Wild child

Sitting on the bus to London with Dumbledore was an eerie feeling.

In fact, Dumbledore's attire is very normal, and he is familiar with buying tickets and paying, but a red-faced, long-haired and long-bearded old man in a luxurious suit is accompanied by a shabby, yellow and thin little girl who seems to come from the slums. Taking a tourist bus, this rare sight will obviously lead to a higher rate of turning heads.

People in the front row glanced back from time to time and turned back to whisper, looking at Fanny with more and more sympathy, and watching Dumbledore with more and more guarded and hostile eyes...

... I am not a child abused by rich relatives, nor have I been trafficked ... I felt the 10th gaze from a certain row in front of me, and Fanny felt that if the distance was longer, someone should call the police and report the Kui Ruan next to me The old man who does not move.

There was nothing to say along the way, and finally got out of the car. Fanny followed Dumbledore who led the way and turned left and right.

"Is there something wrong with my clothes?" Dumbledore asked suddenly.

"I don't think so." Fanny glanced at Dumbledore's well-fitting black suit, "I've seen old Orozco wearing this kind of clothes, it should be like this."

"I think a lot of people are watching us." Dumbledore glanced around, "By the way, who is old Orozco?"

"It's the father of the idiot whose nose was broken by me. He is quite rich, and he seemed to be a boxer when he was young." Fanny replied, thinking about it and asking curiously: "It is rare for people to wear a suit on such an occasion. , Do wizards usually dress like this?"

"No, we usually wear wizard robes—this way." Dumbledore led Fanny into a small bar, "Should I wear casual clothes or something? But Muggles—that is, no magic people—there are so many different kinds of clothes, I'll never learn how to match them."

The Leaky Cauldron was deserted at this time, and a man who seemed to be the owner was lying on the bar and taking a nap.

"Good morning, Tom."

The shopkeeper raised his head in a daze, and when he saw Dumbledore, he suddenly came to his senses. He almost respectfully sent the two of them—Dumbledore to be precise—over a wall.

Only then did Fanny know that Dumbledore was the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and he was extremely respected.

In addition to being surprised, Fanny also really sweated - she said that he was a bad old man full of big talk when she met last time.

Then, she remembered that this respected elder had always treated her mildly, and she never asked herself to address him with honorifics.

"Sir?" Fanny asked tentatively.

"Huh?" Dumbledore's expression was the same as usual, but Fanny always felt a little smile flashed.

"You—wizards, I mean—don't usually travel by tour bus, do you?"

"Yeah, we usually take broomsticks, use Floo powder or apparition." Seeing that Fanny's comprehension obviously only goes up to "flying broomsticks", Dumbledore added, "To be more specific, let us Save it until after shopping, and you will see it in the future.”

Diagon Alley is actually an ordinary commercial street—for wizards.

So the attention of Fanny, who was a relatively pure Muggle just a few minutes ago, was completely attracted by Diagon Alley. She followed Dumbledore to the bookstore and robe shop, and she just felt that her eyesight was not enough along the way.

Three hours later, the two were sitting under a parasol outside Florin's Cold Drinks with bags and bags, each with a large serving of Nutella chocolate cream ice cream.

"We'll go to Ollivander's in the afternoon to buy you a wand, and then we'll go to Smith's new home." After briefly explaining the Floo powder and apparition, after Fanny finished marveling and asking questions, Dumbledore Duo said, "But before that, I still plan to go to Yila Owl Shop to buy your birthday present, although your birthday has passed for more than a month."

"No, sir." Fanny choked on ice cream when she heard the last sentence. She had never received a birthday present in her entire life.

Maybe it was received before the age of 4, but she can't remember it.

"It's a big day," said Dumbledore kindly. "You don't hate owls, do you? Or do you prefer cats or mice or toads? Personally, I think owls are more practical."

"Uh, then the owl is fine." Fanny guessed that it would be useless to refuse, "Thank you very much, sir."

After spending most of the afternoon, the two finally settled on a light brown owl, which was inconspicuous, but Fanny liked the luster of its feathers and eyes.Also bought with the owl is a cage and a small whistle that doesn't make a sound but is said to be audible for a particular owl from five miles away, and a bunch of nuts and stuff for caring for the owl.

