[Harry Potter] The Crow Without Feet

All the BGM has been compiled on Kugou. Search for the novel's title to find it.

This is not a story about redemption, but about two scarred souls drawn to each other.

"The world crushes us into pawns, yet in each other's eyes, we search for the wholeness of being human."

If you ask me how their relationship began, or how it unfolded, I will tell you:

"Half mentor, half friend, half kindred spirit; half respect, half admiration, half devotion."

I wrote this to bring some closure to the regret in my heart.

Professor Snape x original female lead (I'm waving the Slytherin-Hufflepuff flag high!)

This is a story about life, friendship, freedom, and love.

Florina once said, "The first thing you get to know about a person is their eyes."

Compared to the moon, she seems to have a little less nobility. That's right, she has flaws and makes mistakes, too.

Compared to the sun, she seems to have a little less warmth. That's right, she isn't exactly a ball of fire.

She has been timid, yet she has also been brave. She isn't exceptional or outstanding, yet she shines in her own little world.

She has been lost, afraid, hesitant, and defeated, yet she has never doubted what she believes in.

She is more like a clear spring, flowing gently and slowly through every injustice and setback, crossing countless rivers and mountains to reach everyone, like a gift from heaven.

Perhaps this was the wrong beginning.

In the office:

Sorting Hat: What do you wish for?

Florina: To be happy, cheerful, healthy, and...

Sorting Hat: Hufflepuff!

Trelawney: No, child, you have to go to Slytherin.

Florina: ?

Perhaps this, in turn, was the right choice.

Voldemort: You're a Hufflepuff?

Florina: No, I'm from Slytherin.

Voldemort: Welcome to our ranks.

Florina: ?

The Sorting Hat is never wrong, but it cannot foresee fate or the future.

Perhaps she had no choice, or perhaps it was destiny.

Which was right, and which was wrong?

Florina: Perhaps I really should have gone to Hufflepuff.

Snape: Then congratulations on finally figuring out where you belong?

Many years later, when a friend asked her what she liked about Professor Snape, she paused. Instinctively, she wanted to blurt out that love needed no reason.

But as memories came flooding back, of the potions he had handed her and the textbooks he had given her, she finally understood why she had been so devoted to him.

She smiled and told her friend, "I love everything about him."

He was the delusion she made come true; she was the human world he stepped into.

Fate told him:

The price of meeting was half a lifetime of loneliness and sorrow.

The price of staying together was to first endure a brush with death.

He nodded to fate and said, "No."

Fate told her:

The price of understanding each other was half a lifetime of cold stares and curses.

The price of staying by his side was to first endure a love that pierced her to the bone.

She shook her head at fate and said, "All right."

They once stood at the same latitude, both hoping for the same moon.

They were briefly separated, but could never draw a decisive full stop between them.

Because fate is like a river that flows on without end.

O crow with no feet,

Why don't you travel with your companions?

He said he was burdened by sin.

O crow with no feet,

Why did you leave the flock?

He said that none of them aspired to be a green mountain.

"I don't understand. What is it you're so determined to hold on to?"

"You."

A tiny beginner's guide:

First of all, this is a coming-of-age story. The female lead has always been mild-tempered and gentle, and she tends to put others first.

At the beginning, she has many reservations because she isn't very capable. Of course, you could also understand this as the "privilege-blindness" effect. When confronted with injustice, she really can't just pick fights with the world and send everyone flying. Later on, starting from Chapter 39, she is more or less on her own and no longer has anything to hold her back, so she starts fighting back whenever she refuses to put up with something.

Second, because of the first point, if you're finding the first 20 chapters of the first arc really hard to get through, feel free to skim them. Sometimes I reread them myself and think there are so many conflicts between the characters that it's pretty upsetting, hahaha. This is mainly the stage where their personalities rub against each other as they learn to get along, so feel free to pick and choose as you like (heart).

Last but not least, this is really, really not a wish-fulfillment story. It feels like a group of fairly realistic people have come together to create a new Harry Potter story. Every new character has their flaws. This is not wish fulfillment, and it's not a Mary Sue story!!!

A few more things:

The pacing is a little slow for the first 30-odd chapters, and the writing is fairly detailed, mainly to show the characters' personalities. I won't go into as much detail later on. If you're having trouble getting through it, you can start from Chapter 38 (heart).

Professor Snape really does dislike little Florina at the beginning, in the first 20 chapters. You might find it genuinely upsetting, but don't worry, he really comes to love her later on.

For some reasons, or rather, because she was mistreated (which will be explained in the story), little Florina is a bit slow to react at first, and her memory isn't great either. So... if you really can't accept that, that's okay. Just don't attack the cook!

I recommend reading the author's notes. I like discussing the plot and characters there, so feel free to open them if you enjoy that sort of thing~

Finally, a little guidance:

If you want to follow little Florina's growth and experience her joys and sorrows, start from Chapter 1.

If you want to learn about little Florina's background and family, and discover her past and future, start from Chapter 21. This is also where Professor Snape's attitude begins to change.

If you want to ship little Florina and Professor Snape wholeheartedly and can't handle any of the hardships as they learn to get along, start from Chapter 38.

If the relationship between little Florina and Headmaster Dumbledore is giving you a headache, you can start with Chapter 75, where little Florina breaks free of her role as a "pawn" and begins to enter the game herself.

(The plot threads are all interwoven, with foreshadowing and setup throughout, so the divisions above are just suggestions. Personally, I recommend starting from the beginning and watching the journey of a Hufflepuff chosen by fate. Perhaps at the same age, you too will encounter the same challenges she does, and have the same things on your mind.)

A friendly reminder:

1. The female lead I want to write is a Hufflepuff living in Slytherin. (Note that she is not actually a Slytherin!!! She has to go there because of a series of circumstances.) Her only talent is healing spells, and her origins and family are entirely my own invention. (These will be explained in detail in the story.)

(Once again: the female lead is gentle by nature. She isn't the type to pick fights with everyone and send them flying, and this is not a wish-fulfillment story.)

2. The professor's inner world is very complex. I'll do my best to keep him in character, but I can only do my best. (I'm approaching this with the utmost trepidation.)

3. No work can be loved by every reader. If you can't accept the setup at the beginning, please steer clear. If anything makes you uncomfortable while reading, please stop. I'll consider reasonable suggestions, but I won't accept nitpicking or personal attacks.

4. The main plot focuses on the female lead and her circle. There will be fewer scenes with the trio.

5. I won't bash Lily!! Lily is incredibly important to both protagonists. To borrow Dumbledore's words, "Lily determined what Snape lived for, but Florina showed him that there was another way to live."

6. It's a happy ending, don't worry~ Everyone's fate will change, including Dumbledore, Regulus, Sirius, Lupin, Tonks... All those characters whose endings left us with regrets will have their destinies changed, little by little. Look forward to it~

7. Finally, thank you to the original author, Rowling, for creating the magical world.

Theme: Dedicated to everyone who loves Harry Potter.