When the banquet comes to an end, everything is as planned - the host will raise his glass and say something, the guests will echo that it was a great banquet, and then everyone will greet each other in their own way (except Floo, that's not respectable) go home.
Long before the end, Draco had slipped out of his seat on the pretext that he was going to find Regulus - Are you kidding me, do you want him to sit there like a master all night? He was conspicuous enough tonight. Since sitting here, no one has dared to disturb them. This further shows that some rules are in effect at this banquet. For example, you cannot disturb 'Lord Riddle' and his distinguished conversation. object.
Let's put it this way - Riddle was just about to hand him the sinful golden apple and declare him the most popular guest of the day. If he didn't come down, Draco was really afraid that the Dark Lord, who didn't know what was going on in his mind, would decide to stay the night on a whim.
Riddle didn't stop, he smiled and nodded, letting the boy slip away from him, and very appropriately summoned another guest with a distinguished surname to start a conversation with him.
Draco managed to sneak back to Regulus. Although he felt like his back was being stared at, it was better to sneak down than to sit down again and be cursed to death in the middle of the night.
Harry, who was following him, also breathed a sigh of relief. As a telepath, he was extremely sensitive to obvious malice. When Draco sat next to Riddle, almost half of the malice in the banquet hall was directed there, which made him unable to help but have an impulse—— Brainwash the people in the banquet hall and make them completely forget the current thoughts in their heads. It is best to eat and drink when they should, and completely forget about the 'young Bagshot' beside Riddle.
"Good evening, distinguished Mr. Bagshot." As soon as he returned to the crowd, Sirius squeezed over and raised the drink in his glass to him. "Come and tell me where to sit in the chairs specially prepared for those with distinguished surnames." Does it make you comfortable?"
"If you are really so curious, Black's surname is prominent enough, you can go up and give it a try." Draco twitched the corner of his mouth and said stiffly. But he could also understand what Sirius meant - whether 'little Francis' could understand it or not, Sirius was reminding him of his current situation, and the reminder was very obvious.
Sirius laughed loudly: "No, no, no, if I do this, my father will break my legs - have you seen the ruler he uses when you visit my house? I have been suffering from it since I was a child."
A ruler for whipping people? ! Draco gave him a deadpan look.
Sirius didn't realize that he was being sympathized with. After saying this, he put his arms around Draco's shoulders and said enthusiastically: "You can come with us today. Don't use Apparition. Be careful of losing your arms or legs." .”
Harry looked at his godfather dejectedly upon hearing this - his transfer technique was very skilled and more stable than Apparition, and he would not let Draco or himself lose their arms and legs!
"You can't Apparate here either," Regulus said. "Disapparation is generally prohibited in large estates - that's common sense, Sirius."
At this time, the dressed-up Black couple gradually came out of the crowd in the power center and walked towards them, which meant that the banquet was indeed coming to an end.
This is good news.
The bad news is that Riddle is also standing beside Mr. and Mrs. Black. Because of the fever caused by drinking, he took off his outer robe slightly and put it neatly on his hands. A slight smile appeared on his handsome face, and even his inhuman, red eyes were stained by the light. With a bit of warmth, it makes him look mature and charming, if not young.
"Then it's settled," Harry could hear him discussing something with Mr. and Mrs. Black, "I'll be free anytime in August."
After saying that, his smiling eyes turned towards where the children were standing. His movements were natural and slight, as if it were normal to talk to the children after talking to the Black family's friends.
Harry and Draco immediately felt like they were breaking into a cold sweat at the same time.
Although Draco and Sirius were standing together due to their standing position, Harry could keenly notice that Riddle's eyes fell on Draco almost immediately, rather than the two children of the Black family.
He really pays attention to 'me', even more than his important subordinates, the two sons of the head of the Black family. Why? Watching Riddle take a few steps towards Draco, Harry felt that the more he thought about this issue, the less he understood.
"I hope you enjoyed today's banquet," Riddle said with a smile. "I regret that I can't provide spirits to the young people, but the aperitifs brewed at the manor are not bad, I guess?"
