Who Is She?
Rolf was convinced he hadn't checked the stars before going out today.
Half an hour earlier, he parted ways with Ernie, who had dragged Justin to Zonko's to buy Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and went alone to buy that "Quill that can write backwards" according to the address he had found out.
I bought the pen without any trouble and put it in my pocket.
But when he came out of the store and wanted to go back to the High Street to meet Justin and the others, he happened to see the Weasley Twins detonating the giant Dungbomb in front of Zonko's Joke Shop.
To prevent his specially chosen wool coat from smelling bad, Rolf decisively chose to take a shortcut.
Then he got lost among these identical old Scotland stone houses.
"Strange, I clearly saw the teahouse chimney over here just now..."
Rolf muttered something under his breath, then subconsciously glanced back at the winding alleyway behind him.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but when he turned the corner from the Quill shop, he felt like he caught a glimpse of a man in an old gray-brown robe flashing by in the corner of his eye.
But when I looked back, the fork in the road was empty, not a soul in sight.
Rolf shook his head, assuming he was just seeing things because he hadn't slept well for the past two days, and turned around the low brick wall covered with ivy.
He had just stepped past the corner of the wall when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The morning sunlight of autumn shines through the interlacing eaves on both sides, slanting down onto a clean Stone Platform.
A girl he had never seen before at Hogwarts was sitting on the steps.
Her long, jet-black hair slid down her shoulders and reached the edge of the stone steps.
She wore a slightly oversized dark gray hooded Robes with silver patterns, which made her slightly lowered face appear exceptionally fair.
Although she wore no makeup, her eyebrows and eyes were remarkably exquisite.
Rolf's breath hitched slightly.
Since meeting Luna on the grassy slope at the edge of the Forbidden Forest two weeks ago, the former Beauxbatons Casanova has completely settled down.
But when he unexpectedly bumped into this girl, his heart skipped a beat.
I wouldn't say I like it.
It was definitely not love at first sight.
That's a unique kind of appreciation.
Strangely enough, the other person was just sitting there, and they gave off a very reassuring feeling.
"She must be a student too?"
Rolf was momentarily curious.
But the only school nearby is Hogwarts. When did such a person start hiding among the students of Hogwarts?
Moreover, judging from the other person's face, they are Asian, and there aren't many Asians in the whole school.
Such a beautiful girl, if she were from Hogwarts, he would have noticed her long ago; there's no way he would have missed her.
After taking two steps forward, Rolf realized something was wrong.
The black-haired girl on the stone steps seemed to be frowning slightly, her lips were pale, and one hand was pressed against the hem of her Robes, looking rather uncomfortable.
Rolf immediately averted his scrutinizing gaze.
He straightened his coat collar, walked forward quietly, and bowed politely three steps away from the stone steps, speaking in a soft voice:
"Excuse me, miss. You don't look well. Are you feeling unwell? Would you like me to call someone for you, or help you to the shop in front to rest?"
As he spoke, he extended the back of his right hand, indicating that he could lend a hand to help her up.
On the stone steps, the black-haired girl seemed to pause for a moment upon hearing his voice.
She didn't say anything.
He simply followed Rolf's voice and slowly raised his eyelids.
The moment those dark eyes fell on his face, Rolf's right hand, which was outstretched in mid-air, froze.
Rolf was all too familiar with that look—
The same way that fierce female dragon looked at him when he and his grandfather accidentally stepped on the tail of Fire Dragon in the Reserve.
He involuntarily swallowed.
The next second, the girl raised the back of her hand and deftly blocked his outstretched arm.
Then she lowered her eyes again, not bothering to utter a single syllable to him.
Rolf suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
He slowly withdrew his hand.
He didn't suddenly turn around, nor did he show his teeth.
He just stared at the ground, slowly taking a step back, then another.
Grandpa taught me that at times like this, you shouldn't even walk too loudly; you must walk slowly.
He continued retreating until he rounded the corner of the ivy-covered wall, before Rolf belatedly realized what had happened.
The person sitting opposite him was clearly just a pale-faced girl, yet he had unknowingly used all the escape procedures he used when facing dangerous creatures in the wild.
"This is unbelievable!"
He awkwardly touched his nose, turned along the low wall into another alleyway of stone houses leading to the outer street, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At the same time, he was still thinking about the girl from earlier.
