Wild child

Fanny's impression of Mark is still from the last time they met, when he was a romantic and slightly frivolous big boy.However, two years later, when Mark sat in front of him at this gorgeous and noisy party, she felt a majestic and boundless atmosphere, as if she had always longed for the boundless and lofty realm.

"You've changed a lot." Fanny and Mark clinked their glasses lightly.

"Aren't you too?" Mark smiled and drank the wine in his glass.

The slovenly wayward girl of the past has changed, as can be seen from the way she sits at the table.She no longer leaned lazily on the back of the chair, and no longer swayed her body and legs carelessly. Her dignified and elegant sitting posture was almost the same as that of the noble women he had come into contact with.But Fanny will never be the same as them. I don't know why Mark asserted this in his heart.

When we saw each other, she was just sitting there, her long hair was simply rolled up, and her quiet profile was unbelievably beautiful.Just by looking at her like this, he could sense a part of her that never changed and always attracted him.

"How are you doing?" Fanny asked.

"After graduation, I applied to join IWSOT." Mark replied, "After the last operation, my superiors gave me a vacation, and I will go back to the UK to have a look."

IWSOT is the abbreviation of International Wizard Social Security and Stability Operation Team (International Wizard Social security and stability Operation Team), which is a team similar to the international peacekeeping force in the Muggle world, called Auror Division International Branch in the UK.Because Fanny also felt the restlessness in Mark's nature during the short relationship between the two, she was not surprised by Mark's choice.

"Action? I remember that it takes several years of review to join this team. You should still be a reserve member now, right?"

"Oh, half a year after passing the training, I started to act with the team." Mark said lightly, "It is generally said that it is because of my family."

Mark's father has a high status in the French Ministry of Magic, and his uncle was a key member of IWSOT. He died in an operation to South America a few years ago. His application was passed very smoothly. Those two factors were inextricably linked—and so, obviously, was Slughorn's invitation.

Mark now follows the full members as a "probationary member", which is usually an opportunity for high performers at least two years after the start of the review.Since Mark is proficient in multiple languages ​​and has excellent social skills, he is often responsible for translation and diplomatic tasks in the team. This is not only for him to experience, but also to protect his safety. The elders of his family are also well-intentioned.

"That's great, privileged class." Fanny teased.

"If someone said that in person three years ago, I would definitely challenge that person to a duel to prove that I am not a vase who depends on my parents and my face." Mark smiled.

"It sounds like it's rare for someone to say that." Fanny raised her eyebrows.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to live to this day." Mark took a sip of wine, "You know how things like this usually develop. They rarely say it in person, but I can see that everyone thinks so. The whole When I was at Beauxbatons, I was desperate to teach someone a lesson."

"But it didn't work, because the people there are very polite. And those who would really say this to their face are their own people. You wouldn't start a duel with your friends for these words." Fanny also took a sip of wine, " Although we haven't been together for a long time, I know that you are not a person who likes to get into horns."

"Not all the people I work with are like that. Fortunately, I have changed my mind." Mark smiled. "Now I understand that the degree of being hurt often depends on your attitude. Also, what unrelated people say is none of your business."

"That makes sense." Fanny pushed the empty wine glass aside. After a while, she and Mark had finished the wine on the table, and Fanny simply brought the whole tray from another elf.

"So, how are you doing?" Mark held up a glass of butterbeer, "Honestly, it looks like you haven't been having a good time recently."

"It's silly... breaking up feels like the end of the world." Fanny downed her latest butterbeer, "but I'm sure I'll get through it."

"This is really..." Mark also drank his glass, "Well, I'm sorry."

"Forget it, let's not talk about him. What about you? Have you ever met a French beauty who made you swoon?"

"...A teammate of mine. He's already a regular member. He's a talented rookie. He's three years older than me." Mark's relaxed expression darkened.

"Hard to chase?" Fanny guessed, "Or is she already married?"

"She died. Was involved in a skirmish with local Muggles on a mission to the Sultan, and was killed by a weapon called a 'gun'."

"……I regret that."

"Me too."

After a few clinks of glasses, the alcohol kicks in.Mark looked at Fanny very attentively.

There was something in those eyes that a blind man could understand, and Fanny found she didn't want to refuse.He was so attractive, she wondered how she could have forgotten him, as flashbacks of that short period two years ago came flooding back.

"So we're both single now?"

"In theory, yes."

"I remember you said that for you, life is a process that follows one after another. There is no difference between good and bad, only the difference in the feelings it brings." Mark's voice sank, "Now, what can stop me from doing it again? Be part of your process?"

