HP North Star's Radiance

After the success of the first phase of the experiment, in order to prevent Voldemort from having unrealistic expectations, Prareth poured cold water on the research a second time, in order to control the research expectations and pave the way for the possibility that the results Voldemort really wanted might not be delivered.

With the DA causing trouble, could Praris stop the experiments? No. The DA's first act of sabotage was very successful, but that doesn't mean that truly destructive actions will be successful.

If Prarese focuses on causing trouble for DA right now, she will be in a very dangerous situation if she fails.

Secondly, even if DA succeeds, she can't afford to give herself away. Praris, a genius potion-loving researcher eager to serve the Dark Lord, won't stop his research as long as he can still work. Taking a little shortcut now, only to have it discovered later due to such an obvious flaw, would be a huge loss.

“It seems that this is indeed unsuitable.” Snape quickly flipped through the documents and said in a deep voice, “The cost of a potent potion is too high—can’t we find a balance between the side effects and the potency?”

Praris said regretfully, "As far as I know, I'm afraid that won't work. Sir, you know that every benefit comes at a price."

Snape nodded in satisfaction; this was exactly what he wanted—a reason to keep Prares out of the soul experiments.

Exhaustion, emotional emasculation, and a chaotic mental state all point to a decline in combat effectiveness, which Voldemort absolutely cannot accept.

Finally, there is the third report, concerning the second phase of research. In addition to the previously mentioned enhancement research, she also plans to achieve controllable drug efficacy.

Prareas envisions developing a corresponding antidote or neutralizer concurrently with research, allowing users to regain consciousness immediately when necessary. This would play a crucial role in dangerous situations.

Finally, she also mentioned the idea of ​​trying to reduce costs and production difficulty, perhaps by clearly recording the potion-making process, the final result could be reliably replicated.

After reading this report, who wouldn't say that Praris is highly skilled and daring, and who wouldn't praise Praris's loyalty?

She not only worked hard to meet Voldemort's needs, but also pushed herself to conduct in-depth research, even considering issues such as cost and mass production!

Snape raised an eyebrow and gave Prareas a meaningful look. After reading the plan, he knew it would never be completed.

"How long do you plan to take to complete this project?" Snape flicked the third report with his finger, his voice brimming with undisguised pleasure. "Hmm? Miss Praris?"

Praris laughed and said, "It's not easy. It depends on your condition! If you're in a good mood, it can be done in a week or two. If you're not in a good mood, it might take a month."

Whose condition should they observe? Snape already had the answer in mind: the condition of the student resistance!

Chapter 256 The Curse of Ice Cream

Millison and Anna's report caused a major problem for the Quidditch tournament organized by the British Ministry of Magic, a task handled by the Department of Sport and the Department of International Magical Cooperation.

The Death Eaters were more interested in capturing Harry Potter, leaving the real work to non-Death Eaters like Stella. Stella was happy to expand her power, but the matter was proving to be quite troublesome.

The Daily Prophet published an interview with Stella.

“I believe this accusation against the Ministry of Magic is extremely irresponsible,” Director Stewart said. “We all know that Quidditch is a great sport that has continued in the wizarding world for nearly a thousand years. It is independent, free, and transcends bloodline and politics.”

"The Ministry of Magic is committed to providing opportunities for all Quidditch enthusiasts to pursue their dreams... All current actions of the Ministry of Magic, including continuing normal sporting events, are aimed at maintaining the stability and prosperity of the British wizarding world."

"This report is highly unprofessional and deviates from the principle of a journalist adhering to the truth... Politicizing Quidditch is a dangerous act by certain forces with ulterior motives."

"The allegations regarding the safety of athletes are baseless. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement ensures that all citizens, including participants, are fully protected within the framework of the law."

Praris flipped through the Daily Prophet that Astoria had gotten for her, watching with great interest the undercurrents between the two Slytherins.

Compared to Stella, Milison and his apprentice are clearly a bit less skilled.

Astoria said angrily, "Play, Stuart actually said he would protect all citizens!"

"What's the problem?" Praris calmly countered Astoria's question. "Do you think there's a loophole here?"

"Isn't that right?" Astoria answered instinctively, "Kiki..."

Praris pointed to the word "law" and raised an eyebrow at Astoria.

Astoria stared at the word, tilting her head in confusion. A few seconds later, her eyes widened, and her mouth opened wide: "Oh! Um, um—"

The Muggle Birth Registration Act is a law!

Astoria was deeply shocked.

In the report, Stella also claimed that the International Cooperation Department planned to invite some "neutral" representatives of the International Quidditch Organization and media to watch the game, and believed that the rumors would be dispelled by the light of the truth.

