HP North Star's Radiance

“No, sir.” Praris slowly shook his head. “I love you because you love me the same way. Sir, don’t look at me like that. It was you—it was you who chose me to be your family, wasn’t it?”

Upon hearing this, Snape froze on the spot as if under a spell.

Praris held up two fingers and said, "Winnie found one for Dumbledore, which was to be exchanged for Miss Priscilla. In the end, I helped him get rid of that thing. I found one and delivered it to him, which was to be exchanged for Winnie."

She took a deep breath: "If he needs me, he can just use me as a police dog! He can find someone else to make up for what he owes, can't he? Why do you have to do something so disgraceful!"

Unlike Gryffindor, Prader didn't blindly trust Dumbledore. She knew that Dumbledore could die—and she herself had prevented his death once.

Only the three of them know the truth of this matter. If Dumbledore really died outside, then Professor Snape will never be able to clear his name of murder!

If the defendant is Snape, who would consider Prarese's testimony reliable?!

Snape coldly questioned her: "You said you came into contact with two Horcruxes?!"

Yes, Snape certainly knew about Horcruxes.

When Dumbledore was cursed by the Gaunt family ring, it was he who was responsible for stopping the curse from spreading.

Prarese suddenly calmed down and asked Snape, "Sir, if you are angry and worried about me taking risks right now... why can't I worry about you?"

She said calmly, "Sir, this is not fair."

Snape was having a headache; he hadn't expected the grown-up child to be more difficult to deal with than she had been when she was young.

But he had a strange feeling in his heart, a warm feeling that burned like a faint fire.

"I'm guilty."

He had already said those words before Snape even realized what he was saying.

But once the first words were spoken, everything became less difficult.

“Praris, I am guilty.” He looked calmly at the fire in the fireplace and said to Praris, “In the past, I made some mistakes that could be called sins. The only person who was qualified to forgive me can no longer forgive me.”

“Prareth, don’t pity me, don’t show me mercy, and you’d better not love me.” Snape’s face was half illuminated by the firelight and half hidden in darkness. “You know nothing, so you think you can take my place.”

But no, absolutely not.

Only the sinner can repent.

Pain was a good thing for Snape, because it allowed him to still feel the world and knew that he was still alive.

Lily is dead, and no one can forgive Snape in her place. This makes the rest of Snape's life like bathing in a dark room. As long as he lives, he will never know if he has cleansed himself of his sins.

In this situation, the only hurdle he needed to overcome was his own heart. Only when he believed he had achieved redemption would he have the opportunity to liberate his soul and leave the dark room with equanimity.

But what exactly constitutes success? Snape himself didn't know.

He must turn his repentance and pain into blood-stained feathers so that he can fly away from hell after death with wings woven from them, and only then will he have the courage to face Lily's eyes.

“This is my own choice,” Snape said calmly. “It is my own decision, and only I can make it.”

He was used to rumors and hatred, and didn't care about a little more.

Prareas gazed at Snape for a long time, then slowly lowered his eyes and said softly, "If this is indeed your wish—I understand, sir."

Prarese could only console himself with the thought that perhaps this was a good thing for Professor Snape.

After this, Voldemort may have been defeated. And after such an event, even the greatest sins should be absolved.

In the headmaster's office, Dumbledore fed Fawkes snacks and muttered to himself, "Everything is full of hope, isn't it?"

Dumbledore knew that Prares would definitely return.

This wasn't because Prarese was too inexperienced, but because of the bond between her and Snape.

Dumbledore once said how great is the power of unwavering love. No matter how intelligent or powerful, the power of love will always lead people down the same path—a power that no other force can resist.

He fed the last nut into Fox's beak, then slowly turned to meet Praris's eyes, which had regained their composure.

"Speak, what do you want to tell me?"

Ron was a little confused. He was doing his homework in his hospital bed when Hermione suddenly appeared and said she had something to say to him.

"Do you still love Lavender?" Hermione asked bluntly.

Harry, in the other bed, immediately closed his eyes and lay down straighter than a Hogwarts pipe.

“Uh—” Ron said hesitantly, “To be honest, I think it’s time for us to end things, and it would be best if she were willing to dump me.”

"Why? Not long ago you two were inseparable," Hermione said, disgruntled. "If you don't love her, you should tell her, instead of leaving her there feeling insecure!"

Hearing Hermione's words, Ron's lips actually curled into a slight smile. He avoided the first question, saying, "I already hinted! But even though I kept pretending to be asleep, she wouldn't give up coming to see me!"

“She thought this was a symptom of your injury!” Hermione said angrily.

Ron hesitated, "You don't know, it's not so easy to say 'break up'."

“That’s because you didn’t have the courage, you didn’t take this relationship seriously,” Hermione said seriously. “If you understood why you liked Lavender, why you started with her, then you would know why you ended it.”

Hermione remembered what Viktor had once told her: "Hermione, people always confuse admiration and longing, these positive feelings, with love."

"If we don't understand what our own hearts are thinking, then it's best not to exchange our hearts with others."

At that time, Krum's English was terrible, but his sense of responsibility was the opposite.

Chapter 180 Soap Bubbles

Ron was secretly pleased that Hermione cared about his emotional state, but he didn't know how to deal with Lavender.