He was still curious about the other person's origins and why they were there.
"Perhaps I should ask Gavin if he knows this girl?" Rolf muttered to himself. "They're both from the East, maybe he knows something?"
Rolf made up his mind and prepared to go find his roommate.
I've only taken about ten steps.
Click.
Suddenly, a dull thud of leather boots on bluestone slabs came from around the corner of the alley ahead.
Almost simultaneously, a layer of gray-black Magic ripples rapidly converged along the stone walls on both sides, transforming into two semi-transparent sealing barriers that instantly blocked all paths and sounds through the narrow passage.
This is--
Some kind of high-level Prohibition?
How could that be?
Rolf's expression changed slightly, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.
He suddenly saw the man in the gray-brown old robe that he had caught a glimpse of at the street corner, now blocking the way in front of him.
A dark red old scar ran across the man's left cheek. He carried an old leather bag in his left hand, and slowly drew a Blackthorn wood Wand from his sleeve with his right.
"I was worried about how to sneak into Hogwarts right under Dumbledore's nose... I never expected you to actually sneak into the alleyways all by yourself, Rolf Scamander."
Upon hearing this, Rolf's heart sank, and his right hand instantly drew his Wand from inside his coat:
"Who are you?!"
The Dark Wizard on the other side didn't waste any words and immediately raised his hand to attack.
A dark purple Dark Magic whip lashed down at Rolf with a piercing whistling sound!
If it were an ordinary third-grade student, they would most likely have panicked in the face of such a sneak attack from an adult Dark Wizard.
But Rolf grew up with his grandfather Newt, dealing with all sorts of dangerous creatures in Reserve and suitcases, and his body reacted faster than his brain.
Instead of stubbornly resisting, he suddenly lowered his body and used his left foot to push off the stone wall to deflect the frontal attack.
Snap!
The dark purple whip grazed his shoulder and struck the bluestone bricks, shattering into a trail of rubble.
As he rolled to his feet, Rolf casually pulled a small pinch of dried scale powder—the kind he usually used to feed fire Fire Salamander —from his coat pocket with his left hand, tossed it in front of the salamander, and then flicked his Wand in his right hand:
"Incendio!"
With a loud bang, a burst of dazzling orange-red sparks exploded in mid-air, accompanied by a choking wave of sulfurous heat that rushed straight to the scarred man's face.
"Hmm? Quite a few unorthodox methods!"
The scarred man raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, flicked his wrist, and a sharp whirlwind swept away the sparks, the disdain in his eyes diminishing somewhat.
He held back, pressing his Blackthorn wood Wand down heavily, unleashing a solid, dark purple shockwave that slammed into the narrow stone wall from the front.
The alleyway was blocked off and locked, and the narrow lanes were too cramped; this time, there was no way to avoid it.
"Protego!"
Rolf gritted his teeth, gripping his Wand tightly and forcing a pale silver shield up his chest.
Boom!
Dark purple Magic slammed into the very center of the shield.
The absolute difference in Magic between adult Dark Wizards was revealed at this moment, and the pale silver shield shattered in less than half a second.
The immense impact tore Rolf's hand open instantly, and blood flowed down the handle of his cane.
He staggered back several steps, his back slamming heavily against the gray-black barrier behind him.
The barrier remained completely still, instead deflecting the recoil back onto his chest.
The scarred man strode closer, and taking advantage of Rolf's surging blood, slapped his numb wrist hard across the backhand, knocking the blood-stained Wand to the ground. He then grabbed Rolf by the collar, slamming him against the sealing barrier, and sneered in a low voice:
"Boy, I've already gone to Dorset."
Rolf, who was struggling to breathe from being strangled, froze upon hearing this.
"Old Krum and his thirty-seven men were wiped out there, not a single hair left... I originally wanted to sneak over to your old house to check on things, but guess what?"
The scarred man let out a cold laugh.
"I've been standing on that hillside in Dorset for two whole days, and I still can't find your house, I can't even see it."
The scarred man leaned in half an inch, watching the boy's pupils suddenly contract, and a small grin spread across his face.
"I was clearly standing at the coordinates marked on the map, but all I could see was a barren, grassy slope. I found that strange at first."
"But now, after seeing you, I already know the answer."