As he spoke, Draco could notice the redness brought on by the alcohol on his face. Any girl would be short of breath when she saw Riddle's current appearance - his face was too handsome, and his body posture was so graceful. The blush on his face could not make him as embarrassed as an alcoholic. On the contrary, it made his originally pale complexion more modified. Those colors made him more like a living person, more vivid, softer, and extraordinarily charming, and his lips that were moisturized by the red wine also looked very rosy - —
No. What am I thinking? Draco shook his head inconspicuously and took a few deep breaths.
Harry looked at his face strangely - was Draco drunk?
"I must say we were very well entertained, sir," Sirius replied naturally on behalf of the two boys behind him, and he threw out the compliments very skillfully, "Everything about tonight is almost unparalleled, your generosity and taste It was an eye-opener for us and we feel honored to be able to participate in such a banquet.”
Regulus hurriedly bowed as well: "It's our pleasure, my lord."
Like the third child of the Black family, Draco bowed hastily without saying a single unnecessary word: "Thank you for your hospitality today, sir, I will keep it in my heart."
Riddle nodded, seemingly satisfied with this answer. But just when Draco thought it was over, the big man who was probably full and had nothing to do suddenly reached out and patted Sirius on the shoulder, then deftly reached over Sirius's shoulder and patted him.
"Just enjoy yourself," Riddle said, "You must come here more often in the future - at my age, I am still more willing to receive young people like you than adults in high positions. This place The manor is always quiet and lacks energy when there is no official business.”
It almost took Draco's life to resist the urge to drain the hand - but his shock still showed on his face, making Riddle laugh.
"Don't be so surprised, little Mr. Bagshot," the man with black hair and red eyes came closer and said with a chuckle, "Sometimes, we really don't have to pay too much attention to the status and age of the people we interact with. We just see whether they are compatible and whether they are compatible. It's pleasing to the eye - I sincerely hope you will come to the manor more often. Next time there is such a banquet, you can wear that silver deer brooch, it will really compliment you."
Sirius grinned and couldn't help exchanging a secret look with his brother.
After Riddle finished speaking, he clapped his hands and made a gesture of invitation. Mr. and Mrs. Black immediately understood, said goodbye to him after greetings, and walked out together with Draco. Even though his back was turned, Harry could still see from Harry's perspective that after talking to the Black family, the man didn't send anyone away, he just stood there like a graceful statue.
He looked at the Black family's leaving figures, the smile on his face not disappearing for a long time.
Harry suddenly shuddered for some reason, and then chased after him quietly.
…………
"Since this is my first time attending a banquet, I'm not familiar with these procedures... What method do you usually use to get back?"
Standing at the door of the main building of the manor, Draco asked cautiously in a low voice.
"You will know." Mr. Black said with a smile, "You don't have to worry about this. The hospitality at Gaunt Manor is always perfect."
Mrs. Black also chatted with Draco cheerfully - as far as Harry could tell, her attitude was completely different from when they met before - but her face darkened again when she turned to Sirius.
"We need to talk to you carefully when we get back." Mrs. Black looked at her eldest son with a sharp look. Obviously his performance today did not satisfy his parents.
Draco gave Sirius a very unsympathetic look and followed the Black family towards the gate of the manor. During this process, it was inevitable that someone would look at him like fire, but not to mention Draco, even the Blacks seemed to have been used to this for a long time without any panic.
Only when they reached the door of the hall did Draco understand what the so-called 'perfect hospitality' meant - it was not that the host sent off every guest personally, and the number of people present had not been reduced to this level - as soon as they arrived They stopped at the door, and a black carriage decorated with silver snake patterns appeared in front of them out of thin air. When Sirius said "Wow", the white Pegasus responsible for pulling the cart snorted meekly. The heavy door opened automatically, revealing the seats covered with dark green velvet cushions, which seemed to be waiting for them to get on.
