30

Although Penny had just suggested to Eli that it was sometimes okay to be comfortable with a friend and "Punch him in the face" if necessary, Severus Snape's unusual dependence on Lily was not a problem, eli is still not going to try to intervene. After all, this was a matter between the two of them. In theory, he shouldn't even know about it, let alone actively join in and judge their relationship. That was too weird. It wasn't his style at all.

But he is not entirely unchanged. On the day of Severus Snape's parents' funeral, Eli brought flowers and went with Lily to pay their respects. It was a poor funeral, with no priest and no mourners, and the Severus Snape seemed to have no friends at all. Severus Snape stood alone, staring silently at his parents' grave, he was alone for the rest of his life, and the two people closest to him were now little obituaries in the newspaper, souls sleeping in the graveyard.

Eli wasn't sure if Severus Snape thought Muggles had souls, but he ended up not burying his parents separately, leaving the couple, whom he never really understood, to sleep together. In the future time forever quiet, no more disputes.

Lily was very moved by this, "Seever is slowly trying to reconcile with his Muggle father," she confides to Eli, exhilarating in private. "Eli, I think from the moment his father died, he was able to look at him calmly. It's a tragedy for the family, but I don't think it's a bad thing for Seever."

Is that so? Eli could not be reached for comment on Lily's conclusions. Severus Snape didn't invite him to the funeral, but he didn't seem surprised to see him. For a brief moment they looked at each other. Severus Snape looked gaunt and emaciated, but his gaze was still calm, his back straight, trying to look his best.

Eli understood that Severus Snape had no intention of showing his weakness or hesitation -- he always had a very thick shell of his own made for people who were not Lily, eli was surprised to find out at Penny's suggestion.

But he didn't really care. After coming home from Corkworth, Eli traveled with his parents, as he had last year -- and this time he knew why, the mood is inevitably more complicated. L^′Estrange, with Voldemort behind him, pressed down on his heart, and made him feel as heavy as ever when he stood on foreign soil. It's not a comfortable feeling, but it gives strength.

By the time he and his parents returned from the United States, Hogwarts was about to start school. In the third grade they were allowed to spend the weekend in Hogsmeade village, where, as mixed-race wizards who had grown up in the Muggle colony, even mature, precocious men like Eli could not help but look forward to it.

In addition to Hogsmeade, which is popular with third-graders, the new elective courses are also worth mentioning. Professor Jackson, who teaches numeracy and divination, is clear-minded and well-versed in explaining the boring course, which is popular with serious students, while Eli's Muggle Studies class, it may not be as precise as a lesson in arithmetic or divination, but it's as interesting as he thinks.

The professor of the course was very old, a pure-blooded sorcerer married to a Muggle wife, and his knowledge of the Muggle world and its objects was in a state of both comprehension and incomprehension, sometimes accurately described, sometimes the interpretation of Muggle culture has a wizardry that makes his lessons much more interesting.

Although not all of what they learned in the course was completely accurate, one thing the students who took the course did very well under the professor's guidance: they were actually studying Muggles, rather than trying to"Define Muggles"-the difference is subtle, but Eli knows exactly how rare it is, and he admires the professor.

Unfortunately, not many students take the course at Hogwarts; Muggle-borns feel they don't need to study it, and mixed-race students feel they know enough about Muggles Pure-blooded students were mostly dismissive of the class, seeing no value in studying Muggles, and few pure-blooded wizards would choose to enter the classroom -- not even Slytherin.

There are exceptions, of course, such as the four troublemakers in his next-door dorm who all show up in Muggle studies classes.

Of course, in theory, as long as one of them takes the course, the other three will probably choose to go together. Friends, always. To Eli's surprise, Jaime, who had always been curious about everything, was the first to take the course. Instead, Sirius was the first to make the decision Everyone thought he was born to rebel against a family that prided itself on its nobility and purity, but he was genuinely interested in muggle objects.

As Eli and Lily walked together to the next room after class, the four men walked behind them, and the conversation floated clearly in their direction.

"You're kidding!" Jaime raised his voice in surprise. "There's no better vehicle in the world than a broom! Absolutely!"

"You've never ridden a motorcycle," Sirius retorted. "Don't you think it looks cool?"

"No!" Said Jaime firmly, raising his voice to persuade his bewildered friend, "It's not like you've never ridden a broom before, Sirius! What's cooler than soaring through the air on a broom? No one can catch you if you leave the wind behind! What's a motorcycle? It can't even fly!"

"Maybe we can make it fly," Sirius said with interest, "Like doing some magical modifications? If the phone can be converted into a magical phone, then the motorcycle can be converted into a magical motorcycle. I Can Fly You. It looks like it can sit comfortably with a few people."

