Harry Potter and the Way of Reason

Padma Patil finished her dinner a bit late, almost 07:30, and she was walking quickly out of the hall towards Ravenclaw's dormitory and study room.Gossip is fun, and ruining Granger's reputation is even more fun, but it can also affect learning.She had postponed a six-inch paper on Romilaro Takagi due tomorrow morning in herbalism class, which she had to finish tonight.

As she passed a long, winding stone corridor, the whisper came and sounded like it was behind her.

"Padma Patil..."

She turned like lightning, her wand already drawn from the pocket of her robes and in her hand, and if Harry Potter thought he could sneak up and scare her easily—

There was no one there.

Padma immediately turned around and looked in another direction. If it was a ventriloquism——

There was no one there either.The whisper came again, soft and dangerous, with a soft hissing undertone.

"Padma Patil, Slytherin girl..."

"Harry Potter, Slytherin boy," she called back.

She'd fought Potter and his Chaos Legions a dozen times already, and she knew it must be Harry Potter anyway...

...But the ventriloquist spell can only spread in a straight line, and in the winding corridor, she can easily see the nearest turn leading to the front and back directions, but there is no one at all...

... doesn't matter.She knows her enemies.

This time a chuckle appeared beside her, and she turned quickly, pointing her wand in the direction of the whisper, and shouted, "Lumos!"

A red beam flew out and hit the wall, which first glowed red and then dimmed.

Nor did she really expect it to work.Harry Potter couldn't really be invisible, most adults couldn't cast that kind of magic, and she never believed [-]% of the rumors about him.

The whisper laughed again, now from the other side of her.

"Harry Potter stands on the edge of the cliff," said the whisper, sounding in her ear now, "he's shaking, but you, you've fallen, Slytherin girl..."

"The Sorting Hat never called out Slytherin to me, Potter!" She stepped back against the wall so she didn't have to watch her back, raising her wand again in an attacking stance.

Light laughter sounded again. "For the past half hour, Harry Potter has been in the Ravenclaw common room, helping Kevin Entvest and Michael Corner review potion recipes. But it doesn't matter. I am Come to warn you, Padma Patil, if you choose to ignore, you will do so at your own risk."

"Well," she said coldly, "go ahead and warn me, Potter. I'm not afraid of you."

"Once, Slytherin was a great house," said the Whisper; now, it sounded sadder, "Slytherin was a house you would be proud to choose, Padma Patil. But Something went wrong, something went wrong; do you know what went wrong in Slytherin, Padma Patil?"

"No, and I don't care at all!"

"But you should care," said the whisper, which now sounds like it's coming from the back of her head, but her head is almost pressed against the wall, "because the Sorting Hat still offers you That option. Do you think that by choosing Ravenclaw House, no matter what else you do, you are not Pansy Parkinson, and never will be Pansy Parkinson?"

Although she didn't believe it, now, small chills of fear began to spread down her spine and onto her skin.She'd heard the stories about Harry Potter too, like how he was a secret Legilimency.But she stood still, putting all her strength into her voice as she spoke: "Slytherins go dark for power, as you did, Potter. And I won't ,never."

"But you would maliciously spread rumors about an innocent girl," the voice whispered, "even if that wouldn't help you achieve any of your own ambitions, and some of her powerful allies might be irritated by it. That's not What a proud Slytherin of old would do, Padma Patil, that's not Salazar's pride, that's a fallen Slytherin, Padma Parkinson, not Padma Patil Malfoy..."

She had never been so frightened in her life, and the possibility that this might really be a ghost arose in her mind.She'd never heard of ghosts being able to hide themselves like that, but maybe they just didn't usually do it—not to mention that most ghosts weren't that scary, they were just dead people, after all—"Who are you? Bloody Baron?"

"When Harry Potter was bullied and beaten," the voice whispered, "he asked all his allies not to take revenge; do you remember that, Padma Patil? Because Harry Potter Te is wavering, but not lost; he's struggling, and he knows he's in danger of falling. But Hermione Granger didn't make such a request of her own allies. Harry Potter is very angry with you now , Padma Patil, angrier than he could be for his own affairs...and he has his own allies."

The shudder ran through her body, she knew it could be seen, and she hated herself for it.

