[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-wizard-war-at-hogwarts":3,"chapter-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-220":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},2358193,4612,"Chapter 220","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-220",220,"\u003Cp>“Good plan. Let’s do it.” Draco let out a relieved breath. “Next, you talk to Pansy, right? I’ll talk to her too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go, then. This dungeon is stifling and stinks.” Ivy suggested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course it stinks—this place once housed a dead troll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry chuckled awkwardly, then opened the door and watched Draco hurry off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s a Yule Ball this year—I love balls so much,” Ivy suddenly said. “But who should I dance with?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Another ball?” Harry’s face twisted with annoyance—he’d just come down from the Beauxbatons ball. Still, even if he wasn’t excited, he admitted it was a good idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With Ron… no, what about Elena?” Harry’s head throbbed. “Things keep piling up—I can’t take it anymore. Not urgent—when’s the ball?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On Christmas Day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No wonder Hogwarts is as stingy with holidays as ever.” Harry grimaced. “Fine, no rush. I’ll sort this out later. Right now, I need to prepare for my talk with Pansy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way back to the dormitory, Harry realized something. Ivy might still be young and not understand that marriage is for life. Draco’s personality was already somewhat cruel—if they truly married, when Ivy grew old and faded, chaos would follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, Ivy must never marry Draco. At most, he should be allowed to see her but never possess her. Having settled this, Harry understood the tone of his next conversation: he must persuade Pansy back, and pull Draco back too. Ideally, lock them both in forever—let Draco remain restless under her control, making him easier to manipulate. After all, people always cherish what they can’t have; once they have it, they stop valuing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before dinner, Harry suddenly remembered another issue: if he planned to act as Pansy’s emotional mentor, he couldn’t ignore that she already had another one. And under the combined counsel of two brilliant minds, she might already have sought his advice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry was grateful he’d caught this in time. He asked Ron to save him some food, then rushed to Torchwood’s headquarters and turned into the discussion room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tom, tell me—what did Pansy talk to you about today?” Harry ordered urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The diary seemed to fear him; lines of writing began appearing one after another. Harry skimmed them rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Earlier today, Pansy asked me if Draco seemed to have taken a liking to Ivy. I told her Draco may not truly like Ivy—he might just be pretending to win Harry’s favor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man gives his most precious thing to the one he truly loves. For most students, time is the most precious thing—so companionship is the longest confession. But for a noble like Draco, power is his most precious possession—so interest is the strongest vow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Think about it—who controls Draco’s career? Who helps him manage his vast organization? Who provides the solid support that, if removed, would leave him utterly ruined?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s you, Pansy. So don’t worry—his heart has always been with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry couldn’t help but admire how Tom, like Renata, instantly grasped the core issue. Draco shouldn’t have entrusted Pansy with most of Torchwood’s work if he intended to abandon her. But if viewed from the dual motives of courting Ivy and expanding Torchwood, giving the work to Pansy was his only—and best—choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, good—Tom was also trying to reconcile them. If Harry followed Tom’s line of reasoning, he could stabilize Pansy. But if Tom revealed the truth, the girls’ society might no longer be entrusted to Ivy—this could trigger Pansy’s suspicion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, Harry reconsidered—if Draco handed the girls’ society to Ivy, Pansy would naturally grow suspicious. But if Harry himself proposed giving it to Ivy, Pansy might see it merely as a power struggle, not something deeply sensitive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, in Torchwood’s eyes, Harry and Neville were disconnected—they sometimes cooperated, sometimes acted like strangers. They wouldn’t know Harry and Neville had forged deep trust through similar fates. Thus, Neville and Hannah’s rise would appear to them as just an external event. Even if Harry successfully reclaimed all power, Draco and Pansy wouldn’t feel urgency—they’d continue indulging in their illusions of control while dragging out their emotional tug-of-war, wasting energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having figured this out, Harry sat down on Torchwood’s comfortable sofa and waited quietly for Pansy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pansy