The noise became the fading background, and the two watched each other slowly approaching.Mark held Fanny's face in his hands. Compared with two years ago, his hands were no longer smooth, a little rough, and callused, but his contact made Fanny feel the same enthusiasm and throbbing as before. .

They looked at each other from a very close distance. Under the fog of unknown meaning, Fanny saw the sadness in Mark's eyes, and she was sure that Mark was the same.Then they stopped at the same time.

"I guess we're all out of order mentally, and we haven't realized it yet," Fanny said.

"That's right." Mark made an expression between helplessness and self-mockery.

Then the two sat back in their original positions and began to share their lives after parting like ordinary old friends.Mostly Mark was saying that Fanny was the storyteller again.

Obviously, in the past year and a half, his experience has been much more ups and downs than Fanny's, both materially and spiritually.

The development of wizarding society is actually closely related to Muggle society.With the status of a developed country in the Muggle world and its relatively independent geographical location, the various systems of the British wizarding world are the most complete, and the development context is also the clearest.The second is continental Europe, which is basically in order.And in those places called "the least developed regions" by Muggles, such as the central and western regions of Africa, the order of the wizarding world is countless times more chaotic than that of the British wizarding world under Voldemort's rule more than ten years ago.

In such a place, many times the situation is out of control.Mark was unlucky enough to be involved in several large-scale firefights. The enemies included local dark wizards who mastered primitive witchcraft, as well as Muggles who hated wizards or were bewitched or were not good citizens.The girl named Dominique Nigli who was Mark's girlfriend until a few months ago died in a conflict with the locals, and a stray bullet hit her in the heart.

Even if wizards are against Muggles, people with peaceful purposes are always relatively vulnerable.Dominique was not even willing to use the Iron Armor Charm when she was alive, because it would bounce all the bullets back and cause more casualties.Then a volley of bullets ripped her protective spell.

Mark is almost crazy, "almost", that's the point.At that moment, he seemed to be split in his own mind. One was furious, and the other was as calm as frost. The calm one regained control, helped the commander barely control the situation, and was able to hold on until reinforcements arrived.

The follow-up measures were almost zero, and there was no common procedure for erasing memories after the mob dispersed.Nobody paid for it except those who died in the fighting.

Captain Augustin Manuel said, "That's what we do."

Mark was commended for his outstanding performance in extreme conditions, and most of his teammates who went through it with him changed their original perception of him.According to Dominique's wish during her lifetime, she was buried on the snow line of Mount Kilimanjaro, the equatorial snow peak.Soon after Mark was transferred to perform other tasks, he returned to China after a full circle in Africa, and asked his superiors for a vacation. It was just in time for the Christmas holiday, and the superiors were very happy to let him go.

The career promise is bright, but the reality for Mark is that he has lost the girl he loves and must constantly fight for control with a resentful self.He told Fanny that when he heard that he had a holiday, his first thought was to go back to the place where Dominique died and blow up all the Muggle villages there.

Fanny was like sitting next to Tobia and Benjamin, listening to those tragic or thrilling or heart-wrenching stories, drinking one glass after another.

She was so focused that she didn't notice any movement in any other corner of the office.

After finishing what he planned to do, Draco was planning to leave immediately.

However, somewhere, it seemed that some idle god with a moldy mind wanted to make a joke of him, so he saw Fanny coming from the other side of the corridor.

With a straight back and a moderate stride, she has been able to incorporate those exercises into her demeanor naturally.It's just that those eyes are still looking around non-stop, shining with fresh light.

How many times have you walked this road, what is there to see?

——She looks really pretty like this.

Draco was well aware of the consequences of being exposed for what he had done: being fired, the last chance of a project with very little hope of success - and he felt it more and more - would be lost, and his father would suffer The wrath of the Dark Lord, the mother was hit hard again, oh, and he himself would probably lose his life.It is definitely a big taboo not to leave in time after finishing, but he is doing it just because he wants to see the girl who betrayed him for a while.

There was no help at all, and Draco wanted to slap himself—a slap was too little for him.

Well, that's not called betrayal, that's called "sticking to principles."Draco repeated these words with emphasis in his mind, and he could only blame himself for being dazed and forgetting the most important thing.

In fact, she did not hide her attitude: laughing and cursing, ridiculing and ridiculing, she never thought that she would reach a half-second compromise with those who slaughtered the same kind.

When did he start thinking of Muggles as "kind"?Draco was a little surprised by this.

But no matter what, what he wants to protect is only the part that is indispensable to him, no matter how many other "similar" there are, it will not tilt his balance.

