NOVEL WEB Chapter 139 9 and 4 Quarters
"Do you want some candy?"
The girl in front of her looked slightly embarrassed, and her cheeks were slightly red, which was extremely obvious on her pale skin.
Theodore slowly looked away, as if passing a stranger, without any hesitation or any response to Astoria, he turned and left.
Looking at her back getting farther and farther away, Astoria stuffed the star candy from the ice cream shop back into her pocket again. For a moment, she didn't know whether to be more embarrassed or relax.
……
Astoria sat alone at Florin's Cold Drink Shop and waited for a long time, until the streets of Diagon Alley gradually became empty, and until the dazzling and sinister sun slowly disappeared from the sky...
Daphne still didn't show up, just as Astoria had already guessed...
"Alas..." Astoria let out a long sigh and slowly stood up to leave.
The faint red glow of dusk cast the entire Diagon Alley in a color like cicada wings. The door of Florin's Cold Drink Shop was slowly pushed open, accompanied by the crisp sound of its bell.
"Sister...sister"
The rays of the setting sun shone on Daphne's pale golden hair, inexplicably giving her a gentle halo. At this moment, she was standing at the door of the cold drink shop, her expression was incompatible with indifference and disgust.
"Are you a Muggle? Is this your first time living in the magical world? Can't you go home by yourself?" Daphne angrily yelled at Astoria with questions and vents one after another, but was blocked by her again. Take a breath.
"Because my sister said she would wait for her at Florin's cold drink shop. Leah is waiting for her..."
……
Daphne had to admit that her feelings for Astoria were complicated. Daphne hated her because her mother only had eyes for her, and she even died in the forest because of this sickly good-for-nothing.
Similarly, because of the bond of blood relationship, Daphne couldn't help but worry about her.
"Daphne, where is your sister?"
"I don't know, I didn't go shopping with her!"
"Oh, maybe he will come back later..."
The father's tone seemed nonchalant, as cold as if they were talking about a stranger. Should Daphne be happy? My father didn't care at all about this cursed, sickly waste...
She should be happy, but after the elation passed, her heart was filled with unobstructed emptiness and inexplicable discomfort.
It wasn't until it was getting dark and the sun was about to set in the sky that Daphne finally couldn't sit still anymore and returned to Diagon Alley again.
"Because my sister said she would wait for her at Florin's cold drink shop. Leah is waiting for her..."
When Daphne heard Astoria's simple and sincere answer, she just sat obediently at the place they had agreed upon and waited silently all afternoon...
"go home……"
Looking at the young face in front of her, which contained nothing but trust and innocence, Daphne couldn't think of what to say...
Just like that, she took the initiative to hold Astoria's cold little hand and held her until she went home.
……
After that day, the relationship between the two seemed to have eased, but nothing had changed. Daphne still treated Astoria with such indifference, still complained to her father about Astoria's appearance and troubles, still...
The sister who took the initiative to hold hands and conveyed kindness and warmth on the purchasing day seemed to be just an illusion...
—September 1992, 9—
Station Nine and Three-Quarters, a place that is both familiar and unfamiliar. But for Astoria, this was her first time coming here to take the train to Hogwarts.
Continuous plumes of white smoke were rising from the top of the train, and a shrill whistle sounded from time to time. Many first-year students were pushing heavy luggage carts and shuttled between the platforms.
Some are as skilled as seniors and get into the train quickly. Some reluctantly said goodbye to their families in the corner, wiping each other's tears.
Astoria couldn't help but be envious of such a scene, thinking that before leaving home, her father only left one warning to herself...
"Don't shame the Greengrass family!"
Astoria let out a long sigh and got on the train alone without any nostalgia. Walking through the long and narrow train corridor, Astoria tried hard to find the empty carriage. Her eyes swept randomly, and Daphne's figure suddenly came into view.
Astoria subconsciously crouched down and hid in a corner, causing the people behind to complain. Astoria had no choice but to stand up slowly and awkwardly and quickly walked past Daphne's carriage diagonally.
My sister doesn't like me, and she definitely doesn't want her to come up to me and act affectionate. It's better not to be seen by my sister.
Astoria secretly speculated on Daphne's thoughts in her heart, and the air around her seemed to become colder, making her look timid and lonely.
Soon, Astoria finally found an empty carriage. She immediately got into the carriage without hesitation and sat down. She closed the door tightly and drew the curtains that separated her from the corridor.
Well... I finally feel comfortable...
Astoria didn't enjoy the moment of solitude for too long. After a while, there was a gentle knock on her compartment, and she could only slowly open the door a crack to signal to the people outside to speak.
"Sorry, we searched many carriages, but yours is the only one with an empty seat." Through the crack in the door, Astoria could vaguely see a girl with orange hair.
The atmosphere did not remain deadlocked for long. Astoria sighed silently in her heart and took the initiative to open the carriage door and allow people outside to enter.
"Oh! Thank you so much -" Before she could finish her words of thanks, Ginny, who had just sat down, was shocked by the familiar figure in front of her.
"It's you?!"
"Who!" The boy who came in with Ginny was a little confused, but seeing that the two of them seemed to have something interesting to say, he had already raised the camera in his hand in advance.
"I hope your lens is not higher than that table, otherwise I guarantee that it will turn into scrap metal in the next second!"
Astoria was keenly aware of the boy's slightly tilted movements and the camera he was holding tightly in his hand.
She hates this, hates all actions of peeking into other people's lives...
…………
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"I heard that Mrs. Greengrass found a way to break the curse. Is that true?"
"If not, does it prove that Mrs. Greengrass's death was a meaningless thing?"
Click! Click! Click!
Astoria still remembers the female reporter with wavy hair, pushing up her glasses while constantly opening and closing her blood-red lips to question her grandmother and family members...
I still remember the sound of cameras clicking around the coffin when I said my final goodbyes to my mother...
……
…………
Perhaps Astoria's threat had an effect, the boy took the initiative to put away the camera, huddled in the corner and stopped making unnecessary movements.
Ginny was just about to defend Colin, but she saw Astoria's eyes across from her were dull, and her eyes were bottomless, and she didn't know what she was thinking.
"Hey...are you okay?"
Ginny asked, looking at Astoria with some worry, but she only received an emotionless glance from Astoria.
What is she dragging? Sure enough, I don't care too much about whether the person who is with Malfoy is a good person!
Ginny almost gritted her teeth angrily, clenched her fists and punched the hard cushion.