HP North Star's Radiance

The side door of the monastery opened, and a woman in a nun's habit dragged a little girl out, muttering something under her breath.

The scolded little girl noticed Praris and looked at her curiously, attracting the woman's attention.

The woman turned around, and Praris recognized her immediately: "Fiona."

Fiona hesitated for a moment, then widened her eyes: "You are... Praris Prince?"

More than six years have passed, and Fiona looks very different. Her face has lost its baby fat and appears somewhat sharp. Prarese has grown much taller, but Fiona's height seems to have remained the same, making her look like a pointed olive in her nun's habit.

“Long time no see,” Praris said calmly. “You’ve stayed here as a nun?”

Fiona's eyes flickered, and she tugged at her skirt, looking a little embarrassed. "Yes—you look much prettier. You've graduated from high school, right? Are you doing A-levels or BTEC now?"

Chapter 240 Goodbye to the Monastery

Professor Snape took her away under the pretense of sponsoring Prader's high school education, and her household registration was later resolved by Ms. Priscilla.

In the British Muggle education system, children aged five to eleven attend primary school, and those aged eleven to sixteen attend secondary school. After completing Senior School, they may start working or continue with the Six Form.

In Fiona Joseph's eyes, Praris had probably finished Senior School and was beginning to move on to the next stage of his life.

Praris, carrying his suitcase, slowly walked around the fence and said in a gentle tone, "I'll probably graduate and start working in the second half of the year."

Fiona exclaimed, "You're so lucky!"

"You're saying I'm lucky?" Praris asked incredulously.

“Isn’t that right?” Fiona raised her voice and retorted to Praris. “We all wanted to be adopted and leave this hellish convent, but that gentleman only took you and didn’t even look at us. None of the children who come here have their own surnames, except you. Even though you made so many mistakes, like hitting me with a plate, Sister Mayne forgave you and only punished you a little.”

Fiona was genuinely jealous of Praris, and she didn't even try to hide it, or perhaps she didn't feel the need to.

"Let's not talk about the professor for now," Praris said, shaking his head slightly. "Has my surname brought me any benefit in the monastery? Although I didn't want to have the same surname as you, you've always ostracized me because of it, tripped me up, pushed all the dirty and hard work onto me, and even framed me—do you think I didn't know that!"

Fiona snorted like a bull, laughing sarcastically, "Isn't that what you deserved? Besides, didn't you get your revenge? Did you think Sophia, Emily, and I were just unlucky for no reason?"

“We’ve been more lenient with you, you monster, yet you still hate us!” Fiona pointed at Praris, then at herself. “Look at me! Sister Mayne said I was the best child in the convent, and now? You’re off living a good life, while I’m stuck here with these brats. I can see my future laid out before me!”

"Ah—" Fiona drew out her words, a look of sudden realization on her face. "I get it. You came here to show off, didn't you? You came to see my misfortune, to see how pathetic I am!"

Fiona viewed not being chosen by Professor Snape as a missed opportunity, only seeing Prader's glamorous appearance and judging Prader based on her own assumptions.

Praris smiled with relief.

She couldn't quite understand why she had remembered this cynical girl for so long, and even suffered because of Fiona's complaint. She thought she would be angry when she saw Fiona and Sister Mayne, but now she just found it absurd and ridiculous.

“Fiona,” Praris said, almost with pity. “If you’re not doing well right now and don’t want to be a nun, you can always ask Father Dorian to disrobe. If you want a secular job, you can leave the convent and apply for one like Sophia did. If you want to study, then work and earn your own tuition.”

No Slytherin would wallow in self-pity over the status quo; they would only do everything in their power to strive for a possible future.

Faced with an impossible task, Draco was indeed in pain, fear, and hesitation, but in the end, he still chose to use every means, even those considered despicable, to fight for a chance to get his father out of prison.

“Professor Snape’s choices are his own, not mine. Your life has not become worse because of me, and blaming me will not make things any better. Taking your frustrations out on the children will only make you appear narrow-minded.”

The little girl who had been reprimanded earlier timidly hid behind Fiona. Her body language clearly showed how afraid she was of Fiona, yet she still instinctively hid behind the nun who had just scolded her.

