Chapter 353: Late Fate

"Experiment?" Harry felt something was wrong, but on this great day of total celebration, he didn't immediately spoil Luo Nade's fun, but returned to the common room and joined the singing queue.

Just when Luo Nade was telling for the tenth time how he saved the first ball in the match, Nawei quietly handed him a note, which was Zhang Qiu's handwriting, asking Harry to go to the Dumbledore's Army gathering site.

Harry glanced at Luo Nade, who was emphasizing for the eleventh time that he "precisely predicted all of Bradley's thoughts," took a deep breath, walked out of the dormitory alone, and looked at the empty corridor.

When he pushed open the door of the Room of Requirement, he found that it was brighter than usual. The torches were lit, and clusters of white berries were hanging from the ceiling, mixed with strange golden balls, and the surrounding walls were covered with clocks.

That's mistletoe, Harry thought silently.

"Uh, are you alone?" Harry looked around subconsciously. "Uh, but today is..."

"Today is the day Gryffindor won a big victory, but have you noticed that Luo Nade's performance on the Quidditch pitch was a bit too smooth?" Zhang Qiu said seriously. "Even if he indeed had this strength, it was still a bit too lucky, even, the timing of him blocking the ball happened to match the beat of the chorus."

"Why are you suddenly saying these things?" Harry was attracted by this matter instantly, and the strange feelings he originally had were immediately put aside.

"You know I'm already in sixth year, and the sixth-year Potions textbook mentions..." she took out a small golden bottle. "Felix Felicis."

"But that's illegal!" Harry shouted in surprise. "You didn't secretly feed Luo Nade Felix Felicis, did you!"

"Indeed, in any competition and exam, it is illegal for athletes to drink Felix Felicis, but no one said that spectators cannot drink it," Zhang Qiu revealed a strange smile. "Note, I said any competition... and exam."

"Why are you... emphasizing exams?" Harry frowned. "I didn't plan to cheat in the exams, and even if I wanted to cheat, I wouldn't use Felix Felicis."

"Let me talk about how I helped Luo Nade become a Quidditch star first," Zhang Qiu walked slowly with her hands behind her back. "First of all, Nawei knows what Luo Nade saw in the Mirror of Erised, this is not a secret either. Soon, all Gryffindor fans will know that Luo Nade longs to become an excellent goalkeeper recognized by everyone."

"Then, now there is a problem," Zhang Qiu stretched out a finger. "They want to accomplish this thing, they must have a premise."

"That is that Luo Nade really has to be that excellent." Harry felt that, so far, everything Zhang Qiu said was fine.

"Finally, if everyone preparing to participate in the chorus drinks a small drop of Felix Felicis before the match starts," Zhang Qiu snapped her fingers. "Their good luck will make the thing they want to accomplish surely happen, which is equivalent to the effect of Felix Felicis gathering on Luo Nade."

"Can it be played like this?" Harry widened his eyes.

"Before we didn't dare to do this, because the essence of doing so is to gather everyone's wishes to break fate, it is a challenge to Death," Zhang Qiu explained. "Felix Felicis is also the arrangement and favor of fate—but now, fate doesn't exist."

"Ah, so this is an experiment to break fate," Harry suddenly realized. "The reason you kept me in the dark is because, as Clara said, I am a bit special to fate?"

"This is not an experiment to break fate, but an experiment to manipulate fate," Zhang Qiu revealed a dangerous smile. "This experiment is still relatively rough and simple, because it was proposed by Tang Nade, but it is already enough to demonstrate to the children."

"My master proposed a more powerful method... Assume, we all imagine a beautiful ending that everyone can pass, then agree to drink Felix Felicis on the day the OWL results come out, what do you think will happen?"

"Nothing will happen, as far as I know Felix Felicis only temporarily improves a person's state, even if it can add some guidance of fate," Harry said calmly, "that also cannot change things that have already happened."

"Yes, so you have to notice, I said, before the OWL exams, just agree to drink Felix Felicis on the day the OWL results come out. What's important is not Felix Felicis, what's important is this agreement." Zhang Qiu clapped her hands. "Fate will make them perform exceptionally well during the exams, otherwise it won't work by then."

"My master calls this move... Great Vow."

"Too crazy, this kind of thinking is too crazy," Harry couldn't help but exclaim. "This is simply a blank check. Where can I find so many Felix Felicis by then!"

