HP North Star's Radiance

Prarese had to remind Pansy, "But I'm the one getting married tomorrow."

“Of course I know!” Pansy slipped in and slid smoothly into Praris’s bed, just like when they hadn’t graduated yet.

Praris smiled and shook his head, then sat on his bed and asked with his head down, "So, my dear lady, what did I do to offend you?"

“I don’t know,” Pansy said blankly. “It’s strange… After graduation, everyone has their own things to do, including you. How long has it been since we last saw each other? When I was little, my mother always doted on me, and her friends doted on their children. Who was my mother’s best friend? I can’t even think of one!”

Pansy buried her head between herself and Praris: "If one day we have children and they don't know that my favorite friend is you, and your children don't know that you have a good friend named Pansy... that would be terrible."

“Play, the adult world is so unfamiliar. You all have your own things to do, but I don’t. I’m still only thinking about what to eat and what to do every day. You’re all adults now, but I’m still stuck in Hogwarts.”

Praris was stunned. She hadn't expected that Pansy, who seemed so cheerful every day, would have so many worries.

But this wasn't Pansy's fault; it was Voldemort's fault. He disrupted the social clock of too many wizards, causing some wizards to never truly be children and thus unable to function properly as adults.

Praris patted Pansy's head and whispered, "No, you are Pansy, in the past, now, and in the future. You just need to be yourself, not what others expect you to be. Flowers bloom in different seasons, so how can the time it takes to grow up be the same?"

“To be honest…” Prarese said softly, “I’m still quite disappointed that Florin’s ice cream is no longer available in Diagon Alley.”

Yes, Potions Master, Wizengamor representative, Potions professor at Hogwarts, and advisor to the Potions Research Oversight Committee says she still enjoys eating ice cream from Florin's Ice Cream Parlor like a child.

Pansy looked up at Praris with bright eyes, as if she understood something he was going through.

“As for us…” Praris gently patted Pansy on the back, “You’re not afraid of losing me, you’re afraid that we’ll become dispensable to each other.”

“But I swear to you, that day will never come. Even if I do have children, they must know who Pansy Parkinson is—who brings me Hogsmeade sweets every weekend, stands up for me and scorns Gryffindor, and stands against the whole world for us.”

At this point, Praris's voice carried a warm smile: "You'll tell your future children with Jacob the same thing, won't you? We'll never be Aunt So-and-so, we'll always be ourselves, Praris and Pansy."

Pansy nodded emphatically: "Of course! Jacob knows which day your three birthdays are!"

“There’s no need to know so much…” Praris was stunned.

Pansy finally smiled, finally able to be happy.

“Besides, Pansy, who says you don’t have any talents or hobbies?” Praris said. “You love reading fashion magazines and witch’s weeklies, and you’re great at matching clothes and jewelry—Mama Prie says you have a great sense of style! Why not give it a try? Maybe this is something you’d enjoy doing…maybe you could even be my future child’s fairy godmother!”

Although there's still no news about the baby, Pansy needs some comfort right now, so let's use that for a bit!

Pansy was finally comforted, and before leaving, she raised her hand and swore, "If Draco bullies you, you must tell me, and I'll stand up for you!"

"Okay, okay!" Praris said, both amused and exasperated.

After seeing Pansy off, Praris lay down on the bed, ready to sleep... but there was another knock on the door.

“Millie?” Praris laughed, leaning against the wall. “Come on, come on, my bed is open for you.”

"What?" Millison exclaimed. "Pansy was here too, wasn't she?!"

Praris responded with a smile.

“I’m really worried—” Millison said, pausing for breath, “I’m really worried you have marriage anxiety!”

So she reached her hand out from behind her back, revealing a bottle of red wine and two wine glasses, which she tossed onto the bed with a clatter. Then she pulled a small bottle of vodka from her robe pocket: "And this, exciting."

"You're here for a drink, aren't you?" Praris laughed, not because he was happy, but because he had no other choice.

Milison said in a tone that seemed to say, "You didn't know that, did you?": "Some players are under a lot of pressure, so the coach will bring alcohol to their rooms to drink together and release that pressure!"

"Drinking the day before a match?" Praris was taken aback.

“That won’t do.” Milison still had his bottom line. “It’s okay during training.”

"Sister!" Praris said helplessly, "I'm getting married tomorrow, not doing a wedding rehearsal. What if I drink too much and can't wake up?"