As soon as Praris finished speaking, Fiona turned ashen-faced and remained silent, as if someone had grabbed her by the throat.

Fiona's performance only made Prares more contemptuous. It turned out that she wasn't unaware of the situation; she simply couldn't or dared not do it!

She didn't have Praris's "luck," nor did she have Sophia's courage to leave the monastery decisively. So she could only stay in the monastery, a less-than-comfortable comfort zone, imagining her fate if she were "chosen," and resentful that she, as the "best," had not received the "deserved" "reward."

She had no idea that Professor Snape's arrival was purposeful; he simply wanted to take Prader away.

Praris's composure and Fiona's anger were like two extremes, making Fiona feel even more clearly her own embarrassment.

"You're quite pleased with yourself, aren't you?" Fiona's voice softened. "Does that professor know about your strangeness? Does he know you're a monster?"

“I’m not proud of myself. I’m telling you this not to show off, but simply to help you open your eyes and see yourself clearly.” Praris said calmly and gently. “Those powers aren’t strange, and I’m not a monster. Just because you don’t understand something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist—I thought you had forgotten…”

Fiona interrupted Praris: "I can't forget! How could I possibly forget—Anna, go back and continue practicing with the others!"

The little girl Anna had overheard so much of the conversation between the nuns and the mysterious woman in black, discussing grudges and grievances that Anna shouldn't have known. Anna had been feeling uneasy for a long time.

Now that she had finally received the order to leave, Anna immediately ran to the side door and squeezed herself inside.

“You don’t understand how terrified I am,” Fiona said plaintively. “This is a monastery, a place blessed by God, yet you still managed to harm me with that strange power! A woman like you should be tied to a cross and burned at the stake!”

Praris sneered: "So you told Sister Mayne that I was a witch, didn't you?"

“No.” Fiona suddenly calmed down. “Yes, I envy you for having your own name, which must have been given to you by your parents—you’ve been different from us from the very beginning. I also know that you think I’m narrow-minded, that I’m Sister Mayne’s hound.”

“But I didn’t want you to die,” Fiona said.

Young Fiona watched helplessly as the plate, without touching Praris, pounced on her like a cockroach in a London slum. Terrified, she darted away like a startled hare, knocking Sofia over in the process.

Sofia helped her to Sister Maine and loudly complained that Prarese had done this to Fiona!

Managing a group of children is troublesome enough, but Sister Maine was even more annoyed when one of them caused trouble. She yelled irritably, "What has that unruly kid done now?!"

"She made the plate fly at me!" Fiona exclaimed in a panic.

"What do you mean by 'a plate flying at you'?" Sister Mayne asked, frowning. "Did she hit you with a plate?"

Fiona instinctively wanted to say that Praris had strange powers, that the plate had flown up without touching her. But in that instant, she remembered the witch trials.

"Will Praris Prince be burned at the stake?" Fiona couldn't help but wonder. "I hate her, but I don't want her to die!"

She thought again, "Besides, if she can wield such terrifying power right under the Lord's nose, she might be some powerful demon! What if we can't catch her and she comes back to take revenge on me?"

Fiona swallowed hard. "That's right, she hit me with a plate, and it really hurt!"

Sister Mayne rolled up her sleeves and stormed out. As she walked, she muttered, "I'm going to teach her a lesson!"

Fiona looked at Praris and said indifferently, "Maybe you think I'm afraid you'll kill me, so I'm saying things to cover it up—think what you will! That's what I really said back then, I really didn't want you to be burned to death."

Praris looked intently at Fiona with her dark eyes and said calmly, "I believe you are not lying."

Fiona shrugged dismissively: "I knew you wouldn't believe me—what? You believe me?"

Prarese stood there, composed, confident, and serene. More than six years had passed, and she looked completely different. Gone was the darkness and sharpness of before; she seemed…she looked so much like one of those wealthy Londoners who came to pray and donate.

Fiona knew, of course, that there were mean-spirited people among the rich, but she deliberately ignored their negative aspects and only saw those who were calm, elegant, and composed—she felt that Praris was becoming more and more like these people.

“You’re different from us now.” Fiona looked down at Praris, then looked up at her. “Why did you come back?”

