HP North Star's Radiance

The two people on the other side of the mirror suddenly fell silent.

Pralis froze, completely forgetting that Dumbledore was already considered a "dead man" by everyone, and a victim of a violent death.

"Ahem." Praris covered up his mistake with a casual tone. "Where were we—a more subtle way, right?"

“Yes.” Neville, not lost in his emotions, was the first to answer. “Our original method was to contact each other through fake Galon and meet at the Room of Requirement. But now…”

“Ginny is right, Dupin shouldn’t blame us for the mistakes. Similarly, we shouldn’t resent Dupin. But we can’t be as complacent as before. We need to be more vigilant, not only about the Caro siblings and Slytherin—excluding you—but also about the other students outside of the DA.”

The Petit Societies were caught because Dupin was neither a pureblood nor enthusiastic about dark magic, and unlike Crabbe, he did not use whistleblowing as a way to curry favor.

The DAs were furious at Dupin's actions and disdained to associate with her, but they couldn't bring themselves to treat her like an enemy—after all, Dupin's intentions were genuinely for Ravenclaw's good.

But honestly, regardless of whether the starting point is good or bad, can't Du Ping not set off for the time being?

"Alright, I'll help you. What you do in private doesn't matter, as long as you don't get caught. It'll save Professor Snape the trouble of disciplining you." Praris casually made up an excuse and put it on. "So, the question is, what's the most common and freely accessible thing in Hogwarts?"

Ginny and Neville looked at each other, their eyes lighting up, and exclaimed in unison, "Portrait/Ghost!"

“That’s right,” Praris said with a calm smile. “Portraits who are on good terms often visit each other’s homes. If the portraits are willing to help you, they can keep you informed—and ghosts? They have feelings too. As Gryffindors, you might be able to get help from Nick, who was almost headless.”

Among the ghosts, Praris has a friend like Myrtle, a crybaby who has stood guard for him countless times. If Myrtle can do it, other ghosts certainly have a chance.

“And Peeves!” Ginny exclaimed, rubbing her hands together excitedly. “He’d love to throw dung at those two damn Death Eaters! Why didn’t we think of that?”

This plan was brilliant. The two quickly wrote the words "portrait" and "ghost" on the parchment, preparing to greet each other as soon as the conversation ended.

Neville casually chimed in, "When Hermione was teaching me all sorts of things, I often thought about this question—how do you guys develop such intelligent brains?"

Ginny interrupted Neville, saying, "How else could they have grown up? They were born from a mother, fed and raised. They couldn't possibly have been conjured by magic..."

Prarese didn't like the topic of "mother," and she interrupted Ginny, adding, "If I had to be more specific, I'd like to mention some of the Carol siblings' patrol patterns."

Ginny and Neville immediately put the previous topic out of their minds and listened carefully to Praris's explanation.

Unlike Amicus Caro's soberly cruel demeanor in the classroom, he was actually an alcoholic, a heavy drinker who consumed six to eight pints of alcohol daily.

Three days a week, Amycus would patrol the castle’s first floor and underground buildings alone, because that was when he would go to the kitchen to get wine.

“On the surface, he’s patrolling the first floor and the basement.” Praris’s gaze was firm and steady, as if everything was under control. “In reality, half an hour before curfew, he only enjoys fine wine on the basement floor. At this time, as long as you don’t make too much noise, the first floor is almost safe.”

Praris scoffed dismissively, "Besides that, he's a lazybones. On days he doesn't fetch wine, he likes to repeatedly go to places where it's easy to catch you, like the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower..."

Ginny covered her face, as if recalling something unpleasant.

"This lazybones will doze off after lunch and get sleepy at dawn... During these times, Alector Caro is mainly responsible for patrolling and arresting students who break the rules."

Hearing this, Ginny couldn't help but ask, "Have you ever gone for a night stroll?"

“Once,” Praresta replied readily, “in third grade.”

Ginny hesitated for a moment, but finally asked, "Then how did you know who was on patrol at night?"

It's one thing if it's before curfew and during lunchtime. But for Prareas to know who's on patrol at four or five in the morning—Ginny just can't understand it.

“You can have breakfast in the auditorium,” Praris said with a smile.

Ginny said, bewildered, "Of course, almost everyone at Hogwarts is."

“What a coincidence, the Carlo siblings are also having breakfast in the dining hall.” Praris’s tone showed no surprise at all. She said slowly, “Have you ever observed how they eat breakfast? And… Alecto Carlo’s Muggle Studies class doesn’t have a single morning session. Her brother, on the other hand, does.”

Praris wouldn't explain these things proactively; they were too obvious to her, just as no wizard would explain what a wizard is without being asked.