There was also a seven-and-a-half-inch wand of ebony and dragon's nerve, which sent a gust of wind through the wand shop when Fanny picked it up.

"Sir, can you take my entourage to manifest to Smith later?" Fanny suddenly thought while holding the owl cage.

She had just learned the word "revealing a minion."

Although he had already seen Fanny's flexible and changeable expressions, Dumbledore still found it difficult to refuse that expectant little face and sparkling brown-blue eyes, so he hesitated for a moment. Xiaohui agreed.

"Yes, but you must remember the precautions I said."

Fannic nodded vigorously.

At the time of the devil, two figures, one tall and one short, appeared out of thin air on the empty river beach with a soft noise, and the short one fell to the ground as soon as he appeared.

"It's not very comfortable, is it?" Dumbledore helped Fanny who was panting and retching.

"Thank you, sir." Fanny stood up straight after a while, and said in her heart that it was her own fault, "I still prefer to use my legs or a car."

The small town by the river was just upstream from the town where Mrs. Evan's Orphanage was located, about seven or eight miles away.Smith's new home is one of the many two-story buildings in the town. The flower garden in front of the door is full of lavender like the surrounding houses, cherry trees are planted by the wall, and a car is parked. It is a typical ordinary middle-class man. s home.

Dumbledore rang the doorbell, and it was the lady Isabella Conwell who Fanny had seen who led Smith away, who opened the door and said hello politely.

"Oh, this is..." Mrs. Conwell bent down and looked at Fanny. "Hello, Fanny. Smith often mentions you."

Fanny was very surprised and not used to being looked at by a stranger with such emotional eyes. After a few days of thinking, she was sure that she had never seen this woman in front of her since she came to the orphanage.

"Fanny!" Smith yelled on the second floor, and when he rushed to the turning of the stairs, he raised his leg and jumped over the handrail.

Then when he touched the ground, he fell on his back on the clean ground. Mrs. Conwell screamed and ran to help him.

Smith rushed to Fanny without any pain, "Hey, how are you doing?"

"Very good." Fanny pulled Smith into a bear hug, and then secretly glanced at Dumbledore who seemed nothing had happened.She noticed that Smith had barely made a sound when he fell to the ground, and that Dumbledore seemed to have moved a bit.

But the joy of seeing her friend again dilutes the rest. Fanny pulls Smith who warmly responds to her bear hug. The two children begin to happily tell each other about their recent situation. Smith takes Fanny to visit his new home.

The two adults who had been left aside looked at each other and sighed with a smile.Mrs. Conwell ushered Dumbledore into the living room.

"...From August 8th, I will start to take piano lessons every two days, and Mrs. Conwell will take me to pick out the piano the day after tomorrow." Smith talked about his new home, including the water heater and bathroom, and finished His three days of life and vision for the future looked at Fanny expectantly: "How is it?"

"Eh? Oh, it's great." Fanny smiled reluctantly when she came back to her senses.

After she finished speaking, she continued to be in a trance.Living in a warm and comfortable house, being cared for tenderly, going to school with other children from complete families dressed decently, and learning the musical instrument she likes... This is the life that Fanny has dreamed of countless times. On the way to and from school, when I pass the houses with flowers in front of them, I can't help but imagine the scene of living in them.It was hard not to be jealous of Smith.

If she could have such a life, she would definitely want nothing, no matter what magic, Hogwarts...

"What about you? How are you? That school called Hogwart?" Smith asked enthusiastically, not noticing Fanny's loss.

"It's Hogwarts." Fanny corrected, she already knew a little about the Muggle Treaty of Secrecy, and was considering how much she could tell him.

"Did Dumbledore tell you where that mysterious school is and what it teaches? You actually have an owl in your luggage. Could it be that you are learning how to domesticate birds?"

"Uh..." Fanny faltered.

The guess of "domesticating birds" is a bit outrageous...