Mr. Black nodded kindly on Draco's shoulder: "After we get on the bus, you just need to stand here and the carriage will appear to greet you. Of course, if you are willing to go back and spend the night with our little Regulus, we are also very welcome." "
"Thank you very much, Mr. Black." After Draco expressed his gratitude, he simply rejected the proposal. He did not tell Mr. Black directly, but said to Regulus, who was looking forward to it: "We have to say goodbye today. My great-grandmother is still waiting for me at home - I will write to you tomorrow."
Regulus was a little disappointed, but he still nodded and said goodbye: "Have a nice journey, and I wish you a sweet dream, Francis." After that, he and his parents entered the carriage.
Sirius, on the other hand, walked around the Pegasus with great interest before boarding the carriage. It was not until Mrs. Black scolded him in the carriage that he slowly went to sit with his parents.
"Remember to write to Fork too - you know who Fork is." Sirius winked at Draco from behind the car window, "He was afraid that something would happen to you when you attended the banquet for the first time, and said that if I didn't take good care of you, he would Beat me and you have to say something nice to me.”
"I'll write to him," Draco said coolly, inwardly cursing the word 'care'.
As soon as he finished speaking, the carriage of the Black family left the ground as the Pegasus flapped its wings, and steadily became a disappearing point in the night sky. Among the guests who came out one after another, some boarded the same carriage, while others glanced enviously and disappeared with the door key.
Draco was still looking at them, and Harry came over from the back door and whispered: "Their door keys are all the same... They should be made and issued by Gaunt Manor. If we don't get the key, it means here The master did match us a carriage like Mr. Black."
Draco nodded calmly, took a few steps back, and then took a few steps forward. Sure enough, a carriage appeared in front of him with its doors wide open, just like the one in front of Mr. Black.
"Are you going to take the carriage with me or go back by yourself?" Draco looked around and moved his mouth, "If you go back first, you can get some food by yourself first."
The carriage appeared so accurately, and seemed to correspond to every guest. He definitely couldn't disappear into the carriage halfway - who knows what kind of magic was cast on it, and how far these possible magics could go, Draco There is no hope for a Dark Lord's lower limit. His excessive attention tonight really left a deep psychological shadow on people.
Harry also had no hope. He didn't want to wait for others in Godric's Valley.
"I can follow you but don't have to get in the car." Harry said calmly, "In other ways."
…………
Five seconds later, this enviable carriage was pulled into the air by Pegasus.
Draco was sitting in this carriage that was almost heated by everyone's gaze. He was extremely upright, as if he was not sitting in a carriage that was just for him, but a seat for exams.
The carriage was pulling steadily, but he was restless as if there were nails under his butt. From time to time, he glanced at the night sky outside the glass window - in the gap between the clouds and the sky, a small eagle followed the carriage not far or near. Nearby, the eagle flapped its wings and flew smoothly; but Draco never let go of the wand in his hand - once the eagle suddenly fell from the sky, he immediately opened the car door and jumped out to cast all the spells he could. Make sure it's not smashed to pieces.
No, no, no, calm down, calm down, Harry has many more means of escape than... than you know how to! Draco tried to comfort himself in this way, and when he repeated it for the third time, he even felt that it was effective.
...But even if Draco thought it 'worked', he still couldn't pull his eyes away from the window.
Who knows if damn Harry, damn Xavier will suddenly lose control, stop flapping his wings, and then fall from the sky! Before Harry turned into an eagle, he didn't know that Aunt Harry's ability could be used in this way!
"Like an Animagus." He muttered in his mind and moved closer to the window.
…………
As a sufficiently distinguished host, Riddle would certainly not go out and say goodbye to every guest.
In fact, after saying goodbye to his main subordinates with prominent surnames, he put on a perfect smile and returned to the study upstairs from the winding staircase in the banquet hall.
In the resting room of his study, a house elf had already served him hot chocolate and cookies with marshmallows. The price of these things could be said to be very unsuitable for him. Even if he came with ten plates, The price is not as good as a silver button on the shoes of the guests below, but Riddle himself took a sip of tea, raised a cookie with chocolate chips, chewed it, swallowed it, and then leaned on the sofa, feeling completely comfortable. Incomparable, far more enjoyable than socializing down there.
