The strange silence drew every gaze in the room, shifting between Draco and Professor Lupin.
Draco, standing motionless and unresponsive, showed not the slightest intention of answering. His quiet defiance left most of the young wizards staring in disbelief.
At Hogwarts, every professor commanded great respect. No one had ever dared embarrass a professor so openly—not even Harry Potter, who suffered constant targeting from Snape, would act this way in class.
And yet, recalling what Draco had done at the End-of-Term Feast, perhaps this wasn't all that surprising after all.
Still… why?
It was just a Boggart—something harmless. What reason could he have to refuse?
Unaware that there was more to this lesson than met the eye, the students watched in uneasy silence as Draco met Lupin's gaze head-on, neither backing down.
Amid the tension, the Slytherin students quietly moved to stand behind Draco, their actions wordlessly declaring where their loyalty lay.
This display of unity made Professor Lupin's eyes flicker, just for a moment, in surprise.
Anyone with a bit of sense could tell from that single detail just how high Draco's standing in Slytherin had grown. And these were Slytherins—proud, self-serving, and far from the type to follow blindly.
Beside him, Pansy was the first to bristle, her small fangs bared in irritation.
If not for Draco's calming hand, she might have lashed out regardless of the man's title, ready to call out the hidden intent behind his so-called "lesson."
Even the dullest could tell that something in the air had shifted.
Yet Lupin, as if oblivious, tilted his head and gestured toward Draco again.
"I imagine everyone's quite eager to see how last year's hero—the one who defeated the Basilisk—handles a Boggart?"
"Um, no..."
Before Harry could open his mouth to agree, Hermione tugged sharply at his robe.
"Harry, don't say anything."
Though Lupin was her professor, Hermione trusted that Draco had his own reasons for refusing. She held Harry back, silencing him before he could interfere.
The eagerness she'd felt earlier to take part in the exercise faded almost completely.
Maybe there was something here she hadn't yet understood.
But then, to her surprise—and everyone else's—Draco suddenly stepped forward.
He moved to stand before the old wardrobe, wand raised, as though he truly intended to confront the Boggart after all.
The abrupt change left Hermione frozen, and Pansy whispered, confused, "Draco!?"
"It's fine," he said coolly. "Since it's the professor's request, we as students have no reason to refuse... isn't that right, Professor Lupin?"
The chill in his tone didn't seem to faze Lupin, whose smile never wavered. He clapped his hands together encouragingly.
"Excellent. Let's welcome Mr. Malfoy, then. On the count of three, I'll open the wardrobe where the Boggart's hiding."
"..."
No one understood why Draco had suddenly agreed, but that didn't stop them from watching, anticipation holding them breathless.
Eyes widened across the room, no one daring to blink.
"Then... three, two..."
The wardrobe, which had been shaking moments ago, suddenly stilled—as if there had never been a Boggart inside to begin with.
In that instant, everyone's breathing slowed, each heartbeat pounding loud in their ears.
Every gaze fixed on the same spot.
Lupin's voice, mid-countdown, froze in his throat as the sight before him left him utterly stunned.
Magic.
An overwhelming, suffocating wave of power—so immense it could crush a grown wizard's spirit—burst forth from Draco, a third-year student.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sound of retreating footsteps echoed through the silent room.
...
"You've got to be kidding me..."
"Is that really our classmate?"
"Gulp."
Draco's pale golden hair stirred slightly as his elegant robes rippled in the air. The waves of magic radiating from him were so intense they distorted the very atmosphere around him, making him seem less like a student and more like a dragon awakening from its slumber.
Under the piercing gaze of those gray eyes, shimmering faintly with gold, Lupin instinctively tightened his grip on his wand. It was absurd—standing before him was merely a third-year student who hadn't even graduated yet... and yet, for a moment, it didn't feel that way.
The moment passed as quickly as it came. By the time everyone snapped out of their daze, Draco's voice, cool and cutting, broke through the silence.
"Looks like the Boggart doesn't dare show itself."
"....."
Lupin watched silently as Draco withdrew his magic and returned to stand with the others. He didn't call out to stop him, nor did he try to continue the lesson as planned. Acting as if nothing unusual had occurred, he began speaking softly to calm the frightened Gryffindors.
Yet beneath the composed surface of his expression, something new flickered in his eyes—a trace of wariness and disbelief that hadn't been there before....
...
Rejoining the group, Draco was met with an exasperated glare from Pansy.
Unlike the others, Pansy knew exactly why Draco possessed such frightening magic—and she knew his secret.
"Probably no one realizes," she murmured near his ear, her tone teasing, "that you can't actually control that power of yours, right?"
"....."
Her smug little grin only earned her a swift chop to the head from Draco's hand.
"It's not that I can't control it," he corrected evenly. "It's that I can't control it yet."
Ignoring the wounded look she shot him, Draco shifted his gaze toward Ron Weasley, who had just been called forward to face the Boggart.
Just as Pansy had said.
Ever since he had used that unorthodox method to amplify his magic, Draco had been trying to learn how to channel and control the overwhelming surge of power. What he hadn't expected was how difficult it would be.
His plan to study Voldemort's combat techniques had been delayed indefinitely.
And now, though he possessed immense magical power, he couldn't properly cast even a single spell—essentially a powerless wizard with strength locked inside him.
As Draco pondered this, something unusual seemed to happen with Ron Weasley's turn.
"What's that?"
"Riddikulus!"
Just before the Boggart was dispelled by the spell, Draco caught a glimpse of what Ron Weasley feared most.
It was a blurry figure... holding a diary.