HP North Star's Radiance

Daphne glanced at her sister, turned her head, and said coldly, "You mean, feelings built on lies?"

“Play never lied to you, she never said what her bloodline was!” Astoria walked around to her sister’s side. “If you had known from the beginning that Play was mixed-race, would you still have been friends with her?”

“No!” Daphne said coldly.

“Daphne, you scare me!” Astoria took a few steps back. “You were the one who said you didn’t recognize me because I was friends with Kiki, you were the one who knelt down and begged for my life, you were the one who dated Pray for seven years, and you were the one who distanced yourself from her because of our bloodline… Which one is the real you?”

Daphne said, "This is all me."

Prarese had anticipated this outcome from the start: becoming friends with an extreme pureblood. She didn't hate Daphne, just felt a little regretful.

Victory cannot solve all problems; the rifts between people still exist, and the complexity and contradictions of human nature have never disappeared.

Slytherin is the shrewd opportunist, the rebel who broke free of his shackles, the individualist who remained true to himself, and also the one bound by the so-called pure-blood ideology.

Mentioning Theodore inevitably brings to mind Daphne, another extreme pureblood, which stirs up painful memories for Praris. Draco, unusually realizing he'd misspoke, shrugged and said, "Anyway, he doesn't see many people these days... Zabini might come."

Old Nott was tried as a Death Eater, and Theodore, after graduating, also lived a secluded life, rarely venturing out.

Zabini and Prareus had their share of verbal sparring back then, but he didn't see it as a personal attack. Like the early Prareus, he treated everyone equally—though he was critical of everyone. He wasn't an extreme pureblood purist; even purebloods could be attacked by his words, but he primarily despised Gryffindors.

At night, Praris still lives in Diagon Alley.

Draco wanted her to move into Malfoy Manor, but Prass refused. She didn't live in the Leaky Cauldron, but instead resided on the second floor of the beauty salon.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry were all there. Hermione was trying on lipsticks in the store, while Ron and Harry were watching Winnie's little tricks.

“This suits you perfectly,” Ms. Priscilla said with a smile. “You’re a beautiful girl, and this color of lipstick makes you look sharper and more powerful.”

Hermione looked in the mirror for a long time and said, "If only the female employees of the Ministry of Magic didn't have to wear lipstick... oh, I mean, they could wear it if they wanted and not wear it if they didn't."

“Then my business will suffer a bit,” Ms. Prie said gently, “but I will be very happy.”

Winnie tapped the glass with her wand, gesturing for Ron to take it. As soon as Ron got it, he was shocked to find the water inside had turned orange-yellow; then it turned red.

“Oh! Look, Ron was in a good mood just now, but now he’s very surprised and excited!” Winnie said with a grin. “Ron, give the cup to Harry.”

Harry took the cup, and the cup immediately turned blue.

Winnie glanced at Harry with surprise: "Looks like you're having some troubles!"

Harry returned the cup to Winnie, who didn't inquire about the reason for Harry's bad mood. Instead, she began teaching them the little trick: "This is a spell suitable for underage wizards, and it's one of the first spells I taught Praris. The spell is—Mind Projection!"

“Kids will love this,” Ron said, clenching his fist and rubbing his hands together excitedly. “Winnie, I want to learn this so I can play with Little Teddy!”

“Ron!” Hermione called back, “Don’t talk like you’re teasing a dog!”

Ron muttered to himself, "Harry, she's judging my pure heart with her filthy thoughts!"

“It does look somewhat similar,” Harry said honestly.

Praris burst through the door: "What? Teasing a dog? Who owns a dog? Sirius Black?"

“Hermione, look!” Ron pointed and gestured. “It’s all your fault!”

Hermione glared at him, and Ron immediately shrank back.

Upon seeing Praris, Harry immediately stood up and asked, "Shall we leave now?"

“What’s the rush!” Praris waved his hand dismissively. “I just got off work and you won’t even let me eat a bite—Hermione, what are you going to eat? I’ll have the guys at the Leaky Cauldron make it.”

“Women are natural allies,” Ron shrugged. “Any barbecue?”

“If you want to eat—” Praris paused for a few seconds before continuing, “No. You’ll have beans!”

Hermione chuckled and said, "Women are natural allies, aren't they?"

"I'm sorry!" Ron quickly apologized. "You're not really going to make me eat beans, are you?"

Harry patted him on the shoulder and shook his head with a tsk.

"Harry, will you serve me some food?" Ron asked expectantly.

“Of course not!” Harry exclaimed in surprise. “Help you? I still want to have dinner!”

The kind-hearted women's ally generously allowed Ron to eat the roast meat he wanted.

Later, in the side story, Praris 2

Fifth floor of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries, Department of Enchanted Injuries, Janus Sitch's Ward.

