Wild child

The brightest day of summer is the day when Dumbledore's funeral is held.

The grounds by the Black Lake were lined with hundreds of chairs, all facing a marble table.When the funeral began, all the seats were occupied, and many people had to stand behind to watch.Alongside these people are most of the ghosts of the castle, who appear unreal in the sunlight penetrating through them.

For some reason Fanny thought of Dobby.Dumbledore was the only one who respected his free will and gave him a job with wages and holidays. He must have hoped to see Dumbledore on his last journey.It's a pity that even if the protagonist of this occasion welcomes any visitor, the elf's instinct will not allow him to appear.

The funeral was delayed by a few minutes as the merfolk in the Black Lake spontaneously sang Dumbledore off just below the surface.Fanny had heard the mermaid speak while watching the Triwizard Tournament two years ago, and she never thought that such a rough and ugly voice could compose such a melodious ballad.

The eulogy was uttered by a little old wizard, and from the second syllable Fanny was distracted, looking around.

Dumbledore's funeral was very grand, not to say that it was grand and luxurious-in fact, the open-air ceremony was quite simple due to the rush of preparation time-but the participants were from all walks of life in the wizarding society.

Fanny saw the Weasleys, all the teachers and half the students at Hogwarts - including some Slytherins - and their families, other members of the Order of the Phoenix she knew, the Minister of Magic and some Ministry employees , the Field family, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, the woman selling food on the cart on the Hogwarts Express, the centaur Firenze standing alone by the lake, the big headmistress of Beauxbatons, nearly a third of Diagon Alley shopkeepers and many people she did not recognize at all.

It was really a mixed bag. Looking from the last row, the neat and decent, the ragged, the vicissitude-faced, and the childish-looking people sat down in the order they arrived, regardless of their official titles.Even the people brought by the Minister of Magic consciously sat in the second row in order, next to McGonagall.

Equality and tolerance, Fanny was happy that these were fully reflected in Dumbledore's funeral.

Hagrid put Dumbledore on the marble table, the magic was really amazing, Dumbledore looked completely unchanged from his life.Fanny almost had the illusion that this was just another prank by this naughty old man, as if after everyone's tears were shed, he would suddenly leave his peaceful sleeping position and sit up, winking at everyone.

Mrs. Conwell wept silently beside Fanny, who patted her on the back with Smith behind her.Smith looked sad, but when he sat down he insisted on giving up his seat to someone who was really grieving.

Hermione wept against Ron, Ginny's tears rolled down her shoulders, and Harry wiped his eyes.Hagrid blew his nose like a trumpet as he returned to his seat, his giant brother patting him on the shoulder.

Fanny didn't cry, but after many years of tacit understanding, she only needed to look at each other to understand, and Smith saw in her eyes a grief that was deeper than any crying.

Several people screamed.Blazing white flames shot out from around Dumbledore's body and the table, obscuring the remains.After the flames were extinguished and the white smoke cleared, a white tomb appeared on the spot, wrapping the body and the table inside.

For a moment, Fanny seemed to see Dumbledore smiling towards the audience in the white smoke.Yet she had asked why the ghosts were ghosts, and knew that Albus Dumbledore would not stay.No matter how many concerns he has, when the agreed rest day comes, he will calmly walk into the embrace of death.

Dumbledore disappeared, he was gone.

After the centaur shot arrows in mourning, the funeral officially ended and the guests dispersed.

Fanny saw Harry leaving with Ginny with a pale face and a determined expression, she knew what they were going to say: Harry was destined to become a hero to save the wizarding world, and the road he was about to go Ginny Unable to follow.

On the shore of the lake in the distance, a black-haired figure in a ceremonial robe appeared beside Firenze.The Patil sisters were taken home by their parents the day after Dumbledore's death. Obviously, Parvati broke through her parents' prohibition and rushed over with that stubbornness.The two figures with extremely contrasting colors hugged each other. They had been waiting for this moment for a long, long time.

Bill was supported by Fleur to and fro, his face still horrified, but seeing Fleur's undivided attention as she took care of him, she knew that it didn't bother her at all.

Lupine was holding hands with the young witch, now Fanny knew her name was Tonks, and she was a Transformmagus, her hair now the color of bubblegum pink.It seems that Tonks has pursued Lupine for a long time, and the scene of Bill being bitten and Fleur sticking together finally broke his psychological defense. Fanny was very happy for them, and she hoped that Lupine would be happy after being teased by fate for half his life.

Hermione was held in Ron's arms, her strength finally exhausted.