Next, Praris also took the opportunity to analyze Alecto's movement patterns.

Alecto was more interested in ideological matters. She liked to go near the Muggle Studies classroom and places where school rules and Dark Lord propaganda slogans were posted, to admire the effect of her propaganda.

She also liked to go to the library to observe whether students were reading banned books (nowadays, more often referring to Muggle-related books). Secondly, she would go to the owlhouse, where she would intercept and inspect students' letters and packages.

In addition, the Muggle Studies course became a general education course for all students, which meant that Alecto could brainwash younger students.

She would often "summon" some students who were withdrawn and introverted, express her concern for these students, and imply that younger students could gain her approval by reporting them.

In response to this issue, Prarell specifically instructed Astoria in Slytherin to pay more attention to Slytherin students with these characteristics.

As a result, the students who have become Alecto's informants are actually more numerous from the other three houses. In Slytherin, there are only ambitious individuals who actively seek to become informants; none have been swayed by the appeasement policy.

Praris briefly described the habits and patrol routes of the Carlo siblings, not forgetting to include a disclaimer: "For reference only, there is no guarantee that these two will not change their plans."

“That’s enough,” Neville said with emotion. “Without you, we would have paid a much higher price.”

Without Praris's help, they would inevitably fall into these traps in their next operation, and it would take them more time to figure out the habits of these two Death Eaters.

Now he finally understood why Hermione admired Prader so much.

“Who told me to promise someone I’d help you?” Praris chuckled, head down, touching the gemstone bracelet Milison had given him. “I should be satisfied as long as you don’t call me a treacherous Slytherin viper, shouldn’t I? Although I quite like that description.”

Ginny and Neville both thought Prader was referring to Hermione, but in reality, Prader was making a promise to Dumbledore.

Hearing Prarese's words, the two people opposite the mirror felt a little awkward, especially Ginny, who couldn't help but recall the days when she had targeted Prarese.

"That was all a misunderstanding," Ginny instinctively explained, then, unusually, she became embarrassed and said in a slightly hurried tone, "I'm sorry, it was all my fault. I'm not apologizing because I expect your forgiveness, but I think I should apologize for my previous attitude!"

“Oh?” Praris grinned mischievously and said casually, “In that case, I won’t accept it.”

"Huh?" Ginny was stunned, then saw the smile on Praris's face and said through gritted teeth, "You're really awful!"

"It's alright, it's alright," Praris said modestly.

Ginny and Praris were talking about personal matters, while only Neville remembered the important stuff. He flipped through his parchment notebook and said seriously, "Praris, can we order potions from you?"

"What did you say?" Praris asked, puzzled. "What do you want me to make this potion for?"

Neville answered honestly, "For treating injuries."

Praris exclaimed "Oh!" with sudden realization, and then agreed: "I understand. It's not impossible, but the quantity is limited, and you need to act more cautiously and with restraint."

"What do you understand?" Ginny looked at Neville, surprised. "I still don't understand! Can't you just go to the school infirmary if you're injured?"

“I’m afraid that won’t always work.” Praris reached for the two-way mirror. “But I’ve explained enough. Let your partner tell you the rest!”

Chapter 244 The Mysterious Disarming Curse

Having received Prareas's promise, Neville tapped the two-way mirror with his wand, carefully wrapped it in a handkerchief, and handed it to Ginny.

It's perfectly normal for a small mirror to be in the pocket of a pretty girl like Ginny. But if it were in Neville's pocket, it would likely arouse suspicion.

After the Christmas holidays, they lost their important partner Luna, increasing the pressure on the management team—one of the reasons why the harm of the collective punishment system first manifested within Ravenclaw.

"Why?" Ginny stuffed the mirror wrapped in a handkerchief into her pocket, raising one eyebrow. "Mrs. Pomfrey will keep it a secret for us."

Ginny always hesitated for a long time before asking Prarese for help. It wasn't that she didn't trust Prarese; that was a thing of the past. She simply believed that she shouldn't develop a habit of depending on Prarese.

Praris's abilities are beyond question, but there are still overt factional and security issues between this hidden DA veteran and the current DA team.

If the fact that she helped the DA is exposed, Slytherin will likely ostracize Prasris, the Death Eaters won't let her off the hook, and the DA will lose a reliable ally. Therefore, it's best to use this secret weapon wisely and not resort to it unless absolutely necessary.

Besides, Prader herself has a very Slytherin temperament, and she is extremely good at assessing situations and protecting herself—you know, she and Hermione have been secretly having an affair for five years!

That was a full five years! And it went unnoticed!

Ginny is confident that no matter which side wins, Prarese will not lose.

