Chapter 312: Proper Gossip

"You think, what's going on with Hermione right now?" Harry naturally fell into gossip mode.

"As I mentioned before, she likes Donald, but her reason holds her back," Zhang Qiu analyzed. "And Hermione is a very kind person."

"What does kindness have to do with it?"

"Originally, Hermione wanted to use Ron as a 'more suitable guy,' but clearly, she noticed some interactions between Ron and Elina, so she let go of Ron," Zhang Qiu opened her notebook, flipped a few pages forward, and pointed at the content.

"Donald once invited us to his movie premiere—that was a clever move. It not only scared off Ron's feelings for Hermione, but also stopped Hermione from using Ron, through Elina," Zhang Qiu spoke awkwardly, but Harry understood her meaning.

"So originally, Ron and Hermione might have developed real feelings through deeper interaction, but after the Four Seasons Hotel trip, they both started fearing contact with each other," Harry summarized.

"Yes, I told you that day—the only thing blocking you from selling Hermione to Donald was Ron still having feelings for her," Zhang Qiu's tone carried a hint of resignation, yet also a touch of schadenfreude. "And that feeling is fading."

"Actually, I don't quite understand Ron's mindset now," Harry hesitated. "He once said Hermione was the only girl who ever felt genuine to him, but now, seeing how awkward he is, I have no idea what he's thinking."

"Let's set Ron aside for now and return to Hermione herself," Zhang Qiu changed tack. "Hermione no longer uses Ron as emotional comfort, but she hasn't met any other boy at school good enough to stir her heart, so she's turned to accepting celibacy."

"No intelligent person makes such a firm decision about life's biggest matters so early. Clearly, Hermione's claim of celibacy is just to suppress her feelings for Donald. The more firmly she declares it, the deeper she's trapped—there's a Chinese idiom for this: 'seemingly fierce but inwardly weak.'"

"So now she's torturing herself?" Harry hesitated. "And we just watch? Do nothing?"

"Whether we act or not still depends on Ron's thoughts," Zhang Qiu shook her head.

"But will Donald really treat Hermione well?" Harry hesitated. "He was cruel to Cassandra—let alone that Hermione only resembles her—"

"No need to worry. Donald has already invested so much in Hermione, and barring accidents, he'll invest even more," Zhang Qiu touched her chest. "If things weren't like this, I'd use my conscience to try to stop him."

"Why do you think that?" Harry still disliked Donald. "He abandoned Cassandra back then, now he wants to keep controlling her life, and to fake his image, he pulled that whole Black Darc nonsense. No matter how you look at it, he's a scoundrel."

"You're right—but think from another angle. Why go to such lengths to hide the truth of the past? He's not running for governor; who else cares about his private life except Hermione?" Zhang Qiu raised an eyebrow. "I believe his ideal girlfriend, as the film implies, is a Pepper Potts type: sharp, capable, disciplined—beauty and figure are just bonuses."

"Cassandra merely happened to match his aesthetic, but failed the other two criteria. So in Donald's eyes, she has no status at all—she's become a scandal, a dark chapter: proof that Donald is a man who can't control his libido."

"I'm certain Donald will treat Hermione well because she displays the same qualities: intelligence, diligence, competence. And Cassandra proved one thing: in Donald's eyes, Hermione's beauty is unmatched," Zhang Qiu concluded. "Considering all this, in Donald's heart, she's the only one he'll marry."

Harry nodded.

"If you're trying to convince me not to interfere in Donald's scheme, you've persuaded me. Ron isn't that obsessed with Hermione, and if we can prove Donald will treat her well, then yes—we can let him proceed," he rubbed his chin. "I know it's unfair to Cassandra, and not entirely good for Hermione either—but if I act purely on justice and push Donald to the opposite side, the current situation can't afford that cost."

"But Donald's scheme might have gone wrong—even I can't say if he truly has a plan," Harry shifted gears. "I think we might try giving Hermione some subtle help."

"Exactly the opposite," Zhang Qiu shook her head. "William has already sided with the Death Eaters, while Donald hasn't confirmed he's on your side—he's closer to a neutral faction."

