HP North Star's Radiance

“Now, Hogwarts has many wounded, and Madam Pomfrey needs you. Dumbledore's survival after the Astronomy Tower incident is the best proof of your innocence. As long as you tell Neville that you instructed me to give them the potions, no one will question you anymore.”

His logic was clear, his thinking was perfect, and it sounded very reasonable, but Snape was not someone to be easily fooled.

"Is that so?" He scrutinized Praris and said calmly, "Why should I prove myself? Miss Praris, aren't you my proof? Or rather—what are you planning to do?"

Prarese was exposed. She looked calmly at Snape, her tone almost indifferent: "I'm going back to Mystic, sir."

“You won’t let me go to my death, yet you’re courting it yourself,” Snape said sarcastically. “Plares, your mother… that’s an incredibly foolish decision!”

He barely managed to swallow the words, "Your mother didn't want to see you so soon."

“I have to go. It’s something I promised Dumbledore. He kept his promise, so how can I go back on my word?” Praris said softly. “Severus…can I call you Severus? I see other people call their family members that. Wait for me at Hogwarts, okay? I haven’t revealed my identity, and I’m still of value to Vlad the Void. He won’t kill me.”

“Yes,” Snape said again, “No.”

The former is an answer to the name "Severus," while the latter is a rejection of her leaving alone.

“Alright, Severus,” Prareus said. “This is informing, not negotiating. You know me; you’ve never managed to stop me when I want to do something.”

Snape's hand moved. He raised his wand, then lowered it again, his voice carrying a hint of pleading that Prasris had never seen before: "Prasris, don't underestimate the Dark Lord's cruelty. We can't be sure he didn't see the truth in Potter's mind. Come with me, don't force me..."

"You're going to use magic on me?" Praris asked, her tone less accusatory and more like a statement of fact. "To bind me like an enemy, is that it?"

Prareas knew his professor all too well. Severus would never do that; even if he really angered him, he would at most receive a few words of reprimand.

But those words would make him waver.

The instant Snape paused, stunned by those words, three vines shot out from behind him. Snape instinctively turned to defend himself, but a flash of red light appeared behind him.

The red light knocked his wand away, and three vines quickly bound him tightly. Prareus reached out and took Snape's wand in one swift motion.

That's right, Snape won't tie up Prareus, but Prareus will tie up Snape.

“You taught me this,” Prarese said. “Being soft-hearted is the worst weakness.”

Having said that, she stepped forward, grabbed Snape's arm tightly, and the servant vanished from the spot. This was Snape's last chance to stop Prasris. He could have struggled and hindered the servant's appearance, but that could have resulted in Prasris being split in two.

Just as Prarees said, being soft-hearted is the most unacceptable flaw. From the moment he resolved to protect this child, Snape was destined for utter defeat in her presence.

A whooshing sound rang out, and everyone in the House of Request simultaneously raised their wands, pointing them in the direction from which the sound came.

"Put everything down!" Neville shouted, then hesitated before saying, "You're back—are you hurt?"

Prareus shook his head and solemnly said to Neville, "Neville, I don't believe you think Professor Snape was completely unaware of what I did. Yes, all the help I received from you was at his instruction, and he has always covered for my little schemes. He is a member of the Order of the Phoenix, always has been."

A good reputation for helping DA is of no importance to Praliss, but clearing Snape's name is. If she's unlucky enough to never return, then her Uncle Severus will still have to live on with honor.

Neville was taken aback: "Huh?"

The people in the room who were always there for help were also bewildered. Judging from Neville's reaction, Prader was indeed one of their own. But they only knew that Snape hadn't actually killed Dumbledore; they hadn't realized that Snape had been secretly helping them all along.

Several Slytherins—Evan, Meryl, Milison, and Astoria—stood up in surprise.

Upon seeing them, Prarese immediately said, "Lia, Millie, you're here just in time! I have important business to attend to, so I'm leaving Professor Snape in your care!"

After saying that, she looked at Snape, who was tightly bound by vines and whose eyes were filled with shock, anger and despair, and left only one sentence: "I'm sorry, but I have my reasons for doing this."

After saying that, Praris Apparated away again.

The members of the Room of Requirement hurriedly asked Neville what was going on. Neville responded to more than a dozen mouths, keeping him extremely busy. Only Slytherin remembered Snape lying on the ground.

