HP North Star's Radiance

Daphne lay on the bed and turned a page of her book: "I'm not that stupid."

"What?"

"I said Slytherins aren't that stupid."

"Daphne, you can't exclude Crabbe and Goyle from Slytherin."

"Fine, I apologize. I just don't know if they want this apology."

“Alright.” Pansy turned to Draco and said, “Let’s go! Praris needs to be alone.”

Draco, however, said, "There are two."

After saying that, he pulled Praris and walked straight out of the castle, leaving Pansy behind.

Pansy stomped her foot angrily: "These two guys, are they bullying Jacob just because he's not a Hogwarts student?!"

Draco led Praris as they ran outside, their boots crunching across the lawn outside the castle, flattening the withered weeds so much they didn't even bother to straighten up.

"Where are you taking me?" Praris couldn't help but shout, "Are you going to commit suicide by jumping into the Black Lake? Don't run away—my hand hurts!"

It was truly unexpected that Draco, such a tall and thin boy, possessed such extraordinary strength. Praris estimated that his wrist was about to turn red.

Upon hearing this, Draco stopped and looked at her without blushing or panting.

That's some serious stamina for a Seeker!

Draco released Praris's hand and gently rubbed it: "Don't blame me, I didn't take anyone else with me."

—But I was led around by someone.

“So, is it my fault?” Praris asked.

Draco answered the previous question: "If we could, we should escape to Hogwarts in 1994. We'd hide in the snow, in the castle's clock tower, and not be found by our unfortunate fate."

Prarese looked at Draco in surprise, and after thinking about it carefully, realized that she really was Draco's fault this time.

It is said that Draco almost stopped reading novels after Lucius Malfoy wrote a letter complaining that the ideas in The Tales of Beedle the Bard were incorrect.

When did Draco start reading books that Lucius considered "incorrect"?

It started with Praris.

In her first year, she tied Draco to a sofa in the common room and forced him to listen to "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

After Pralis and Draco's relationship improved, Draco would sometimes read Pralis's books to her. He not only read them, but he also commented on them, often nitpicking and mocking the foolish actions of Muggles.

Prareas thought that once he finished reading these books, it would be over. Muggle stuff wouldn't leave a trace in Draco's life.

Unexpectedly, Draco suddenly began to engage in artistic creation at this time.

While Draco is indeed artistic—he creates art and writes songs—it still sounds a bit strange when he says these things.

Praris said sincerely, "Draco, our cloaks are black, and our robes are black too. But the snow is white, and we can't hide it. Now, the whole of Hogwarts is their territory, and the clock tower is no exception."

Draco was both frustrated and embarrassed. This was a brutal blow from realism to romanticism.

But Praris is right, this war is unavoidable, and no wizard can escape it.

“Unfortunately, I can’t build a time-twister yet,” Draco said. “Otherwise, let’s go back to before this lesson—are you feeling unwell?”

Are you feeling unwell?

Prareas hadn't expected Draco to ask that question. Usually, it was Prareas who was the one reading people's minds through subtle gestures, but now it was Draco who had uttered such a thing.

"Do you think I'm uncomfortable?" Praris asked slowly.

“Rather, I’m certain you’re unhappy.” Draco barely suppressed his worry. “Personally, I don’t think you need your quirky talent to discover this. As long as I care enough… I mean, know you well enough, that’s enough.”

“Draco.” Praris’s lips curled up almost imperceptibly. “I think I’m a little happier now than before.”

Draco suddenly felt that the embarrassment he had just experienced was worth it.

“My mother said—” Draco drawled, “that peace and happiness are the most important things.”

That doesn't sound like something a Slytherin would say.

But there is no doubt that this is what a mother would say to her son.

Chapter 229 Ripples on the Lake of the Heart

"I've always envied you, Draco."

Prarese's words came from the heart; there was not a single falsehood in them.

“Envious of me?” Draco said with a self-deprecating laugh. “I don’t understand, Miss Prince.”

"Let me guess—are you envious of all the wrong decisions my family made, or envious of me having to do things that are impossible to do, just to show my incompetence? Or are you envious of being called a coward, mocked for being incompetent and weak?"

The Death Eaters sneered at them, and those damned Gryffindors looked down on them too.

Draco would never show the slightest sign of defeat in the face of enemies and mortal adversaries, but Praris was neither an enemy nor a mortal adversary.

Praris is... someone who loves him.

Draco struggled to describe his feelings; he disliked his current situation yet was powerless to make any real changes. He felt utterly lost about the future, his vision obscured by a hazy mist over distant mountains.

My father was released from prison, and their situation should have improved, but the consequences of failure were like a fishbone stuck in my throat. Even though the fishbone had been removed, the discomfort remained in my esophagus, bringing a distinct feeling of a foreign object.

“I don’t think I can fully empathize, but I’ve been trying to understand how you feel.” Praris put her hands on the grass behind her and turned to look at Draco. “You’re prickly now, and I wonder if I think you’re not as good as you used to be, but actually I’ve always envied you—envied your family.”

"To be honest, I was quite annoyed with you at first. At the long table in the auditorium, you always boasted about things that were illogical and impossible, like riding a broom to dodge airplanes."