didn’t keep him waiting long. She must have come straight here after dinner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, Harry, you’re already here? Have you eaten?” Pansy asked gently. Harry admitted—the girl had truly improved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks, I’ve eaten. Let’s talk properly now,” Harry smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve figured it out, Harry,” Pansy nodded. “This was all part of your plan, wasn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry felt confused, but chose to smile silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your secret talk with Draco before leaving—wasn’t it about revealing Ivy’s bloodline? You feared losing control after leaving Hogwarts, so you left this backup,” Pansy said. “Draco, to avoid embarrassing you, had to stage a ridiculous show—pretending he’s smitten with Ivy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry was speechless. Why haven’t I even started lying to you, and you’ve already convinced yourself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then, once Ivy’s bloodline is exposed, I can no longer allow Draco to be so close to her. I trust him—but this will remain a thorn in my heart,” Pansy continued. “I admit, if he keeps this up, I’ll use everything I have to retaliate—even though all of it originally came from him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now you’ve come—you’ve already planned to stop all this,” Pansy smiled. “You’ll say Ivy’s bloodline is fake, that you intend to betroth her to Ron, and then propose handing the girls’ society over to Ivy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry’s eyes widened. He could accept Renata’s insight—she was the school’s chosen champion—but now even Pansy saw through all his schemes? He began to wonder if he was just stupid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But it doesn’t matter,” Pansy changed tone. “I’m actually grateful for this scheme—it showed me my own heart. I realize now, more than power or status, I truly love Draco himself. So take it—you be the soul of Torchwood. I only need Draco.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not bad… Harry thought. Maybe he wasn’t stupid—maybe Draco had already sold him out. He’d embellished everything, and instantly won Pansy over. It was entirely possible. Otherwise, how could everyone read his every move? Harry refused to scare himself like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like we don’t need to say more,” Harry spoke. “You’ve figured it out. We’re in agreement.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gryffindor is now under the girls’ society. Slytherin is in my and Draco’s hands. Luna is independent, but she won’t leave Torchwood,” Pansy said. “Hufflepuff is a bit restless, but Cedric’s return will settle everything. Congratulations, Harry—the school is entirely in your hands.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, honestly, it doesn’t feel that great,” Harry scratched his head. “Since I came back, I haven’t had a single proper rest—nothing but work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha, then enjoy this sweet pain,” Pansy winked. “Draco invited me as his dance partner—we’re going to practice now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dance partner—right, I need to deal with that too,” Harry smacked his forehead. If Hogwarts was holding a Yule Ball, he’d have to find Ivy a partner—another headache.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry didn’t rush to find Zhang Qiu or Elena. He returned to the common room first, planning to sit and eat something—he was starving. He hadn’t eaten properly at lunch; after talking with Renata, he’d missed dinner and only grabbed a sandwich Ron left in his dorm. The instant sandwich tasted bland—if there’d been any other option, he’d never have touched it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron had salvaged a large piece of roasted rib for Harry—juice soaked into the mashed potatoes beside it, plus an apple pie wrapped in oiled paper and a custard tart. Harry devoured it ravenously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, Ivy, you don’t look happy,” Ron said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, I didn’t expect Lavender to slip out of control,” Ivy’s voice sounded guilty. “She doesn’t listen to me anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean? You told her to stop attacking Neville, and she refused?” Ron asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes—not just her. These girls have tasted the sweetness of doing whatever they want, and they don’t plan to stop. Now they’re planning to stir public opinion, demanding boys give more expensive Christmas gifts—even to random girls.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s insane!” Ron started to shout, then deflated. “But no doubt every girl will support this. But why? I mean, girls have to become superior? Oh right—everyone wants that. Can’t blame them…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry’s mouth, previously stuffed with roast meat, slowly stopped chewing. He’d never thought the cafeteria’s roasted rib could taste as bad as the Weasel-brand sandwich.\u003C\u002Fp>",1386,"2026-06-21T04:54:29.094Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","71430f39135a44e7baa22ae55af82a9efa7901d9a3c73dbdcbe90e40d468ba38","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-221","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-219",528,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwizard-war-at-hogwarts-cover.jpg"]