Four students rushed forward, looking helplessly at their former headmaster. Snape, suppressing his anger, shouted, "Untie me!"

Milison nudged Astoria: "Lia, didn't you say you learned a trick from Praris?"

“Yes!” Astoria nodded. “Just one trick! Milison, you don’t really expect me to break Praris’s magic, do you?”

Meryl jumped to her feet and ran out quickly, startling Evan who reached out and shouted, "Meryl! Where are you going!"

"Find Miss Brown!" Meryl had already run quite a distance, only her distant voice echoing, "She's skilled at breaking spells!"

Snape was utterly disillusioned with his student's intellectual condition. He gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "Stop—with—the—curse!"

Damn it, how did Flitwick teach his students?!

Why don't these people know that only harmful spells need to be dispelled to eliminate the damage caused by the spell, while non-harmful spells can be broken simply by using the "Spell Stop" technique?

Astoria hastily drew her wand and pointed it at the vine. Soon, the vine drooped limply to the ground, and Snape was freed from his control. He immediately stood up, raised his wand, but made no further move.

The three Slytherin students looked at him, then exchanged bewildered glances. Finally, Millison, the eldest and closest to Praris, spoke up, asking, "Headmaster Snape, what's going on—"

Snape sighed, lowered his wand, and asked, "No, where is Madam Pomfrey?"

“Shall I take you there?” Milison said.

Perhaps this was also part of Prader's plan, and Snape's pursuit now would be futile. He had no idea where Voldemort was, nor which way Prader was headed. All he could do was wait, and, as Prader had suggested, assist Madam Pomfrey with her work.

Snape realized he had to keep busy. He was afraid that if he stopped, the child's parting words, "I'm sorry," just like her mother's, would echo in his mind. He was afraid that if he stopped, he would involuntarily imagine the child's tragic end.

Prareas admits she was a liar, that she lied to Snape, and that this was not just about fulfilling her promise to Dumbledore.

Yes, this was part of Prader's and Dumbledore's plan, but she and Dumbledore had already settled their score; in fact, Dumbledore owed her quite a bit! Under these circumstances, it wouldn't matter if she didn't do it, since Dumbledore couldn't possibly get up and settle accounts with her anyway.

But she still chooses to go.

Prairie never forgot the image of Voldemort pointing his wand at Severus, nor the image of Sylvia collapsing helplessly, nor the six months of hardship she had endured—the plan had to be carried out, Voldemort had to die!

“Master!” Praris exclaimed excitedly, parting the bushes. “I’ve finally found you… Bella, what do you mean by this?”

Several Death Eaters pointed their wands at her.

Upon seeing Praris, Voldemort tilted his head and feigned surprise: "Oh, Praris, what a surprise! I thought you'd never appear before me again."

As for whether this "wouldn't" meant "dare not" or "couldn't," Voldemort didn't say for sure; he was waiting for Praris to explain.

“I also thought I would never see you again,” Praris said with lingering fear. “But thankfully, a wizard like Dumbledore, who prides himself on being upright, would not kill a student.”

"Oh?" Voldemort said softly, "So, you're trapped?"

Praris nodded and then shook his head: "I'm not sure... they knocked me out. When I woke up, I found myself tied up, and the shack was empty except for me."

Bella shrieked, "Liar! Then how did you escape!"

“I thought I was doomed too!” Praris glared at Bella, then looked at Voldemort with utmost respect. “But as I lay there, the magic that had been binding me just disappeared on its own.”

Bella said, "How is that possible—"

"Alright, alright." Voldemort raised his right hand, gesturing for everyone to put down their wands. "Bellatrix, that's certainly possible."

“Yes!” Mrs. Burst agreed, “My master’s magic is so powerful that he killed Dumbledore, so naturally that old man’s magic is useless!”

Mrs. Burst wasn't speaking favorably of Praris; she was simply praising Voldemort's achievements and abilities.

"And what about Severus?" Voldemort asked.

Praris shook his head: "I don't know, Master."

“He must have run away!” Bella speculated about Snape with the worst possible assumption. “He knew he would be punished for failing to kill Dumbledore, so he ran away!”

