In the early morning, the flagstone path from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade gleamed wetly.
Professor Snape, black robes swirling, walked silently at the front, followed by an equally silent Draco and Nios.
Only Azazel flapped his tiny wings, circling Nios and chattering incessantly.
"Kid," Azazel poked Draco's shoulder, his voice tinged with schadenfreude, "You're really a troublemaker. Didn't Nios tell you not to get little pink wet? Did you not mention a single word to your father?"
Draco's face flushed, and he lowered his head in embarrassment.
That Friday, he had sent the little pink Nios gave him, along with the letter, back to Malfoy Manor.
The next day, an extremely brief letter arrived from home, written by his mother, Narcissa.
The letter contained only two things: What exactly was that pink thing? And, he was to return home immediately.
Although the letter didn't explicitly say so, Draco knew with certainty that the House of Malfoy was in an uproar because of that little pink.
After much thought, he could only bite the bullet and ask Nios for help.
Professor McGonagall, as Principal, approved their leave request, on the condition that Snape personally accompany them for a day on Sunday.
Snape remained silent throughout.
Until they finally walked out of Hogwarts' Anti-Apparition range.
"Hold hands. We're Apparating to Malfoy Manor."
Draco immediately gripped Nios's hand tightly.
Azazel, with a "plop," flopped onto Nios's shoulder.
Snape frowned and grabbed Draco's other hand.
With a flick of his wand, the figures of the three people and one magic creature instantly vanished from their spot.
"Pop!"
The moment his feet touched solid ground again, Draco was so startled by the sight before him that he almost cried out.
Malfoy Manor! His proud, ancient, and solemn home!
It had now become a disaster scene submerged in pink jelly!
Huge, highly elastic "little pink" were continuously squeezing out of the Manor's windows, door cracks, and even walls, like some out-of-control expanding slime.
Valuable tapestries and fragments of ornate furniture were swept up by this pink tide, scattered haphazardly throughout the courtyard.
Where was the elegance of a pure-blood noble's residence here? It was clearly a ruin occupied by pink jelly!
Lucius stood amidst this mess, his golden hair disheveled, his face terribly pale.
He frantically waved his wand, and spells of various colors and powerful force shot towards the continuously writhing pink behemoth.
The spells struck it, splashing out waves of pink "spray," but had little effect on the overall mass.
Under a tree not far away, Narcissa clutched her handkerchief tightly, her face pale, watching her husband's futile battle with deep worry.
"Mother!" Draco, ignoring the nausea brought on by Apparition, stumbled towards her.
Hearing her son's voice, Narcissa sharply turned her head, and upon seeing Draco's figure, tears instantly welled up in her eyes, and she lifted her skirt and ran towards him.
Nios surveyed the absurd scene, a barely perceptible curve forming at the corner of his mouth, and quietly said to Snape beside him: "What a touching scene, a father fighting to protect his home, a worried mother, and a prodigal son returning... What a heartwarming family portrait, truly desirable, wouldn't you say, Professor Snape?"
Snape glared at him fiercely, letting out a cold snort from his nostrils, and strode towards Lucius.
At this moment, Lucius also noticed their arrival.
He stopped his futile spellcasting, breathing heavily, his gaze sweeping over Snape, finally settling on Draco.
"Hey, Nios," Azazel whispered mischievously in Nios's ear, "They're treating you like air! Your reputation is on the floor!"
Nios expressionlessly raised his hand, pinched Azazel's cheek, and pulled hard with his fingers.
"Ow!!!" With a short shriek, Azazel's face was completely torn off, revealing the muscle tissue underneath.
Nios casually tossed the "face" aside and walked towards the gathered group.
"What happened here?" Snape's voice was flat, but looking at the ruin before him, his eyes also showed a hint of disbelief.
Lucius's face twitched, and he pointed to the slowly expanding little pink, his voice suppressed: "Because of that... pink thing Draco sent back the day before yesterday!"
As for why it turned out this way? He found it truly difficult to say.
