I was struggling to lead Greengrass through the forest. To be honest, I had almost completely lost my sense of direction in the darkness. The night sky was dominated by the menacing Dark Mark, making it extremely difficult to see the stars. Although Greengrass was doing her best to keep her balance, her weight inevitably pressed on my arm. We had just nearly stepped into a swamp, and we had to make our wands glow brighter to see our surroundings clearly.
"Crouch down!" I just pushed Greengrass's head down and motioned for her to hide in the small bush in front of us when the voices of several people speaking came from ahead.
"Ron — Hermione —"
"Honestly, does shouting like this really work, Percy? I think we might be more efficient if we split up to search."
"As the only adult among us, Fred, I firmly disagree with us splitting up any further."
"We'll be seventeen in just two months, Weasley."
"Don't you dare —"
"Protego!" I cast a Shield Charm in front of myself before jumping up. I couldn't help but give myself a little pat on the back for this clever move. Otherwise, I might have been hit by three kinds of Dark Spells the moment I poked my head out. When people are in a state of high mental tension, they always tend to launch an attack first instead of figuring out the situation — after all, by the time you figure out the situation, you might already be dead.
"Iris Snape?" George lowered his wand after recognizing me. "What are you doing here? Oh, and have you seen Ron or Hermione?"
"No, we've just been making our way through this forest and haven't come across anyone along the way." I managed to help Greengrass to her feet. "Do you know which direction the Malfoy family's tent is in? I want to take Greengrass there first, but we seem to be lost."
"You two underage witches shouldn't be running around at this time. You're just going to cause us trouble." Percy frowned and said. He glanced at the girl who was timidly clutching my arm and hiding behind me, and then said to me, "And you're bleeding. Didn't you notice?"
He pointed to my right arm. I looked down and only then realized that there was a small patch of bloodstain on my clothes, which had been scratched by a branch at some point.
"I don't think any of us are out here wandering around on purpose at this time, Mr. Prefect." I said irritably.
The Malfoy family's tent is over there. We saw the top of their tent when we came over just now — something that's so conspicuous not being burned down says a lot, doesn't it?" One of the Weasley twins pointed in a direction for us. "When we came from there, the Ministry of Magic was searching the tents one by one. Of course, it's strange if they can find anything — anyway, it's not far. There shouldn't be any danger there. Logically, we should send you two girls there —"
"No need," I said quickly. "You should go and look for Hermione and the others quickly. Um, if you happen to meet my mother, could you please tell her that I'm safe? Thank you."
"Always at your service, madam." The two of them said in unison.
Following the direction they pointed, we soon reached an open area. Merlin be praised, Greengrass finally recognized the way. I also let out a sigh of relief after seeing the two white peacocks strolling leisurely amidst the surrounding chaos. Mrs. Malfoy was standing expressionlessly at the entrance of the tent, talking to several Ministry of Magic officials. She seemed to be firmly opposed to them entering the tent for a search, and she called this behavior "an insulting slander."
"Astoria!" She pushed through the crowd and came towards us. "Your parents are going crazy with worry. They went out to look for you and haven't come back yet — you see, am I wrong? The daughter of our family's old friends is missing, and my husband went with them to look for her and hasn't returned yet!"
"Then, excuse me, madam." A wizard with a deep voice apologized to her. After taking a look at us, he motioned for the people behind him to leave.
"My family was invited by the Minister of Magic to watch the event." She wrapped the shawl around her body around Greengrass's shoulders. "My husband will definitely inform the Minister of your rude and impolite behavior tonight."
"Miss Snape brought me back." Greengrass said softly to her. "She's also injured, madam. Could you help us —"
Narcissa Malfoy looked at me as if she had just noticed my presence. I shook my head at Greengrass and was just about to turn around and leave when I heard her say, "You shouldn't be wandering around outside at this time. Come in."
"No, thank you." I looked up at the Dark Mark that still hadn't dissipated. "Thank you, madam. But I still need to find my mother."
Mrs. Malfoy pursed her lips, as if she had heard something unpleasant.
"Your mother should be very busy tonight." She also looked at the Dark Mark, her expression very calm. "The group of Aurors just now have already seen you, and she will naturally know where you are soon."
The interior of this tent was so elaborately furnished that it made one suspect that the Malfoy family had moved their entire manor here. Mrs. Malfoy took out her wand to treat Greengrass's sprained ankle. A house-elf came over and poured me a cup of hot chocolate. I had just sat down and was about to check my wound when someone came down from upstairs.
"Mom, I want to go out and take a look — I won't run around!" Draco shouted impatiently as he came downstairs. "I'm not a child anymore!"
"Let me see your arm, Miss Snape." Mrs. Malfoy said to me as if she hadn't heard him.
Draco was like someone who had been cast a Silencing Charm. He rushed down the stairs in three steps at a time. "Iris？"
"If you want to go out, then go." Mrs. Malfoy looked very tired. She pointed at my arm (but maintaining the distance between us, as if touching me would dirty her). The wound scratched by the branch began to heal slowly, but it still left a very faint scar on the skin. "Do you still want to go out?" Draco sat down beside me and didn't say anything more.
