[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-wizard-war-at-hogwarts":3,"chapter-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-14":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Wizard War at Hogwarts",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2357987,4612,"Chapter 14: Midnight Duel","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-14",14,"\u003Cp>Before Friday’s Potions class, Harry first had Flying class on Thursday, where he stole the spotlight—when Madam Hooch called for brooms, he snatched his out of the air faster than Malfoy, who’d practiced at home dozens of times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seemingly trying to mend their strained relationship, Malfoy invited Harry to fly a few laps together. Madam Hooch, unusually, agreed; the two boys rose into the air like strolling through a garden, then gradually picked up speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Malfoy looked delighted—flying through the sky, showcasing his noble status, gracefully sparring with the Boy Who Lived, while that annoying Weasley could only watch enviously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Harry disliked having to endure Malfoy’s false chatter mid-flight; he preferred to enjoy the freedom of flight alone. Fortunately, soon Neville also took off, and Harry, saying, “You could invite Mr. Longbottom for another lap,” immediately lowered his altitude and spent the rest of the lesson swooping low with Ron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neville and Malfoy chased each other for a while, exchanging some minor grievances, but neither escalated it—only exchanged cold glares.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry thought someone like Malfoy could never be friends with anyone—he had no real talent yet thought himself superior; Harry only spoke to him out of politeness and upbringing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unbeknownst to Harry, Malfoy felt the same about Neville.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Harry finished dinner and went to the library to do homework, he noticed that Zhang Qiu seemed odd—she was intensely curious about her first Flying lesson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I mean, nothing really happened? You didn’t argue with Malfoy, and you didn’t help Neville get back his Remembrall?” she asked urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no matter how many times you ask, the answer’s still no,” Harry said helplessly. “I wouldn’t go out of my way to provoke Malfoy, and Neville never had a Remembrall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, I asked because,” Zhang Qiu said, “my master’s divination said you have great flying talent, would clash with Malfoy, help Neville badly, and then join the Quidditch team. Maybe divination isn’t always accurate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Strictly speaking, it’s not entirely wrong—I might indeed have that talent. Neville was the one who clashed with Malfoy. If I’d started the argument, I might’ve helped Neville badly. As for the Quidditch team, they did invite me after class—but only to try out next year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But Harry,” Zhang Qiu said, worried, “if divination’s always wrong, I can’t plan my actions around it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t take it too seriously. Divination is just divination—your life is still yours to live,” Harry said dismissively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is your fate,” she whispered, lowering her head. “And mine too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second sentence was in Chinese; Harry didn’t understand. He simply replied to the first: “My fate is in my own hands. If divination and prophecy are wrong, let them be wrong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Qiu apologized, saying she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to return to her dorm, then quickly packed her things and hurried off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry was puzzled but didn’t think much of it—Professor Clara had told him girls often had a few bad days each month; it was normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry finished his homework alone in the library, then noticed Zhang Qiu’s seat had been left with an irrelevant extracurricular book—perhaps she’d used it to reserve the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked it up: *Hogwarts: A History*, which recounted the legends surrounding the school's founding by four wizards. Skimming through it, Harry learned that the four houses were named after their founders' surnames, and that Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin had once been friends but repeatedly clashed over educational philosophy. He realized then that the hostility between the two houses ran deep—not nearly as simple as he'd imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Harry returned to his dorm, he found Ron and Neville gone. *How Steel Was Tempered* lay quietly beside Ron’s bed; from the bookmark’s position, he’d read more than half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It should’ve delighted Harry that his friend—especially Ron, who hated reading—was enjoying a novel he’d brought. But tonight, he felt uneasy. What could be so urgent that Ron would abandon his book this late?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Harry waited anxiously, Ron and Neville returned, breathless. Ron burst in: “Hey, Harry, you won’t believe it—it’s terrifying, no, it’s amazing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What happened?” Harry asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Neville and Malfoy arranged a duel tonight in the third-floor trophy room. He asked me to be his assistant,” Ron said, beaming. “But somehow Filch found out—we’d barely taken our positions, hadn’t even bowed, when we saw Mrs. Norris sniffing at the door.