Chapter 263: The Demons Dance

On Harry's birthday, as expected, Sirius arrived early at Tang Dun and brought him a perfectly suited birthday gift: a giant ice cream tower from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.

"Thank you, Sirius, I actually have something serious I want to talk to you about." Harry glanced at his watch; lunch was still a while off, and he estimated making a decision wouldn't take long.

"About the Order of the Phoenix?" Sirius glanced warily around, "But is it safe to say it here?"

"It should be fine. Let's go to the parlor." Harry led his godfather to the sealed room and closed the door behind them.

Sirius waved his wand, then nodded to Harry.

"I'm here to say I think we need a leader—an individual who can lead both the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters." Harry chose his words carefully.

"How does this relate to the future of the magical world?" Sirius looked puzzled. "But if you're talking about eliminating the Death Eaters, I suppose leveraging Regulus's power struggles could work—it's quite feasible."

"For you, purging dissenters within the Death Eaters is," Harry nodded, "at least highly feasible. But we also need to calm the Order's members, and perhaps one day, after dealing with Lucius and Bellatrix, we can openly reveal to everyone that you are Regulus."

"But clearly, the Order members are more eager for you to become that leader," Sirius relaxed slightly. "Not just because of your intelligence and courage, but because Dumbledore valued you deeply in life. Of course, the Ministry's relentless propaganda probably plays a role too."

"Propaganda?" Harry recalled the articles in the Daily Prophet.

"Yes. Everyone now knows you're the unparalleled genius wizard—everyone's talking about how Harry Potter is the next Dumbledore." Sirius shrugged helplessly. "Perhaps securing influence within the Order would be easy for you."

"But I can't convince anyone in the Death Eaters—not even using my Holf identity." Harry sighed.

"Then let's split it: you handle the Order, I'll handle the Death Eaters." Sirius crossed his legs. "Do we even need to decide who's who? Problem solved."

"That makes sense, but why do you look so relaxed?" Harry said with a chuckle.

"Of course—I'm the eldest brother of the top Death Eater, and most of the lower-ranking Death Eaters side with me." Sirius smiled. "In fact, if we voted for a new Dark Lord, I'd have an 80 percent chance of winning."

"That still sounds optimistic—if it's achievable," Harry said. "Then we could unite the forces of the Death Eaters and the Order: monitoring the Ministry's fairness and integrity while exploring and advancing magical technology."

"It's settled." Sirius slapped his thigh and stood up. "Today is your happy day—don't dwell too much on these matters."

Harry smiled and shrugged, then opened the door and stepped out.

When he reached the foyer, he found guests arriving in small groups. The Weasleys were chatting cheerfully with Tang Nade, and Ron seemed deeply interested.

"Hey, Harry." A voice greeted him. Harry turned and saw Cui Ge.

"Cui Ge, how have you been?" Harry smiled warmly, but Cui Ge's expression turned strained.

"To be honest, I'm fine, but Luna doesn't seem well," he said. "It's still about the Protectors—she's under too much pressure."

"It should be better now," Harry said. "The Death Eaters are gone. Even if the Protector system remains, who exactly does she need to protect?"

"Of course, Hogwarts," Cui Ge replied without hesitation—then paused. "Wait, yes… Hogwarts isn't under threat anymore. She doesn't need to be so anxious."

"Thanks, Harry. I'll go talk to her." He dashed upstairs without another word.

Just as he finished speaking, a girl with short golden hair burst through the front door, dressed in a small suit.

"Hi, Harry," Donna said, following behind. "This is Kate Stewart—she's my dance partner."

"Hello, Harry," Kate spoke like a seasoned Auror. "I've heard your Torchwood group is leading a movement for human rights and against discrimination. I think it's meaningful—I've decided to support you."

"So she'll dance the male part as my partner," Donna said. "Not bad, right?"

"It's… not… bad," Harry forced out the words, suddenly struck by a sense of dread.

"Hello," Krum entered the hall and nodded to them, holding hands with a boy who wore flamboyant eyeshadow.

