HP North Star's Radiance

Prarese said softly, "I like things that are unique to me, even if they aren't that good in other people's eyes."

"Is it in other people's eyes or in yours?" Draco said sarcastically. "You'd say that when you light it. But when it burns itself to become even uglier for your sake, you'll suddenly only see its imperfections."

"Did I light it myself?" Praris asked calmly.

"Is there anyone else?" Draco asked.

“Then it’s unique, because it’s the only one I lit with my own hands,” Praris said softly. “No matter how good other candles in the world are, they have nothing to do with me.”

Draco suddenly fell silent, and the only sound in the air was the crackling of the burning candle.

"You don't like being a prefect."

"No, but this thing is like being a mother, with elderly parents to care for and young children to raise."

"Then why did you talk so much to those kids?"

"Because I've already been identified as their 'mother'."

Draco suddenly chuckled, then quickly regained his composure: "Do you think I did something wrong? Just like you told me not to focus all my attention on Potter."

Men always have that damned pride, especially the stubborn Draco. Even in death, he'd rise from the dead and utter a defiant voice: "I did nothing wrong!"

In his first year, Harry Potter rejected Draco's advances. This year, with Voldemort resurrected, Draco couldn't wait to rush to him and mock Harry's choice as a complete mistake.

But he was facing Praris Prince, a witch who had helped him several times, a… By listening to her, Draco defeated Harry Potter for the first time on the Quidditch pitch. By listening to her, Draco thoroughly outmaneuvered Potter for the first time.

Her denial was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, forcing Draco to examine what he had done.

The scary thing is, nothing happened. He became a prefect, just as arrogant and domineering as before, and that was all.

What exactly was being rejected?

Is it him?

Is it Draco Malfoy himself?

“No,” Praris said calmly, “you are not wrong.”

The delicate fragrance of camellias lingered between the two of them, like wisps of thin gauze caressing their faces.

The duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore subtly placed Prader in the very center of the battlefield. She was too greedy; she wanted to have everything. Half of her was holding her family's hand, and the other half was holding Draco's.

Draco's current mental state is already making him complacent just by holding the power of a prefect. What if Voldemort extended an olive branch to him?

He was the son of a Death Eater! Pralis never forgot that. She also knew deeply that Draco cared about his family just as much as she did.

Winnie yearned for knowledge, so Voldemort used spells to lure her into a trap, ultimately forcing her down a path of murder. Fortunately, Winnie was lucky enough that Harry Potter defeated Voldemort and saved her soul.

But what about Draco?

Would Voldemort tempt him with power?

Will Voldemort use his family to blackmail him?

Would Voldemort threaten him with his life?

Prareas admitted that he was too hasty and disgusted with himself for trying to change someone's mind directly.

Draco is Draco. If he wants to change, it should be a change he willingly chooses, a choice he makes himself.

If you try to change someone with the idea that it's "for your own good," what's the difference between you and a dark wizard who uses a death curse?

Prareas changed Draco, that's undeniable.

But those were merely suggestions Praris offered in response to Draco's failure. It's just that... Draco himself accepted them.

Draco is currently enjoying the life of a prefect, which he is happy to do, while Prares is going to search for enemies in the void and "correct" Draco's flawed ideas for things that haven't even happened yet.

That's ridiculous! And incredibly arrogant!

Such controlling thoughts are fine when facing enemies, but Draco was never an enemy.

“Are you being sarcastic, Praris?” Draco asked hesitantly.

Praris shook his head solemnly: "No. I think I'm the one who's wrong. I need some time to rethink things."

Draco didn't understand her thoughts, or perhaps he never could see through Praris's thinking.

He thought that perhaps this was her way of giving him an out, so he would reluctantly accept it.

“You’re overthinking it,” Draco said, standing up and sitting down next to Praris. “It’s a common problem among you smart people, don’t you think?”

“Cheer up, Praris. I have good news for you: I became Quidditch captain! They had good taste,” Draco said. “I’ve been wanting to tell you this for a while, but… well, if we can’t be happy when good things happen, what are we going to do when bad things happen?”

The next morning, Praris followed the crowd into the auditorium.

"History of Magic, Potions, electives, and Astronomy..." Milison exclaimed in surprise, "Merlin, how come there are so few empty slots on the fifth-year timetable!"

Prareas said, "Because we're going to—"

“Owls!” Pansy and Daphne said at the same time.

Millison stuck out his tongue and rolled his eyes: "I'm dead, I can't take the OWLS test."

"Hahahaha!" The girls all laughed.

Praris's first lesson was divination, a course held high up in a tower, where Professor Trelawney would predict someone's death each year.

Millison and Daphne were taking the class with her.

“Before this semester started, I made a prediction for everyone. It was very bad, very bad,” Trelawney muttered. “The worrying thing is that some of us will lose something important.”

Daphne said lazily, "Oh no, Play, you're not going to get all your OWSL certifications."

Prarese turned to Millison and said, "Oh no, Millie, your mom is going to throw all your snacks away."

Millison looked left and right and said, "It's a pity Pansy isn't here. We can't let her lose anything. Daphne, Astoria is going to lose your family crest."

