I know, so what?" James spread his hands. "The three of us don't care about this at all. Remus would never attack us." He realized his previous words had been a bit excessive, so he softened his tone slightly.
"It's not a question of whether he would or not. You live in the same dormitory. If he had ill intentions, your lives would be ruined!" Gary was puzzled. He kept explaining to James, so why wouldn't he listen?
Alfrina sensed that these words were inappropriate, but it was already too late.
James had already drawn his wand and pressed the tip against Gary's chest. With a push, he shoved Gary against the wall.
"I finally understand why Sirius broke off his friendship with you," his face no longer held a smile, but rather disgust and coldness. The last time Gary saw James with that expression was when he and Snape were cursing at each other.
Gary was a little flustered, the roaring of his heart and blood only allowed him to vaguely hear James's next sentence, "You really are a busybody, Gary Shafiq."
"James, what you said was too much!" Alfrina pushed James away. "He was just trying to help you!"
"Help me?" James laughed in anger. "Is he my father or my mother? Do I need you to worry about my affairs?"
After he finished speaking, he glared at Alfrina again and walked back with his wand.
"Dragon scales." The Fat Lady had been watching the show the whole time. Only after James said the password did she reluctantly let him in.
The sound of the passage closing reached Gary's ears. He leaned weakly against the wall, allowing himself to slide down to the floor little by little. He felt like he couldn't breathe, a sense of suffocation enveloping him.
Alfrina squatted down and stroked his head.
"Am I really as annoying as they say?" Gary gave a bitter smile. He unbuttoned two buttons on his robe, as if that would help him breathe.
Alfrina hesitated for a moment. "I know your intentions are good, but your choice of words really makes people… angry."
"I know about your parents." Gary suddenly looked up, staring directly into Alfrina's eyes. A glint of moisture appeared in his own eyes, and he felt his vision blur slightly. He blinked hard, feeling tears stream from his eyes, tracing a path down his face to his chin, then dripping onto the ground.
Alfrina froze for a moment, an unreadable emotion flashing in her eyes. She didn't say anything, just reached out and pulled Gary to his feet.
"Let's go back and talk." She pulled Gary towards Ravenclaw Tower. Gary didn't resist, just followed her dispiritedly.
After Alfrina answered the question posed by the knocker, she led him back to the common room.
Now that everyone had finished their exams, most were either playing freely outside the Castle or lounging in their dormitories, sleeping. Only the two of them were in the common room.
"You know my parents are Squibs?" Alfrina turned around and asked Gary. Her expression was calm, showing no signs of anything unusual.
"Yes… I asked the Sorting Hat…" Gary stammered.
"…You know… so you know. It's not a big secret." Alfrina smiled. Gary looked down at the floor and didn't respond.
"My parents have been arguing a lot lately. When I went back for Christmas, I even heard them discussing divorce."
She pulled Gary to sit on the sofa. They were very close, and Gary could clearly see every eyelash on her round eyes.
"Two outcasts from their families, united by a heart full of grief and injustice, what good outcome could there be?" Alfrina's expression remained unchanged.
"I don't blame them either. If I put myself in their shoes, if I were a Squib, would I accept it so calmly? Probably not, given how strong-willed and competitive I am…"
"Thinking that way, they treated me pretty well, even though they didn't care about me, they still gave me pounds by the handful… When you think about it, how jealous must two Squibs be, watching their daughter go to Hogwarts carefree to experience the magic world…"
"After Easter, they sent a letter, telling me they had divorced and that I would live with my mother from now on." Alfrina's golden curls were so smooth for the first time. Gary could see her eyelashes fluttering gently like feathers.
"Do you think my parents are embarrassing?" Alfrina suddenly turned and asked him.
Gary shook his head. "Do you know why I always declined your invitations when I was little?" He asked Alfrina in return.
"Why?" Alfrina asked subconsciously.
"My magic has been unstable since I was a child. I've relied on magic stabilizing potions for a long time, and I occasionally had to stay at St. Mungo's… My family wasn't well-off to begin with, and my parents often worked overtime until late at night to earn more money for my treatment."
This was the first time Alfrina had heard him talk about it. She propped herself up on the sofa with both hands, tilting her head to listen to Gary speak. Her golden hair fell down, and her brows and eyes softened a bit, making her appear somewhat charming.
"I know they love me very much, and I love them very much too," Gary blinked. The tears finally stopped. "After I graduate, I want to earn more money so they can live worry-free for the rest of their lives… Their first half of life has been busy enough."
"So you're still not cured?" Alfrina asked worriedly.
"…I've been cured for a long time," Gary made up his mind. He took out his wand from his pocket and handed it to Alfrina. "This wand saved me. It can balance the magic in my body and free me from the trouble of magic riots…"
"It's amazing. As long as a certain amount of magic is stored in the wand, it can cast incredibly powerful spells. The powerful Shield Charm cast in the Shrieking Shack was its doing."
Gary made no secret of it, revealing his long-hidden secret.
Alfrina took the wand from his hand and carefully examined the dragonhide pattern on it, feeling it closely. "Besides the dragonhide, I don't feel any difference between it and other wands."
"Come on," Gary intended to demonstrate for her, "Protego!"
A stone wall, ancient in style, appeared across the Ravenclaw common room. Alfrina could feel countless magic boiling on the stone wall.
"...," Alfrina bit her lip, looking shocked, and told Gary to retract the spell.
The two chatted for a while. Seeing more and more people in the common room, Alfrina felt it wasn't a good place to talk, so she pulled Gary to the highest platform of the Astronomy Tower. They sat side by side, their bodies close together.
"Do you have any dreams?" Summer nights come very late. At this moment, the sky still held lingering red clouds. Gary looked at the clouds floating in the sky and asked his question.
"Can you stop asking such childish questions?" Alfrina was amused by him.
The Astronomy Tower was very high, and the evening breeze ruffled Alfrina's golden hair. The golden hair, carrying a faint scent of shampoo, brushed against Gary's face.
Gary looked at Alfrina's smiling face and remembered what Lily had said that night.
When you truly understand, don't regret it.
I understand now. Gary chuckled. The girl beside him stared at him in surprise with wide eyes.
Seeing the girl's unusually stunned expression, Gary's lips curved upwards, revealing a wide smile.
Alfrina saw him just smiling without replying, paused for only a second, then happily started laughing too.
As long as you are happy, I am happy too.
The stars in the sky began to twinkle, and moonlight poured down.