Chapter 232: Friendship and the Big Picture

"My God, have you guys seen the newspaper?" Cedric walked into Harry's carriage, holding the "Daily Prophet" in his hand in astonishment.

"I saw it, I was shocked," Harry said. "Actually, we should go to the library now to see other newspapers."

"Of course, of course," Cedric agreed blankly. "But I never thought Hermione would be this kind of person..."

"Let's talk after we get to the library," Luo En suddenly spoke, his tone stiff. "We should look more at how they reported Harry parting the river. Isn't such a thrilling thing more interesting than Hermione's private life?"

Zhang Qiu, who knew the original trajectory of fate, and Harry, who understood Luo En's little thoughts, each revealed a look of deep agreement. They crowded Cedric to the library and picked up Donna, who had nothing to do, to help translate French newspapers.

"Sina Hot Search mentioned that Cedric is suspected of slacking off," Zhang Qiu picked up a Chinese newspaper from the newspaper rack. "The evidence is that when Renata and Alina were fighting at the treasure chest, Cedric was still a considerable distance from the treasure chest."

"Because the question I drew was God's Chess Game!" Cedric said unhappily. "This is the most complicated question to answer. I wrote so much that the tip of my wand was almost worn out, and the wand core was about to be exposed."

"Calm down, Cedric," Zhang Qiu browsed the newspaper ten lines at a glance. "Because Harry is the person chosen by Master Xuanjun, Chinese media can't wait to attribute all the credit to him."

"On the contrary, the Paris Wizard Newspaper describes Harry as someone who has no real skills and relies entirely on opportunism," Donna said. "Saying that Harry didn't consider how to complete the project, but how to cater to the referee group, and the spell he used to part the sea wasn't his own, but the Chinese people's."

"Great, call two reporters to have a fight," Harry said helplessly.

"Alright, I'd better look at Truth Newspaper," Cedric picked up a Russian dictionary and sat down at the table.

"This is incredible," Luo En slapped a copy of "Planet Daily" on the table. "Did you know Hermione was bullied by Lavender because of her orientation?"

"Where did this fart come from?" Harry leaned forward and browsed the newspaper.

"... Miss Granger actually hasn't fallen in love with anyone. There are deep scars buried in her heart, which makes her dare not respond easily to feelings. She no longer believes in love.

According to a Hogwarts student who refused to disclose his name, in her third year, Miss Granger once fell in love with a female classmate she met in Divination class, Lavender Brown, and boldly expressed her feelings to her. This feeling was ruthlessly trampled on. Lavender claimed 'same-sex love makes me feel disgusted' and started a whole year of school bullying against Miss Granger.

That student suggested that Miss Granger should have felt desperate about life at Hogwarts, so she decided to apply for Alina's private assistant, hoping to leave that sad place temporarily. She hadn't recovered from the injury at this time, so she would refuse all feelings, rather than what people generally thought, that she was playing with the champions in the palm of her hand.

The most direct evidence is that Miss Granger begged her former professor to be her dance partner, because peers, whether boys or girls, would cause her fear and worry. She didn't want to start a new relationship because she didn't want to be hurt again.

Regarding the emotional problem between Miss Granger and Alina, we will continue to follow up and report, and wish Alina can get a two-way love."

"This is not completely impossible, right?" Luo En said. "She was haggard in her third year, in a hurry, and didn't want to talk to everyone, and we know very little about girls' things."

"This is of course nonsense!" Hermione said angrily. "Who is making this up, I really—don't let me find her!"

"Oh, Hermione, when did you come?" Harry looked up and found Hermione standing by their table at some point.

"From the time you read about Divination class, I hate Divination class to death," Hermione said angrily.

"But, Hermione, don't you plan to explain?" Luo En said worriedly. "What happened to you in your third year?"

"Because I," she swallowed the words Time-Turner, "because I took all the courses, I have to work twice as hard to learn them."

"Are you unwilling to tell the truth?" Luo En raised his eyebrows.

Harry heard his somewhat unpleasant tone and hurried to smooth things over. "There are so many people here, let's go out and talk."

"We'll continue to look at Truth Newspaper," Cedric didn't seem to want to get involved in this kind of conversation, and he held back the curious Donna.

Walking to the lawn outside the library, it was relatively remote here, quiet all around, and there wasn't a single student.

"Can you say it now, explain to us," Luo En said unhappily. "What happened to you in your third year?"

