HP North Star's Radiance

Praris tilted his head in confusion.

Draco's hands were still trembling, perhaps exhausted from the emotional outburst. His expression was incredibly earnest as he asked, "Praris, will you accept this ring and allow me to kiss you?"

Praris's gaze fell on the ring, the inner band of which was engraved with the letters "DM".

“No,” Praris said calmly.

Draco was stunned and asked, "What did you say?"

“No,” Praris repeated, “Draco, I said 'no'.”

After saying that, Praris took a handkerchief out of his pocket and gently wiped away the tears that were still wet on Draco's face.

"Why do you want to kiss me now?" Praris asked softly. "Is it because of the comfort I gave you just now?"

“If that’s the case, I will never accept your invitation,” Praris said slowly. “To me, that would be taking advantage of a weakness, and to you, it would be too casual.”

Prarese said calmly, "I don't want our first kiss to happen under such bad circumstances."

Draco felt annoyed at his impulsiveness, at having impulsively pulled out the ring he had prepared long ago. He always seemed too childish in front of Praris, even though Praris was only a few months older than him.

“But I think this is the moment I love you the most.” Draco pulled Praris’s hand to his chest. “It’s beating so fast! It longs for you to be my girlfriend!”

Prarese said calmly, "Any faster, in Muggle medicine this is called palpitations. I'll tell you you have respiratory alkalosis."

This was perhaps the moment when Draco hated Muggles the most!

Praris seemed to sense Draco's discouragement and said sincerely, "Draco, I can't be your girlfriend, at least not now. Because you don't really know me."

“I don’t think I don’t know you!” Draco didn’t like hearing that. “I guess I’ve known you for six years. Not six months, not even six days!”

Praris looked at him calmly, as if he were looking at an unreasonable child.

"Fine, then tell me, what don't I know about you!" Draco said defiantly. "I hope I can hear some of your insightful observations!"

“Just as you didn’t tell me you were a Death Eater,” Prareus said in a casual tone, “I also didn’t tell you that I was determined to support Dumbledore.”

As Praris finished speaking, Draco's eyes widened instantly, reminding Praris of the large eyes of the Moonfox.

To her surprise, Draco's first question was: "So you're stopping me because 'I' am going to kill Dumbledore, or because I'm going to kill 'Dumbledore'?"

The former emphasizes "I", while the latter emphasizes "Dumbledore".

Chapter 175 Eliminating the Peas

what?

Prareas believed that love based on ulterior motives is short-lived.

Before truly committing to something, one must clearly define the stakes; otherwise, it is essentially fraud—luring others with a sweet and beautiful illusion.

Yes, Praris could certainly do that. Even without making any promises, Draco already didn't care at all about her mixed-race heritage.

However, there is a story in Aesop's Fables called "The Boy Who Cried Wolf".

Prarese used to hide her bloodline, now she hides her stance, and what will she hide in the future? This will become a question Draco will constantly ponder, a pea under the mattress of love.

In the dead of night, the unsettling peas under the mattress eroded Draco's trust in her, eroded his feelings for her, until the wellspring of love dried up and everything was beyond repair.

Prareas was certain that Draco wouldn't tell anyone, just as he kept Prareas's relationship with Winnie and his lineage a secret.

Prareas was more confident that Draco wouldn't let anyone find out. He was quite good at keeping secrets, but unfortunately, he ran into Prareas.

As Prarese spoke, he had imagined anything Draco might say—about positions, identities, or anything else important.

But to her surprise, the first question Draco asked was—

"So you're stopping me, is it because 'I' am going to kill Dumbledore, or because I'm going to kill 'Dumbledore'?"

Pralis understood Draco's meaning, and she shook her head: "Draco, I've already answered this question. I stopped you because you wanted to 'kill' Dumbledore."

As she once said, premeditated murder would tear Draco's soul apart. If this heinous murder were to succeed, both Dumbledore and Draco would become victims, with the only beneficiary being Voldemort, the mastermind behind it all.

Draco secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but the moment he asked the question, he regretted it—it was a stupid question.

Prareus chose Dumbledore; he might just turn into a jealous Medea on the spot.

If Praris chose him… Draco guessed he would be very happy, but he wasn’t sure if he would have any doubts about the answer—but even if it was a lie, he would still be happy.

“Prareth, I don’t like this answer, but I wouldn’t say I hate it either,” Draco said slowly. “But you’re being stupid. Dumbledore tolerates the prejudice against Slytherins and bullies us at the House Cup. And you actually want to support him?”

Draco was referring to the incident in their first year when Dumbledore publicly awarded Gryffindor points and replaced the Slytherin flag.

Praliss didn't want to explain Dumbledore's scheme; it had nothing to do with Draco. She shook her head: "No, Draco. I chose Dumbledore because the Man Who Lives in the Dark was not a worthwhile choice. And the enemy of my enemy can be my ally."

“Why not!” Draco’s speech suddenly quickened. “Once I’ve accomplished this, my family will gain the master’s favor, and our status will rise to a new height! All misfortunes will become a thing of the past!”

"Do you even believe that yourself?" Praris scoffed at the statement. "You actually believe the mysterious man's promise? You actually believe... a half-blood obsessed with achieving pure-bloodism?"

For Voldemort, lying is as easy as drinking water.

The meaning of Death Eater is to conquer death, but the only one who can temporarily conquer death is himself.

The Death Eaters' founding principles also included purifying the wizarding community. They championed pure-bloodism, yet he himself... was a half-blood.