"To show my support," Krum said, "I'm attending this ball with Vasil."

"Hello, I'm Vasil Boyanov," the boy said in a gentle tone. "You can call me by my stage name, Arzis."

"You two are a couple?" Harry swallowed.

"Yes," Krum said proudly.

"But I never knew you liked boys," Harry blinked, pointing at them. "Is this real chemistry—or just for show?"

"It's for show," Arzis admitted. "We believe only this way will people realize how great a cause we're championing."

"We're organizing student movements at Durmstrang against dark magic—perhaps we'll even oust Rodolphus. Hogwarts set a good example; we'll start by teaching respect for minority groups."

"Thank you. Good luck. Let me know if you need anything," Harry shook Krum's hand, then watched them walk inside with mixed emotions.

When he turned back to the front door, he saw Elena—now, judging by her white suit, he should call her Kevin.

"Oh, you brought a…" Harry glanced at the person holding her hand—wearing a dress and stockings—and caught himself before saying "female companion." "Who are you?"

"Hello, I'm Astolfo," the person replied in a soft, neutral tone. "Kevin's dance partner."

"Wonderful. Please go rest," Harry took a deep breath. Astolfo was almost certainly a boy in drag—he decided not to ask.

"Are all the guests here?" Ivy descended in a vintage men's formal robe. "How's it going?"

"Honestly, I can't even describe it," Harry muttered. "We shouldn't have started this trend—now the streets are full of demons and monsters."

"Take that couple at the door—you think they're a man and a woman, but you absolutely can't assume their gender, especially not their psychological gender," he said. "It's hard to describe, but there are at least sixteen or seventeen possible combinations—I can only say one's wearing pants and the other a dress."

Before the two approached, Harry cut off his slightly offensive speculation.

"Ah, so." Harry greeted them. "Welcome. Hello."

"Hello, I'm Baiyin Yuxing, male student council president of the Magical Institute," the boy bowed slightly to Harry.

"I'm Sigong Huiye, female student council president," the girl said, her accent noticeably more standard.

"So you two are a normal couple—male and female?" Harry said, pleasantly surprised. "That makes sense—the Magical Institute hasn't started that yet."

"We're not a couple," they said in unison, their tone stiff.

"But what exactly do you mean by 'that'?" Baiyin Yuxing asked. "We're eager to learn advanced practices."

"I think you'd be better off not learning," Harry wiped his brow. "It's all just temporary measures. Please follow the attendants upstairs—if you need separate rooms, ask the butler."

"I'll show you up," Ivy said. "I hope we can strengthen ties and collaborate more in the future."

When Harry turned around, he saw a boy in a formal robe and instinctively said, "Hello, may I ask… oh, Ron."

"You've been busy," Ron said, his tone sounding displeased.

"What's wrong, Ron? You seem down."

"The Deathly Hallows, right?" he said. "I've been thinking all these days about why Dumbledore left me Tales of Beedle the Bard—until I remembered you have an Invisibility Cloak, and its quality is just too perfect."

"You mean…" Harry watched him carefully, wondering if he'd say more.

"I think you already knew. When I returned the book, Professor Binns told me you were interested in Babbitty Rabbitty—actually, he told you everything." Ron asked, dissatisfied. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I thought I could help you."

"Uh…" Harry hesitated. He chose not to reveal the Deathly Hallows because the Invisibility Cloak's owner was meant to keep it secret. Honestly, Ron's argument was theoretically flawed, but Harry understood his emotional hurt.

"Actually, Dumbledore didn't want me to tell you, because the Elder Wand's real power is far weaker than we thought," Harry spun another half-truth. "He left you Tales of Beedle the Bard perhaps to signal that the time had come for me to tell you. In fact, Grindelwald was the Elder Wand's previous owner—but he lost it to Dumbledore."

"So that's how it is?" Ron's tone lightened. "Alright, I almost thought you were dropping out to hunt for the Deathly Hallows."

"How could I?" Harry laughed. "I'm still waiting for you to become the greatest keeper ever."