Rolf's heart pounded, and a chill ran from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.
He discovered it?
The scarred man let out a hoarse laugh:
"The incident just happened at the end of August, and that old bastard Newt Scamander rushed to transfer you from France to Hogwarts... At first, I thought he was just afraid you'd been kidnapped."
"It wasn't until I came across nothing in Dorset that I finally understood—"
"That old bastard cast Fidelius Charm on your family! And you, a mere thirteen-year-old brat, are the Secret Keeper Newt Scamander listed!"
"Am I right?!"
Rolf's mind went blank.
How could he have guessed?
The Fidelius Charm is an extremely ancient concealment magic that can completely erase secrets, such as the existence of a residence, and hide them deep within the soul of a single "Secret Keeper."
As long as the Secret Keeper doesn't speak up or write down the address, even if the enemy is standing right at the gate, they won't see anything. Even Legilimency and Veritaserum can't forcefully pry out this secret.
After the attack on the sea cliffs at the end of August, in order to protect his family's hiding place, he volunteered to be the Secret Keeper from his grandfather.
Grandpa and Dad still have to travel around, but he doesn't.
As long as he stays in Hogwarts, where Professor Dumbledore is in charge, and keeps the secret, no one will be able to find their home.
Grandma is absolutely safe at home.
Meanwhile, his father and grandfather were also able to return home for refuge.
That place became an absolutely safe house.
There will be no danger.
This matter was clearly known only to family members and Professor Dumbledore; even Gavin, his roommate, was completely unaware. How did this Dark Wizard guess it?
"Judging from your expression, I was absolutely right."
The scarred man's eyes were filled with ecstatic joy:
"Newt Scamander is indeed cunning to hide the Secret Keeper right under Dumbledore's nose. As long as you don't die and don't speak, we can turn all of the United Kingdom upside down and still not get a foot in your house."
"What a pity, he planned everything perfectly, but he didn't expect you to run away from Hogwarts alone while trying to buy Quill for a little girl."
The scarred man's gaze fell on the quill Quill peeking out from under his shirt.
"I've even bought the pen for writing addresses."
He smiled.
"That saved me a lot of trouble."
Then, the man gripped his collar tightly, his breathing becoming heavier:
"Eight years! I endured eight whole years in 4-2!"
"They always said there weren't enough positions up there. Now that Old Krum and the others are all dead, there should be some, right?!"
"I never imagined that fate would deliver the entire Scamander family's Secret Keeper directly into my hands!"
Overjoyed, the scarred man couldn't even wait to return to headquarters to claim his credit.
Within this self-imposed barrier, a thirteen-year-old brat is nothing more than meat on a chopping block.
He freed his left hand and pulled out a palm-sized black iron communication disc engraved with dark water patterns from the old leather bag he was carrying.
He infused his fingertips with Magic and whispered excitedly at the board:
"Boss, get the support tunnel and manpower ready for my return! Those thirty-seven idiots in Old Krum are utterly useless!"
"What mysterious powerhouse, what legendary wizard? Newt Scamander is nothing to fear. He's just a cowardly old man!"
"He only dared to hide the house using the Fidelius Charm, and even used his thirteen-year-old grandson as Secret Keeper to shove him into Hogwarts for refuge! It's utterly ridiculous."
"Now I've got this brat in my grasp--"
"Once I get back and pry this brat's mouth shut, we'll go and catch Newt together and bring him before the chairman! Then, forget about 5-1 or 5-2, getting me promoted to 6-1 isn't out of the question!"
A faint light flashed on the screen, transmitting the message verbatim.
The scarred man exhaled a satisfied breath, casually stuffing the black iron communication disk back into the old leather bag in his left hand. He slightly raised his Wand in his right hand, preparing to knock the kid out completely and take him away.
But in raising his hand, he also exposed a slight opening.
Rolf knew he only had this one chance.
Taking advantage of the moment when the other man had just put away his communication device and was most relaxed, Rolf's left hand, hanging at his side, suddenly reached into his coat pocket, grabbed the newly bought brass Ink Bottle and a small packet of Billywig venom powder for self-defense, and hurled them hard at the scarred man's face:
"Screw you!"
With a loud bang, the brass Ink Bottle shattered between the two men, smearing the scarred man's face with a mixture of pungent poison powder, thick black ink, and shards!
