Chapter 332

Harry searched his memory for the name "Credence," and finally remembered: it was a former name of Aurelius Dumbledore.

"Uh, I'm sorry, but he's passed away," Harry said with a trace of regret. "He died from the Obscurus."

"Is that so? Not entirely unexpected," Nagini said calmly. "I had few human friends—he was one of the few."

"I don't really understand what the Dark Lord means to humans, but if I had to choose one human with special meaning to me, besides Lord Voldemort, it would be him."

Harry fell silent, surprised by the serpent's way of thinking, and a flicker of sympathy arose for Nagini.

"Then if I must choose, I choose you," Nagini said after a pause. "At least you can understand me."

"Do you feel lonely?" Harry couldn't help asking. "You're so intelligent—do you feel loneliness like a human does?"

"Yes. I was once human," Nagini said flatly.

"You were once human?" Harry vaguely recalled Sirius mentioning this. "Was it because of a blood curse?"

"Yes… I didn't choose to become a snake, though my life among humans was miserable," the serpent's hiss carried a tone of sorrow. "After I fully became a snake, I spent a long time utterly alone—until I met Lord Voldemort."

"He was powerful, charismatic, and most importantly, he spoke Parseltongue. So I followed him, serving him as my master, our minds in perfect harmony…" Nagini fell silent for a long moment. "But now I realize—we were never in tune. He used some magical ritual to bind us together."

"A Horcrux," Harry nodded. "He tore his soul apart and attached the fragment to you."

"I killed many for him. Strange—I never really enjoyed killing," Nagini's tone grew odd. "You say he's dead. I think it might be true, because now I no longer want to kill."

"Uh? You mean the Horcrux… affected your thoughts?"

"It's possible," Nagini lifted her head. "I might… anyway, I feel lighter now, as if my memory has improved."

Harry couldn't help worrying whether his own thoughts had been influenced by the Horcrux—but then he remembered: Voldemort was now frozen, and Nagini had broken free. He should be fine.

"I'm glad you're willing to talk with me, but I don't want to serve any master again," Nagini lowered her head back onto her body. "I am a snake, independent."

"Will you choose the Dark Lord? Who do you want me to choose?" she asked.

"Then choose me," Harry said, feeling awkward. "I'll visit you often." He felt like a politician making empty promises.

"Are you leaving? Go then. Now I'm alone again."

Harry left the dungeon with mixed emotions. Sirius noticed his grim expression and asked, "What's wrong? Did she refuse?"

"No, she agreed easily," Harry sighed. "I just… feel sorry for her."

"Oh? She spoke of her past as a human?" Sirius wasn't surprised. "But remember, she killed many for Voldemort—no doubt about it."

"If you think Nagini deserves forgiveness, that's unfair to those she killed," Sirius shook his head.

"But killing her won't bring them back," Harry countered. "And forgiving Nagini could set a good precedent—break the resolve of the Death Eaters' hardliners."

"We don't need to settle this now," Sirius smiled. "If you become the Dark Lord, you won't rush to deal with Nagini either."

"Alright, at least the good news is, Nagini readily agreed to choose me as the Dark Lord," Harry added. "Consider it making amends."

"Judgment and revenge—topics endlessly debated, never fully resolved," Sirius sighed. "We'll talk more later. For now, I'll take you back to school."

Back at school, Harry didn't dwell long on the Death Eaters issue—it seemed to have reached an acceptable resolution. His next task was to master Occlumency and fabricate a false memory: "Harry Potter was turned by Quirrell."

Then, as if everything had turned smooth, Harry found homework less burdensome. Ginny made dazzling moves repeatedly during Quidditch training. Slughorn often invited him to the club for fine food—and publicly treated Harry and Ron as honored guests before the other students.

At the start of February, Arnold issued an educational decree. Decree No. 25 stipulated: all punishments for Hogwarts students must now be reviewed and approved by a Senior Investigator; no other staff may punish students without approval—this infuriated Filch.

And the very next day, he issued Decree No. 26: encouraging cross-disciplinary teaching, allowing teachers to hold dual roles in elective subjects, and permitting influential outsiders to give public lectures to students.

Noticing this unusual move, Harry sought out Zhang Qiu to discuss its implications.

"I think he's up to something," Harry said. "'Conspiracy' might be too strong—perhaps just a plan."

"Yes, and he's likely collaborating with Tang Nade," Zhang Qiu offered a new angle. "You mentioned how strangely cold the teachers were toward Elina. Perhaps Tang Nade used her to bypass Snape and strike a deal with Arnold."

"That makes sense. Speaking of Elina, I rarely see her," Harry frowned. "Has she ever approached Ron?"

"No, but don't worry—she hasn't done anything strange. She's just been clinging to Hermione," Zhang Qiu said lightly. "Let's think of something else. You know, it's already February."

"Uh, like what?" Harry had been wondering if the guest lectures might be Tang Nade's chance to return to Hogwarts—but clearly, Zhang Qiu didn't want to talk about that.

"For example, Snape has decided to give us a holiday next Wednesday—allowing everyone to visit Hogsmeade."

"Yes, clearly he learned a trick from Rodolphus. The easiest way to win students over is a holiday—any holiday," Harry warned. "February 14th… it doesn't match any holiday… oh, February 14th."

"You're not refusing, are you?" Zhang Qiu's expression turned strange.

"Of course not! I just realized—things are getting better," Harry laughed happily.

On the morning of February 14th, Harry excitedly prepared to dress up—only to find someone had risen even earlier.

"Oh mate," Ron was repeatedly combing his hair in the bathroom. "Why are you up so early?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Harry said with a wry smile.

"A few days ago, I met Elina. She asked me to take her to Hogsmeade," Ron grinned, his tone bright. "Today—holiday. Thanks to the holiday!"

"Yeah, great," Harry laughed. Even the memory of Snape's brutal training seemed to vanish. "Old Bat finally did something decent."

When Harry saw Zhang Qiu in the entrance hall, he suddenly found himself speechless: she stood by the oak door, her long braid neatly tied, stunningly beautiful.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are your shoes too big?" Zhang Qiu smiled.

"Uh, yeah, I'm just a bit nervous," Harry fumbled. "Ron's on a date too, and Angelina was supposed to train."

He glanced toward the pitch—Ginny was riding his Firebolt, soaring above the stands.

"You want to train?"

"Oh no, not at all," Harry quickly changed the subject. "I still think Snape's holiday has some hidden motive."

"If you don't want to talk, don't," Zhang Qiu sighed. "Shall we wander the shops? There's a new store selling animated dolls."

Memories of the Gobstones shop surfaced. Harry blurted out: "Let's go to the Three Broomsticks first—I'm thirsty."

"Of course, hot drinks suit this weather," Zhang Qiu looked up. "And it looks like rain's coming—but we don't have to go to the Three Broomsticks."

"Your call. You seem to have a better idea."

Zhang Qiu led Harry down a side street to a tiny tea house he'd never noticed. It was small, foggy, everything adorned with ruffles or bows. Harry watched with interest, realizing the atmosphere between them, like the decor, had turned faintly pink.

"Cute, isn't it?" Zhang Qiu beamed.

"Ah, yes," Harry noticed everyone here came in pairs, all holding hands. Zhang Qiu's hand rested naturally on the table.

He hesitated slightly, then slowly reached out, letting his hand touch hers on the table.

Just as Harry was about to speak under Zhang Qiu's encouraging gaze, the bell above the door jingled.

They turned together and saw Hermione and Elina walking in, hands clasped, while Ron followed behind, arms crossed, his face grim.

Zhang Qiu sighed softly. "Such is fate."