That day, upon receiving his son's parcel, he casually placed the inconspicuous "little pink" on his desk, while he himself leaned by the window, sipping tea and reading the letter.
When he read that Draco had actually become friends with Nios, the descendant of a Witch Hunter, his hand trembled, and the scalding tea spilled all over the desk, right onto the "little pink"!
That thing instantly lost control, crashing through the nearby window!
What was worse, it rained at Malfoy Manor on Friday night... and things completely spiraled out of control from there.
The "little pink," which grew wildly when it encountered water, filled his ancestral home to the brim in just one night, turning it into its current monstrous state!
Fortunately, just before the disaster erupted, he instinctively pulled Narcissa and escaped.
But no matter what magic he tried, it had little effect on the little pink.
Driven to desperation, he even used the Killing Curse!
Green light flashed... and what was the result?
The "little pink" took a Killing Curse, only shrinking a tiny bit symbolically, and then it happily continued its journey of expansion.
Lucius felt that all his lifelong pride and composure had been crushed by this pink abomination that night.
"I've brought the person," Snape stepped aside, revealing Nios who was walking over, "He's the one who gave this thing to Draco."
Lucius's gaze immediately locked onto Nios, scrutinizing the black-haired boy from head to toe, his eyes filled with undisguised hostility and scrutiny: "Is this him? The descendant of a Witch Hunter! Nios Chaos?" He snorted coldly, his voice icy, "Indeed, evil blood flows through him."
Snape's gaze also fell on Nios, his thin lips uttering a scathing assessment: "Yes. An unusually... unpleasant brat."
Lucius glanced at his old friend with some surprise.
His friendship with Snape was deep, extending from their Hogwarts days to the present, and after the Dark Lord's downfall, it was thanks to Snape's guarantee before Dumbledore that he managed to escape retribution.
He knew Snape's sharp tongue well, but to describe a student as "unpleasant" itself conveyed a strong signal.
Lucius's internal risk assessment of Nios instantly rose several levels: Draco must be kept away from him!
At this moment, Nios had already walked in front of the two, a nearly innocent calmness on his face.
"Good morning, I am Nios Chaos," he pointed to Azazel, who was covering his face on his shoulder, "This is my familiar, Azazel."
Azazel managed to lift a paw and waved weakly: "Hi..."
This "friendly" gesture completely ignited Lucius's fury: "Evil Witch Hunter!"
His voice rose with anger: "You're the one who enticed Draco to send this dangerous thing back to Malfoy Manor!?"
"Are you trying to destroy the foundation of the House of Malfoy's generations of heritage?!"
His chest heaved violently as he unleashed the anger he had suppressed for a day and a night: "Are you like your ancestors?! Still dreaming of destroying the Wizarding World?!"
Not far away, Draco's face turned instantly pale upon hearing his father's outrageous remarks!
He had deliberately avoided mentioning the "group of six" and Nios's ability to create "demons" in his letter... Now... he regretted that decision immensely!
Draco lunged forward, placing himself between the others, forcing a very unnatural smile onto his face.
"Father!"
Lucius's words were abruptly interrupted and choked back by his son.
Draco took a deep breath, forcing himself to look directly into his father's sharp eyes.
"This is Nios! My best friend!" Then his speech sped up suddenly, "He and I, and Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Hermione Granger—"
"All of us! Are the best of friends!"
As his words fell, the air seemed to solidify.
Lucius's brows twisted into a knot.
As a Malfoy family head who had been immersed in pure-blood politics for decades, he almost instantly grasped the weight behind that list.
Draco was trying to show him an extremely valuable network of connections!
However, Draco's stiff smile and eagerness to explain, like a thorn, pricked Lucius's heart.
This posture indicated that, in this small group, the one in the dominant position was probably not his son or Potter, but this evil Chaos standing before him!
The tradition of the House of Malfoy was to attach themselves to the strong to gain the greatest benefit.
In Lucius's mind, compared to this dangerous Nios Chaos,
Harry Potter, the brilliant "Savior," was clearly the safer, more "correct" choice!