HP North Star's Radiance

Ernie barked angrily, asking three questions in a row: "Who sent you! What are you doing here! What are you carrying!"

The house-elf, with an air of unwavering defiance, wouldn't even look at Ernie, and shouted in a shrill voice, "Barney won't tell you! Barney won't tell you!"

Neville ran over just in time and shouted, "Ernie, let it go!"

Upon hearing Neville's words, Ernie instinctively let go of his hand.

"You're here to deliver something, aren't you?" Ginny pushed through the crowd, crouched down, and whispered to the house-elf, "Give it to me."

Barney wouldn't listen to Ginny. As soon as Ernie let go, it rushed out, startling all the DAs.

Some people shouted, "Stop it!", some shouted, "Don't hurt it!", some shouted, "My foot!", and some simply screamed...

And Barney? With its small stature, it darted through the crowd, finally reaching the table where the medicine box was, where it precisely tossed the package in its hand, and then disappeared with a thud.

Ginny was completely bewildered. She walked over with one hand on her hip and shouted, "It's alright! The house-elf is gone!"

Her shout silenced everyone, and they looked at each other, confused about what was going on.

Seamus stepped forward: "Hogwarts is now under the control of the Death Eaters. Snape is the headmaster, and the house-elves will definitely listen to him. Ginny, there's definitely something wrong with this package!"

Ginny thought that Simo's suspicions were not without merit, but unfortunately she knew who had given her the package.

“Seamus, relax.” Ginny casually placed her hand on the package, looking nonchalant. “They look down on house-elves, so they don’t take house-elves seriously.”

Neville chimed in, "That's right, these are Easter eggs that our friends asked house-elves to deliver, remember?"

Oh, Easter eggs... Since they weren't poisoned by the eggs, this package probably isn't anything bad.

Ginny turned the package around and whistled, "Look, it's for Aberforth. I told you there wouldn't be any problem!"

Seamus exclaimed in confusion, "Ah!" He couldn't understand why the package for Aberforth had to go through them, nor could he understand why his so-called "friends" knew that the House of Requirement had a passage to the Pig's Head.

But the cooperation during this period convinced everyone of Neville and Ginny's decisions, so everyone went back to their posts and did what they were supposed to do.

Seeing this, Neville and Ginny exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with wariness.

“This is probably not something simple,” Neville whispered to Ginny. “Otherwise, she could have just sent it by owl.”

Contrary to their earlier statements, Neville and Ginny both felt there was something wrong with the contents of the package. The Death Eaters rarely inspected Slytherin owls, so Prareth's doing so suggested that the contents were important items that couldn't withstand scrutiny.

Without much delay, Neville carried the package into the tunnel that very night.

The Pig's Head pub is busy during the day, and it's a mixed bag of people, including potential Death Eaters. They usually only get their food from Aberforth at night.

Before even emerging from the tunnel, Neville stared wide-eyed at the scene outside the portrait, incredulous. His disbelief quickly turned to excitement, and he hurriedly climbed out of the tunnel, shouting, "Harry! I knew you'd come back!"

He shoved the package into Aberforth's hands, as if he were seeing a loved one returning from war, and gave Harry, Ron, and Hermione a bear hug each and every one of them.

They looked at each other and realized how disheveled they all were. Neville still had scars on his face, and his clothes were tattered from years of wear, but he looked to be in good spirits.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who had been wandering around for a long time, seemed to be much cleaner and tidier than him, who was at school, but all three of them had heavy expressions.

"Neville, what's wrong with you?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.

Neville pointed to the scar on his face and said cheerfully, "This? Excellent, it's my medal of honor."

They walked together into the passageway. Neville talked incessantly about the school while asking Harry about what was happening outside.

"So it's true?" Neville said excitedly. "The news has spread. The newspapers say you knocked out a bunch of Death Eaters and even rode a fire dragon into the sky?"

Ron exclaimed excitedly, "That's right, it's so cool! I thought my limit in this life was riding a Thestral—you know, Thestrals are just special winged horses. I never thought I'd be riding a dragon! Hagrid will be so envious of me!"

“Oh! Don’t listen to him!” Hermione said, covering her face. “In fact, we were being chased by Death Eaters, and Mr. Theseus Scamander, his wife, and his dragon saved us. Mr. Scamander and his father were magizoologists, namely Mr. Newt Scamander, the author of our textbook.”

