Chapter 6: Encounter on the Express Train
What Draco didn't expect was that his second meeting with Granger would happen so soon.
It was on the platform at King's Cross Station.
In his previous life, he was full of anticipation for the upcoming Hogwarts campus life. He was only concerned with finding the wall of Platform 9 3/4 and wanted to quickly board the express train. He did not remember whether he had met Granger.
However, in this life, once you become sensitive to this name, she seems to be everywhere.
He saw her immediately - who could ignore her hair?
The mess of brown, tangled hair, facing away from him, remained on the platform for a long time. So long that Draco found it annoying. Nearby were probably Granger's Muggle parents; he vaguely saw their anxious faces, trying to explain something to the platform attendant, but to no avail.
A look of understanding came over Draco's face.
Stupid freshman! Can't you find the Hogwarts platform?
Every year there are always a few confused Muggle-born freshmen who ask for directions everywhere, and they always annoy the Muggle platform staff. Draco secretly pulled the corner of his mouth. After becoming a prefect in the fifth year, these stupid questions from freshmen every year are a headache.
He decided to do something to help the dizzy little girl find the platform she was supposed to go to as quickly as possible before the Hogwarts Express started.
He certainly wasn't naive enough to think he could just walk over and help her.
Lucius and Narcissa would think he was crazy.
However, an 11-year-old boy who is overly spoiled by his parents has many natural and annoying advantages. For example, he can do some annoying and uncontrollable behaviors, shout loudly, and disrupt public order.
Okay, let's start this embarrassing performance. Draco shook his head helplessly and deliberately pushed his cart to the road closer to the Grangers. He looked back at his mother and competently played the role of a spoiled 11-year-old boy, complaining loudly: "Mom, there are too many Muggles here!"
Out of the corner of Draco's eye, he saw Granger turn and glance at him curiously.
Very good. Good ears, Granger.
"It's platform 9 3/4, right?" Draco continued to shout.
"Draco." Lucius glanced at his son expressionlessly, feeling very unhappy about his sudden overexcitement. "Mind your public manners."
Narcissa seemed much gentler. She took Draco's hand and whispered, "Dear little dragon, don't be too loud. Don't attract their attention."
Draco nodded obediently, pretending not to notice Granger's gaze, and followed his parents obediently, pushing the cart full of suitcases quickly into the partition wall.
The moment he entered the partition, he looked back at Miss Know-It-All, whose mouth was open in surprise. It could be said that the effort he had put into embarrassing her in public was completely worth it. Her wide-eyed, unworldly look was truly rare.
He thought she was always so complacent and all-knowing!
Draco didn't notice that the corners of his mouth were slightly raised because of this.
The locomotive was already belching steam, and thick smoke curled up above the chattering crowd. Once on the train, Draco had no trouble finding Vincent Crabbe and then meeting Gregory Goyle. Just like in his previous life, they shared a compartment.
The Crabbes always claimed they were old friends with the Malfoys, which was akin to being equal "friends." But the Malfoys often viewed the Crabbes as dependents. As for the Goyles' power, to be precise, they were not as strong as the Crabbes. Goyles wasn't even Draco's childhood playmate.
He was a "new friend" that Draco discovered on the train to Hogwarts.
Due to the various influences of his parents, such as his grandfather's domineering and authoritarian style towards the head of the Crabbe family and the head of the Goyle family, and his father's domineering and indifferent attitude, Draco in his previous life did not regard Crabbe and Goyle as equal friends from the bottom of his heart.
To put it bluntly, Crabbe and Goyle were members of the faction of Draco's grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy, the "Shadow Minister" of Magic, and were Abraxas's subordinates. Therefore, as the younger generation, Crabbe and Goyle were naturally defined as "Draco's lackeys."
Imagine a proud and unruly boy surrounded by two slow-witted idiots - who seem to have only eating and sleeping in their minds - it would be difficult for anyone to regard them as equal friends.
The Malfoys only admired those who were capable - those who were smart, or those who were confident - and these were neither.
Even the most important qualities of a Slytherin: ambition and shrewdness, are not present in these two people, which is disappointing.
I wonder if the old Sorting Hat still works? What exactly does it use to sort the houses?
