Vanessa decided to return to school early.

Before school started, she wrote a letter to Headmaster Dumbledore in the name of her mother, saying that her family couldn't take care of her because of a temporary family matter, and she needed to return to school early. Vanessa received a reply from the headmaster in mid-August, approving her application to return to school early.

She hurriedly packed her textbooks and luggage for the new semester and ran back to Hogwarts. However, she wasn't the only one who returned early.

Vanessa lay on her dorm bed as curfew approached. She felt a little hungry. She endured it for a while, but couldn't bear it anymore. She got up and went to the kitchen to find something to eat.

The Hogwarts kitchen was a favorite spot for students on night trips. Vanessa walked quickly, wanting to return to the dormitory before the curfew. But as luck would have it, when she turned a corner, she seemed to have bumped into something. She leaned heavily against the wall behind her, and the cold, hard wall made her cry out in pain. She didn't know what to do, but she couldn't cover her back either. She could only look up to see what she had bumped into, and when she did, she found that … there was nothing in front of her.

Something was wrong.

How could this be?

Vanessa pulled out her wand and frowned as she calmed her breathing. "Come out. I know you're here."

As soon as she finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent. Only silence answered her.

Vanessa waved her wand and cast a silent spell. Suddenly, a man with black hair and gray eyes appeared in front of her. He covered his arm and glared at her, his eyes full of displeasure.

"Black?"

Of course, it wasn't Black as in Slytherin, but Black as in Gryffindor.

"You … That's the Invisibility Cloak?"

Vanessa looked sideways at the thing he was wearing. He glanced at her and quickly put away the Invisibility Cloak. He said coldly, "This doesn't seem to have anything to do with Miss Albert."

"You know me?" Vanessa was a little surprised.

Cyrius Black, who would be in the third grade when school started, was already lean and tall, more than half a head taller than Vanessa, who was five feet six inches tall.

Cyrius Black did not intend to answer her question. He cast a sidelong glance at her and continued to leave. Vanessa looked in the direction he left and frowned. "The curfew is about to begin. If I'm not mistaken, that's the direction to leave the castle."

Cyrius turned and stared at her coldly. "So, are you going to tell on me?

Miss Albert, school hasn't started yet. Don't scare me with that. "

Vanessa said indifferently, "Indeed, school hasn't started yet, but the school rules don't only exist during the school term. Mr. Black, you should return to your dormitory before the curfew."

With that, she turned and left. Cyrius stood in the same place and looked at her from afar. He did not listen to her at all and turned back to continue on his way.

Vanessa found something to eat in the kitchen and returned to her dormitory on time. After taking a shower and lying on her bed, she was revising her textbook and wondering if Black had returned.

After school officially started, the Hogwarts seemed to have been reborn. Adorned by the students, it was full of vitality.

There were many new students this year, but not many of them were assigned Slytherin. Vanessa waited until the end of the school assignment and ate quietly after Professor Dumbledore's speech.

At Gryffindor's table, Cyrius glanced at Slytherin's table opposite him. He was surprised that Slytherin did not run to the professor to report him. He was prepared to have his grades deducted, but Slytherin remained calm. This was beyond his expectations.

"Cyrius, what are you looking at?"

James Potter put an arm around his shoulder and followed his gaze. "Are you looking at Albert?

If you ask me, although she is beautiful, she is far from Evans. "

After saying that, he glanced at their Gryffindor's flower. Only a fool would not be able to tell what was on his mind from his focused expression.

"I think Albert is a little better looking …"

Peter Pediru muttered as he ate. Potter did not hear it, but Cyrius did. He glanced at him and said, "Then you should go to the Medical Wing to have your eyes checked, Peter."

Peter pursed his lips and shrunk his head without saying anything. Limes Lu Pin said gently, "But Vanessa Albert is the most beautiful girl in Hogwarts for six consecutive years."

Cyrius Black snorted coldly and said, "That means that there are countless people in the school who need their eyes checked."

Llothon, he said disdainfully, "I really don't know what kind of boring people came up with such a selection. Stupid."

After saying that, he inexplicably glanced at Vanessa across from him. He immediately withdrew his gaze and lowered his head to cut his steak.

