HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

But does Lyra care what other people think? Of course not. She only cares about whether she's happy dating Leslie Foley.

Besides, her only two best friends at school didn't care about these things. The twins, who were all Gryffindor twins, certainly wouldn't like Slytherin much either, but they truly respected Lyra and her freedom to choose.

They might care about house honor and the black/white camp, but they value family and friends even more. They certainly have their own preferences and inclinations, but they understand that a person's house and background don't define everything. Not all Gryffindors are good, and not all Slytherins are bad.

So when people from other houses, and even some from their own house, were hostile toward Lyra, the twins stood firmly by her side, even though they teased her every day and annoyed her to no end.

Lyra ignored all attempts at persuasion, admonition, disdain, isolation, indifference, and suppression. If anyone dared to lay a hand on her, she retaliated twofold. Her exceptional skills and powerful magic silenced all the foolish bullies.

Moreover, Leslie Foley is no pushover. He comes from the Foley family, one of the twenty-eight pure-blood families, and is the current heir to the family fortune. The resources and training he received from a young age are top-notch in the magical world, making him an exceptionally outstanding young man.

Leslie Foley realized he had fallen in love with Lyra and immediately began plotting his way to her, and fortunately, he won her love in return. In Slytherin, a society that values ​​lineage and merit, even those deeply dissatisfied with his actions and choices dared not openly provoke him.

Leslie Foley's only worry was one thing—that Leila would give up on the relationship because of other people's gossip and various pressures.

But Lyra surprised him.

These troubles and obstacles that daunt other girls are like evening smog to her, while she is the dazzling sunlight; these gloomy things can never touch her skirt. She only needs to smile gently, and all the gloom will quietly dissipate without a trace.

Whether alone in private or in public, her feelings for this relationship were always passionate and unwavering. They could kiss passionately in an empty corridor, embrace openly in front of the entire school in the Great Hall, and even take Leslie Foley's hand openly in front of Professor Snape, whom even Slytherin feared.

The centuries-old rivalry between the academies and the gap between purebloods and Muggle races are far less troubling for her than choosing between strawberry cake and chocolate pudding for dessert tonight.

Moreover, as time went by, the situation began to change in a wonderful way.

At first, no one was optimistic. But gradually, more and more people began to accept this rare love. They were moved by Lyra's courage and determination, and inspired by her purity and passion. Later, most people began to secretly support the couple. According to rumors from the Badger Gossip Association, even the professors were underground supporters of the couple.

Many boys, even some from Slytherin, privately admitted that they greatly envied Leslie Foley for having such a passionate and steadfast love, not to mention Lyra's dazzling beauty. The girls, on the other hand, admired Lyra's courage—not all girls have the courage to withstand such difficulties, even in Gryffindor, a school renowned for its bravery.

Regardless of whether one supports the lovebirds or not, everyone has to admit that Lyra White is a true Gryffindor, possessing pure and extraordinary courage.

Just as everyone's blessings and approval were becoming increasingly evident, the two suddenly broke up. Although no one could pinpoint the real reason, everyone believed that Leila was not at fault.

Even the girls who were most jealous of Leila's beauty couldn't help but feel sorry for her, and some sentimental girls even shed tears of regret for this unfulfilled love.

Soon, all the boys at Hogwarts realized: Lyra White was single!

Those who had once envied and resented Leslie Foley were now all restless, with the thought of becoming Lyra White's next boyfriend churning intensely in their hearts.

Naturally, the girls were quite friendly to Leila at the start of the new semester, not to mention the boys.

In a sense, it wasn't an illusion that Leila felt her popularity had improved.

*

The three held a brief meeting and unanimously agreed to temporarily abandon the harvesting of the "excellent experimental material" and get a good night's sleep.

The twins and Li left arm in arm. Leila wondered if the three of them would really be able to go to bed early. But she yawned and didn't care anymore. After eating, her hard-won clarity vanished again, and now her mind was a complete mess, her heart yearning for the warm, comfortable bed in her dormitory.

Leila dragged her weary steps back to her dorm room. Angelina and the others weren't there; they were still chatting in the common room.

After washing up, still half-asleep, Leila buried herself in the soft blankets and let out a satisfied groan. She turned over, ready to drift off to sleep, when she suddenly heard a knocking sound coming from the window.

Leila pretended not to hear and pulled the blanket tighter around herself.

If no one responds in a while, the owl that delivered the message will leave on its own—she thought heartlessly.

But the owl was a dutiful messenger, persistently pecking at the window with its beak. The pecking sound didn't disappear as Lyra had expected; instead, it grew louder and louder.

Leila finally resigned herself to getting out of bed and going to the window to open it for the persistent owl. She had already decided that no matter which girl in her dorm received the letter, she would definitely make her pay for it with a chocolate frog the next day as compensation for interrupting her sleep.

The strong brown owl flapped its wings and flew into the room, but circled above Lyra's head once and tossed a package into her arms.

Lyra hadn't expected the owl to come looking for her. She picked up the package, finding it about the size of two palms and rather heavy. Without much hesitation, she opened it—

A crystal ornament shimmered with a crystal-clear light under the moonlight, and what attracted the most attention was that a Juliet rose was frozen inside.

This rose is breathtakingly beautiful.

The translucent, gradient petals, layered upon layered, exude a delicate, subtle fragrance. When Lyra first held it in her hand, the rose was a pale champagne color; but as she held it up to her eyes to admire it closely, the petals had turned a soft pink—it was absolutely dreamlike.

At the very bottom of the crystal ornament was a beautifully designed card with only one sentence on it:

The roses for me.