"Yes, definitely can't find them. Doing so is defaulting, defaulting on fate's account, defaulting on Death's account," Zhang Qiu nodded, then twisted her mouth and smiled. "However, now, is Death still there?"

Harry widened his eyes. In extreme surprise, his brain also couldn't help but start thinking about the feasibility of doing so, but then he calmed down.

"No, no, you think too beautifully," Harry laughed. "I don't know if fate doesn't exist completely now, or exists with weak energy, but in short, you want to borrow money from fate and then default, the premise is that he must have so much money in his account."

"Unless you can really find so many Felix Felicis by then," Harry said seriously. "Otherwise I guess, it mostly won't have any effect."

"Well, this is another experiment," Zhang Qiu shrugged. "At least, letting the children increase some confidence is also not bad. Anyway, now the exams are right in front of the door, everything that should be reviewed has been reviewed, only the mentality is left."

Harry pursed his lips. He didn't know what to say. It seemed that this topic about fate and Felix Felicis had passed. He knew he should say something else, but his brain was full of these things. He thought of something he had discussed with the doctor before: Felix Felicis actually doesn't make people have good luck, but when a person is going to have good luck that day, he will suddenly remember to drink a little Felix Felicis.

But this is not worth mentioning. Obviously, that was out of Death's manipulation. Now that Death is gone, it's a matter of course, and saying it doesn't make any sense.

Harry felt his hands had nowhere to rest, his brain couldn't find words to send to the tip of his tongue. He turned his head to look elsewhere somewhat embarrassedly, only then noticing that the names of himself seemed to be written on the dials of those clocks on the wall.

"I also drank Felix Felicis," Zhang Qiu suddenly said. "I drank the most, I drank a teaspoon."

"Is that so?" Harry turned his head to look at her.

"Before entering the door, I hadn't decided what to say to you," Zhang Qiu walked slowly toward him. "I originally wanted to... well, I suddenly decided to tell you about the mystery of fate. Originally according to reason I only needed to cry a little bit, but you know, I have never cried in front of you, I think it must have made a mistake." Zhang Qiu sniffled and revealed a smile.

"But I still said this, because, I have another wish, and another thing I want to accomplish, that is—" she took a deep breath. "What happened last year, I am very sorry."

"What thing are you talking about?"

"Tranzelo, that burial ground," Zhang Qiu said in a heavy tone. "We have countless means, but I listened to my master's arrangement and used... the worst one for you."

"Is it very bad?" Harry touched his chin. "We didn't have other choices at that time, right?"

"I want to make up for that result, I don't want you to bear such heavy pressure. I haven't seen you smile much this year, and haven't seen you stop thinking much," Zhang Qiu said softly. "You are too tired, Harry."

"Your master also, couldn't use other means, right?" Harry had indeed complained about Xuanjun when mourning Dumbledore's death, but

"Is it that bad?" Harry rubbed his chin. "We didn't have any other choice back then, did we?"

"I want to make up for that outcome. I don't want you to carry such heavy pressure. Throughout this year, I've barely seen you smile, or even seen you stop thinking." Zhang Qiu said softly, "You are too tired, Harry."

"Your Master also had no other means, did he?" While mourning the death of Deng Buliduo, Harry had indeed once blamed Master Xuanjun, but he easily thought the matter through. "If Master Xuanjun or the Soviets hadn't gone to isolate the Death God, then even if they had ingenious ideas, they wouldn't have been able to use them, right?"

"My martial uncle and I made a plan, a plan to help you..." Zhang Qiu's tone was a bit strange. "Felix Felicis suggests that it is best to tell you about the mysteries of fate right now, but this means I have to give up what I was supposed to—"

"It doesn't matter. Felix Felicis should be enough to satisfy both of your wishes at the same time." Harry grabbed her shoulders; he could see that it was a comical expression, half-crying and half-laughing. "Although you said a lot of riddles about fate that were quite a mood-killer, and although you could never say that word, I guessed it. I guessed it from the moment I saw the mistletoe."

"I really do like you, Harry."

He could not think. A trembling sensation spread throughout his entire body, paralyzing his arms and legs, but his brain was unexpectedly clear; he did not know if it was because of Occlumency.

One of the lies that paralyzed Tang Nade was that Zhang Qiu had missed fate, the mistletoe had missed Christmas, and she had missed a kiss that had been deserved long ago.

Divination was late once again, but better late than never.