“Then I’ll break her legs,” Daphne said with a grin. “Why would Pansy want to do some arithmetic? Wouldn’t it be better to lose something with us?”

"No way, her most important thing is her dear boyfriend Jacob," Milison couldn't help but tease her best friend.

"Speaking of which, did you go on a date with Derian Pursey later?" Daphne gossiped. "Let's chat about Quidditch or something~"

Milison blushed and said urgently, "Don't talk nonsense! We're just all interested in Quidditch!"

"A love story between a Quidditch commentator and a Quidditch player." Praris nodded approvingly. "It looks like it could sell well."

"Ugh! You guys are really something!"

Trelawney seemed eager to continue after her prediction. Unfortunately, her course this semester focused on dream interpretation, and until everyone's dreams were recorded, she had little room to elaborate.

After Divination class came Potions class, which, as usual, was with Gryffindor. During class, Harry Potter was penalized zero for making the wrong potion.

Even Crabbe and Gore's level wasn't deducted zero points!

With three parts acting skills and seven parts genuine emotion, even if the Death Eaters came, they couldn't say that Professor Snape didn't hate Potter.

Harry Potter stormed out of the classroom, and Hermione and Ron comforted him with concern.

"Harry!" A tall, slender figure appeared on the stairs leading up from the underground classroom. "I have something to tell you."

It was Cedric Diggory, and standing next to him was Cho Chang.

Cedric said to Cho Chang, "I'll come find you after I finish talking to Harry."

Qiu Zhang released Cedric's hand, nodded, and turned to walk upstairs.

Harry watched Cho Chang's departing figure, feeling a lump in his throat.

"What are you doing here?" Harry said unhappily. "Did you come to laugh at me? Do you also think I'm lying? Do you think I'm a liar, a madman?"

Cedric patted Harry on the shoulder: "It must have been tough for you dealing with all this gossip, right?"

Harry was at a loss for words.

“I’m sorry, Harry,” Cedric said, “for what my father said.”

Chapter 102 Defense Against the Dark Arts Class

The more humble and polite Cedric was, the more uncomfortable Harry felt.

Harry told himself it wasn't Cedric's fault. Cedric had left the graveyard too early; he hadn't actually encountered Voldemort and his servants.

But the absurd thing is that, having gone through the same thing, I, Harry Potter, am a mentally ill madman, while you, Cedric, are an innocent and well-behaved student who was deceived—how ridiculous is that?

Besides, Harry wasn't unfamiliar with the newspapers! They were using Mr. Diggory's "testimony" to slander him!

Harry remained silent for a long time before speaking cautiously, "That's what your father said, not what you said."

“No, Harry, my father said that because of me.” Cedric said to Harry, looking down. “I’m sorry… he was worried that the Death Eaters might retaliate against me because I publicly supported you in front of Minister Fudge.”

“But Harry,” Cedric said earnestly, “don’t pay attention to those rumors. You saved me, and Cho Chang and I both believe you’re not lying. Every classmate who doesn’t want to believe it isn’t thinking you badly; they’re just influenced by public opinion.”

Harry raised his voice, angrily saying, "Don't care? You make it sound so easy! How could I not care? You haven't been blamed, wronged, or considered crazy like I have. How can you understand how I feel right now?"

“I haven’t experienced anything like that,” Cedric said to Harry. “But we went through the cemetery incident together, we came back from the brink of death together. Harry, those people wanted to destroy you, but I and your other friends have always been on your side.”

Harry wanted to take his anger out on Cedric, but he found he couldn't. Harry could easily hate any bad person who treated him badly, but he couldn't hate a good person who understood him, believed in him, and supported him, especially now that so many people didn't believe in Harry, while Cedric still believed in him.

Cedric extended his hand to Harry and said, "Harry, we were rivals during the competition, yet we still helped each other. Now that the Triwizard Tournament is over, would you like to continue this friendship?"

After a long while, Harry reached out his hand and shook hands with Cedric.

"What touching sentiments," Praris thought, never expecting she would witness such a grand spectacle.

He experienced being ostracized by his classmates in his first year for losing points because of the Norwegian Spinosaurus, being suspected by his classmates in his second year because of his Parsleyan accent, and being accused of cheating in the Goblet of Fire in his fourth year.

Even today, is Porter still affected by public opinion?

Is this due to his unstable adolescent psychology, excessive pressure, or...?

At noon, Prarese took the opportunity to write a letter to Winnie.

"Dear little bear,

The project we've been working on this summer to improve the Happiness Charm has run into some problems. New spells always seem to make people irritable. I heard your current friend is skilled in this kind of magic; perhaps we could ask him for help.

Praris

The bear refers to Winnie*, whose research topic during the summer was Harry Potter himself. The Happy Charm refers to Harry's psychological problems. Winnie's companion during this time was Sirius Black.

Oh yes, now Winnie and Sirius aren't allowed to go out either.

Winnie's actions stemmed from Voldemort's revenge against a traitor, while Sirius's were for some secret reasons—the kind Dumbledore forbade to reveal.