Chapter 147

"Are we going to the next stop?" After returning to the TARDIS, Harry was a bit unhappy and asked this casually.

"No, Zhang Qiu's next stop is clearly stealing the note on the day of the match; you've already seen her." The Doctor compared the note Zhang Qiu gave him. "The next stop after that is... November? We're going to her fifth stop."

"Alright, I must ask her this time." Harry said absentmindedly.

With a screech of brakes, the TARDIS stopped somewhere on November 1st. Harry was wondering why the door was so big this time, and after opening it, he realized it was Hagrid's wardrobe.

Judging from the voices, Zhang Qiu and Hagrid were outside the hut at this time, and their words seemed to contain terms like "injured" and "culprit."

Harry went out under his Invisibility Cloak to take a look, and after confirming there was no one else around, he took off the Invisibility Cloak, appeared beside them quite openly, and then joined the conversation naturally.

"Oh, Harry, you've come too." Hagrid said in surprise. "You see, this is really abominable; A-Hei injured Buckbeak."

Harry looked at the behemoth on the ground in surprise. Buckbeak was in a sorry state at this time; large patches of feathers on his body were scorched, and his eyes were listless.

"Uh, you're saying A-Hei did this?" Harry suddenly remembered that just when the trip started, they witnessed Neville fighting and defeating Buckbeak in the Forbidden Forest, and the date seemed to be October 31st, which was "yesterday" at this time.

"Who else could it be but him?" Hagrid said angrily. "That scoundrel, he actually dared to beat Buckbeak like this. Don't let him fall into my hands!"

"Harry, don't you want to try treating him?" Zhang Qiu blinked and said.

"I can try, but I'm not sure how to do it." Harry looked at Zhang Qiu. At this moment, she was completely the Zhang Qiu he knew—gentle, kind, and showing concern even for a magical creature.

"Dittany essence or burn-healing paste. Do you know how to prepare Dittany?" Zhang Qiu asked.

Knowledgeable, always able to give good advice, always able to provide help—this is the Zhang Qiu I know, Harry thought to himself.

"Hey, what are you daydreaming about?" Zhang Qiu waved her hand in front of him. "If you can't prepare it, you can also go to Madam Pomfrey to get some."

"Then, Hagrid." Harry tried his best not to let Hagrid notice he had something on his mind. "Zhang Qiu and I will go find Madam Pomfrey."

"That would be great." Hagrid's attention was entirely on the injured Buckbeak and he didn't read Harry's emotions.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Zhang Qiu asked in a light tone. "You look like you have something on your mind."

"That's right, you really... oh, perhaps I should tell you first." Harry paused and said, "I didn't come directly from your last stop. I've experienced many things after that, and I've also... witnessed many things. I think it's necessary to talk to you."

"Actually, I've wanted to talk to you since the Quidditch match, but so many things happened afterward that I forgot all about it." He added.

"It's fine, so what do you want to say?"

"I think you've changed. You aren't the Zhang Qiu I know this term." Harry said directly the sentence that had been circling in his mind for a long time. "For the sake of divination, aren't you being a bit unscrupulous?"

"Which matter are you referring to?" Zhang Qiu also seemed to know that she had done some things wrong. "Actually, I don't really care anymore."

"From the unicorn..." Harry realized he shouldn't talk about things that hadn't happened yet, so he hurriedly swallowed his words and changed his tone. "I mean, if the pranks at school were barely justifiable, Sangster and Reina really made me feel—you know, you made me feel very strange at that time."

"That's normal." Zhang Qiu admitted without any avoidance. "You only know me as Harry's friend, but I also shoulder the mission of my Master. I also need to represent the interests of the Heavenly Dynasty here. Perhaps you feel a bit strange now, but you will grow up sooner or later."

"You will also shoulder Deng Buliduo's mission, and you will also represent the interests of the UK in diplomatic affairs. One day you will gain power, you will complete the details of the overall situation from the reports of your subordinates, and then you will manipulate the fate of others on the chessboard, trying to guide the results toward the direction you expect." She said in a detached tone, "My Master is doing such things, and Deng Buliduo is, of course, doing the same."

"Although you and I will eventually have a day when we hold power." Her tone became gentle again. "But now we are friends, aren't we? Perhaps until the very end, we can be very, very good friends."

"What you said is not wrong. Maybe I'm just not used to it." Harry still couldn't quite understand; he just echoed her subconsciously.

"When you arranged the Forbidden Forest battle last year, did you consider the fate of the centaurs?" Zhang Qiu asked with a faint smile.

