HP North Star's Radiance

That's Draco's stubbornness. He's so confident that even if he told Praris to throw them away, Praris would never do so—not just because of their price, but because of their value.

And so, this bizarre situation occurred.

Before he knew it, the box was filled with more and more things. Praris was worried about them, but he had no idea how to get rid of them.

In addition, these items are expensive to produce, so Praris can't just leave them anywhere; she has to keep them in her bag.

When you walk, you can even hear them rattling around in your bag.

"Is he stupid?" Praris asked Pansy.

Pansy nodded: "He's just stupid."

Pansy refused to admit that she had known Draco for ten years, saying it was too embarrassing.

Draco practiced with Felix Felicis many times, but when he stood in front of Praris, he... what a disappointing guy!

“Let’s get there early tomorrow to get a good spot for the match,” Miles said. “What do you think we should do about the Fire Dragon? Are they going to fight it? Can they beat it?”

“It shouldn’t be about fighting dragons,” Praris said. “This design is beyond their capabilities. From a designer’s perspective, it might be a treasure hunt game.”

“Treasure hunting?” Miles asked doubtfully. “Yes, just like in the legends, dragons will take possession of some treasures.”

Praris shook his head: "It's most likely not treasure. Damaging anything would exceed the competition's budget, and the Ministry of Magic wouldn't approve it. It's probably a dragon egg. Mother dragons are extremely protective of their eggs, so it could be a challenge."

She added, "But it probably wasn't a real dragon egg. The warriors were too clumsy; breaking even one would drive the mother dragon mad. So it must have been a fake dragon egg taken right under her nose."

"I have absolutely no idea how to do this. What's the difference between this and fighting a dragon?" Miles's thought process was straightforward.

Praris said, "The biggest problem here is that the arena is at Hogwarts; otherwise, we could have drawn the dragon's attention and then Apparated to get the dragon egg."

"If it were me—I would first use the Transfiguration Charm to turn the stones on the field into animals, then cast a loud spell near the animals to lure the dragon there. Next, I would use the Mud Swamp Charm to briefly control the dragon, and then use the Disillusionment Charm and the Silence Charm to run over and get the egg, so as not to be discovered by the dragon. It's a very rough plan, and I would need to be flexible and replace some parts in actual combat."

Miles listened in stunned silence, and after a long while, he exclaimed in amazement.

The gap between people can sometimes be greater than the gap between a person and a dog.

Miles asked, "By the way, did you bring your spellbook? The Mud Spell and the Whisper Spell—what are these?"

Miles enjoys carrying Praris's bag; he's offered to do so since their first date. Sometimes he'll also help Praris take things out of her bag, which he finds amusing.

Now, Miles is holding that ornate box in his hand, with the letters D and M on the bottom.

Praris said calmly, "A gift that can't be returned."

Miles was silent for a long time, then smiled and said, "You know what? My cousin said there's a Christmas ball during the Triwizard Tournament."

Praris said, "Oh?"

“Students in fourth grade and above can participate,” Miles said with a bright smile. “May I invite you to be my dance partner?”

“I can’t dance,” Prarese said honestly.

Miles, still looking excited, clutched the box. "That doesn't matter, and I won't! You know, it's Christmas, and the school will definitely be decorated with lots of mistletoe, you know what I mean? I want to be with you that day."

Praris blinked: "Mistletoe?"

“Yes, mistletoe. Do you want it?” Miles gripped the box tightly.

Praris almost sighed.

The legend of mistletoe comes from a Norse myth.

It is believed that girls born under mistletoe cannot refuse a boy's kiss.

People also believe that couples who kiss under mistletoe will be happy for life.

Miles meant to ask her if she would be his girlfriend, if she would accept his kiss, and if she would want to spend her life with him.

How long has it been since Miles first confessed his feelings?

The Warriors haven't even faced their first game yet.

Prarese admits that she initially didn't want to accept Miles's feelings, but Ms. Prie and Winnie gave her the courage to try.

At that time, she didn't think too much about it. She admired Miles's warm and cheerful personality and regarded Miles's life as another possibility for her own. She imagined whether she would be as happy as Miles and pursue the things she liked in a different life trajectory.

Being with Miles was joyful; it was exactly what she imagined love could be like. They practiced magic together, shared a box of cookies. Miles shared his past with her, telling her interesting stories about Slytherin boys. Prader shared her analyses with him, telling him little tales that girls could tell each other.

But Prareas hesitated when Miles mentioned mistletoe.

She still doesn't understand love, but Miles already has his own understanding of it.

Liking someone means you can't help but imagine that the other person might be with you; love means you can't help but imagine that the other person will be with you forever, and you make a wish for eternity.

Prarese, on the other hand, did not envision the distant future in Miles.

Praris's hesitation became an unspoken answer.

This answer made Miles a complete loser in this relationship.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something. But his love turned into a piece of hard candy that had been bitten into. He swallowed it without hesitation, wanting to possess it. But it got stuck in his throat, sharp and cutting his throat, leaving him speechless.

