HP North Star's Radiance

"Where's Zabini?" Pansy asked Theodore anxiously.

“He got his comeuppance.” Theodore looked up and said meaningfully, “He couldn’t speak and went to the school infirmary.”

Pansy turned her head in alarm towards Praris. Praris calmly scooped up a spoonful of seafood soup and asked, "What's wrong? Panpan, do you want some soup too?"

Pansy swallowed hard. "No, Pry, I'm full."

—Scared to the point of being full.

After dinner, Pansy hurriedly found Goyle and asked him where Draco was.

"Why are you asking this?" Gore's wariness was written all over his face.

"Ouch!" Pansy kicked Goyle. "If Draco keeps acting up, Praris will silence him!"

Gore scratched his head: "No way... Praris isn't like that. She's just trying to scare us at most."

Last time Crabbe angered Praris, she didn't turn Crabbe into a long-horned toad and dissect him, did she?

Gore was completely unaware that Praris had lowered his perception of danger.

“Zabini spoke ill of Pray today,” Pansy said, clenching his fist. “Now he’s mute!”

For a wizard, becoming mute is no different from losing his wand!

Gore didn't understand: "That's very kind! Crabbe's toes learned their lesson last time."

“Think about it!” Pansy said urgently. “Everyone’s saying Draco dumped Pray, and now he’s treating her like the plague…it’s affecting her reputation!”

Pansy shuddered: "Anyway, I don't need to say more, right? Tell Draco to be sensible and apologize if he needs to!"

Goyle was so frightened that his double chin squeezed into a triple chin, but he still said sincerely, "Coco Coco Praris's reputation...hasn't she always been the most terrifying girl in Slytherin?"

Pansy covered her face: "Then hurry up and go!"

Gore put his almond-sized brain to work and thought for a moment.

Draco still has to complete the Dark Lord's mission; he can't die yet... Yes, he should be advised to apologize to Praris!

As soon as Draco emerged from the Room of Requirement, he heard Goyle reporting Prares's misdeeds to him.

“No,” Draco said impatiently. “Prareth won’t hurt me, and he’s not angry.”

“But Pansy said…” Gore wanted to say something more.

Draco walked forward without looking back: "Pansy's heard too many rumors!"

Draco left Goyle behind and hurriedly ran to Myrtle's washroom on the second floor, where he grabbed a handful of water and splashed it on his face.

He raised his pale, thin face, his eyes revealing a weak, bewildered look, like an animal lost in the fog.

“Handsome boy.” Myrtle floated up from behind him. “But I’m a ghost with a boyfriend! If Barron sees you coming here so often, I’ll have a hard time explaining myself… But you’re handsome, and I’m willing to take the risk!”

Draco ignored Myrtle's words and continued talking to himself, "I hurt her... but I shouldn't have dragged her down with me. I've already drowned in the sea, how could I let her see my corpse spots, how could I let her soak in the water with me?"

"Oh—" Myrtle cupped her face in her hands, "So you died too? I didn't even realize! This really makes me hesitate... Baron was fine, but after all, he wasn't a dead man!"

Myrtle started counting the taps: odd numbers for Barron, even numbers for the dead handsome guy.

"Oh! What a pity!" Myrtle wept regretfully. "Fate always makes us miss each other. It demands my loyalty... Cry, boy! I'm willing to share your tears, but my heart belongs only to Baron!"

Myrtle cried, and Draco cried too.

He splashed water on his face again, so that no one would know he was crying.

Myrtle cried because she had missed out on a handsome dead man.

Draco wept for the difficulty of repairing the Vanishing Cabinet, for his cowardice and struggle in not having the courage to kill, and for having to push away the person he loved and walk alone on this unfortunate road.

"He's a complete idiot."

Hermione's words about Ron were laced with dissatisfaction!

Hermione had had enough. Ever since the Felix Felicis incident, Ron had been giving her sarcastic remarks.

Later, Ron and Lavender started dating. Lavender, however, was always rude and distant towards her in the dorm!

“Will said there might be some misunderstanding between Ron and me,” Hermione sighed. “Cheating is a very serious matter for a Quidditch player…”

After the Felix Felicis incident, Hermione told Krum about it.

Krum strongly disapproved of Hermione helping Ron become a goalkeeper, but he agreed with Hermione's opposition to Ron using Felix Felicis.

Krum's English has improved somewhat, probably because he and Jacob participated in some small English learning activities together.

Hermione,

If his own abilities aren't enough to make Ronald the goalkeeper, then this kind of help isn't appropriate, neither for your Quidditch team nor for Ronald himself.

I'm sure you know I'm not blaming you. I understand your friendship, but you may not have a sufficient understanding of Quidditch.

There are many other ways you could encourage Ronald to challenge for the goalkeeper position. Your help might not be fair to Ronald himself.

(Here, Krum subtly responds to Hermione's "tricks" in the goalkeeper selection process.)