He didn't lie in the morning. This room was indeed used by him to rest. However, except for the boys today, he almost didn't let anyone in. If anyone came in without permission based on his favor and respect, he would screw it up. Break their necks, tear their heads into pieces and throw them out to feed the dogs.
This small room is his treasure, it can even be said to be a place where a certain aspect of his personality is stored, so he doesn't easily open it to others.
The sweetness of cookies and hot chocolate seems to have a special magic power, prompting Riddle to eat almost addictively, one piece, two pieces, three pieces, chocolate refill, four pieces... When he was at the banquet , I only drank one or two glasses of the best red wine, and only tasted the food briefly, but now I almost eat these.
"These can have a very bad effect on your teeth."
Among the two portraits on the wall, the man with long platinum hair once again appeared in the empty one. He leaned against the frame casually, looked at Riddle, and admonished him not very sincerely.
"Dumbledore can have a tooth-healthy potion," Riddle swallowed the cookie in his mouth, smiled nonchalantly, and took another one for himself, "There's no reason why I can't have it. I have a very rich reserve of potions. , my friend, you should believe this.”
He looked at the cookie in his hand with a loving look like he was looking at a pair of favorite jewelry, but his next move was to chew it eagerly.
"Although I am very worried that you will develop towards that white-bearded weirdo, you probably don't care." Abraxas said flatly. He was never the kind of respectful person in front of Riddle. After all, he was just a portrait. No matter what happens, a Cruciatus Curse won't happen. "I haven't seen you let a house elf use his recipe in a while."
"I'm too busy," Riddle's expression was very relaxed, and his words were as light as singing and reciting poetry. "If I don't arrange all the annoying things, I will only waste the time in the future. That is not the result I want to see." ——In my plan, I want to spare a considerable amount of time to accompany him."
"Are you sure it's him?" Abraxas said, "Don't you need to look any further?"
"My magic will not betray me," Riddle said quite cheerfully, stroking the ring on his hand. "Anyone can betray me, only they can't... You know, the medium I got is quite difficult to circumvent."
He looked out the window at the carriages flying away, the smile on his face getting deeper and deeper.
Abraxas looked at Riddle like this and remained silent in the portrait for a long time.
"After more than twenty years, it's time for you to get your wish." He said, "I wish you success, my friend."
Riddle raised the white porcelain cup of hot chocolate towards him and took a sip.
"The three of us can also enjoy afternoon tea together." He stood up with a cup in hand, walked to the two portraits, stretched out his free hand, and touched the edge of the frame, "I remember he liked it very much You told a joke.”
Abraxas smiled half-heartedly. The face of the man in the portrait shows no traces of time, and he is still graceful when he bows.
"It was an honor."
On the other end, in the huge portrait, the man whose facial features were obscured by black shadows and blurry patches of color could not see his expression. He remained motionless and still made a passable portrait, and was used by Riddle in quite a way. Watching with greedy eyes.
"I really want him to come back soon." Rubbing the face of the person in the painting that could not be seen clearly, Riddle seemed to mutter to himself, as if he was talking to Abraxas, "I want him very much. He shouldn't stay anywhere other than here." , that was a mistake."
"Mistakes will be corrected." Abraxas said flatly in the portrait, "I believe everything will be as you wish."
…………
Bathilda sat in the garden enjoying the shade. The temperature today was not high and the night breeze was very cool. She was lying on a rocking chair made by magic by her great-nephew, enjoying a glass of apple juice comfortably.
I have to say, as most old people say, sometimes it is different when there is a child by your side. While she was thinking this, she raised her head and said to a certain shadow that slipped in with a smile:
"Oh, honey, you're back. How was the party? Did you dance with the girls?"
It was as if the Dark Lord's party was a sorority party held at Hogwarts. Draco cursed and replied: "It's - it's okay. No, it's too... I can't find the adjective, Bathilda, there's no way to describe that place, it's like a scene from a book."
Bathilda said pitifully: "Oh, my dear, you must have been bored before - if you stay for a long time, you will know that there is no shortage of banquets here. You must be tired, wash up and rest quickly, maybe I will have the energy to listen tomorrow Maybe you can tell me about those new things."
