Wild child

Weasley, the most prosperous pure-blood family, Fanny finally realized the true meaning of this sentence on the wedding day.It is estimated that the blood of the pure wizard family is also more domineering. Looking around, nearly half of the guest seats are occupied by fiery red hair and freckled face.Coupled with those close relatives and old friends and a large group of Veela cousins ​​in Furong, even after casting the traceless expansion spell several times, the Burrow will soon be overwhelmed—it’s always easy to think about Veela married.

The economic conditions are not abundant, but this wedding will definitely not lose to any one in terms of grandeur.Fortunately, the veela didn't dance for a while, otherwise it's hard to say whether the protective spell of the Burrow can stand up to the toss of the excited men.

"William Arthur, are you willing to marry Fleur Isabel...?"

Fanny had sneaked into the church to watch a few weddings, and now it seems that wizards and Muggles are no different in the core link, except that the oath is not in the name of the Heavenly Father or any other theological representative.After the two parties say "I do", the groom kisses the bride, and the ceremony is considered complete.

There was a happy smile and tears on Furong's beautiful face, and Bill's eyes were full of joy and tenderness on his scarred face. This scene made Fanny dazzled.

"...I declare you to be partners for life."

A mass of silvery stars fell on them, swirling around their now tightly embracing bodies.The Bird of Paradise and the Little Golden Bell flew out of the exploded golden balloon and floated in the air, adding the sound of birds and bells to the din of the audience.Then the couple was overwhelmed by the crowd of blessings, and the wedding came to a climax.The music sounded, and the guests on the canopy supported by golden pillars sang and danced. Butter beer and fireworks hovered in the air, and laughter spread far away.

To be honest, adding atmosphere was not in Fanny's original plan.

She hated shopping for clothes, and now that she had every reason to refuse to go out and do it, she just dug out an old dress from the fourth-grade prom.It fit well with the lengthened hem and sleeves, and the silver-and-black tone made her faintly hear Ginny's new round of mocking her taste, but at least it wasn't any worse than the one Ron was wearing.

Gryffindors may not be good at talking, but most of them love carnival, and Fanny is no exception in this regard.It is very difficult to keep a distance in occasions such as the after-quidditch party, and her popularity is so bad that she often acts as the soul figure with the twins because of the endless new ideas.For some reason, like her dreadful talent for flying, Fanny had nothing to do with dancing, and she never understood the charm of spinning forward and backward in coordination with another person.

But dancing with Mark?That's another matter.

His appearance surprised Fanny for a few seconds. She had forgotten that he was Fleur's classmate in Beauxbatons, and their last meeting almost seemed to happen in another world.For some very simple reason, that period of their history was rather short, yet even years apart, she could be sure that Mark was a dance partner she would never say no to.

Deeply feeling that plans cannot keep up with changes has become the norm in her life, and Fanny also feels that the arrival of him and this wedding is like a timely rain.Their steps were still perfectly coordinated, and when the music beat that led everyone to swing gradually became hotter, those scenes that had been lingering in Fanny's mind for several months were finally dispelled.

"Hey!" When Mark stopped suddenly, Fanny quickly made sure that Mrs. Conwell was within her sight, then shook off the hair on her face and protested pantingly, "Don't tell me you're exhausted, old man .”

"I trekked across the desert to report a month ago with a broken wand, girl. That's how I earned myself a fortnight's vacation," Mark joked, his blond hair flying A flickering halo formed under the lights, "I'm not the one who's exhausted. Guess we have a lot to talk about, and we just happen to have some time."

Fanny raised her face and looked at him for a while, then smiled: "God, don't try to act like a mature man with a well-thought-out plan just because of a joke. It will only make you boring."

"If it was to other girls, I would answer 'I already am'. But," Mark showed Fanny's familiar smile, just like he was the slightly frivolous big boy, "I will try to avoid that. "

Sitting on both sides of the small round table, facing Mark like this, Fanny would feel a little strange, and she found that this feeling became clearer every time.