This year was Vanessa's seventh year. After this year, she would graduate. When she was in fifth grade, Professor Slughorn gave her a job consultation. Before she graduated from seventh grade, she would have a second job consultation.

Standing in front of the Potions Professor's office, Vanessa knocked on the door and said loudly, "Vanessa Albert is here for a job consultation, Professor."

The door opened and Vanessa walked in. She saw Slughorn fiddling with a potion bottle. She thought of the letter she sent over the summer and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Professor, I'm here for a second job consultation. By the way …" She lowered her voice and said, "I want to ask you, what do you think about the matter I mentioned in the letter I sent you over the summer?"

Compared to Vanessa's nervousness, Professor Slughorn's reaction was much more casual. He kindly asked her to sit down and said with a smile, "Oh, Vanessa, you must know that you are one of my proudest students. Among the students in the school, other than Severus Snape, your Potions level is the highest."

… Well, compared to a student who had just been promoted to third grade, Vanessa, who was in seventh grade, had a big ego.

"As for the matter you mentioned, I have been a little busy recently and may need a little help. As you said, I will pay you some compensation." Slughorn blinked and agreed to her proposal in a roundabout way.

Vanessa's eyes lit up. She stood up and said, "I will work hard. I won't let you down, Professor."

In the letter she sent over the summer, she expressed her intention to help the Dean produce advanced potions and sell them. She only had a small request, which was to receive a small reward. She also sent a few copies of the advanced potions she had made. She was confident in her work and results. Although she was a little nervous before receiving the results, it was a good ending.

After coming out of the Potions Office, Vanessa felt refreshed. She calculated the money she had earned from Madam Morjin's robe shop. Because she had greatly increased the sales and also worked as a free model, Madam Morjin had generously given her a hundred gold coins even though she had left early and only worked for two and a half months.

Including the twenty gold coins she had earned from selling her things and some of her own savings, she had about one hundred and seventy gold coins. Gold coins were worth more than pounds. If she and her mother were to find a house in the Muggle world, this money would be more than enough.

As for the "small business" at Professor Slughorn's place, it was for the follow-up rent and daily expenses. After all, she still had a year to go before graduation. She could live in the Hogwarts, but her mother still needed money.

When she returned to the dormitory, Anji was taking a shower. Vanessa sat at the desk and spread out the parchment. She wanted to write a letter to her mother to start looking for a house, but when she recalled her enthusiasm for socializing during the summer vacation, she felt that her letter would be a big blow to her mother.

If it was a blow, then so be it. She couldn't always live under someone else's roof.

Just as she was about to write, Anji came out of the shower. She stared at Vanessa strangely. Vanessa looked back at her in confusion. "What's wrong?

Why are you looking at me like that? "

Anji pursed her lips and pointed to the other corner of the table. "That's your letter. Just now, it was delivered by a magnificent golden eagle."

Vanessa was stunned. She looked at the letter on the corner of the table. She thought it was Anji's.

"Mine?

Golden eagle? "

She walked over in surprise and picked up the letter. It was a silver-green envelope with exquisite wax. The seal on the wax made her instantly understand why Anji's gaze was so strange.

Malfoy.

It was a letter from Lucius.

Vanessa's hand loosened and the envelope fell to the ground. She quickly bent down to pick it up and said with a pale smile, "Ah, maybe it's from senior Malfoy. I sent him a graduation gift to thank him for taking care of me when he graduated, so he replied to my letter."

Anji was stunned for a moment. She remembered that Lucius had taken good care of Vanessa ever since she entered the school, so it was reasonable that she would send him a gift.

Her expression softened a little, but she was still puzzled. "Actually, I've always wanted to ask you. Senior Malfoy is such an important person. Why would he take care of you so much?"

She and Vanessa were in the same dormitory, and the two of them were usually inseparable. She was the one who had seen Lucius protect Vanessa the most in the academy. In the past, she hadn't asked because she felt that it was unreal. She thought it was just her imagination, but now that Vanessa mentioned it herself, she took the opportunity to ask.

"Senior Malfoy was just protecting Slytherin's system," Vanessa said calmly.

"Although he felt that it was his duty, I did benefit from it, so I think I should thank him."

An Ji came to a realization and nodded.

Vanessa was speaking from the bottom of her heart. It was her original intention to send Lucius the Elixir of Blessings. At that time, she had never thought that their relationship would develop to this extent.

