Draco knew exactly what Gurdyroot Infusion tasted like—after all, he genuinely liked it.
Sure, it had a nice color and a faint floral scent, but once it hit your tongue, the bitterness and sourness spread across your mouth in a way that lingered without ever turning sweet. That alone was enough to prove it wasn't a drink most wizards enjoyed. Pansy's reaction earlier had made that perfectly clear.
It definitely wasn't something popular. Honestly, "undrinkable" might have been a better word.
In short, it was the kind of thing only those who truly appreciated it could enjoy...
Still, this Ravenclaw first year's behavior felt a bit bold—and frankly, rude. While that raised Draco's suspicions, it also piqued his interest.
Did she really smell Gurdyroot Infusion on him?
Was she part Niffler or something?
As Draco eyed the unfamiliar girl, trying to figure her out, Pansy finally had enough.
"Wait! What did you just say?"
She stepped between them, frowning slightly. Her usual cold expression took on an edge as she tried to make the girl realize just how inappropriate her words had been.
Or rather, it wasn't just the words. What really got under Pansy's skin was the whole business of sniffing someone else. That was probably the real issue she wanted to address.
Thinking back on what the girl had just done, Pansy bristled like a small animal whose territory had been invaded...
But the petite Ravenclaw didn't seem to grasp what Pansy was getting at—or didn't understand why she was upset at all.
She tilted her head slightly, fixed her silver eyes on Pansy, then opened her mouth in a quiet, calm voice.
"I smelled Gurdyroot Infusion. I like it."
Basically, she just repeated herself...
"..."
"..."
Pansy's expression froze. After a few seconds of silence, she forced herself to regroup and rephrased her question.
"Aren't you going to explain what you just did?"
"I like the smell of Gurdyroot Infusion on him."
"That's just saying the same thing a different way!"
Pansy, who always kept her distance and acted aloof in front of others, suddenly found herself completely thrown off by the girl's calm gaze. Or maybe this was just the kind of person Pansy didn't know how to deal with.
Looking into the girl's blank, puzzled eyes, Pansy felt herself growing helpless—because she honestly couldn't tell whether the girl was doing this on purpose or not...
...
Seeing Pansy's usually cool expression start to crack, Draco couldn't help but be a little amused.
Unlike Pansy, who was clearly flustered out of jealousy, Draco had already figured out that the Ravenclaw girl was simply saying exactly what was on her mind.
She had smelled Gurdyroot Infusion on him. She liked Gurdyroot Infusion. So, she said it—in the plainest, most straightforward way possible. That was it.
She hadn't blocked their path out of any hostility, and her words didn't carry any hidden meaning...
'If anything, it's not just that she's direct... she's kind of airheaded, isn't she?'
Feeling like he'd figured her out, Draco let a smirk play at the corner of his lips.
But Pansy, noticing that faint smirk, misunderstood entirely and shot Draco an angry, embarrassed glare.
Just as Draco was congratulating himself for reading the girl so easily, her silver eyes suddenly shifted to him, as if she'd picked up on something...
"Do you believe in Crumple-Horned Snorkacks?"
"What?"
"Crumple-Horned Snorkacks."
"..."
Draco's face froze. He had never even heard of such a creature.
Was it some kind of unicorn variant?
Now it was Pansy's turn to tease Draco, because for the first time, she saw a genuinely confused look on his face. It wasn't obvious to most, but Pansy—who knew him well—could tell.
"Tsk tsk, so even Draco the bookworm doesn't know what a Crumple-Horned Snorkack is."
"......"
The way Pansy gloated, you'd think she'd been the one to stump him herself. Draco's eye twitched slightly at the sight.
Sensing that Draco was just about ready to retaliate, Pansy quickly wiped the smug look off her face and stepped back, covering her head in mock fear. She seemed to forget they weren't alone.
Draco ultimately let it slide. He gave a sidelong glance at Pansy, who was now sticking her tongue out at him playfully, then turned his attention back to the strange girl across from them. He was especially intrigued by this so-called Crumple-Horned Snorkack—Draco had an almost obsessive hunger for knowledge.
And something about her expression told him she wasn't just making it up...
"So what exactly is a Crumple-Horned Snorkack? A newly discovered magical creature?"
Pansy beat him to the question, her curiosity piqued for an entirely different reason—she just couldn't believe there was something even Draco didn't know. With eyes full of expectation, she waited for the girl to answer.
But that hope vanished the moment the girl simply walked past them, showing no intention of explaining anything.
What the hell?
Where was the explanation about the Crumple-Horned-whatever?
"Wait..."
"She's gone."
"Ugh, what is with that girl?!"
Pansy stared at the figure disappearing around the corner, then turned to Draco, who looked just as puzzled. In the end, she gave up on chasing after her to get answers about the so-called Snorkack.
Something told her they'd run into the girl again...
"What a strange girl."
"Fascinating, isn't she?"
Draco and Pansy spoke in sync, summing up their impression of the girl.
But Pansy, clearly annoyed by Draco's use of "fascinating," gave his calf a quick kick.