Unlike the quiet Slytherins, Draco and his group could already hear the loud chatter of the Gryffindor lions even before anyone came into view. The name Harry Potter being mentioned immediately caught the attention of the surrounding students.
One voice in particular sounded especially excited...
"Hi, Harry! I'm Colin Creevey. I'm in Gryffindor too. Do you think... could I... take a picture of you?"
"Colin Creevey?"
No one knew when this young wizard had appeared next to them. The boy, clutching a Muggle camera and speaking nervously, did seem vaguely familiar to Ron.
"I remember you. Aren't you one of the new Gryffindors? What are you doing here instead of going to class?"
"So, he's a first-year?"
What made him memorable wasn't just the Muggle camera—which looked a bit out of place—but also the way he'd been snapping photos all over the place during the Sorting Ceremony.
Ron even remembered seeing him take a picture of Dumbledore at the staff table.
And now, it looked like his new target was Harry Potter...
"Photography?"
Harry didn't recognize the boy, who was visibly breathless and brimming with excitement. Faced with the odd request, Harry looked a little lost. He awkwardly pushed his glasses up his nose, clearly uncomfortable. To be honest, the boy's intense enthusiasm was a bit unnerving.
But Colin Creevey, who seemed to be a full-on Harry Potter superfan, didn't seem to notice Harry's unease—or Ron Weasley's growing annoyance...
"Yeah, yeah! That way I can prove I actually met you!"
"But—"
"I know all about you! Everyone told me how you survived You-Know-Who and how he vanished... Look, you even still have that lightning scar on your forehead!"
At that, Harry instinctively raised a hand to cover the scar.
"So can I take your picture?"
Colin, getting more and more excited, seemed completely oblivious to the awkward atmosphere and the discomfort on Harry's face. Even Hermione, standing off to the side, was starting to lose her patience.
Still, Colin kept going, arms flailing as he spoke faster and louder.
"One of the boys in my dorm said if I use the right developing solution, the pictures will actually move. Isn't that amazing? Before I got my Hogwarts letter, I didn't even know the weird stuff I did was magic! My dad's a milkman—he still doesn't believe any of this, so I'm going to take loads of pictures and send them home. If I could get one of you with your autograph..."
Watching Colin ramble on to himself, Ron instinctively glanced at Hermione, who was frowning too. In a way, Hermione could get like this sometimes...
Colin's voice had gotten so loud that not only were nearby students listening in, but even Draco and his group, who had arrived early outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, could hear everything clearly...
"What's going on?"
"Looks like our Chosen One's got himself a fan~"
It was Pansy who spoke, arms crossed as she watched the bizarre scene play out with open curiosity. She couldn't understand what anyone found so admirable about Harry Potter.
And no one else seemed to notice that the moment Pansy looked over, the awkward Harry Potter suddenly straightened up, his chest out, and his expression turning serious—completely masking his earlier uncertainty.
Almost like he was trying to put on his best face...
...
As the saying goes, when enemies meet, sparks fly.
One side saw the other as a despicable, underhanded dark wizard, while the other considered them nothing more than foolish and naive.
The two groups had never gotten along, and after the previous end-of-term party, things had only grown more hostile. The explosive tension in the air made that perfectly clear...
"Slytherin..."
"Gryffindor..."
If Draco hadn't held his group back, someone on the Slytherin side would've already fired the first mocking shot. And thanks to Draco's presence, none of the hot-headed Gryffindors dared to provoke the Slytherins either.
Draco's strength was well-known—especially among the Gryffindors who had shared many classes with him.
Of course, there were always exceptions—like Goyle and Crabbe standing behind Draco, who didn't seem to worry about such things at all...
"Autographed photos? You handing those out now, Potter?"
"Line up, everyone! The great Harry Potter is giving out signed pictures~"
With Goyle and Crabbe's taunts echoing through the hall, the rest of the little snakes burst out laughing without restraint, while the Gryffindors across from them began glaring furiously.
Setting aside other year groups, Draco was undeniably the face of Slytherin. As for Gryffindor, Harry could barely be considered their figurehead.
So naturally, the little lions all turned their eyes toward Harry Potter.
Harry, who had just been sneaking glances at Pansy, suddenly noticed the way she was looking past him like he didn't exist—and the uncomfortably close distance between her and Draco. A surge of irritation welled up inside him, and a sharp pain flared in his scar. Before he even realized it, he was stepping forward...
With the Gryffindors' hopeful stares on him and the Slytherins' mocking gazes, Harry's mind went blank. He opened his mouth, but before he could glance at Hermione for help, the air was suddenly filled with the scent of perfume and a light, affected voice.
"What's all this? Who's giving out autographs?"
It was Lockhart, their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
"Ah, I see! We meet again, Harry! Come on, Mr. Creevey, a photo of the two of us—what luck! You're getting both of our signatures!"
In an instant, the powder-keg tension evaporated thanks to Lockhart's over-the-top entrance. The students around them could only stare blankly as Lockhart posed alongside Harry for the camera.
Draco narrowed his eyes slightly at the ridiculous scene.
That timing... was it really just a coincidence?