Although they clearly couldn't stand each other, neither side dared to openly draw their wands and start dueling. If they did, they'd have the Ministry's law enforcement on their backs in no time.
That's why, despite being fully capable wizards, they resorted to fists instead of spells—after all, this wasn't a life-or-death situation.
...
In fact, once outside Hogwarts, no wizard could just cast spells freely...
In a way, Goyle and Crabbe stepping in to restrain Arthur Weasley proved that their long-time focus on physical strength hadn't been entirely misguided. At least in a no-wand scenario, their strength had come in handy.
Of course, that didn't mean they were off the hook for Draco's after-class training sessions. They still had to master their spellwork.
The moment Draco appeared, Goyle and Crabbe—who had been standing in front of Lucius just seconds earlier—instantly abandoned him and skillfully took their positions behind Draco.
Seeing their almost "traitorous" move, the head of the Malfoy family froze for a few seconds, then glanced over at Draco with a satisfied expression in his eyes...
...
Although Draco didn't know exactly what plan his father had in mind, he noticed that Karnov Parkinson—who had appeared with Lucius—had quietly disappeared during the chaos. That alone was enough for Draco to guess the operation had concluded, which was why he stepped forward before things could spiral further out of control.
And no, it definitely wasn't because of Hermione's pleading glance...
"Hmph. That's it, then. The best book your father can give you."
Lucius Malfoy cast a meaningful glance at Lockhart, who had already retreated, then casually tossed the battered secondhand book he'd been holding back onto the pile scattered at Ginny's feet.
Without another word to Draco, he turned and walked away.
His abrupt departure only deepened Draco's curiosity about his father's true intentions.
As for the Weasley family, Lucius's mocking tone nearly sent Arthur charging after him again to confront him.
"Lucius, you—"
"Arthur, don't!"
"Really, you shouldn't let him get to you, Arthur!"
It was Molly Weasley who stopped him, her face flushed with anger. Though just as furious about Lucius's words, she was even more upset about Arthur's short temper.
Especially the fact that he nearly got into a brawl in front of the children—what sort of example was that?
"Fighting in public... and in front of the kids, no less. What do you think Lockhart will say if he sees this?"
Arthur, who'd been on the verge of calming down, went dark at the mention of Lockhart's name.
Fortunately, he wasn't the only one who couldn't stand the man...
"Oh, he loved it. We overheard him."
"Yeah, Lockhart was asking the Daily Prophet reporter if they could include the fight in the article—said it'd stir up more excitement."
Fred and George, grinning ear to ear, gleefully piled on the Lockhart mockery, though their mother—still a devoted fan—looked at them with obvious skepticism.
While Harry and the Weasleys worked together to gather the books scattered across the floor, Hermione quietly walked over to Draco and his group, who had been left largely unnoticed...
Hermione's approach immediately caught Pansy's attention.
The moment she saw Hermione Granger—looking noticeably prettier than she had at school last year—Pansy's eyes widened in alarm, like a territorial animal suddenly sensing an intruder. She instinctively moved a little closer to Draco.
But Hermione wasn't looking at her. Her attention was focused solely on Draco, who now looked just a bit taller than he had before...
"..."
"..."
Hermione fidgeted with the ends of her hair, clearly wanting to say something but unsure how to start.
Watching her, Draco's lips curled into a slight smile.
He didn't know why she'd suddenly started caring about her appearance—or how she'd managed to tame that frizzy hair with magical help—but even now, this tongue-tied Hermione was still the same stubborn girl he remembered.
Their strange little exchange made Pansy puff up with frustration. Just as she opened her mouth to break the awkward silence, Hermione finally spoke...
"What are you doing here?"
What kind of stupid question was that?
The moment the words left Hermione's mouth, she instantly regretted it, wanting to hide her face behind the book in her hands. Especially with Draco's half-smirk, half-smile—she suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to flee the scene.
But Draco didn't even bother answering. It was Pansy who stepped forward and responded for him.
"I invited Draco to pick up the supplies we'll need for second year. After all, term's starting soon."
"I... is that so?"
"And you? Let me guess—you're on a date with the Chosen One and his friends?"
"A date? Sounds like you don't quite understand what that word means. Need me to give you a lesson?"
Maybe it was just his imagination, but Draco glanced up at the sky with a puzzled look. The sun was still shining brightly, no sign of rain—but he couldn't shake the feeling that a storm was brewing.
Ahem... Anyway, seeing Harry and Ron finally looking their way, Draco knew it was time to leave. He cut off the budding "friendly exchange" between Pansy and Hermione.
"Anyway, see you at Hogwarts. Oh, and the new hairstyle suits you."
"..."
Without waiting for a reply, Draco turned and walked off with Goyle and Crabbe—he had a few things to ask them, apparently.
Pansy gave a sharp little huff in Hermione's direction, then hurried after Draco. Seemed like the little princess didn't appreciate Draco's compliment one bit.
"Hermione?"
"What were you talking about with him?"
Harry came up beside her, sneaking a glance at Pansy and the others as they walked away, before finally asking the question. Hermione, meanwhile, seemed lost in thought.
Ron, on the other hand, was staring at her with a scowl, though it was unclear what he was angry about. His confrontational tone made Hermione furrow her brow in irritation—and she had no intention of answering.
"It's nothing. If you've got that much time to worry about it, why don't you help Ginny pick up the books instead?"
Trying to hide the flush rising to her ears, Hermione tucked her hair behind them and walked over toward Ginny.
And only Ginny caught a glimpse of the soft, beautiful smile on Hermione's face as she approached...
...
[Upto 50 chapters ahead for now]
[email protected]/BlurryDream