HP North Star's Radiance

Strangely, Praris offered no resistance, letting the newcomer do as he pleased, and even sighed rather speechlessly.

Draco was truly fortunate—fortunately, Praris reacted quickly, even faster than most people.

In the instant the incident occurred, Praris's first reaction was to be on high alert and ready to act at any moment. Only his second reaction was to quickly ascertain the identity of the newcomer, forcibly suppressing the urge to unleash a poisonous curse upon him.

Draco slammed the carriage door shut behind him and hugged Praris tightly, like a crocodile biting its prey or a crab clamping its jaws on its enemy, refusing to let go.

After letting Draco hug him for a few minutes, Praris finally spoke up and asked, "You don't look too well."

Draco released his grip, turned and sat down, his head bowed and tilted to one side, appearing somewhat vulnerable: "No, there's nothing there."

Praris looked down at him, slowly raised his hand, and whispered, "Muffliato. (Pull your ears shut) Alright, now no one can hear what we're saying. Is there anything you want to say to me?"

Draco looked up at Praris and, receiving her convincing gaze, finally let out the breath he had been holding in for days.

On Christmas afternoon, Draco was upstairs reading an alchemical book called The Secret of Secrets (also known as The Book of Secrets).

Razi, the author of *The Book of Secrets*, was a renowned healer and alchemist in the history of magic, specializing in the study of elemental transmutation. Legend has it that Razi could also transform stone and glass into powerful magical gems and crystals, thus earning him the title of Gem Wizard Razi.

Later alchemists believed that Lazie's research on elemental transmutation laid the foundation for Nicolas Flamel's invention of the Philosopher's Stone.

Magic can only temporarily turn other items into coins and gems, but this transformation cannot last, such as the goblins' coins in the Quidditch World Cup.

Nicolas Flamel's Philosopher's Stone could transform metal into gold, and the gem mage Razi could turn stone and glass into gems and crystals, demonstrating the wonder of alchemy.

Draco was engrossed in reading, studying Razie's riddle-like sentences, when his mother rushed in, asking him to go downstairs and identify whether someone was Harry Potter.

He obediently followed his mother downstairs and stood in front of the search team members, yet he seemed not to be there at all.

His mind was intermittently flashing with systematic classifications and definitions of different elements, leaving little room to judge what the person in front of him looked like.

The search party asked him if the man was Harry Potter. His father, standing nearby, also urged him on... Everyone was watching him.

At this crucial moment, Draco inexplicably thought of mercury. In alchemy, mercury is a bridge, representing change, flow, and adaptation.

Draco told his father he wasn't sure.

He was a little unsure whether he was talking about Mercury or Potter, as if he, Draco, wasn't the one who had been at odds with Potter for six years.

His father was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, urging him to come closer to take a look, and saying that if Potter were handed over to the Dark Lord, their family would be forgiven no matter what.

Urged on by his father, he walked forward in a daze, approaching the man who was supposedly "Potter"—whose face was swollen like a pig's head.

Draco suddenly thought of sulfur again. In alchemy, sulfur is closely associated with the sun; it represents both burning and corrosion, but also symbolizes transformation and sublimation. Ancient alchemists believed that gold was born from sulfur.

"I don't know." Draco suddenly sat up straight.

"You really didn't recognize Harry?" Praris asked softly from inside the carriage.

Draco's eyes flickered, and he repeated what he had just said: "I don't know."

According to Draco, even now, he can't explain what he was thinking at the time—his mind was a complete mess.

Perhaps he was afraid he had mistaken someone else, so he subconsciously said he didn't know, or perhaps he really didn't recognize who it was... but now he can't remember.

Draco walked toward his mother, who was standing by the fireplace, his head bowed, like a cub nestled beside a powerful mother.

At that moment, he suddenly thought of salt. In alchemy, salt represents the substance and stability of matter, as well as the fusion and balance of opposites.

Draco's description was very chaotic, mixed with many of his personal thoughts and extremely abstract concepts. In many places, Prares had to fill in the gaps in his mind to make it barely complete.

Praris chuckled and said, "The way you're talking now is quite like that of an ancient alchemist—at least in describing everything like a riddle, very much in their style."