"Okay Bathilda," Draco agreed quickly, and Harry quickly landed, turned into a human, walked unsteadily into the house from behind, "I'm going upstairs first, I'm really tired today. Goodnight."
"Good night - Merlin, remember to take off your robe before going to bed!" Bathilda said.
Draco was able to sneak upstairs quickly and slam the door shut. When he turned around again, there was Harry sitting on the edge of the bed, holding his forehead, as if he had just gotten off a roller coaster.
"What are the sequelae of your transformation?" Draco gasped when he saw him like this.
"Sequelae? No, no, no," Harry was surprised at first, then came back to his senses, unable to laugh or cry, "It's just that I haven't flown for too long... I'm a little dizzy. I turned around countless times under the influence of the airflow."
Draco's eyes turned from concern to contempt.
"If you sat less at the table and went out more often to fly around on a broomstick, you wouldn't be like this," Draco glared at him and said, "Are you still a Potter like this?!"
"I don't get dizzy when riding a broom," Harry explained patiently, "but turning into an eagle compressed my bones and changed my structure. When I changed back... forget it, that's not the point." He shook his head Feeling that the dizziness had finally passed, he opened the bedside drawer, took out a box of chocolate brownies baked yesterday, opened the lid and ate a few pieces, "Want some?"
Although Draco smuggled some food to him at the banquet, a boy of this age would get hungry very quickly. Even Draco squeezed next to him unceremoniously, took a piece and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing until his mouth was full of chocolate flavor.
Harry almost made a sound of enjoyment - some high-calorie desserts were really good after being hungry, and he made a box of brownies and cast a preservation charm just for this moment.
After Draco swallowed the piece of brownie in his mouth, he stood up and glanced out the window: "That horse and that conspicuous carriage better go...people can make a hole in me just by looking at it." Come."
"I'm more afraid of something else," Harry said with a twitch in his mouth. "I'm afraid someone is going to owl and drop a howler letter here tonight. You don't want to know what I've heard, Draco. It's everything," he repeated. Once again, "It really has everything - for the first time, I know that purebloods are also very gossipy and...very imaginative."
"I know this fake identity has become famous far and wide!" Draco glared at him, "You don't have to repeat it! I can almost imagine what those talkative people are saying that is not worthy of the stage! Shut up now and let Damn it for a moment, it’s me you’ve been dealing with all night!”
Harry immediately shut up and became a qualified cushion - that is to say, he neither talked nonsense nor moved blindly, and even the ups and downs of his breathing were controlled to a minimum.
Draco just fell down towards Harry's shoulder with satisfaction, leaning against him and breathing out slowly. He felt that although he did not do any strenuous exercise today, his whole body was creaking. He had been tense all day long. Even when riding in the carriage, he sat upright and never relaxed. Now that they were alone in the room, he could finally relax.
"——I don't even want to eat," Draco said in a long voice and closed his eyes, "I just want to sleep."
"...You still need to take a bath. How about I help you add bath detergent?"
Harry said as he tried to untie Draco's outer robe, tie, brooch, trousers and other items... Then he found to his embarrassment that after his efforts, Draco's chain and tie were tangled together.
Harry had to whisper a household spell to get them to separate on their own.
Normally, Draco would have taunted him, but now he didn't care how he was being possessed by Harry - about five minutes later, Harry found him asleep.
It seems like being alert all day long is really mentally draining.
Harry held his breath and used a levitating charm to gently move Draco's head from his shoulder to the pillow, then tried to stand up and take a bath to see how Bathilda was doing.
- Then he got up and failed.
Draco's two arms were wrapped around his waist like pillows, as if holding Harry's waist made him feel very safe. Well, rather, Harry had long felt that since he and Draco reunited, he was particularly fond of trapping Harry in his sleep.
I don’t have abdominal muscles or anything, and there is absolutely no feeling when you hold me...
While Harry was thinking casually, he twitched the corner of his mouth helplessly, and changed the pillow to lean on his back, so as not to wake Draco up, and just served as his pillow. After thinking about it, he used the levitation spell to pull a thin quilt over Draco's body. He closed his eyes and rested half on the head of the bed.