Praris smiled and said, "My heart is calling me back; it wants me to know that this place means nothing to me."

Fiona couldn't understand, but she had a feeling that this might be the last time Praris would come here.

“Okay, Sister Mayne—” Fiona suddenly said, “Sister Mayne doesn’t actually hate you, she’s just… just very tired.”

Fiona was originally Mayne's lackey, but after becoming a nun like Mayne, she gradually came to understand Mayne better.

Fiona doesn't consider herself a good teacher or a good caregiver. When she's tired, she just wants to solve problems in the most direct way. She doesn't care what the children think; she doesn't care who she's wronged or who she's made suffer.

To her, being a nun was just a job. She had no devout faith or spirit of dedication; she just wanted to get through each day as it came.

Whenever she lay exhausted in bed at night, Fiona felt that Sister Maine's bad temper and meanness were forgivable.

Not only did Mayne empathize with Fiona, but he was also kind enough to Fiona that she couldn't help but speak well of Mayne.

“Perhaps,” Praris said casually, “but I will not and cannot forget those things, and I have no intention of forgiving her. Hurt is not harmed just because there are reasons for it.”

Prader understood how much Harry hated Professor Snape—Sherlock had scolded him quite a bit, though not as harshly as Sister Maine. She would defend Professor Snape, but never demanded that Harry love him as much as she did. She also believed that Professor Snape didn't need that kind of love.

Praris pulled his hat down low and said softly, "I'm leaving."

“Plares!” Fiona suddenly said, “Actually, I don’t dislike you, I envy you!”

"What do you envy about me?"

"I envy you because it seems like you'll never be defeated."

In the autumn of 1989, Father Dorian organized an open day for believers to visit, tour, and experience.

Invited believers will be led by senior nuns on a tour of the entire monastery, then enjoy communion at noon, and spend the afternoon engaging in handicraft activities with the monastery's children... Finally, they will make a donation before leaving.

The girls prepared simple patterns and sewing materials, waiting for the people to arrive.

The young children couldn't help but look around, their eyes constantly falling on the couples, imagining what their own parents were like.

"Plares," the older girl asked, "aren't you curious? I was just like these kids when I was little!"

Fiona remembered Praris staring blankly at the fabric on the table and saying coldly, "What's there to imagine? The abandoned must be hideous, not worth our time."

Praris is always like this. Even when abandoned, she doesn't feel sad like other children or have unrealistic fantasies. She doesn't shed tears when punished by Sister Mayne. Even when a cockroach rides on her face during charity relief, she can just peel it off without making a sound.

Fiona admired Praris's strength, yet hated it, because she couldn't be like her.

Praris turned and left, waving at Fiona with her back to her.

"Aren't you going to see Sister Mayne?!"

"No need."

"Where is Father Dorian?"

"There's even less need for it."

No matter how much Fiona said, she couldn't make Praris turn back. She wasn't there to visit an old friend, but to put an end to the six years of Praris's childhood.

Just like when she boarded the train to Hogwarts years ago, she left Maria Abbey behind for the second time. A profound peace settled within her; there was neither excitement nor hatred.

The next morning, Praris arrived at King's Cross Station, ready to take the train back to Hogwarts.

After passing through the wall of the platform, Praris habitually glanced left and right.

On the Moon Station, there were some adult wizards, but not Hogwarts sixth or seventh year students—Praris remembered every face of these students.

Some of them seemed to blend into the group of parents seeing their children off, appearing relaxed, but their eyes weren't just fixed on any particular car window; instead, they systematically and regularly scanned the platform.

This demonstrates situational awareness and heightened vigilance; their "farewell" is a trained, deliberate performance. They are constantly assessing their surroundings and identifying potential targets.

These wizards wore clothes that allowed for easy movement, and their wands were within easy reach. They would also occasionally touch the wands, either directly or through their clothes.

—They are Aurors from the Ministry of Magic.

Chapter 241 The Three Sacred Elements

The Ministry of Magic is now firmly under Axley's control. In other words, these Aurors were sent by the Death Eaters.

Praris didn't linger on the platform; carrying his suitcase, he stepped into the train corridor without hesitation.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered the train, she was suddenly pulled by a pale hand that reached out from the carriage.