When a man likes a woman, no matter how clingy she is, she seems adorable. When a man no longer likes a woman, this clinginess becomes a nuisance.

As for why he was with Lavender... it was just a momentary act of spite because of Hermione's relationship.

Ron knew that such an impulsive act sounded too childish, so he dared not reveal the truth to Hermione and preferred to pretend that he was confused.

“Uh, that’s because… because…” Ron asked hesitantly, “Harry! What did Praris say before? Holm or something?”

Ron's pronunciation of the "o" and "n" in "hormone" was unclear, so much so that he pronounced "hormone" as "hormone".

Harry, who was being questioned, had already pulled the blanket over his head, pretending that he was already "dead".

Harry also felt that Ron was wrong, and Lavender was always talking to Harry about her love story—which seriously affected his ability to track down Malfoy!

He had just escaped the "Half-Blood Prince's Potions Notebook" incident and was preparing to live a normal life, not wanting to be involved in anything that might get him scolded.

But Harry couldn't help but think that Ron had spoken up for him when he won Felix Felicis with the Half-Blood Prince's book. Now that Ron was in trouble, it didn't seem right for him to just play dead.

As Harry agonized over his decision, he realized he had missed the best opportunity to handle the situation. Now, answering or not answering was equally problematic, leaving him feeling utterly uneasy!

"Stop bothering Harry!" Hermione snapped at Ron. "That's called hormones!"

“Oh right, hormones,” Ron muttered. “I was thinking, it’s kind of like your name.”

Ron's focus almost made Hermione laugh in exasperation.

“All animals have hormones,” Hermione, who had attended a Muggle elementary school, said earnestly. “But in this matter, we humans are different from animals because we also have morality! We know we should be responsible for our feelings!”

Ron listened to Hermione's theories in one ear and out the other, feeling completely bewildered.

To be fair, it's not uncommon for other wizarding couples to get together one day and break up the next. Why is Hermione making such a big deal out of it?

Ron said sullenly, "Take responsibility? Do you want Lavender to keep hanging on me? My neck can't take it anymore!"

"Can't you see how much Lavender likes you?" Hermione said in surprise. "Lavender has given you her true feelings. Even if you don't love her anymore, you should at least respect her feelings, shouldn't you?"

Ron finally understood that Hermione wasn't talking to him about Lavender because she was jealous.

She was speaking out for Lavender.

She felt that Ron had let Lavender down.

Ron really felt uncomfortable in his stomach this time; something was churning inside him.

“True feelings?” he said, looking at Hermione with a sneer. “I don’t think Lavender has any true feelings for me.”

"Would she have confessed her feelings to me if I hadn't performed so well in Quidditch?"

"If I weren't Harry's friend, or the Savior's friend—without all that fame, would she still have confessed her feelings to me?"

“I admit I acted impulsively, but I don’t think she’s entirely innocent either,” Ron said sarcastically. “Why are you so quick to defend Lavender… just because I wanted to walk away from this relationship first?”

Harry wished he could sleep—why not have a troll knock him out with a whack? He'd rather dream of Voldemort than hear all this awful stuff here!

Hermione looked at Ron in surprise; she hadn't expected him to say something like that.

“Yes, you did very well this time,” she said incredulously. “But you’re not the only great Quidditch player in Gryffindor. Why doesn’t Lavender like Harry?”

Don't ask Harry, he knows nothing.

He could even recall some of Praris's notes, which greatly improved his learning efficiency.

Hermione continued, "Is this the first day Harry has been forced into the spotlight? Is this the first day Harry has become the savior? Is this the first day you've been Harry's friend?"

"How could you say that someone who truly likes you is like that?" Hermione had completely forgotten that Ron was sick, and glared at him fiercely. "You've gone too far!"

If Lavender knew that those feelings that made her heart flutter began with one of Ron's absurd tantrums...

Hermione remembered the Christmas present Prairie had given her, a book called *The Summer of Klinsor*. One line in it read: "The world is a soap bubble, an opera, a raucous absurdity."

Hermione wants to replace the world with Lavender's love.

The excitement comes from Lavender, the absurdity belongs to Ron.

Perhaps, Lavender's love story was just a beautiful soap bubble from beginning to end, an opera she performed all by herself.

The thought of her past romantic feelings for Ron made Hermione feel fortunate. She didn't know if Ron would mature in the future, but for now, he was certainly a good friend, but not a good lover.

Ron clearly saw disappointment in Hermione's eyes, which finally made him panic. Even Hermione's angry outbursts would have been better than such a cruel look.

He felt terrified, realizing that he was about to lose something forever.

“Hermione, don’t look at me like that!” Ron blurted out. “I was wrong… I shouldn’t have done that, but I just want you to regret it.”

"Regret what?" Hermione couldn't understand; she didn't think she had anything to regret.

Ron moved his lips slightly, and after a long while, he said, "...I regret being with Krum."

Boom!

Hermione and Ron both turned to look at Harry's bed, but found nothing.

They couldn't help but wonder if they had misheard.

Ron finally said what he had been holding back, but it came amidst the chaotic argument. Hermione's head was spinning.