[HP] Flower of Eternal Life

Potions is a subject shared by fourth-year Gryffindors and Slytherins, taught by Horace Slughorn, a stocky man with a walrus-like beard. A middle-aged male, he is also the head of Slytherin.

Professor Slughorn is in a sense one of the few professors in the school who treats students from all houses equally, since he only favors those who excel in his courses.

"Perfect see-through potion! It looks really great, doesn't it?" Professor Slughorn looked at Tom Riddle's transparent potion with a little silver glow in his cauldron with a smile, and his tone was brisk and very happy, " Let me think about it and give Slytherin five points for this wonderful work."

"Thank you, sir." Tom thanked Slughorn for his praise in a gentle and joyful tone, as if in response to his words, there was a low booing in the classroom.

They seemed to be used to this situation and didn't react at all, even the students of Gryffindor College looked indifferent, but Will and Rose couldn't accept this situation, and exchanged glances displeasedly.

Albus and Esther have seen similar situations many times, almost one of every two classes. The more the professors like and praise Tom, the more other students treat him coldly. Treat each other.Albus dared not say that he felt what had happened to Tom, but he felt that if he had been treated this way, he would not be able to bear it for so long.

Professor Slughorn was patrolling the classroom, and soon came to Esther's desk. He looked down at Esther's potion, and his eyes immediately opened wide.

"That's a great idea! Add half an ounce of sunflower diluent, a sprig of sage sprouts, and half a teaspoon of dried cranberry powder, and it will slow down the side effects of the potion and keep your eyes from hurting for the better part of the day Right?" He smiled, and those funny beards trembled slightly with the vibration, "Slytheringa is very, excellent work, and you will make an excellent potions master in the future, Miss Esther."

Albus wasn't jealous of Esther's potions talent at all, because her father was the best potions master he knew, not to mention that his Potions papers and exams were kept between E and A all year round. Help from this friend - she would never turn down her begging for Potions homework, although not getting an O would have meant he was out of line with his father's career - Auror.

After class, the four children lingered in the classroom for a while before leaving. Their afternoon class ended at four o'clock. After discussing how to spend the time until dinner, they decided to go to the library Find some books to pass the time.

They left the Potions classroom in the basement, but before they reached the stairs leading upstairs, they heard an unusual sound coming from a nearby classroom with the door ajar.

"...Slughorn is no longer your solid backing. It is obvious that our Potions professor has found a new love. He obviously prefers those truly talented students to your flattery, doesn't he?"

"I didn't please him, I just did my best to complete every homework, and I'm afraid you can't even please him, he doesn't even want to stay in front of your cauldron for more than ten seconds, doesn't he?" The owner of the voice retorted coldly, he seemed very tired of such conversations.

The first voice was unfamiliar to them, but the second clearly belonged to Tom Riddle, who had spent the afternoon with them under the beeches.

"It seems that you don't know what humility is without suffering, right?" A third malevolent voice broke into the conversation.

"Two hits is an honor to you?" The voice was still indifferent and peaceful, but it seemed unnatural.

Albus turned his head to look at his friends, Esther had a thoughtful expression on his face, but it seemed that his attention was not in front of her eyes, Rose seemed a little uneasy, she looked worriedly at Will beside her. , and the latter gave Albus an inviting, eager look.Albus shrugged and pushed open the classroom door.

The three people who were originally in the classroom immediately turned their eyes to the door. Will squeezed past Albus and said in a brisk tone: "I think we heard a little discussion about the game? Are you going to play together?" Quidditch? Can you take us?"

Two Slytherin students of the same level whom they had met but whose names they did not know showed similar disgust on their faces, and one of them replied haughtily: "This has nothing to do with you, you better leave it alone."

"I think it has something to do with us. After all, the boy you're stuck with made an appointment to go to the lake to do homework with us." Contrary to everyone's expectations, Rose, who has always been unwilling to be involved in such troublesome incidents, was unprecedented. He stood up and told a lie in a confident tone.

And Esther walked past Albus as if sleepwalking, ignored the two Slytherin students, looked at Tom in a trance, and said in a dreamlike voice: "It seems that there are a few harassment flies in your ears." Don’t worry, as long as you blow in the sun, they will leave by themselves.” She took Tom’s hand very naturally, and led him to the door of the classroom.

Ten minutes later, when they were standing at the door of the auditorium, Esther let go of his hand as if waking up from a dream.Released Tom bowed his head and muttered "thank you" to his four companions.

The four people exchanged glances, you pushed and gave way, and finally Albus realized that he was locked by three pairs of eyes, he shrugged helplessly, turned to Tom, and asked gently: "Maybe you don't mind going to the beeches with us?" Homework?"

There seemed to be no emotion in the dark eyes of the boy looking back at him, but then he nodded in agreement with Albus's proposal, and replied in a soft voice, "I'd love to."

-

Tom Riddle rarely saw Esther Snape alone in the Slytherin lounge, as she was usually inseparable from Albus Potter, so this evening When she was quietly sitting at a round table under a wall lamp and comfortably nestled in her armchair, reading the magazine he often saw her immersed in, he couldn't hide his curiosity and walked towards the girl past.

