[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-wizard-war-at-hogwarts":3,"chapter-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-232":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},2358205,4612,"Chapter 232: Friendship and the Greater Good","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-232",232,"\u003Cp>“Good heavens, have you read the papers?” Cedric exclaimed, entering Harry’s compartment, holding up the Daily Prophet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have, and I was stunned,” Harry said. “We should head to the library and check other papers right now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, of course,” Cedric replied mechanically. “But I never thought Hermione would be this kind of person...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s get to the library first,” Ron suddenly spoke, his tone sharp. “Shouldn’t we focus more on how they’re reporting Harry parting the sea? That’s far more dramatic than Hermione’s private life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cho Chang, who knew the original course of fate, and Harry, who understood Ron’s hidden thoughts, both nodded in silent agreement, encouraging Cedric toward the library and stopping by to pull along the idle Dora, asking her to help translate French newspapers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The trending topic mentions Cedric might have slacked off,” Cho said, picking up a Chinese newspaper from the rack. “The evidence is that when Renata and Elina were fighting by the chest, Cedric was still quite far from it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because my question was the Divine Chessboard!” Cedric protested. “It’s the most complex question—I nearly wore down my wand tip, and the core’s about to show!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Calm down, Cedric,” Cho skimmed the paper rapidly. “Since Harry is the one chosen by Xuan Jun, the Celestial Empire’s media are desperate to claim all the credit for him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On the contrary,” Dora said, “the Parisian Wizarding Gazette describes Harry as someone with no real ability, entirely relying on trickery. They say he cares less about completing the task and more about pleasing the judges—that the spell he used to part the sea wasn’t his own, but a Celestial Empire spell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perfect. Let’s get two reporters to fight each other,” Harry said helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright then, I’ll check Pravda,” Cedric said, picking up a Russian dictionary and sitting down at the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is unbelievable,” Ron slammed a copy of the Star Daily onto the table. “Did you know Hermione was bullied by Lavender over her orientation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where did this nonsense come from?” Harry leaned in to read the paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Miss Granger has never truly loved anyone. Deep within her heart lies a wound so profound it has made her unable to respond to affection—she no longer believes in love.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“According to a Hogwarts student unwilling to reveal their name, during Miss Granger’s third year, she developed feelings for a female classmate she met in Divination class—Lavender Brown—and boldly confessed them. Her feelings were cruelly rejected; Lavender declared, ‘Same-sex love makes me sick,’ and began a full year of schoolyard bullying against Miss Granger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The student suggests Miss Granger, overwhelmed by despair over life at Hogwarts, applied to become Elina’s personal assistant, hoping to temporarily escape that painful place. She has not yet recovered from her trauma, which is why she rejects all romantic advances—not, as many assume, because she manipulates the Champions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The most direct evidence is that Miss Granger begged her former professor to be her dance partner, because peers—male or female—trigger her fear and distress. She refuses to begin any new relationship because she cannot bear to be hurt again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Regarding Miss Granger’s relationship with Elina, we will continue to follow the story, and wish Elina a love that is truly mutual.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not entirely impossible,” Ron said. “She was utterly worn down all third year—rushed, avoided talking to anyone. We know so little about girls.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is utter nonsense!” Hermione snapped. “Who’s spreading this lie? I’ll—don’t let me find her!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, Hermione, when did you get here?” Harry looked up to find Hermione standing beside their table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since you started reading about Divination class. I hate Divination class,” Hermione grumbled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But, Hermione, aren’t you going to explain?” Ron asked, concerned. “What happened to you in third year?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because I,” she swallowed the words “Time-Turner,” “because I took every class. I had to work twice as hard to master them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You won’t tell the truth?” Ron raised an eyebrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry heard the edge in his tone and quickly intervened. “There are too many people here. Let’s go outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s keep reading Pravda,” Cedric seemed unwilling to join this conversation, and he held back the curious Dora.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the library, on the grassy lawn, it was secluded and quiet—no students in sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now you can explain,” Ron said, dissatisfied. “What happened to you in third year?