Chapter 494

“Maybe, maybe not. It doesn’t matter—as long as we know where to look, or how to fabricate it.” Zhang Qiu brushed past the topic without concern. “The next step is simple: we form a wizard action team to swiftly seize control of the Parliament Building. We can cripple the military system in advance through other means, then issue a decree under the Royal name dissolving Parliament and restoring the monarchy.”

“Then comes a transitional phase—return most power to the Prime Minister, allow him to court and back a group of former MPs to rebuild factions and dismantle resistance… and so on. As long as we hold the military, all of this is easily manageable.”

“I remember Hark invited you and Ron to join the Defense Force, right?” Hermione turned back to Harry, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

At that moment, Harry broke into a cold sweat—he almost believed the conspiracy had already begun in silence—but then he calmed himself, realizing this must be merely a chilling coincidence, for such a coup could never escape international intervention, whether from the EU or the White House; neither would sit idly by at such an outrageous coup.

“Let’s talk about something else,” Harry exhaled. “I think this is still not feasible.”

“Yes, thinking about this now is pointless,” Hermione sighed. “I’ll go back to studying. You two are about to burst my Confundus Charm.”

Only then did Harry realize other students had begun glancing their way repeatedly. He grabbed Zhang Qiu’s arm and apologized to Hermione: “Sorry for interrupting you.”

“Not at all—I should thank you,” Hermione smiled. “My thoughts feel much clearer now.”

The rest of the dance didn’t make Harry feel any more miserable, for he realized he was now very close to the Great Hall’s entrance. After a brief thought, he slipped away from the tedious dance floor and spent a far more pleasant evening with Zhang Qiu elsewhere.

Early the next morning, as Harry returned to his dormitory refreshed and radiant, he heard a shocking piece of news.

“What? Ginny?” He gripped Ron’s hand tightly. “Mate, don’t joke like that.”

“I’m not joking,” Ron said, sitting upright on his bed, looking serious. “She’s really dating the Prince.”

“But that doesn’t make sense,” Harry scratched his head. “The Prince’s aristocratic style should suit Malfoy and his crowd better. Why would Ginny like that kind of thing?”

“I don’t know, but it’s true—lots of people saw it,” Ron described the ball’s events. “In the second half, the Prince left Slytherin’s little circle and wandered through the hall. Then he spotted Ginny—her feathered cloak was impossible to miss. She’d been turning down every boy who approached her, but when the Prince asked her to dance, she said yes.”

“I don’t understand,” Harry remained incredulous.

“I don’t either. Oh, wait—do you remember her full name?” Ron gestured. “Ginevra—that’s a variant of Guinevere. So she wouldn’t refuse King Arthur’s invitation.”

“Forget all that,” Harry said helplessly. “Percy is a perfect example.”

Suddenly, Neville pulled back his bed curtains and said with a resigned tone: “If you really want to know, why not ask her yourself? Dean might be too shy, but surely you two aren’t?”

Nearby, Dean, who had feelings for Ginny, lowered his head and murmured: “If you find out, can you tell me?”

Harry and Ron strode out of the dormitory, driven by a peculiar curiosity, searching the common room for Ginny. Soon, they found her on her usual sofa—but unlike usual, not only Ivy sat beside her; Hermione was also seated in the armchair nearby.

“...So the Prince is also interested in Quidditch?” As they approached, they could hear the girls’ conversation still centered on this new acquaintance.

“Yes, he loves helicopters—a Muggle flying device,” Ginny explained patiently. “But perhaps that’s just an excuse. He gives me the impression of being gentle but distant, constantly holding back, never revealing his true self.”

“Sorry, I hope you don’t find it offensive,” Hermione said apologetically. “If you don’t feel a connection, forget it—we have other options.”

“It’s fine. I think the Prince is at least steady and reliable,” Ginny said naturally. “He has responsibility and some leadership. I think we can find common ground in many areas. More importantly, even if there’s no spark, I find it hard to dislike someone like him.”