"Ah--! You little beast!"
The scarred man's eyes stung and watered from the stinging powder. A bloody gash appeared on the old scar on his left cheek from the flying shards. He instinctively loosened his grip on his collar, covered his eyes, and staggered back half a step.
The instant Rolf landed, he ducked sharply, his left hand grabbing the Wand that had rolled onto the cobblestones; in the same instant, his right hand reached into the hidden pocket of his coat, ripped the red thread, and crushed the life-saving charm that his grandfather Newt had sewn inside before school started—
A tail feather Amulet that seals the Magic of an adult Diricawl.
As the "Dodo bird" that is considered extinct by Muggles, the Diricawl's most troublesome talent for wizards is that when faced with a desperate situation, it can ignore all conventional enclosed spaces and instantly appear in a ball of feathers to escape.
Puff!
Suddenly, a clump of grayish-white downy hairs exploded in the narrow alley.
Rolf vanished into thin air, passing directly through the gray-black barrier behind him that even high-level spells couldn't break, and stumbled to a fork in the road five steps away from the barrier.
He suppressed the surging blood in his chest, darted into the shadows behind several tall Oak barrels at the fork in the road, and tightly covered his mouth to hold his breath.
Inside the alley, the scarred man hastily wiped the poison ink from his face, opened his bloodshot single eye, and looked—
Inside the airtight cage, only a carpet of gray-white feathers swirled and fell; not a single person was to be seen!
"What the hell is that?!"
The scarred man's face turned ashen. He cursed, swung his staff to dismantle the barrier, and chased after the man to the fork in the road behind him.
His vision was still blurry from the poison powder covering his eyes, and he glanced around.
Instead of seeing Rolf clinging to the shadow of the wine barrel, I caught a glimpse of a grayish-white hair blown to the right by the wind, which stopped right in front of the entrance to the side alley behind the low ivy wall on the right.
"Where do you think you're going to run to!"
The scarred man frowned, carrying his blood-dripping Wand, and turned into the side alley.
Rolf, who was hiding behind the barrel, had just breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, looking at that alley, his heart leaped into his throat.
Oh no!
That side alley is a dead end, and the pale-faced, black-haired girl who couldn't even walk was still sitting on the steps inside!
Given the Dark Wizard's current madness, if he rushes in and fails to find him, but stumbles upon that defenseless girl, he'll definitely take his anger out on her or even kill her to silence her!
The words Grandpa Newt had repeatedly told him before school started flashed through his mind—
"If you encounter a dangerous situation outside of school that you can't handle, don't try to tough it out; run to Gavin Gu immediately!"
Now, if he turns around and runs towards the High Street, shouting Gavin's name, he can survive.
But what about that girl?
No, I have to help her!
Even stopping the other party for just one second is good.
Rolf gritted his teeth, not thinking for even a second longer, gripped his blood-stained Wand, rushed out from behind the barrel, and chased after the enemy through the still-open side alley entrance.
In the side alley, the scarred man casually tossed the old leather bag in his left hand onto the outside of the stone pier at the alley entrance.
Looking up, I didn't see Rolf, but instead a dark-haired girl sitting on the stone steps behind the bakery.
He frowned, and just as he raised his Wand to demand an explanation, Rolf rushed into the alley behind him, his Wand slashing viciously at his ankle, skimming the ground.
"Locomotor Mortis!"
At the same time, the boy mustered all his strength and shouted hoarsely at the black-haired girl on the stone steps:
"Run! Don't worry about me, run towards the back door!"
"You little brat, you're asking for it!"
However, the black-haired girl on the stone steps merely glanced at them coldly, her gaze as if she were looking at two noisy frogs.
Then, she continued to lower her head, still slightly frowning and pressing her lower abdomen, remaining seated without moving.
Rolf's heart skipped a beat.
That's it, either she's too sick to walk, or she's been scared out of her wits!
"You dare to come here offering yourself up!"
The scarred man dodged the Spell to the side, his left hand sweeping towards the alley entrance to block his retreat, while his right hand, wielding his Wand, followed up with a powerful backhand strike.
Bang!
The dark purple Magic blasted directly into Rolf's chest.
