Things Harry Didn't Know (3000+) / New Year, Rumors, and a Gambling Addict (3000+)

To be honest, after Luna Lovegood explained the plan to this extent, Harry realized he had caught up with her pace, and he really didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Indeed, everyone—including himself—perhaps underestimated Luna Lovegood.

I think this slightly crazy girl, who doesn't care about what others say, is a simple-minded character whose greatest interest every day is studying Fantastic Beasts and making some strange alchemical inventions.

But in fact... no, that's not right!

Harry felt his mind was a bit of a mess, or rather, his emotions were in complete disarray.

After a brief check, he realized that the chaotic and panicked emotions... were actually coming from Luna Lovegood?!

When Harry met her gaze, Harry noticed that her eyes weren't as firm as when she was revealing the secret; instead, they seemed somewhat unfocused.

That's a manifestation of being anxious and insecure...

So, Luna Lovegood herself wasn't really sure about the whole revelation she made today, or the entire plan she set up.

Of course, what she's unsure about isn't the plan itself, but rather Harry and Hermione's attitude...

She didn't know how the two people opposite her would look at her after she showed this side of herself.

"Luna Lovegood, I think I guessed right, didn't I? The only one we can pull out and continue to use at this time is probably Ludo Bagman."

Seeing Luna Lovegood's slightly flustered expression, Harry suddenly smiled.

The smile was gentle—at least that's how Luna Lovegood perceived it—and it gradually calmed her heart, which had been filled with anxiety from the beginning.

"Hmm..." She nodded slightly to Harry, and her previously nonchalant expression finally relaxed a bit.

So, no praise?

But then, Harry's sudden words made her pause in surprise again.

Please... what's with asking for praise?

And that raised eyebrow and smiling face of his—isn't that the expression you only make when you're being affectionate with Know-it-all? What do you mean by doing that to me?!

"Hey, I've really racked my brains trying to keep up with your train of thought," Harry, half-jokingly tapping his head. "Now, does this performance at least somewhat match your intelligence?"

"This..." Faced with Harry's cryptic question, the girl was completely at a loss for words.

She instinctively turned her head to look at Hermione, only to find that the academically gifted girl had already stood up, glared at her and Harry at the same time, and then left the room.

"You two can say whatever you want, but don't drag me into this!"

"Is she... is she alright?" Luna Lovegood asked weakly, seemingly frightened by Hermione's words before she left.

"Fine."

"Really?" Although Harry answered casually, Luna Lovegood was still very concerned.

"Just pretend she's alright," Harry shrugged with a wry smile. "Anyway, even if something is wrong, it's my job to handle it."

"Oh..." Luna Lovegood responded softly, but suddenly felt a little regretful.

With all these recent events, she's actually a little confused about what she's doing.

She thought she had seen everything clearly, but after things developed to this point, she suddenly realized that she had lost control of the situation...

Then, at that moment, Harry stepped forward.

He kept smiling, casually telling himself... he would handle everything.

"Actually, you don't need to worry about anything at all, because I'm very clear about my problems and have always hoped to gain your approval..."

As Harry spoke, his tone gradually changed, becoming slightly pleading and a little apprehensive, which immediately unsettled the little girl.

"Compared to you, I'm really not that smart. Before meeting you, I took many detours, and even dragged Hermione down with me because of them. Maybe, as you described, I only possess a bit of mortal wisdom, but even so, I want to try to understand your thoughts..."

"I... I didn't disapprove of you!"

The girl's face showed obvious anxiety. She didn't understand why Harry was saying things she couldn't comprehend, yet she couldn't bear to see him like this. She was extremely conflicted.

Of course, Luna Lovegood just hasn't watched enough romance dramas, otherwise she would definitely be cursing Harry for being shameless, even trying to deceive a young girl's feelings!

Harry is using the same old scumbag tactics he always uses.

When unsure how to solve a problem, feigning innocence and weakness often yields excellent results. Especially when those usually fierce and assertive men suddenly display a gentle and delicate side, they can easily leave young girls completely bewildered...

Of course, the premise is that the gentlemen at least have to be good-looking.

So why do scumbags deserve to be hacked to pieces?

Because the girls deceived by scumbags often have genuine feelings for them.