Fanny blessed those who finally reaped the fruits of love, even though she couldn't bear to watch those sweet sex scenes.She also sincerely envied Harry and Ginny, at least they had a chance to say goodbye.

When returning to the dormitory to pack her things, Fanny thought she would face an empty dormitory.But she was surprised to find Amelia sitting on the bed facing the dormitory door, apparently waiting for her.

"I want to talk to you," Amelia said with determination.

Fanny nodded.

With Dumbledore passing in such a shocking manner, the public information is that the Board of Trustees is debating whether or not to close the school.

At this time, the Order of the Phoenix had received news that Voldemort would require Hogwarts to remain open and exercise absolute control over it, and at the same time carry out a blood cleansing.The transfer of Muggle-born students and their families in batches and the rewriting of the family tree of Muggle-born wizards is underway, perhaps because of Mrs Conwell, Amelia was one of the first to hear and was among the first on the list.

Amelia agrees to a plan to move to the Netherlands.

"Actually, my ideal has always been to open a flower shop after graduation and live the life of an ordinary Muggle. Maybe use a little magic, but just to wash the dishes, or to make the flowers in my shop last longer than other shops, Not to stun people or... kill people. I really don't want to involve myself and my parents in wizarding wars," Amelia said.

"Very good, tulips are produced in Holland." Fanny said.

She understood that it was not a sign of cowardice to withdraw early from a situation she hated.No one is not afraid of the coming war, and no one has the obligation to go forward.

But that's where the problem lies.

"Did you know that Smith chose to stay for you?" Amelia asked.

"He... I know him, and he will not leave when he knows that other people are risking their lives." Fanny said, "Don't get me wrong, I didn't mean to be sarcastic. It's just that everyone chooses differently. "

Amelia shook her head, "I know I'm cowardly and unworthy of being a Gryffindor. I just want to ask you, do you know that everything they did was for you? Mrs. Conwell arranged for me As for the transfer, I know she did it for you, and Smith stayed for the two of you and gave up the opportunity to study abroad. Don't you feel it?"

"I know... In fact, they didn't hide it much." Fanny guessed what Amelia wanted to say.

"But you're still going to stay and fight, aren't you?" Amelia asked.

"That's right," Fanny said.

"Why can't you give up? You clearly know that if you are willing to leave, they will stay away from danger with you, but you still have to fight for your ideals. Don't you think it's... selfish?"

Every word of Amelia hit Fanny's heart, and this question has been haunting her since the conversation with Mrs. Conwell during the summer vacation of the fourth grade.

Fanny tried to answer this question that she had been unable to answer, "They all understand me, support me unconditionally, and never say anything against or complain... I am really grateful. Everyone has someone they care about, and they will be with me. You stand with life and death, and now the war is here, and if everyone flees, all of this will be destroyed. If we don't stand up... who else will there be?"

"Do you think so?" Amelia asked quietly.

"Yes... Well, to be honest, no." Fanny shook her head, "To be honest, maybe I just want to join the war, and it has nothing to do with the so-called ideals and beliefs... You are right, I think I am Really selfish."

"He knows you very well, even better than me." Amelia's voice was a little choked, "That's what he told me, he said he knew you didn't believe anything, and didn't need any reason. But You've fought side by side since you were kids, and as long as you decide to stay, whether it's on a whim or just for fun, even if it's hell, he'll never leave."

Fanny froze for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

"I think I really hate you, Fanny." Amelia looked at her with tears in her eyes, a look she would never forget, "I will never fall in love with anyone as much as I love him. I The person I love the most keeps saying that he loves me, but he is willing to die for you."

"He really loves you, from the moment he saw you." Fanny said softly. "A man like him would die for any family and friends, but he's only going to die for you."

"I told him that he had no stake in the wizard's war and that he would die. I knew he would." Amelia's tears finally flowed down, "I advised him to come with me, I Begged him."

Amelia bowed her head and wiped her eyes vigorously with each sleeve alternately, trying to hold back the tears.Fanny stood there for a while, reaching out to hug her.Amelia struggled a few times, and finally cried on Fanny's shoulder. She gritted her teeth to suppress the cry, and said vaguely to the cloth on Fanny's shoulder that she hated her, she hated Smith, and she hated everything.

Fanny knew that she was only hating those things that took away the happiness that was right in front of her.

After a long time, Amelia calmed down, broke free from Fanny's arm, turned and left.After taking two steps, he stopped hesitantly, turned his face slightly, and said to his former friend in a barely audible voice: "Good luck."

Fanny took the Hogwarts Express back with Smith and Mrs. Conwell. Since many students had left early, the Hogwarts Express had vacated many seats, and no one was in the mood to pay attention to two people who did not belong to the wizarding world. .

