Vanessa picked up her bag and left the cellar to go to class with a heavy heart.

She locked the double-sided mirror in the drawer and didn't dare to look at it. Even so, she still felt uneasy.

She walked absentmindedly up the castle's ever-changing staircase. After turning a corner, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist and said angrily, "Do you want to fall to your death?"

Vanessa came back to her senses and looked at the path she had been walking on. The staircase was broken in two. One went up while the other twisted away. If she had continued to walk forward, she would have missed a step.

"Thank you."

She was startled and turned to look at the person who had grabbed her wrist. It was Cyrius Black. They seemed to have met a little too often recently, so much so that it was a little deliberate.

In the past, they would have tacitly changed directions when they saw each other eight hundred meters away. For some reason, their relationship had eased a lot recently. At least they could speak calmly like now.

"Why are you here?

Aren't you going to class? "Vanessa looked around. There was no one else on the road." I'll be late if I don't leave now. "She was a little anxious.

Cyrius looked at her with disdain and said, "Why are you so timid?

Haven't you ever been punished for being late? "

Vanessa nodded very seriously, "No."

"… What a good student." Cyrius praised her against his will. He changed his tone and asked her, "Where are you going tonight?

Black Paste?

Forbidden Forest?

Or some corner of the castle? "

Vanessa looked at him in surprise, "??

What do you mean? "

"Aren't you going out?" It was Valentine's Day.

Cyrius looked at her in disbelief.

"Of course.

I have to do my homework. The exams are coming up in a few months. I don't want to fail. "Vanessa said matter-of-factly.

Cyrius's mouth twitched inexplicably. After a while, he said, "Bookworm."

Vanessa said, "… If you say so, then so be it. I have to go to class. It's Transfiguration this morning. I don't want to lose marks."

She pretended to leave, but Cyrius grabbed her wrist again. Vanessa felt the unique warmth of a boy crawl up her body from her wrist. It was completely different from when Lucius held her hand. Lucius was cold, distant, reserved and noble, with the restraint of a gentleman. Cyrius was different.....................................................

......................

Seeing Vanessa staring blankly at where he was holding her wrist, Sirius hesitated for a moment, but he didn't let go.

. "" I know a very interesting place. Are you interested? "

He dragged out his voice, trying to keep her in suspense. "I can guarantee that a good student like you won't find that place even if you spend seven years in Hogwarts. You don't want to regret it after you graduate, do you?" He blinked his beautiful gray eyes and said proudly, "Do you want me to take you there?

Just beg me. "

Vanessa stared at the junior in front of her with her eyes wide open. She couldn't help but laugh. "You want to take me there. Why do I have to beg you?"

Cyrius pulled at his tie in annoyance. "Are you going or not? Just say it. You don't want to be late for class, do you?"

Vanessa calculated the time in her mind. Without hesitation, she said, "I'll think about it. Let's go to class first. We'll talk later."

After saying that, she broke free from his hand, turned around, and walked up the stairs that she had come back from. She quickly ran towards the classroom.

Cyrius stood there and stared at his empty hand for a while. Then he reluctantly walked to the History of Magic classroom with his backpack.

When he arrived, the class had already started. Professor Binns was staring blankly ahead. Cyrius walked in and sat in the seat that Potter had left for him. He threw down his backpack and said, "Did you take attendance for me?"

Limes turned around and said, "Yes. Professor Binns didn't notice. But where did you go?"

Cyrius snorted and didn't say anything. He seemed to have thought of something. His gray eyes, which were usually cold, had a hint of expectation.

In the evening, after the last class, the students ran out of the classroom cheering and rushing into the auditorium for dinner. They planned to go on dates immediately after dinner and not waste any time.

Vanessa had no choice but to be squeezed into a seat. Angie was nowhere to be found. Such a young girl … Her sincere love was truly enviable.

Remembering the double-sided mirror locked in the drawer, Vanessa lost her appetite. She poked at the pie on her plate with her fork. Suddenly, something hit her on the head.