If Voldemort truly wanted to achieve pure-blood rule over the world, the last person he would have to eliminate would be himself, a half-blood!

At Christmas, Prareas asked Dumbledore, who was drinking a supplement, a question: why had he paid attention to him in his first year?

Dumbledore smiled: "Plares, because I am getting old, I am also starting to feel timid. Before the story begins, I ask you to consider whether you are willing to forgive your headmaster."

Dumbledore...cowardly?

These two words really don't match!

As for forgiveness, Praris had no idea where to even begin!

Dumbledore told her it was because her past was so similar to that of a former Hogwarts student named Tom Riddle. This similarity stemmed from many factors, including lineage, family, talents, abilities, and circumstances.

Before entering the school, Praris harbored boundless ambition to climb higher and some vague hatred.

Praris, a first-year student, seemed to be separated from the other students by an invisible membrane; they appeared close, but were actually quite far apart.

In Sylvia's case, Dumbledore did a lot of work before the trial. He didn't believe that this kind Gryffindor girl could be a cruel murderer.

Dumbledore eventually uncovered the truth, but found it difficult to offer Sylvia any real help.

After all, she did kill someone.

Dumbledore once pondered whether, if Merope were still alive, she might have brought about any positive change to Voldemort's life.

Faced with Prareas, yet another orphan with extraordinary talent, Dumbledore was willing to devote more attention to him.

Even if such attention makes him seem suspicious, Dumbledore is willing to take time out of his busy schedule to learn about this child, hoping that she has a kind nature and that he can help her if she might go astray.

Dumbledore didn't utter the words that sounded like he was defending himself. But Prasris seemed to understand something, and said, "I forgive you for sending Winnie and the others to me."

Ms. Priscilla's companionship made her feel the love of family. Winnie's many Muggle novels gave her soul an "outlet," allowing her to see the world beyond London.

Back at the Room of Requirement, Draco was stunned upon hearing Praris's words: "What did you say?"

Draco had almost never seen Praris make a wrong assumption. But to say that this was the truth would mean that so many descendants of pure-blood families... were pursuing pure-blood ideology under the leadership of a half-blood!

“You know my relationship with Winnie isn’t simple, right? Yes, she ran away after your father’s failed battle,” Praris said persuasively. “Then think about it: Peter Pettigrew betrayed his good brother for Mystic, and then cruelly cut off his own hand to resurrect Mystic. What did he gain?”

"Did Mr. Malfoy tell you that?" Praris scoffed sarcastically. "What a precious metal hand! The slightest wavering would strangle it!"

Draco suddenly understood what she meant, and his expression turned panicked.

Praris stood up, walked towards Draco, and said softly, "This is the reward for loyalty... doubt! Do you want that too, Draco?"

Draco was startled by Praris's suddenly raised voice and his breathing quickened.

Prareas left things unsaid, leaving it to Draco's imagination. Peter Pettigrew, who betrayed his friend and was responsible for resurrecting Voldemort, received a metal hand as a reward that could kill him at any moment.

If we're talking about wobbling, the pendulum of Draco's clock swung even more violently that year!

Leaving aside whether Draco could kill Dumbledore, Draco himself couldn't give a definite answer to that question.

Even if Draco kills Dumbledore, what will be his reward? Will Voldemort really rescue his father? Will his father be given a second chance after his release from prison? If he's punished for one failure, how will they atone if his father fails again in the future?

One question after another nearly overwhelmed Draco.

"Tell me, why would even his students betray him?" Praris threw out another question Draco couldn't answer. "Tell me, why do you support such a dangerous leader?"

“Your aunt taught you Occlumency, didn’t she? You’ve learned it very well.” Praris spoke with a rhythmic inflection. “You give him your loyalty, but he treats your brains like his own backyard! Look, even your aunt, such a fervent follower, has reservations about him!”

Praris said with a smile, "Even I know how to keep some personal privacy out of my head!"

Draco fell into deep thought.

It was too difficult for him to abandon the pure-blood ideology he had upheld for so many years and his family's following of Voldemort. But Praris's words shocked him almost as if Dumbledore were actually a dark wizard!

If Voldemort was truly a half-blood, then his family's belief in pure-blood ideology over the years was a complete joke!

Of all the people he knew, the strongest of the younger generation of Slytherin (Prareth) was a half-blood, and the strongest of the previous generations of Slytherin (Voldemort) was also a half-blood!

Draco's mind was a complete mess, and he stumbled out of the Room of Requirement. He only remembered Praris's last words to him—

"Don't walk into my world without knowing what's going on."

"Draco, all I want is lucid love."

Draco stopped Praris and mumbled, "Aren't you afraid...aren't you afraid I'll tell everyone what happened today?"

Praris stopped, turned around to look at him, and burst out laughing.

“You can say that!” she said lightly. “If I die because of giving love, then there’s no reason for me to stay in this world any more.”

Upon hearing this, Draco stood there dumbfounded, like an envelope that hadn't been addressed.

Praris took a few steps out, but then turned back.

“Hey!” she called Draco’s name. “Listen, if that day ever comes, I’ll kill you before I’m killed.”

Praris raised his chin, a slight smile playing on his lips: "I won't allow you to have the chance to love anyone else after taking advantage of my love—we must go to hell together!"

After saying that, Praris turned and left with a flourish.

Draco blinked rapidly a few times and slowly placed his hand on his chest.

He was wrong!

He was completely wrong!

He shouldn't have taken out that ring with his name engraved on it just over ten minutes ago!