Not Blackmail, Cooperation

"I'm sorry, I acted impulsively this time. I really didn't expect things to escalate to this point." Harry explained very seriously, "I didn't mean to suspect you, but there were just too many coincidences, especially after the Quidditch Match."

I saw you and Professor McGonagall bring Colin to the hospital that night, and you even asked Dumbledore not to tell anyone.

Hermione has always been reluctant to believe that you are the heir to Slytherin, and she helped us prepare Polyjuice Potion in the hope of avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings.

Furthermore, this one-month period is a buffer period. If we can find any evidence during this time that you are not the heir, we will immediately stop.

I never expected it to be like this...

"You never expected that I'd be at the crime scene when Justin got into trouble, did you?"

Harry nodded awkwardly. This was what they called the unpredictability of life. He never would have imagined that all the coincidences stemmed from that seemingly harmless Dragon Cub dressed as a cat, squatting next to Aaron.

"Sigh!" Aaron sighed deeply and said with emotion, "Actually, it's not that I can't understand you, and I can accept what you've done, it's just that I feel particularly sad."

I've always considered you all friends, but now it seems that was wishful thinking on my part.

Aaron looked at the three of them with immense relief, feeling incredibly fortunate that the Sorting Hat had sorted him into Slytherin. If he had been in Gryffindor, he would have been constantly worried about him.

"Actually, it's all a misunderstanding," Ron said with a laugh, trying to smooth things over. "Our apology was quite sincere, so why don't you forgive us one more time?"

"Heh!" Aaron scoffed, "You're really shameless. Neither of them would dare say that."

Ron turned to look at Harry and Hermione; one was silent with her head down, and the other was on the verge of tears. He swallowed awkwardly.

"Forgiving him is a bit difficult." Hermione mustered her courage and looked Aaron straight into his eyes. "But since it has already happened, you have to give us a chance to make amends!"

Everyone's aim is to find the mastermind behind this. With the three of us helping you, things will be easier for you.

"No need." Aaron refused without any politeness. "You're already being kind enough by not dragging me down."

"But we already know all your plans..."

"Hey! Let me correct you, not all of them."

There are some things you don't know yet, such as who was the heir ten years ago, and possibly the final location of the Secret Chamber.

"What about the Gryffindor common room?" Hermione exclaimed. "You can't possibly search that place!"

"And my sister," Ron added immediately. "I won't let anyone else investigate her, and I certainly won't let Malfoy carry out your plan."

Upon hearing this, Aaron's face instantly darkened. "What do you mean by this? Are you trying to blackmail me?"

"No, please don't misunderstand," Harry said hastily, while giving the two men a meaningful look: We're here to ask for forgiveness, not to bargain.

Ron gave an awkward smile. "Sorry."

Hermione gritted her teeth and ignored Harry's glare.

She knew what Harry meant, and she knew even better what kind of person Aaron was.

No matter how grandly they explain their actions, they cannot change the fact that they are deceiving the other Diadem. It is completely impossible to get the other party to forgive them with just a few words.

"It's not coercion, it's cooperation."

You need help, and we are happy to help you.

Aaron took a deep breath and tapped his fingers on the table, making a tapping sound.

The three remained silent, waiting quietly for Aaron's response.

Half a minute later, he stopped tapping and said meaningfully, "Believe it or not, even without your help, I can find the real culprit."

Hearing this, Harry and Ron felt a little uneasy, but Hermione was relieved. The fact that they weren't directly rejected meant there was room for negotiation.

"With our help, you can find the Slytherin heir much faster."

That's true.

Aaron had no doubt about it; he had absolute confidence in his character, but the image of Slytherin in the minds of students from all three houses was already shattered.

Even if he could gain access to the common lounges of the other three academies, his investigation would be severely hampered.

"Cooperation is possible, but I have a few conditions."

"You say."

"First of all, you cannot reveal my plans to anyone, not even a little bit."

"No problem, we agree," Harry said immediately. They knew what was important; they couldn't trust anyone before finding the Slytherin heir, not even Dumbledore.

"Secondly, personal feelings cannot be swayed during the investigation." Aaron said, giving Ron a meaningful look.

"Ginny, she..." Ron was about to say something when he was stopped by two sharp glares and immediately changed his words, "I know, I will take care of it."

Aaron nodded in satisfaction. "Also, you must tell me what you've found out, otherwise I won't tell you any clues."

Harry hesitated; this didn't seem fair to them.