Draco's lips curled up for a fleeting moment before quickly falling back down: "Praris, I don't know if what I'm doing is right or wrong."

Prareas comforted him gently, "You just didn't recognize them, how can you blame yourself—so, what happened to Potter and the others in the end?"

Upon hearing Prares's words, Draco forced a dry laugh and continued to briefly describe what happened next: His mother recognized Hermione Granger and asked him if he was her.

"I...maybe...yes."

Mother and Aunt were delighted, guessing that the remaining people were Potter and Weasley, preparing to summon the Dark Lord.

At this critical moment, a powerful and mysterious middle-aged male wizard broke into the manor and trapped everyone present.

Prarese noticed that Draco's tone had unconsciously become a little more relaxed.

Draco then said that the middle-aged wizard had rescued Potter and the others and was about to leave, but Potter said that Lovegood was still in the dungeon. So they went down into the dungeon and kidnapped everyone inside.

Praliss nodded knowingly. Alright, now she basically understood what Dumbledore's Christmas adventure was all about.

Draco, Draco, it's one thing to say you didn't recognize Harry with his bruised and battered face. But even your mother Narcissa recognized Hermione, and you're still saying "maybe"?

“Your mother and aunt recognized you, so whether you recognized them or not is irrelevant,” Praris said gently. “Anyway, the outcome won’t change, will it?”

Upon hearing Praris's words, Draco instantly breathed a sigh of relief: "That's true."

Praris looked calmly at Draco, reached out to unplug his earplugs and stop listening to the spell, picked up his briefcase, and said in a relaxed tone, "A belated Christmas present, want it?"

Draco drawled, "I thought—you'd forgotten about giving presents for Christmas."

Praris laughed and said, "Unfortunately, I'm really bad at forgetting."

After saying that, Prareas took a long wooden box from her suitcase and handed it to Draco. Draco looked at her, then glanced down at the box, and reached out to unlock it.

Inside the box were countless small glass boxes, each containing different minerals; a glance revealed a dazzling array of items.

Draco asked in surprise, "Where did you get this?"

“Hmm—” Praris said with a smile, “It’s a secret.”

She didn't ask Aberforth to buy this gift; she didn't want to be chased and scolded by him just yet!

She bought these minerals in London the night before, visiting many shops, including jewelry stores, art supply stores, and souvenir shops at the Geological Museum of London.

Draco had mentioned wanting to switch to researching elements such as transmutation. Prareas didn't really believe Draco would give up his crafting hobby, but he respected his choice and bought him the minerals.

……

Wait a minute, a craft activity, a toolbox, Dumbledore?

Pralis blinked, watching Draco, who was looking on with curiosity and reaching to open the glass lid. She seemed to understand why Draco had refused to reveal Harry's identity.

Dumbledore's "death" had only occurred six months prior, and Draco witnessed the murder firsthand. It could even be argued that without Draco's dedicated efforts, the murder would not have been possible.

Two months later, after that incident, I saw Draco again.

In these two months, will he think of Dumbledore? Will he dream of that chaotic night? Will he feel fear and dread? Will he have different feelings about death?

Is Draco unable to continue using the toolbox because he sees it as some kind of "murder weapon"?

Was his avoidance and deliberate concealment of Harry and Hermione a fear of becoming the "murderer" again?

Faced with yet another potential murder, Draco once again chose to put down the "knife" he was holding.

Prarese recalled reading a quote that said, “Doing nothing is the most difficult thing—not only the most difficult, but also the most intelligent.”

In this context, Prareas believes that choosing not to do something is also a difficult thing for Draco, but choosing not to do something also makes his soul feel lighter.

Yes, some might think it's because Draco was cowardly and unable to bear the guilt of murder.

While this possibility cannot be ruled out, have those who think this way considered that for Draco, pretending not to recognize Harry was going against his parents' decision, and could even be seen as giving up an opportunity for their family to gain the Dark Lord's favor?

That's why Draco asked Prares if he had done anything wrong.

Draco has indeed grown up. It took him so long to dare to secretly date Pralis against his parents' wishes. But this time, he made his decision in an instant.

