Chapter 512

“What do you mean it’s not a complete story?” Harry glanced at Cassandra, then at Zhang Qiu. “Is this story not even your own creation—did you get it from her?”

“Hmm…”

In Zhang Qiu’s silence, Cassandra opened her bookshelf. In fact, every guest who came to Qingqiao Photo Studio could browse the various magazines on the shelves while waiting in line. But only those who were close to the shopkeeper could borrow her private collection.

“Because I have many tear-jerking romance novels,” Cassandra explained. “Last time, Qiu asked for a touching pure love story, so I showed her this one.”

Harry took the book. Its cover depicted a beautiful girl with loose hair. Or rather, nearly every book here had this same cover, and inside, all were unreadable square characters. Harry glanced at it briefly, ready to return it to the shelf—when another book, clearly recently moved, caught his eye.

Before this, Harry might not have paid special attention to a book merely because it showed a lighthouse or a round moon. But at this moment, he instinctively pulled it out.

“Oh, this one?” Cassandra smiled. “It’s a very touching story too.”

“What the story is about is one thing,” Harry stared blankly at the cover. “But I need to know if anyone else has read this book recently.”

“A Slytherin girl—perhaps you know her,” she said. “Her name is Astoria. She often comes here to read.”

Zhang Qiu, who had been lounging, sat up straight. Harry’s gaze sharpened.

“I thought she seemed off,” Harry mused as Zhang Qiu began reading. “Draco was too gentle with her during the day. And Pansy doesn’t even realize—the more she acts hostile and aggressive, the more Astoria’s demeanor stirs Draco’s protective instincts.”

“Perhaps the memories he discarded with soul magic were insignificant to begin with, and Astoria is trying to make him doubt he threw away something important—this ties into your and Pansy’s original plan, I suspect. Astoria discovered Pansy’s maneuver and is playing along.”

“Exactly. Draco must have recalled the memory Pansy tried to implant. But as I just said, the story itself isn’t unusual—it’s full of inconsistencies.” Harry snapped his fingers. “Astoria’s scheme is to make him unable to recall it at all.”

“How could anyone remember something they never did? But the more Draco can’t recall it, the more he suspects he lost his memory—and that he accidentally discarded something vital with soul magic. He’ll feel guilty, convinced he’s betrayed Astoria.”

“I think Astoria cast a spell,” Zhang Qiu looked up from the book. Harry noticed her eyes were red. “Perhaps she used the Forgetfulness Charm.”

Zhang Qiu gently wiped away tears of emotion with her sleeve, then said angrily, “Using such a beautiful story to plan something so vile—Slytherins have no conscience.”

“Oh?”

“From your account, I’ve figured out how Astoria did it,” Zhang Qiu took a deep breath to calm herself. “According to Pansy’s plan, the healer would cast a memory-restoring spell on Draco, making him feel he’d forgotten something important. Then Astoria would use a newspaper article about the moon to tell him a childhood story—and immediately cast the Forgetfulness Charm to erase it.”

“So what Draco mutters about and can’t recall is this story, adapted from this book: Astoria became lonely and withdrawn after her parents’ early deaths. Then, perhaps one day, Draco happened upon her and entered her heart.”

“When she asked, ‘Will you come tomorrow?’ Draco smiled and said he would. She asked, ‘What if we get separated?’ He replied, ‘We’ll meet on the moon.’” Zhang Qiu described a childishly sweet promise. “But Draco forgot. He might think Lucius’s Forgetfulness Charm erased it—or suspect he accidentally lost it with soul magic.”

“And that’s why he inexplicably wants to go to the moon.”

Still doubtful, Harry picked up the book again. But unable to read Chinese, he could only stare blankly at the moon on the cover. “Perhaps because I haven’t seen the full context, I don’t find this explanation particularly compelling—especially since Lucius using a Forgetfulness Charm on his own child was fabricated by Pansy at your instruction. It’s highly implausible. Draco might easily doubt it…”

“You don’t understand!” Zhang Qiu snatched the book back and slammed it on the table. “I’m telling Draco about this—not for any other reason, but to punish Astoria for desecrating such a beautiful story!”

Harry, who had not experienced the layered emotional buildup of the story, shrugged indifferently. “If you go straight to Draco, it’s not fair. I think you should tell Pansy and let her decide.”

“Fair? I think it’s already unfair to Pansy,” Zhang Qiu frowned. “From my understanding, Astoria is a classic example of female rivalry. She’s studied Pansy inside and out. To break this, we must target Draco.”

“What’s female rivalry?”

“She doesn’t truly like Draco. She just wants to steal him to prove she’s more attractive than Pansy. Deeper still, she craves something greedier, emptier: the feeling of being chosen. She doesn’t want Draco—she wants to use ‘winning Draco’ to prove to herself and the world that this frail, orphaned girl defeated the healthy, vibrant Pansy.”

Harry found this harsh, but he agreed with Ron’s point: if Astoria were merely a lonely, kind girl, she’d belong in Hufflepuff, not Slytherin.

“Don’t pity her, Harry,” Zhang Qiu said fiercely. “Her greatest weapon isn’t beauty—it’s that constant look of needing care, those eyes always brimming with grievance. It’s emotional blackmail. She constantly portrays herself as weak to evoke male sympathy, then exploits it to demand affection and attention. But is she truly that fragile and lonely? No. She sees herself as a victim, a pure white flower. Everything she does feels justified in her mind, and she feels no guilt.”

Harry thought of the tattered rabbit doll. He rubbed his chin uncertainly. “But maybe this is your misjudgment—or Pansy’s slander…”

“I’ve been very lenient with her, Harry. You should know, if I wanted to uncover something at school, it’d be easy.” Her tone carried absolute confidence. “I understand her insecurity stems from her background and experiences. But when she sought to fill her inner void by using Draco… I’ve wanted to take a side for a long time. I’ve held back.”

“I understand you, Qiu,” Harry nodded deeply. “Pansy deserves our support—not just because we feel solidarity against fate, but because she’s done so much for Draco: founding Torchwood, managing the girls’ club, and last year, I clearly saw her fight for him—and earn the belt’s response. But I must ask another question: Is Draco worth it?”

“But Malfoy is worth it,” Zhang Qiu smiled, relieved. “She knows exactly why she’s giving so much. No matter what Draco is inside, from the start she only wanted wealth, status, and maybe that handsome young master’s face.”

“I’m still considering another question,” Harry’s gaze drifted back to the books on the table. “Draco coming to me about the moon is understandable. But why did Astoria arrive first that day? She couldn’t have gotten there faster than Pansy. Could it be… that she and Draco were colluding?”

“You mean?” Zhang Qiu looked puzzled. “Draco knows Astoria’s scheme?”

“Of course he knows. He told me the day he lost to Hufflepuff.”

“Then perhaps they want your approval and backing,” Zhang Qiu breathed deeply. “Maybe they even counted on me—I told Pansy that if I could prove Draco was a bastard, I’d support her breaking up with him.”

“But now you’ve changed your mind,” Harry mused. “You think she only wants Malfoy’s body, not his heart. So her past efforts and sacrifices deserve fair repayment?” As he realized none of the three were truly good, he began applying a simple, plain value: “No pain, no gain.”

“And from our own interests,” Zhang Qiu leaned back on the table with a faint smile, “if we had to choose one among the three to control the Malfoy family’s resources—who would be the most rational, the most cooperative?”