When social interaction becomes something that requires you to do your best to maintain, and must be extremely cautious and careful, even the most yearning for classical romanticism will feel tired of it; and the hell is, while feeling tired, , everyone has to maintain the scene, and the host and guests have to talk and laugh, so that the scene can be beautiful.
Moreover, a very sociable person cannot make his guests feel boring; and a knowledgeable guest cannot show boredom and leave the host speechless. In this regard, Harry wanted to complain, 'This is hell. ', but under the watchful eyes of such a heavyweight as his godfather's mother, he did not dare to say even one inappropriate word.
But even Walburga Black, the lady known for her sternness and arrogance, has to admit that there is a kind of person who does not need to be spoken, but just looks at it, and that is a person with a delicate face and elegant manners. .
Even if such a person is silent or superficial and ignorant, as long as he is not from a humble background or is disheveled, he can always gain some favor from others.
She tilted her head slightly and listened to the unhurried introduction of her youngest son from the room not far away. It was a room that was magically expanded into a painting hall, and there were portraits of the Black family's ancestors, each one of them; and this family has been established for such a long time, and it also has its own glorious moments, and such moments are also recorded in the portraits. , placed in the painting hall for future generations and guests to admire.
Mrs. Black didn't get too close, she just stood not far from the door, watching and observing quietly. To be honest, this invitation was not entirely due to Regulus' request: she had heard her great-grandfather, the former headmaster, slightly reveal the origin of this young guest. The old man with vicious eyes thought that he could make some friends, but Many things cannot be evaluated without seeing them with your own eyes.
She looked at the guest who was standing in the portrait gallery with her youngest son and surrounded by her eldest son - she thought that the son who was a squib would definitely be disappointed because of his knowledge even if he regained the favor of magic. Young and timid, or perhaps a little arrogant because of surprises from heaven. What's more, he is not stepping on the land of his hometown. Without the support of a prominent surname, what can a young man do?
But after the conversation just after welcoming the guests, to her surprise and not too surprising, this boy was very qualified - his etiquette was very complete, and there were not many foreigners in his conversation. Despite his accent, he behaved very calmly; as soon as he came in, he warmly thanked the host and greeted his friends. During the visit, he only praised those whom the host had introduced to him, and the rest of the time he almost looked away, greeting her, That was when the friend's mother reached out tentatively, and the boy, following ancient etiquette while remaining respectful, kissed the ring on her hand instead of the finger.
Obviously, because he is a wizard, this squib's son has received a good education in the family.
On the other hand, although Mrs. Black felt that the young guest was a little too cautious, caution was better than arrogance and rudeness, and this caution did not detract from his... beauty and manners.
Yes, I didn't use the wrong word, it's just beauty.
Don't think that beauty is not important in the face of family background. Everyone likes beauty and beautiful people. Even in the Black family with outstanding appearance, this young guest is not inferior - he has a head that is highly respected by Europeans. He has blond hair and a pair of gray-blue, very bright eyes. His skin color tends to be a thin white, but his lips are very red. He looks very energetic, and his facial features are similar to those in his hometown. He is human-like, deep and three-dimensional, but because of his young age, he has a bit of refinement like a work of art.
Hardness, depth and softness, these three feelings are fortunately harmonious on one face. Just his polite smile makes people feel that the room suddenly becomes brighter, and such an appearance like a work of art is not in his eyes. It's easy to win people's favor without making hateful expressions.
Mrs. Black could almost imagine how such a student would be sought after in colleges other than Slytherin. Although she hated ignorant people and arrogant people with humble blood, she had to admit that this guest did not look down and out. Being frivolous makes it difficult to have any great ill feelings.
Compared with this appearance, the boy's clothes are not flashy - he wears a very well-tailored black robe, which is simple and solemn in style, very suitable for visiting; and his tasteful little clothes from head to toe There are not many accessories, but they are enough to set off his own temperament and taste. The quality of these things can also prove that his family has not abandoned him like a shoe. This is not a person who has been abandoned just because he is the son of a squib.
After evaluating the child like a commodity, Mrs. Black was satisfied. Although based on the education she received since she was a child, she didn't have a good impression of the Squib's son, but a friend who is valued by the family is better than a friend with a low status, and such a new friend is picky like Mrs. Black. It cannot be said that I am absolutely dissatisfied.
In her opinion, her son should associate with good people more. Even if he is born pure blood, there will still be some people in some families who are difficult to get on the stage. This has always been a criticism of the entire upper class in her heart. place.
