Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 348 The Snowman

Thea's supposedly discreet actions went unnoticed by anyone except Mrs. Weasley.

Even the meager camaraderie forged during the intense "battle" at the conference table vanished with the wind.

Hermione's knife and fork made a sharp sound, Ron next to her accidentally poked a grilled sausage and splashed its juices everywhere, and Ginny went even further, she even absentmindedly poured a whole spoonful of pumpkin juice all over her bread!

"Good heavens! What's wrong with you all?"

"You're so tired, you need to get some rest when you get home tonight..."

Mrs. Weasley's voice sounded so distant to Harry that it seemed like an echo.

He looked at the person diagonally opposite him, who remained calm and composed, even unfazed by the soup splattered on their sleeve—

She was so close to him... yet so far away.

It seemed that he was the only one who went mad from beginning to end, while she remained high above, aloof and unattainable.

He hated this sense of superiority!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Mrs. Weasley regarded the time after dinner as a period of rest, and she did so without fail for nearly 20 years.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do, and Thea sat down properly on the sofa.

And directly opposite her was the smiling Mrs. Weasley.

In Thea's meager experiences with adult women, McGonagall is resilient, Windsor is capable, Bella is wild, and Narcissa is noble.

She had read many books, but not a single word could accurately describe Mrs. Weasley.

She... was like a ball of cotton, incredibly light and incredibly warm.

She had trudged through the snow for so long that when she saw Mrs. Weasley, she froze on the spot.

Looking at the thin and haggard girl in front of her, Mrs. Weasley suddenly felt an inappropriate pity.

After enduring it for a long time, Mrs. Weasley finally couldn't hold back anymore.

After countless times rebuking herself for her kindness, she still couldn't help but ask, "You...you must have suffered a lot these past few days, right?"

How could someone who was only 17 years old survive among those vicious Death Eaters and still hold the second-in-command position? How could blood ties alone be enough?

Upon hearing Mrs. Weasley's question, everyone present sat up straight and perked up their ears.

Amidst their complex gazes, Thea smiled slightly, a smile that brought a glimmer of life to her pale face.

She shook her head and said, "No, I didn't suffer."

An unexpected answer.

When everyone fell silent, Thea abruptly changed her tone, which was no longer as gentle and mild as before, but rather sharp as a blade:

"I didn't suffer."

"Suffering will only lead to more suffering; only by eating other people can you become a superior person."

Meeting Mrs. Weasley's stunned gaze, Thea uttered the last sentence, word by word.

"Thank you for your concern. I'm sorry, I got to this position by eating people's food."

Everyone fell silent, and silence filled the small room once again.

The howling wind lashed against the doors and windows. In the dim light, everyone's eyes were deep and unfathomable, and no one could discern the thoughts of the person next to them.

They weren't stupid; they could hear the unfamiliarity in Thea's tone, but what puzzled them was:

why?

Wasn't everything fine just now?

At the same time, the same question popped into Thea's head.

Aren't you afraid they'll really turn against you by doing this?

[To clarify: We haven't had any heart-to-heart talks, so where does this talk of alienation come from? Also—]

[Don't you know there's a word that goes something like this: desire, capture, intention, release?]

Thea returned to the cramped attic, where no one could see the nonchalance on her face in the shadows.

Having received Thea's reply, the voice remained silent for a long time this time.

[If that's how you put it... never mind, whatever makes you happy. Just remember: don't overdo it.]

[knew.]

The voice in my head, along with the reality outside, fell silent.

Thea drifted off to sleep.

Until she heard a gust of wind.

It wasn't big, but it was enough to wake Thea.

She subconsciously resumed her breathing, which had been interrupted a beat, and then slowly, slowly curled herself up, leaving only her head exposed.

Time passed slowly, and it seemed that the sound of the wind was just because the corridor window was not closed tightly.

call--

With a soft breath, Thea could even sense that the person was standing right outside the door, less than two meters away from her, separated only by a door!

This distance is enough to scare a woman living alone to death.

Kexia wasn't scared to death; she's a strong and brave person, otherwise she wouldn't have survived this long.

She waited quietly for the next move from the people outside.

Maybe she'll die here tonight.

Perhaps her plan will fall apart halfway through.

Maybe………

She slowly closed her eyes.

I suppressed the feeling in my heart that I didn't know whether it was anticipation or fear.

Through the thin door, Thea could almost hear the other person's deliberately suppressed breathing, and even his heartbeat remained steady; he hadn't even moved a step.

Thea inadvertently recalled her memories of the snowman.

He's... a bit silly, and a bit soft-hearted. Although you can see he's slowly becoming ruthless, the speed at which he's doing it is... appalling.

Thea gradually drifted off to sleep until the barely perceptible breathing outside the door completely disappeared.

Thea woke up again, to the sound of soft knocking on the door.

"...Thea? Are you awake?"

Hermione really hates Harry, that jerk of a friend!

What other friend could be as mischievous as him!

Instead of sleeping in the middle of the night, I actually went to my beloved's room and dressed up as a snowman!

If it weren't for... otherwise, she was worried about that one in ten thousand chance that her mischievous friend would break down the door, she wouldn't want to hide in the stairwell like a thief!

If only she hadn't noticed her friend's incredibly gloomy expression!

Seeing that Thea didn't open the door for a long time, Hermione was secretly relieved. It seemed that her friend still had some conscience. She didn't sleep herself, but she didn't drag her white moonlight into it!

and many more!

He didn't implicate Thea, but he did implicate her!

Is she some kind of despicable person?!

Hermione's face contorted uncontrollably, and just then, the attic door opened, revealing a beautiful woman with sleepy eyes.