Chapter 333

"Over here, Ron." Before Harry could speak, Zhang Qiu suddenly waved at him. "Harry was just looking for you."

"What?" Harry blinked, confused—he had no idea he'd been looking for Ron.

Ron's expression brightened instantly. He strode over, sighing with relief. "Oh, Harry, got an urgent mission for me?"

"Uh." Harry instinctively stood up, but he wasn't sure what was going on—especially since Elena and Hermione were both watching curiously.

"It's top-secret Order information. Let's find another place to talk." Zhang Qiu suddenly said.

The three of them left the teahouse. Before departing, Harry carefully left payment on the table.

"Ron, you've been tricked," Zhang Qiu said seriously once outside. "Why were you with them?"

"Elena invited him," Harry explained.

"Yeah, I thought it was weird—Elena invited me to spend Valentine's Day with her, but I had no idea why Hermione was there too." Ron looked thoroughly confused, slightly annoyed. "Is she really that bored?"

"You think it's Hermione's fault? Then you've been completely tricked." Zhang Qiu glanced back. "Hermione doesn't force herself into social situations. She's not like that."

"You can't be sure." Harry scratched his head. "Remember her and Neville?"

"Yeah, why not?" Ron looked at Zhang Qiu. "And if I've been tricked, then who exactly tricked me?"

"Of course!" Zhang Qiu suddenly stopped, as if she hadn't intended to name Tang Nade. "Of course it was Elena's scheme."

"What? You're joking, right?" Ron rolled his eyes.

"You still think Elena likes you, don't you?" Zhang Qiu asked sharply.

"What do you mean?"

"If she really liked you, she wouldn't have brought Hermione along to ruin your date." Zhang Qiu's tone was certain. "Only two possibilities: either Hermione forcibly intruded, or Elena doesn't care about you at all."

"Why couldn't it be the first?" Harry tried to bring up Neville as an example, but he fell silent—he remembered how, during the time Hermione, Neville, and Hannah were entangled, Hermione and Hannah never spoke to each other, let alone held hands, no matter who Neville talked to.

"But we kissed!" Ron's face visibly darkened, though he still clung to hope. "At the Yule Ball!"

"Optimistically, Elena's just developed a passing crush on someone else," Zhang Qiu shook her head. "Pessimistically, even that kiss was just performance."

"You'd better explain clearly!" Ron snapped. "I admit today was unexpected, but I never asked you to rescue me."

"I know this isn't just about rescue. It's about a larger scheme—I mean…" Zhang Qiu clearly had a conclusion, but was deliberating how to speak of Tang Nade without naming him.

"It's Bai Gong's scheme. Elena works for Bai Gong—we only confirmed it recently," Harry offered a vague excuse.

"Is that so?" Ron didn't seem surprised. "I should've noticed. Why else would even Professor McGonagall avoid her? But I thought Bai Gong and the Ministry were aligned, right?"

"Yes. So whatever Elena's doing here aligns with the Ministry's plans—otherwise, how could Snape have allowed her into the school so easily?" Zhang Qiu shifted tone. "But her actions clearly require exploiting—or possibly harming—a student. That's why the professors dislike her."

"Interesting guess. But have you figured out what she's actually planning?" Harry said. "We analyzed several possibilities before. You said she's on the fifth layer—but none of those layers would harm innocent students."

"So you're assuming Hermione and Ron aren't innocent?"

"I think I get it now," Ron frowned, still puzzled. "You mean Elena carries a plan agreed upon by Bai Gong and the Ministry—and that plan will likely harm… me or Hermione?"

"Then what kind of plan could it be?" Harry couldn't help thinking aloud. "What does Bai Gong want?"

"I don't know," Zhang Qiu shrugged. "I don't know the details of the plan. But once I realized Elena didn't truly like Ron, I knew I couldn't let you get dragged in first."

"Well, thanks a lot," Ron grumbled.