"Can the Magical Congress offer the Order of the Phoenix only one Clarest? That's unreasonable and unacceptable. Clearly, a significant portion of resources lies in Donald's hands, and he hasn't truly chosen his stance yet," Zhang Qiu sighed. "We need to win him over. So when we realize this might be something beyond Donald's expectations, we should inform him—and offer remedial measures—to show our sincerity."

"I've always said we can sell Hermione to Donald," Zhang Qiu stressed the word "sell," "because I know Donald can offer a price so high you can't refuse."

"Like what?" Harry frowned. "He can't just wipe out the Death Eaters and intimidate the Soviets—unless he really has a suit of armor."

"Ha, so a suit of armor is enough to buy you over?" Zhang Qiu said cheerfully. "Let me remind you—such armor isn't hard to achieve in the magical world."

"I was just making a metaphor," Harry spread his hands. "I don't trust him."

"Then I can make him show some sincerity too," Zhang Qiu sat up straight. "Because of Cassandra, Tianchao can serve as a relatively credible third party to truly facilitate this deal between you."

"Of course, I must remind you," Zhang Qiu smiled as she saw Harry's expression darken. "We're only allowing him to pursue Hermione—we're not stuffing her into a sack and selling her outright, are we?"

"You make me feel that if he offered more, you'd actually do it," Harry muttered discontentedly.

"I'm not! I've seen the divination—I know Hermione could achieve great things," Zhang Qiu sounded hurt. "I once considered having her assist you."

"You used the past tense," Harry reminded her.

"Oh right—given the current situation, Hermione might not have much use anymore," Zhang Qiu pursed her lips. "Her moral Dixian isn't flexible enough."

"So your point is, I shouldn't interfere in Hermione's affairs anymore?" Harry muttered. "Though honestly, I never really interfered to begin with."

"If his offer doesn't satisfy you," Zhang Qiu shrugged, "Stop thinking about it. Let's talk about something pleasant."

"Have you prepared your dress?" she asked. "I picked a qipao with a white base and lotus patterns."

"Another qipao?" Harry was in a bad mood, so the ball held no appeal.

"Come on, you have to understand about dresses," Zhang Qiu explained. "Though Tianchao has many formal styles, only the qipao fits European ball concepts. I can't just give you a huachai zhiyi—that'd be too flashy."

"Then I'll write the butler and ask him to send a tailcoat," Harry said, then immediately worried about Ron. "Oh right, Ron—if Elina changes her dress, he'll be embarrassed. I should warn him."

"Go ahead," Zhang Qiu pushed his shoulder. "Don't overthink Hermione—I'll handle it."

When Harry returned to the dorm and started talking to Ron about the dress, he truly forgot about Hermione. Clearly, Ron now showed no feelings for her at all—he kept talking about Elina.

"... he told me her new dress is called 'Treading Wings, Riding Light,' still blue and white," he said excitedly. "The design draws inspiration from pigeons—it'll have a fluffy feather effect."

"So you're going to pick a pigeon-matching dress?" Harry was momentarily confused.

"Yes, Mum will buy me a new one," Ron no longer hesitated about money—after all, Mr. Weasley was about to be promoted, and the family was likely in celebratory spirits.

"It'll have a big fluffy lace collar—Percy said it's called 'Clabba' something, very popular once. I think it'll suit perfectly," Ron beamed, already looking forward to the ball.

"By the way, Elina plans to stay for Christmas. Will you stay too? Should we keep her in the Chamber or—"

"Oh right, I still have to submit the stay-over list," Harry realized he'd forgotten. "I'll tell Eve. You should tell Ginny too, right?"

The two left the dorm and entered the common room, easily spotting Eve and Ginny chatting by the fireplace.

Harry asked, "Hey, are you staying this year?"

"Oh yes," Eve said. "Sir Old is expected back from Albania on the 24th morning."

"He's out again, huh," Harry said casually—he was used to Sir Old never coming home for Christmas.

"Wait—you just said he's coming back on the 24th morning?" Harry suddenly realized he'd misunderstood. "He'll make it back before the holiday?"