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And then?” Harry asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then we got lucky,” Ron said. “Zhang Qiu suddenly appeared in the trophy room. She gave us two small paper slips—called ‘talismans’—with an Invisibility Charm that lasts fifteen minutes. We thought to hide in the room, but Filch—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait, where’s Malfoy?” Harry asked. “He should’ve been there too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhang Qiu was too kind—she gave Malfoy two too,” Ron grumbled. “They vanished right away, didn’t even say thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Malfoy did say thanks,” Neville added quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But that’s not the point—the point is we almost got caught by Filch. Fifteen minutes were almost up, so we had to run elsewhere and ended up hiding behind the door at the end of the corridor. Guess what’s inside?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to know first how you got in—we pushed that door for ages last time and couldn’t open it,” Harry said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because the door was locked—Neville cast a Locking Charm,” Ron said, growing excited. “Inside was a three-headed dog! My god, its heads reached the ceiling! Think about it—three heads; three pairs of round, vicious eyes; three noses, each snorting foul breath; three drooling maws, each filled with terrifying pale-yellow fangs. It just stood there, six eyes fixed motionless on us—it was terrifying!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry felt a chill. “Dumbledore wasn’t joking about the deaths,” he murmured. “How did you escape?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Neville reacted fast—he grabbed the doorknob,” Ron said, still shaken. “We ran like hell and finally made it back to the dorm. That was the luckiest thing tonight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about Zhang Qiu?” Harry said. “She’s a Ravenclaw.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The situation was unusual tonight—Filch was still in the corridor,” Neville said. “She came in with us. I asked Hermione to let her squeeze into the girls’ dorm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I still can’t figure out why Zhang Qiu was there,” Harry said, baffled. “And why she brought so many invisibility charms—as if she expected it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe because of her master’s magical divination,” Ron said. “She thought you’d be the one showing up tonight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The prophecy about Harry saved my life—feels awful,” Neville said, resigned. “It’s the second time. But still—I thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second time? Can you explain? I don’t understand,” Harry realized this was more complicated than it seemed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone told Voldemort a prophecy: a child born at the end of July would be his equal. Both of us fit. He chose to target you first,” Neville said, annoyed. “If not for you, my grandmother probably couldn’t have held him off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So your parents too…” Harry said carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, they were killed by Death Eaters,” Neville said angrily. “Those noble supporters of Voldemort—just as vile as he is. My grandmother was heartbroken; I nearly died too. I’ve kept every drop of that blood debt in my heart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m truly sorry—I never knew our backgrounds were so similar,” Harry said apologetically. “But Voldemort must be dead—otherwise, resurrection magic wouldn’t have failed on him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Resurrection?” Neville looked startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh, Zhang Qiu has a spell that lets me speak to the dead. I wanted to see my parents—but it was Voldemort who appeared,” Harry said bitterly. “Or… you could try the spell too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My parents aren’t dead—they’re just driven mad by torture,” Neville muttered, climbing into bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, let’s talk about something cheerful,” Ron tried to lighten the mood. “That big dog—I noticed it was standing on a trapdoor. That’s definitely where Dumbledore hid his secret treasure!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My grandmother once said: ‘He who steals another’s treasure loses his own,’” came Neville’s voice from behind the curtains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh, right. I’ll go back to *How Steel Was Tempered*,” Ron said awkwardly, sitting on his bed and picking up the novel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, Harry was astonished to find Hermione and Zhang Qiu chatting eagerly, like old friends. After last night’s revelations, his relationship with Neville had also improved significantly—he no longer avoided him like he did Percy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through Zhang Qiu and Neville’s introductions, Harry and Ron formally met this bushy-haired little witch for the first time. Though her appearance was unremarkable, she seemed intelligent and studious. From this, Harry thought it no surprise she’d become friends with Zhang Qiu.\u003C\u002Fp>",1403,"2026-06-21T04:54:27.874Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4a558e913747e3d3697f69a0841af0250388b910667a50f669dc88bc4ff85b4f","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-15","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-13",528,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwizard-war-at-hogwarts-cover.jpg"]