"Miss Snape saved me." Greengrass, holding a cup of hot drink, finally seemed to have some color back in her face. "I got lost — if it weren't for her help, I definitely wouldn't have been able to get out of that forest."
Greengrass was very sleepy. After saying just a few words, she was sent by Mrs. Malfoy to wash up and go to bed. I noticed that although she had a calm expression, she kept pacing back and forth and looked outside the door from time to time. I guessed that Lucius Malfoy probably hadn't gone to look for Greengrass.
"I'm going out for a while." She finally stopped pacing and looked at Draco and me. "Sena —" A house-elf appeared at her feet and bowed to her tremblingly.
"Keep an eye on Draco. Don't let him leave this tent — as for Miss Snape, you also seem to be in great need of rest. Sena can take care of you."
"Sena remembers what the mistress said!" The house-elf shrieked. "Sena won't let the young master leave the tent even a step!"
"I want to wait for my mother to come and pick me up." I rubbed my eyes and said to Draco. "I don't want her to encounter — she might come over soon."
Draco didn't object. He lazily poked the Krum model on the table with his wand and frowned as he watched the little figure make all kinds of broom-riding movements. I sat there watching the house-elf walk back and forth. Looking at the exaggerated decoration of the living room, I silently calculated how many regulations of the Ministry of Magic this tent had violated. As I thought about it, I felt that the house-elf seemed to split into two, and the light source above my head also blurred. All the faint sounds in the air were gradually fading away.
The pillow was uncomfortable, I yawned and thought vaguely. But it had a very familiar smell — a smell that I didn't dislike. However, this pillow was playing with my hair. I reached out and hit it, then fell asleep again.
My mother probably came with several Ministry of Magic staff members just before dawn. It seemed that the chaos of the night had made everyone feel rather uncomfortable. Several people looked as if they had rolled around in the mud and didn't even have time to use the Scouring Charm on themselves. I didn't know when Mrs. Malfoy had come back. She still answered the questions of those staff members in that attitude as if no one should speak to her on an equal footing. She said that Mr. Malfoy had been hit by a Dark Spell fired from somewhere on his way to look for Greengrass last night, so he chose to go home early to recuperate. She also emphasized coldly that if they thought what she said was untrue, they were welcome to visit the Malfoy Manor.
"Thank you for taking care of Iris, Mrs. Malfoy." My mother thanked her politely and held my drowsy self tightly by the hand.
"It's the least I could do," Mrs. Malfoy turned around and glanced at my mother. "Just as a favor because Severus has taken care of Draco at school."
Draco must have gone upstairs to sleep long ago. I didn't have the chance to say goodbye to him. All the way back to our tent, I was undoing the few extremely ugly braids that had somehow appeared in my hair. My mother seemed a bit angry about my unauthorised actions, but after listening to my explanation, she gently praised me for rescuing Greengrass.
"But you must pay attention to your own safety." She held my hand tightly. "Liz, Mom knows that you're always willing to help others, but you don't understand what kind of dangers you might face in the future."
"Mom, that Mark." I looked at the still dark sky. The atmosphere of celebration had completely vanished. Everyone we met on the way was hurrying towards the meeting point where the Portkeys were, with expressions of fear and vigilance. Some people were even hysterically accusing and attacking each other because of being pushed. "Does it mean... No, right? The Dark Lord is dead. No one can come back to life after death."
"We should always be on our guard, dear." Her answer was clearly evasive. "Although people always treat Alastor's words as nonsense and call him Mad-Eye Moody — but Mom thinks he's right. Always stay alert."
For the rest of my summer vacation, I basically stayed at home and read Dad's notebook. I hardly knew when Mom came home and when she left every day. There were even a few days when she didn't come home at all. The Ministry of Magic was in complete chaos. The Daily Prophet spared no effort in reporting on the chaos after the Quidditch World Cup. That Dark Mark repeatedly appeared on the front page of the newspaper, and every day there were more sensational speculations — all the reports were signed by Rita Skeeter. And the Department of Magical Games and Sports and the Department of International Magical Cooperation were the first to bear the brunt. The two departments received a flood of complaints and letters demanding compensation every day, as well as all kinds of strange and dangerous items.
"I'm really sorry that I can't even wait for the train to leave this year." At the end of the vacation, Mom managed to squeeze out a little time to send me to King's Cross Station in advance. She only had time to give me a quick hug. "Liz, if nothing unexpected happens, Mom will come to Hogwarts soon. This is going to be a really exciting year — enjoy it."
I had no idea about what was in store for this school year, but I couldn't shake the feeling that things might not go as planned. It was the first time I'd arrived at the station so early. Not seeing a single familiar face, I randomly picked an empty compartment and took a seat. Then Cormac McLaggen, that Gryffindor boy who was a year older than me and always seemed like he could knock out a troll with one punch, slid open the compartment door and plopped down across from me without so much as asking if it was okay.
