"Hermione, wait a moment!" Rhys called out to the briskly walking Hermione, intending to have a proper chat with the Muggle-born girl.
"What is it?" Hermione stopped and turned back, looking at Rhys with a puzzled expression.
"There's a rather special concept I wanted to ask you about. Have you heard of the Internet?" Rhys told her about what he had read regarding the Internet in the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
The young girl blinked.
This was the first time she had encountered a wizard, other than those from the Weasley family, who was so interested in Muggle inventions.
"We can find some time to talk about it," she agreed to introduce Rhys to that novel concept.
"That would be wonderful," Rhys replied happily.
Early the next morning, after breakfast, Hermione came over to the Slytherin table.
"Do you have classes this morning? If not, how about we go to the library together?" Hermione had clearly come with the intention of discussing the Internet with Rhys.
Rhys looked up, giving her a rather curious glance.
Hermione's appearance also drew the attention of Daphne and Astoria. Both of them were quite curious as to why this brown-haired Ravenclaw girl had come over to invite Rhys to the library with her.
The two of them had indeed interacted with Hermione a few times before, so they could not really be called strangers. However, since the start of the new school year, the frequency of her contact with them had dropped sharply, which naturally made the two girls feel more distant from her.
"Alright, let's go. I don't have any classes this morning." Rhys thought over his timetable and realized that the morning was indeed free, so he accepted Hermione's invitation, planning to go to the library with her to discuss those "advanced" Muggle inventions.
Hearing Rhys's answer, Daphne and Astoria exchanged a glance, the curiosity in their hearts fully stirred.
Rhys spoke briefly with Hermione to confirm that she had time, then the two of them left the Great Hall together. Daphne and Astoria hesitated a little, unsure whether they should follow to see what was going on. In truth, Rhys would not object at all if they came along.
Changes from the non-magical world were something more people ought to know about.
Just as the two were wavering, Malfoy appeared. He sneakily glanced around, and seeing that there were not many people nearby and that Rhys Lint had already left, he decisively moved over.
"Hi, Daphne!" He put on a casual air and sat down in the seat beside her.
Seeing that it was Malfoy, Daphne's expression immediately darkened as she asked irritably, "What do you want?"
Before the holidays, Malfoy had bragged to his friends that he would definitely persuade his father to buy him a Firebolt. What he had not expected was that although he managed to convince his father, he was stopped cold by his mother.
With his hopes vetoed outright, there was no longer any possibility of getting a Firebolt from his parents.
If he returned empty-handed, he would surely become the butt of his friends' jokes.
More importantly, without a Firebolt, while Potter and Diggory had one, there was no doubt that he would fall behind them in their rivalry.
If that led to the team losing a match, the consequences would be downright disastrous.
So even though Malfoy could clearly feel Daphne's rejection, he still forced himself to ask, "Um… I heard you have a spare Firebolt…"
"Yup."
At that point, his eyes practically lit up with stars.
"So can.."
A spare Firebolt! That was practically a crime! Why would Professor Flitwick do something like this? Giving such an incredible broom to someone who couldn't even fly, letting the most advanced broom in the world lie idle in a cold broom cupboard, gathering dust, and gradually becoming outdated under the passage of time…
Malfoy genuinely could not accept such behavior. To him, it was an unforgivable waste.
"Impossible. I'm not lending it." Daphne understood Malfoy's intentions as soon as she heard the first half of his sentence.
Even if she had no prejudice against Malfoy and the others, she still had no desire to lend her broom to a boy. Just the thought of it made her feel disgusted.
"Why?" Malfoy had not expected to be rejected outright. He had even planned to offer some benefits. "I won't borrow it for free, I'll pay—Daphne, for Slytherin's sake, just rent the broom to me. With a Firebolt, our chances of winning the Quidditch Cup will be much higher, and the Quidditch Cup contributes a lot of points in the House Cup competition. This isn't just about me, it concerns the honor of the House."
Daphne's eyebrows shot up.
It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned the House at all. The moment Slytherin was brought up, the anger in her heart flared even more fiercely.
Protecting Slytherin's honor? You? You don't deserve it. The best way for you to protect Slytherin's honor would be to withdraw from the House altogether.
"Are you trying to use the House to pressure me?" Daphne asked, forcibly suppressing her anger as she stared straight into Malfoy's eyes.
Malfoy shifted his gaze away, not daring to meet hers, but his mouth did not stop. "That's not what I mean, but not having a Firebolt really does have a huge impact on the match. I think a true Slytherin with genuine Slytherin spirit definitely wouldn't stand by and do nothing at a time like this."
Daphne's fury flared even higher.
"Ha! A 'true Slytherin'? A real Slytherin would never lend a broom to clowns like you, who don't train seriously and just hope to borrow a broom before the match to turn things around! Listen carefully, Malfoy. You are the least qualified person to talk to me about Slytherin spirit. If Salazar Slytherin were to come back to life, the first person he'd expel would be someone like you!"
Daphne's voice was loud enough to draw frequent glances from those around them, and Malfoy's face flushed visibly.
He suddenly sprang to his feet and took two steps back before lowering his voice and snapping angrily at Daphne, "Even if Slytherin came back to life, he wouldn't have the authority to expel me! If you want to expel a student, you'd better get past the Board of Governors first!"
After throwing out those words, Malfoy ran off at top speed, afraid that Daphne might react and catch up to give him a vicious curse.
Daphne really did want to hit him with a sufficiently nasty hex, but Astoria stopped her. Acting in the Great Hall was far too conspicuous and would definitely land her in detention.
If her sister truly wanted payback, she could always choose a different time and place to deal with him.
"Lucky bastard," Daphne said bitterly as she watched Malfoy's retreating back.
She suddenly thought of something and turned to her sister. "If I remember correctly, Ravenclaw's Quidditch Seeker is that Chang?"
"Yes." Astoria also remembered the name her sister mentioned. She was a fourth-year Ravenclaw student, and quite pretty.
"I've decided." A determined look appeared on Daphne's face. "I'll lend the broom to Cho Chang, free of charge."
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12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI