【Zhou Jia】self-punisher.

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"Can't pass."

The servant shook his head at him, carefully watching the half-open study door with his peripheral vision.Through the narrow gap, only a high-backed chair can be seen covering the figure.A black top hat was hung at the entrance of the hall, and the cane leaning on it was not completely dry, and there was a small water stain underneath.She is no stranger to "this gentleman", who is amiable and amiable every time he visits, and will give each servant a generous tip.But she didn't look forward to his arrival from the bottom of her heart. The arrival of this big man always meant that something happened.

The door was gently opened, and the young man who was then Deputy Minister of Magic came out alone.His eyes slid from her to the child underneath, smiling and holding out his white-gloved hands.

"Long time no see, Karna."

His tone was as if he was addressing an adult, and he even used quite respectful honorifics.He picked the child up from the carpet and exchanged a few casual words with her.Although Suliye rejected him, he didn't criticize the child materially—unfortunately, the frail physique caused by congenital deficiencies made this small body look more immature than his peers.The wrist encircled by the gold bracelet is exquisite and lovely, and the blue eyes are clear without any shadow, allowing him to be held in his arms obediently, and the soft little hands hooked his neck to try to maintain balance.

"Please help him pack his things." Indra said lightly as if he was talking about the weather, "Just bring some daily necessities, too cumbersome luggage will drag the child down instead."

"Sir... I don't understand..." She glanced at the closed door from time to time, and asked hesitantly.

"Ah, this child will start a new life with his adoptive parents tomorrow. Someone will pick him up in the afternoon. You don't need to understand other things."

Her heart was beating violently.Although he had vaguely felt the master's indifference towards the child a few days ago, he never expected to abandon him so heartlessly.She saluted in a hurry and escaped from the terribly oppressive room, always having a premonition that she would never see the little master she brought up with one hand again.

The gloomy light leaked from the cloudy sky, and the walls on both sides of the dark living room seemed to be squeezing the middle, suffocating the air, elongating the independent shadows in the middle into curved arcs at the edges.Indra put the child down and let out a soft sigh.The soft little hand touched his face unexpectedly, gently rubbing the man's cold side face with his fingertips as if comforting him.

"I'm not your father." The young man smiled and held his little hand in his palm, "I'm sorry, I don't have enough time today, so I can't play games with you. But there's still time to make a magic trick for you— —Keep it a secret from your father.”

Bright light shrouded the gloomy interior, briefly driving the darkness out of the cramped space.

"... Obliviate."

The young man covered the child's clear eyes with his palm.At the same time, he turned his head to look at the young boy standing blankly in front of the door, and raised his index finger to silence him.

"Arjuna has to keep it a secret...ah, you won't remember at all."

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My father probably didn't know it, but he remembered everything that happened from birth, or he wouldn't forget every detail he wanted to remember.

The first time I went to Diagon Alley was when I was four years old, and the accompanying Naga was not as big as it is now mature, but when sliding silently through the streets, it still caused many people to whisper in fear or wonder.My father always ignored these things—the crowd would always make way for him anyway.He followed his father to a very hidden special trading store. The bronze door plate was rusty, and most of the goods displayed in it were cold-blooded pets that were not popular on the market.But my father didn't pay attention to those exhibits, he just looked at a pocket watch handed over by the shopkeeper.

"Its magic power is not strong." My father carefully inspected every part of the pocket watch and shook his head. "What I need is a carrier that can carry very strong magic... There must be no risk of damage during the process."

"Your vision is very unique. It is indeed not an ideal instrument, but it is connected with your blood, and I guarantee it with my life... This is a relic passed down by the descendants of the Slytherin family. It can obey your wishes, which is better than those unruly Untamed artifacts are more suitable, aren't they?"

"You are really eloquent." Father smiled slightly, "But it is a dangerous tendency to speculate on other people's intentions, Canterlot. Not everyone is as magnanimous as I am."

"Offended, sir." The short businessman bowed cautiously, "I don't know..."

"No need to say too much. We are already old acquaintances, so you don't have to be so nervous." Father waved his hand and put the pocket watch into a small black round box. Naga swam over, took the box into his mouth and disappeared into the shadows. "Arjuna, do you want anything. Except spiders and rats, which will be rations for your snakes."

The gift he got from his father is coiled on his fingertips at this moment, and he is turning his eyes vigilantly to follow the tiny midges in the air.

Sensing that its master was not in a happy mood, the little dark green creature just lay quietly and female, giving up the countless prey that had been brought to its mouth.

Arjuna rested his index finger, and the thick diary in front of him turned the pages automatically and quickly - until the last page was blank.He had long since shaken off the initial shock, and returned to his usual expression.The moment he touched the cover, he realized that it belonged to his family, and even the remaining magic breath could resonate with his blood.

The book snapped shut and fell on the table, and he pushed it back to Karna with his fingertips.

"Although I really want to believe the absurdity you said, oh, the story beyond common sense. But I'm sorry, it seems to me that this is just an ordinary diary. Does it need to be roasted to make it show its original shape? Besides, even You want to find someone to form an alliance with, and the No. 1 choice will not be me."

"It can only be you." Karna's eyes fell on the pocket watch strap exposed on Arjuna's chest, "I saw two prophesied objects... both of which are related to you."

"It's my father." Arjuna slowly corrected his speech, "According to your description, the so-called demons—ha, assuming they exist, the souls are scattered in the seven instruments, and six of them are dead things , one is a living thing, is that so?"

"Well. They must be eliminated within a certain period of time to prevent..."

"I think you misjudged one thing, Senior Karna." The boy took out the pocket watch that was not easy to show to others, and the inside of the opened silver box cover was clearly branded with two snakes crossing their necks.When the pocket watch fell to the page, the strap entangled itself like a snake. "Even if everything you said is true, how can you be sure that I will be an enemy of my father?"

"You will." Karna took his words lightly, his eyes under the eyelashes were so quiet. "You hate your father."

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"Snake phosphorus."

The low-drinking password showed that the visitor was in a bad mood.The doorway of Slytherin opened automatically before he finished speaking, and the all-time popular third-year prefect walked quickly through the activity room with the fire still on, ignoring the students of the same level who greeted him.He held the pocket watch emitting green smoke tightly in his hand, and when the bedroom door was closed, he threw the pocket watch into the glove box as if throwing away filth.

The pair of eyes that can see through people's hearts are still shaking in front of him, like sharp blades digging out all the bloody truth.

How could he... how dare he...

What annoyed him the most was that when he realized it, he had already missed the opportunity to deny it.

The overly tight neckline oppressed his breathing, so he casually loosened the collar and sat in the soft chair in front of the window.For more than ten years, he seemed to have been living in the shadow of his father. As the son of Indra and the heir to a noble family of pure-blood wizards, his conduct must be beyond reproach.In the beginning, he was indeed proud of being regarded as an excellent successor, but a cluster of small flames had been buried in the dark deep stream a long time ago.He is just Arjuna, and should not be compared with anyone else, and the inherited glory cannot really crown him.

The father who is well versed in the world has a heart that even he can't see through.He is impeccable in his actions, and even though his personality is somewhat unruly, he is praised by the world as the eccentricity inherent in aristocrats.He is so generous that even the harshest former Minister of Magic couldn't fault him.When will such a father make a mistake?At some point, there was even a dark expectation in his heart that caused him pain.

The unformed flame was briefly doused by the death of the father.When he realized that even this was an illusion, the anger caused by the shame and unwillingness to be easily played by his father again even overwhelmed the instinctive concern he should give as a son of man.

"You will understand someday, Arjuna."

If there is an unknown side to his father, it is his almost stubborn and fanatical insistence on pure blood.Did he want to abandon his original identity and create a nameless ghost who interfered with the rules of the world?Rationally aware of the truth, the body trembled as if cold water had been poured on it.

"Because you—deeply hated your father."

Once a secret is spoken, it turns to ashes.

His mind was blank, and he didn't even remember how he barely managed to stabilize his original expression, and then agreed to cooperate with Karna to complete the steps to destroy the so-called Horcrux if necessary.But obviously the spell cast on the pocket watch cannot be broken easily, and there is almost no change except for a puff of green smoke.This pocket watch... was regarded by him as a family heirloom as a casual gift from his father, but it was just a soul fragment that he kept for him out of selfishness.

absurd.

The sun went down.Arjuna stared at himself reflected in the glass, the undulating rocks in the distance were filled with ominous miasma, and the stars were also hidden behind the moon.The snow-white skylark was moored in the moist rain and fog, and the gravel rolled, painting the fading silver brilliance into a stain on the glass.

-TBC-