Chapter 51: Deduction

"What are you all chatting about?" Not long after, Luo En, who had been attending the club, returned. He looked very energetic and had a belly full of things to say.

"Nothing much, we were just quite curious about what you did in the club?" Harry said.

"Speaking of that, it was truly spectacular," Luo En said, beaming. "Neville and I fought for the whole night, but that's not the point; the point is Hermione and Hannah!"

"What about them?"

"When I arrived at the classroom, Neville, Hermione, and Hannah were already waiting there. Then Tang Tang Nade came, and he said that the club's activities would be very grueling and that he wouldn't allow the two of them to participate, and then Hannah started pleading."

Harry and Zhang Qiu exchanged a look, feeling that this so-called "spectacular" might be quite different from what they had imagined.

"Then Tang Tang Nade said," Luo En imitated his tone, "'Neville, there is a fire in your heart, a fire that can forge a will as strong as steel. But this fire will also scorch those who care for and love you. I don't know if it's good or bad, but in this era, such a fire will always exist.'"

"Strange," Harry evaluated.

"And then!" Luo En's voice rose a few notches, drawing the gaze of Madam Pince. "Guess what Hermione said?"

"She refuted him?"

"No," Luo En whispered. "She agreed with Tang Tang Nade's statement, and she even told Neville that she had already figured it out, saying that they were still friends, but she wouldn't like Neville anymore."

"The implication being that she once liked him," Zhang Qiu said.

"Exactly, it was really exciting. I mean, I knew they were friends, but I didn't know it had reached this point! They are usually so awkward when they are together; they either talk about studies or don't speak at all!" Luo En said in a low voice.

"Wait, what about Hannah?" Harry's gossiping heart was also stirred up.

"That's the spectacular part. Hannah said she didn't care, and she even hugged Neville, saying something like, 'I love you regardless of everything, even if I end up covered in bruises.'" Luo En described the scene at the time vividly. "Neville's expression was incredibly strange, and Tang Tang Nade even smiled; that expression looked just like my mother's!"

"Could it be..." Harry seemed to have grasped a glimmer of inspiration.

"I know," Zhang Qiu interrupted him. "Neville actually likes Hermione, but he doesn't know how to treat Hannah. It was the same last Halloween; his indecision broke Hermione's heart."

"Perhaps he hadn't truly fallen for Hermione back then," Luo En said. "I think the Quirrell incident was the key."

"If you put it that way, it's possible that it was precisely during the Quirrell incident that Hermione truly began to like Neville, but when did she decide to give up?" Zhang Qiu analyzed with great interest.

"Do you remember the beginning of the term, that morning in the Great Hall?" Luo En said, his voice unconsciously rising again. "That day, Tang Tang Nade said something to Hannah, and then she started sitting at different tables!"

"I actually feel that the relationship between them might not be that complicated..." Harry said helplessly.

"Enough!" Madam Pince suddenly appeared beside them. "The library is not a place for you to gossip; get out!"

Luo En pulled Harry and said, "Sorry, Madam. Harry, let's go outside and talk."

Harry couldn't resist him, so he smiled bitterly and packed up his unfinished homework. He subconsciously glanced at that table, and the little witch with bushy hair also looked over; it was indeed Hermione.

In other words, Hermione didn't stay long at the Dueling Club, Harry thought to himself.

"You continue talking about the Dueling Club first." Once out of the library, Harry said this to Luo En.

"Alright." He recalled for a moment and continued, "Then Hermione's expression was a bit ugly, and Tang Tang Nade said he would add some content to the Dueling Club, explaining advanced theory on Tuesday nights. For now, it seems only Neville and I are doing practical combat, but he invited Hermione and Hannah to attend the theory class."

"I really don't know what medicine he is selling in his gourd," Zhang Qiu muttered.

"Then Hermione agreed. Hannah still wanted to take a class with Neville, and Tang Tang Nade let Hermione leave first. She looked devastated when she left."

"Indeed, there is a difference between thinking about it like that and saying it to someone's face," Zhang Qiu echoed.

"Then he let us fight with our fists first, without using magic," Luo En said, rolling up his sleeves to show the bruises on his arms. "Look, it was quite fierce, and that scared Hannah."

"Tang Tang Nade kept guiding our fighting techniques, including the angle of our punches, the force, the timing, and so on; it was indeed quite helpful. Hannah went out once in the middle; I thought she couldn't take it, but later she came back and brought us pies and pumpkin juice."

"You got some too?" Harry asked curiously.

"Look at what you're saying." Luo En punched him. "Neville isn't that stingy."

"So, according to that," Zhang Qiu said thoughtfully, "Neville has confirmed his relationship with Hannah? Already in the second year?"

"That's the most spectacular part." Luo En clapped his hands and said, "Neville never expressed his stance from beginning to end; he didn't admit anything!"

"Pah." Zhang Qiu's expression changed instantly. "If he really did that, it's a bit despicable."

