HP North Star's Radiance

"Ah! Really!" Milison immediately looked up. "That's great! He really did it! Ahhh, I hope I can become a famous commentator someday, maybe I'll even meet Marcus on the field!"

“Of course you will,” Praris said gently.

The next morning, Praris sat at the long table in the auditorium as usual, spreading jam on bread.

She thought she would see Draco angry for Potter today, but Draco had mocked Potter last night and had already forgotten about it.

“As long as you get close to it, you can hear whatever you want to hear,” Draco said proudly. “You can hear anything.”

Draco has been obsessed with fixing junk since last summer vacation, and the thing he's holding now is called the "Triton Conch".

Praris put down the bread, picked up the conch shell, and looked at it again and again: "Then I want to hear the sound of the waves."

After saying that, she brought the conch shell close to her ear and, sure enough, heard the "rustling" sound of the waves.

Praris exclaimed in surprise, "I really heard it!"

Draco said smugly, "Look at you, making such a fuss over nothing. This is just a small experiment of mine."

“Can I hear too?” Miles appeared behind them.

Draco looked Miles up and down and nodded: "Miles? I didn't expect you to be so curious."

Prarese handed the conch shell to Miles, who smiled at her and took it, saying, "Thank you, Prarese."

Draco said in a strange tone, "You two seem to know each other quite well."

Chapter 79 Smart People and "Smart People"

Miles said matter-of-factly, "That's right, we're friends."

After saying that, he actually listened to the conch shell very attentively.

Upon hearing this, Draco froze, looking at Praris in disbelief, then at Miles.

Praris did not deny Miles's words, but simply lowered his head and continued eating his bread.

Draco suddenly leaned closer to her and whispered, "I never knew you and Blake were friends... Is this your new source of amusement?"

Praris does sometimes do some strange things without telling anyone. Even Milison and the others have gotten used to Praris suddenly disappearing for a while and then suddenly reappearing.

Draco couldn't help but care about it; a bug was crawling around in his mind.

Praliss wasn't a very sociable person. She and Miles weren't in the same grade, she wasn't very interested in Quidditch, and she didn't have many male friends.

Most importantly, Miles and Marcus have a lot in common.

Draco couldn't forget the speculations people had about the relationship between Praris and Marcus, and many people had even secretly shipped them as a couple.

If Praris hadn't personally denied it—

“That’s an interesting thing to say.” Praris glanced at him sideways. “Do I have to report to you about my affairs every day? I have to go now.”

Praris fled the auditorium as if he were escaping.

She found it hard to process that atmosphere; even though nothing had happened, it made her restless.

too weird.

Praris shivered.

She put on the hood of her cloak and walked up the stairs, circle by circle, until she reached the top floor of the Astronomical Tower.

The Astronomy Tower is a good place; no one attends classes there during the day, and few people linger there after class in the evening.

Praris took out the key Sinister had given him, opened the door to the astronomy classroom, and pulled out Stella's "legacy"—edamame and peanuts—from a drawer in the corner, and began to eat them with gusto.

It's all those two guys' fault, she didn't get any food at all!

Knock knock knock—

Praris opened the classroom door and waved to the person who entered.

“Hi Hermione, good morning,” Prareas asked her in a friendly manner. “Would you like some snacks to go with your drinks? But we only have snacks, no drinks.”

Hermione shook her head: "No, I've already eaten. How did you get the key to the astronomy classroom?"

The Astronomy Tower is indeed an astronomy tower, and the tower itself is easily accessible. However, the astronomy classroom is locked, as Sinister has hidden many treasures there and has specially crafted an anti-theft spell for it.

“Professor Sinister is actually very easy to talk to.” Praris paused for a moment and said, “Okay, that super cool model behind you is one I bought.”

Hermione gave a short laugh, then sighed: "You believe—"

“I believe it,” Prarese said.

Hermione smiled happily: "I knew you would believe us! Someone is definitely trying to harm Harry, but we don't know who it is or what their purpose is."

“That’s true, we’re missing a lot of information,” Prarees said. “Let’s brainstorm. At the moment, the most suspicious are Bagman, Crouch, and Moody.”

Hermione exclaimed in surprise, "Why would you doubt Moody?! Because you've faced him before? I haven't told you yet, you're so cool!"

Prarese said calmly, "Thank you for the compliment. But why don't you speak up for Bagman and Crouch? And, Miss, do you think I'm the kind of person who would be prejudiced against someone just because they offended me?"

"Uh, that's not what I meant." Hermione said somewhat awkwardly.

“I know that too.” Praris smiled faintly.

"Those who were already in the school had countless ways to deal with Porter; they didn't need to use such a complicated and potentially unsuccessful method—even if their goals went beyond this. This could only have been done by an outsider who appeared this year. So the target narrows down to the two principals, Bagman, Crouch, and Moody."

Hermione quickly understood her meaning: "Mrs. Maxim and Karkaroff aren't familiar with Hogwarts, so they're ruled out. You read the newspapers often, so you should know that Bagman and Crouch were at the Death Eaters' gathering during the World Cup. So they remain suspects. And of course, there's the matter of Sparkle."

Hermione explained the situation with the house-elf, Brilliant. Harry lost his wand, and the Dark Mark suddenly appeared in the sky. At the same time, Brilliant, the house-elf, appeared in the woods holding Harry's wand.

Shining is Crouch's house-elf.

Prarese nodded: "Hermione, I really admire your quick wit."

“But Crouch and Moody hate Death Eaters the most,” Hermione said, puzzled. “They’re the ones who sent many Death Eaters there!”

“People still think Sirius betrayed the Potters and was Voldemort’s henchman!” Praris laughed contemptuously. “If we were so easily swayed by others’ opinions, we could just read the Skeeter news!”