"Thank you, Mr. Alexander."

Prarese greeted his colleagues and led Harry and his two companions into Dumbledore's ward.

This is a permanent patient ward where all patients suffering from long-term damage are housed, including the Longbottoms, who were harmed by the Cruciatus Curse, and Lockhart, who was persecuted by the Oblivion Curse.

The former has regained some of her senses and was discharged from the hospital in the middle of this year. This was Prasris's first study at St. Mungo's, which made her stand out and allowed her to "monopolize" Dumbledore's treatment for a long time as a non-professional therapist.

"You're welcome," Alexander said with a friendly smile.

After Alexander left, Harry sat at the foot of Dumbledore's bed, head bowed, gazing at Dumbledore's aged face for a long time: "When I first met Dumbledore, he was already old. At that time, I was amazed that I could not imagine him when he was young... Now, he is even older and weaker than before."

Back in Hogwarts, Dumbledore, though old, was lively, humorous, playful, energetic, and full of strength, unlike his current quiet and powerless state as he lies in his sickbed.

“Prareth, is it really possible for Dumbledore to wake up?” Harry asked worriedly.

“My research takes time,” Prarese said calmly, “but he will maintain this level and it won’t get worse.”

……

"But he will maintain this state; it won't get worse."

From an unusual angle, the reporter secretly photographed Prader and Dumbledore, excluding Harry, Dumbledore, and the other two who were also present.

This magical photograph was posted on the front page of the Daily Prophet with the headline: "Blasphemy or Salvation? War Hero Prince Accused of Manipulating Dumbledore's Soul!"

"I believe many readers, like myself, still feel grateful for the victory in the war and thank heroes like Harry Potter and Prader Prince for their contributions."

But is that really the case?

A few days ago, I received an anonymous tip from a professional therapist at St. Mungo's, accusing the renowned Prader Prince of manipulating the soul of Albus Dumbledore!

Prince's honors in the Second Wizarding War are world-renowned; she saved Dumbledore from danger several times. How could she do such a thing? The author and the reader are just as incredulous.

Further investigation revealed that while St. Mungo's also offered treatments for the soul, these were extremely rare due to ethical constraints. The therapist happened to have some knowledge in this area and discovered that, as Prince stated in the photograph, Dumbledore's condition was remarkably stable.

As far as the healers knew, Dumbledore's physical injuries could be repaired, but the damage to his soul could not be erased. The only one who could access Dumbledore and was capable of doing so was Prince.

The therapist believed that Prince was not treating a patient, but conducting a dangerous magical experiment. For her own purposes, she disregarded the ethics of magical medicine, forcibly pausing or even reversing the natural process of death.

This prompts deeper reflection. Such actions cannot be accomplished in a short time. Perhaps Prince had already begun her experiments long before being forced to submit to Voldemort. As fellow Slytherin, and even Voldemort's former subordinate, is this experiment a continuation or another manifestation of Voldemort's will…?

Newspapers were spread out on the table, each with a similar headline: the same ones that had praised Prares not long ago, and now they were kicking him while he was down.

“Abandon Dumbledore, Prareus,” Lucius said urgently. “Now is a sensitive time in the post-war period, and those people will probably find no reason to pull a Slytherin down from his high position.”

“Granger is in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Potter is in the Auror's office, the Weasleys have also found a way in, Longbottom is at Hogwarts... You are the most prestigious one in Slytherin, they would love to knock you down... Defeating you would indirectly attack Stewart, and if there is no successor after Stewart, all of Slytherin will be affected.”

Lucius is right. So many Death Eaters were captured and brought to Azkaban, and although they only had time to recruit a few young Slytherins—Prareth, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were not yet graduates at the time—the impact on Slytherin was still extremely negative.

The post-war purge of Voldemort's faction severely weakened Slytherin.

The only saving grace was that, thanks to the post-war management vacuum, Praris's endorsement, and the need to balance the interests of all parties, Stella was able to be promoted to the position of Under-Secretary of State for Magic. To make up for the consequences of most Slytherins' wrong choices during the war, she worked like a tireless ox in the fields.

All Lucius could think of was to get Prarese to give up on Dumbledore, deny the so-called "soul manipulation," and admit that his words were just a doctor's way of comforting the "family"—after all, such things were not uncommon.

The Malfoys remained somewhat dissatisfied with Praris's bloodline, but were quite pleased with her status, power, and actions. Although they had their share of disagreements in private, they united against external threats when it mattered most, bringing her into their inner circle and doing everything they could to protect her.

Seeing the heavy atmosphere around the long table, Draco cleared his throat: "Praris, don't worry. The Daily Prophet knows what to say and what not to say. They'll report something else that's eye-catching, and after a while, who will even remember this?"

