finally finished her novel manuscript the day before school started.Dahei was lying quietly on the big soft cushion, with his ears raised from time to time.It shows extraordinary spirituality. Recently, when she is busy, Dahei doesn't bother her, and just goes out for a walk by herself, and only comes back when it's meal time and bedtime.The only thing that made her dissatisfied was that it seemed to like Harry more than herself as its master.

She pushed the manuscript and quill against the other pillow and turned over.Her eyes can no longer be kept open, but the aftereffect of drinking too much coffee is that her spirit is very active.She was dazed for a while before it occurred to her that she had to buy groceries before going to Hogwarts.

Vanessa got up, rubbed her stomach aching from hunger, and took a shower.When she came out again, she was tidied up. She was wearing a pure white half-sleeve and well-tailored suit pants. A long silk scarf was tied on her head and braided with her fiery red hair. There were dark circles under her eyes and forehead. The acne that came out was also well covered, and the whole person looked radiant.

She patted Dahei on the head, and said: "There are a lot of people in Diagon Alley today, so you can stay in the room quietly, okay? I'll bring you the food later."

Dahei wagged his tail, indicating that he heard it.

Vanessa walked downstairs to the bar, wondering whether to order another cup of black coffee.A red-haired man poked his head out of the newspaper and called out uncertainly, "Vanessa?"

She followed the voice in surprise, stood up in surprise, and gave the red-haired man a firm hug: "Cousin Arthur, long time no see!"

They looked at each other, Arthur's clothes were patched but clean, he was tanned a lot, his hair was thinner than before, and his smile was still so enthusiastic.Seeing that she was doing well, Arthur breathed a sigh of relief: "I was worried about you when you were going to the United States alone. I was afraid that something might happen to you and I couldn't explain to your mother. How have you been these few years? Sample?"

Vanessa said happily: "Everything is fine, how are you doing?"

"There's nothing better than being with your family. The hardest time you know is over." He made a face you know. "Not long ago I won an award from the Ministry and the whole family went to Egypt Played around."

There was a sound of footsteps on the decaying stairs of the Leaky Cauldron, and a fat woman with the same red hair shouted, "Arthur, Ron and the others haven't come back yet?"

"Let them play a little longer, dear. Do you see who this is?"

Molly exclaimed, and gave Vanessa a suffocating hug with the same enthusiasm, pretending to complain: "Honey, I haven't seen you for many years, and you don't come back to see. We all miss you. "

"I miss you too, Molly. I really can't wait to meet those little turnips."