If she ever imagined the image of the opposite sex who shared her life with her, Mark must have a high degree of overlap with it: well-informed, humorous, good at drinking, and her unrestrained and restless personality.In fact, during that brief relationship, they had always been very compatible, which attracted a lot of envious eyes.

A paragon of “planning as you go” and a realist, Fanny actually spends enough time thinking about romantic themes to make those who know her jaws drop—what she sourly calls “fixing the sheep after the sheep”.After endless analysis, she attributed her situation to the fact that she didn't have any image in her head of the father who was said to be a model for a girl's boyfriend, and she rarely played the role of a girl in her past life. At an age when she should be full of fantasy, she never thought that she would need a opposite sex.

Mark and her ending can be very different.But by the time she started to react, oh, sorry, it was too late.

Come on, you're not the first girl to fall in love with a jerk.she said contemptuously to that part of herself.

"So, how are you doing now?" Mark asked. "I also learned some news during the previous holidays. Those things-about Mr. Dumbledore, and You-Know-Who-have spread to France. You see stand up……"

"—not at all, to be honest." Fanny thought about it, and caught a glass of champagne that flew in, "I don't have to think about school rules and discipline anymore—don't ask me if I have thought about it, there is a whole scene in front of me It's been an exciting fight, and I'm doing what I think is best for me in this war. It's been pretty much the best life I've ever thought of anyway," she grimaced, "and I think it's time to talk about the so-called The problem of human inferiority."

Alcohol wasn't part of Fanny's original plan, of course, for the unexpected, but a few glasses or even a bottle or two of champagne didn't really bother her, and she suddenly felt like she needed it.

"You're still the same, drinking like a man," Mark said.

"I want to ask when I didn't look like a man." Fanny took two glasses of butterbeer and pushed one in front of Mark, "Oh please, don't say that word."

When Mark finished laughing and took the first sip of beer, Fanny had already put the second empty glass on the table.

"It must have been a difficult time for you. I know Dumbledore means a lot to you."

"Not just to me. Although it seems to have calmed down, I can see that everyone is still panicked and overwhelmed. No one will feel safe anymore." Fanny looked around for the fourth time since sitting down.

The Burrow had been protected with all the might of the Order of the Phoenix, but that did not reassure those in the know.Looking around, some senior members of the Order of the Phoenix—such as Lupine and Tonks—basically sat or stood around the edge of the dance floor, doing the same thing as her.

"In my case, though, it's a little bit more complicated. You know, it's kind of creepy to be known as well by someone as he knows me. But when that person suddenly disappears, nobody else Knowing you, anticipating all your feelings and reactions, you'll feel..."

"Lost." Mark continued.

"It's like I know what I'm going to do and I'm not sure that's what I'm going to do."

"I also had that period of time - after Dominique's death. With the extra points of that mission, I quickly obtained the qualifications of a full-time member, but I often felt that I couldn't find myself in the team I had longed for. location." Mark shook his glass gently, "In most of my work area, loose women and drugs are easier to get than bread, whether it is for wizards or Muggles-in fact, most parts of the world have no established Such a complete secrecy law like the UK. I don’t know how many times, when I pass by those broken streets, I want to go straight to some dark corner, and then--'fuck it, just do it'. "

This narrative is not a joke, but Fanny can always read Mark's characteristic cynical sense of humor from the changes in his expression and the slight shrug of his shoulders. "What's stopping you?"

"That's why I sometimes feel like Dominique means more to me than the fact that she's my dead ex-girlfriend. She's the first victim I've ever seen, a reminder of what it was like when I first got into it. Mark handed over a glass of Flame Whiskey, which was slightly more than Fanny had intended, but she took it without hesitation.

Mark took a sip of the amber liquid that was dancing with flames, and continued: "Let me give you some advice. Find something to believe in, which will help you maintain normalcy and avoid doing things that you will regret now and possibly in the future. things. It’s easy to behave badly when you don’t feel like you’re alive.”