—He spent the money! Write something you'll enjoy reading!

Neither Lucius nor Draco's words affected Praris, who calmly said, "Six hours after seeing the report, I submitted a document to the Ministry of Magic, which will be published tomorrow."

Playing dead is a common coping strategy, but it's tantamount to admitting Prarese's guilt and guilty conscience. This will become a permanent stain on her record, one she can never erase, no matter how high her future achievements may be.

Since we don't want to play dead, the best approach is naturally to understand the situation and respond as quickly as possible.

“The one who betrayed me was Alexander, the current therapist in the Janus Sitch ward,” Praris said with a sigh. “He doesn’t hate me; on the contrary, he appreciates my talent and thinks I’ve gone astray.”

“Alexander believed that my talent would drag the field of potions research onto an out-of-control train. Out of a sense of mission to save potions research, he accused me to the Daily Prophet and Wizengamo... Look, there's even a professional version of his accusations below, which he had the reporters post.”

Finding the culprit would have been incredibly easy for Prares, but it was to no avail. Alexander was a staunch fundamentalist. He accused Prares out of ideals and beliefs, not self-interest, placing himself on a moral high ground.

Narcissa raised an eyebrow and said with disgust, "The most troublesome are these self-righteous brutes! Once you get them... it's as hard to get rid of as the stench of a can of herring."

Praris remained noncommittal. Alexander's choice was sound from his own perspective, but he chose the worst possible approach.

"So, you think Alexander will let this go?" Praris seized on the core issue. "We can control the Daily Prophet to stop talking bad about me, but can we demand that they not speak objectively? We can control the Daily Prophet's mouth, but can we stop all the tabloids? The more we try to stop them from saying it, the more it will spread behind our backs, and it will be even worse and more unpleasant than what we are hearing now!"

“So?” Narcissa sat up straight, her eyes revealing admiration for Praris. “What did you write in your letters to the Ministry of Magic and Wizengamor, Praris?”

“If we have something to say, we’ve said it, and then no one else will have anything to say,” Praris said calmly. “The more open we are, the less likely there are any other issues behind this. Before Wisengamo could even summon me, I preemptively demanded a public hearing on this matter…”

The trio had to leave work through the "back door," much to their annoyance as persistent reporters demanded their opinions on the Praris incident.

Harry, barely containing his anger, told the reporter, "My knowledge of potions is far inferior to that of the healers and apothecaries at St. Mungo's, so I won't comment. But if you ask me whether Dumbledore should have been revived, I have only one answer—yes!"

“These people are going too far!” Ron complained. “Dumbledore became like this all to save more people, and yet they’re blaming Prader who treated Dumbledore!”

Hermione quickened her pace and walked up to them, saying seriously, "That's not how it's understood—it's a matter of potions ethics!"

“Of course I support Praris, but what if Praris changes her mind one day? Could she use her power for something improper? And what if someone else gains access to the knowledge she possesses? That’s what the wizards are worried about.”

After saying that, she turned to Harry and said approvingly, "Harry, you handled it very well, keep it up."

"What's so good about it?" Ron asked quickly.

Hermione gave a forced smile and said with exasperation, "Anywhere is fine!"

“Yes, Porter’s statement was excellent,” Stella remarked. “I almost thought Granger had taught him to say it, but no, it came from his own heart.”

“This is very advantageous for us, Praris,” Stella said. “Potter hasn’t declared himself to be on your side. In fact, he’s on Dumbledore’s side. But this is tantamount to tying your actions to Dumbledore’s life. No matter how things turn out, you have a chance to salvage the situation and claim that your motives were good.”

This was Harry's simple emotion, and his unwavering support for his friend. Upon learning of Harry's words on her behalf, Praris couldn't help but smile gently.

“You’re being too forceful,” Stella shook her head helplessly, but what she said was, “I admire your approach, Praris—your proposal has taken those people by surprise. It’s no longer just a matter of your personal style; it’s become a public policy debate.”

This was something Stella hadn't expected either.

As the newly appointed Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Magic, she received the charges against Prasris immediately, even before Kingsley. She hurriedly informed Prasris and the Malfoys, only to be met with Prasris's subsequent request for a hearing and proposal against Wizengamor... This was almost the second person to catch Wizengamor off guard, the first being Dumbledore.

Stella initially thought Prares would try to justify her actions with sophistry. She knew such a response was too fragile, easily exploited by stubborn informants and Slytherin's political enemies who would kick her while she was down. However, it was the least costly strategy for post-war Slytherin and the best way to protect herself. After all, Slytherin couldn't afford any more losses now.

But Prarese's choice deviated from Alexander's established framework, leaving Wisengamour somewhat unprepared and prompting him to study Prarese's proposal overnight.