If Harry still can't figure out what Luna Lovegood is struggling with at this point, then he's not a wise mortal, but a foolish one.

Luna Lovegood is still the same Luna Lovegood; she just used her intelligence out of concern for someone else.

She forced herself to learn things she didn't like before and devised a series of scheming schemes, but that doesn't mean she became that kind of person.

Ultimately, she just wanted Harry's plan to be more complete, and to add a little of her own agenda.

Her personal agenda was to use a scandal to link the three people together...

So, Harry didn't really know how to comfort Luna Lovegood, and in the end, he decided to use this bad idea to take advantage of the girl's sympathy.

He had considered taking a more aggressive approach, since if he used force or something, Luna Lovegood definitely wouldn't be able to resist...

The problem is, he also has to consider Hermione's feelings.

The academically gifted girl seemed to leave in a huff, but in reality, she wasn't truly angry. She was simply using this method to hand over the decision-making power to Harry.

Harry could, of course, have pretended not to know and dealt with everything quickly and decisively, while also comforting himself with the thought that things might change over time, and that a short, sharp pain was better than a long, drawn-out one.

But... he ultimately couldn't.

He and Hermione had only been married for a few days, and now he was being asked to quickly cut off another 'mess'—he was finding it hard to swallow his pride.

So he decided to take a roundabout approach.

"Of course I'm happy to have your approval." Harry chuckled softly, then said seriously, "Luna Lovegood, all I can tell you now is... you just need to stay by my side as before and do what you like. You don't need to change anything for me. Xenophilius Lovegood wants you to be free, and that's what Hermione and I want too."

"..."

"Huh? Luna Lovegood, what did you just say?" Luna Lovegood mumbled something with her head down, but Harry didn't seem to hear her clearly.

"It's nothing... Anyway, let's sort out Ludo Bagman's problem first."

Luna Lovegood shook her head, not continuing the previous topic, but the expression on her face had returned to calm.

Yes, I guess I was worrying too much before...

Because of some confused thoughts, I did a series of things that seemed clever, but in reality, they only caused trouble for others.

But they weren't angry; instead, they chose to be forgiving.

So... if you still can't see the future clearly, then just do as he said, stay by his side, and explore the future together with him.

"Ludo Bagman... if it weren't for this today, I would have completely forgotten about him. He still owes me over a thousand Galleon!"

Speaking of which, Harry almost completely forgot about the receipt the Weasley Brothers gave Harry.

He thought Ludo Bagman might be useful, which is why he impulsively got the deed from the Weasley Brothers. But before he could actually put it into action, Ludo Bagman got into trouble himself.

He and Rufus Fudge were both dismissed and investigated after giving the Ministry of Magic a bloody dressing down, and they are no longer active in public.

If Luna Lovegood hadn't pointed it out, Harry would have completely overlooked the fact that this thing might have other uses.

"This guy should be easier to find. I'll have Greengrass's ghost investigate; we should have some leads soon."

Ludo Bagman is a classic example of someone who can't change his ways. Just by seeing him bet with Rufus Fudge using the Goblet of Fire, you can tell he's a compulsive gambler at heart, and there's nothing he can do about it.

Through prior information gleaned from the Weasley Brothers and other sources, Harry vaguely knew that Ludo Bagman, besides the IOU he held, seemed to owe others a considerable amount of money as well.

In short, his current situation is definitely not good, and this situation... is the opportunity Harry can take advantage of.

"That's settled then. We'll start generating rumors from the beginning of next month. Are you looking forward to it?"

Harry put on a cheeky grin and looked at Luna Lovegood, but she remained expressionless and didn't respond, leaving him feeling awkward.

But what he didn't know was that after he left the room dejectedly, two faint blushes suddenly appeared on Luna Lovegood's cheeks...

"So, is it done?"

As Harry probably didn't expect, he hadn't walked more than a few steps from the room when he ran into Hermione, who was waiting there.

"I guess so," Harry said with a smile, briefly explaining the situation to Hermione.

He was now slightly pleased with himself because he felt he had handled the matter quite well, and was even starting to look forward to whether Hermione would give him some kind of 'reward'.

Hermione, however, gave him a big eye roll.

