Being a passerby in HP female protagonist fanfiction

"Wait, wait, wait." I felt something was wrong and needed to be explained.

We were in a corner outside the restaurant, and I knew it wasn't a good place to talk, nor did I have the habit of loudly plotting, so I pulled Willotte to a secluded corner.

"Why do you feel..." I was trying to think of what to say, "Sigh..."

Thinking failed.

Let's just let our intuition solve everything.

“Velocity, don’t worry,” I said. “I’m also very happy to have met you.”

"Really?" Willott looked at me. "I thought you... didn't like me. Actually, I knew before that you seemed to be avoiding me, Claire. Unless it was about studying together, Claire didn't want to be with me."

"..."

“Every time I try to invite Claire out, she always refuses with a troubled look on her face.”

When did this happen? I don't remember.

I want to play dead.

“Claire treats me differently than she treats others,” Willotte said softly. “Claire is usually very friendly with her Hufflepuff classmates, but she’s always distant with me… I also want to become that kind of close friend with Claire.”

“I don’t usually have anyone I can confide in. Many people are afraid to have deep conversations with me because of my family. I thought Claire didn’t like Gaunt either.” Willotte revealed a hint of loneliness, which would soften the heart of anyone without guile. Her eyes were wet, and she looked even more aggrieved.

...What is all this?

I can't take it anymore, I need to cut this Gordian knot.

"It's probably because you're so beautiful, Willotte."

"Huh?" Willotte's eyes widened, and I could clearly see the surprise in them.

"Because when I saw you, Willotte, I thought you were so beautiful that I felt a little unworthy of you." I said earnestly and honestly, but without going into details, "The first time I saw you, I thought I saw an angel."

"Eh—" Willotte finally seemed a little shy, not from a deliberate act, but genuinely at a loss for words. "Is that so…"

"So, I don't hate you, and I won't hate you because you're too close." I tried to make myself more convincing. "I don't know why you're afraid that I don't like you, but I have always considered you a friend."

I reflected on the help Willotte had given me over the past few months and tried to amplify my feelings of gratitude.

“Even if it’s the Gaunt family, it’s fine. I was a little afraid of the Gaunt name before, but after knowing you for so long, I know that Willotte is different from the rumored Gaunt family. You won’t discriminate against students who are not pure-blooded.”

"Please don't worry about it," I said with a smile. "I like Willotte, so of course Willotte is my good friend."

Willotte paused for a moment, and I remained calm as she flashed a radiant smile.

“I like Claire too,” she said, her tone unusually sweet.

That's the end of it, with Willotte and I getting closer.

Thinking about it carefully, it seemed a bit inexplicable, and I had a certain guess in my mind.

Willotte Gaunt, the protagonist of HP fanfiction featuring a strong female lead, is someone I, as a reader, know very well.

She would selflessly help others, but this help was tinged with calculation; all her kindness was based on settling scores with those she wanted to settle. She was emotionally cold, with no family or close friends, only those she could exploit and her subordinates.

Willotte would never try to befriend someone for no reason. Instead, she would spend considerable time and energy tutoring someone to gain their closeness and trust, which is a low-value proposition.

Just like now, Willotte's performance was almost entirely an act; she wasn't being sincere, but she did reveal her eagerness to become good friends.

Moreover, it seems that the focus is on the "close friends" aspect.

This is a deliberate approach directed at me alone.

But why? This special treatment, my intuition tells me, stems from her system.

Did her system discover the transmigrator's identity? But this reaction doesn't make sense; if that were the case, it should be a test rather than an attempt to befriend her.

Did they discover something special about me? Like that mysterious person who wrote the letter, plotting something against me?

My mind was racing, but I quickly suppressed all my thoughts.

Ultimately, we should let nature take its course.

In the evening, after a long day of classes, I returned to my dorm, exhausted. After washing up, I sat on my bed and chatted with my classmate Xiaoming.

I certainly don't really treat Xiaoming's book as an ordinary supplementary book; to be honest, I've never stopped thinking about and acting on it.

After meeting Willotte on the train, I asked Xiaoming about it.

"Xiao Ming, do you know Willott Gaunt?"

I don't know, but I do know the Gaunt family.

As expected, I had already tested Xiaoming before the start of the semester to see if he knew the original plot, but it seems he doesn't know either the original or the fan fiction.

Of course, this yields nothing. It's difficult to discern the emotions conveyed through words alone. Whether Xiaoming is faking it is not something I can identify right now; at least for now, it's just a tutoring tool.

“So now you know her,” I wrote. “Willow Gaunt is the heiress of the Gaunt family.”

I will write down some information and review it with Xiaoming when I have time.

Now I've approached Xiaoming again.

Do you remember Willotte?

[Remember, Willotte Gaunt was your classmate.]

"She said she wants to be good friends with me. Do you think she's sincere?"

I cannot understand emotions, nor can I determine the nature of feelings.

Do you think I should get closer to Willotte?

Xiao Ming seems to be a little slow in replying.

[No, according to existing records, members of the Gaunt family are all dangerous.]

Do you know what a system is?

【do not know. 】

I previously mentioned that I consider Xiaoming to be some kind of alchemical product, like artificial intelligence. However, this doesn't mean I don't believe that Xiaoming has no soul. It can think autonomously, has emotional reactions, and of course, it can also pretend and deceive.

"I like Willotte, so I really want to be with her."

Unexpectedly, Xiaoming did not answer immediately.

Whatever you choose, do as you please.

This statement was out of character for him, or rather, it sounded a bit like the mysterious person who had written me two letters. My eyelids twitched.

"Did you write those letters to me?"

As a book, I cannot write words.

"So someone wrote it for you?" I quickly asked back.

【…】

I could feel that Xiaoming was struggling and hesitating—perhaps unable to bear my probing and harassment for three months, it finally answered.

【Yes. 】