"Sounds like a good idea." James changed his mind quickly, and the adventure factor in his blood kicked in. "Is this thing easy to ride? What's the word... Drive?" He said cheerfully

"I guess not," Sirius said lazily, with a whistle. "Certainly not for me.

"Magical modification is actually quite dangerous, and most of it is illegal..." Lupin's voice sounded helplessly, with a slight smile, "If you really want to do this, then I can only suggest you find an experienced hand, Sirius."

"But... is it dangerous?" Whispered Peter, agitated and uneasy. "You said it wasn't as easy to control as a broom..."

"Then I'll take my broom with me to the car. If you fall, I'll catch you." James waved his hand and agreed. He began to plan his new adventure with great interest, "When are we going to get a motorcycle? Christmas break? The bike can stay at my house! And then you'll all go together for Christmas. We can go to Eli. He must know what a better bike is and how to make one."

You're Pretty Handy, Huh? Lily looked at Eli and made a face at him.

Eli gave a funny shrug, not intending to interrupt their lively discussion. But there were always those who wanted to spoil the mood. As they turned a corner, they collided head-on with a group of Slytherins who had also just finished class. Lily was thrown back, eli reached for her just in time.

The Slytherin on the other side were also startled, but when they saw that it was Lily, the shock turned to disgust.

"Do all fools have such poor eyesight? They can't even watch where they're going when they're walking. They have to bump into other people and make me dirty." Mursaber said in a long voice, said in a queer tone, and brushed the nonexistent dust from his body with an affectation.

Lily frowned with equal disgust, unflinching, he retorted, "Then why don't you go and wash up now, MULSEB? Especially your mouth. It stinks. I doubt it's ever uttered a word that doesn't stink."

Mulseber froze, his face contorted.

"How dare you say that about me-" he said through gritted teeth, when he could not bear to say such a thing when he had a reputation for making malicious jokes about others. Lily scowled at him bravely, and then there was a sudden burst of laughter behind them.

"Well said, Ivans!" Jaime smiled and clapped wildly, raised an eyebrow and elbowed his friend, "What do you say, Sirius? What wonderful English! People are so creative."

"Yes, I think so," Sirius said nonchalantly, glancing at Mulciber and lifting the corner of his lower lip slightly.

His scorn and cynicism were so vivid that they made him look even more regal and proud, making him look like a half-grown ape, who had always prided himself on his pureblood.

"It must be very unloving for a corner like this, where no one can see the road, to jump out and get attention," he said casually, without even stopping to look at Lily, "Stay away from him, Ivans, or he'll infect you with his stupidity."

Murciber was breathing heavily and looked mad at them. He pulled out his wand -- and both Jaime and Sirius reacted quickly, pulling out their wands at about the same time and aiming their wands at him.

"Rule one hundred and forty-seven, no fighting in the hallways, 20 to 50 demerit points for each person if the situation is serious," Eli said suddenly in a tense atmosphere. Everyone looked at him, but he hadn't finished his sentence.

"The Slytherin's not that far ahead, is it?" He said quietly. "Talk some sense into your friend, Severus."

Startled, Lily turned to look at him, then around the corner, only to discover that Severus Snape had been standing behind them the whole time, his lean frame blocked by the Big Mulseberg, lily never saw him.

After being named by Eli, Mulciber looked back at him, finally giving the Gryffindor students a chance to see him. Severus Snape held a few books from class in his arms, paused for a few seconds in the crowd's gaze, and gave Murciber a lower lip.

"Let's go. We don't have time to waste time with that kind of person," he said calmly as he glanced at James and Sirius, who were wielding their magic wands. His eyes were filled with undisguised contempt and disgust, "There are people waiting for us. I hope you remember that."

For at least a moment, it was clear from the look on Muir Saber's face that he had completely put it behind him. At Severus Snape's reminder, he gave a guilty look of realization and gave the Gryffindors a final look and a heavy snort.

"I'll let you go today," he said coldly, taking a few of Slytherin's students with him, leaving in a hurry.

The Gryffindors had another class to catch, so they didn't stay long. Jaime, as he sat down in the transformation class, was still enraptured as he repeated to his friends the sullen look on Murciber's face, which delighted them all.

"I didn't expect Evans to be so eloquent." James sighed at the end. "She has such a talent. I didn't realize it before... I suddenly think she's a pretty good girl. What do you guys think?"

"We think your reflex arc is too long, James," Sirius pointed out to him, "Most of us knew Ivans was a beautiful girl in the first grade, and of course, we all know you were preoccupied with discipline and Quidditch, so it's not your fault."

"I'm not saying she looks special... well, she looks special," he said, propping his chin up and looking in the direction of Eli and Lily. "I just think... She's interesting? Something like that."

Unlike Jaime and the others, who were relaxed and cheerful, Eli and Lily were completely silent. He took the textbook out of his bag and spent a few minutes reviewing the points he had learned in the previous lesson before suddenly hearing Lily speak.