"Sure," Hermione said, rolling her eyes at Harry's puzzled look. "What's there to hesitate about? We're still making a profit."

Harry paused for a moment, then suddenly realized.

They investigated the same time as Aaron, but the things they found were incomparable.

But they almost kept pace with Aaron's progress last night, which means they were standing on the shoulders of Giant. What more could they want?

"Finally, return the Christmas presents I sent you."

"That was for friends, not for you now," Aaron said calmly. "Cooperation doesn't mean I'll forgive you."

I gave you all a chance last year, but you didn't cherish it.

The three men nodded with guilty expressions and placed the three gift boxes on the table.

"Wow, thank you for not opening them. This way, the memories might be even more vivid," Aaron said meaningfully, then slowly opened the first box, inside which was a lottery ticket.

"With this Magic Broom from the specialty store, you can upgrade your Nimbus 2000 to the latest model."

Personally, I was hoping for a public match, even though Flint would definitely yell at me if he found out. But thanks to your performance last night, I don't have to get scolded.

Tear!

Aaron tore the lottery ticket to shreds and threw it into the trash can.

Harry forced a smile, but his heart was bleeding with pain.

The Seeker's equipment can, to a certain extent, determine the outcome of a game; he seemed to watch as the trophy sprouted wings and flew from his hands next semester.

Ron patted him on the shoulder and said in a deep voice, "It's okay, even without the new broom, you're still the best Seeker."

"Thanks!"

"This is for you." Aaron handed a gift box to Ron. "Why don't you open it and take a look?"

Ron forced a smile and nervously opened the box.

A brand new brown Wand lay in the box, as if welcoming its new owner.

"My great-uncle was a professional Wand maker; he could clearly remember every single Wand he sold," Aaron explained. "This Wand was adjusted to your father's measurements."

So, are you satisfied?

"Satisfied." Ron's eyes twitched slightly, forcing out a smile that looked more like a grimace.

What's the use of being satisfied? No matter how good the product is, it's still his.

Click!

The Wand was broken in two, even more badly damaged than the one Ron had.

Harry and Hermione couldn't bear to turn their faces away; it was like killing someone's spirit! Just now, they felt as if they had heard the sound of a heart breaking.

Harry stood before Ron, seeing him struggling to cry, and comforted him, saying, "With your talent, even with an old Wand..."

Harry couldn't continue his story after only telling half of it.

Everyone knows what kind of Wand Ron is using now; even the simplest Levitation Charm produces an explosive effect.

At this moment, a intact magic Wand was more of a lifeline than a godsend for him.

"It's okay, just pretend nothing happened."

Ron's eyes were red, and he choked back a few sobs, forcing himself not to look at the Wand that was broken in two. In his heart, he kept wailing, "What did I miss?"

"Next, it should be me!" Hermione looked at the last gift box, her body trembling slightly. "I guess there's a book inside."

"I admire your intelligence." Aaron smiled and pointed his Wand at the gift box. The ribbon on it automatically untied, and a book with a dark blue cover that wasn't very thick but looked very old flew into his hand.

"A work by Great wizard, with his annotations and autograph."

To be honest, I personally think Lockhart is just Clown. I just wanted to give you a book that has more practical value, which is real knowledge.

By the way, you all know the author of this book, Nicolas Flamel.

Hermione stumbled and almost fell to the ground, sharing the same feeling as Harry and Ron.

"You're not planning to tear it up, are you?!"

"Of course not. Although I've memorized everything in it, the Le Mel Journal is a million times more valuable than Lockhart's autobiographies, enough to make countless Warlock flock to it." Aaron said, rolling up the book and roughly stuffing it into Abei's pocket, making Hermione's heart clench.

Harry and Ron looked at Hermione with pity. They had only lost material things, and although it hurt, they could barely accept it. But Hermione had missed out on spiritual wealth, and for a top student, nothing could be more cruel.

"I've said what I needed to say, and I've accepted what I should accept," Aaron said, extending his right hand. "Then it's a pleasure to cooperate."

The three shook hands with him with wry smiles. Although their hearts were broken, it wasn't entirely without gain. With this foundation of cooperation, at least Aaron wouldn't treat them as enemies when they met again in the future.

"Oh, right, there's one last question." Aaron suddenly remembered something and asked jokingly, "You won't post anything like this again, will you?"

"No, absolutely not."

Hermione solemnly made a promise, while Harry and Ron shook their heads vigorously.

The three gift boxes that were confiscated clearly told them that being dishonest with friends would come at a heavy price.