Chapter 303 Leah and Fred
Hogwarts put a lot of thought into this Christmas ball. The welcoming lawn in front of the castle was transformed into a dreamy cave. Stone statues and roses created by magic were flashing cross lights from above. When you looked closer, you found that those light spots came from real fairies.
Leah looked at the fairies sitting or standing on the sculptures and petals in amazement. She put the cigarette half taken out of her trouser pocket back into place. She sat down on the wooden bench with Fred and turned to look at Fred. "Your school has so many floors, why did you bring me to the quietest cave to get some fresh air?"
"Because it's cool enough outside, the romantic red roses might make the atmosphere better." Fred carefully picked a rose next to him. The disturbed light flashed in front of his eyes twice angrily before he went to find another place to rest. "Here, mind the thorns."
Leah looked at the gorgeous rose in front of her and reached for the fork of the leaves, which usually had fewer thorns. She didn't pay much attention to the protruding thorns. Her hands were not soft. Fighting and guns had left her with a thick layer of calluses. The rose's not particularly sharp thorns only gave her a numb feeling. "Romance? In my eyes, it's just a flower."
"You don't like it? Then why did you accept it? Is it because the person who sent the flowers doesn't dislike you?" Fred joked with a smile as usual.
"Because flowers themselves are not offensive," Leah, who had no spare money to buy two expensive flowers when she was in Spider Alley, would occasionally pick some unknown wild flowers on the roadside for fun. The roses in her hands now are just like the wild flowers back then, something she picked up casually and would not disrupt her life rhythm. "As for people, teenagers are all equally innocent to me."
"Naive? To be honest, Leah, treating me like a child is a form of discrimination," Fred stared at the rose that Leah was casually spinning in her hand. "I'm developing my own business and making a small profit. I can almost be considered a member of society!"
"Dream career?" Leah asked after hearing Fred's boastful tone.
"A dream career!" Fred answered firmly, his tone too proud.
So it's a child, a dream? Leah, who had been struggling to make a living, had never had such a concept since she could remember. From the past to before she became a cadre, the word that most closely related to her dream was "want".
I want to have enough to eat, I want to not be beaten, I want to leave my family, I want to have enough to eat, I want to leave the bottom of society, I want to have enough to eat, I want to get opportunities, I want to stand out.
Except for the last two, these "wants" are actually "wants" without choice. Hunger, beatings, a declining family, and a declining class, each one can trap her forever in a state of half-death both physically and psychologically, and Leah is unwilling to accept that.
There were several times when these 'wants' deteriorated into the final 'want to live'.
However, it was precisely these "want" that had to be fulfilled that enabled Leah to fully exercise her only resource - a strong physique - before she got the opportunity to make a name for herself. The environment that allowed those "want" to take root also built up another positive advantage of Leah - the determination to always climb up.
"Not bad, very good." The rose was placed on her lap. Leah slowly clapped twice for Fred. Her brown eyes were calm. She was thinking of the unhappy past, but Leah had so many unhappy things in the past that it seemed ordinary to her. "But unfortunately, I am struggling to make a living in front of you. Not only do I have no dreams, I don't even have the appearance of freedom."
Working in a bar, Leah sees people who indulge in fun and alcohol under various excuses every day. She also sees people who shouldn't come here every day, who are attracted by unworthy people's qualities and interpret them as freedom, and gradually become people who use this as an excuse to indulge in fun and alcohol.
At the beginning, because of the different perspectives, Leah, who saw the danger and cruelty behind the bright lights and wine, did not understand at all those who regarded their precious family support as a burden and plunged into depravity. It was only after she brought a few younger men who had almost no way to survive if they did not join the gang that she understood the mentality of their peers better.
In the eyes of those young children, they are a group of people who live a luxurious and free life. They have no idea that the money in their hands is stained with blood. Their indifferent and relaxed attitude is because they don’t have many expectations for life.
This is how my life will be, this is the idea that Leah has become more and more aware of since he became a cadre.
"What?" Fred, who was treated as an ordinary Muggle child by Leah, didn't quite understand. He still felt that Leah was treating him as a child. "I think you think too much, Leah, about dreams and freedom. I am simply attracted by your handsomeness and casualness."