"But there's one possibility I suspect." Zhang Qiu narrowed her eyes. "Elena herself isn't just a tool. She may have her own motives—and those motives are… she likes Hermione."

"What?" Harry realized for the first time that the long-debated LGBT concepts weren't as distant as he'd thought.

"Setting aside political schemes, purely from an emotional standpoint: Did Elena ever consider what this three-way outing would do?" Zhang Qiu analyzed. "You'd be upset—yes—but she did it anyway. That proves she doesn't care. She doesn't value you."

"Mmm." Ron groaned listlessly.

"But what about Hermione? Hermione always assumed Elena and Ron were a couple. Now she knows Elena doesn't truly like Ron, doesn't she? And if you really spent the whole day with them, it becomes clear: even if she doesn't like you, you still like her." Zhang Qiu gave an awkward smile. "In Tianchao, we call people like that 'licking dogs.'"

"If Hermione thinks you're Elena's licking dog, what will she think? First, she'll see Ron as a fool. Second, she'll find Elena incredibly alluring. That's the message Elena wants to send Hermione." Zhang Qiu clapped her hands. "Why would Elena do this? The most obvious explanation: she likes Hermione—and she senses Hermione likes you."

Ron's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hermione's feelings? Who can tell?" Ron shrugged. "I'm wondering—if she kept insisting she was a non-marriage type, was she already trying to come out back then?"

"Let's drop this for now. We're out already." Harry glanced at the sky. "Before it rains, let's go somewhere else—say, the Three Broomsticks?"

"You two go ahead. I want to visit the photo studio again." Zhang Qiu looked down the street.

"Ugh!" A figure suddenly ran over, waving wildly.

"This is annoying," Elena panted. "Hermione forced me to promise to go to Madam Puddifoot's. I didn't want to—I wanted to spend the whole day with you. But I had no choice, so I asked you to come along, hoping we'd leave early. Oh, by the way, I think Hermione's ugly."

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, both confused.

Zhang Qiu's eyes widened. Suddenly she remembered something, pulled out her small fortune-telling notebook, flipped through it, then couldn't help laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Ron asked.

"Nothing. Since it's just a misunderstanding, enjoy yourselves." Zhang Qiu wrapped her arms around their shoulders and steered them toward the other side of the street. "Ron, have you shown her the Shrieking Shack yet?"

"Ah, yes! It's a fascinating place." Ron's mood instantly lifted.

After watching Ron and Elena walk down another path, Zhang Qiu pulled Harry into the Three Broomsticks and found a quiet corner to sit.

"What's going on? Who does Elena actually like?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"Hard to say. But one thing's certain: the things she just said to win Ron back were definitely taught to her by Hermione. The divination came true." Zhang Qiu suppressed a laugh. "Fate is truly strange."

"But what does Hermione think?" Harry frowned again.

"How would I know?" Zhang Qiu took a deep breath, then raised her wand. "Superior wisdom is humanity's greatest treasure."

"You've figured something out?" Harry watched Zhang Qiu's expression shift to sudden understanding under the influence of the Inspiration Charm. "What is it?"

"Rosa Parks!" she slapped the table excitedly. "The magical world's Rosa Parks!"

"Who's that?"

"The mother of the American civil rights movement. She was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person, sparking a wave of protests—the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott, organized by none other than Martin Luther King Jr." Zhang Qiu took a deep breath. "Do you understand the weight of that identity?"

"Sounds impressive—I know Martin Luther King Jr.," Harry blinked. "But what does this have to do with us?"

"Because Rosa Parks herself didn't need to do anything extraordinary. She only needed to show courage at a critical moment to earn all the honors that followed." Zhang Qiu tapped the table. "If you knew Martin Luther King Jr. was waiting behind you, anyone could be Rosa Parks."

"So if we draw the analogy—treating Muggle-born rights as the magical world's civil rights movement…" Harry's mind struggled to catch up. "They want Hermione to be Rosa Parks? What's the point?"

"The point is, now Hermione has a reason to stay in the magical world."