In fact, how could he not know the Dark Lord's purpose in punishing the Malfoy family?But he knows that this is his only chance to save his family, and possibly his only chance to get the honor he has always dreamed of.Of course, killing people is not an easy task, but he has rehearsed it countless times in his mind, and he can do it.But the mother always thought that he was a child who didn't know the importance, and took the task recklessly.

If it was her, she definitely wouldn't think so.As soon as this thought came to him, Draco almost wanted to laugh: if what he was doing was successful, it would be no wonder she didn't hate her so much.

so what?If it weren't for her great help, how could he and his family be in this situation?If anyone had reason to hate each other in a relationship that now seemed to be over, it was him.Presumably she knew this very well, so she completely broke off contact with him.

But she has to act sad anyway!Draco thought angrily, broke it off neatly, and now happily came to the Christmas party, wasn't he the only one who was serious like a fool from the beginning to the end?

Draco began to figure out how to get in and grab the heartless girl unobtrusively and ask him...

"Ha! Got you, what are you doing here all alone?"

With a sharp pain in his ears, Draco couldn't help being dragged into the party by the nagging Filch.

...This is the most humiliating way of admission he can think of.

Being pulled into the door of Slughorn's office by the ear, Draco shook off Filch, and subconsciously began to look for Fanny.

"Professor Slughorn," Filch said wheezingly, the flesh on his jaw twitching, and the goldfish's eyes flashed with that crazy light that catches students mischievous, "I found this boy hiding upstairs. In the corridor, did you send him an invitation?"

"Okay, I wasn't invited," Draco said angrily, "I want to break in, are you happy?"

where?Are you too happy to watch your "ex-boyfriend" make a fool of yourself...

"It doesn't matter, Argus, it doesn't matter," Slughorn said, waving his hand. "Christmas, it's not a sin to want to go to the party. Let's forget it this time, and it won't be another case. Draco, you can stay."

He was spared, but Draco was almost as unhappy as the disappointed Filch next to him, because he had found the person he was looking for.This girl was drinking and chatting with another boy at the same table with a smile on her face, without paying any attention to the situation here.

Fanny didn't notice that she and Fanny were having a good conversation with another boy, and Draco didn't know which one annoyed him more.Taking the opportunity of a flattering word, he took a few steps to the side so that he could see over Slughorn's shoulder who the familiar bastard was.

"He always speaks highly of you, sir. Said you were the best potions expert he knew..."

When he saw the person opposite Fanny, his other half's unskilled flattery disappeared.

Mark Sans Donald, the lingering ex-boyfriend of Draco's "ex-girlfriend".

Inside the wide sleeves of his wizard robes, Draco's fists were clenched tightly.He saw the two laughing at the same time. He hadn't seen Fanny laughing heartily for a long time, and Fanny had never smiled so imagelessly when they were still together.

If Snape hadn't pulled him suddenly, he might have rushed over to ask Fanny if she ever really wanted to be with him.

"I have something to tell you, Draco," Snape said.

"Gee, Severus," said Slughorn, belching again, "Christmas, don't be so harsh—"

"I'm his headmaster, and it's up to me to decide whether to be strict or not." Snape said briefly, "Come with me, Draco."

As the head of Draco's house and his favorite teacher at one time, even though Draco blamed him for not helping his father, Snape still had power over him.So, with one last glance over there, Draco reluctantly followed Snape out.

With Snape's insight, he would definitely see what he did just now, and Draco could guess what the two of them were going to talk about. Today is really a ridiculous day for him to make a fool of himself.

"You're definitely alone tonight, which is extremely stupid, wandering the corridors with no sentries and no backup. These are low-level mistakes—"

"I had Crabbe and Goyle following me, but you put them in confinement!"

"And you're still absent-minded, looking around in public, which is tantamount to telling others that you—"

"It's none of your business!" Draco said harshly.

The scene of Fanny and Donald laughing together kept replaying in his mind, and the conversation continued, but Draco had no patience for it.He threw out the words that would shut Snape up the quickest and also make Snape more uneasy about him: "I know what you're up to! You're trying to steal my credit!"

After a pause, Draco adjusted his breathing, ignored what Snape was going to say next, and left the empty classroom.

He had decided that no matter how stupidly bad the evening was going to end, this had to be done.

So he passed Slughorn's office and hid behind a tapestry.For two hours, he anxiously waited for Fanny to walk out of the room, while worrying about the arrival of that moment.

Two hours later, that familiar figure came out from the open door of the office.As he had deduced, Fanny had gone in this direction, because there was a winding and silent path leading to Gryffindor Tower.

When Fanny passed the middle of the tapestry, Draco reached out and pulled her in.