On the way, Fanny told the two of her plans that she was not going to finish her last year at Hogwarts.She felt a little guilty about making this decision, feeling like she had left her burning house and ran away.

In school, no matter how dark the situation is, the understanding of the word "war" will always be looking out through a layer of frosted glass.Fanny wanted to truly experience and experience it.

This reason obviously cannot be used to convince anyone.

"I can't bear to be in the same school as the man who killed Dumbledore, study the Dark Arts with him, and watch him turn the school into a mess," she said in an almost willful tone. I have no problems with the NEWTs exam subjects, and missing a year of school will not have any impact."

Unexpectedly, the first reaction of both of them was opposition. Fanny was prepared to make a long speech and be silent and persistent like the summer vacation of the third grade, but she found that Smith and Mrs. Conwell had compromised before the train arrived.After finishing speaking, Mrs. Conwell just looked out the window without saying a word, as if she was making a silent protest.

When she and Smith appeared, Fanny also noticed that the atmosphere between the two was strange.Smith only briefly said that he had a quarrel with Mrs. Conwell after he gave up studying abroad, and he was quite dissatisfied with Fanny in words.

The morning light filtered through the windows, illuminating the lines on Mrs. Conwell's face, making her look even more haggard and tired.Fanny remembered that she had been fighting for the war she was dragged into for two years, and rejected a love that was at her fingertips.

She really felt like a heinous bastard.

Fanny Sanchez seems to be a burden in the lives of everyone around her. They must endure her erratic and stubborn personality, clean up the mess she makes everywhere, and face the reckless decisions she may make at any time.They have always been by her side, but she always prefers to live in her own world and do little for them.

Why should she be so honored to have their unconditional support?Fanny thought that she simply did not have the qualifications to stay by anyone's side.

After getting off the bus, just as she was about to enter King's Cross Railway Station through the partition wall, Hermione suddenly left her two companions and walked over.She pushed the box aside and, uncharacteristically, pulled Fanny away without a word of politeness to Smith and Mrs. Conwell.When the two stopped, they threw themselves on Fanny and hugged her tightly without waiting for Fanny to ask her. Fanny felt Hermione tremble.

"Would you like to come over to my house after a while? I want to...please do me a favor, there are...some things I can't do by myself." Hermione's voice was muffled and trembling, as if from a drowning person.

"Okay," Fanny said.

Hermione straightened up, moved her face as if trying to smile, then walked back and dragged the box next to her through the partition wall.

"Oh, that's right." Returning to Mrs. Conwell and Smith, Fanny remembered a very important matter, "How did you get there?"

Only wizards can pass through the partition wall of platform nine and three quarters, so Hermione's parents and Fanny's two family members can only be sent outside the wall every time they see off.Originally, this was not a big problem, but now that they are inside the wall, they can't blow up the station.Fanny has turned 17 and can find a place where no one will see—since she hasn’t passed the exam yet—and take Mrs. Conwell’s entourage to appear, but Smith, who is an ordinary Muggle, can’t take it away anyway.

"It's okay." Mrs. Conwell said and took out a lipstick, "You take my entourage to reveal, and Smith uses this to go back."

For a moment, Fanny thought that Mrs. Conwell had lost her mind under the pressure, but after she took it, she found that the thing was heavier than lipstick, and there were subtle fluctuations in magic power.

"The Stealth Device," said Mrs. Conwell. "Mr. Dumbledore gave it to me. I can use it to escape in an emergency."

This is another little invention of Dumbledore's. The method of use is between the Floo network and the Portkey. When you need to use it, you just squeeze it twice and clearly say where you want to go. According to Mrs. Conwell's description of the process It feels almost like apparition.Its biggest advantage is that Muggles and Squibs can also be used, and there is no need to worry about splitting.

However, its shortcomings are also obvious. For example, the movement is too large when used, and the effect is slow. It can only transfer the user himself and the inanimate objects that have direct contact with it. track and more.But for Mrs. Conwell, it's definitely life-saving stuff.

Smith obviously understood this too, and took it with a serious face.

As for apparating, after 12 weeks of training, Fanny and Hermione were the best, successfully apparating twice into the barrel circle in front of them.Harry had succeeded once, but Ron had been more miserable, and until April, according to Snape, he was "so solid that he couldn't even Apparate half an inch".

Although she is in good condition, because she is not old enough, Fanny can only take the exam in July.Because of her lack of flying skills, she can only choose the future of transportation in the Floo Network and Apparation, which makes Fanny very sad. She hates heat and rotation, and Apparation and Follower Appearance are completely comfortable in terms of comfort. no difference.