Neville was both surprised and envious: "Is this the legendary dragon rider? I thought no one could raise a fire dragon."

“There are no dragon riders, and no one should be conquered,” Hermione declared righteously. “That was the dragon that Mr. Scamander rescued. Absu was forced to leave its mother while it was still in its egg, and it was bled dry by thieves for a long time so that its dragon blood could be sold sustainably!”

Hermione's eyes were filled with resentment and sympathy: "After being rescued by Mr. Scamander, Absu developed severe post-traumatic stress disorder and separation anxiety. He is currently undergoing treatment for his psychological trauma until he is able to live independently without Mr. Scamander."

“But Harry really did take down a whole bunch of Death Eaters,” Ron interjected. “Neville, you missed our impressive group battle!”

Harry held his head in his hand and forced a smile.

“You don’t look well,” Neville said. “Harry, do you need to rest?”

“No, it’s nothing serious,” Harry said with a wry smile. “Tell me about Hogwarts.”

When this topic comes up, Neville's words flow like a torrent: Snape used school rules to sow discord among students, the Carrow siblings used the Cruciatus Curse on students, they trained spies among the students, and they even wanted to raise trolls to torture students... the list goes on and on.

Before Praris even heard of them, they targeted Neville's grandmother, brutally tortured captured DA members, and forced students to drink True Vomit and other terrible potions in order to gain access to the DA's hideout in the Room of Requirement. This all occurred during a period when Praris frequently traveled between the school and the manor.

“This is unbelievable,” Ron muttered. “It’s demonic.”

“Yes,” Neville agreed with Ron, “so we have to be more careful, and we have to thank Prarese for that; she’s always helped Ginny and me…”

“Praris?” Hermione asked. “Have you been in contact?”

Neville nodded: "Yes, she borrowed Ginny's two-way mirror..."

Chapter 295 Crisis of Trust

"What about the two-way mirror?" Harry asked quickly.

Not long ago, Voldemort seemed to have undergone a tremendous change. He became more powerful and had a greater influence on Harry, to the point that even Occlumency could not completely sever this connection.

The Death Eaters' pursuit was relentless, like an inescapable shadow following them closely, and Harry's condition began to deteriorate, with recurring headaches.

The most terrifying thing was that Harry was in sync with Voldemort's emotions. He saw Voldemort burst out of the door after a maniacal laugh, and outside stood Peter Pettigrew and... Prader's calm faces.

Harry's mind was a complete mess; he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He thought, "I must be dreaming."

Once the effects of Voldemort's drug wore off completely, Harry regained his senses and clung to Ron's back, drenched in sweat like a drowned rat.

He thought with a touch of self-deprecation that his brain-blocking technique was getting better and better.

Hermione cried out urgently, "Harry, Voldemort has affected you again! We have to get out of here right now, the Death Eaters will definitely be after us!"

Harry, aware of the stakes, jumped off Ron's back and Apparated again. Strangely, this time Voldemort didn't send any Death Eaters to hunt them down, and the three of them escaped successfully.

"Hey buddy, cheer up!" Ron chuckled, patting Harry on the back. "We're alive again, as hard to catch as the Cornish elves!"

Hermione slapped Ron's hand away: "Can't you tell Harry isn't feeling well? Harry, are you alright?"

She took a thin blanket from her beaded pouch and draped it over Harry, who was still sweating, to keep him warm.

"I saw it..." Harry suddenly spoke, his face grave. "Plares."

"What?" Hermione exclaimed in surprise, then realized what she meant. "You mean, you saw her with the Mystic!"

"She's been captured?" Ron pressed. "Is it because she helped us—Merlin, what are we going to do?"

Ron rambled on, "I admit I don't like Slytherin, but she's a good person. Without her, Bill would make Mom cry her eyes out!"

"Harry—" Hermione ignored Ron and stared intently at Harry, whose expression was complex. "Your look tells me things aren't that simple, are they?"

Harry covered his face and lowered his head helplessly.

For Gryffindor, the archenemy of Slytherin, entrusting their trust is as difficult as surrendering a part of themselves. Once trust is given, it is not easily taken back, unless betrayed and left bloodied, forcibly severing that friendship from their very being.