No resistance is not expected, this girl has overreacted after a period of overreaction to the wall when she encounters those who approach her, and she has overcorrected. Ask clearly before acting.

But a second later, Draco realized something was wrong. He was not there, of course he didn’t know that Fanny and her ex-boyfriend had created enough empty glasses for a five-story champagne tower in the past two hours, but he obviously He would not ignore the mixed smell of alcohol in the air and Fanny's extremely confused eyes when she looked at him.

Even though she was standing still, Draco realized that this was not a good time to "have a talk".Another fool tonight, he sincerely hoped that Fanny was too drunk to see his expression.

Fanny blinked, her eyes became clearer, at least she recognized him.A restrained and conflicted look appeared on her face.

"It's you, Draco... what's wrong with you?"

Instead of asking "what's the matter" but "what's the matter", Draco was taken aback for a moment, did he put his predicament on his face?

"Nothing. We need to talk," he said.

"What...is there anything to talk about?" Fanny tilted her head to look at him.

"We have to talk!" Draco's tone cooled down.

"Talk about what?"

"Talk about that thing between us that you thought was over."

"I thought it was over? I thought you were the one who wanted to end it." Fanny shook her head, even though she had the drinking capacity trained by Benjamin, the world in front of her still began to fluctuate.

"When did it end for me? Since then, you haven't looked at me again! I know you're too busy fighting for justice—"

"The one of us who avoids and doesn't look at each other is you, not me! There's no sign that you want to 'talk' to me—"

"Which of us jumped out and knocked each other to the ground? And I have to thank you for keeping my father safe!" Draco couldn't help but be thankful that he'd cast a sound-blocking spell on the tapestry, and now they're both together. Excited, "Do you think I'm going to pretend it didn't happen without talking about it? Or are you just not bothering to think about it?"

"I also have to thank your dad and his good friend for letting my right hand rest for two months!" Fanny shook her head, "Isn't it because you are so busy that you don't have time to talk to me? Mr. Malfoy , distinguished status, responsibility—”

"I'm not like some people, busy drinking and exchanging glasses with ex-boyfriends and exchanging heart and soul." Before Draco realized it, the topic had completely veered in another direction.

"It's just normal drinking and chatting, it's not like you and Parkinson sticking together all day—"

"Drinking and chatting, isn't that the same meaning? An unexpected reunion with the first love boyfriend, the rekindling of the old relationship—" Draco sneered.

When Fanny raised her hand, she was slapped in the face, and her hand was slow, she didn't use much force, and she almost fell down.

Draco turned his head away from Fanny's palm, and let her stand firmly by the front of his robe without dodging or avoiding.

"How...why do you accuse me?" Fanny lowered her voice, lowering her head, "Obviously those are more important than me..."

"What?" Draco didn't understand.

"Your parents, your family, your honor and pride... aren't those all more important than me?" Fanny shook even more, and tried to look up at Draco, "These are all untouchable Yeah, right? Can't hurt the name Malfoy, don't do them any harm... so you'll never kiss me in the sun, hold my hand in front of other people, won't Admit that I am the one you love - the daughter of a Squib and a Muggle..."

"The one I love is you!" Draco blurted out.

Fanny looked at him, with indescribable emotions surging in her eyes.

"I love you. I made a promise, and I'll keep my promise, when the day comes—"

What he hadn't finished speaking was blocked back, Fanny's lips were cold, but her inner wall was hot.She kissed him like never before, and Draco couldn't think, letting desire and despair mingle like their lips.

She pushed him away immediately, and she also stumbled against the wall. Draco saw the faint blue in her eyes that seemed to come from the depths of the glacier, but it was still burning.

She is laughing.

"You will never leave with me... there will never be that day again."

Fanny was completely drunk, she fell to the ground.

Draco's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and finally he walked over and took the girl in his arms again.Fanny's unchanging breath was mixed with the smell of wine, still stubborn and desolate.

"Why can't you come with me?" he asked.

Fanny quickly found a comfortable position in Draco's arms, her sleeping face was peaceful, and she obviously tasted good wine.The unprecedented loss of control just now was forgotten by her in a blink of an eye, and Draco knew that if it wasn't for the effect of alcohol, there was a part of Fanny that he would never see.

Fanny only showed him what she wanted him to see, and so did he.The difference was that she could hide it flawlessly, and the way she looked at him always made him feel that all his cover-ups were like a three-year-old trying to hide an elephant.

They come from diametrically opposite backgrounds, but self-controlled, stubborn, they're all the same.There will always be something more important than the other in their lives, so when the two worlds separate, she won't go with him, and neither will he.

Maybe she's right and that day won't come.