She was startled. It was a ball of paper.

She picked it up and looked forward. Cyrius Black was leaning against the long Gryffindor table and looking at her lazily. She suddenly remembered their encounter in the corridor. She looked around and saw that no one was looking. She opened the ball of paper.

There was a line of words on it: Wait for me at the back door of the auditorium after dinner.

Vanessa thought for a moment and put the paper in her pocket. She nodded to Cyrius opposite her.

"Peter, where are you going?"

When Potter saw that Pediru was sneaking away before finishing his meal, he couldn't help but grab him by the collar, wanting to find out what was going on. "You're not going on a date with a girl you like, are you?" he asked curiously. "Are you going on a date with Albert of Slytherin?"

Peter shook his head nervously. "No, no, I'm just, just a little tired. I want to go back and rest early."

Potter was undoubtedly rejected by Evans, but he was not in a bad mood. He was 100% sure that Evans did not agree to anyone else, especially that snotty guy.

Looking across the long table at Little Bat who was eating with his head buried in his food, Potter snorted and said to Peter, "Aren't you going to join us tonight?

You know, it's Valentine's Day today. It'll be fun to mess with those couples and scare them! "

Looking at Potter's excited expression, Lu Pin sighed helplessly. Before Peter Pediru could say anything, Cyrius said, "I have something to do tonight. You three go ahead."

"Bro, what did you say?"

Potter looked at Cyrius in surprise. He clutched his chest as if he had been abandoned. "Are you going on a date?

Oh, please don't tell me you already have a girlfriend. It'll make me sad. We agreed to stay single together! "

Lu Pin could not help but interrupt. "Cyrius receives as many love letters as Slytherin's Albert on Valentine's Day every year. If he wants to leave his single life, it's just a matter of minutes."

Potter grabbed Cyrius's shoulder and said, "What Limes said can't be true, right? Cyrius, my good brother, are you really going to abandon us?"

By this time, most of the people in the auditorium had finished eating. Vanessa also got up and was about to leave. Cyrius glanced at her and hurriedly pushed Potter away. He said, "I'm not going tonight." Then he ran away.

Peter Pediru looked at his back. Even though Cyrius was a little slow and a little silly most of the time, he still saw the direction he left in. It was the same direction Vanessa had just gone.

Peter was stunned for a moment. He slowly withdrew his gaze. Wringing his hands together, he said to Potter who was sighing, "Then, then I'll leave too. I'm really a little tired. I want to go back and rest."

This was the first time he had refused to participate in an activity with the four of them. He was not as calm as Cyrius. He was a little afraid that Potter would be unhappy or stop him, so he ran very fast. He was like a mouse, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Potter stared dumbfoundedly at the direction he had disappeared. He mumbled, "If Hockwarts holds a running competition in addition to Quidditch, remember to remind me to let Peter participate. Limes."

Lu Pin stood up and said, "Then are the two of us still going to be 'Couple Killers'?"

"Of course!

Why not? "Potter laughed mischievously.

At the back door of the auditorium, Vanessa did not have to wait for long before her hand was grabbed. Cyrius Black stopped in his tracks, panting. He said to her, "I'm sorry I'm late. Let's go now."

After saying this, he directly took her hand and left. Vanessa struggled a few times but was unable to break free. If it were not for the fact that there was no one else here besides them, she definitely would not have let him do this.

When Peter Pediru chased after them, he saw that they were holding hands in an unusually harmonious manner (?).

He stared with a face full of disappointment as the two of them gradually became a black dot. His eyes gradually became hollow, and his hands hanging by his sides clenched into fists under his robe.

Cyrius was the young master of the Black House. He had been the center of attention since he entered the school. He was tall, handsome, and had good grades. All the girls liked him.

If Vanessa chose him, then he would definitely not have a chance.

Cyrius …

Cyrius Black …

Peter gritted his teeth and shrunk his head as he left the place step by step. Every step he took felt like he was walking on a knife's edge. His heart was extremely uncomfortable.