“Oh right!” Milison exclaimed, “Then you really shouldn’t drink alcohol—are you nervous right now? Let’s go for a nighttime stroll to relax.”

Is this Hogwarts? They're even having nighttime strolls!

Even at Hogwarts, Praris is now the one catching night owls.

Some witches worried they wouldn't grow up, while others were perfectly justified in never growing up. Millison's childhood truly began after Mrs. Burst's death. It's just a pity... that it was her good friends Aunt Becky and Prader who suffered the most.

Praris wiped his face: "Does Aunt Becky know where you are right now?"

“Well… I don’t know,” Milison chuckled awkwardly.

Praris advised her, "Go back quickly, I'm not nervous. But you'll be nervous if your aunt catches you running around the manor."

Milison quickly stuffed the four small bottles of vodka into his robe, then, clutching the bottles and glasses, crouched low and slipped out.

After seeing off the two ancestors, Winnie lay down next to Praris.

"Does Priscilla's mother know you're coming?" Praris was already completely unmoved.

Winnie shook her head and then nodded: "She was too tired and was still half asleep... I said I was getting up to go to the bathroom."

“I’m not nervous,” Praris said preemptively.

Winnie said, confused, "I know! You weren't nervous when you were laughing at Voldemort, so why are you nervous about getting married?"

“That means you’re nervous,” Prarese asserted.

Winnie nodded in agreement.

“I didn’t attend your mother’s wedding.” Winnie’s tone carried a regret that spanned more than twenty years. “When she married a Muggle, I was still a Death Eater.”

Praris fell silent. To this day, she still couldn't have any clear opinion about her biological mother's choice, even though Sylvia's life was over.

“Plares.” Winnie sat up abruptly, uttering a startling statement, “Why don’t you just not get married! Marriage isn’t a good thing! You can date for a lifetime, and if you don’t like someone, you can move on. It’s no big deal!”

Bonus Chapter: Praris's Wedding 2

Hearing Winnie's words, Praris couldn't help but laugh: "Winnie, are you going to take me away from our wedding?"

“If you’d like,” Winnie said without hesitation.

Praris smiled and shook his head: "Do you know how many people will be at tomorrow's wedding?"

“That doesn’t matter,” Winnie said firmly. “If Hill had told the whole world she was going to marry that Muggle, and had decided to run away the moment before she said ‘I do,’ I would have taken her with me!”

Praris smiled knowingly, pressed Winnie's shoulders, and made her lie down: "You're saying this because of your mother—Sylvia's marriage, aren't you? You're worried that I'll end up like her, worried that I'll suffer."

Prarese discussed this issue with another person, namely Snape.

Neither of the two generations of witches in the Prince family, Irene and Sylvia, had happy marriages. And if we take Severus as the center, none of the witches who had close relationships with him met a good end.

But Severus was not one to doubt himself, nor did he believe in fate. When things weren't going well, he would strive to climb higher, and when he made a mistake, he would do everything in his power to make amends.

Faced with Prader's impending marriage, Severus had only a very simple conversation:

"Have you made your decision?"

"Yes."

"I won't stop a fanatical fool from planting himself in the ground, nor will I stop a wise person from pursuing happiness. My only warning to you is: don't make those stupid, low-level mistakes that you used to look down on."

After that, he had a conversation with the Malfoys. Severus didn't say what the conversation was about, and Prarese didn't ask.

Prarese understood Winnie's feelings. Winnie had never truly experienced marriage; she only knew that Sylvia's tragedy began with marriage.

Out of love for Prince and his mother, the best protection she could think of was to keep Prarese from ever getting married, so that she could be as free and unrestrained as she was—as long as she never started, she wouldn't get hurt.

“That’s right!” Winnie suddenly grabbed Praris’s hand, her eyes pleading. “It won’t matter if we don’t get married. We’ll still be a family. Running away from the wedding is fine too. If you can’t stay in England, you can go to America. Elizabeth will appreciate you.”

Praris was truly surprised that Winnie had been so thoughtful. But she calmly shook her head, pulled her hand away from Winnie's, and said gently but firmly, "But I am Praris, not Sylvia."

Winnie looked at her somewhat helplessly: "I'm not—"

“I know you’re not looking for your mother in me,” Praris said. “I understand your concerns. But I’m completely different from Sylvia, so I won’t repeat her mistakes. Sylvia entered into marriage naively, with unrealistic fantasies and a secret she couldn’t escape forever, but I’m not.”