"I heard you went to the Quidditch World Cup too?" he leaned in and asked me. (I had to lean back sharply, or else I was sure his breath would be right in my face.)
I really regretted not lying. For the next while, he launched into a never-ending monologue about the entire World Cup final. He went on and on about the Irish team's tactics and where they could improve, and what the Bulgarian team's fatal flaws were. Every now and then, he'd ask for my opinion, practically forcing me to nod along to things I didn't understand and had zero interest in. After I tried to politely let him know that my knowledge of Quidditch was rather limited, he switched gears and started going on and on about the O.W.L. exams, wanting to share his study tips with me.
When I saw Draco appear at the door, I could have cried with relief. I practically waved my hands and feet at him to get his attention, and I was just about to let out a scream asking him to rescue me from this misery.
"I think there are still plenty of empty compartments, don't you?" McLaggen said, clearly annoyed at Draco for opening the door. "Can't you see there are two Gryffindors sitting here?"
Draco turned around and said a few words to Crabbe and Goyle, who were trailing behind him. He pointed towards the compartments behind them, then sat down beside me and retorted rudely, "So what? If you'd actually bought this compartment, there should be a sign on the door saying so. But it's pretty obvious that your close relationship with your uncle Tiberius only got you the crappiest seat at the Quidditch World Cup — the kind where you can only hear the game. Why don't you try buttering him up a bit more, huh?"
"At least all the wealth in my family comes from honest sources," McLaggen's face flushed bright red, making him look even more puffed up.
"Oh, really?" Draco sneered. "Being able to account for every Knut — that's truly impressive. After all, I can't even count how many vaults my family has."
If it had been someone else, I would have thought Draco's words were far too mean. But considering that McLaggen had just tried to touch my hand, it was rather satisfying to see him standing there, his face alternating between red and white as he struggled to find something to say. McLaggen suddenly stood up, and I thought he was about to throw a punch at Draco's face. I quickly reached into my pocket and gripped my wand.
"Aren't you coming with me?" McLaggen asked gruffly. "Do you really want to stay here with this Slytherin jerk?"
"She's already been around Slytherin jerks for over a decade," Draco yawned as he put his arm around my shoulders.
"It hasn't been over a decade," I said, shrugging off Draco's arm and sitting across from him after McLaggen slammed the door and left. I started counting on my fingers. "Has it been nine years? I can't quite remember..."
The rest of the train journey was peaceful. I curled up in the corner and read Dad's notebook (I'd disguised it as a potions textbook). Draco played a few rounds of wizard chess with Crabbe and Goyle, but soon got bored (I would have been bored too. There's no sense of accomplishment in winning a game against people who can't even remember the basic rules). After taking a walk outside the compartment, he came back in a great mood (I wondered who he'd been teasing. I realized with a pang of anxiety that the promise he'd written to me had already expired). Then he leaned over to see what I was reading, and I briefly told him about the progress I'd made in my research over the summer.
To my surprise, he seemed really interested. Usually, when I'd tried to share potions knowledge with him before, he'd only bothered to remember the quick shortcuts and didn't want to hear anything about the theory. And unlike Hermione, he was raring to use Goyle as a test subject before we even got off the train. I quickly stopped him.
"Draco — Miss Snape!" Greengrass came over to greet us in the pouring rain while we were waiting for the carriages. Hermione passed by me, and we exchanged a glance.
"I've been meaning to thank you," Greengrass said as she sat down beside me. "But Draco wouldn't tell me your address — so I made this myself."
Her cheeks were flushed as she carefully took out a small framed picture from her cloak and handed it to me. In the picture, I was sitting amidst a sea of irises, my hair blowing in the wind.
"Thank you. It's beautiful — much prettier than I am in real life," I said sincerely, quickly tucking it away to keep it from getting wet in the rain.
If my encounter with McLaggen on the train had given me a sense that the new school year wouldn't go smoothly, then running into Peeves undoubtedly pushed that feeling to the extreme. Countless red balloons filled with water came crashing down on us from above. I felt as if my clothes were soaked through, and the floor was covered in water. Professor McGonagall, who came over fuming to stop Peeves, would have fallen flat on her face if she hadn't managed to grab hold of Hermione in time. Peeves turned a deaf ear to her stern warnings and instead seemed to grow even more excited.
"There must be a spell to dry our clothes. Let's get into the Great Hall first! No matter what spells you cast here, Peeves will just soak you again in the next second!" Hermione said crossly to the group of girls who were huddled together, trying to make their clothes less clingy. "Professor McGonagall told us to hurry!"
Finally, amidst all the chaos, we squeezed into the Great Hall. I managed to pull out my wet hair, which was dripping water down my neck. Professor Dumbledore waved his wand, and all our clothes became dry and fluffy, as if they had just been washed and dried.
"Come on, tell us what's going to happen," Ron Weasley grumbled, clearly in a bad mood. I wasn't sure who had annoyed him. "All summer long, no one in my family would tell me anything. Well, you can tell me now, can't you?"