Later, in the Room of Requirement, Crabbe ignored his obstruction and, in order to obtain the Dark Lord's reward, arbitrarily released advanced dark magic such as Fiendfyre to burn Potter to death, which actually reflected the Slytherins' unscrupulous nature.
Unfortunately, his ambition was greater than his ability. Crabbe put everyone in danger and even lost his own life. Thinking of Crabbe, who had perished in the fire in the Room of Requirement, and Goyle, who had always been stupid and useless, Draco felt a headache.
Why are Potter's followers smarter than each other, while his own followers are dumber than each other - and in the end, he even kills himself with stupidity.
Not only stupid, but also arrogant. Arrogant enough to not take his words to heart, not take him seriously. Yes, I'm talking about Crabbe.
When he thought of Crabbe's undisguised ferocious face in his previous life, and his words: "Who cares what you think? I will never listen to your orders again, Draco. You and your father are finished..."
When the Malfoys fell from power, Crabbe's mind was gradually out of Draco's control, and this loss of control reached its peak in the Room of Requirement.
Looking back on it all, Draco couldn't say he had no complaints about Crabbe. He was still angry about it. But it also proved that deep down, he still considered Crabbe a friend he could trust in a sense.
After his rebirth, when he was alone thinking and reviewing everything, he tried to explain the reason for the betrayal from Crabbe's perspective.
On the one hand, the friendship that bound the friendship of the previous generation and the interests of the next generation was inherently fragile; on the other hand, his attitude towards them at that time was not very good. He was contemptuous and domineering, arrogant and complacent, humiliating and mocking their clumsiness.
He never learned how to be a normal, equal friend.
They had accompanied him for many years. By the time he gradually understood the meaning of cherishing this irreplaceable companionship, it was too late.
Now, everything is back to square one. He is willing to try to change a little. Even if it is just a little bit.
He could try to tone down his commanding attitude. He was too lazy to resort to the humiliation and contempt tricks.
But at the same time, Draco could no longer be as open and honest with them as before.
He won't give anyone a second chance to betray him.
He lazily gazed at the pastoral scenery passing by outside the window, and told Crabbe and Goyle, who were eating and drinking frantically across from him, "You guys keep an eye on the luggage here, I'll go take a walk in the carriage."
Crabbe and Goyle, who were enjoying their meal, of course agreed without hesitation.
The snacks on the table were almost gone, so Draco threw a few Galleons to the smiling saleswoman on the train who was pushing a cart and asked her to bring back some of each snack.
Finally he closed the cubicle door.
The world was finally quiet. Draco sighed and stood by the aisle at the end of the train, staring blankly at the scenery of the fields rushing past outside the window.
In his previous life, he should have been on his way to "get to know" Potter. In this life, he was exhausted and didn't want to waste time looking for Potter.
A sensible Malfoy never caused unnecessary disputes. He estimated that the red-haired Weasley brat would have nothing good to say about him, just like before.
Is Porter enjoying a feast with his new friend, unaware of the danger that's about to come?
Signs of danger have already appeared, and they are always lingering in the mind of the reborn Draco.
It had been a full month since he had been reborn. Throughout August, he had been busy getting familiar with his young body, observing his parents' condition, and acting like a proper 11-year-old boy.
This brought him no joy, but rather a certain exhaustion. He deeply felt the awkwardness of a body and soul mismatched. A weathered soul forced into a living body, his youth in its prime, yet his heart was as dead and lifeless as a withered tree.
The brutal memories of his past life overwhelmed him almost every night in his dreams. Pain, struggle, and anger, if he wasn't careful, would spread unchecked. Those dark past events, those foolish choices, those unforgettable memories... He locked them away again and again using Occlumency, sinking them into the deep ravines of his heart, consigned to the ruins of his mind.
During the day, he forced himself to be lively and pretend that everything was fine. Only he knew that deep down, he was depressed and dead. If it weren't for some unfinished business that supported him, he would probably be overwhelmed by the huge panic soon.
With a faint hope, he had to try his best to do one thing, the only thing he could do at the moment: do everything he could to protect the people he cared about.
He wanted to make full use of the memories of his past life to tie up the Dark Lord's hands and feet, so that he could no longer destroy the beauty in his heart.
