Chapter 309

After the Death Eaters' meeting ended, Harry soon received his first Shitan from Malfoy.

"Harry, I'm curious," Draco said casually during the Torchwood gathering, "did Dumbledore leave you anything?"

"He gave me the first Snitch I ever caught—everyone knows that; it's no secret," Harry replied with a half-smile.

"What's inside the Snitch?" Pansy asked, playing along perfectly.

"Nothing. It's empty," Harry said.

"How could that be?" Cui Ge questioned.

Before the two young Death Eaters had even spoken, the casual bystanders had already sensed something was off.

"But it really is empty—I suppose the accident happened too fast for him to put anything inside," Harry said honestly.

"That's not right. If Dumbledore really didn't have time, you wouldn't have received the Snitch at all—he decided to leave you something, so there must be something," Cui Ge shook his head.

In Harry's guess, Dumbledore hadn't had time to put anything in the Snitch because he'd originally planned to place inside something he still needed to use himself; from that angle, Harry thought the most likely item was the Resurrection Stone.

But in front of these people, Harry couldn't directly name the Resurrection Stone or explain his reasoning, so he could only shrug helplessly: "You don't have to believe me, but he really didn't hide anything inside the Snitch."

"Then why did Dumbledore leave you the Snitch at all?" Cui Ge looked puzzled.

"According to him, it's a keepsake—to remind Harry that 'courage and skill are both indispensable,'" Ivy added.

"I think the Snitch really does contain something—Harry just doesn't want to tell us," Ernie blinked. "It's Harry and Dumbledore's secret. We shouldn't be so curious."

"I'm telling the truth—the Snitch really contains nothing," Harry said for the third time, and only now did he truly understand Dumbledore's intent: whatever was hidden inside the Snitch could be anything, left entirely to Harry to invent. For instance, now that Snape had spread the lie of "Dumbledore's Horcrux," no matter how strongly Harry insisted the Snitch was empty, people would only assume he was trying to conceal the truth.

"I don't think Harry needs to lie," Luna said lightly. "Perhaps none of you noticed—the thing hidden inside the Snitch is just a decoy; what truly matters is the Snitch itself."

"Huh? But what use is a Snitch that's already been caught?" Crabbe asked.

"Meaning is assigned by people," Luna said, lifting her head confidently.

"Ah, right—he wants to remind me that courage and skill are both indispensable," Harry nodded.

Draco lowered his head thoughtfully, while Pansy smoothly steered the topic elsewhere: "By the way, do you still remember Cedric?"

After graduating, Cedric signed with the English national team, served briefly as a substitute Seeker, then decided to switch to Beater—a bold move, yet one that worked surprisingly well. He possessed strong strategic vision, cultivated over four years as his house captain.

Ginny immediately picked up the thread, recounting Cedric's several dates with Penelope Clearwater—a topic that had become an enduring gossip staple at Torchwood. Fred and George had hired Penelope originally to help Percy keep his first love close, but Percy found the Ministry more comfortable than home, while Penelope had struck up a conversation with Cedric after a chance encounter.

These gossip sessions always helped Harry relax; the name Cedric often stirred memories of Beauxbatons—when Dumbledore was still alive, and Harry didn't have to worry daily about the grand scheme as he did now.

As Christmas approached, another event began circulating among the children, stirring Harry's memories of better days: Snape, against all opposition, moved the Christmas Ball to December 22nd and added a few extra holiday days.

For most students uninterested in current affairs, this single act instantly elevated him above Dumbledore, making him one of the greatest headmasters in history.

Naturally, students eager for the Ball began seeking partners. Some naive girls fantasized about dancing with Harry—but unless Zhang Qiu publicly announced another partner, none dared actually invite him. As a result, Harry Potter's overflowing popularity naturally flowed toward the only single member of their circle: Ron.

On Thursday evening, as Harry and Ron settled into the common room, they noticed Parvati glancing at them with nervous hesitation.

"Let's go," Ron whispered.

"But what do you really think?" Harry asked once back in the dormitory. "You've turned down nearly every girl in the school."