“Let’s go find Pansy,” Prarese’s tone softened. “I haven’t given her a Christmas present yet, and she’s been worried about my safety.”

Draco closed the long wooden box and followed Praris outside.

Pansy, Daphne, and Astoria were all in the same carriage. They were all happy to see Praris, but Daphne didn't understand why the other two were so happy.

"Maybe she's happy to receive a gift," Daphne thought disdainfully. "It's just a Christmas present, she's acting like she's never seen anything like it!"

Upon disembarking from the train, Pralis unsurprisingly found that security around the station and school had tightened. She had a premonition that things would change at Hogwarts as well.

Sure enough, that evening, before entering the auditorium for dinner, Praris found a crowd gathered along the wall at the entrance, with students chattering amongst themselves.

Praris stood at the back of the crowd and quickly gathered enough information.

These are new school rules, essentially a system of collective punishment. If a student violates the rules, double the amount of crystals deducted from their house. During the week of the violation, no student from the same house is allowed to visit Hogsmeade.

To demonstrate that society was still functioning normally, the Ministry of Magic announced the resumption of Quidditch matches shortly after Voldemort took control. In line with this policy, Hogwarts gradually reinstated Quidditch matches on campus.

Under the new school rules' system of collective punishment, a college that violates the rules will not be allowed to continue Quidditch training for that week, and after being banned from training for four consecutive weeks, it will be disqualified from Quidditch matches.

Praris fully understood; it was a powerful policy. Leaving aside the issue of group honor, the loss of the weekend getaway to Hogsmeade would inevitably lead to complaints and grievances among some students, easily escalating internal conflicts and thus contributing to the disintegration of the resistance.

Secondly, by not being able to go to Hogsmeade, students would be unable to gather or cause trouble in places where they could not be supervised.

This must have been Professor Snape's decision, very much in line with his style—precise and somewhat ruthless. But in reality, it was already Professor Snape protecting his students to the greatest extent possible.

Just like when Ginny stole the sword, the likelihood of the Carol siblings harming him further has decreased since he has already punished them. Moreover, in his eyes, being banned from the tournament and unable to go to Hogsmeade is much better than being hit by the Cruciatus Curse by the Carol siblings.

Professor Snape's gentleness was always obscure and difficult to understand, like a cactus with sharp thorns on the outside but soft water inside.

Anyway, I guess apart from Prarese, no one thinks Professor Snape is gentle, just like not many people would think a cactus is a gentle plant.

Praris took two steps back, turned and walked toward the auditorium, casually putting his arm around Astoria who was passing by, and whispered, "Your other plaster figure has been picked up by someone."

"A plaster man?" Astoria was taken aback for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "Really? You saw it?"

Praris shook his head slightly: "No, I heard about it on the way. Someone said they saw it not long ago and that someone picked it up."

Astoria let out a long breath, her legs feeling weak as if her spine had been removed, and leaned against Praris: "Thank you, Merlin... thank you, Merlin."

"Why thank Merlin?" Praris teased her. "It's not like Merlin picked it up."

Chapter 242 Collective Liability

Astoria gave a slightly silly smile: "Anyone will do, thank you, world!"

Praris patted Astoria on the shoulder with a gentle smile. Since Milison left, she understood Astoria's longing more than ever before.

Unlike Astoria, which had shaken off its gloomy mood, the introduction of new school rules made the atmosphere at Hogwarts heavier and more oppressive than before.

"I did nothing wrong!"

Praris stopped and looked at the arguing group ahead with a probing gaze. Daphne and Pansy stopped with her as well.

The girl talking in the hallway was a Ravenclaw, Praris remembered; her name was Lisa Dupin.

Lisa shouted angrily, "Why should we share Petil's blame! She and her sister do whatever they want without considering us! We're all going to be implicated by her actions!"

"That's exactly what the school rules want!" Ginny was even angrier than Dupin, and retorted with her hands on her hips, "Get this straight, it's Snape and Carol who are punishing you, not Padma! You betrayed your classmates out of fear today, and sooner or later it will be your turn!"