"..." Leah glanced at Fred, who had distinct features and looked very shrewd, and felt that what he said made him sound more like a silly child who only knew how to do things based on his feelings. She sighed and discovered a little inconvenience of the magical world for her.
In human society, she doesn't need to say much. She only needs to tear off a small corner of the freedom that young children yearn for. The impact of the decadence and bloodshed that is happening all the time will immediately scare the children back on track.
"Forget it." Leah, who was not particularly talkative, rolled her eyes and suddenly realized that although the magical world brought her this inconvenience, it also meant that the boy in front of her would not be exposed to the depravity and bloodshed she was familiar with. From this point of view, there was no need to talk to him more. "Wait until you grow up a little bit, maybe when you graduate, you will know what adults are like."
How does that saying go? Time heals everything. Leah thought the boy's momentary admiration would fade away.
"You still only treat me as a child," Freddy sighed, feeling extremely frustrated. For the first time in his life, he was so attracted to a woman, but she didn't take him seriously at all. "Do you really not consider me at all?"
"If I consider you," Leah realized that Fred was from a magical world that was far away from her. She felt at ease talking to a stranger whom she would never meet again, and asked, "What would you do with me?"
"Hmm!" This really stumped Fred. It's a common problem among adolescent boys to take a moment of excitement as eternity, completely unaware of how much responsibility and energy is needed to maintain that kind of excitement.
"We will be the best lovers in the world!" Fortunately, Fred was fearless and would speak first before doing anything. He started to say whatever he thought of. "First of all, we both have great bodies and we definitely have common topics in sports. Whether it's Quidditch or any other sport, we can do it together. You have to believe me, I'm a humorous person and I'll make you laugh no matter what."
"Then, your personality is just as carefree as mine. We can block out irrelevant external noise and know how to live happily." Fred pointed at himself and then at Leah. The light in his eyes became brighter as he spoke. "If we were together, it would definitely be a powerful combination. The world would be completely open to us because of our personalities."
"Finally, I actually think you are a gentle person, a person with a gentle heart, unlike those who say they are free and easy but are actually just impolite," Fred responded to Leah's somewhat surprised gaze with a cheerful smile, "You just separated us last time, didn't you? When you fought, you only swung your fists at the bad guys, and when you were able to politely give the wine to my preaching mother, I knew you were a completely good person. I like you so much."
"You're really good at talking, Fred. Every word you say is about 'together' and 'like'." After hearing so many sweet words in the bar every day, Leah thought she was immune to those greasy or childish words. But when someone really said that to her, she realized that the fun of listening to someone talking about love lies in seeing the other person's sincere expression. "You talk very well. If it were four or five years ago, I would definitely hit your shoulders and hug you."
"It's totally possible now!" Fred screamed, and made a teasing expression on his face, as if the other party had committed a heinous crime. He said in extreme condemnation, "Miss, rejecting someone while giving them hope that they can never catch is definitely a crime that should be thrown into Azkaban! This is a more serious crime than George stealing the last piece of pumpkin pie!"
"Merlin's beard, you are playing with people's hearts. You are even more cruel than our prank products!" He said, covering his chest exaggeratedly, as if he had suffered a great blow. "I suggest you stop this behavior immediately, otherwise - hehe, I have a hundred ways to make you regret it!"
"I'm regretting that I didn't have the chance to meet you four or five years ago," Leah smiled and put the rose into her chest pocket. She stood up and planned to end this conversation that was gradually making her happy. "And there are countless people in school who will become my people in four or five years. You should continue to enjoy your campus life, kid."
"I've seen what I want now! But you still want me to find someone else in four or five years!" Fred yelled relentlessly. He stood up and wanted to follow Leah to tease her. Then there was a familiar sound. He saw that Leah had the silver thing in her hand, and he was trapped in the bench by the silver barrier from last time.
"If I walk far away, this thing will become brittle and disappear. Go and enjoy your party later." Leah didn't even turn her head back, and waved to Fred with her back. She walked out of the cave, planning to go back to the wooden boat first. When the time comes, she can just ask an elf to help her send a message to Annika to let her know. Anyway, the meeting will be held on the wooden boat.
