HP North Star's Radiance

However, it's nothing. After all, Harry Potter's opponents weren't Slytherin students, and he even saved two people.

Ultimately, out of a possible score of 50, Delacour scored 25, Digory scored 47, and Krum scored 40.

Potter scored 45 points because the mermaid leader praised Potter for his noble character during the game.

At this point, Diggory and Porter were tied for first place among the four contestants.

"Tch," Draco said listlessly. "Utterly boring."

“Oh, what’s interesting?” Praris asked Pansy.

Back in the common room, Pansy mysteriously handed her a newspaper, saying it was something interesting.

After reading it, Praris blinked and asked, "You accepted Skeeter's interview?"

“No,” Pansy said, also somewhat puzzled. “I find it rather strange. I’ve only ever said these things to Daphne, but Skeeter knows about them.”

Rita Skeeter's latest report portrays Hermione as an ambitious socialite, implying that she uses some means to manipulate both the savior Potter and Quidditch star Krum.

And what about the boys? Potter is a pitiful boy seeking emotional solace but being deceived, while Krum is a simple and affectionate superstar.

Skeeter quotes Pansy here: "She's really ugly."

Pansy said, "What I said at the time was that she used to be really ugly, and I really don't know how she became so beautiful that day."

“I don’t deny that I’m jealous of her. If she had been naturally that beautiful, I wouldn’t have said anything. But she suddenly became so beautiful, I mean, can you understand it?” Pansy said absentmindedly. “She makes me imagine that maybe I can become beautiful through some method.”

Praris blinked, suddenly remembering Pansy's unusual behavior lately.

Pansy ordered some beauty products, some of which were branded by Prim Purnell Beauty Products.

Prareas thought Pansy had awakened her love of beauty, but he didn't expect that she was stimulated by Hermione's gorgeous transformation.

Prarese shook her head and said to Pansy, "Why? Are you unhappy with your appearance? To me, you're perfect in every way."

Pansy seemed happy to hear Prarese's words, but she didn't think she looked any better because of them.

Pansy said earnestly, "You're my best friend, so even if I looked as ugly as a troll, you'd still praise me as a beauty like Helen of Troy without hesitation. Praris, friendship has blinded you, but I have a mirror!"

"Does Jacob think so too? Does he think you're not pretty?"

Praris didn't know Jacob's last name, so she could only refer to Pansy's boyfriend that way.

She suspected that Jacob had said something he shouldn't have. Men may be incredibly quiet when they don't talk, but even when they do, there's no guarantee they won't say something nice.

Pansy was a little confused: "No. But you know what? I dressed up so much, and he said I didn't look any different! I told him how long I'd been working on it, and he said I wasn't dressing up when I fell for him. So what have I been doing all this time?"

"Uh, is it possible that he means, 'Just be yourself,' and that he likes the purest version of you?" Praris felt like she had just given a huge pat on the back for her best friend's romantic pairing.

Pansy's face immediately turned red: "Oh, is that so?"

Praris grasped Pansy's hand: "Pan, do you know who the last person I knew who cared this much about their appearance was?"

“Who?” Pansy asked.

Praris laughed: "Giddro Lockhart."

Pansy paused for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening. Angrily, she pulled her hand away and pretended to punch Praris several times.

Praris laughed and dodged.

After making a scene, Prarese said to Pansy, "Look, Lockhart, even after being exposed, still has a handsome face. But who will still fawn over him or idolize him?"

"What makes a person respected is their strength. What truly earns respect is their extraordinary qualities. Appearance is merely an accessory."

"I heard from a friend that Dumbledore and Grindelwald were both handsome in their youth. But who remembers what they looked like back then?"

This friend is Heidi, a big spender at Flourish and Blotts bookstore in Diagon Alley.

Prarese continued, "Wanting to be beautiful is not wrong; everyone pursues beauty and beautiful things. But you should be wary if being overly concerned about your appearance affects your judgment."

Pansy pouted: "I know, but people can't stay awake forever, right? At least let me finish using all these beauty serums, hahaha!"

After saying goodbye to Pansy, who had finally put down the mirror, Prarese wrote two letters: one to Professor Snape, inquiring about the break-in to his office; and the other to Stella Stewart, inquiring about Crouch.

The reason she didn't suspect Chief Crouch was precisely because he looked so weak and haggard. In Prarese's observation, there was no pretense, nor was there any need for it.

Without this magical item, who would suspect Crouch, who had barely even appeared and was seriously ill?

According to Potter, the professor saw someone looking for something in his office, so he couldn't possibly not give chase. And since he did chase, how could the weakened Crouch possibly outrun Professor Snape?

But Hermione insisted that the name on the magical artifact could not be forged—was it possible that it was also a Barty Crouch, but not the same Barty Crouch?

Prarese recalled the gossip Stella had mentioned about her boss, Crouch. Crouch had a son who had nearly ruined his career...

Professor Snape replied the fastest, and he felt there was no doubt that Potter had once again reached his dirty hands into his drawer.

But he still told Praris what was missing: the skin of the African tree snake and gill sac grass.

Prarese turned to Hermione and asked bluntly, "What are you going to do with Polyjuice Potion?"

"What compound decoction?" Hermione asked in surprise.

Praris calmly told her, “It seems Potter wasn’t being honest with you. His gill sac grass was finished dried gill sac grass, and if he hadn’t left Hogwarts, he would never have been able to find it anywhere other than the Professors’ Storeroom.”

Chapter 92 A Muddy Spring

Hermione couldn't give an answer right away, but she promised Prarese she would ask Harry about it.

Is it possible that Porter lied?

Was it Crouch or Potter who entered the potions office?

