Chapter 213

After a moment's hesitation, Harry decided to speak with Ginny and Ivy first, for he was certain of one thing: girls wouldn't unite against Neville without cause—something must have happened within SPEW.

He quickly found Ginny and Ivy in the common room and pulled them into a quiet corner, asking sternly, "What's going on with the girls' group? Why is everyone attacking Neville?"

"It's nothing," Ivy said dismissively. "Girls always need a common enemy. Saying bad things about Neville won't hurt anyone."

"What do you mean, it won't hurt anyone?"

"Because Neville is an honest man—he won't lash out at girls over this," Ivy continued. "Besides, Neville's main strength is his dueling skill, and being criticized by girls won't weaken that. If anything, it might give him more time to improve."

"What kind of twisted logic is that? Should an honest man be attacked?"

"To be precise, Neville has many flaws," Ginny said. "That's why he can be an excellent fighter but not an excellent leader. That's Malfoy's fair assessment."

"Malfoy?" Harry suddenly realized where the problem originated. "So it was Panxi who started attacking Neville in the girls' group, and Malfoy told you not to intervene?"

"No, he only told me. I instructed Lavender to lead the charge," Ivy said, lips pressed tight. "First, I truly didn't think Neville should hold higher prestige in Gryffindor than you. Second, Malfoy put on that whole 'Muggle lives matter' show and praised me several times—I found it hard to refuse him."

Harry suddenly felt a sour ache in his teeth. He'd thought he'd laid thorough plans before leaving, but he hadn't anticipated that the plans would clash with each other, trapping Neville in a storm of public opinion.

"And think about it," Ginny added, "has Neville ever shown concern for girls? He overvalues honor and confrontation, unaware that many girls care more for quiet, certain little joys."

"Neville is right—without killing the Dark Lord, what little joys are there?" Harry said helplessly.

"No, most girls—or most students—are not on the Dark Lord's persecution list," Ivy said. "Neville wants to drag the whole of Gryffindor onto his revenge wagon. I think that's extremely risky and yields little return."

"The whole of Gryffindor? I never told him to do that—" Harry shook his head. "Forget it. It's done now. I'll talk to Malfoy again and figure out how to break this deadlock."

"Break what deadlock? The situation is going great," Ivy said carelessly.

"You simply don't understand!" Harry pointed angrily at her nose. "Where do you think our good days came from? They were bought with Dumbledore's life! If he falls and no one stands up, do you really think you'll still be free to study at Hogwarts?"

"Get this straight!" Harry snapped. "You're a Muggle-born. She's a pure-blood traitor. Malfoy naturally despises both identities. Neville might be a weak ally, but Malfoy is an enemy pretending to cooperate. Who are we really helping?"

"But the leader of Gryffindor—" Ivy tried to argue further.

"Enough! Stop wasting energy on infighting!" Harry roared. "If you won't help me fight the Dark Lord, then just go do your homework, attend class, and act like proper students!"

"Harry, haven't you considered negotiating with the Dark Lord through politics?" Ivy pressed on. "Malfoy is a perfect bridge—we can find common ground and agree to disagree."

"Agree to a damn what… wait." Harry suddenly grew calm, remembering a phrase he'd overheard: Voldemort had declared before everyone that Harry could do anything he wished, and Death Eaters must not hinder him. From that angle, negotiation might not be impossible—or at least, keeping Malfoy's channel open could buy time, even if this year's plan to kill Voldemort failed.

"I get it. You're having fun at Torchwood, so you don't want to be torn," Harry said. "Fine. I'll talk to Malfoy first. We'll discuss this properly later."

"Of course, no need to rush," Ivy smiled again. "Actually, Malfoy told me privately—he's not fully aligned with the Dark Lord."

Harry gave a bitter smile and shook his head. He decided to ignore these two immature juniors for now and speak with Malfoy. He had a hunch: this whole scheme stemmed from Malfoy's ambition—he wanted to use public opinion and reputation to become Hogwarts' uncrowned king.