Why can't wizards invent some means of transportation to make travel more comfortable and enjoyable?Look at Muggles, whether it’s trains, planes or boats, there are stable seats, air-conditioning and chatting, and if you ride a bicycle, you can watch the scenery if you are tired and slow; what about wizards?Either freeze to death on a broom, or heat to death in a fire, or suffocate to death in an unknown space, or be imprisoned by Azkaban for misusing the Portkey.

Originally, I wanted to make a few jokes about my apparition level, but seeing that Mrs. Conwell was not in the mood at all, Fanny let it go. After wrapping the luggage around Smith's neck and wrists, she waited for the students and parents to leave. .

Mrs. Conwell also instructed Smith to tie his shoelaces to his ankles lest he transfer to his destination with nothing but socks on his feet. It was a matter of experience, and Fanny couldn't help thinking—how many times had she had to use a Did it escape?

At the critical moment, Fanny didn't lose the chain very much. Except for Mrs. Conwell's uncomfortable reaction, everything went smoothly with apparation.Fanny asked about it after the grove near her home spun and manifested.

"I've only tried it once or twice, but it hasn't been put into real use yet." Mrs. Conwell said lightly, showing a little smile, "Mr. Dumbledore told me that little trick, he said the first time he tried it While he left his boots and outer robe."

Thinking of that scene, Fanny laughed out loud, this was the first time in these days.

Dumbledore was dead, she'd known since the day of the Quidditch final that she'd seen him stop breathing just a few hours before, wrapped up in the white tomb.However, Dumbledore in their memory is still vivid and irreplaceable.

He left, he didn't leave.

The holiday was very busy at the beginning. Fanny first went to The Burrow, and received Mrs. Weasley's warm hospitality and the twins' hard-working guarantee of funding. Other members of the Order of the Phoenix also unanimously expressed their support.At the same time, she also got an unexpected invitation: before leaving the Burrow to Apparate, Lupine asked her to attend his wedding with Tonks.

So the preparations for the pre-run and post-run in the first two weeks were interrupted.

The wedding was held at Tonks' parents' house, and it was simple, with only the necessary ceremonies and a few close friends.In it Fanny saw Mad-Eye Moody - she really thought his sale was more suitable for a martyr ceremony than a wedding, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley - with a four-tiered cake Mrs. Weasley lovingly made and A big bag of magic trick products contributed by the twins, and excitable Dedaloodi songs.

Among the younger generation, only Fanny was present, and not inviting too many people was out of safety considerations. After all, under the new anti-half-human law, marrying a werewolf is not something that should be announced.It's just that Fanny couldn't figure out why Lupine had invited her. Even if Harry couldn't come, Ron, who had lived in the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix for so long, was closer to him than she was.

Seeing Lupine's fluttering look, Fanny decided to ask another day.

"It's a shame Kingsley couldn't come," sighed Mrs. Weasley.

"The matter of the Muggle Prime Minister is much more important than my wedding, and I have already received his blessing." Soon to be the groom, Lupine could not hide his tension in his usual gentleness.

The ostentation is just a facade after all, with Tonks beaming with joy and Lupine tensing up like a young man in love when he says "I do" - it makes him look a lot younger.Fanny thinks this is the most perfect wedding, both parties are very happy.

The old Tonks couple were obviously dissatisfied with their daughter's choice. Presumably, their parents were always displeased to see their jewel in the palm of their hands being entrusted to a werewolf who had no job, was poor, and was ten years older. Do it covertly.But no matter how reluctant they were, they still put Tonks' hand in Lupin's.

After finishing dinner and cake in a deserted manner, several people dispersed separately.Mrs. Weasley invited Fanny to visit the Burrow for a few more days. She became very enthusiastic about Fanny after knowing Fanny's contribution to Bill's treatment. Fanny declined politely, but said that Bill's wedding would definitely be Will show up and then go on the road the next day.

On July 7, an owl flew in through the window of her room.At that time, she was sitting on the bed in a simple youth hotel, flipping through a thick stack of materials on the history of magic. When she first saw the small ring with the mark on the owl's leg, her first reaction was that Hogsmeade was created by a wizard who escaped from Muggle persecution. Founded at the beginning of the 20th century, in 11, five years after Henry VIII established a regular postal network, Hogsmeade took the lead in establishing post offices in the wizarding world, covering the entire southern part of England. In addition to owls, pigeons, dogs, and mice were originally sent. , swans, foxes and more.

