---
"We weren't in a relationship. Ginny was just joking with that day."
Darren explained.
Ginny nodded sincerely beside him.
Harry almost felt as if these people were deliberately treating him like a fool.
But he had nothing to say.
After all—what could he say?
Was he supposed to forbid Darren from falling in love?
Or forbid Darren from falling in love with Ginny?
He could only keep silent.
---
Ti moved into June.
Harry noticed that Ginny had gradually joined their small group.
Hermione and Ginny seed to have beco close friends.
They often ate together and read books together.
Whenever Darren was around, they surrounded him.
No other girls were allowed to get close.
Harry looked at their backs with a disgusted expression.
He turned to Ron and said, "Aren't you going to control Ginny at all? She's your sister!"
Ron rolled his eyes.
"How could I possibly control her?
And Mum is actually hoping Ginny can win Darren over.
She said if there's another girl in the family, and that girl takes you as well, she'll get two more sons at once."
Maybe the two of them were speaking too loudly.
They finally attracted the attention of Darren and the girls.
Hermione looked at Harry.
She said seriously, "Harry, Ginny, Darren and I just checked sothing about the Half-Blood Prince…"
Harry imdiately beca furious.
He still hadn't retrieved his Potions textbook because Hermione had been stopping him.
"Enough! I know—you want to say the Half-Blood Prince isn't a good person, but—"
"Shut up!"
Hermione interrupted him sharply.
She took a book from Darren, pointed at a page and said:
"Look here—Eileen Prince, Captain of the Hogwarts Gobstones Team!"
Harry was stunned.
Then he suddenly realized sothing.
"A homophone trick? You think Prince equals Half-Blood Prince?"
Harry laughed mockingly.
"She's a woman!"
"Why can't a woman be called a prince?"
Hermione looked at Darren.
As if asking him to be the judge.
Darren smiled.
He looked at Harry and said, "I'm not sure whether a woman can be called a Half-Blood Prince, but I'm certain of one thing.
Professor Snape's mother was from the Prince family."
Harry was almost shaken.
But he imdiately comforted himself.
"It's still just your guess. It definitely can't be Snape!"
He and Ron listed many reasons and finally convinced themselves again.
Darren didn't argue.
He looked at Hermione thoughtfully and whispered, "Professor Snape knows the counter-curse to Sectumsempra. That isn't a common spell—only its creator would know it.
But don't tell my brother yet. He probably needs ti to accept it."
[Ding, Father 100]
[Ding, Father 100]
---
One day in June.
Another piece of parchnt arrived from Dumbledore.
Darren and Harry were invited to his office that evening.
Harry was so excited he almost jumped up.
With a face full of anticipation, he waited for Darren, and in the evening the two of them headed toward Dumbledore's office.
---
In the corridor on the eighth floor, they ran into Professor Trelawney.
She seed to have been thrown out of sowhere.
She was shouting and cursing in the hallway.
Darren hurried over and helped her up.
"Professor, what happened?"
"Oh—Darren… just in ti! They threw out… I wanted to hide sothing today…"
Trelawney suddenly stopped.
She seed embarrassed to say what she wanted to hide and where.
But Darren smiled and said, "Were you trying to store wine in the Room of Requirent?"
"Ah… yes, yes, I wanted to hide wine…
But there were people inside. I heard soone shouting—saying it was successful…
It sounded very secretive.
I asked who it was, and then…"
Darren frowned.
He asked Harry to try opening the Room of Requirent again.
But Harry couldn't get in at all.
So Darren imdiately supported Professor Trelawney.
"Co with , Professor. Let's go to Headmaster Dumbledore. This matter must be dealt with seriously."
"Exactly! They dared throw out, a professor!
Ever since that centaur ca, I've been forced to share classes with him…"
Trelawney wiped her tears.
Then she continued proudly:
"Besides that unpleasant centaur, I've seen many ominous signs…
A tower struck by lightning, a young man attacked by a Dentor…
Darren, do you know?
More than ten years ago, when Dumbledore first interviewed , it was at the Hog's Head.
I hadn't eaten anything that day. Dumbledore didn't seem very interested in at first.
But Severus Snape rudely interrupted us…
He was outside with the barman and was caught eavesdropping.
In those days, jobs were hard to find. He was just a young man trying to steal so experience—I can understand that.
But Dumbledore clearly understood even more that, compared to soone like Snape, an honest person like was more suitable for teaching!"
---
Before Darren could decide what expression to show, Harry had already rushed in front of Trelawney in rage.
"Stay here!"
Harry shouted at her.
Then he grabbed Darren and ran.
Trelawney couldn't catch up.
Darren had no choice but to follow Harry.
Pretending to be shocked and confused, he ran with him all the way to Dumbledore's office.
---
Dumbledore was standing with his wand, as if preparing to leave.
When he saw Darren and Harry, he smiled.
"Children, didn't I say I would take you along whenever there was news of a Horcrux?
It just so happens—we're ready to go now."
"Now?"
Harry seed to choke.
His anger was still suppressed, making him look almost frightened.
"I know the first mission can be intimidating. When Darren went on his first mission, he looked even more nervous than you."
Dumbledore joked.
But neither Darren nor Harry laughed.
Dumbledore finally realized sothing was wrong.
"What happened?"
Darren remained silent.
He looked confused, almost in disbelief.
Dumbledore beca anxious.
He looked at Harry sternly.
"Harry—tell . What happened?"
"It was Snape—Snape overheard everything!
Why did you never tell us?"
Harry roared.
---
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