"I won't give up!" Fred patted the barrier and shouted, "If I see you again, I will definitely keep saying 'together' and 'love'!"
With this background sound, Leah walked out of the cave full of fairy lights, turned a corner, and disappeared from Fred's sight. After walking into the wide lawn, she took out a cigarette and finally lit it up, which she had wanted to smoke for a long time.
Just a few steps into the moonlit night, Leah saw Della's familiar figure in front of her. Next to her was a boy in a black suit, probably her boyfriend Draco.
The hand holding the cigarette dropped to her side and she trotted over. She took a puff of the smoke and a string of white vapor rose up, which then blended into the white light reflected by the moonlight on the snow in the cold winter night when even the breath was icy.
"Della!" Leah shouted as she ran. When she reached Della, she asked, panting slightly, "How did you get out of the dance?"
"I've had enough dancing. I wanted to see some roses for a change," Della looked at Leah. She pursed her lips and said teasingly, "I didn't expect there were other men and women inside. I didn't want to spoil the fun for others, so I left first."
"Oh my god, you're actually making fun of me now!" Leah yelled, her eyes full of smiles, and she put out her cigarette. "Also, how can you call them men and women? At most, they're boys and women. I'm not interested in him."
"The Weasleys," Draco interjected with a mocking tone. Because of Harry's psychological problems last year, he didn't often say sour words about the savior. He still had some concern for Della's former identity as a witch, which made him not pay attention to Hermione. However, he still looked down on the Weasleys as before. "They are so unrefined, it's natural that they have no interest in a Weasley."
"A Weasley?" Leah looked at Della. "Why, it's a famous surname?"
"I guess so. They are a pure-blood family, that is, a family whose ancestors were all wizards. They also openly express their love for Muggles, that is, ordinary people who cannot use magic," Della explained to Leah. She had not told Leah in detail about the influence of the wizarding world before, but since there was a meeting in the evening, she would just talk about it a little bit. "Also, the Weasleys have seven children. The red-haired people you saw last time were basically from the Weasley family. Being poor is also a major characteristic of their family."
"Fred doesn't look like he was raised in a poor family," Leah muttered. When she thought of the lady who took the wine from Fred and advised her not to drink on the night of the World Championship, she seemed to understand again, "Oh... he has a friendly family..."
"Yes, Mr. Weasley tries his best to support the family, and Mrs. Weasley takes care of everything. They are both very good people who can tolerate children's willfulness, and the brothers and sisters get along very well." Della said, as if she smelled the fragrance of the cookies made by Mrs. Weasley, and felt a little melancholy.
"......" Draco scoffed at Leah's words about 'friendly family', but since Della said so, he didn't say anything.
"It's great to have such a great family." Leah said this, but there was no envy in her tone. She had her own mechanism to ignore the gap. After all, if she was always comparing, she would never have a moment of satisfaction because her starting point was too low.
Leah is now very accepting of the current situation. Although the work pressure is high, she is no longer hungry, she has her own house, and the money in her account is increasing. This is already a level that she can be satisfied with.
Della didn't want to talk more about family. It was a bad topic for both her and Leah, so she changed the subject, "The rose on your chest, was it given by Fred?"
"I just picked it. There are a lot of them in the bush." Leah said, pulling out the rose and holding it in her hand. She hissed, not knowing what to do with the flower.
In the past, when I picked a few wild flowers, I would just look at them and play with them and then just throw them on the grass where they grew, without any burden.
Although the flower in my hand was picked casually, it is not logical to just throw away a rose. It just seems wrong.
"No matter how many or how few, giving roses is a token of your thoughts," Della glanced at the rose in Leah's hand and smiled faintly, "By the way, why did you cut your hair so short in winter, Leah?" She said this, finally ending her teasing of Leah, "And I think the length of your hair before also suits you very well, have you ever thought about growing it longer?"
"I didn't think too much about it when I cut it," Leah raised her other hand to rub the loose hair on her forehead, shrugged nonchalantly, "It's just for convenience. I feel that it's easier to do things when my hair is short."
Yes, for convenience.
Leah paused, and her mind suddenly became clear. She decided to throw the rose away, because it was not in line with common sense and she felt psychologically burdened. No matter how she thought about it, it was not in line with her character.