In one of the girls' dormitories in the Slytherin cellar, the double-sided mirror locked in a drawer was burning hot, but no one picked it up. It lay there alone, as if it had been abandoned by its owner. There was a sense of desolation in the darkness.

Over at the double-sided mirror, Lucius sat on the sofa and stared at the mirror. His finger wearing the silver snake ring would tap the mirror from time to time. Once, twice, ten times, twenty times, but no one answered.

She did not bring it with her.

Or rather, she tossed it aside.

Or perhaps, there was another possibility, a possibility that he did not want to think about.

She went out on a date.

As soon as he thought of this, Lucius felt as if his heart was being squeezed together. The feeling was not much better than having his heart pierced into his bones.

He kept tapping the mirror unconsciously. In the dark, luxurious, and empty Malfoy Manor, he was the only one sitting alone on the black sofa in the living room. He stared at the mirror with no reflection. He did not know what he was competing with, but he just could not stop. It was as if he was humiliating himself.

There were many secret rooms and passages in Hogwarts.

Vanessa had heard about them before, but she had never seen them before.

She was a good student and cherished her life. Although she was about to graduate, her understanding of Hogwarts was still limited to the places where she studied and rested every day.

She never knew that there was such a short way to the Astronomy Tower. She was led by Cyrius through one secret passage after another. She looked around curiously, trying to remember all the entrances and exits of the secret passages.

Finally, they stopped under a dome on the side of the Astronomy Tower. Cyrius pointed up and said to her, "Close your eyes, count to five, and then look up."

Vanessa was excited by his words. She was already very satisfied with what she had discovered along the way. Now that he had asked her to look forward to what she would see later.

She obediently closed her eyes and counted in her heart. When she closed her eyes, the young man held the wand in his hand and pointed at the dome above his head. He softly chanted a complicated and ancient spell.

As the oldest pure-blood family, the Black family had many spells in their library that Hogwarts could not learn.

Most of them were offensive black magic, but it was undeniable that there were also some flashy spells.

Cyrius was more interested in the latter.

So when Vanessa counted to five and opened her eyes to look up, she saw that the dome above the Astronomy Tower had disappeared. It was replaced by a starry sky that seemed to be right in front of her. All the constellations that could only be seen with the help of tools were now within her reach. She was stunned. She raised her hand happily, but before she could touch them, her hand was held.

"Don't move." Cyrius scolded, "You'll mess it up."

"Oh, oh, okay."

Vanessa was afraid of ruining the beautiful scene, so she obediently withdrew her hand. She did not even realize that he was still holding her.

"Look there." Cyrius suddenly spoke and pointed at a corner of the starry sky. "Do you know what that is?" he asked.

Vanessa looked over and was stunned.

After a while, she nodded and said, "Yes."

"What is that?" he continued to ask.

Vanessa stared at the star in the Canis Major constellation and said softly, "Sirius."

It was the Sirius star.

Siris smiled. His young and handsome face shone brightly under the starry sky.

"Yes." He said confidently, "It's the Sirius star." He pointed at the star and said, "That's me."

For the rest of her life, Vanessa would never forget the night of Valentine's Day when she was in seventh grade. Sirius Black stood under the starry sky and pointed at Sirius, saying, "That's me."

When she returned to the dormitory, Anji was not back yet. She would probably stay out for the night, which was normal. Ever since she started dating her boyfriend, she would come back in the morning every Valentine's Day.

Vanessa sat on the bed alone for a long time before she felt her hot cheeks cool down.

Then, she got off the bed and walked to the cupboard. She squatted down and opened the locked drawer.

The double-sided mirror lay quietly inside. There was no trace of it being hot.

She slowly took out the mirror. As soon as she put it in her hand, there was a flash of mist and a person's face appeared.

There was no light in the dark figure, but it did not prevent her from seeing the noble and arrogant handsome face.

"Are you finally back?"

