Chapter 280: Neutral Declaration

"Harry, you're here?" Pansy greeted him as he entered, "But why are you carrying parchment?"

"I…" Harry hesitated, deciding to listen to what they had to say first and finish his homework during small talk, "Nothing much. Just took it along."

"Well, I just thought of a new proposal," Pansy said. "It could help us further build our influence among the students."

"Sounds great—tell us!" Ivy said eagerly.

"For many students with average grades, the academic pressure isn't heavy, but they still need to complete assignments on time and in full. I think this is something worth paying attention to," she paused, "I mean, perhaps we could provide them with one or several assignments for 'reference.'"

"Provided by top students?" Luna asked.

Harry noticed sharply that at the start of the gathering, the girls had taken the initiative to open the discussion, while the boys sat with slumped brows, looking indifferent.

"They don't need to be top-tier, but they must be diligent—and diligence and excellence often go hand in hand," Pansy said.

"I suppose you're talking about Hermione," Harry joined in at the right moment. "But I don't think Hermione would agree to this proposal."

"Oh, yes—she's always so serious," Ivy said with slight annoyance.

"And she clings to school rules like a lifeline," Hannah also showed a hint of hostility.

Before the meeting turned into a smear campaign against Hermione, Malfoy steered it back on track: "In matters like this, we needn't be bound by house. To me, Abbad from Slytherin is a remarkably diligent student."

"Finley from Hufflepuff is too," Ernie chimed in.

"I don't support this motion," Cui Ge said. "A secret gathering meant to protect Hogwarts turns into a cross-house cheating ring? That's pathetic."

After a silence, Crabbe muttered, "Could I just copy yours?"

"And me, Crabbe," Goyle grumbled. "Does the boss need it?"

"We'd better skip this topic," Malfoy rubbed his temples. "Let's talk about the growing tensions between houses."

"I've been thinking about this too. Is what we're doing appropriate?" Ernie whispered. "Especially since conflicts between Lions, Snakes, and Eagles are increasing—and no one seems willing to communicate."

"And it's created another bad trend," Hannah said loudly. "To support friends in different houses, Hufflepuff has started splitting internally. I might understand your plan to unite your own house through fabricated external conflicts, but we don't want to see Hufflepuff shattered into pieces."

"That's a problem I hadn't considered," Harry sincerely apologized to her—he could imagine how hard it must be for Hannah, caught between Neville and her house.

"Even without this, Mudbloods and LGBT are dividing the student body," Cui Ge said. "I don't think introducing these ideas was a good move—I regret it now."

"Without these to balance things, feminism would run wild," Ginny said. "And without feminism, there'd be no girls' societies—we'd lose too much voice."

"Why, after trying to unite the students, have we ended up causing division?" Malfoy spread his hands in protest.

"First ask whether it's true, then ask why," Harry countered. "It's not that we failed to unite them—it's that we united them too well. So well that the Sorting Hat issued a warning."

"Isn't the point of intensifying house conflicts precisely to keep students from getting too close?" Harry said.

"I know Neville said this was your idea—but what's the benefit?" Hannah asked, slightly dissatisfied.

"Of course, to maintain everyone's prestige within their own house," Harry recalled his original plan. "If houses stop fighting and there's no external enemy, the Dueling Club will quickly be forgotten."

"Yes, this was to preserve Torchwood's status as opinion leaders," Malfoy added. "But now we need to mend the internal divisions in Hufflepuff."

"Actually, Hufflepuff's problem isn't hard to solve," Luna suggested. "You need a clear, distinct stance."

"If we had one, we wouldn't be Hufflepuff," Ernie shrugged. "We're used to supporting others."

"Then give them a new issue," Harry thought of an idea. "Have them join Dumbledore's Army, learn advanced Defense techniques from Aurors. As far as I know, your Defense Association isn't nearly as advanced as the others'."

"How wonderful—why not call it Potter's Savior Army?" Malfoy's tone was sincere, but Harry still sensed sarcasm.

"If Dumbledore's Army's purpose is to protect Hogwarts," Pansy said solemnly, "I wouldn't mind using that name—I'd even be happy to join."

Harry suddenly remembered: when Bellatrix wanted to go to war, Sirius had plainly refused to send troops, instantly dousing her war fever. What if, in the future, when the young radicals of the Order shouted for a raid on Malfoy Manor, Harry stood up and declared that Dumbledore's Army fought only for Hogwarts—wouldn't that cool them down too?

"I believe you've proposed an excellent idea," Harry said slowly. "Our original purpose in forming Torchwood was to protect Hogwarts from any harm; if we must form an army under Torchwood, its purpose must be to shield Hogwarts from political coercion."

"Yes, the outside situation is still tense," Ernie glanced at Harry and Malfoy, then nodded shakily.

Pansy sat up straight; Malfoy seemed lost in thought.

"Cool—we've got an army, even if we never use it. That's still awesome," Cui Ge said. "Do other schools have one? Probably not!"

"An army entirely organized by students, controlled by student groups, with a charter to protect the school from harm and preserve campus life from disruption," Pansy said slowly. "We lead together, cooperate, and monitor each other. The student body must show its stance and make its voice heard."

If they agreed to this, the nature of Dumbledore's Army would change instantly. Harry hesitated, recalling why he had formed it in the first place.

Even from the most basic war-preparation perspective, he didn't want to drag underage children onto a battlefield. And if the goal was to draw the Ministry's attention, a minor project of the Order versus a fully independent student coalition—the latter would attract far more notice.

Moreover, standing firmly at Hogwarts and openly declaring neutrality would better protect these children, ensuring they weren't dragged into adults' wars—even as Harry himself worked to prevent war from the adult perspective. And just as the original idea had moved him: once adults realized students wouldn't side with them, they'd hesitate to start war due to manpower concerns.

Another meaningful point: when everyone felt tensions were at a breaking point and war imminent, if—after the goblin gold vault refuge and the werewolf wall-repair isolation—the students now issued a declaration of non-participation from Hogwarts, other wizarding groups might also band together to refuse involvement. This would leave the Order and the Death Eaters short on troops, unable to launch war—and even if they did, they couldn't achieve Yanayev's desired scale of continental conquest.

Harry remained silent in thought until Goyle's clever question caught his attention: "But wouldn't this make students unite again? Shouldn't house conflicts continue?"

"If Dumbledore's Army is formed as a united front," Luna said softly, "we can still maintain our voice within our own houses—no need to stir up house conflicts anymore."

"Houses can still compete—even hold drills," Cui Ge eagerly proposed. "If possible, group by house—or mix them—two teams simulate battle. It'd be fun—and meaningful."

Hannah and Ernie exchanged glances. This meant little to them; after over a year of leading, whether the Defense Association was united or split didn't affect their status—especially now that they were prefects. What truly confused them was that they neither wanted to lead nor to fight.

Harry hadn't forgotten his plan to use Pansy to betray Lucius. And now, the more independent Torchwood appeared, the more leverage Pansy would have—and the farther the diary would drift from Lucius. If Pansy, as an independent seventh member, used the diary to bargain with Lucius, it would shatter his prestige.

This plan would greatly aid Sirius, who sought to seize authority from the Death Eaters—even if details still needed careful planning, strengthening Pansy now was a natural step, and would significantly help future operations—a solid foundation.

Harry carefully weighed the pros and cons. The only thing that unsettled him was his instinctive reluctance, out of respect for the late Headmaster, to sever Dumbledore's Army from the Order. But given the current situation, removing Dumbledore's name from the Army seemed to offer great benefits.