"Draco knows what kind of person I am, and I know what kind of person Draco is. We both know each other's strengths and weaknesses, there are no illusions, and there is nothing to hide or avoid."

Milison once said to Prarese, "Prarese, I've tried everything I can to avoid becoming like my parents."

If someone has already witnessed the pitfalls others have fallen into and still fantasizes that they can escape them by sheer luck, then suffering a stroke that leaves them partially paralyzed is entirely deserved. Praris is alive and well today, having achieved everything she wanted, precisely because she abandoned all illusions from the very beginning and fought cautiously and meticulously.

“I have what Draco lacks, and Draco has what I lack. We also have our own careers and pursuits, potions and alchemy. We need each other, but we don’t depend on each other. Like you said, this is a journey, and we just happened to meet the right traveler.”

Sylvia's dependence on Draco was, at that time, even a nightmare for Praris. She was afraid that she couldn't live without Draco, and she was also afraid that Draco couldn't live without her, to the point that sometimes she had to "escape" Draco briefly.

"I really don't understand you smart people. You think too much when it's important, and you think too much when it's not," Draco grumbled, but there was a hint of heartache in his eyes. His voice grew softer and softer. "Go ahead, go ahead. I'm not some clingy little pet. You can go to Hogwarts!"

"Tell me if you're not happy," Prarese said.

Draco, looking displeased, retorted, "So you're not going just because I don't want to?"

"Not now," Praris said calmly yet warmly, "but I will seriously consider whether or not to make such a decision."

"I was just saying!" Draco was easily appeased, and a smile crept onto his face again. "You'll be back on weekends, Christmas, Easter, and summer vacation, won't you? You'll have more holidays than you did in St. Mungo!"

The fact that students can't leave the school doesn't mean the professors are incompetent. Once they step out of the cast-iron gates, they can teleport away and go home on nights when they're not on duty.

"You've thought this far?" Winnie was somewhat surprised. She hadn't thought about anything in love, just wanted to be happy. Praris's considerations almost made her doubt whether she was the immature one.

Praris nodded calmly: "No matter what field you enter, if you know nothing and rush in recklessly, you are destined to suffer losses."

“I’m not cursing you, I’m just saying what if,” Winnie asked pessimistically, “what if you’ve done so much preparation and considered so many things, and still don’t get a good outcome? Aren’t you afraid?”

“I’m not afraid.” Praris’s dark eyes seemed to emerge from the darkness and pierce through it again. “We are destined to die from birth, so shouldn’t we live?”

"The meaning of life has never been about that known, pessimistic end, but about every single moment we live. Marriage is the same; it may end in unhappiness or happiness. I am ready to begin, and I have the courage and ability to face whatever may happen. No matter what the outcome, the process of having each other is already a reward enough."

Prarese didn't promise Winnie anything about being happy; that would be unrealistic and illogical. She simply told Winnie that she was prepared for anything, unafraid of any difficulties, and would do her best to create a happy ending.

But it was precisely these words that made Winnie accept them completely. She reached out and hugged Praris tightly, kissed her cheek, and whispered, "I understand, I completely understand."

“Praris, I have nothing else to say,” Winnie said with a smile. “In the end, I just want to tell you that whether you need it or not, you can always turn back. We will always stand behind you, and you will always have the chance to regret it.”

Prarese escorted Winnie to her room, and Winnie turned back reluctantly, saying, "You must be happy... no, please try to be happy."

“Okay.” Praris said with a helpless smile, “I promise you. I haven’t broken any promises so far.”

After watching Winnie leave, Prarese finally breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to close the door.

“I said—” a familiar voice rang out, “I’m trying my best to maintain your credibility.”

Praris turned her head and saw Draco leaning against the wall in his pajamas and robes, striking a handsome pose.

"That's so kind of you?" she said, unable to suppress a smile. "Then I really have to trouble you, Lord Draco."

Draco said contentedly, "Great, great! Go to sleep now, or you won't be able to wake up tomorrow!"

Praris didn't ask Draco why he came, nor how much he had heard... Anyway, Draco didn't ignore or treat what he saw carelessly, but made a promise in his own way, and that was enough.

She waited a little longer to make sure no one else intended to have a late-night talk with her before finally falling asleep.