But she stood there and looked at it for a while, and she felt more and more strange.
When had her eldest son, Sirius, become so eager for a Slytherin? He even treated his own brothers and cousins with cold eyes!
…………
"...Phineas Nigellus Black," Regulus introduced this painting, slightly raising his chin with pride, and tilting his head towards his friend curiously, " Our proud great-great-grandfather, you must have seen him in the principal's office, he is not often among the family portraits."
"Of course," Harry pretended to look at the portraits with interest and nodded frequently, "Although Principal Dumbledore only took care of me for a short time, you know, all the portraits of the principals will be on the wall of the principal's office. Hanging, I was also lucky enough to meet your great-great-grandfather, he was..."
Before he could finish his words, Sirius, who was lazily following them, interrupted loudly: "Come on, save the unnecessary praise. He is an old man with an explosive temper. Why don't you all agree with such clichés? Do you find it annoying?"
Harry: "…………"
I can't accept your words.
The portraits on the walls of the Black family were originally hanging on the walls, maintaining their admirable appearance in the frames, but Sirius's words were like an explosion curse, making them all stare at this person in anger. Some of the eldest men of this generation of the family squeezed into the frame closest to them and lectured:
"What a rude and shameless statement..."
"You scum who have disgraced the family, don't step into this house of the Black family, which is full of honor and history!"
"No one will despise the name of your ancestors like you-"
"arrogant……"
"How could a freak like you appear in a family like ours!"
The portraits all over the room were so angry that they wanted to crawl out of the frame. The place suddenly seemed to be filled with real relatives, and these relatives were not interested in anything else and just liked to get together and scold Sirius. It's bloody bloody - Harry can guarantee that if Sirius hadn't spoken, these portraits would still be doing their own thing in the frame, without even glancing at them from the corner of their eyes, even if the person introducing them was Regulus.
Harry instinctively wanted to gape, but looking at where he was, he stopped in time to look like a 'stupid, unexperienced' (Draco-speak) expression.
He looked at these portraits silently, and compared them with Mrs. Black's portraits decades later: when quiet, these paintings can still be appreciated, but once the mouth is opened, even the curse words from these portraits seem to be sold in sets.
Regulus had to pull his friend back a little to prevent him from suffering, while Sirius put his hands in his pockets, not feeling any psychological pressure at all, and it seemed that this was not the first time he had faced such treatment.
I saw the big black-haired boy yawned without fear at all, and then lazily walked forward and talked back to each portrait, saying something like, 'Yeah, as if I don't care about such an honor. ''Come on, if Merlin curses me to become the head of the house, the first thing I will do is seal this place, seal it tight'' Dear great-great-grandmother, everyone in the Black family is arrogant, I I have to remind you that this is a family tradition, "Let the so-called honor go to hell"... This is a very inappropriate thing to say in front of guests.
"...Excuse me for my words," Harry approached Regulus and whispered, "Your brother only said a few words?"
Why do these portraits act like sensor laser cannons, firing when they encounter Sirius?
"This is not the first time that my brother has disrespected his ancestors. He is the eldest son, and these ancestors have high expectations for him, but he has always ignored them." Regulus looked ahead uneasily and clarified Harry's doubts, "This has always been the case."
In another family, the second son might be overjoyed, but Regulus is different. He loves his brother very much. Rather than being the heir himself, he would rather Sirius fulfill his eldest son's obligations. In this way, the Black family and Sirius can All have a better future.
"It's okay," Harry comforted him, "You know how my portrait at home will view me, I think it's better to argue than ignore it."
"These are not words used to comfort others," Regulus twitched his lips and said seriously, "——Francis, according to me, with your talents, one day they will recognize you."
"Oh, now you're encouraging me," Harry said, patting his shoulder, and Regulus gave him a small smile, which then faded.
"...Who knows when it will take until Sirius can live up to the expectations he is burdened with." Regulus muttered in a very low voice. He looked at his brother's back, his immature face was full of disappointment, but Harry could also see the pride in his eyes, "Maybe you haven't noticed, but Sirius only likes to cause trouble for others. , but also extremely talented.”
Harry was a little surprised by his statement - within half a semester of their dormitory stay, Regulus was always full of complaints about his brother. Of course, there was no way Regulus could really 'hate' Sirius, but his dissatisfaction with Sirius seemed to have already It became a habit of the Black family, ever since he entered Gryffindor.