This question hit the key point. Harry recalled himself last year. When he gathered his classmates to formulate a plan, the centaurs were just a tool to him. Although they were also intelligent creatures of flesh and blood, Harry at that time only cared about how much combat power they had, and so-called life was just a number.

"That's not quite the same, after all, they aren't human." Harry whispered, and then he realized that unicorns aren't human either.

"When you start trying to use chess pieces, you will sooner or later reach this step." Zhang Qiu nodded. "I'm just a little bit faster than you."

"But, Mr. Sangster aside, he is a greedy and lecherous villain after all." Harry said eagerly. "If Professor Doudou hadn't stepped in, were you planning to force Cui Ge to transfer? Even after Professor Doudou stepped in, you were still trying to control Cui Ge's mother."

"Harry, before you stand up for their free will, I hope you can think about it." Zhang Qiu turned back to look at him. "I am providing a 'better option,' or at least one that won't be worse. Cui Ge can receive an equally good education in the Heavenly Dynasty and have the same opportunity to make friends, and the quality of life for him and his mother after school will be greatly improved."

"But the centaurs chose to clear out the spiders voluntarily." Harry argued.

"I'm not talking about the centaurs. Do you think you chose to embark on the path of opposing Voldemort voluntarily? Do you think Neville chose to be a supporting character voluntarily? Do you think Snape chose to be a double agent voluntarily?" Zhang Qiu asked such a series of questions with a sidelong glance. "Even, do you think Grindelwald chose to be defeated voluntarily?"

"You don't mean..." Harry stopped his steps unconsciously. "Deng Buliduo?"

"That's right, you remember the things that happened in the first year, right?"

Harry was silent. He wouldn't forget his first conversation with Neville where they opened their hearts, talking about all of Deng Buliduo's arrangements in the school. The Savior, painstakingly cultivated by the chess player, actually just wanted to be a happy ordinary person, while the inconspicuous supporting character was determined to prove himself.

In the end, their endings weren't bad, and they both reached a reconciliation with fate. But looking back and thinking about it, under what kind of guidance were these seemingly voluntary decisions made?

"I've finished reading all of your fate, and I've also finished reading the secret files that the Embroidered Uniform Guard could investigate." Zhang Qiu whispered. "From Newt Scamander to Harry Potter, Deng Buliduo's layout skills have become more and more exquisite."

"I can understand, so you have indeed changed." Harry sighed. "You've become mature, and I still don't dare to admit it."

"We are all very good at learning." Zhang Qiu stepped forward and took Harry's arm. "That famous quote of Deng Buliduo's that you like so much—I've started to like it now too."

"For the greater good." The two looked at each other. In Harry's eyes was helplessness, but he saw firmness in Zhang Qiu's eyes.

"For me, Master's divination is the best plan to win. According to fate, we can defeat Voldemort with a happy ending, and even Malfoy doesn't have to get hurt." She said softly, "I am desperate to get fate back on track, not just to collect some gifts, but also because I hope our future won't deviate from the results of the divination."

"So, Cui Ge is the unstable factor you hope to exclude?" Harry understood Zhang Qiu a little better at this moment.

"Not just Cui Ge, there must be other things." Zhang Qiu's tone carried a hint of sorrow. "There is a larger vortex constantly stirring everyone's fate, but I don't know where the source is."

"Perhaps, you can change your way of thinking." Harry smiled forcefully and patted her shoulder. "Instead of trying so hard to get fate back on its original track, why don't we work together and try not to leave any regrets in the new fate? Isn't that also feasible?"

"Saying it sounds nice, but it's meaningless. You can't defeat Voldemort just by working hard." Zhang Qiu shook her head. "You are currently charging into battle as Deng Buliduo's chess piece, but what about after Deng Buliduo leaves? When you become the new chess player, do you have the confidence to protect everyone on the premise of winning?"

"Neville has already made the resolution to persist until the last person, and you are still thinking about taking care of everyone's little wishes in addition to fighting." Zhang Qiu smiled bitterly. "Harry, a kind chess player cannot win."

"So what are you thinking? Do you hope that I and the Heavenly Dynasty behind me are as gentle and kind as you know, and you hope that everyone can live freely?" Zhang Qiu looked steadily into Harry's eyes. "But under the current situation, we cannot survive like that."

"No, I think I understand now." Harry's tone finally became relaxed. "We each have multiple identities. I just wasn't prepared to accept Zhang Qiu as a chess player before."

"But I am very glad that I still have a good friend named Zhang Qiu, whose gentleness and kindness have always encouraged me."

"I am also very glad to have a good friend named Harry, who always reminds me where the bottom line of the layout is, and this is the difference between us and Voldemort." Zhang Qiu showed the expression Harry was familiar with again. "Let's go, let's go find the Dittany."