At that time, this move met with a lot of opposition. The main reasons were that the animals might reveal the residence of the wizard, which would damage the dignity of the wizard, and due to various reasons—such as the animal that delivered the letter was hunted and eaten by Muggles—the letter was lost or found... stop , receive the letter first.

The owl flew away satisfied after receiving 5 Nats, and Fanny stared at the italicized words on the package for a while before making up her mind to open it.Inside the package was a letter and a carton. Fanny opened the carton first, and inside was a camera.

It is only the size of a palm, about the thickness of a finger, and its entire body is dark, with a deep blue luster on its surface under the light.Fanny pressed the shutter twice casually facing the window, and the photo just taken was projected directly above the camera.

The crooked fence and the mushrooms growing on it, and every leaf of the birch forest swaying slightly in the wind have been photographed in detail. Even Fanny, who knows nothing about photography, can see that this camera is absolutely valuable.

Fanny raised her eyebrows, put down the camera and opened the letter.It was written on her birthday more than a month ago, that is, a week before Dumbledore's death. Fanny is very familiar with the font and the way of phrasing the entire text.

Fanny:

First of all, happy birthday to you.

You are now a grown witch, and it has been six years since we first met.Merlin, time flies, doesn't it?

I wish there was a more tactful way of saying this, well, well, I'm sure I'll be dead by the time you read this.Of course, this is not the focus of our discussion at this time.

In fact, I am writing this letter to tell you about myself, which is not easy for me, and you will never imagine that this is the first letter I have started to write.

Where to start?Well, in general, I was a fool and I am an old fool.I've been hoping for so long that I've improved a bit, and at the end of the day, I realize that I haven't changed a bit.

Going my own way has caused me to experience the most horrific betrayals and losses of loved ones, which I could say were my own fault, but which have irreparably hurt my family and which I will never let go of.

Just let the long and tedious babble of an old man fade away in the long river of time. Maybe you won't agree with what I say, but from the first time I saw you, I realized how much we are alike.I follow you much more closely than you and myself can imagine, and thanks to that, I see as much of you as possible.

Only go your own way, live only according to your own wishes.I was worried that you would go through the pain I did, but obviously you are much wiser than I was at my age.You always know how to do what's right - standing up, standing up for your principles, and more importantly, you know how to cherish.I've said it to you before, and I want to say it again with all my heart, even though you may think I'm not qualified: I'm so proud of you, Fanny.

There is nothing better than watching you grow little by little.Watching you have your own friends, care about your family, and then find your true love, you will hold his hand in white gauze, and have a complete happiness.You deserve it all and you will have it all.

As an ordinary person, even if I have lived long enough, I can't say that I don't have a little fear when facing death, but I can control it and wait for that moment as calmly as possible.I thought that would be the end of it, but thinking about what I couldn't witness in your life brought back all those fears I'd suppressed.

I think the terrible thing about death is not that it is itself, but that it separates you from all that you are attached to.All those moments of you that I missed are the greatest regrets that death has left me with.

It may be selfish to say this, but it gives me some joy to know that my death pained you so much.It is unimaginably important to me that you see me as an integral part of my life.Everyone hopes that something about themselves will continue in some form even after leaving this world.I'd say it's the continuation I most wanted, even more than Hogwarts students and teachers - forgive my arrogance, but I'm sure they're doing it when you read it - and I've been The "greater good" that is trying to be realized.

Second, I want to say sorry.I have wanted to use you, and I admit that it was my first thought after your remarkable talents were revealed, even faster than my admiration.As I guess you know, this is Albus Dumbledore's bad habit.

This apology is also for all my intentional actions of alienating you this year, and I feel that I still owe you an explanation.For as long as a year, I didn't know how to face you, or dare not face the way you hate me.If you hadn't suddenly appeared outside the office door, maybe I would have missed the words you really wanted to say in silence.

I'm sorry, Fanny.For all the pain I have caused you.

Last but not least, you always have my blessing.

I have said to countless people, "You should do the right thing", but when this war comes, I want you to leave the battlefield and go to a safe place.Right and wrong don't seem to matter at the moment, I just want you to be safe.

This was probably the last testament to my selfishness, and we can unhesitatingly consider it the best.

But the advice I would really give you is, go for it.No one knows better than you what you are suitable for and what you want. No matter what choice you make, I believe it must be the most suitable for you.

Enclosed is your 17th birthday gift, and I hope that every precious moment in your life will be permanently recorded and cherished.

Please live freely and happily.

You faithful,

Albus Dumbledore

Fanny belatedly recalled that it was exactly six years ago today that an old man walked into that small and dark room, lighting up a new world for her.

Time flies.