"Actually, it's nothing, just studying," Hermione shook her head. "You can ask Harry."

Luo En cast his gaze at Harry.

"Of course, generally speaking, that's how it is, but, I can tell you there are some other reasons in it," Harry was weighing his words, and suddenly his peripheral vision swept to a black dog not far away. It was pitch black like a color block, and Harry's face changed drastically all of a sudden. "No, I can't say!"

"What do you see?" Hermione looked in the direction of his gaze. "A black dog?"

"Hounds of Tindalos!" Zhang Qiu gasped. "You saw it too? Right, this shows that our third-year experience is interconnected, and no one can say it to the outside world."

"Mysterious, just a black dog," Luo En said unhappily. "Then Lavender's matter is true? What happened between you?"

"What happened in the third year I can't say, but Lavender is absolutely nonsense," Harry weighed his words. He found that the black dog had no intention of leaving at all, but stared at himself straight. "Obviously, this is a rumor, the effect is to get the support of readers. If there is no accident, the public opinion struggle at Hogwarts at this time has reached a white-hot stage, and the counterattack of Lavender and those vested interests is stronger than I thought."

"What do you mean, you mean, someone fabricated these news and deliberately leaked them to the Americans," Hermione asked in surprise and anger. "The purpose is to guide the ignorant American masses to attack Lavender?"

"This, can be said so," Harry said guiltily. "It's possible that Eve did it, she is undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary."

"So, this has nothing to do with the third year?" Luo En looked at Harry. "You have some other secret in the third year that can't be said, and this report is actually someone who wants to use public opinion and fabricated it."

"Uh, perhaps that secret is not so unspeakable," Zhang Qiu poked Harry, signaling him to look in the direction of the black dog.

Sirius was waving at this side.

"If that's not a hound," Harry scratched his head awkwardly. "Alright, I'll make a long story short. Hermione used a Time-Turner in her third year, had more than ten hours every day, and used them all to study."

After Harry finished speaking, he didn't see the hound appear, he breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, Luo En also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Traveling through time," he shrugged. "I thought you and her were together."

Zhang Qiu hit Luo En's head hard again, and then they all laughed.

Only Hermione didn't laugh.

"I really feel sad," her tone was a bit choked. "You just said out the things I promised McGonagall I must keep secret."

"No, no, I will keep it secret, Percy also told me," Luo En hurried to make up for it.

"The one who made up stories for reporters wasn't Eve, it was Neville, right?" she sniffed. "How could Eve know I took Divination class."

"Perhaps it was divined," Luo En comforted incoherently, but to Harry, this sounded more like an inappropriate cold joke.

"I also read the Daily Prophet. Now the students at Hogwarts must think I'm a slut," Hermione's tone was unusually low. "Rita misinterpreted my words and made up stories to attract attention, that's fine, this is her job."

"But why do you guys do this too? Alina used me to gain fame, Harry sold my secret to comfort Luo En, Neville spread rumors about me to help him defeat political enemies," she said, and tears flowed down, "I wish I hadn't applied for this position, hadn't come to France, so I wouldn't have discovered all this. I thought you were all sincere and like-minded friends."

"We are of course friends," Luo En hurried to say. "I didn't deliberately ask about your secret, I was just worried that you were really bullied but didn't say it—"

"Yes, I was really bullied. Someone secretly swapped the hair I prepared, causing me to drink Polyjuice Potion that tasted like myself for a week, but I didn't want to say it to my face!" Hermione choked and couldn't say anything, stood in place for a short while, then turned and left.

"But," Luo En chased a few steps forward, "don't you think—"

"In what capacity are you speaking, Luo En?" Hermione turned and said angrily. "Are you Harry's friend, or his minister? Can you make a decision for yourself instead of blocking a knife for him in front of the monarch?"

She didn't mention the specific situation, but Harry subconsciously thought of that ball.

"I hate this cloak to death," Hermione walked back, tore off the shawl on the Beauxbatons school uniform, and threw it on the ground fiercely.

"I have to chase her," Luo En said, but he didn't set off immediately, but looked at Harry hesitantly.

"You have to think clearly, whether as Harry's chief knight to persuade his future minister of internal affairs to change her mind," Zhang Qiu interrupted. "Or as Ronald Weasley to comfort the girl you like."

"I hope it's the latter," Harry said seriously. ===== CHAPTER 233 =====