"Actually, I wanted to say this just now." Harry said weakly, "I feel that Neville must be focused on defeating the Dark Lord, and he doesn't dare to respond to the feelings of these two."

"That's true." Zhang Qiu also gradually returned to rationality from her gossiping state. "Hermione is fine, but if Hannah were to go against the Dark Lord, I would worry for her too."

"Perhaps Neville just doesn't want to implicate them." Luo En also began to speak up for Neville. "If he shows that he cares about someone right now, then the Dark Lord might target those he cares about in the future to threaten him."

"If you put it that way, he deliberately drove Hermione away but tacitly allowed Hannah to stay by his side." Zhang Qiu said. "As expected, the one he truly likes is still Hermione."

This sentence reminded Harry of the inspiration that had flashed through his mind earlier, and he hurriedly said, "Wait! I've got it!"

"In the Heavenly Dynasty, we describe this as 'If you are well, then it is a sunny day'... What did you say you thought of?" Zhang Qiu was interrupted by Harry, and her tone was still a bit unhappy.

"Tang Tang Nade's hidden true purpose!" Harry analyzed excitedly. "He said the notebook was fine, but the notebook is full of oddities; he set up the Dueling Club but only invited Luo En and Neville; he deliberately instigated Hannah to sit at different tables and said those things to Hermione in the club."

"Are you saying Tang Tang Nade is strange?" Luo En's expression turned a bit ugly.

"Exactly, he should have two purposes." Harry said with a smile. "The first is to help us defeat the Dark Lord, which you should be very clear about, Luo En. Then, excluding his concern for you, why did he specifically bring Neville to the Dueling Club? This is his second purpose!"

"Could it be..." Zhang Qiu also seemed to have reacted a bit. "Yes, love is the greatest magic!"

"His second purpose is to study the mysteries of love by observing and matchmaking student couples!" Harry said confidently. "The notebook is a good example; Tang Tang Nade specifically created such a magical item to promote conversation between two people, and its greatest use is to matchmake his nephew and Lu Na; now the notebook has circulated to Ma Erfu and Pan Xi, surely there isn't anyone who doesn't know Pan Xi has a crush on Ma Erfu!"

"I didn't know." Luo En rolled his eyes.

"And both groups came to us to promote this notebook..." Zhang Qiu was about to continue her analysis when she suddenly thought of something, lowered her head, and didn't speak.

"Perhaps our great revolutionary friendship made them misunderstand." Harry laughed heartily. "And Cui Ge's crazy pursuit of Lu Na might have been instigated by Tang Tang Nade. Lu Na isn't exactly a very beautiful girl, yet Cui Ge fell in love at first sight; how strange that is."

"Your aesthetic is also quite strange." Luo En said. "I think Lu Na is quite beautiful, and it's very normal for Cui Ge to fall for her."

"Hmm?" Harry tilted his head and glanced at him.

"Besides," Luo En said again, "you are the only one among us who thinks Zhang Qiu is as beautiful as a celestial being; I completely cannot understand it."

"Let's continue talking about Neville's matter." Zhang Qiu stared at Luo En with a dark face, her tone sounding like she was forcing a confession.

"Um, I mean." Luo En seemed to realize he had said the wrong thing and said somewhat guiltily, "Your analysis should be correct; the one Neville truly loves is Hermione, but in order to protect her, he has to push her away."

"But, wouldn't this be a bit unfair to Hannah?" Harry asked.

"Just wait and see." Zhang Qiu said confidently. "Although that's what he thinks right now, as long as Hannah stays by his side and accompanies him to the very end, his feelings for Hermione will only fade more and more. This is what we often say: companionship is the longest confession of love."

"By the way, about that knight thing." Harry patted Luo En. "Did Tang Tang Nade say that only by staying away from emotions can one maximize the power of bloodline?"

"There is indeed such a saying." Luo En scratched his head embarrassedly. "But Neville shouldn't have this bloodline, so he doesn't need to worry about it."

"That's not quite right." Zhang Qiu said. "The Heavenly Dynasty also has 'forgetting-emotion' techniques, but the first step to giving up emotions is to accept them; you must have experienced a heart-wrenching love to truly be able to sever the ties of emotion. So, Luo En, do you have a girl you like?"

"Look at what you're saying, perhaps Hermione..." Luo En's voice was very small at first, muddled and unclear, but he seemed to have thought of something and suddenly became loud. "Perhaps, I mean, as a Knight of the Round Table loyal to Harry, I should pursue Ivy instead."

At this moment, a little witch with big front teeth happened to leave the library and hurried past the three of them.

Luo En looked at Harry nervously and whispered, "She didn't hear our discussion, did she?"

"Rest assured, we didn't even hear it clearly, she definitely heard even less. I'm going back first!" Zhang Qiu said with a half-smile, then walked away with light steps, humming a song as she went: "The white moonlight is shining, only then do you remember her goodness..."

"What is she singing?" Luo En asked guiltily.

"Based on my experience," Harry whispered, "every time she speaks Chinese, she must be mocking someone." ===== CHAPTER 52 =====