"Ahem!" Draco's fair face instantly flushed with embarrassment and annoyance. "Who would bother to pick out these old chestnuts to roast?"

Seeing Draco's expression, Praris chuckled.

"The first time I felt feelings for you beyond just being annoyed was in the auditorium." She put away her teasing smile and continued, "Back then, your mother kept sending you lots of packages."

What's so special about this? Draco didn't see it as an opportunity for Praris to change his attitude.

“I thought you hadn’t packed all your luggage and had sent everyday items,” Praris chuckled softly. “But it’s full of your favorite snacks, toys, and even a dragon doll.”

“Pansy said that when you were a child, you always took it with you when you went out to visit others—Mr. Drakon, which sounds a lot like your name.”

Draco looked incredulous and raised his voice, "Hey, isn't anyone going to do something about that woman with the lisp!"

Praris covered her mouth and laughed nonstop.

Draco initially denounced Pansy, but soon he was staring intently at Pralis's face, realizing it had been a long time since he had seen her laugh so happily—even though he was the one making the joke.

Praris got tired of laughing and stopped on his own.

She said, "You may not have noticed, but I didn't receive any packages that year, except for Christmas presents."

I really didn't notice that.

At that time, Draco was busy causing trouble for Harry Potter and didn't pay any attention to whether an ordinary female classmate had received a package.

Praris said calmly, "Because by then, my biological father and mother had already left me."

Draco froze, suddenly remembering how many times he had mocked Potter for not having parents, and his gaze wandered.

Praris said with her head down, "Back then, you said you emphasized to your mother that you didn't need to send so many things to school, but your mother insisted on doing so."

"The things you want to refuse are exactly what I'd love to do. I really envy you; everyone knows how much your parents love you."

Even if this love is expressed in the form of Draco being spoiled.

"No matter what happens, you will never abandon each other. You forced yourself to kill for your father, your mother asked Professor Snape to help you, your father asked the Ministry of Magic to execute the Hippogriff for you, and your mother was heartbroken because of your father's imprisonment."

The amount of information was overwhelming, and Draco was a little overwhelmed. Draco hadn't expected that Praris, who was widely considered powerful, would actually envy him. He was even more surprised that Praris knew about unbreakable oaths—but since it was Praris, it wasn't surprising at all.

"Uh--"

Draco instinctively wanted to be proud of their loving family, but quickly remembered Praris's family situation and forcefully suppressed the urge. He said softly, "Maybe—I mean—it can be your home someday, if you want."

“That would be difficult,” Praris rationally rejected the tactful request.

"You're unwilling?" Draco raised his voice. "I was just saying, out of pity for your loneliness..."

“I’m afraid your parents won’t accept it,” Praris interrupted his attempt to save face.

Draco stopped abruptly. He paused for a second, then quickly waved his hand dismissively: "So what? My parents have never opposed anything I want to do!"

"Including rocket crossbows?" Praris said abruptly.

Draco's hand froze in mid-air as he quickly tried to justify himself: "My mom thought the broom was too fast and unsafe! Only someone like Potter, who's unsupervised... cough, I mean, only someone as reckless as Sirius Black would tolerate Potter playing like that."

Praris turned his gaze to the receding waters of the Black Lake and the occasional bubbles rising from them.

“You see, you know very well,” Praris sighed. “Your mother won’t agree to everything you want unconditionally. My existence goes against the principles you’ve always believed in.”

Draco pursed his lips and muttered under his breath, "Even you, when you make a big mistake—she already knew I was with you!"

"Huh?" Praris looked at him in surprise. "When did this happen?"

“Last year,” Draco said lazily, sprawling on the grass, “my mother meant that she didn’t care about anything else as long as I was happy.”

“Plares, you clever people—” he drawled, smugly, “always think years into the future, worrying about things that won’t even happen!”

Praris slowly lay down and rested her head on his arm: "Idiot."

Draco had no idea that this was a stopgap measure by Narcissa Malfoy.

At that time, Draco was under immense psychological pressure and on the verge of collapse. Under such circumstances, Mrs. Malfoy, who loved her son, would accept any method that could make Draco feel better.

But what about now? And what about in the future?

Prarese was certain that this indulgence wouldn't last. She needed to be more powerful, stronger, and more valuable to transcend the Malfoy family's bloodline mentality.

More powerful... Praris lowered his eyelids, his gaze unfathomable.

Suddenly, she remembered Neville, who was struggling in Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Without a doubt, it was fake; it was staged.

Praris was equally aware that if she unleashed her spell, Neville would be utterly defenseless. In just fifteen seconds, he would descend into madness like his parents.

Praris could easily list ten or five such powerful curses and unleash them to their fullest potential.

Praris slowly clenched her fist. She couldn't understand why, given her immense power, she would still have to suppress it.

Upon entering Hogwarts, she was immediately put to the test of Dumbledore's character. Even though what she had done wasn't exactly bad—does Hagrid's keeping of dangerous animals at school make him virtuous?

Why did she have to put up with the prejudice of the DA and the Order of the Phoenix? Why did she waste an entire summer vacation with Dumbledore, hiding and running away? Why couldn't she fight back against the overwhelming Death Eaters?