"Oh, don't be afraid," said the breathy voice, "I won't hurt you. Because, you see, Padma Patil, Hermione Granger is really innocent. She didn't stand On the edge of the cliff, she didn't fall. She didn't forbid her allies to take revenge on you, because she didn't even think about the possibility. And Harry Potter is well aware that if he hurt you for Granger, or caused You are hurt, then she won't talk to him until the sun burns out and the last star in the night sky dies." The voice was sad now, "She was such a good girl, one I can only hope to be people……"

"Granger can't cast the Patronus Charm!" said Padma, "if she's as good as she pretends to be—"

"Can you cast a Patronus Charm, Padma Patil? You dare not even try, you are afraid of what the result will be."

"Nothing! I just don't have the time!"

The whispering continued. "But Hermione Granger did try, tried it publicly in front of her friends, and was surprised and dismayed when the magic failed. Because the Patronus Charm has some secrets that no one except me, maybe No one out there knows." With a soft chuckle, "let's be clear, it's not a stain on her soul that's keeping her from shining. Hermione Granger's inability to cast the Patronus Charm has nothing to do with making these halls rise from the ground. For the same reason Godric Gryffindor never could cast it."

The corridors were getting colder, she was sure, like someone had cast a Freezing Charm.

"And Harry Potter isn't Hermione Granger's only ally," whispered a dryly amusing overtone now, reminding her suddenly, horribly, of Professor Quirrell. Urs Flitwick and Minerva McGonagall both liked her. Did you think those two would like you less if they found out what you were doing to Hermione Granger? Perhaps, They won't interfere openly; but they might be a little slower in giving you house points, a little slower in giving you a chance—"

"Potter tipped me off?"

A ghostly chuckle, followed by a dry heh-heh-heh. "Do you think those two are stupid and deaf and blind?" said a mournful whisper. "Do you think Hermione Granger is unimportant to them, that they cannot see her pain? They may have liked you, they Smart little Padma Patil, but you are throwing the love away..."

Padma's throat was dry.It didn't occur to her, not at all.

"I want to know how many people will care about you in the end on the path you are choosing now, Padma Patil. Is it worth so much just to distance yourself from your sister? Be the Parvati Ray Shadow? Your deepest fear has always been to be identical to her, I should say, to be identical to her again; but is it worth hurting an innocent girl just to make yourself more different? Do you have to be the evil twin , Padma Patil, can't you find another virtue to pursue?"

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest.She, she never talked about this to anyone—

"I've always wondered how students bully each other," the voice sighed, "how children make their own lives difficult, how they turn their schools into prisons with their own hands. Why do humans How has their own life become so miserable? I can give you part of the answer, Padma Patil. Because if people don't imagine that they themselves are being hurt, that they might be tortured because of their actions, they Won't stop to think before doing harm. But you will be tortured, oh yes Padma Patil, if you continue on this path, you will be tortured. You will be tortured by the same Tormented by the pain, you will be tormented by the same fear and mistrust of others that you are now inflicting on Hermione. It's just that, for you, it's all on your own terms."

Her wand trembled in her hand.

"When you go to Ravenclaw, you don't choose which side you take, girl. You choose by the way you live your life, the way you treat others, and the way you treat yourself. You light up other people's lives , or dim them? That's the choice between darkness and light, not any word the Sorting Hat shouts. And the hard part, Padma Patil, is not saying 'light', the hard part It's about deciding which is which, and admitting it to yourself when you start going the wrong way."

There was silence.After going on for some time, Padma realized she was let go.

When Padma tried to put the wand back in her pocket, she almost dropped it.When she stepped forward from the wall and turned to leave, she almost fell——

"I don't always make the right choice between light and dark," said the voice, now directly into her ear, loud and piercing, "don't take my advice as the final answer, girl, don't be afraid to question , because while I try, I fail sometimes, oh yes, I fail. But you're hurting a real innocent, and you're not accomplishing any of your ambitions by doing it, and it's not for any wit scheming. You inflict pain purely for the pleasure it brings you. I don't always make the right choice between light and dark, but I know it's dark, I'm sure. You're hurting an innocent girl , and you were not punished simply because she was too kind to put up with her allies against you. So I can't hurt you, just remember that I can't respect that behavior. You don't deserve to be a Slytherin; go Do your herbalism homework, Ravenclaw girl!"