"Given that even when I was relatively credulous, the pastor spent three years failing to convince me of the Lord's protection, I don't think it would be easy for me to find such a thing." Fanny thought, her fingertips brushing her left wrist The rough surface of the watch, "But maybe the war will bring windfall."

It's probably a bit out of the "normal girl reunited with her first boyfriend" topic, but talking about it with Mark feels different from being heavy and dodgy with Hermione or Mrs. Conwell, and it's different from The banter with the twins, they are really discussing "war", which is very natural and practical.Talking like this can really put Fanny at ease, as long as she tries not to think about who she's usually been doing this with before.

"Speaking of which, have you read that Rita Skeeter's new book?" After talking about Fanny's next plan for a while, Mark happened to mention this.

"You mean the one about Dumbledore? Why," Fanny tried her best not to raise her voice too much, "that thing has already been sold to France in such a short time?"

"No. When I flew over, I walked by the fireplace in Diagon Alley. I passed by Lihen Bookstore and saw a pre-sale edition in the window, so I bought a copy."

"Okay, then..." Fanny shrugged, "I bought a copy when I went out to buy necessities, and I haven't read it yet."

"How do you feel about that?"

"Let her go. It's better to write a book than to be a Death Eater. Besides, there are a lot of real materials in it. I suspect Skeeter has been preparing for this book years ago."

"I'm asking how you feel." Mark's expression clearly indicated that he knew the answer.

"Honestly? Well, I want to put on Fleur's stilettos and kick that old cow in the head—or whatever, I don't care."

"Ha, this is the girl I know." Mark touched her with his cup. "Don't forget yourself, okay? It's not a bad thing to throw away your reason every now and then and trust someone else. It's very Old-fashioned, but you really have changed a lot."

"Whatever." Fanny was noncommittal, she gently pushed the empty cup in front of her with her fingers, making it make rhythmic collision sounds with other cups.

Fanny obviously expressed the intention to stop drinking, so Mark didn't continue to get drinks for himself or her.They are all aware of the importance of staying fully awake, and from what Fanny has observed so far, Mark is even more alert than her.There were two or three times, perhaps noticing some suspicious signs, he suddenly tightened his jaw, and his whole body exuded a rather threatening aura.Then he returned to his usual relaxed and easy-going look, but those moments really impressed Fanny.

After sitting quietly for a while, a girl whose Veela blood must be no less than Fleur came over and spoke softly to Mark in French.Fanny guessed that what they were talking about was Mark's polite refusal to a tempting invitation to dance together, so she couldn't help but tease the girl after she walked away with a disgruntled look on her face.

"And you, are you busy with anything other than crossing the desert?" Fanny asked, then added after a pause: "I hope this doesn't sound like, you know, the jealous ex so-and-so is Inquire into your private life."

"If that's the case, I might be very happy." Mark grimaced, "Some things are not uncommon, such as romantic encounters with local enthusiastic girls—"

"—conceivably—"

"—it's not long, everyone knows the rules. Other than that, there's not much news."

"Well, before you ask." Fanny curled her lips. "Break up—again, although it's not up to the standard of textbook badness, I still hope this is the last time. He...well, joined another On one side of the camp, I have to learn to treat him as an enemy."

"But you still love him."

"thanks for reminding."

"I'm sorry," Mark said softly. "I hope this doesn't sound like a jealous ex-boyfriend pointing fingers. I'm surprised you've lasted that long, since you're nothing like him .”

"Maybe we're both romantic fools?" Fanny said absently, looking across the wedding scene again.

The presence of shadows was obvious, and even the happy-go-lucky younger generation was seldom defenseless, as far as she knew the twins and Lee had made pockets for wands in their gowns, and Hermione, of course, was prepared. Zhou Quan, Fanny also noticed a small piece of stick tip protruding from his sleeve when Charlie and a girl who was probably a Veela danced exaggerated folk dances-but that didn't completely stop people from enjoying the celebration.

