Being a passerby in HP female protagonist fanfiction

Barty Crouch Jr.?

Shouldn't he still be imprisoned in his Crouch house?

I was taken aback.

Wait, the most wrong thing is why he became my temporary guardian? How did he escape Old Barty's control? And why did he get such a fake identity?

I was brainstorming, really wanting to give Xiaoming a barrage of questions, but he said his daily information reveal was over, and Little Barty was still in the next room, so I'd better not keep him waiting too long.

"Gavin!" I ran back, "Would you like me to take you for a walk down this street?"

“Okay.” The young man smiled brightly and cheerfully, but only after learning his identity could I see through the pretense of that smile. “Thank you, Claire.”

That was a really good performance.

Is this not true of Barty Crouch Jr.?

I took Little Barty for a walk along Privet Road, showing him the locations of some shops, the nearest supermarket, and other places we might visit.

Little Barty followed behind me with a smile. I walked in front, completely unguarded. This wasn't because I wasn't vigilant, but because even with that special wand, I was no match for the experienced Little Barty at my current level. So I figured I might as well relax and maybe I'd act more naturally.

Besides, since Little Barty has disguised himself and sneaked into my house, he certainly won't make a move against me so quickly.

Judging from his current preparations, it seems more like he's planning a long-term infiltration.

The image of Buddy in the movie cannot be used as a reference, as I am not sure what he actually looks like.

I just don't know if they used compound drugs or some other method.

I finished telling Little Barty everything I knew about Privet Road, and then, with him and some groceries I had just bought, I prepared to go back.

“Perfect timing, tomorrow is Christmas.” I said as we walked. “This way we can spend it together. I was thinking that there wasn’t much of a festive atmosphere. My family never celebrated Christmas before, but this time we have to give gifts to a lot of classmates, and Gavin is here too, so it can be considered a holiday, right?”

The cheerful and outgoing Gavin Barty seemed a little out of place in the Muggle world after we went outside, but he still put on a gentle demeanor and listened to me talk.

“Claire is amazing, living on her own at such a young age,” said Little Barty, his tone seemingly genuine praise. “Where are your parents?”

"Gavin doesn't know?" I asked curiously. "They're not even in Europe."

“I know, but I’m a little curious, don’t they have any arrangements for you at all?” Gavin Barty blinked. “Living alone must be very hard, Claire seems so independent.”

“Yes, they always ask some relatives and friends to take care of me, but we only spend a short time together, and I can’t remember who they are.” I lowered my eyes and pursed my lips, but quickly returned to normal. “Anyway, it’s always been like this since I was a child, and I’m used to it.”

Little Barty seemed to be deep in thought.

Thankfully Harry isn't here this year, otherwise I'd be worried about what would happen if Barty Jr. ran into Harry.

As for what happens next... we'll talk about that later.

We went back quickly, carrying bags and bags of things, including things for Christmas tomorrow and some daily necessities for little Barty.

It's worth mentioning that Barty didn't have any money in the Muggle world. He said he only brought Galleons, and I ended up paying for them first. The young man blushed, looking quite embarrassed.

Anyway, we went back to the house and started preparing dinner.

“As an adult, it’s definitely my job to cook,” Barty said. “So Claire, you should take a break.”

I declined briefly, but immediately agreed.

Little Barty's cooking skills were surprisingly good. He briefly praised the complete set of utensils in the kitchen, and then started to cook a table of classic Western dishes.

To be honest, it was quite delicious.

After dinner, Little Barty went to wash the dishes—at this moment, I began to sincerely appreciate the persona he had created; it was so thoughtful.

My mouth was full of "thank you Gavin, thank you Gavin."

Little Barty went to the kitchen, and I started checking and verifying the gifts that were about to be sent out.

Hermione's gift was a scarf. I originally wanted to give her a book, but I felt that a scarf would have a warmer, more festive feel, so I went with the scarf in the end. As for the book, I'll give it to her another time when I have the chance.

Willotte's gift was a beautiful quill pen. The main reason was that I really didn't know what to give her; something too down-to-earth would have seemed odd.

Hufflepuff's gifts are relatively easy to prepare: homemade cookies, various rare snacks I've collected, candies, and a few handmade toys.

For my senior classmate Qiu Zhang, I gave her a handmade mini Quidditch broom model. I know she has always loved Quidditch and will join the Ravenclaw Quidditch team in the future.

I carefully wrote blessings for each person in both Chinese and English, packed them neatly in red boxes with warm yellow ribbons, and then handed them to Hazel.

"Go for it, Hazel!" I took out a handful of mealworms from the cupboard and fed him some dry food and meat strips first. I know that Hazel will have an extra meal in the yard at night, so I usually don't feed him a lot at once. But tonight is obviously going to be a tough battle, and Hazel will use up a lot of energy.

I raised both hands into fists, my face serious. "Go, Hazel."

Hazel: Phew~

Me: ...Let's go quickly.

Little Barty had already come out of the kitchen. He stood in the shadows behind me, quietly watching me inspect the gifts. He didn't speak until I finished, which almost scared me out of my wits.

"Is it a gift for your friends?" Little Barty politely asked a pointless question, his eyes sparkling with curiosity, but he didn't come closer, still maintaining the persona of a gentle young man he had just met.

Startled, I said, "Yes, yes."

"Sorry, you seemed to be concentrating a lot, so I didn't want to disturb you," Little Barty explained, glancing again at the pile of gifts.

"Oh, right, although I only met Gavin today, I prepared a gift, but it might be a bit rough because of the short time." I said, coming back to my senses. "I hope Gavin won't mind when he sees it tomorrow."

"Hmm?" A look of gratitude and embarrassment appeared on the young man's face at the right moment. "Thank you so much, Claire."

You're welcome.

I thought to myself, "Little Barty is such a good actor."

We chatted in the living room for a while longer, and I noticed that he kept mentioning my parents and subtly inquiring about their magical abilities.

I forced myself to answer his questions, but when the time came, I just wanted to go to sleep.

Goodnight, Gavin.

Goodnight, Claire.

My first night with my "new family member" Barty went fairly well, even though we were both just acting.