At least, that's what Harry heard from his godfather.
"...Oh, I know," Harry blinked, and then he said firmly to Regulus, "Don't think I'm agreeing with you - except that what he did made me feel offended, I have to Admit it, your brother has a temperament and talent that far exceeds that of ordinary people. If he could not be so--" He frowned falsely, "he should actually be a very qualified heir."
He glanced at Sirius who was about five or six steps away from them, moved a little closer to Regulus, and told him in detail about Sirius sleeping on the observatory.
"——He is very patient," Harry said without emotion, imitating Salazer. He glanced lightly towards Sirius, who was arguing with the portrait in front, and even smiled, "Determined before achieving his goal. Never give up, and never be stupid. You know his grades are not bad at all. Regulus, I always hear the old people in my family say that this kind of willpower and patience are talents more valuable than powerful magic."
Sirius is a very patient person, extremely good at enduring.
Harry knew this very well - because no one could hide in the form of a dog for so long, even in the house of his hated cousins, even in Hogwarts with many secret rooms, this man rarely turned back into a human, he Dementors and Aurors who insisted on not being pursued could take advantage of this opportunity - according to Sirius, the only time Harry went to Diagon Alley was that he changed back in public.
Even in the Malfoy family, the number of times he turned back into a human was very rare, because this matter must never be known to Lucius in advance. The latter would definitely want to strangle the last heir of the Black family. This would be a great blow to the Malfoy family. A lot of profit.
At the same time, as long as he decides to do something, he must do it and cannot give up easily. From hating Snape to staying in Azkaban for ten years to repent to searching for Peter Pettigrew, everything proves that he has a A steely heart that is not easily shaken... Of course, this kind of determination can also be called stubbornness.
Regulus was surprised by Harry's statement: "Ah, oh... I thought you hated him, Francis."
He has seen his friends' attitude towards his brother - indifference, ignorance, avoidance, sarcasm...
"I am," Regulus raised his eyebrows when he saw Francis smiling at him, and quickly said his evaluation as a matter of course, "But this does not conflict with my affirmation of his talent. Regulus, I think you know, most of them Sometimes, we don’t rely on this to judge a person’s worth.”
"He has talent," Regulus shook his head. His expression didn't show it, but there was a bit of worry in his tone, "But he can't do it like this. He never puts his mind into the right path - mother said he will harm himself sooner or later. Damage your future."
But which way is the right way?
Harry just listened silently to this 'right path', because there was no need to argue about this issue. The future was already like that, and he knew that time would change everything.
He thought for a while and then said, "It's really hard to imagine that you would worry about this. Don't you know that talented people can always live a good life?"
Although just twenty years later, there are still parents who suspect that children who are too rebellious will not have a bright future in the future, but...scientific survey data shows that many gifted children are not "settled enough", and some of them cannot even get A in school. However, he would still achieve great success in a certain industry in the future. Harry felt that this rule should apply to both wizards and ordinary people, because he had read in many books that the most indispensable things for people are freedom and creativity, and these two The ones always complement each other.
"——I seem to hear someone saying bad things about me!" Sirius in front turned around and said with excitement, "What are you talking about behind my back?"
Harry was sure that he hadn't heard anything, so he pretended to sneer to show that his attitude remained unchanged.
I hope he really heard Uncle Regulus's "derogatory but also complimentary" remarks to him. Harry mentally lit a prayer candle for his godfather's brotherhood.
Regulus's face had calmed down at this moment and he replied calmly: "Some private words between friends, Sirius, no one is talking bad about you."
Yes, this level is probably not a bad thing. Harry nodded and thought to himself. But he pretended not to care on the surface and bypassed Sirius to look at the angry portraits. Not to mention, some of them looked like adult Sirius, which gave Harry a sense of intimacy.
He had never entered the room that had been expanded into a gallery at the Black house. Sirius had locked it. Apparently he felt that the portrait of Nagging was his mother, regardless of whether it was the portrait of his ancestor or the 'famous painting' that the Black family had become famous for. , there is nothing that does not disgust him.
"Little Francis, don't look at these old men." Sirius came over and put his arm around his shoulders, satisfied that the latter did not slap his hand away out of 'courtesy patience'. "Look at me, I'm better than them." All handsome."
"——Or we should go have lunch," Regulus pretended that he couldn't hear what his brother said. He stretched out his hand towards the door, "Come on, Francis, I think you would like to try the craftsmanship of the Black family's house elf. , you should have met the house elf that my mother values especially, it is called Kreacher."