"Good evening, Esther." He greeted the girl in a gentle tone and sat down next to her before saying, "I don't think you mind if I sit here?"

The girl with light blonde hair looked up from the magazine and gave him a dreamy smile, and replied, "Of course, good evening, Tom."

Tom Riddle actually doesn't like being called Tom, because this name always reminds him of mediocrity and his sad life experience. When he first entered Hogwarts, he revealed his life experience very carelessly. Since then, he has become the most despised figure in the entire academy. No matter how many Os he gets in class, he still cannot change the reality of being despised by others.But Esther, like her friends, didn't know Tom's parentage, so he felt less uncomfortable when they called him Tom, which was probably a bad omen.

"I think you've read this magazine back and forth a lot?" He looked carefully at the magazine with the gaudy cover. The title of the magazine was The Quibbler, which he had never heard of. .

Esther nodded and replied, "Yes, because it's the magazine my mom edits. I miss her so much."

Subtle emotions surged in Tom's heart. She has a normal family and can miss her distant family by reading the magazine edited by her mother, while he has nothing but the indifferent orphanage.

"What kind of person is your mother?" Tom stared into Esther's silver-gray eyes, which looked calm and gentle, and somehow reminded him of the frozen lake at Hogwarts in winter.

Esther tilted her head and thought for a moment after hearing his question, and then answered in a brisk tone: "I think she is an incredible person. My mother likes magical animals very much, so she travels around all the year round, sometimes in Sweden, Sometimes in Australia, sometimes in Africa, she sent photos from all over the place, every one of them was smiling very happy, I think she is a person who loves life." She seems to really love her mother, just mentioning She looked so happy.

"But doesn't this mean that she is rarely by your side?" Tom, noticing another meaning hidden in the girl's words, frowned slightly trying to show sympathy. Feelings similar to ecstasy.

To his disappointment, however, Esther wasn't hurt by him pointing out this fact, and actually replied with a look of surprise on her face: "Does it matter? I know she loves me even if we're not together, and there's nothing wrong with that." The regulations require that parents must stay with their children, right? Otherwise, children will become chains that bind their lives?" She said it so naturally that Tom wondered for a moment whether his ideas all along were really wrong .

"So your father doesn't take care of you often?" He crossed his hands on his chest, carefully observing the girl's face, trying to find those subtle facial expressions that reveal her true mood. Tom Riddle is good at Looking at the words and expressions, he was actually sure that what the girl said before were all pale words of sex, but what disappointed him was that he couldn't find the expressions he wanted to see on Esther's face.

Esther didn't seem to notice his scrutiny, she just nodded and replied in a casual tone as if talking about the weather: "My dad is a professor of potions in Tweed Foster, and he usually comes home on weekends , but every time he comes back means I can learn to make potions again, so I'm glad to see him."

"But they couldn't have left you at home since you were born, could they? You couldn't have survived alone as a baby." Tom was annoyed by the girl's words, why could she talk about it like this As it should be?He hardly paused, and asked in an aggressive tone: "Shouldn't parents have the responsibility to raise and take care of their children? If they are unwilling to be tied up by their children, what should they do if they can't take care of their children? "

The girl was silent, and Tom's heart surged with the joy of victory. She was refuted and had nothing to say, which proved that his concept was still correct.

"Sorry, Tom, I actually didn't realize this before you mentioned it to me." Finally, Esther spoke slowly, her expression was not sad and angry, but a little novel, as if she had discovered something Funny thing with a bit of an expression of disbelief, and then continued: "I think you are right, as far as I know, before Abby - my brother who is three years older than me goes to school, my mother still stays at home Yes, but when Abby goes to school, she goes out a lot because of work, and I usually stay at my mother's friends' house, such as Albus and Rose's house. Maybe I'm lucky because my mother's friends are very Friendly. Although I don’t see her often, I never blamed her or my dad, I think it’s also a life choice, after all, my parents are very maverick people, and I think I am too.” In the end, she smiled slightly. She didn't mind Tom's speech, nor was she shaken by his words. She seemed to live in a clean and pure world that would not be disturbed by others. Her heart was soft and hard. It was obvious that Tom The stones Riddle threw didn't hurt her a bit.

"——if your parents abandoned you in the orphanage when you were just born, how would you feel?" Tom looked away and asked in a low voice, but he immediately stopped after asking this sentence Regretted, it was an attempt to win her sympathy, and Tom Riddle was sure that the girl's answer in front of him would hurt him.How is he so stupid?

However, Esther's answer was beyond his expectation on another level. The illusory smile on the girl's face disappeared, and she looked back at him with a serious look that she had never had before, and quietly replied: "I don't know." I know, because I don't make that kind of assumption, and I don't think orphans should make assumptions about what it would be like to have a normal family, because that kind of assumption, that fantasy, will only hurt themselves."

Tom Riddle was speechless. At this moment, he finally realized why this girl who didn't seem to fit Slytherin's characteristics was sorted into Slytherin house.There is no doubt that this girl named Esther Snape has more cruel values ​​than any of her peers.

☆、Chapter 7