The second letter was from Miss Stella, who said that she hadn't seen Crouch in a long time either.

"Currently, Crouch's work is handled by his personal assistant, Percy Weasley. This is quite strange, and you may not know this, but Crouch is widely recognized as a workaholic who has no family. Before this, he was reluctant to take a day off, even at Christmas. Crouch taking a day off was as rare as Professor Snape taking a day off from Gryffindor."

"Besides, Weasley isn't good enough to replace Crouch at work. If you've ever seen him ramble on and on in meetings, never getting to the point, you'd probably doze off too. God knows how many ice-cold mints I ate!"

"Chief Crouch did have a son, which is a political stain on his record. The old folks say Crouch's son was also named Barty Crouch, and he was a Death Eater, but he's long dead. It's normal for someone to die in Azkaban every now and then. We all think it was his son's affair that drove him crazy."

"That damned old bastard Ludo Bagman still hasn't paid me back. Now look what's happened, he's completely stopped going back to the Ministry of Magic, I wonder if he's hiding from my debts. I hope he gets killed by those goblins who come to collect his debts soon."

"The senior student who doesn't want to go to work"

Stella Stewart

"Is he dead?" Praris frowned.

If Barty Crouch Jr. were still alive, she might suspect that he was the one who appeared in Professor Snape's office.

After all, this little Barty sounds much stronger than his elderly father, so it's not surprising that he was able to escape Professor Snape's search.

But what if Batistuta faked his death?

The probability is very low, and this cannot explain whose body was in Azkaban or how he managed to sneak into Hogwarts.

In short, Barty Crouch's presence in the professor's office was highly odd, and Prarese couldn't logically justify it. If he wanted to investigate the professor, wouldn't it have been simpler for him to be a judge and observe the competition?

In this perplexing situation, Prarese continued her studies while working out her logic.

When she saw Hermione again, Hermione looked like the Hogwarts Express on its way—puffing out smoke: "I'm going to catch her by the tail, that damn Skeeter."

“I don’t care about that,” Prarese said decisively. “Let’s talk about Porter.”

“He said the gill stalks were found for him by Dobby, well, Dobby is a house-elf. As for the African tree snake skin, he swears he’s never seen it,” Hermione said, exasperated. “I really don’t know how to bring this up properly, if Professor Snape hadn’t happened to use it to warn Harry.”

Praris was practically in a frenzy; now another house-elf had joined the fray.

She closed her eyes and pieced together the clues once again.

The house-elves stole gill sac grass for Potter, so the intruder's venom skin was most likely their target. The intruder bore the name Barty Crouch, but wanted venom skin—a raw material for making Polyjuice Potion.

After eliminating a million impossibilities, only one possibility remains.

Barty Crouch Jr. is still alive. He impersonates someone else, breaks into Professor Snape's office, steals African tree snake skin, brews Polyjuice Potion, and maintains his false appearance.

So the question is, who was he impersonating?

That area is vast.

If she had to bet on one thing, she would bet on Moody's—but she had no proof.

Dumbledore was a leader who trusted those he employed and didn't employ those he didn't trust. Once trust was established, he wouldn't easily doubt his allies, thus avoiding affecting team cohesion and causing the team to disintegrate from within.

"What came to mind?" Hermione asked.

Praris shook his head: "There has been some progress, but I'm not entirely sure yet."

At this point, there was only one month left until the final match of the Triwizard Tournament, yet Porter was still alive and well. Praris took a deep breath: "In any case, if the person who framed Porter wants to achieve their goal, they will definitely make their move in the final match."

“Harry said that the game was a maze,” Hermione said without reservation.

For the sake of her former Death Eater family, Prarese thought, Potter, you can't die yet.

Prarese said to Hermione, "You know I never want to help anyone cheat."

“Of course,” Hermione said.

“But it’s clear that danger is about to strike in the final match; there might be Porter’s enemies or something else lurking inside,” Prarese said. “Given the maze’s structure, the referees won’t be able to know what’s happening inside in time.”

"so?"

Praris paused for a moment and said, "So, if you don't mind, I've decided to teach Potter some special spells."

After saying that, she pulled a roll of parchment from her backpack: "Spells, instructions, and precautions. You better not tell me that Potter needs someone to teach him step by step."

“This—this is incredible.” Hermione unfolded the parchment, looking at the pictures and text inside in amazement. “Some of them I’ve never even heard of before.”

“Family tradition,” Praris said briefly.

Hermione put away the parchment, and she didn't seem excited about gaining new knowledge, but rather hesitant.

"What are you trying to say?" Praris didn't want to beat around the bush.

Hermione finally made up her mind and asked the question she hadn't been able to ask for years: "Why are you helping us? I mean, you're a Slytherin, we're Gryffindors, and you really approve of and defend your Slytherin classmates—you're even having an affair with Malfoy, aren't you?"

“Yes,” Prarees said without hesitation. “I love the Slytherin family, I have a special affection for Draco, and I respect Professor Snape very much. You’re absolutely right.”

Prareas's frankness made Hermione a little embarrassed: "I don't want to doubt you, but I can't just blindly trust someone. You once said I was a worthy adversary, and in my eyes, you're also a worthy friend. But when it comes to the words of the mysterious man, no amount of caution is too much—"

“Because of interests,” Praris said without hesitation. “I also have goals I want to achieve.”

“What is it? I’m sorry, I can’t think of anything you could get from us,” Hermione said somewhat uneasily.

Praris sighed and pointed to the parchment: "Cooperation is based on honesty, and I'm willing to reveal some inside information to you. As I just mentioned, this is family tradition. This tradition comes from a very talented wizard, who was also a former Death Eater."