"Aren't you going to read the letter?"

Anji pointed at the envelope in her hand. Vanessa was squeezing it so hard that she almost broke it.

"I'll read it later. It's just a simple thank-you letter. It doesn't matter."

Vanessa said casually. She locked the letter in the drawer and went to take a shower.

It wasn't that she didn't want to read it, but she didn't have the courage to. She didn't know what he would write, but she expected that he would be very angry.

Vanessa avoided reading the letter with a feeling that as long as she didn't read it, she wouldn't have to face it. After informing her mother to find a new home, she began her seventh-grade studies.

To her surprise, the four Gryffindor robbers, who never liked to go to the library, were often in the library recently. They were too noisy and unruly, so the librarian always scolded them. It was hard for Vanessa not to notice them.

One day, she was immersed in studying for the Ultimate Wizard Exam when she heard a conversation from the row of bookshelves behind her. She looked up and saw Potter, Black, Lu Pin, and Pediro.

Peter Pediru was the first to notice her gaze. He blushed and whispered, "There, there's someone here."

His reminder made the other three look at Vanessa. Vanessa put away the books on her desk and was about to leave, but the four looked at each other and stopped her.

"How much did you hear?" Cyrius Black asked her coldly.

Vanessa was startled and said, "… I didn't hear anything. I just felt like someone was talking, so I looked back.

If you ask me, you should be quiet. No one will hear you. "

Her words made Blake, who was already annoyed with her, even more indifferent. He took out his wand and pointed it at her. "I don't need you to remind me, Abbott.

I don't believe you when you say you didn't hear anything. "

His lips were pale and he didn't look very well. Vanessa felt strange when he returned to school early. Although he was a Black who entered Gryffindor … he didn't look so haggard. What happened during the summer vacation?

"I really didn't hear anything." Vanessa said as sincerely as she could.

Potter hesitated and said, "Maybe she really didn't hear anything?"

Cyrius glanced at Potter. "You believe a Slytherin?"

Potter immediately changed his expression and looked at Vanessa warily.

Vanessa was a little annoyed. She just came to read and didn't expect to encounter such a thing. "You're just being biased. I said I didn't hear anything, so I didn't hear anything. Not everyone wants to hear your petty pranks. Can you move aside now?

And don't point your wand at me. "

Vanessa's expression turned cold. Her beautiful face had an additional coldness to it. Pediru was a little lost in thought. Lu Ping stood at the side and said in a low voice, "This is the library, and we didn't say anything just now. Sirius, don't be too nervous."

Black turned his head and said with a dark face, "What do you mean by 'didn't say anything'? If she heard that, you …"

Lu Pin shook his head and said with a pale face, "I believe Miss Albert really didn't hear anything."

Vanessa looked at him gratefully and said in a low voice, "Thank you."

Lu Pin was startled. His pale face flushed red. He didn't say anything, but nodded.

"Troublesome."

Black snorted. He finally put down his wand and moved aside.

Vanessa looked at him one last time and left.

She was really unlucky. It seemed that she couldn't come to the library anymore. She got into trouble just by reading.

At the same time, another person was waiting for her in Slytherin's common room.

As soon as Vanessa walked in, she saw Narcissa Black sitting elegantly on a chair. When she saw her enter, she smiled kindly and greeted her.

Vanessa was almost flattered, but she still felt that she was especially unlucky today. She was probably drugged with the opposite of the Elixir of Fortune. That was why she had to face two difficult Blacks.

"Miss Black."

Since the other party was greeting her, ignoring her would only make her look guilty. Vanessa walked over slowly and greeted Narcissa.

Narcissa smiled and said, "Sit, Albert. You don't have to be so polite. We've been classmates for almost seven years. You don't have to be so formal."

Vanessa only thought for a few seconds before sitting beside her.

She realized that there was no one else in the common room today. This was very unusual. She thought that Narcissa must have chased away the others.

"I'm here to give you this."

Narcissa took out an invitation card from her pocket. It had the Malfoy and Black House emblems on it. Vanessa didn't need to read the content to know what it was.

"Lucius and I are getting married. In July next year, two months after graduation, we will have our wedding at Malfoy Manor. I sincerely invite you to attend."