"Have you finished talking? We have something to tell you." Mrs. Conwell's voice came from the stairs, and she untied Fanny.She quickly shouted "Come on" and ran out of Smith's room.

After the two children sat down in the living room, Fanny found Mrs. Conwell looking at her with that affectionate look.This time she asked without waiting for Mrs. Conwell: "Mrs. Conwell, have we met before?"

"Yes, I took you with me for a while, but I don't think you remember." Mrs. Conwell's smile contained sadness and guilt.

Fanny recalled it in amazement, and was about to ask again when Dumbledore's voice cut in: "I think you will have plenty of time to catch up on the past, now let's talk about your placement. Fanny, Conwell What do you think of Madame's invitation to you to spend the rest of this summer and every holiday hereafter?"

Fanny's expression changed twice, and finally stayed in surprise.

"I...Of course! Of course I would!"

Mrs. Conwell and Smith smiled.

After the specific matters were settled, Dumbledore declined Mrs. Conwell's invitation to stay and have dinner together, leaving a sentence of "You can tell them, I believe they can be trusted" and left.

With these words, Fanny began to explain everything she knew about magic to the two of them. After talking for more than an hour, Smith's stunned expression made her very satisfied. He was ecstatic to be able to learn magic, and his jealousy towards Smith was also diluted a lot.

"... We were crushed very thinly, like squids about to go through a small hole, retracted into a small hole in the air, and found a way to crawl out of another small hole. Finding a way is really hard Easy, if I hadn't smelled the river water and lavender, we would have been miserable, maybe we would have been smothered in it. When we climbed out, it was like a rag was loosened, and our eyes, ears, lungs, and bones were all cracked snapped out and propped our skins back together."

Smith's eyes were fixed, and he mechanically scooped a large spoonful of cake into his mouth. He was completely stunned and listened to the whole meal without taste.

"And then? How does it feel to be propped back into place?" he asked.

"It's as sad as when I was crushed. Of course, nothing will happen to me, but Professor Dumbledore is getting old..." Mrs. Conwell chuckled, and Fanny immediately changed her words, "... …I was a little concerned, but he's experienced and used to it, so it's all right, and then we're on the beach, finding our way here."

Mrs. Conwell smiled without saying a word, and put away their plates, knives and forks. Fanny took a big sip of orange juice to hide her guilt, and began to respond to Smith's barrage of questions.She felt that Mrs. Conwell had a certain understanding of the wizarding world, and she couldn't help secretly worrying about how much her bragging had done, and whether Mrs. Conwell would think she was a little liar.

Mrs. Conwell took her into a bedroom after dinner and told her that she would sleep here and share the study next door with Smith.The complete equipment in the bedroom made Fanny feel that Mrs. Conwell seemed to have planned to let her live in it from the beginning.

Time flies by before school starts.

Mrs. Conwell is a painter. She spends almost half of her time in the studio every day, leaving early and returning late, so the children often do the grocery shopping and housework.Originally, Fanny only accompanied Smith or worked as an OEM when Smith was taking piano lessons, but after one or two visits, both parties found that Fanny was much more agile in selection and bargaining, so Fanny became the main staff in a short time.

For the rest of the time, Fanny spent most of her time wandering around the town, flipping through magic textbooks, trying to cast spells with a wand, bragging with Smith and watching TV.Occasionally she would think of the other children in the orphanage who were still oppressed by Mrs. Evan and the bullies nearby, and of Gerda and the bells of St. Mary's near the orphanage.But the happy new life weighed much more in her heart, and she felt like she was in a dream, and she had almost everything she wanted in a few days.

However, due to Mrs. Conwell's busy schedule, Fanny's question has not been answered.

Looking forward to, looking forward to, September 9st finally arrived.At dawn, Fanny, who had hardly slept all night, woke up.

The clothes she was wearing were bought by Mrs. Smith, who bought her a lot of different clothes, and a few sportswear were the ones she wore most.And she only tried on the pile of ladylike skirts and accessories for half the morning, and then she refused to wear them even after Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Conwell repeatedly said they looked good.