As he stepped out of the Gryffindor common room and saw Zhang Qiu standing nervously in the corridor, Harry realized: if Malfoy had begun his small moves, he wouldn't stop at Gryffindor.

"One good news and one bad news—which do you want to hear first?" she said.

"Tell me the bad news first," Harry said, feeling he could handle it.

"The Guardian betrayed us. The Thirsk Mystical Society is on the verge of collapse," she said, voicing the bad news Harry expected. "Penelope was caught fixing matches—she took two hundred Galleons from Slytherin and deliberately lost to them. That sparked outrage among students."

"But the leak came from Slytherin, didn't it?" Harry said helplessly.

"Most likely. Anyway, students were furious—they already thought the Investiture Ceremony was cheating, and now the Guardian was fixing matches. Penelope donated the two hundred Galleons, and that barely calmed things down," Zhang Qiu said. "The good news is, Ravenclaw has finally found a Guardian who doesn't fix matches."

"It's Luna, isn't it?" Harry suddenly felt this was entirely inevitable—it was all under Malfoy's orchestration.

"Yes," Zhang Qiu said. "Luna won a match alone, relying only on a few friends' Investiture, while the Society was nearly shut down. Now some are restarting Society activities and have chosen Luna as the new Guardian. Many are still watching, but I think the Society's revival is just a matter of time."

"Excellent," Harry said, spotting Hannah hurrying toward him down the corridor. "I can't wait to hear what Hufflepuff's up to now."

"Harry, you're back?" Hannah said. She looked far more confident than before. "I was going to find Neville, but maybe you can help me first."

"Ernie proposed introducing low-risk Dark Magic into the Defense Association. I strongly opposed it, but many are secretly practicing," she said, voice tinged with anxiety. "Worse, Professor Moody himself demonstrated Dark Magic in class. I don't know what to say—but for all this time, Neville hasn't helped at all."

"I thought Cedric's return would help. But where is he?" Hannah asked.

"Unlucky—he went to Paris for Christmas with new friends," Harry said, stroking his chin and grimacing. "I admit, Defense Against the Dark Arts can't be taught without acknowledging Dark Magic—but discussing Dark Magic in student clubs? I find that deeply worrying."

"I know. But how do we fix it?" Hannah sighed. "I can't be too strict—I'm afraid of backlash. But turning a blind eye isn't an option either. I promised Neville I'd run the Dueling Clubs well in each house, and now… I feel like he's avoiding me."

"Your relationship probably isn't broken, but both clubs are in serious trouble. I don't have a good solution yet," Harry said, spreading his hands. "I'd better probe Malfoy again, get a fuller picture, then figure out how to break this deadlock."

"Oh, by the way—my advice is, forget the club troubles for now," Harry added. "If you still care for Neville, sit down and talk to him properly. Don't let small misunderstandings turn into a fight. The password is 'Light of Faerie.'"

"Thanks, Harry," Hannah forced a smile and walked toward Fat Lady.

On his way to Torchwood headquarters, Harry mentally listed the urgent problems. First: Neville being attacked by the girls. Second: Ivy and Ginny were too biased toward Malfoy. Third: Malfoy had infiltrated Dumbledore's Army. Luna leading Ravenclaw was the least worrying—Harry believed she was fundamentally kind and might yet choose the right path.

Worse still: Malfoy and Ivy's relationship. It was clearly moving toward intimacy, but this wasn't the simple control tactic Harry had imagined—because in the process, Ivy herself seemed to be leaning toward Malfoy.

Harry didn't regret deceiving Malfoy—the "Muggle Lives Matter" campaign had struck a heavy blow against the Death Eaters. But Ivy's emotional entanglement now deeply troubled him. He wanted her to love freely, yet he didn't want her to fall for Malfoy.

With Cedric and Hermione both away, his two strongest cards were out of hand. Harry thought—yet Malfoy didn't hold many good cards either. He had to act before Malfoy fully seized control—scare him off, yes, with a firm stance…

As Harry walked, lost in thought, he didn't notice a leaf—impossible to have been there—clinging to the hem of his robe.