She pushed the wedding invitation in front of Vanessa. Vanessa had no choice but to take it under her gaze. She held it in her hand and felt that her hand was about to be scalded by the invitation.

"You'll come, right?" Narcissa asked, tilting her head.

Vanessa looked up and met her eyes. She was confused and said, "… Miss Black, no offense, but although we've been classmates for almost seven years, we haven't spoken much. I don't think that with our relationship, I can receive such a precious invitation, so I …"

She wanted to say that she wouldn't go. She would silently wish them well at home, but Narcissa's next words left her speechless.

"Yes, we haven't spoken much. But you have a good relationship with Lucius, don't you?"

She threw her a meaningful look. She was actually very friendly. Although there were hints in her words, there was no hostility. After she finished speaking, she even shook hands with her and warmly said goodbye before turning to leave.

She wasn't here to show off. She was really just here to deliver the invitation.

Vanessa stood rooted to the ground. Lucius's cold and noble face appeared in her mind. One head, two big heads.

She really wanted to run to the Magic Potion Office and ask the Dean if there was a magic potion in the world that could turn back time.

She wanted to go back to the night when she gave Lucius the Elixir of Blessings in sixth grade and give herself a slap.

In the dormitory.

Narcissa came back after delivering the invitation. Her roommate, Parkinson, said with disdain, "Why did you send an invitation to that mixed-blood?

Narcissa, are you polluting your grand wedding? "

Narcissa smiled and said, "You don't understand, Aria."

She was just trying to be friendly with Lucius. The wedding date was approaching, and she was satisfied with the wedding arrangements and decorations. His attitude towards her private social relationships also made her feel relaxed. She thought that she couldn't always take advantage of her fiancé, so she had to be friendly.

That was why she gave Vanessa the invitation. She wanted to tell Lucius that she didn't mind their relationship. She couldn't wait to see the high and mighty man thank her.

However, things didn't go as she expected.

When she received Lucius's reply, he actually blamed her for acting on her own initiative. Although the words were polite and proper, when put together, there was an air of displeasure.

Also, look at the force he used when he wrote the letter. The quill poked the expensive parchment so hard that it almost broke. She could imagine his expression when he wrote the letter.

"Hmph."

Narcissa snorted and threw the letter into the drawer. She didn't take it to heart.

She didn't take it to heart, but Vanessa took it to heart.

She didn't understand Narcissa's meaning. The invitation was like a ticking time bomb in her drawer. She hadn't decided whether to go to the wedding or not when Professor Slughorn called her into the dean's office.

"Miss Albert."

Professor Slughorn said to her in a regretful tone, "I'm sorry, but what I promised you will only last until this week."

Vanessa had just seen a glimmer of hope for the future, but it was wiped out just like that. She looked at the professor blankly and didn't understand. "Why?

Did I not do well enough, Professor? "

"No, no, you did very well, very well, much better than the ones sold on the market, but …" Slughorn showed a strange expression and then muttered, "But I don't need that much recently, so I'll stop for now. You can go back now, Miss Albert."

Vanessa blinked, and her hands slowly clenched into fists under her school uniform. Judging from the dean's expression, she knew that someone had expressed some opinions about their cooperation, which caused him to stop his "cooperation" with her.

Hogsmeade Day.

Vanessa, who had everything going wrong, walked through the crowd alone. Anji had to go with her boyfriend and couldn't accompany her. She didn't want to find a boyfriend, so she had to go alone.

… Right!

Find a boyfriend!

Vanessa stood still and looked at the people coming and going with bright eyes, as if she had found a way to solve the problem.

As long as she had a boyfriend, she could legitimately reject Lucius's "deal" and wash away the uncomfortable feeling in front of Narcissa. She could even use her boyfriend as an excuse to persuade her mother, who was reluctant to find a new house, to quickly move out of Lucius's house.

Right, that was it. It was time for her to find a boyfriend.

Someone bumped into Vanessa's shoulder, and she frowned. Cyrius Black glanced at her contemptuously and walked past her. On the other side were the other three members of the four-person team.

How nasty.

It seemed that they had become enemies ever since they returned to school early and bumped into this guy. They didn't even look at each other before, but now when they saw each other, they wanted to kill each other.

Vanessa glanced at him coldly and turned back.

She didn't want to go to Hogsmeade. She had something important to do.