He wants to nip any signs of danger in the bud one by one so that they will never emerge again.
At this moment, right here at Hogwarts, who would believe that the soul of the Dark Lord is hidden under the turban of Quirrell, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?
What can he do about it?
Dumbledore set numerous traps and hid something as important as the Philosopher's Stone in Hogwarts, just like setting bait for a fish. Was it because he had noticed something about Quirrell's abnormality, or was it more profound, because he had noticed something about the Dark Lord?
Looking back on the years at Hogwarts, it seemed like something big happened every year. Hogwarts had never truly been peaceful.
For example, next year, a secret room called "Heir of Slytherin" suddenly appears in the school, and there is a terrifying monster inside that can turn people into stone.
In addition, Draco still remembered the crown in the Room of Requirement in the seventh grade that Potter cared about very much. It was something that Potter was willing to risk his life to get.
There must be something fishy going on here.
Danger doesn't just exist at Hogwarts; sometimes, deadly danger comes from within the family.
Draco's father, Lucius, a former Death Eater, urgently needed to change his mindset. Among his relatives, his aunt Bellatrix was still trapped in Azkaban, a complete lunatic; and his distant uncle Sirius Black, whom he hadn't seen in years, was still locked up in Azkaban, half-dead, even though he had taken the blame for that guy Peter Pettigrew.
Professor Snape, the head of Slytherin House, is a master of Occlumency and vacillates between the two camps of black and white. Draco still hasn't figured out to whom he is loyal and what he is thinking.
Professor Snape, he killed Dumbledore! At the same time, he saved Draco more than once - this made it impossible for Draco to conclude that Snape was a Death Eater who had lost all humanity.
As for Professor Dumbledore, Draco couldn't trust him rashly. Firstly, his death in his previous life was too shocking, and Draco couldn't yet process his emotions, making it difficult for him to face Dumbledore directly. Secondly, while Dumbledore was certainly powerful and indeed feared by the Dark Lord, he was also a man of great skill and depth.
Without being able to guarantee the safety of the Malfoy family and prevent them from being exploited by those with ulterior motives, Draco would not have rashly told Dumbledore everything he knew.
Don't be hasty. Make plans before you act.
We must first investigate all of this thoroughly before we have enough bargaining chips.
All the clues and mysteries were overwhelming Draco. There were so many things that needed to be done one by one, so many threads that needed to be untied one by one...
The setting sun shone through the car window, bringing warmth to people. Draco closed his eyes tiredly and leaned against the car. The chaotic thoughts and the heavy pressure on his face made him frown.
This was the scene Hermione Granger saw as she walked down the aisle.
Amid the rumbling sound of train wheels colliding with each other, a boy with a pointed chin and dazzling platinum hair made her take a second look at him.
The dim sunset light hit his trembling eyelashes, casting a shadow on his cheeks, making him look extremely arrogant.
However, his face was pale, and he leaned against the wall of the carriage, seeming to frown in pain.
Hermione had seen the boy before, in fact, she had seen him twice.
Once, in a wand shop, his platinum-blond hair was very eye-catching. He was obviously a well-educated boy, as could be seen from his exquisite dress and the manners in his every move. He seemed a little cold, but not unpleasant.
The second time, not long ago, he had helped her by accidentally shouting, otherwise she would never have been able to find the 9 3/4 station.
Now, he looked a little uncomfortable, maybe because of motion sickness or something else, so she decided to say hello and, if necessary, help him in return.
"Hey, are you not feeling well?" she asked carefully and softly.
Draco opened his eyes and was met with a pair of brown eyes, the color of fine chocolate. Her eyes were close together, filled with concern.
Granger was everywhere. They finally met face to face, when he least expected it.
She had changed into the flowing black robes of Hogwarts. She didn't look like a Muggle-born child at all. She looked just like any little princess raised in a pure-blood wizard family.
"It's okay." Draco stood up straight, a faint blush on his pale face. "Just a little stuffy. Come out for some fresh air."
Hermione was briefly mesmerized by his suddenly open grey eyes - they were a beautiful colour.