Sirius nodded: "Yes, it's very important - I guess after it dies, its head will be hung in the most conspicuous place on the wall."
Harry pretended to glance at the hand on his shoulder: "...You are too enthusiastic, Mr. Black, I think..." He pulled his shoulder away.
Sirius was pleased to see how he was forcing himself to endure it. He patted Harry's shoulders hard a few more times and leaned over to speak in his ear: "What do you like to eat? James said you like sweets. I can make Kreacher There’s a nice afternoon tea for you—as long as you don’t be so cold to me.”
Harry was hit on the neck by the breath he exhaled. He was shocked and his expression was almost broken. This made Regulus next to him unbearable and stretched out his hand to pull him aside.
"You should respect my guest, Sirius," he said mercilessly, "ignore him, Francis, he did it on purpose."
…………
"Why on earth do you dislike your sandwich? Leave the bacon alone!"
In the mansion in Westchester, Sean watched in confusion as Draco almost poked the sandwich on the plate into a strainer, "Didn't you say he was just a guest?"
"Yes, he's a guest," Draco replied irritably. "He's visiting—visiting relatives."
"I thought - I mean - this is your relative too?" Hank put a plate of salad on the table, a little confused, "Why don't you go together?"
"The other party is already a distant relative. This time I invite him alone." Draco wanted to ignore everyone, but it was still important to maintain his image in front of Hank. He tugged at the corner of his mouth, cut the sandwich into small pieces and put it in his mouth, " - a distant relative to him. You know what he is like, my relatives are all a bunch -"
He anxiously swallowed the small piece of sandwich. Hank looked at the child from the opposite side, worried that he would choke to death.
"What?" Sean asked tentatively, "What kind of people are they?"
"A bastard in a sense." Draco took a deep breath and said reluctantly but quickly, "...seeking profit, being racist, having too many rules and dogmas, being extremely arrogant, and every move must be consistent with his noble status."
What's funny is that a few years ago he was heading down this same path, but now he was sitting here, restless because Harry was alone in 'this kind of family'.
When Hank heard about it, he commented: "It doesn't sound like a normal guest." He paused and remembered his own experience, "I think it must have been difficult. I accompanied Charles to a noble family once... ...Anyway, eating at the dining table is the most trivial thing. You have to be careful about yourself at all times." He smiled self-deprecatingly, "I think I am still suitable for eating in this house or in the laboratory."
Sean made a face: "But I still want to see it - why haven't I heard about this?"
"Obviously, you were already on the battlefield at that time." Hank lost his appetite when talking about this, "...I wonder if Alex is doing well."
Although Sean was dragged back from the laboratory in such a mysterious manner, Alex was still fighting the war - the only good thing was that he was still writing letters back regularly to prove that he was safe, and he was several times more reliable than Sean.
Anyway, he is safe. Draco answered Hank's question in a sarcastic tone in his mind, and recalled the first time he met the Alex Summers brothers: the same leather jackets and T-shirts, the same eye-catching glasses, and the same care for Harry, like two The eldest brother takes care of the youngest brother and loves to show off his coolness.
Thinking of this, Draco almost rolled his eyes and despised himself - even he began to think about the future. He clearly didn't want to follow Harry back to school, because most of the mutant students there loved playing pranks on him.
"—I just hope he doesn't get so nervous that he stutters," Draco mumbled as he stuffed the rest of the sandwich into his mouth. "Then the image I worked so hard to build for him will be in vain."
"I think you may be too worried." Hank didn't understand why Draco was so worried. The honest researcher adjusted his glasses, "In my opinion, Francis is smarter and more humble than ordinary children. He What could go wrong?”
"I didn't say there was anything wrong with his IQ," Draco said, "I was worried that the atmosphere was too bad and he would be suffocated to death at the dinner table - I hope he remembered to keep smiling."
After all, before they went out, Harry took action and Draco supervised. The two of them adjusted their facial features in the mirror for half an hour to create such a look - the facial features did not change significantly, but they were much more refined than the original ones.
Draco assured himself with his own eyes that even though he looked at each other for a long time, he felt that he still liked Harry's original appearance better, but among the pure-blood wizards who looked at faces first in addition to blood, there would never be anyone who looked at him. This face is easy to find fault with.
…………
The long dining room table in the Black family's house - well, it wasn't an uncommon thing for Harry.