If the Order of the Phoenix wins, Prasris will have the credit for secretly helping the D.A.; if the Order of the Phoenix loses, she still has Snape as her Death Eater mentor and Malfoy as her Death Eater boyfriend, as well as her own considerable usefulness—at this point, even Ginny can't help but admire Slytherin as a "creature".

Kindness and friendliness don't mean Praris is without her own plans. She would never easily agree to unreasonable or risky requests!

Upon hearing Ginny's question, Neville put down the quill he was holding. He had never been good at multitasking; he could only focus on one thing at a time.

Neville scratched his head, pondered for a moment before recalling the purpose of his request: "Uh—it's because the Death Eaters have increased their surveillance of the school infirmary."

Alecto Caro tormented the Petit sisters with the Cruciatus Curse, forcing them to seek treatment at the school infirmary.

After listening to their descriptions of their conditions, nurse Barron simply sighed and proceeded with Padma's treatment and medication with practiced ease.

During her sister's treatment, the commotion outside the school infirmary caught Parvati's attention. She peeked through the curtain and saw Madame Pomfrey standing with her arms outstretched, blocking Alecto Caro's view.

"Get out!" Mrs. Pomfrey hissed, her voice low and menacing. "This is a ward, not your battlefield. Unless you need treatment, you are not welcome here!"

Alecto pointed his wand at Madam Pomfrey and shrieked, "Old woman, don't get in my way! I need to check if any students are hiding here who have broken the rules!"

"I will not allow it!" Pomfrey said, each word laced with suppressed rage. "Your patrols have already created enough tension! I will not allow you to intrude on my territory, much less affect my sick children!"

Alecto glared fiercely at Madam Pomfrey, his eyes bulging like toad eyes. His features contorted with rage, he uttered a menacing threat: "You old hen, keep protecting your chicks! I'll report your non-cooperation to Headmaster Snape!"

"You can go and report it!" Mrs. Pomfrey's back was incredibly resolute. "Hospitals are sacred and neutral, St. Mungo's is like that, and so is the school infirmary! Once you're lying in my bed, you only have one identity—a patient!"

Madam Pomfrey's tough stance forced Alecto to retreat. The Death Eaters have yet to break through her defenses and have been forced to retreat, pacing back and forth in the corridor outside the infirmary.

Every DA member who went to the school clinic was injured, making it difficult to bypass such surveillance; they had all been questioned one by one. So far, they had used excuses such as "not seeing where they were going and falling down the stairs" and "rivals fighting each other," but if this happened a few more times, these excuses would no longer be effective.

But things are different with Praris. This witch is a potions genius, and Slughorn has commissioned her to prepare healing potions for the school infirmary.

She has the materials and reasons to make a large number of potions, and is occasionally asked to transport finished potions, so she is fully capable of supporting DA.

Ginny suddenly realized, then exclaimed in surprise: "She understood just by saying one sentence?"

Without Neville offering a single explanation, Praris easily grasped the intricacies of the situation and agreed without hesitation.

“I guess it’s because she always goes to the school clinic to get her medication,” Neville casually guessed. “So she knows about the changes at the school clinic, right?”

Ginny exclaimed, "That's terrifying, Praris!"

Not long after, Praris's first Defense Against the Dark Arts class after Christmas arrived, just as punctually as the werewolf's transformation on the night of the full moon.

Amicus's eyes gleamed with excitement, like a hungry wolf eyeing flesh, greedily and expectantly "licking" the students in the classroom.

If I'm not mistaken, the new school rules have seriously affected Amycus's enjoyment of tormenting students.

The petty squabbles of patrolling and catching students who broke the rules were completely insufficient to satisfy his perverse needs. He needed to "feed" on the students' fear and pain to fill the hearts that were being eaten away by darkness.

"You students, like your professor, had a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas, didn't you?" Amicus let out a short laugh, which was particularly noticeable in the quiet classroom.

"What? Aren't you happy?" Amicus's face suddenly darkened, and he inexplicably rushed towards the crowd again, grabbing a student standing at the front and spitting out a gruff roar, "Kid, aren't you happy? Don't you want to attend my class!"

Neville, his collar being grabbed, stubbornly held his neck, looking down at Amicus with disdain: "You guessed right!"

"Why aren't you happy!" Amicus spat in Neville's face. "Laugh! Laugh!"

Neville wiped his face and snorted coldly, "I can't laugh!"

After saying that, he retaliated by spitting in Amicus's face: "Pah!"

Amicus was so angry he was panting, his nostrils flaring. In a fit of rage, he raised his wand and pointed it at Neville: "Crucible—"

In the blink of an eye, with a bang, Amicus's wand flew into the air, spun a few times, and landed to their right rear.