"Isn't she afraid that the delegates and the media will see things they shouldn't see?" Astoria asked. "Besides, Anna from South America has already called on the media not to report on it and for the athletes not to participate."

Praris said with his arms crossed, "It was a dangerous move, but it worked."

True opponents will not be invited, much less accept one. Those invited to the event are either cowardly and dare not refuse, still believe the new regime will maintain stability, are genuine Quidditch enthusiasts, or have ulterior motives.

As long as these invitees arrive, it will create the illusion that the international community is not entirely opposed to the new regime, making Mrs. Anna's words seem unconvincing.

As long as the itinerary is arranged properly, allowing these "international observers" to see what they should see, public opinion can be reversed.

When asked if the invited person was certain to attend, Director Stewart was not.

Stella's attitude was very good: "We would be very sorry if we were unable to make it due to negative public opinion or scheduling issues. But the Ministry of Magic will still respect the decision of every invitee."

The reporter wrote that, at the end of the interview, Director Stewart stated: "Sports have no stance. Let Quidditch return to the pitch and give the passion back to all Quidditch fans. The Ministry of Magic has always been a supporter of Quidditch, and some absurd statements use passion as an excuse to use Quidditch as a political bargaining chip, which we have always strongly opposed."

Astoria had heard of Stella, the Slytherin version of the perfect child, but she never expected Stella's mouth to be so eloquent!

Black has been turned into white!

“But,” Astoria asked hesitantly, “Stuart may say that, but the Department of Law Enforcement may not necessarily act that way. If a Quidditch player is actually arrested, wouldn’t her words become mere flattery?”

Praris slowly shook his head: "I believe that Senior Stella has already done the work in this regard."

"The Dark Lord has a need to maintain a superficial peace, so she can use that as an excuse to demand a safe period of 24 hours before and after the match."

“As long as no contestant is pulled directly off the broom, Stella still has room for argument.”

Once the safe period has passed, it doesn't matter which Quidditch player is arrested; it's not a problem for the game, and the Ministry of Magic won't be reprimanded for it.

Furthermore, Stella's remarks were remarkably restrained, making her stand out as exceptionally "civilized" among the Ministry of Magic officials. She neither offered to help the "Mudbloods" whom the Death Eaters considered despicable, nor did she directly express support for the Dark Lord.

After her contact with Praris, Stella had re-evaluated her stance—Voldemort's rule was an inhumane form of politics, and inhumane politics is short-lived. Praris observed that Stella was laying the groundwork for a future shift in policy.

Stella is a technocrat with certain governance and emergency management capabilities. Neither the current Voldemort government nor the potentially victorious Order of the Phoenix government can easily kick her out.

So, what Stella needs to do is to always pay attention to her words and actions so that she can easily change her tune if the winds of change in the future.

And what Prares is doing now is something similar to what Stella is doing.

On the surface, she mingled with the Death Eaters, even nearly becoming one herself. In reality, she maintained contact with the next generation of Death Eater leaders in the Order of the Phoenix, providing them with opportunities.

Pralis knew perfectly well that she could easily create something like a Phase One Improved Joy Elixir without any problems. It simply eliminated some of the elixir's negative effects, which also weakened its potency. This demonstrated her skill and value without actually benefiting the Death Eaters.

However, the second-stage improved euphoria is a major contradiction. On the Order of the Phoenix's side, she can't actually develop it, otherwise it might undo the mental damage the Dementors inflict on the Death Eaters, making them more rational and harder to deal with. On the Death Eaters' side, she can't fail to develop it yet, otherwise it would be seen as a lack of ability or unwillingness to serve Voldemort.

Now, Praris considered two paths. One was to have DA stop her from continuing her research, trying both external factors and Praris herself. The other was to continue her research, but with the potion itself incurring significant side effects.

Like a limb regeneration drug, the appearance of a new limb depletes the user's physical strength, leaving the body weak. Newly formed limbs are also relatively fragile and cannot be exposed to sunlight for a short period of time.

Praris was thinking about these things at the moment, but he wasn't paying attention to Stella's response for these reasons.

Millison's shadow looms behind the opposition article in *South American Sports Daily*, and Stella's decision could affect Millison's safety. If the matter becomes too complicated for the Ministry of Magic to handle, Yaxley will likely abandon political means and resort to the Death Eaters' methods.

If Milison were still in England… Praris thought with a wry smile, the girl might actually join the resistance. After all, Milison hated Death Eaters. They destroyed her family.

Praris continued reading the newspaper, speculating about the external situation through these articles controlled by the Death Eaters.