Success and failure are both hurdles that Quidditch players must overcome on their own.

In Quidditch, defeat is very common. Accepting defeat is a lesson that Quidditch players must learn.

I think Ronald took the courage he gained through such special methods for granted. And your opposition seems to look down on him, as if you think he's incapable without Felix Felicis.

But I know you didn't think that way. After all, you broke your principles for him and didn't tell him—I have to admit I was jealous.

Go talk to Ronald and make things clear! You believe in him, but you'd much rather he win fair and square. This doesn't mean you think his victory was unfair, but rather that you see it as unfair. Isn't that right?

I miss you.

Will

Hermione was encouraged by Krum and went to Ron as soon as the Christmas holidays were over to explain her views to him.

But Lavender and Ron were glued together like they were made of glue, leaving Hermione no room to maneuver.

It wasn't until very late that night that Hermione told Ron her thoughts.

Of course, Hermione didn't mention the tricks she played in the Quidditch selection process.

Ron's expression softened a bit, and he muttered, "Alright, I know you didn't mean it. At least you can be reasonable sometimes."

“I’ve always been reasonable!” Hermione said clearly. “If you and Lavender weren’t so inseparable, I could have explained things to you much sooner!”

Ron's lips curled up slightly: "You have to admit, I'm quite charming too."

“You call that charm?” Hermione said speechlessly. “I think it’s attraction—Will and I don’t experience that!”

Ron stared at her, dumbfounded, as if struck by lightning: "What did you say?"

"Suction?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

"You're with Krum?" Ron jumped up, overturning his chair.

Hermione nodded readily: "That's something for the summer."

"You didn't tell us!" Ron's face flushed red. "You never said anything!"

Hermione didn't understand Ron's attitude. What did her dating have to do with Ron?

“You didn’t ask!” Hermione said, puzzled. “When you were with Lavender, did you announce it to any of us?”

“But I’ve never hidden it!” Ron said angrily.

Hermione was even more furious: "Did I ever hide it? I often wrote back to Viktor while I was doing my homework!"

Her bookmarks feature Bulgarian roses; her envelopes depict the Vitzl Mountains; and her beaded pouch is adorned with a kukri.

Hermione and Ron made up for only a few seconds before inexplicably arguing again. Even Harry accused Hermione of not mentioning her being in a relationship.

“Even I didn’t know!” Harry said.

Hermione said helplessly, "When you liked Cho Chang, did you tell us? Didn't you like him secretly? I was writing letters right under your noses, and you really didn't notice at all?"

"Sigh!" Hermione sighed into the two-way mirror. "Prareth, I don't understand. It's like being with Will was a mistake."

"Do you think so too?" Praris asked.

Hermione shook her head: "No, Will is fine."

Krum's feelings for Hermione began with two words—"seeing".

Hermione went through a period where she considered herself an "ugly duckling," feeling that she wasn't pretty enough and was perceived as attention-seeking.

She also longs to be seen and recognized.

As a star player older than Hermione and who had already been "fighting on the field" since his student days, Krum was the first to discover Hermione's talent and perseverance, and also tolerated Hermione's immature and vulnerable parts.

In Krum's eyes, a player who doesn't want to "show off" isn't a good player. Hermione's strength and competitiveness are both admirable.

Chapter 168 I Look Down on You

However, Krum praises Hermione while always belittling himself—something Hermione finds somewhat unbelievable.

Which big star would admit to having bad qualities?

When Krum met Hermione, he never hugged her; he just stared at her intently, as if he could see a flower in her.

When Hermione praised him, he quickly whispered, "No, no, no, stars are manufactured."

Krum believed that intelligence and wisdom were two different things. While Hermione was intelligent, his celebrity status and experience as an older man misled the still-young Hermione. Having entered society early, he and Hermione had a significant difference in their understanding.

Krum brought up his match at the Quidditch World Cup. Even though the Bulgarian team couldn't win against him after he stole the Golden Snitch, he did it anyway.

This move directly led to Bulgaria losing to Ireland 160-170.

Some people are criticizing Krum, feeling that he has become a big star on his own, while the fate of the Bulgarian team is in vain.

But most people only remember that Krum caught the Golden Snitch and was the best Seeker in the world.

Krum doesn't regret it; he believes it was the best decision. His teammates are no longer capable of scoring 20 points, and Ireland's Seeker, Lynch, might snatch the Golden Snitch in the next second—at least he could prevent the final score from looking too bad.

Just think about it! If it really were 10:320, the Bulgarian team would be criticized until the next World Cup!

Krum was a man of few words, but he would always talk more than usual when he was with Hermione.

He said earnestly to Hermione, "Hermione, I caught the Golden Snitch, so I'm a big star. If I hadn't caught it, I would still be me, still have all that training, but I wouldn't be a big star."

"My reputation is all hype, that's just what the journalists wrote. What else can I do besides Quidditch?" Krum said bluntly. "I believe that when you are my age, your talent will make you better and more famous than me."