Lucius was on the other side of the mirror. He did not mention how long he had been waiting or how long he had been tapping on the mirror. He turned to look at her. Looking at her expressionless face, he wanted to smash the expensive mirror.

"Did you have fun on your date?"

He asked in a tone without any desire for knowledge. The corner of his mouth lifted, trying to maintain his self-esteem. "Should I not have given you this mirror today?

I think in your heart, you didn't want to see me that much, did you? "

When he said this, his tone was filled with jealousy, reluctance, and... inferiority that even he could not ignore.

Vanessa was stunned. She stared at him without saying a word. He did not look well. His face was tired, and his blond hair was scattered over his shoulders. The luxurious and huge Malfoy Manor during the day looked gloomy and cold at night. He sat there alone without a sound, as if the whole world had abandoned him.

How could it be? It must be an illusion. He was the head of the Malfoy family. The most precious blood in the wizarding world flowed in his veins. How could he be abandoned by the whole world?

"It doesn't matter whether I want to see you or not."

Vanessa finally opened her mouth and said rationally, "Mr. Malfoy, I will send this mirror back to you. I think with our relationship, there is no need for me to use it."

Lucius repeated, "There is no need for me to use it?"

He smiled self-deprecatingly. That smile on his face was too eye-catching. Vanessa could not ignore it even if she wanted to.

She said as calmly as possible, "Is that not the case?"

"Of course not."

Lucius restored his noble and arrogant mask as quickly as possible. He chuckled and said, "It is necessary. I need to use it to send you messages at any time."

"... Send you messages?" Vanessa frowned.

"You can't leave my side anymore."

Lucius seemed to be making a declaration. When he said this, his whole body relaxed a lot.

Vanessa felt a chill down her spine. She bit her lip and asked, "Why?"

"Why?" His tone was disdainful, with a trace of cruelty. "Of course, it's because of — that person."

Vanessa did not expect Lucius to mention this person. She straightened her face and asked seriously, "What happened?"

Lucius saw that she had changed in an instant. If she was in front of him now, he would not be able to help but pinch her chin and ask her why she was so fickle. But he could not do it now. He could only be silent, endure, and then explain.

"He can't wait any longer. He is dissatisfied with the slow progress. He wants to catch a few examples to teach those who don't know what's good for them." Lucius stated the facts indifferently, "You and your mother are in danger."

Vanessa reluctantly said, "... I think the Hemp Wizards should be more dangerous."

Lucius slightly raised the corner of his mouth and smiled conceitedly and hypocritically, "Of course.

Of course, the Hemp Wizards are dangerous.

But those who married a Muggle betrayer of their bloodline and her children seem to be more hateful. "

He recalled the tone and expression of that person when he spoke, and said in a cruel tone, "They betrayed their proud bloodline and abandoned themselves. They are more hateful than the Hemp Wizards themselves."

When that person said the second half of the sentence, he used the three words "Mudbloods". But Lucius's cultivation made him disdain to spit out such an insulting and dirty word, which made him feel that it was beneath his noble status.

His gray-blue eyes stared at the dazed girl in the mirror and continued, "Someone recommended some families to that person as the first choice for 'warning activities'. You and your mother were among them."

He pointed out, "You should think carefully about who you have provoked recently and why someone would send your name to him."

Vanessa almost immediately said, "Who have I provoked recently?

What do you think, Mr. Malfoy?

Is there anyone else besides you? "

She stood up and clenched the double-sided mirror in her hand. Great fear shrouded her. She took a breath and said, "Is it someone from the Black House?"

Lucius denied with a cold face, "No one can be Black, and you won't be exposed to him because of me.

On the contrary … "He softened his face and said," I have removed you from that list. "

Vanessa was startled and looked at him in the mirror in astonishment, "What did you say?

Removed? "

The mark on her arm seemed to be faintly painful. Lucius said with an expressionless face, "Are you happy?

Do you feel like you have survived a disaster? "

Happy?

Not really.

