Seamus's Troubles

Hermione's face flushed red at a visible speed when she read the second half of the article. She slammed the Quibbler on the long table with a "bang," making the milk bowl rattle.

"Too cautious? Ineffective?" Her voice trembled slightly with anger and disbelief. "Does he know how many contingency plans we made to ensure absolute safety? How much effort we put in? And what about facing the real difficulties?"

Are you suggesting he move a giant, Blast-Ended Skrewt to the Room of Requirement and make first-year students face it? That's utterly irresponsible and a sensationalist fallacy!

Ron quickly stuffed the rest of the sausage into his mouth and mumbled, "Calm down, Hermione, you know he always—"

Uh, that's a unique way of thinking. Nobody will take "The Quibbler" seriously.

"But people will read it!" Hermione pointed to the magazine. "And this article seems pretty convincing on the surface! It questions the very logic of our activities! If this argument gets around, Professor McGonagall might reconsider! What will other parents think? Will they think we're wasting their children's time playing house?"

Neville carefully picked up the magazine, glanced at the criticism again, his round face filled with confusion and a hint of hurt. "I—I think we did the right thing. Putting first-years directly into danger—isn't that exactly what we've experienced before, and what we most want to prevent them from experiencing again?"

Seamus scratched his head. "That's true—but Mr. Lovegood's words seem to hit a nerve. I was thinking yesterday when I rang the bell, was it a bit too gentle? Like coaxing a child."

"He's just a kid!" Hermione immediately retorted.

"But the magical world won't treat them any better just because they're children," a calm voice interjected.

It's Harry.

He had finished reading the entire article, and his face showed neither Hermione's anger nor Ron's helplessness, but rather a thoughtful expression.

"Harry, you don't agree with him too, do you?" Hermione looked at him incredulously.

"Not entirely agree." Harry pointed to the words "Facing the Real Difficulties" in the magazine. "His description of 'the real difficulties' is too extreme and too dangerous; we can't do that. But—"

He paused, then looked at several core members.

"He questioned whether we were being overly cautious, and perhaps he had a point. Were we so afraid of making any mistakes that we designed the event to feel like a game? Sometimes, something's not right in the castle, but rather something other than a crisp 'ding' or a beautiful flash of light."

Everyone fell silent.

Harry's words reminded them of something amiss they experienced in their first year, such as the one-on-one tutoring from a top-tier teacher during finals.

Of course, this top-rated teacher is reluctant to reveal his real name and always uses an alias.

"You mean," Ron said thoughtfully, "That we could add something special next time? Make our trials less like BabyBus —but I think Professor McGonagall will definitely order us to ensure safety."

"Within the constraints of control and safety, let's make the adventure a little more realistic." Harry nodded. "As for the specific plan, we can continue to discuss it; after all, they're eleven years old, not three or four."

Hermione's furrowed brow relaxed slightly; her mind was clearly already rapidly weighing the risks and feasibility of the suggestion.

"This requires a more sophisticated design, more Protective Charm, and an absolutely reliable emergency stop plan—and it must be approved by Professor McGonagall, who may not agree."

"We can use Mr. Lovegood's article as a starting point for our second-phase optimization plan." Harry picked up the Quibbler. "We can say to Professor McGonagall: 'You see, even the Quibbler thinks our first phase was too conservative. To prove the effectiveness and necessity of our activity, we request a slightly more realistic upgrade under stricter control. This is both a response to criticism and a refinement of the activity itself.'"

Ron's eyes widened. "Wow, Harry, when did you learn this—this—"

"Political rhetoric?" Seamus interjected. "Don't you even know who Harry's girlfriend is? Even a rock would smell of it."

"No, it should be called strategic communication," Hermione corrected, but a smile finally appeared on her face, though she was still a little sullen. "Okay, that might be a solution. Turn criticism into motivation. However, I must lead the design of the upgrade plan, and the risk assessment at every step must be thorough!"

"Of course, of course," Harry replied quickly. He knew that giving Hermione the design rights was the only way to get this bold idea approved.

Just then, a unique, ethereal laugh came from the Ravenclaw Long Table.

They turned around and saw Luna holding up that issue of "The Quibbler," pointing to the little figure with a question mark on the cover on her friend's side, and happily talking about something. The lion hat on her head was roaring loudly.

Luna seemed to sense their gazes, turned her head, gave Harry a vague smile, and waved.

That evening, Harry gathered ten elite members to discuss optimization issues.

After clarifying his needs, Ron called his Twins brother and explained their requirements in detail.

"Make a deal!"

The Twins shouted in unison on the other end of the phone, and then the screen shook. You could hear excited high-fives and hushed cheers coming from their end, followed by the sounds of rummaging through drawers and the rustling of Parchment.

"Official supplier! Ronnie little darling, you're truly our best little brother!" George's face reappeared in the frame, his eyes Winky. "We need to design a completely new, serious, but absolutely Weasley- esque product line! How about we call it the Hogwarts Exclusive Collaboration Series?"