Harry and Ron sat down on the opposite sofa and voiced their question: “What’s going on? Doesn’t Ginny like the Prince?”

“Not at all—I think we still have potential,” Ginny smiled and nodded. “It’s just the beginning. There might be some mutual use at first, so it won’t thaw quickly.”

“Mutual use?”

“Yes. The Royal Family wants to rely on the magical world to regain power; the magical world needs the Royal Family to provide a foothold in politics. In a sense, it’s a win-win. But the Prince, as the one pushed forward for this marriage, naturally has reservations—that’s only natural.”

Ron stared blankly, wondering where Ginny had heard such bizarre theories; Harry, however, immediately knew the culprit—he fixed his emerald eyes on Hermione, making her shrink slightly into the sofa, embarrassed.

“Sorry, Harry,” Hermione stammered. “I thought... the Prince’s appearance and demeanor seemed decent enough. Maybe this could become a nice story? After all, from another angle, Ginny is practically a princess of the magical world.”

“The Prince doesn’t have to marry a princess,” Ron scratched his head. “Princes marrying commoners happen all the time. I don’t see how Ginny could be called a princess—if she is, then I’m a prince too.”

Harry suddenly remembered: legally speaking, the magical world did have a princess—Delphi—if one considered the Dark Lord a king.

“This is ridiculous. We don’t need to sacrifice Ginny’s happiness to appease the Muggle Royal Family,” Harry shook his head. “The magical world has its own work to do.”

“But Ginny doesn’t see it as a sacrifice,” Ivy suddenly interjected. “Where else in the magical world can you find a young man worthy of her? Nowhere. While Harry strides forward, you’ve made all the magical world’s peers look dull and uninteresting to Ginny.”

“Yes, if he’s a standout from the Muggle world, I actually find him intriguing—there’s a different, mysterious charm,” Ginny added. “Since I don’t understand Muggle things much, his topics always bring me fresh perspectives.”

Harry, Ginny, and Hermione’s gazes drifted around the air. Finally, Ginny spoke again, summarizing: “At least for now, I don’t reject the Prince—I’m even quietly interested in him. So let’s not rush to conclusions. Maybe sparks will fly? Or maybe we’ll just become ordinary friends? That’s unknown. All I can say is, I’ll handle it myself.”

“If they truly develop feelings for each other, it would be a wonderful thing,” Hermione organized her thoughts and added. “Ginny’s personal career focuses on Quidditch—a niche sport to Muggles—which the Royal Family can easily accept without interfering in her life. Meanwhile, her network closely connects key figures across the magical world, making her an extremely valuable candidate for marriage, clearly demonstrating our seriousness.”

“Alright, alright—I won’t oppose you two seeing each other normally,” Harry suppressed his faint unease and declared firmly. “But I still say: the magical world has its own work to do. Don’t get too entangled. We should still focus on what we need to do.”

“Yes, we’re about to start our first match. Have you figured out how to deal with Cui Ge?” Ron smoothly shifted the topic.

“This was mentioned before, but I think we need to go further in terms of match strategy,” Ginny was happy to set aside the Prince topic. “The key to the first match is hiding our overall strategy—we can’t let Slytherin know we plan to win by total score. We must pretend we’re playing normally.”

“For this, we can use the first plan we mentioned earlier as a cover: start with a four-protect-one formation, try to double-team Cui Ge to limit him, but at the same time, closely watch the Snitch—even allow him to catch it occasionally to lull him into complacency...”

The conversation smoothly shifted to Quidditch. Over the next week, Ginny diligently organized training and tactical coordination. They all treated the first match against Slytherin as the most important of the year.

Finally, on that clear morning, as Harry mounted his broom with calm, confident resolve, ready to take off, he instinctively scanned the pitch—and felt something strange.

In the stands sat someone who shouldn’t be there—the Prince. And remarkably, Hermione had put aside her studying and sat beside him, cheerfully explaining the game.