"This... is it really worth you spending so much time on?"

Looking at the academically gifted girl's "I'm better than you" attitude, Harry twitched his lips speechlessly.

What's wrong, sir? Are you dissatisfied with my progress in the walkthrough?

"You're so useless, you can even mess up something you could easily handle!"

While Harry was completely bewildered, Hermione scolded him with exasperation before turning and leaving him alone, bewildered in the wind.

However, what Harry didn't know was... that as the studious girl turned the corner in the corridor, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up noticeably, and she even started humming a cheerful tune~

(P. S. There will be another 3000+ words later. The total word count for today is inconvenient, but I've already updated twice...)

Chapter 681 New Year, Scandal, and Gambling Addict (3000+ words)

A few days later, the eventful year of 1994 finally became history in people's memories.

For wizards in the English- Wizarding World, the past year was destined to be unforgettable, because countless bombshells broke out that year, far too many to keep up with.

First, at the beginning of the year, Lucius Malfoy, the head of the Malfoy family, was confirmed missing, with his Elphias Doge; while the previously banned magazine "The Quibbler" suddenly rose to prominence, growing stronger and stronger, and now occupying half of the news industry in the Britain Wizarding World.

Not long after things calmed down, Peter Pettigrew Peter, who had framed Sirius, caused trouble again, ultimately leading to an attack on both Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic... It is said that after the dust settled, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore had his nose broken at the year-end banquet.

However, even during the holidays, the Britain Wizarding World was still in turmoil. Harry Granger ventured into Albania and revealed that the You-Know-Who might be returning. This was followed by the Quidditch World Cup riots and the Patronus eagle piercing the Dark Mark.

There's also the mythical lightning strike following the opening ceremony, the mysterious Death Eater impersonating Moody, and the final Triwizard Tournament scandal...

It's practically a collection of colors and styles to choose from!

People also noticed something else: the name that appeared most frequently in these escalating controversies was...

Harry Granger.

Without a doubt, everything that happened in 1994 completely replaced the name 'Harry Granger' with 'Harry Potter'.

Today, apart from those who are conservative or have ulterior motives, no one in the Wizarding World calls him 'Potter' anymore.

Wizards in Britain and throughout Europe have long since developed a completely new understanding of him.

No longer an immortal boy with an empty title, whose existence was only achieved through his mother's sacrifice, but a savior with real power, unstoppable by anyone!

So naturally, when the latest episode of "The Quibbler" revealed some shocking information about Harry, countless wizards immediately flocked to it, ready to gnaw on this first big juicy story of the year.

The Untold Story of Harry Granger and Two Girls

He is a young man known as the Boy Who Lived, crowned the 'God of War' at a young age. He is the apprentice of the legendary alchemist Nicolas Flamel, and also the third wizard in History of Magic to summon a giant Patronus —the editors of this magazine have reason to believe he is the second, since the giant griffin Patronus that Hermione Miss Granger once summoned may very well have originated from him.

Harry Granger was undoubtedly a powerful wizard of unparalleled skill.

Even so, he is still a teenager, experiencing the same excitement that boys often feel during puberty.

Without much difficulty in his search, Mr. Granger easily found his emotional anchor—his former adopted sister, now his girlfriend Hermione Granger. They were inseparable at Hogwarts, and their love was blessed by almost everyone, including the headmaster.

Little did he know that a huge turning point would unexpectedly occur in his life, where he was reaping both academic and romantic success.

Luna Lovegood Lovegood, a girl a year younger than them, appeared out of nowhere in an almost magical way. No one knew why she appeared, only that she was already with Mr. Granger when she became known to the public.

Together they solved the Chamber mystery at Hogwarts, saving the school and exonerating the Half-blood- Giant Rubeus Hagrid, who had been falsely accused.

Meanwhile, an unnamed eyewitness, L, testified that he personally saw the three of them traveling together in Paris, during which Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood even shared an ice cream, demonstrating the depth of their friendship.

Recently, another witness, B, who also wished to remain anonymous, testified that Mr. Granger and the two young ladies are currently living together in the Granger family. The three of them have always kept to themselves and often, due to certain special reasons, their cousin Wales Henry Potter, who is also temporarily staying there, is unable to return home.