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It wasn’t much—just studying too hard,” Hermione shook her head. “Ask Harry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron turned his gaze to Harry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, broadly speaking, that’s true—but I can tell you there were other reasons,” Harry was about to reveal the Time-Turner when his peripheral vision caught a black dog nearby—a solid black shape. His face paled instantly. “No, I can’t say it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did you see?” Hermione followed his gaze. “A black dog?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Hound of Tyndalos!” Cho gasped. “You saw it too? Yes—that means our third-year experiences are linked. No one can speak of it aloud.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mysterious nonsense—it’s just a dog,” Ron grumbled. “So Lavender’s story’s true? What happened between you two?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t talk about third year, but Lavender’s story is pure fabrication,” Harry chose his words carefully. He noticed the black dog hadn’t moved—it stared fixedly at him. “Clearly, this is a rumor designed to win public sympathy. Unsurprisingly, the public opinion battle at Hogwarts has reached a fever pitch. Lavender and the vested interests’ backlash is far stronger than I thought.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean someone fabricated this and leaked it to Americans?” Hermione asked, startled and angry. “To incite ignorant American crowds against Lavender?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well... you could say that,” Harry said, uneasy. “It might have been Eve. She’s clearly the biggest beneficiary.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So this has nothing to do with third year?” Ron glanced at Harry. “You two have some other secret you can’t speak of—and this article is just someone manufacturing public opinion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm... maybe that secret isn’t as unspeakable as all that,” Cho nudged Harry, gesturing toward the black dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sirius was waving at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If that’s not a hound,” Harry scratched his head awkwardly, “alright—I’ll cut to the chase. In third year, Hermione used a Time-Turner to gain over ten extra hours each day—and spent them all studying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Harry finished, the hound didn’t appear. He exhaled in relief. Ron, too, let out a breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Time travel,” Ron shrugged. “I thought you two had gotten together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cho gave Ron a solid thump on the head, and they all laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Hermione didn’t laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m truly heartbroken,” her voice cracked. “You just blurted out the secret I promised Professor McGonagall I’d keep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no—I’ll keep it secret! Percy told me too,” Ron hurried to reassure her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It wasn’t Eve who made up the story—it was Neville, wasn’t it?” she sniffled. “How could Eve even know I took Divination?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe she divined it,” Ron mumbled awkwardly, but to Harry, it sounded like an ill-timed joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I read the Daily Prophet too. All of Hogwarts must think I’m a slut,” Hermione’s voice was hollow. “Rita twisting my words to fabricate stories for attention—that’s her job. I can accept that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But why are you doing it too? Elina uses me for fame, Harry betrays my secret to comfort Ron, Neville spreads lies about me to crush his political rivals.” Tears streamed down her face. “I wish I’d never taken this job. I wish I’d never come to France. Then I wouldn’t have discovered any of this. I thought you were all sincere friends, united by shared ideals.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We are friends,” Ron rushed to say. “I didn’t mean to pry into your secrets—I just worried you were being bullied and wouldn’t speak up—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I was bullied,” Hermione’s tears flowed freely. “Someone secretly swapped my hair sample—I drank a week’s worth of Polyjuice Potion tasting like myself. But I never wanted to say it out loud!” She couldn’t speak further, stood trembling for a moment, then turned and walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But,” Ron took a few steps after her, “don’t you think—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What right do you have to speak, Ron?” Hermione turned, furious. “Are you speaking as Harry’s friend—or as his minister? Can you ever make a decision for yourself, instead of standing before your monarch to shield him from harm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t specify the details, but Harry immediately recalled the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hate this cloak,” Hermione muttered, tearing off the shawl from her Beauxbatons uniform and hurling it to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have to go after her,” Ron said, but he didn’t move, hesitating as he looked at Harry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You need to decide,” Cho interjected. “Are you going as Harry’s Chief Knight, trying to persuade his future Minister of Internal Affairs to change her mind? Or are you going as Ronald Weasley, comforting the girl you love?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hope it’s the latter,” Harry said seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>",1454,"2026-06-21T04:54:29.094Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2f94f3ffc8b1acdf637279a6ff43585fddd9651f3b42e698fddbe69f8b4d7ac0","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-233","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-231",528,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwizard-war-at-hogwarts-cover.jpg"]