"... who did he say was that kind of person? What kind of person?" She said without a word.

"He's not talking about you," Eli said, remembering what she was talking about. "It's about Jaime and the others, not you."

Lily showed no sign of relief, and there was a long silence.

"But I was there too," she whispered. "He didn't hesitate when he spoke."

"I guess I didn't see you," Eli said casually. He wasn't sure what Severus Snape was thinking, after all, "If you care, ask him to come with you to Hogsmeade this week and we'll talk about it."

Okay. Lily shrugged, accepted his advice, and turned away. Professor mcgonagall began today's lecture, and Eli had already taken several pages of notes, suddenly Lily whispered, "You're right, Eli. Seever is getting better, he's softening his attitude towards muggles... I should give him enough time to change."

However, things didn't go as planned. Severus Snape had promised, but something came up at the end of the week and he stood Lily up. Lily had thought she was going with Severus Snape, so she refused her roommates' invitation. Now that roommate had gone first, she had no company at all.

Fortunately, Eli's roommates were still there, and Eli said goodbye to them with the cryptic gazes of her roommates, and walked down the streets of Hogsmeade with Lily, both of them with a calm look on their faces, there's nothing inappropriate or embarrassing about it.

"It's a pity Seever had to be called away," Lily said to Eli with a sigh and a sigh of regret, "I was thinking that with Seever's parents gone, he might be financially... ... Fourth-grader Murat told me that the Butterbeer at the three brooms was so good, I thought I'd find an excuse to buy him a drink naturally, and he wouldn't buy it himself."

"The idea is good, but the reality is always unexpected, and the next time will be the same," Eli said reassuringly.

"That's right," Lily replied briskly, smiling, "Seever has been much happier lately than he was on vacation, and it looks like he's really going to get better without his father who's always giving him thrills. Mary always said I had a bad friend, that Seever was a total Slytherin. I think that's a bit extreme, don't you? You Can't tell good from bad by college. I've known Seever a long time, and I know how good he can be. He's always just looking for goodwill. If we could all just... .. ."

Her words suddenly stopped, and her steps stopped, as if petrified, fixed on the front. Eli paused, puzzled, and followed her gaze, squinting slightly.

A group of Slytherin's students. ... a lot of them tall, and they seem to be mostly sixth and seventh graders. . Severus. Severus Snape walked among them, the smallest and least remarkable of them all, but with a look of anticipation and excitement that he tried to suppress, there was no doubt that he was one of them.

Lily's voice stuttered.

"He... he said something came up today..." she stammered, she gave Eli a confused look, then turned her eyes to the group of Slytherin not far away, their conversation carried into their ears by the wind.

"You're very welcome to join us, Severus. You've got great talent, and you're going to do great things, even if you're a half-breed. But every now and then, there's a genius who can cross that gap. You must be one of them," a seventh-grader in the Slytherin class told Severus Snape.

"Thank you, my pleasure," said Severus Snape, whose spirits were lifted by the rare genuine smile on his face. His eyes sparkled with the praise, which was obviously very welcome, but the student's voice changed to something else.

"But then your social circle is a little too low," he said to Severus Snape, in an undisguised contempt, "Look at all the friends you've made-filthy half-blood witches and even dirtier mudbloods. They'll drag you down, Severus."

Severus Snape's expression seemed to freeze for a moment, and Lily stared at his face.

He lowered his eyes a little, then raised them again, which seemed to be a life-and-death decision in slow motion.

But his voice was fast. "Yes, I know... I'll change," he said softly and vaguely

Lily shivered. Slytherin's students laughed and walked away. She looked back at him and repeated what she had heard.

"He knows... He Knows?" She asked softly, her voice trembling uncontrollably. "What does he say he knows? He says he'll Change?"

"He knows nothing! !" She shouted angrily, wiping away the tears that had suddenly welled up in his eyes, he said angrily, "Well, maybe I don't know anything either! I thought he became happy after school started because... because..."

She did not continue, and Eli sighed softly.

"Your sister gave me a piece of advice," he said, "My honest advice to you right now IS-IF you think your friend needs a beating, just punch him in the face. Don't worry about it, you can."

Not far behind them, Jaime and Sirius looked at each other in their invisibility cloaks, a pile of cockroaches still in Jaime's hands. He had intended to throw it at Eli's head and tease him.

"What's she crying about?" James asked Sirius in disbelief. "Snotlout? Shouldn't she have known it was trash?"

"But she really thought of him as a friend," Sirius said justly.

Yeah. Jaime's eyes fell on Lily for a moment.

"He's not worth it," he said. "She should have known. She's fine. Her friends don't deserve her."

Lily could not hear him, and wiped away his tears. She cried a little depressed, which made her face red, miserable, not as beautiful as usual. But Jaime looked at her for the longest time he had ever seen her, as if he had never known her until today.