She did feel like she had survived a disaster.

Vanessa looked at Lucius with mixed emotions. He seemed to have matured quite a bit after graduation, and he no longer had the faint aura of a student. He had inherited the most prestigious Malfoy family, and his almighty appearance had become even more unapproachable. Even across the border, Vanessa felt ashamed of her inferiority when she saw his appearance. She felt like she was just a speck of dust.

"No one will mention you in front of him in the future."

Lucius stared at Vanessa, who had a complicated expression, and said lightly, "As long as I am alive, no one can do that."

The understatement of his tone was a very important promise. Vanessa looked at him blankly. He continued to say calmly, "But I am not a philanthropist. Vanessa, I need you to stay by my side. I will protect you. No one can hurt you or your mother."

Llothon. He continued to tempt her, "You can do whatever you want. Don't you want to be a therapist in Saint-Manggo?

I can help you apply for it and you can work directly after graduation. "

Vanessa was surprised that he knew about this and she could not react to his almost compromising tone.

"You can do whatever you want. You can ask for anything, as long as you stay by my side."

Lucius was actually a very cold person. He only cared about the interests of himself and his family. There was no such thing as mercy in his heart, and he had no respect for life. Whoever got in his way or touched his interests, he would remove the obstacle by any means necessary.

In the end, he chose to follow Voldemort, or to put it another way, he chose the side that could bring more benefits to the Malfoy family. He had studied at Hogwarts for seven years, and he knew very well what kind of person Dumbledore was. Voldemort's existence could maximize the Malfoy family's power and status in the magic world. Of course, he had to pay a price, but once he succeeded, the rewards would be limitless.

Of course, he also had a backup plan. If he failed in the end, he had a way to protect himself and his family. Otherwise, he would not have chosen to imprint this mark.

He never thought of himself as a good person. He always put his interests first. Even if he hated Muggles, he did not reject doing business with them. He was the first pure-blood noble in the magic world to reach into the Muggle world. This was also the reason why the Malfoy family's huge business could grow richer at a rate that other families could not understand.

He was good at playing tricks, but when it came to Vanessa, all his tricks seemed to be ineffective, or he could not use them at all. He was like a young boy, luring her into submission in the most primitive way, throwing out one reason after another that she could not refuse.

"But..." Vanessa was silent for a long time. She slowly raised her head and met his gray-blue eyes again. She whispered, "Aren't you afraid that the lord will find out that you are covering for me?

This will bring disaster to you.

Or, the people in the Black House... other than Miss Black, what if the others know about this relationship?

Have you thought about these things?

Do you think they will tolerate your behavior? "

All her worries and excuses were not worth mentioning to him. He said disdainfully, "They have to tolerate it. You don't have to doubt that.

As for the lord... "He lowered his eyes and clenched his cane." He won't punish me.

He needs me, and he will give me face. "

Vanessa did not expose the uncertainty in his last sentence.

She wanted to close the double-sided mirror, but before that, Lucius spoke again, "In addition to this, I need you to do something else immediately."

Vanessa looked at him again.

"Since your mother has divorced that Muggle, you don't have to continue using that Muggle father's surname anymore. The next time we meet, I hope you will be Vanessa Wilson."

After that, he cut off the connection. Vanessa did not know that what she said tonight violated many of Lucius's principles. He put the mirror on the table and unconsciously broke out in a cold sweat.

"I'm crazy."

He muttered to himself. "But this is good.

This is good. "

He stood up and used his cane to support his body. He had to do what he had to do immediately.

He was going to fulfill his promise, fulfill all his promises to Vanessa.

He would do his best to protect her from the lord's attack range. He also had to make sure that if someone really used Vanessa against him, he would be the first to save her from the lord.

If she was just a plaything lover, a mixed-blood or a pureblood, the lord might not care. After all, his father, Abraxas Malfoy, had slept with mixed-blood girls.

But Vanessa was different.

He knew in his heart.

Someone else would know sooner or later.