The hissing of the last whisper grew louder, sounding almost like a snake, and then Padma fled, darting down the corridor like a volleyball chasing her, regardless of the Even when she passed the other students who were looking at her with surprised eyes, she didn't stop, her pulse beat against her neck, and she ran all the way back to the Ravenclaw dormitory, the door asked her "Why does the sun shine during the day and not at night?", she tried three times before she could answer coherently, and then the door opened, and she saw—several girls and boys, some young, some old, They all looked at her, and at the corner of the pentacle, Harry Potter, Mike Conner and Kevin Antwhistle all looked up from their textbooks at her.

"Sweet Merlin!" cried Penelope Clearwater, rising from the sofa. "What's the matter with you, Padma?"

"I," she stammered, "I, I heard—a ghost—"

"It's not the Bloody Baron, is it?" Clearwater said.She took out her wand, and after a while, she was holding a cup, which was filled with water after a "spring of clear water". "Hey, drink some water, sit down—"

Padma has already made her way to the five-corner table.She looked at Harry Potter, and he looked back at her with calm, heavy, somewhat sad eyes.

"You did it!" said Padma, "you-how-how dare you!"

The Ravenclaw dormitory suddenly fell silent.

Harry just looked at her.

Then say, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Don't deny it," said Padma tremblingly, "you sent that ghost to me, and it said—"

"I'm serious," Harry said, "can I help you with something? Get you something to eat, or a soda, or help you with your homework, or something like that?"

Everyone stared at the two of them.

"Why?" Padma asked.She couldn't think of anything else to say, she couldn't understand.

"Because someone's standing on the edge of a cliff," Harry said, "and the difference is what you do for someone else. Can you let me do something for you, Padma, please?"

She glared at him and knew in that moment that, like her, he had his own warning.

"I..." she said, "I've got to write six inches on Romilaro Takagi—"

"Let me go back to the dorm and get my Herbology stuff," said Harry.He got up from the penta table and looked at Antwhistle and Kona. "Sorry guys, see you later."

They didn't say anything, just stared at Harry Potter like everyone else in the dormitory as he walked up the stairs.

Just as he was starting to go upstairs, he said, "Don't bother her with questions unless she wants to, I hope everyone understands that?"

"Got it," said most of the first graders and some seniors, a few sounding terrified.

————————————————————

She talked to Harry Potter a lot beyond Romilaro Takagi - even her fear of becoming the same as Parvati again, which she hadn't talked to anyone before, but Harry's Ghost allies already know.Harry took some strange books out of his pocket and lent them to her in complete secrecy, saying that if she could understand them, it would be enough to make her think in a way that would never be the same as Papa's. Wattie is the same...

The homework was only half done when Harry said at nine o'clock he had to leave.

And when Harry stopped to look at her on the way out and said he thought she deserved to be a Slytherin, she felt wonderful for a full minute before realizing who said what to her.

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When Padma went down to breakfast that morning, she realized that Mandy had seen her and said something to the girl next to her at the long Ravenclaw table.

She saw the girl get up from the bench and walk towards her.

Last night, Padma was thankful that the girl was in another dormitory; but now that she thought about it, it was actually worse, and now she had to do it in front of everyone.

But even though Padma was sweating, she knew what she had to do.

The girl came closer—

"sorry."

"What?" Padma said.That's her line.

"I'm sorry," Hermione repeated.Her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. "I... I didn't make Harry do that, and when I found out, I was so mad at him, I made him promise not to do that to anyone again, and I wouldn't talk to him for a week... I'm very, very sorry, Miss Patil."

Hermione Granger's back was stiff, her face was stiff, and you could see the sweat on her face.

"Uh," Padma said.Her own thoughts are now in turmoil...

Padma's eyes flicked to the Ravenclaw table, where a boy was watching them, his hands clenched into fists in his lap.

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Earlier:

"I told you, be nice to people!" screamed Hermione.

Harry started to sweat.He had never heard Hermione scream at him, and it seemed loud in the empty classroom.

"I—but—but I'm fine!" Harry protested, "I actually saved her, Padma was on the wrong track and I brought her back! I might have made her My whole life has become happier! Also, you should listen to the original advice Professor Quirrell gave me—" At that moment, Harry realized what he had said, and shut his mouth before it was too late.

Hermione held her chestnut curls in a position Harry hadn't seen from her before. "What did he suggest? Kill her?"