She also learned how to comb her hair, but she was always impatient, and she would yank it randomly after a few brushes, so although her hair was much neater, it still smelled a little messy, and there were tufts here and there. Tilt.

The delicate soft fabric caressed her skin, reminding her of the friction caused by the rough and dirty clothes that were too big and too small.On the first night of her visit, Mrs. Conwell planned to throw away the suit of clothes Fanny wore. Fanny herself didn't care, but Smith suggested that she keep them as souvenirs, so the suit was washed and put in the cabinet. corner.

Walking into the courtyard with bare feet, Fanny took a deep breath of the cool and lavender-scented air.She realized that after only two months, she was a little tired of the happy life she had been looking forward to for 7 years, and she was eager to accept new challenges.

"It's so early, Fanny." Mrs. Conwell walked into the yard, "Come in, don't catch a cold."

"Yes, Mrs. Conwell."

Mrs. Conwell asked for leave today to send Fanny to the station, and she was busy preparing breakfast when Fanny came out after washing.Fanny suddenly remembered that this was her last chance before school started, and it was a rare time for the two of them to be alone, so she asked, "Mrs. Conwell, can you tell me how you met me?"

Mrs. Conwell paused and resumed her work, and began to narrate in a rather calm tone.

"CC and I have known each other since we were kids—your mother, Crystal Christine, I always call her CC. She became a lawyer after graduating from college, and quickly made a name for herself in the industry. With the foundation After that, she began to live a life of "disappearing" for a while at work. As long as she wanted to, no one could find her. Of course, she would secretly tell me where her initial target was every time before disappearing, and then—who knows? Maybe She will fly back from Iceland after six months of exploring the Sahara Desert.

"Later, she met your father Charles, who was doing geological research in Ethiopia, and gave birth to you. Because they often went to explore dangerous places, they took turns fostering you in relatives and friends' homes, and planned to take you with them when you grew up. Go. I was one of the people who took care of you most often. I married shortly after my adulthood and paid the price for my own rash decisions. I was separated from my husband at the time and you were my part in this failed marriage Greatest consolation.

At this point, Mrs. Conwell's voice began to tremble.

"When you were three years old, they fostered you with me and went to a haunted forest in Albania...and never came back. After half a year I left my husband, I had no job, and raised you half a year later I I couldn't bear it anymore, so I sent you to an orphanage when you were four years old.

"After several years, I finally had a stable job and my own house, and I planned to pick you up from the orphanage. At this moment, Mr. Dumbledore appeared, and he told me about your recent situation and your Going to Hogwarts, I immediately decided to adopt your friend Smith - lived with him for a while, and I did find him a lovely boy."

"How did Professor Dumbledore find you?" Fanny asked.

"It's not difficult for him to investigate your parents. After the investigation, he probably thinks I'm reliable."

"Oh..." Fanny felt that she seemed to be hiding something, but this feeling had no basis, so she stopped asking.

Confused, Fanny found that Mrs. Conwell had walked in front of her, watching her green eyes filled with tears.

"Can you forgive me?" asked Mrs. Conwell.

"Well, I can't say it's a forgiveness. In such a difficult situation, you have raised me for my parents for such a long time. I should thank you. Who really needs to be forgiven, it should be them, so irresponsibly... ..." Before she finished speaking, Fanny was hugged.

"I'm sorry to put you through that...I heard Smith say that you had a hard time..." Mrs. Conwell sobbed.

To deal with insults and provocations from others, Fanny is a good hand, but Fanny has little experience in dealing with a crying person.After groping and patting Mrs. Conwell on the shoulder a few times, Fanny, who had neither comforted nor been comforted, choked out a weak sentence:

"Omelette is mushy..."

It was true that Mrs. Conwell forgot to turn off the fire when she came, and the fried eggs in the pan were already smoking.Mrs. Conwell straightened up immediately, wiped her face twice and went to take care of the pot.

After that, Mrs. Conwell showed no abnormalities. After Smith went downstairs, the three of them had breakfast and packed up before leaving for London King's Cross Railway Station.Smith was in a low mood, Fanny and Mrs. Conwell had their own concerns, and the car on the road was surprisingly quiet.