Miles initially liked Praris impulsively. He thought Praris was special and wonderful, and he wanted to be with Praris!

But what truly made him lose his heart was precisely because Prarese was so wonderful and special. Miles became more motivated because of her, blushed at her romance, worried about her dangers, and tossed and turned at night over every word she said.

She is gentle, yet sharp; frank, yet mysterious. She is the Sphinx, shrouded in endless enigmas, and Miles always discovers new questions and finds new answers in her.

Miles couldn't help but ask himself, how could someone fall in love with someone in such a short time?

Miles couldn't help but tell himself that falling in love with Praris was such an easy thing.

Miles was still smiling, a forced smile, but still smiling: "This time, you don't need to tell me the answer either."

“No, this time I must tell you the answer.” Praris shook his head seriously. “Right now, I don’t want to kiss anyone under the mistletoe.”

Chapter 85 Bonus Chapter - Thank You

She grew up in a convent and holds conservative views on marriage and relationships.

She was certain that no one, absolutely no one, could make her give him a kiss under the mistletoe right now. And no one could make her definitively consider him her life partner.

She followed Ms. Priscilla's teachings well: love can be free, but lifelong choices should be made with care.

If Miles simply asked her to be his dance partner, she would accept without hesitation.

If Miles's confession were the same as the first time, she might tell him, "You're too hasty!"

But since Miles made the promise with mistletoe, there was only one certain outcome—rejection.

Miles was asking for a lifetime commitment, and if she couldn't fulfill that promise, she couldn't agree to it.

Miles had considered whether he might have succeeded if he had confessed later.

But love and jealousy go hand in hand. When he opened Praris's bag without permission, when he saw that box, his fate was sealed; there was no turning back.

He gained opportunities through impulsiveness, and he also lost love because of it.

He impulsively confessed his feelings for the first time because he discovered that someone liked the person he liked, and he impulsively confessed his feelings for the second time because of a box that couldn't explain anything.

He didn't lose to another suitor, but to himself—he lost to his possessiveness, his jealousy, and his impulsiveness.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't sad, but he still smiled.

He knew Praris wasn't a fool, but he was also afraid that his sadness would soften Praris's heart and make a decision against his own will for him.

"Are we still friends?" Miles asked.

Praris nodded without hesitation: "Yes, you are my friend."

“Don’t be sad for me.” Miles finally stopped laughing and said with relief, “You know what? You’re a great date.”

“I’m not,” Praris said.

“You are,” Miles denied her for the first time firmly. “You’ve never been in a relationship, but you’ve taught me a lot.”

Just like what Prares told him when he first confessed his feelings: "Confession is the bugle call to charge into victory."

She was absolutely right, but Miles didn't know that at first and ultimately didn't achieve it.

Nevertheless, Praris has been a very good teacher to him over the past two weeks. She taught him to be ambitious, to not be impulsive, to experience true infatuation for the first time, and to confront his possessiveness under the influence of passionate love for the first time.

Praris shook his head: "No, that's because you're a very good person."

If Miles wasn't that good, Prarese wouldn't have allowed him to pursue her, and Miles wouldn't have gained anything from the relationship.

“The sunflowers were beautiful,” Miles added. “It’s a shame they withered so quickly.”

Praris said, "That was created by magic."

Magical creations gradually dissipate as magic power is depleted. That was just a flower that Praris casually conjured with wandless magic. How long could it last?

Prarese added, "The jam cookies are delicious."

Miles said, "My mom makes the jam. I'll bring you a jar next time."

Their relationship was short-lived, lasting only a little over half a month.

In the past two weeks, they have gone to many classrooms together, done a lot of homework together, walked every inch of the Hogwarts lawn together, and practiced a lot of magic together.

They ate jam cookies together, went to the Astronomy Tower terrace to look at the stars, took walks by the Black Lake, and hid from Professor Snape, the only teacher who caught them dating.

They escorted each other to class and waited for each other to finish.

So much happened in such a short time that Miles almost thought they had been together for a very long time.

As darkness fell, Miles and Prarese walked together toward the Slytherin common room.

This was the last time he escorted her back to the common room.

Praris stood in the doorway and said to him, "Thank you for liking me. I'm sorry—we couldn't go on."

Miles shook his head: "There's nothing to apologize for. I should be thanking you for giving me a chance."

Slytherin girls' dormitory.

Praris sat on the windowsill writing a letter:

"I don't understand... He's such a good person, so good that I feel guilty, why didn't I fall in love with him?"

“I used to be very afraid of love. I know so many people who have suffered because of love. Millison’s father loved her mother very much, but he chose to give up his life for love. I know a teacher whose hidden feelings still torment him. And… Winnie knows.”

“But Miles changed my mind. Love is really good; it makes me happy, even though I don’t love him. But love can also be painful. I wish we had just become friends earlier, instead of our paths crossing because he liked me.”

“I even had some very immoral thoughts. I thought about saying yes to him, even though I didn’t love him. I was afraid that if I rejected him, we wouldn’t be able to continue being friends. But I couldn’t do it. I shouldn’t deceive someone’s feelings.”