Praliss passed the test and was allowed to stand among the Death Eaters again. She looked around; there were two blood-soaked giants, a werewolf anxiously gnawing on his fingers, some wizards wearing hoods, some not. Like the other Death Eaters, she bowed her head, waiting for Harry to appear—Voldemort seemed certain Harry would come.

To be honest, one of Prader's goals was to prevent Harry from not showing up. Dumbledore firmly believed that Harry would face death calmly, but Prader didn't trust human nature; she believed more in a meticulously planned scheme.

If Harry backs down at the last minute, then Prarese will find a reason to use magic to track Harry down, just like he did with Dumbledore, and have Harry killed by Voldemort—yes, the magic that found Dumbledore was originally meant to find Harry.

"That's too cruel for you," Dumbledore sighed. "I believe..."

"You believe it!" Praris sneered. "You believed in James Potter and Sirius, and then Harry's family was destroyed! Dumbledore, belief is the cheapest emotion in the world; nobody really cares!"

Dumbledore sighed. "It was an accident. Nobody expected it..."

"Once you don't expect it, you don't expect it again," Praris said cruelly. "Can we afford to have any more unexpected surprises?"

"Of course, you can trust me," Praris softened his tone, "and you can't possibly have thought of it. But I will perfect everything, and even if you didn't expect it, everything will go according to plan, and everything that should happen will happen."

Let Gryffindors be brave; Slytherin will take over, like a snake lying in wait, to deal with the prey that escapes from the lion's jaws.

Praderes had never killed anyone, nor had she indirectly caused anyone's death, but she coldly devised this plan to send Harry to his heroic death.

Dumbledore looked intently at Praris.

"Don't look at me like that," Praris sneered. "Isn't that what you've been hoping for? Just wrapped in a relatively mild cloak."

But Prareas found, with mixed feelings, that the look in his eyes wasn't one of disdain, but rather a gentle gaze of empathy—he seemed to see a reflection of himself in Prareas at some point.

She avoided Dumbledore's gaze and softened her tone: "If I could, I wouldn't want to have to do this either. But if that moment inevitably comes, I will carry it out strictly and without wavering."

Chapter 304 Slytherin's Determination

It is a cruel thing to be determined to force someone to die. Dumbledore himself could not do it, nor did he expect anyone else to. But Prarese's strength and decisiveness far exceeded Dumbledore's imagination.

“If someone has to do this…” Prarese said in a low voice, “then I hope it’s myself.”

—At least she can keep up in crucial moments.

Slytherin's extraordinary determination and strong will always seem to come in handy at the necessary moments.

By choosing to return to Voldemort's side, Prader was prepared for the possibility of dying himself, or even witnessing Harry's death.

This wasn't because she was inherently brave or cruel, but because there always had to be someone to do the dirty work to ensure the new solar energy rose without any gloom.

rustling sounds—

The sound of footsteps came from the jungle. All the Death Eaters turned their gazes toward the direction from which the footsteps came, then numbly lowered their heads again.

It was Yaxley and Dolokhov. The former looked pale, probably because he was being punished for recommending Sylvia.

“We didn’t see him,” Dolokhov said respectfully.

Praris couldn't see Voldemort's expression, but she saw Bella bow down and say, "Master..."

Voldemort raised a hand to stop Bella from speaking. She then fell silent, looking at Voldemort with adoration, like a devout believer.

Prarese suddenly remembered something: neither Mrs. Burstdle nor Pettigrew were here. The former never hid her true self, and the latter was easily recognizable, but she hadn't seen either of them.

All eyes were on Voldemort, awaiting his speech.

“I thought he would come,” Voldemort said, his voice tinged with regret and contempt. “I was hoping he would come.”

Praris lowered his head, gripped his robe tightly with both hands, took a deep breath, and stood up.

“My lord,” Praris stepped out from the crowd, bowed to Voldemort, and said respectfully, “Potter is ungrateful. Please allow me to use some underhanded tricks to ‘invite’ him to your presence and offer him the final brick in the palace of your great cause.”

“You bastard!” Praris turned around and noticed Hagrid tied to the tree, struggling and shouting, “You despicable bastard! You betrayed your classmate! Harry—run! Harry! Don’t come!”

She seemed a little too nervous to notice that such a large person was tied up here.