You must take a shower tomorrow morning...
Thinking this, Harry gradually fell into sleep.
…………
Dreams can sometimes be an unsettling feeling.
This was the first time Harry felt like this, but that didn't stop him from feeling this way.
I'm still awake. he thinks. But I know this is anything but reality.
After confirming this, he looked around, sizing up this... let's just say, dream-like place. Because his last memory was that he closed his eyes.
The whole world was a bit gray, and people were coming and going on the old streets. They were wearing more old-fashioned clothes than Harry had seen so far, and the billboards and architectural styles on the streets also told him that this was a scene from an older era. . Harry walked through the crowd, as disembodied as a ghost.
What am I doing here? He thought a little puzzled.
Suddenly, two bright figures flashed across his field of vision. They were walking in a hurry, holding some bread and turning their backs to him, and one of them was someone Harry knew very well.
"Draco!"
Since some of the dreams he had had before could even be said to be connected to reality, Harry chased after them without hesitation. At the same time, he thought about it and was a little confused: Draco seemed a bit... tall?
He didn't have time to think too much and hurriedly chased around a street corner and saw the two figures again in front of a small house.
Draco was wearing a black coat, holding the bakery bag vaguely, and was talking to the boy next to him.
"Would you like to make some corn soup tonight?" Harry saw Draco speaking in a tone that was not like his own, and reached out to turn the doorknob, "Tom?"
——Tom? What Tom? This child?
Harry blinked and looked at the child again. This is a... somewhat thin child. He has black hair, black eyes, and a very decent appearance. Except for his expression, which is not very enthusiastic or innocent, he is a rather likable child.
"I don't have a problem with that," the boy said.
The sound is also quite nice. Harry thought.
As soon as the boy stretched out his hand, Draco, who was a bit taller than he actually was, didn't care about anything and held him.
Then the boy smiled and snuggled up to Draco's side obediently. The two entered the house talking and laughing and closed the door.
"…………"
Harry... Harry didn't know why, but he heard the sound of his teeth clashing up and down...
…………
"Ouch!"
Draco woke up suddenly from his dream: "What?! Who! Who hit me?"
He subconsciously tightened his arms, but it was in vain.
Draco was startled, sat up from the bed and looked around, and then saw Harry who had moved a stool and sat in front of the bed, resting his chin on the back of the chair with a complicated look on his face, and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Merlin's pantyhose," he complained, "What the hell are you doing at night?! Did you hit me just now?"
...I don't know why, but seeing Harry's expression, he felt inexplicably scared.
"That's right." Harry admitted frankly, "I had a nightmare."
Draco: "...So? Also, what does it mean?"
Harry sighed slowly, with an expression that Draco couldn't read - he seemed a little confused and indescribably depressed.
"...Then I woke up with a fright and found that you might have watched too much "Tom and Jerry" before, so you also had nightmares and were talking in your sleep." Harry rested his chin on his folded arms, blinked, and said, He said, "I couldn't help but wake you up too."
Draco: "…………??!"
What is "Tom and Jerry"? ? ?
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
Draco:? ? ? ? (The blame falls from the sky)
Don't ask, asking is magic.
Let's have a little more fun.
ps: It accidentally passed midnight, but I updated it as promised! Keep your chest up!
Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated the nutrient solution between 2020-08-31 21:28:26~2020-09-02 00:02:12~
Thanks to the little angels who threw the landmines: Mo Han, Martini, An Ran, Cinnamomum japonica, and 1 know;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 108 bottles of Qingmingxue; 100 bottles of Giraffes Don’t Have to Look Cute; 70 bottles of Kranriep; 30 bottles of Beautiful Love; 26 bottles of Drunken Life and Dreams; Qingmei, the hood with small wings, beautiful eyes, and a clever smile 20 bottles of Qianxi; 10 bottles of Goujiu and iiiiicecream; 5 bottles of For Future Generations, Three Thousand Prosperous Travels in the World; 1 bottle of Mucheng inf;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