The Defense professor advises Harry to find out all the students of great influence, both in and out of his year, and then try to control the entire Hogwarts gossip circle, pointing out that this is a crime against anyone who attends Hogwarts. Versatile and fun challenge for a true Slytherin.

"It's not that kind of thing," said Harry quickly, "he just suggested in general terms that I should have influence over people spreading rumors, and I decided that the kinder version of that advice would be to just tell Padma what her actions meant. , instead of trying to threaten her or anything like that—”

"You're not threatening?" Hermione's hand was now tugging at her hair.

"Uh..." said Harry, "I guess she might be a little scared, but Hermione, people will do anything they feel they won't get punished for if they don't hurt themselves, they don't care how much it makes others Hurt, and if Padma sees no consequence in spreading lies about you, then naturally, she'll go on—"

"And you think there will be no consequences for what you did?"

Harry suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

The look on Hermione's face was furious. "What do you think the other students think of you now, Harry? Or me? If Harry doesn't like the way you're talking about Hermione, you're going to be haunted by ghosts. Do you want them to think that?"

Harry opened his mouth, but nothing came out, he just... didn't think about it that much, actually...

Hermione bent down and picked up the book she had slammed on the table earlier. "I won't talk to you for a week and I'll tell everyone I won't talk to you for a week and I'll tell them why and maybe it will undo some of the damage you've done. A week later , I'll—I'll decide what to do then, I guess—"

"Hermione!" Harry's own voice rose to a desperate scream, "I'm trying to help you!"

The girl was opening the classroom door, she turned and looked at him. "Harry," her voice trembled with anger, "Professor Quirrell is sucking you into the darkness, and he really is. I mean it, Harry."

"It's... not his fault, it's not what he suggested, it's just me—"

Hermione's voice was almost a whisper now. "One day you'll go out to lunch with him and it'll be your dark side that comes back, or maybe, you won't come back at all."

"I promise you," said Harry, "I'll be back after lunch."

He said that without even thinking about it.

And Hermione just turned around, strode out, and slammed the door behind her.

What a way to invoke the rules of dramatic irony, idiot, said Harry's inner critic.Then you'll die this Saturday, your last words will be "Sorry, Hermione," and she'll forever regret that the last thing she did was slam the door—

Oh shut up.

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When Padma sat next to Hermione at breakfast and said in a voice loud enough for others to hear that the ghost had just told her something important and that Harry Potter was right to do that, some people later Less frightened, and some more frightened.

After that, people really didn't speak ill of Hermione so much, at least in first year, at least in public where Harry Potter might hear it.

Professor Flitwick asked Harry if he was responsible for what happened to Padma, and Harry replied yes, and Professor Flitwick told him that he was going to serve two days of labor service.Even if it was just a ghost and Padma wasn't harmed, that's not acceptable behavior for a Ravenclaw student.Harry nodded, saying he understood why the professor had to do it, and would not protest; but given that it did appear to have converted Padma, did Professor Flitwick really think privately that he had done something wrong?Professor Flitwick paused, did seem to think for a moment, and said in a solemn, shrill voice to Harry that he needed to learn how to communicate normally with other students.

Harry couldn't help thinking that this was advice that Professor Quirrell would never give him.

Harry couldn't help thinking that if he did what Professor Quirrell did, in the normal Slytherin way, with a combination of positive and negative incentives, to keep Padma and other rumormongers in his hands If there is, then Padma won't talk about it, and Hermione will never find out...

Then Padma would not be redeemed, she would stay on that wrong path, and she herself would end up being a victim.When Harry used the Time-Turner, became invisible and then used the Ventritron Charm, he wasn't cheating Padma in any sense.

Harry was still not sure if he had done the right thing, or one of the right things, and Hermione was steadfast in refusing to talk to him - despite all she had said to Padma.Going back to learning alone was harder than Harry had expected; it was as if his brain had begun to forget the solitary skills it had been trained for so long.

The days leading up to Saturday lunch with Professor Quirrell seemed to pass very, very slowly.

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[1] Lomillialor is a plant in the fantasy novel series "The Legend of Thomas Caunante", also known as highwood (highwood), see: unbeliever.wikia/wiki/Lomillialor.

[2] Voldebat is a creature mentioned in JK Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It looks like a half-inch thick cloak that can silently climb into bed to suffocate and eat sleeping wizards, guarding The Divine Charm is the only spell known to drive Voldebat away.