During his holidays or weekends, he could always go to Grimmauld Place for dinner. Sometimes, Draco is also at this table. Sometimes, Harry is accompanied by other friends, such as Scott, who loves motorcycles. He likes to chat with Sirius, and Peter, as his brother, has been here since Harry passed out once. , he felt a bit lacking in sense of security, the sense of security in Harry's life.
Before he sat down at the long, shiny, brand-new table, he thought he would be unable to eat, but it turned out that Mrs. Black seemed to have something to do and was not at home for lunch, so he, Regulus, and Sirius were alone on the entire table.
"Mom has something to do and is going out." Regulus guided his friend to the table and asked Harry to sit down quickly with a passion that he would never show when he was in the academy. "So you don't have to be so formal. Come on. Francis, sit down, sit right here, next to me - do you prefer water or wine?"
His pale face was slightly red with excitement at the moment - probably because he always maintained a kind of indifference to maintain his identity and never smiled easily, so when his parents were not around, he wished he could be as warm and hospitable as a Gryffindor .
He first asked Harry to sit next to him, and then immediately asked the house elves to serve the food, and ordered him to go out one by one. At the same time, Sirius walked over and wanted to sit with them, but it was rare for such a small thing to happen. Resisted by his brother - Regulus insisted that Sirius must sit on the other side so Harry could eat.
This made Harry couldn't help but think of the meal at Malfoy's house, and felt that there were some similarities between the two. For example... well, Lucius was never happy to eat with them, and always hid as far away as possible, so Draco began to act recklessly, eating whatever he wanted, even pouring coke into the goblet. Sooner or later, the portraits of the Malfoy family would cry for this descendant.
Now, Mr. and Mrs. Black were not at the table, only the son of the Black family was eating with him, and Regulus was very excited about this.
"Water is enough," Harry pulled the young uncle to sit down, dumbfounded. "You really don't have to be so busy - your family has very capable house elves, and there is nothing you need to do with your own hands."
"Forgive him, little Francis, he was overly excited," Sirius laughed and sat on the other side of the table, "because this is the first time our little Rey has hosted 'his friends' at home!"
Regulus gave his brother a warning look lightly, but did not retort and sat down.
After they all sat down, the house elves of the Black family served more than a dozen plates under the order of the little master. They were as sumptuous as a festival. Some of the dishes were quite familiar, such as stuffed apples, which tasted slightly sweet and brushed. Honey French roast duck; rich ingredients and mild creamy soup; sweet and sour raspberry mousse with exquisite shape, everything is perfect...
Of course, the best thing is that Mrs. Black is not on the table, and Harry doesn't have to worry so much about the order of the tableware -
——This makes him feel quite lucky.
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Happy New Year everyone! ! ! Be happy in the new year too!
I purposely rushed to post at 12 o'clock, but ended up being stuck for about a minute, breaking the internet speed, hum!
I finally finished the exam and am temporarily free. Thank you all for your blessings. Do you miss me? !
Starting from midnight on the 1st, it will be updated for three consecutive days, and then it will be updated steadily. After all, the New Year is early this year.
I am going to send out the red envelopes for the previous chapter, and there will be red envelopes later. Everyone is welcome to leave messages and care for my dry soul (Shameless Minato
I hope that in the new year, I can update diligently and complete this story XD
PS: Xiaoha thinks he is very lucky at the moment, but he is not.
Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated the nutrient solution between 2019-12-01 03:34:58~2020-01-01 00:08:17~
Thank you to the little angel who threw the grenade: Hey, hey, it's so dangerous 1;
Thanks to the little angels who threw the mines: Mu Qingli, Long Shen, Jin Han, Mo Bei, Qing He, Ah Ah Ling~, and a box of loquat candies;
Thank you to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 51 bottles of 咩咩; 50 bottles of NIKURA, Luosuoyu, Jinhan; 33 bottles of Shuiyan Lingmiao; 20 bottles of Mu Ming, Anran; 18 bottles of Apple; 16 bottles of Suchen; Xuandu Xiu, +1, 10 bottles of milk stewed tofu, Qi Cheyi, Fu Ying, Mu Qingli; 7 bottles of natives when digging holes; jiujiujiu, star chips flying, Yunzuiyue Weiwei, Ah Miao, Zhongli Qiyu 5 bottles; 4 bottles of Hanxinyue; 2 bottles of snow, salmon, tamagoyaki, and cuttlefish; 1 bottle of lucky, small Huihui, and Lingkong Luoxue;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