Fred and Angelina passed Fanny's eyes lightly. The two former Gryffindor Quidditch players had been inseparable for a long time since the ball a few years ago. I don't know if there is a new one this time. Intend.

George was holding another Veela on his arm, and the two danced slowly and leisurely, talking in low voices.The girl also reached out and brushed his hair on the right side, and laughed. Maybe George was telling that "hole listening" joke again.

Ron and Hermione were dancing happily, and Fanny was somewhat surprised. She thought these two guys would spend their entire lives arguing about that.

Harry had to change his appearance to be on the safe side. Due to his new ex-boyfriend identity, he could only sit in a corner and watch Ginny dance with other boys.To say that she was in a bad mood, Fanny felt that she could have him as her back no matter what.

The other guests, who knew nothing about it, were spinning in joy. If the wedding can end safely, they must be the most enviable group; Under the circumstances of this year.The discourse in newspapers and magazines has completed the transformation to one-sided praise of blood, and it is probably a consensus that no place is safe, at least temporarily.

Fanny's gaze swung around and settled on Smith.While he had no time to pay attention, she held her chin and looked at her oldest buddy.

He's holding a red-haired girl by the hand, but looks absent-minded.Harry and Ginny are not the only couples breaking up this summer.Smith's girlfriend, Amelia, who must have been transferred to Holland by now, was Fanny's roommate and, like Hermione, Muggle-born.Before the introduction of new Muggle-born registration regulations, she chose to take refuge abroad, and Fanny knew very well that Smith would rather be by her side than England countless times.

Unlike her, Smith wanted nothing more than security from the start.During the four years in the orphanage, he has always behaved like a boy with both parents living a normal life: honest, loves to read, and wanders around street corners to listen to a piece of piano music.In Fanny's view, he is a different freak from her, able to completely separate himself from the madness around him, so that he can always live as expected.

For more than a month, he has spent the whole day on books related to newspaper editing, taking notes like previewing before class, and occasionally playing "Fur Elise" every time he practiced the piano. A sign of the "normal" part of .Although the work he is doing is the weight of several people, it belongs to a field that he has almost no understanding of, and it is obviously against the mainstream wishes of another world.

A few days ago, Fanny caught him reading old letters, and it was not difficult to guess who they came from, judging from the number and well-kept condition.And the expression on Smith's face when she turned her head firmly engraved the concept of "knock on the door before entering anyone's room" firmly into her often ignorant mind.

She never knew how he lost that life, but she knew why he stayed here this time.Ten years have passed since they first met in the orphanage, they have disagreed countless times, she has pulled him into stealing, lying and playing tricks on others, and she sees breaking every rule he abides in the bottom of his heart as a casual affair. He also used to be ashamed and angry in a quarrel, and almost left the house angrily.And now he is away from everything he wants because of her, to fight a battle that has nothing to do with him.

Fanny couldn't help but turn her head when the two stares looked real, and saw that Mrs. Conwell had already withdrawn her gaze, looking at a certain point far away on the dance floor.She was wearing a ceremonial robe given by Fanny a few years ago, holding a glass of juice in her hand, with a lonely expression.

"That is?"

"My mother, sort of." Fanny replied, "It's too wasteful to sit on the sidelines at such a good wedding. Do you think we should..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the impromptu plan to bring Mrs. Conwell into the scene quickly became irrelevant.

A big silver thing fell through the canopy above the dance floor.Elegant and gleaming, the lynx lands lightly among the frightened dancers.People turned their heads, and those closest to it froze hilariously.The Patronus opened his mouth wide and spoke in the loud, deep, slow voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"The Ministry is down. Scrimgeour is dead. Here they come."

Fanny swore subconsciously as she jumped up and drew out her wand at her waist, and heard the French version of what must have been her words come out of Mark's mouth.She saw Mrs. Conwell's dropped glass leaving a large stain on the light-colored dress, and then the entire field of vision was completely filled by the hurried crowd, and the scene became a mess.