"Yeah," Ron muttered gloomily.

"If you want to ask Hermione to the Ball, why not just ask her directly?" Harry asked bluntly.

"I think maybe she—" Ron hesitated, "it doesn't make sense—I'm so popular, she should be the one asking me—unless she really plans to hide on Ball night and refuse everyone."

"Hasn't she found a partner yet?" Harry frowned. "Surely someone asked her—wait, who did she dance with last year?"

"Donald," Ron grumbled.

"I mean at Hogwarts," Harry blinked.

"Same guy," Ron clicked his tongue. "You forgot? She didn't even stay at Hogwarts for Christmas."

"That's true," Harry rubbed his chin. "So if you're not going to ask Hermione… maybe we should just go to Gilneas again."

If they found a partner for Ginny and had Ron dance with Ivy, not only might they refuse, but it would severely shake their standing among the girls.

"Let's see," Ron said listlessly.

The next noon, Harry mentioned this to Zhang Qiu, who immediately declared: "Ron's thoughts are on Elena."

"You might be right," Harry recalled the dance at Tang Dun during summer—when Ron had seemed most impatient.

"Harry, don't underestimate the impact a Ball can have," Zhang Qiu said thoughtfully, earnestly. "You should convince Ron to ask Hermione."

"But he doesn't want to."

"Tell him: either let Hermione be taken away by Donald under some excuse, or ask Hermione yourself and force Donald to show up."

"What do you mean?"

"If Ron does nothing, on Ball night he'll end up dancing with a girl he doesn't like—and forget about Gilneas. If Harry Potter leads the refusal to honor Snape, it will be devastating to the school's balance," Zhang Qiu pointed out something Harry hadn't noticed. "But if Ron asks Hermione, then either he dances with her—or Donald must step in to resolve this."

"And for Donald to break them up, he'd have to bring Elena—" Harry snapped his fingers, "in any case, Ron ends up with a decent partner."

"No, no—that's not right," Zhang Qiu suddenly said. "This is Hogwarts. Hermione won't dance with Donald."

"At Beauxbatons, maybe—it's a place where no one knows them, and the culture is already open," Zhang Qiu shook her head. "But Hermione still attends Hogwarts, Donald once taught here, and his resignation was due to his… proclivities."

"That's good then—does that mean Ron really can ask Hermione to be his partner?" Harry suddenly brightened. "Ron's secondary—what matters is I truly don't want Hermione to interact with Donald again."

"Regardless of your conscience, your interests will give that American a free pass," Zhang Qiu sighed.

After a brief silence, she proposed a new idea: "What if we reverse the order of invitations?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you directly have Ron ask Hermione, she'll likely say yes—that becomes a direct challenge to Donald. You're right not to do it now; antagonizing Donald isn't beneficial to the bigger picture," Zhang Qiu summarized the earlier plan. "But if Ron writes to invite Elena, then Donald is in a position where he can choose whether to come or not—because the person he fears most, Ron, is already under Elena's control."

"Ron has to choose his partner based on Donald's mood?" Harry muttered discontentedly.

"Then unless you get Ron to be brave, make a firm decision, and just ask Hermione outright," Zhang Qiu shrugged helplessly. "We insist they're in free love—then the headache becomes Donald's."

"Hey, Ron's being awkward too—he's waiting for Hermione to come to him," Harry sighed.

"If Ron doesn't want to take the initiative, there's still a way," Zhang Qiu continued. "Send letters in the name of Torchwood to other schools, inviting them to send their Student Council President to the Ball, just like during the summer. That way, Ron doesn't need courage, and Donald's nerves aren't touched."

"To avoid misunderstandings, you can drop hints and blame Snape," Zhang Qiu suggested. "Say it's an old-fashioned, conservative tradition, intolerant of any new ideas—then they won't cause trouble."

"What does 'cause trouble' mean?"

"You wouldn't believe how progressive their culture has become," Zhang Qiu said with lingering unease. "Even when we push for LGBT, we still limit it to human-to-human relationships."