Being a passerby in HP female protagonist fanfiction

It's dark magic.

Xiao Ming calmly shoved the words in front of me.

"Okay." I rubbed my temples hard, feeling a headache coming on.

The strange behavior of Willow should be discussed with the all-knowing Xiaoming.

Luckily, I got the answer easily this time.

According to Xiaoming, Willotte probably practiced some kind of dark magic, became emotionally unstable, and was influenced by something else. Coincidentally, she happened to see me and Malfoy chatting, so she was passively corrupted.

I believe this explanation.

In fan fiction, Willow was exposed to the Unforgivable Curse and various forms of dark magic in her first year. For a time, her abilities were not strong enough, and she was indeed affected by negative emotions. However, her superb magical talent allowed her to quickly get rid of this influence.

I just didn't expect to run into him.

I picked up this plot from the thorny corner of my memory, dusted it off, and put it back into my mind.

"Isn't this a bit too much of a coincidence? How could they just happen to run into each other?" I asked.

You'd have to ask Willotte Gaunt; she'll definitely know.

...Isn't that obvious?

I sighed and decided to find some time to talk to Willotte.

However, putting everything else aside, Narcissa definitely had to have some snacks.

Draco didn't give me many snacks; the pretty pastries lay in a box, and I carefully picked one out and put it in my mouth.

【How about it? 】

Perhaps finding my expression strange, Xiaoming actually asked me a question.

"It's delicious, but too sweet," I honestly commented. "I never expected it to be this sweet. Does Draco like sweet things?"

It's also possible that Europeans generally eat sweeter foods.

As far as I can remember, besides the green apples that are popular in fanfiction, I can't think of anything else Draco likes to eat.

As they talked, another pastry was devoured.

"But, I like it."

I smiled broadly; good food can relieve worries, and the portions weren't large, so I happily finished all the snacks.

After quickly tidying up and dodging the enthusiastic greetings from my roommate, Badger, I drifted off to sleep, exhausted but with a full stomach.

I placed my son, Xiaoming, beside my pillow. He sat quietly, and we both fell into the stillness of the night.

The next day, during dinner, I kept looking at the Slytherin table. The little badger next to me asked me curiously what I was doing, and I honestly replied that I had an academic question to ask Willotte.

The little badger immediately accepted this explanation. My usual image as a serious and studious person was deeply ingrained in people's minds, so asking Willotte for advice wasn't anything particularly noteworthy.

I knew Willotte would definitely come looking for me, so I wasn't in a hurry and started to appreciate the Chinese food on the table.

Through my diligent efforts, the kitchen elf has mastered some Chinese recipes, so occasionally you can see a few strange dishes on the table (because of my special instructions, they will only be on the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables).

Eating out these days, especially with unfamiliar dishes, is like opening a blind box. Some are so delicious they make you smile, while others are so awful they're grotesque. It feels like you're eating a hybrid of Chinese and English food, with a stark contrast like the difference between Mapo Tofu and Mapo Soy Milk.

Indeed, it's not the established ways that are to be feared, but rather the sudden burst of inspiration.

Everyone in Hufflepuff knows that these strange Chinese dishes originated from me. There's no way to hide it; I'm always in the kitchen, and I'm the only Asian in the whole of Hufflepuff.

When these strange dishes appear, everyone will open blind boxes with me, enjoying the thrill of being beaten down by life and then receiving a sweet treat. This has gradually become an occasional little fun on the Hufflepuff table.

Everyone was happy, I was happy, and the little elf I praised so much was also happy.

Willotte came to find me after dinner. I said goodbye to the classmate next to me and followed Willotte out of the auditorium to a secluded empty classroom.

"I'm sorry, Claire." Willotte had composed herself today, and she apologized to me again, her expression sincere and her eyes filled with guilt, as she began to explain.

The gist of it is that she was affected by a dark magic artifact left over from the Gaunt family mansion, and yesterday she was feeling unwell and lost control of her emotions, which is why she said those things. She hopes I can forgive her.

As expected of Willow, her speaking skills are truly remarkable. What she said made it sound so real, yet she didn't reveal any fatal details, such as—what exactly is that so-called black magic artifact, why has it continued to have an impact until now, and why did it only erupt yesterday?

She apologized very sincerely, taking all the blame upon herself. Even though I was perfectly fine, she still looked ashamed, biting her lower lip, and offered to make it up to me.

"Claire, please allow me to apologize to you. I was in a bad mood at the time, and if it weren't for Claire's keen observation, something might have happened."

"Just because Claire wasn't harmed doesn't mean we can ignore the potential dangers I caused. Claire was in danger because of me."

I had originally planned to gloss over the matter and let it go, but Willotte's overly serious attitude made things difficult for me.

"……All right."

A sincere attitude always wins people over, and I, Claire, the clear-headed college student, immediately forgave her (even though there was no option not to forgive her).

However, I don't need compensation, since nothing really happened. Willotte isn't stupid either; now that things have calmed down, I can sense the suggestive nature of her words.

Don't try to take advantage of the main character, in any form.

These are the wise words of countless time-traveling predecessors, lessons learned through blood and tears.

After we talked it out, I naturally ignored everything that was unreasonable, and I was considerate and understanding towards Willotte, hoping to let the matter rest.

Unfortunately, Willotte didn't seem to want to let it go so easily.

“But Claire,” Willotte pursed her lips, as if she had become that shy little girl again, her purple eyes staring straight at me, “what I said yesterday was true.”

"Why does Claire say she likes me, but she's unwilling to take things further?" Willotte said. "I really like Claire, so I want to get to know her, but you're not like that."

"Aside from studying, Claire doesn't accept any of my invitations and never asks me if I want to go together. Is this normal between friends?"

“I always felt that Claire might actually hate me, and only said she liked me to comfort me.”

"Perhaps, it's difficult for Claire to be friends with a notorious man like Gaunt. I didn't consider Claire's feelings..."

Her beautiful purple eyes were filled with sadness, and the blonde girl lowered her head, seemingly not wanting anyone to see her sorrow.

I remained silent: "..."

The style has changed before and after, Willotte, have you changed your strategy?

Regardless of how sincere Willotte's words were, in our relationship, Willotte has always been the one taking the initiative and maintaining it.

She spent time teaching me, helping me get to the medical wing, inviting me to cheer her on, and helping her solve the Slytherin bullying problem...

She naturally had her own purposes in doing these things, but undeniably, I have always been the beneficiary.

"Hmm..." Let me think about how to answer.

"I'm sorry, Willotte."

Finally, I looked into Willotte's eyes and said, "It was my fault. You're right. I was indeed unwilling to get to know you better because of Gaunt's identity."

Perhaps not expecting me to be so blunt, Willotte's eyes widened, and she didn't respond immediately.

"I'm sorry," I said, "but I didn't lie to you."

"I do like you, Willotte."

“I’m afraid of the Gaunt’s reputation. I’ve heard about the Gaunt family before I even started learning magic. My parents told me to stay away from you all… But I can’t refuse to be friends with Willow. Willow is the best classmate I’ve ever met at Hogwarts.”

The characters in the story are special to me. I follow Draco, Hermione, Harry, Ron... and Willow is the same. It is because I like her that I read that fanfiction.

I said those words seriously.

"On the train, I thought that it would be a very happy thing to become friends with Willotte."

"Um, it's a little embarrassing to say this—" I guess my face was probably a little hot. Luckily it was English, not Chinese, otherwise I really might not have been able to say it.

"I liked you from the first moment I saw Willotte."