Hermione took a deep breath: "You're right!"

“Bagman is certainly a suspect,” Prarese suddenly said. “I found out he was accused of helping the Death Eater Lukewood. But his magic isn’t very good. Crouch and Moody are more likely to bypass Dumbledore’s age limit.”

"Chief Crouch, he seems like a perfect hero, but his son is a Death Eater. He also lost his family fighting Voldemort. It's possible that his personality changed drastically and he turned against Voldemort because of this—don't be angry, this is just a brainstorming session."

Hermione said angrily, "Do heroes have to have flawless morals? Even their families have to be morally upright!"

Praris laughed. "You're right, I don't want it to be like this either, but that's what people demand. We're working hard to catch the person who framed Potter, so we shouldn't be biased by emotions. Even if the suspect is Professor Snape, I'll put him on the list until I find evidence to clear him of suspicion."

“I’m sorry.” Hermione clenched her fist. “I wasn’t calm enough. What about Moody?”

“Moody, he has enough strength,” Praris said. “The newspapers say he came to Hogwarts because he attacked the dung bins, violating the Statute of Secrecy, and was expelled by the Ministry of Magic. But his current mental state is clearly not consistent with what the newspapers say. Although he is cruel, sensitive, and suspicious, he is far from being hysterical.”

Prarese didn't tell Hermione all her suspicions, as she couldn't be sure whether Moody would use Legilimency on Hermione.

“That doesn’t qualify as evidence,” Hermione reminded her.

Praris shrugged. "That's why I said it's just a hunch, and every year the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is different. I'll keep an eye on him, what does Potter say?"

Hermione said, distressed, "Oh, I really don't know what to do. Sirius is almost in Scotland, but Harry still won't tell him about it, unless I keep insisting—"

“Sirius will find out sooner or later,” Praris said.

Hermione nodded: "Yes, in the newspaper."

Prarese almost coldly revealed Harry's mindset: "Hermione, Potter doesn't believe adults will solve his problems. I've heard his aunt and uncle aren't very nice to him, which probably affects his behavior. Adults are untrustworthy, so he can only rely on himself."

"Therefore, he would trust Dumbledore's strength and wisdom, but he would not believe that Dumbledore could solve his problems. He believed that Sirius loved him, but he was also unwilling to trouble Sirius. He was afraid that his actions would cause him to lose a loved one, just like losing his parents."

Hermione was stunned: "Maybe it's not that serious. Where did you learn all this?"

“Some amateur psychology and criminal psychology,” Prarese said. “Muggle stuff, very interesting.”

“Oh no, criminal psychology!” Hermione covered her face. “Also, Harry and Ron had a fight. I finally understand how Harry felt last year, being caught in the middle between them.”

"Why? He doesn't believe Potter either?" Praris raised an eyebrow.

Hermione shook her head: "No, Ron is jealous of Harry."

"Does Weasley have to pick a fight with someone every year?" Praris couldn't help but complain.

Hermione laughed upon hearing this: "You probably don't believe it, but he's the best-natured one among us. Harry and I are much more stubborn than him. I also know a little about psychology. Just wait, Ron will convince himself."

"Looks like it was the same last year?" Praris said with a smile.

Hermione laughed happily: "Yes, he apologized to Crookshanks."

“That’s incredible,” Praris said. “It seems the relationship between the three of you depends on Weasley. Only when he comes to his senses can the three of you be harmonious and happy. Well, you should comfort Potter and tell him to get through this period.”

“Now that you mention it, it does seem to make sense. So, do you know how to get Harry—uh—to believe the adults?” Hermione asked with difficulty.

Praris said with a touch of nostalgia, “I used to trust no one but myself, or rather, my own mind. Now I can tell you, he needs love, love from a trustworthy adult. You should look for his godfather, Sirius. It seems he didn’t consider who would give a fatherless orphan a little love before he walked right into the trap.”

Hermione couldn't help but defend Sirius: "He felt he had let Harry's parents down, that it was because he changed the Secret Service that they were harmed—"

“Oh, of course, he certainly wronged Harry’s parents. Not only because his arrogant and reckless decision killed the Potters, but also because he failed to take good care of his poor godson.” Praris’s words were laced with sarcasm.

Hermione took a deep breath: "Alright, we can't continue this topic. This is Harry's family matter. It's about the house-elves you mentioned last time..."

Half an hour later, Prarese bid farewell to the worried Hermione.

She somewhat regretted her impulsive words. She was indeed blaming Sirius; his impulsiveness and irresponsibility reminded her of the woman in Azkaban.

If asked whether, at the moment she learned that Sirius was innocent, she ever had any hope that Sylvia was also innocent, did she?

It's impossible to say there isn't any, but what does that change?

Praris chuckled self-deprecatingly at his own wishful thinking.

She's doing just fine now!

Think about it, so many people love her, accompany her, and teach her, yet she is still wallowing in self-pity over some trivial matters from the past. It's a bit ungrateful of her.

Praris went down the stairs, intending to find an empty classroom to continue practicing his spells.

The underground classroom was her favorite place; it wasn't far from the Slytherin common room, and people from other houses didn't like coming down there.

As soon as she pushed open a door, she heard a familiar voice coming from inside.

"I heard—that big oaf Blaitch spoke to you alone last night?" Draco scoffed, nimbly stepping off the table with his right leg, arms crossed, a mocking smile on his face. "You don't actually think he has any redeeming qualities, do you?"

This classroom isn't safe, Praris thought.

Praris turned to leave, but Draco grabbed his shoulder: "Feeling guilty? First it was Flint, then Longbottom, and now Blaise. You always have too much pity for fools. Do you perhaps want to be a teacher at Hogwarts after you graduate?"