Rolf's Wand flew three meters away from his hand, clattering into the corner of the wall. He groaned as the blast of air knocked him to the ground.
Dark purple Magic chains wrapped around his arms, binding him tightly.
The scarred man strode forward, placed a foot on Rolf's back, and breathed a sigh of relief from his elevated position before turning to look at the girl on the Stone Platform five steps away:
"Run? Where to run?"
Looking at the pale yet exquisitely beautiful face on the steps, a cruel mockery flashed in the scarred man's eyes:
"I only wanted to catch a Secret Keeper, but I didn't expect to find a beauty sitting in this dead end. Not bad at all... This kid had already escaped, but he deliberately ran back to his death to save you. Don't you think you should thank him properly?"
"Don't touch her!"
Rolf, pinned to the ground, struggled desperately, the chains digging into his flesh. He roared hoarsely at the scarred man:
"She doesn't even know who you are! The person you're looking for is me, it has nothing to do with her! Let her go, and I'll go with you—"
"Let her go? What nonsense are you spouting, haha!"
The scarred man, as if he'd heard a joke, stomped his foot down, pressing Rolf's face firmly against the cold flagstones. He then turned and grinned at the black-haired girl on the steps.
"Little girl, blame your bad luck today; you stumbled upon something you shouldn't have seen."
"Quick, go get help!"
Rolf's eyes were bloodshot and bloodshot.
"Run out into the streets, and you'll have a chance! Go find Gavin Gou! Go find the professor!"
"Run? Haha--"
Scarface slowly raised his Wand, its tip gleaming with a deadly dark purple light, and aimed it at the girl on the stone steps:
"This 'blockade barrier' is now completely closed; even if someone passes by the alley entrance, they won't hear a single sound from inside."
No matter how loudly you shout, no one will hear you.
The scarred man seemed to remember something, licked his lips, and looked at the girl.
"Perhaps now I have time to properly enjoy this beautiful little lady? There's even an audience here to liven things up—hehe, haha!"
"Stop--!"
Rolf's eyes were bloodshot as he rammed his head into the scarred man's calf with all his might, but the man didn't budge.
On the stone steps, the black-haired girl, who had been slightly hunched over and pressing her lower abdomen, suddenly let out a soft breath.
It felt like I suddenly felt a little better.
She didn't look at the Wand the scarred man pointed at; instead, she turned her head and glanced at the closed wooden door of the bakery beside her.
It hasn't come out yet.
The next second, the girl, supporting herself on her knees, slowly stood up from the Stone Platform.
A wide, dark gray Robes with silver patterns cascaded down her slender figure, and her long, black hair slid over her shoulders.
Standing on the stone steps, she lowered her eyes slightly, her dark, emotionless eyes looking down at the scarred man's face.
For some reason, the scarred man felt a chill run down his spine the moment those dark eyes looked down at him.
It was as if the person standing up from the steps was not a delicate thirteen-year-old girl, but an ancient ferocious beast that had just been awakened.
"Blockade?"
The girl's clear, cool voice rang out in the deathly silent alley, tinged with a hint of hoarseness and impatience from being disturbed:
"Can't you hear me outside?"
The scarred man's fingers tightened instinctively around the Wand, suppressing a strange unease in his heart, and he sneered:
"What, only now are you scared? Too late! I told you, you have no chance—"
"Oh."
The black-haired girl gave a cold laugh and looked at him:
You're the one who has no chance!
Beneath the wide, dark gray Robes, a slender, pale hand emerged from the sleeve, took out a spare Wand, and gently flicked the tip.
Protego Diabolica.
Boom--!
A ring of eerie blue Ring of Fire suddenly shot into the sky from the cracks in the bluestone slab beneath the girl's feet.
Without a trace of black smoke, the terrifyingly high temperature instantly distorted Transfiguration the air in the entire narrow alley. Even the gray-black sealing barrier that was said to be impenetrable even by high-level spells emitted a hissing and groaning sound the moment it came into contact with the blue flames.
The scarred man's sinister smile froze instantly, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints.
"What... what is this?"
Looking at the wildly surging blue flames before him, a possibility came to mind.
"High-level Fiendfyre?!"
The extreme fear of death overwhelmed his reason in an instant.
His survival instinct made him forget about fighting back. He suddenly bent down, grabbed Rolf at his feet, and pulled him forward, shrinking tightly behind the boy.
