Chapter 491: Of Course, You're Beautiful!!
Harry stared at Hermione and Ron, completely speechless.
This made both Ron and Hermione look rather weak and guilty.
Of course, Hermione quickly recovered her confidence.
She said righteously,
"I was terrified by what happened to Darren! He was taken away by them at that time.
My mind was full of the scene where he risked everything for us and even confronted Headmaster Dumbledore over that little thing of yours!"
"Yes!" Ron chimed in enthusiastically.
"At that moment, you probably really did become a 'trifle.' Even Dumbledore forgot to inform you after that!"
The two of them instantly perked up.
Only Darren wore an embarrassed, guilty expression.
But Harry had no intention of blaming him.
Darren had literally had his memory erased—he must have been terrified. Forgetting something like that was completely understandable.
In Harry's mind, the responsibility lay entirely with Hermione and Ron, yet the two of them stubbornly refused to admit it.
It was truly a tragic story.
Still, there were things that made them happy as well.
Sirius wrote to them, telling them about his plan to come to Hogsmeade and vaguely hinting at some arrangements.
Harry suspected that Sirius intended to prepare a big gift for them to pick up in Hogsmeade.
Ron guessed it might be some kind of animal.
In any case, they were sure Sirius had already heard about Darren and Harry's performance in the second task.
This time, he would definitely come prepared to celebrate.
So they quickly wrote back, telling Sirius about their upcoming visit to Hogsmeade.
As March arrived, the weather noticeably warmed.
The wind was still strong, but for Darren, things were much better.
At the very least, he was now willing to go outside the castle to feel the breeze, instead of staying all day in the common room or the library.
On Friday, the owl returned.
It brought Sirius's reply.
He said he would arrive in Hogsmeade and asked them to bring plenty of food.
"Oh my God," Hermione said in shock.
"He's really coming to Hogsmeade? Isn't he afraid of getting caught?"
Ron, however, said that now that the Dementors and Aurors had been withdrawn, the situation wasn't as strict as before.
Sirius couldn't hide forever.
"With me here," Darren said seriously,
"if any Aurors or Dementors appear, I'll definitely help Sirius get rid of them.
Even if it costs me my life, I won't let anything happen to him!"
[Ding, Father value +100]
[Ding, Father value +100]
[Ding, Father value +100]
His words deeply moved Harry and the others.
To be honest, being Darren's friend was a blessing.
He never allowed his friends to be harmed.
No matter the pain, he always bore it alone.
But as his friends, they were constantly frightened by his kindness.
They were always afraid that one day, something terrible would happen to him because of it.
Yet no matter how much they wanted to say something, they couldn't.
How could anyone look into Darren's turquoise eyes and speak words of accusation?
No one could.
Even the usually sharp-tongued Professor Snape restrained himself when facing Darren.
But evidently, this only encouraged Darren's increasingly gentle nature.
They sent Sirius another letter, urging him to be careful and telling him that, if possible, he shouldn't risk it at all—as long as they knew he was safe, that was enough.
Although none of them really expected him to listen.
That afternoon, they attended their last Potions class of the week.
When Darren followed Harry into the classroom and quietly sat down near the Slytherin section, it caused quite a stir.
These normally reserved Slytherins seemed far less reserved in Darren's presence.
Of course, it wasn't just eye-rolling.
Each of them took out a magazine.
Malfoy grinned and tossed one toward Harry.
"Scarhead, look—you're in the magazine again!"
"Malfoy!"
Without even thinking, Darren knew it must be Rita Skeeter's work.
He shot Malfoy a glare.
Malfoy immediately stepped aside, raising his hands innocently.
"It's got nothing to do with me. I just saw it. Don't believe me? Read it yourself."
Darren hurried over to Harry just as Snape strode into the classroom.
Hermione quickly snatched the magazine from Harry's hands.
"That's enough. Do you want Snape to deduct more points?"
Darren sat down beside Hermione.
Under the desk, he secretly read along as Hermione turned the pages for him.
The Romantic History of Harry Potter
As everyone knows, Harry Potter is a boy unlike any other, for he once saved the wizarding world.
But he is also an ordinary boy, burdened with the troubles of adolescence.
For this reason, he became deeply obsessed with Hermione Granger.
Hermione Granger is an ordinary girl with great ambition.
She moved constantly between Harry and his twin brother, the boy who always placed first in the Triwizard Tournament.
She made both brothers fall for her.
Darren Potter was visibly enchanted by her.
For her sake, he rejected an offer from a Veela-blooded Triwizard champion, Miss Fleur Delacour.
It is said that this French beauty once invited Darren to visit her home.
Yet Darren declined the invitation, all for Hermione's sake.
Readers might imagine that this Miss Hermione Granger must possess breathtaking beauty to captivate both brothers so completely.
But that is not the case.
"She's terribly ugly—I've never seen such an ugly witch!"
This comment came from Miss Pansy Parkinson of Slytherin House, a young lady with alluring eyes and a well-shaped figure.
"She probably brewed a potion—the kind that makes people obsessed with her. She's clever enough to do it."
Such potions are strictly forbidden at Hogwarts.
Therefore, I sincerely hope that Headmaster Dumbledore will investigate whether the two Hogwarts champions of the Triwizard Tournament have been drugged.
There were more lines written by Rita Skeeter below, but Darren didn't read them.
At this moment, he actually wanted to laugh.
Still, for the sake of the Holy Father value, he put on an angry expression.
He glared fiercely at Pansy and tried to stand up.
Hermione immediately grabbed his wrist.
"Don't go," she said cheerfully.
"I'm happy!"
Hermione was genuinely smiling.
"Rita Skeeter always plays these little tricks. I won't get angry over it."
Then she added teasingly,
"Besides, don't you already know whether I look good or not? That day—Darren—didn't you say I looked good?"
"Of course," Darren replied without hesitation.
"You're beautiful."