Then, she suddenly realized that staring at someone was rude. She took a step back, shook her thick brown hair, and to hide her distraction, put on a slightly arrogant expression. "I'm glad you're okay. I was going to say there's a school doctor in the back of the car. If you're feeling unwell, I can help you over there."
This sudden concern made Draco feel uncomfortable. He paused for a moment and said simply, "No. But thank you very much."
Granger's concern—how rare. In the past, whenever they met, they would always be on edge, rarely was there such a peaceful state.
Now, she suddenly turned back into a polite stranger, even showing some concern for him. Draco was not used to it.
"Since you're okay, could you please help find Neville's toad? His toad is missing, and I've almost asked everyone in the carriage." Seeing that he was fine, Hermione changed the subject.
A familiar accent. The authentic Granger. Always concerned with the problems of the vulnerable, she immediately identified the weakest link in the entire train car—Neville Longbottom.
"Oh, that's right," Draco asked her, fiddling with his wand slowly. "What's the toad's name?"
"Lefo."
"Come here, Rifle." Draco casually cast a come here spell.
The lost toad flew through the carriages like an arrow and landed in his hand. He raised his eyebrows and looked at the ugly toad with disdain - why would anyone want to keep such a thing?
Hermione's arrogance instantly disappeared. This boy is too amazing!
"Oh my God! You are amazing. I thought I was a smart student. I was just showing off my immature little spells in the carriage next to me. They were all practiced at home during the holidays. But compared to you, I am really far behind!" she said in shock.
If it was Draco in his previous life, being praised like this by a little girl - especially when she was Hermione Granger, the top student in the grade - he would probably have been as smug as a rooster with its tail raised to the sky.
But now, he knew clearly that he had only taken advantage of a second chance and there was nothing to brag about. He quickly handed the toad, which was writhing unwillingly, to her and whispered, "Keep it a secret. I don't want anyone to know that I used magic."
"If it were me, I'd probably show off a lot," Hermione said, puzzled. She shrugged, deciding to respect him. "But I think I'm willing to keep it a secret for you. By the way, my name is Hermione Granger."
She held out her hand gracefully. "You can call me Hermione. What's your name—?"
"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." Draco answered her with a hint of hesitation in his eyes. He had not expected that things would turn out this way.
This is not to say that he was unwilling to hold her hand. Like a snail's tentacle, he slowly reached out and tentatively held the soft and warm hand.
"Nice to meet you, Draco." She shook his hand warmly and said happily, "I really don't see why there is such a thing to hide. If I could perform such magic, my parents would be so happy. Besides, this must be a very advanced magic, right? I bet it is definitely not an area that a first-year student can get involved in."
Hermione Granger, her little mouth was like a bubble pod that he accidentally touched, popping out cheerful beans one after another and blooming lively flowers for him.
Draco should have been irritated, but surprisingly, being with Hermione made him forget those disturbing memories for a while; her constant chatter further pushed his chaotic thoughts into the distance.
"I mean, I've memorized all the first-year textbooks, but obviously I haven't seen any spells that can summon things. It seems that just memorizing the textbooks is not enough - I hope Hogwarts has a library, I have to expand my knowledge..." Hermione was still chattering on and on, with a longing look in her eyes.
Draco hadn't had this kind of lively expression in a long time. It wasn't that he couldn't fake it, it was just that it wasn't genuine.
His heart was like a dead tree, so he would occasionally envy this real, unrestrained and vibrant appearance.
"Yes." Draco remembered how much Miss Know-It-All loved to hang out in the library in his past life. Nine times out of ten, he would see her poring over a pile of books whenever he passed by.
"You will like the Hogwarts library. There are so many books there." He looked at her expectant eyes and couldn't help but say more.
"It sounds like you know a lot about Hogwarts." Hermione was only happy for a few seconds before a worried expression appeared on her face. "You must have been born into a wizarding family. I was born into a Muggle family, and I'm always worried that I won't be able to keep up."
"Don't worry. You'll catch up soon." Draco shook his head, feeling very disapproving.
What do you have to worry about, this little girl who has always been at the top of her grade?
The ones who should be worried are the kids from wizarding families who can't pass your exams, right?
Aren't you really showing off your intelligence and diligence?