Rolf, who was being used as a human shield at the front, froze the moment he heard the word "Fiendfyre."
It's over.
Fiendfyre, and a high-level one at that.
This girl is going to burn him and the Dark Wizard to ashes in this narrow dead end.
The other side really was a humanoid Tyrannosaurus Rex.
He wanted to kill the moment he opened his eyes.
Rolf closed his eyes in despair and instinctively shrank his neck.
Luna, Grandpa, Grandma, Mom and Dad, see you in the next life.
However--
One second.
Two seconds.
The excruciating pain of having one's flesh engulfed by flames, which one had anticipated, did not occur.
Only a warm breeze gently brushed past his ear and the hem of his coat.
Rolf suddenly opened his eyes.
The scene that came into view completely shattered all his understanding of Dark Magic accumulated over the past thirteen years.
The dark blue wave of fire, powerful enough to incinerate everything, parted and bypassed him with perfect precision, like a gentle stream, just three inches from his nose.
The blue flames didn't even scorch a single stray hair on his forehead or a loose thread on his coat, but the moment they passed over his back, they suddenly closed in, transforming into an impenetrable blue fire prison that engulfed the scarred man who had voluntarily huddled behind him.
"No--!"
The large hand gripping Rolf's shoulder jerked back as if electrocuted.
Rolf stiffly turned his head half an inch to the side, catching a glimpse of a tragic scene out of the corner of his eye—a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.
Inside the blue fiery prison, the scarred man frantically waved his Blackthorn wood Wand, erecting several Dark Magic shields. However, those shields didn't even last half a second, melting away instantly like paper struck by a branding iron.
The eerie blue flames climbed up his right hand, which was holding the staff. Wherever they passed, the flesh dried up, charred, and cracked without a drop of blood flowing out, accompanied by a teeth-grinding sizzling sound.
"Ah--Help! Spare me--!"
The scarred man let out a bloodcurdling scream, and the Wand in his hand burned to a burning ember and fell to the ground.
He frantically turned and lunged toward the alley entrance, frantically pounding on the gray-black barrier with his two charred hands, which were already burned to the point of exposing the white finger bones.
But this Prohibition, which he had personally set up and was so proud of, remained completely unmoved.
A few steps away at the street corner, a figure could be vaguely seen passing by, but no one heard the desperate wail coming from the dead end.
The next second, the azure flames suddenly surged, and a newborn blue Fire Serpent shot out, pouring directly into his wide-open, begging mouth, burning the latter half of his scream and vocal cords into charcoal.
The body, convulsing violently in the sea of fire, peeled away and collapsed layer by layer like weathered dead wood.
Within seconds, the person and bones were completely reduced to a handful of fine ash.
Only the old leather bag that had been abandoned earlier lay quietly to one side, completely undamaged.
Losing the restraints behind him, Rolf, his legs weak, collapsed onto the cold bluestone slab with a "thud," the dark purple Magic chains wrapped around his arms breaking inch by inch as the caster vanished into thin air.
Rolf was breathing heavily, his heart pounding in his chest.
He lowered his head, trembling, and reached up to touch the cuffs of his coat and his chest.
The fabric was completely intact, without even the slightest burnt smell.
It took Rolf several seconds to stiffly raise his head and look at the Stone Platform in front of him.
The countless eerie blue flames suddenly subsided beneath the tip of the staff, vanishing completely, leaving not even a single leaf of the ivy on the brick wall scorched.
The air currents generated by the receding heatwave swept through the narrow alley.
On the stone steps, the black-haired girl stood quietly in the wind, her long black hair and wide, dark gray Robes with silver patterns swaying gently in the breeze.
The cool autumn sunlight fell on her snow-white profile.
Her right hand held the Wand loosely at her side, her slightly lowered dark eyes showing no trace of the afterglow of victory, only an aloofness and world-weariness that kept everyone at arm's length.
It was as if what had just vanished into thin air wasn't a vicious Dark Wizard at all, but merely an eyesore of dust.
Rolf sat blankly on the ground, looking up at the black-haired girl on the stone steps, unable to get up for a long time.
In the quiet, narrow alley, the boy opened his mouth in a daze, and murmured:
"She can--"
"He's so handsome."