"Or perhaps a different name?" Fred's voice came from the side, accompanied by the scratching of Quill. "Imagine Mom bragging to the neighbors: 'My sons, George and Fred, are now Hogwarts's appointed safety education prop designers!' That sounds much more convincing than opening a joke shop, although essentially—"

"----Still figuring out how to safely make someone look a little foolish." George finished the conversation with a grin, then said seriously, "Don't worry, Ronnie little darling, we know what's important. Professor McGonagall is watching closely, and we want to keep our ears open to hear Mom's rant----"

George chimed in again, "----We've noted your requirements. Simulate as many unexpected situations as possible, under the premise of absolute safety, zero harm, and even no noticeable discomfort, right? Leave it to us! We'll send you the first batch of products within a week!"

"But there are confidentiality requirements," Ron emphasized again, "I want you not to tell anyone else before we begin testing."

"Is Mom an outsider too?" Fred asked with a sly grin.

"Theoretically speaking, yes," Ron cleared his throat. "Of course, don't tell Mom that."

"Oh, Ronnie little darling," Fred said with a grin, rubbing his head, "I can already imagine how Mom will react when she finds out—"

After the call ended, Ron turned to everyone and shrugged. "They said they'd take care of it. But I have a Grim feeling that their definition of security might be subtly different from ours—especially Professor McGonagall's— "

A minor incident occurred during dinner.

"So, you really broke up with Lavender?" Ron asked Seamus curiously. "Weren't you two very much in love before? She even invited you, Xixi, over. How could you suddenly break up?"

Seamus glanced at Lavender, whose face was still quite unpleasant not far away, then turned back and whispered, "It's all because when we train together, I'm always paired with Pansy —and Pansy and I work so well together, she just can't help but say—"

"What did you say?" Ron asked anxiously when he saw him hesitate and remain silent.

"She always says that I'm not as focused when I'm with her, but I'm like a different person when I'm training with Pansy."

Seamus picked up the Pumpkin Juice and took a big gulp, as if to wash away what he was about to say.

"You say my gaze is different now, my reaction time is eight hundred times faster"—By Merlin, how could it be the same?

Can studying Astronomy with Lavender in the Common Room be the same as a dangerous battle with Pansy in the Room of Requirement? The former makes you sleepy, the latter can lead to injury if you don't concentrate!

Ron suddenly realized.

"So you're saying that you and Pansy are just training partners?"

Seamus nodded vigorously, then hesitated, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the Slytherin Long Table.

Pansy was elegantly cutting a steak, occasionally whispering something to Draco beside her.

"At least for now." His voice lowered. "Pansy —you know, she's demanding and hates idiots. You'll have to be on your guard if you don't falter or hold her back. It's exciting, and it helps you improve incredibly fast."

He scratched his already somewhat messy hair. "But Lavender didn't understand. She thought I was 'fascinated' by that poodle-like Parkinson's."

Ron followed his gaze and glanced at the Slytherin Long Table, then made a face.

"To be honest, Seamus, I can understand Lavender. Watching you two train—well, sometimes your teamwork is a bit too obvious. Your Charms complement each other perfectly, almost like you planned it in advance—though we know you didn't. And Pansy —well, when she trains, that seriousness and sharpness she has is quite different from her usual harshness, and it's really eye-catching."

Seamus blushed slightly and muttered, "That's because the training conditions are different."

"Yeah, yeah, training." Ron mimicked his tone, then said seriously, "Listen, bro, I'm not trying to meddle. But you need to think this through and handle it properly. If you and Pansy are really just partners, then you need to find an opportunity to explain it to Lavender properly—in a way she can understand, not with your theories that even I can't convince."

"If you think it's more than just being partners—" Ron paused, seeing Seamus suddenly look up with a flicker of panic in his eyes, and didn't continue, "—then you need to figure things out on your own side first. In short, don't procrastinate, and don't use training as an excuse. Look at Harry, his situation is complicated enough, isn't it? But at least—"

Ron didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

At that moment, Lavender seemed to sense the gaze and looked over from the other end of the Gryffindor Long Table. She saw Seamus and Ron whispering together, and Seamus kept glancing in the direction of Slytherin. Her eyes seemed to redden slightly, and she immediately turned her head and started laughing and talking loudly with Parvati next to her, her voice deliberately loud.

"It's not my fault," Seamus said with a shrug. "I really didn't have any other ideas, but Lavender just couldn't understand—"

"Then why bother talking nonsense with her?" Ron sighed. "You need to understand, she's already hindering your progress. You can't let Harry put you in another group—think about it, Hermione and I are in a group that can't be separated, the Hufflepuff duo is the same, and you can't bear to break up Neville and Luna's pairing? The rest is—"

(My tooth is killing me, I'll stop here for now, it's so annoying.)