"No," Harry shook his head and said solemnly, "there's nothing."

Harry did have his doubts. Prader was Snape's relative. What if she switched sides with Voldemort because of this? What if she deceived them like Snape deceived Dumbledore?

Alongside the doubt, Praris repeatedly reached out to help them. This even included Moody's life, Bill's face, and the Horcrux that Dumbledore had mentioned...

Harry dared not think about Praris even once, nor dared he mention it even once, for fear of unintentionally causing the death of his friend who had helped him.

"No, there is." Hermione wasn't so easily fooled.

Harry turned his head to the other side and stubbornly said, "No, no—I said no!"

If Prarese had betrayed them, he would have been finished long ago! Prarese is so smart, if Voldemort had ordered her to find him, they wouldn't have been able to escape at all, not to mention that Prarese taught him Occlumency!

There must be some misunderstanding... But Harry couldn't help thinking that his father and godfather had also believed in Peter Pettigrew in the same way... But comparing Peter Pettigrew to Praris was a bit insulting.

He recalled Winnie's outburst at the Order of the Phoenix, where she berated everyone: "You hypocrites! You can't only think of her as a good person when you need her!"

Ms. Winnie is unable to travel, as she has long been responsible for maintaining the protective magic at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. It's now as solid as an iron fortress, a stark contrast to Winnie's easily triggered temper.

"Harry, I don't know what you saw," Hermione said forcefully, turning Harry's head back. Her voice was hoarse. "But Prader is my friend—my friend of six years. I'm the one who asked Ginny to ask her for help, and if anything happens to her, I can't forgive myself no matter what."

Harry's eyes flickered as he looked into Hermione's almost tearful eyes and whispered, "I saw... he opened the door... standing outside... Peter Pettigrew... and Prader."

Ron and Hermione exclaimed almost simultaneously, "How is this possible!"

"She's a Slytherin..." Ron said, frowning. "Hermione, no, no, no! I mean, although—although she's a Slytherin, she's not like that! There must be some misunderstanding!"

Hermione turned to Harry and said seriously, "Just like how he tricked us into going to the Department of Mysteries with Sirius Black!"

Snape's "betrayal" and Prarese's potential "betrayal" created a depressing atmosphere, leaving all three of them feeling down.

"I believe in Prader." After a long discussion, Harry finally made the final decision: "We'll be back at Hogwarts sooner or later. We'll find out what she's doing very quickly."

“That’s right,” Hermione agreed. “The mysterious power on the locket isolates it from us, but it also prevents us from destroying it. Praris knows a lot of ancient magic; perhaps he has a way to break it. That way, we can kill two birds with one stone.”

Hermione was right. While possessing countless magical abilities, Praris was also one of the few who knew about Horcruxes.

After many twists and turns, Harry and his friends returned to Hogwarts and learned that Prader had given Ginny the two-way mirror, but the mirror had been sent away the day before.

They turned back without hesitation, leaving Neville completely bewildered.

"The mirror?" Aberforth said. "It's been sent somewhere else."

"Who did you give it to?" Harry asked eagerly.

Aberforth retorted shamelessly, "That's none of your business!"

“We need it, Aberforth,” Hermione said, emphasizing each word. “It concerns… many important people and things.”

“Look at what you’re saying!” Aberforth said. “Everyone thinks their own business is important, but there’s only one Praris, and only one pair of two-way mirrors.”

Aberforth refused to hand over the two-way mirror, insisting that he didn't know where the broken mirror had gone, and Harry and his friends couldn't do anything about it.

Ron said optimistically, "Anyway, we're going back to Hogwarts, aren't we? As long as she's still at Hogwarts, we'll have a chance to see her."

This idea is too optimistic; Praris isn't even at Hogwarts.

As Dumbledore had instructed, Prasris must now return to Malfoy Manor to brew potions, ensuring that Voldemort would always have the Soul-Gathering Elixir when needed.

But as soon as she stepped into the house, Mrs. Burstdle informed her that Voldemort had summoned her alone.

Mrs. Burst looked on with schadenfreude: "The master is not in a good mood!"

"So, you're trying to guess what the master is thinking, is that it?" Praris deftly deflected Mrs. Burst's excited mask, revealing her crazed face beneath.