The Daily Prophet published a large section of its interview with Stella in response to Mrs. Anna's objections.

The newspaper reporter later commented that they considered Director Stewart one of the most charismatic Ministry of Magic officials they had ever met. Her governance style was also very rational and tolerant, representing a new direction for the new government. The smear campaign against the new government by Lady Anna and others, ostensibly for the sake of justice, actually undermined the purity of Quidditch through political views, which the reporter found distasteful.

Other sections also contained promotional articles about the Ministry of Magic's new policies, which were all attempts to glorify the policies that persecuted Muggle-born wizards, packaging the Muggle Registration Act as "protecting the pure blood of magical bloodlines" and "safeguarding the interests of true wizards."

In addition, there were slanders and arrest warrants for Harry and others. Newspapers continued to spread false rumors that Harry had murdered Dumbledore, portraying him from the "boy who survived" into a "liar" and a "treacherous boy."

The Order of the Phoenix, of course, is an illegal terrorist organization that endangers the safety of the wizarding world and attempts to overthrow the Ministry of Magic—"They have destroyed our peaceful lives!"

Of course, in addition to these, there are also constantly updated lists of missing persons and the dead.

If someone is caught by the search party, their "crimes" will be announced, such as participation in terrorist activities. If a wizard "disappears," it is very likely that they were imprisoned in the Ministry of Magic or murdered, and the cause of action will be stated as "escape" or "persecution by terrorist organizations," etc.

Praris saw on it the news of Florin's death, caused by terrorist activities by organizations such as the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and his associates.

She paused, then looked at the obituary again, confirming that the name on it was "Florin Fosco".

"Hey, hey, hey, you've already eaten two super-sized ice creams!" Florin's head popped out from behind the counter. "Little girl, you won't be able to eat dinner! If you don't eat dinner properly, you'll dream about knights riding mares!"

Praris, who had just finished first grade, thought Florin would give her some kind of lecture like "children shouldn't eat so much ice cream," but she didn't expect the manager to be so humorous.

Florin said, "You'll have knightmares if you don't eat enough for dinner."

In this sentence, "knight" means "knight" and "mares" means "female horse". "Knight-mares" is Florin's idea of ​​"knights riding female horses", and nightmares are "nightmares".

Florin was trying to scare younger Praris by saying that if he didn't eat dinner properly, he would have "hungry" dreams.

“Come again tomorrow!” Florin said with a smile. “I’ll give you a raspberry cheeseball for free!”

Praris, who had just earned his first "salary," accepted the offer without hesitation when faced with such a windfall.

She even held up her little finger and said earnestly, "Pinky Promise!"

Florin paused for a moment, then quickly held up his finger and solemnly said, "I promise, if I, Florin, don't give you a whole scoop of raspberry cheesecake ice cream, may I get my eyes pricked with a needle, okay?"

Praris thought the promise was formal and very adult, and accepted it with satisfaction.

Unfortunately, Praris's stomach wasn't very strong after her previous hardship, and two large scoops of ice cream gave her diarrhea. Old Tom laughed at her mercilessly and even made her cricket for the customers in the shop.

Old Tom went too far, saying, "This is what Little Pley earned with his first 'salary'!"

The wizards and witches burst into laughter, making Praris as angry as a dark pufferfish.

Someone comforted Praris, saying that it was already great to have a salary at her age, as she had never received a salary before!

Praris thought to herself that made sense; her peers were probably still asking their parents for pocket money! However, she was a little puzzled as to how they had managed to survive without a salary.

The woman was quickly exposed; she was the owner of the "Terror Journey Wizard Travel Agency No. 59." As the owner, of course, she didn't receive a salary, because she was the one who actually paid the wages!

The pufferfish is deflating...

Praris silently left this cruel place, preparing to go to work early.

As they passed an ice cream shop, Florin shouted, "I still owe you a ball!"

Praris's tone was quite unpleasant: "You're really out of the loop! Half of Diagon Alley knows I ate too much ice cream and have an upset stomach!"

Old Tom, that old robin who loves to gossip about kids, is always cawing and bullying people!

"Huh?" Florin exclaimed in confusion, then burst into laughter. "That's a shame. When are you planning to collect your little gift? I don't want to get pricked by needles!"

“Alright then!” Praris muttered. “For your safety, let’s do it tomorrow!”

“You really think of me!” Florin said. “That’s so touching!”

The next evening, Praris came to keep the appointment after work.

Florin immediately opened the lid of the ice cream tub, only to find that the raspberry cheesecake had been almost completely scraped off, leaving only enough for a small scoop.