Ever since Harry Potter enrolled, Hogwarts had grown noticeably livelier. From last year's brawls to this year's clash between two Quidditch teams, it seemed like wherever trouble was brewing, Harry Potter's name was never far behind.
Still, he wasn't the one who gave professors the biggest headaches—that honor belonged to the ever-mischievous Weasley twins. Whether it was losing house points or being chased through the corridors by Filch and his cat, you could always count on them to stir things up.
And when point deductions weren't enough, there was always detention.
Of course, "detention" at Hogwarts didn't mean being locked in a dark room. Just look at the time Harry Potter and Ron Weasley got caught "tricking" Professor McGonagall—they were sent to help Hagrid explore the Forbidden Forest.
As for Draco's punishment...
...
Slytherin common room.
"Why are you the one being punished? It was that red-haired idiot's fault!"
The one hurling insults in a honeyed voice was none other than Princess Parkinson. It seemed Pansy's opinion of Ron Weasley had downgraded from "stupid Weasley" to "red-haired idiot."
"He was the one who used a jinx on Goyle first... Hey! Are you even listening to me?!"
Still fuming on Draco's behalf, Pansy suddenly snapped when she realized Draco was lazily flipping through a book, entirely unbothered. The tension in the air was almost audible as her patience wore thin.
Huffing, she puffed out her cheeks and squeezed herself onto the ornate chair Draco was lounging in, delivering a light punch to his waist with her tiny pink fist.
But with both of them crammed into the narrow chair, their arms pressed together, the sudden closeness and Pansy's flushed cheeks made Draco glance over at her. She was pouting, but...
She didn't really look all that mad. In fact, Draco had a sneaking suspicion she was doing this on purpose.
He raised an eyebrow.
"You're not hot?"
"Hmph!"
Draco's dismissive tone made the slightly flustered Pansy bristle. In a burst of stubborn defiance, she pressed her whole body against his, sulking harder.
The moment passed awkwardly—until Pansy caught a glimpse of Goyle and Crabbe nearby. Then she realized just how close she'd gotten.
Trying to play it cool, she straightened up and shot a fierce glare at Goyle and Crabbe, who immediately looked down, pretending not to see a thing.
"Did you find out who's spreading those rumors?"
"Like we could actually figure that out..."
"What was that?"
"Ahem—probably need a bit more time."
Goyle and Crabbe exchanged panicked glances, muttered something under their breath, then thumped their chests as if reassuring her. But their acting was so terrible that Pansy didn't even bother to pretend she believed them.
She glared at them a little longer, then let it go—knowing full well they'd never get to the bottom of it. With that, she slipped off Draco's chair.
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she realized... it really was a bit warm in here.
Draco, watching the small figure walk away and still carrying her sweet scent, instinctively tugged at his collar.
"Don't be too hard on Goyle and the others. Those rumors aren't worth worrying about. Besides, I'm not the one who got dragged to the infirmary."
Truthfully, Draco didn't care about the gossip. And he had a pretty good idea who was behind it.
Pansy pouted, feeling like she'd wasted her concern, and rolled her eyes at him in mock irritation.
"Whatever. You're the one getting punished, not me. But... wandless magic? Seriously? Does not having a wand come with hidden perks or something?"
"It is strange," Draco muttered, frowning. "I don't think he's the type to master something like that so quickly."
Pansy's doubt mirrored his own. After all, there were no shortcuts in magic—unless...
As Draco fell deep into thought, Pansy suddenly seemed to recall something...
"By the way, did Professor Snape tell you what kind of punishment you're getting? If you need backup, we've got two muscle-bound gorillas right here."
Goyle...
Crabbe...
"Still don't know. But it's definitely not going to be anything pleasant."
"Huh?"
Draco didn't bother explaining. Just thinking about how he'd more or less snatched—borrowed—a bunch of potion ingredients from Snape made him uneasy. Knowing his slightly petty godfather, Snape might take the opportunity to get back at him.
Maybe... I should've taken less?
Shaking his head in mild regret, Draco looked up from his book and shifted his gaze to Pansy's face. His expression turned a bit odd as he abruptly changed the subject.
"Anyway, how was Quidditch practice today?"
After all, following the tryouts, Pansy had successfully joined the Slytherin team on her own merit.
And not just her—Goyle and Crabbe, who had accompanied her, had also made the cut.
Pansy had become Slytherin's new Seeker, while Goyle and Crabbe had taken the roles of Beaters.
Their first official practice, however, had taken place without Draco, who had been called away to Snape's office, missing it as team captain...
...
The moment Quidditch came up, Pansy instantly brightened.
Her earlier frustration and fluster vanished without a trace.
"With me there? Please, everything went perfectly. Being a Seeker is nothing I can't handle."
Pansy puffed out her chest proudly, and Draco suddenly felt the urge to reach out and ruffle her dog—no, her little head. That face, practically begging to be praised, was just a bit too cute. It made him want to mess with her.
But before he could act, Crabbe—completely oblivious to the subtly sweet tension in the air—spoke up and ruined the moment.
"Speaking of Seekers, I heard Ravenclaw has a new one too. Supposedly really good. If I'm not wrong, I think her name's Cho Chang."
"..."
"..."
Watching Pansy's expression darken instantly, Goyle panicked—but it was already too late to stop Crabbe from putting his foot in his mouth...