That afternoon, Leon learned a ton about wands at Ollivander's.
Ollivander wasn't exactly keen on teaching, but Leon had a knack for picking things up anyway. He didn't dare try any wands, though—too risky. One wrong move and a wand might explode, leaving evidence behind.
Once he'd soaked up enough knowledge, Leon took precautions. Using a memory charm he'd just learned from Lockhart, he wiped Ollivander's memory of his visit, just to be safe.
Since he was already out, Leon swung by home to have dinner with his mum, Maeve. Whether she was thrilled to see him or not, Leon didn't care—he had a big favor to ask. He was gunning for a spot on Hogwarts' Board of Governors.
He'd already made his first move, donating a hefty sum of Galleons to the school before term started. It was insurance, really. If he ever did something daft enough to get expelled, being a major donor might just save his skin.
After the Chamber of Secrets fiasco this year, Lucius Malfoy was getting the boot from the Board. Leon had his eyes on that empty seat, and no one was going to snatch it from him. Problem was, Hogwarts students couldn't serve as governors, so he needed Maeve to act as his proxy for a few years.
Then, Leon could throw it in Malfoy's face: "My mum's a governor!"
As for why the "Chamber of Secrets" event was still happening, even though the Basilisk was out of commission and the Chamber was basically Leon's personal hideout… well, never mind. If Leon said it was happening, it was happening.
The next day, Leon went to classes as usual. At lunch, the Gryffindor table was buzzing with the hottest topic: "Egghead" Malfoy.
A few third-years were dishing the dirt. Their Transfiguration class followed Slytherin's second-years, so they'd shown up early to stake out the classroom and finally spotted Malfoy, who'd been AWOL yesterday.
"Malfoy and his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, were the last ones out," one said.
"They probably thought the coast was clear, but we were waiting! Haha!"
"Malfoy kept his hood up and his head down low. We couldn't even see if his hair had grown back."
"Yeah, he was wrapped up tighter than a mummy. If it weren't for Crabbe and Goyle, we wouldn't have known it was him."
Someone turned to Leon, curious. "Leon! What spell did you use? One puff and his hair was gone! That's wild! Will Malfoy's hair ever grow back?"
Leon flatly denied using any spell, insisting it was just a magical outburst, totally accidental, not him intentionally vanishing a classmate's hair. Whether the gossip-hungry crowd believed him or not, Leon stuck to his story.
The Weasley twins, Fred and George, chimed in with their own scoop.
"Malfoy skipped classes all day yesterday and didn't show his face," Fred said.
"Still sporting that egghead look," George added.
"Today, their first class was Transfiguration with McGonagall. You know nobody skips her class."
"Bet he bolted right after to wrestle with his bald head. Notice he didn't show up for lunch?"
"I kinda hope he grows some hair back," Fred said.
"Yeah, so we can start using his new nickname—" George grinned.
"Fuzzy Egg!" they shouted in unison.
The Gryffindor table hadn't run out of laughs yet. A Hufflepuff boy, who'd fought alongside Ginny and Colin yesterday, ran over with fresh gossip. Leon hadn't noticed him in the chaos, but Ginny filled him in. The kid was Rolf Scamander, a Hufflepuff they knew from Herbology. He'd signed up for the Saturday Club and suggested handing out flyers in Hufflepuff.
According to Rolf, a lot of Hufflepuffs were fond of Harry Potter but weren't great at showing it. Rolf, though, had no trouble speaking up.
"We had double Potions this morning," he said. "Before class, we saw Malfoy begging Snape for a sick note. But Snape tore into him, calling him a 'spineless coward' and a 'useless lump.' Said he wouldn't sign any note."
"Then Malfoy ran out crying! It was right before class, so all the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaw first-years saw it!"
The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers. The little lions decided to keep the party going in the common room tonight. Last night's celebration got shut down by McGonagall, so they'd keep it low-key this time to avoid trouble.
Leon didn't join the party planning. He'd just spotted a golden business opportunity. Since he'd mastered human Transfiguration, he hadn't needed wigs for disguises in ages. A pile of them was gathering dust in a corner of his locket. Now was the perfect time to clear out his stock.
In Charms that afternoon, Leon doubled down on his "magical outburst" story. While Flitwick had everyone practicing Aguamenti, Leon "accidentally" unleashed a flood, washing the entire class into the corridor. That convinced everyone yesterday's incident was just him losing control—no way it was on purpose!
After class, Leon asked Colin to turn in his History of Magic homework for him. He was skipping the next class to track down Malfoy. Thanks to the "Egghead" hype, the Slytherin second-years' schedule was public knowledge. Everyone was planning to sneak a peek at Malfoy, and the three o'clock Defense Against the Dark Arts class was no exception.
A bunch of Ravenclaw second-years Leonred after their class, hoping to catch a glimpse of "Egghead." The fourth-floor corridor outside the Defense classroom was packed with gawkers.
Malfoy didn't show until the last possible second. Just as rumored, without Crabbe and Goyle trailing him, he was hard to recognize. Draco Malfoy was swathed in an oversized wizard robe, hood up, head bowed, showing only his pointy chin.
When the star of the show appeared, the corridor buzzed with excitement. Leon, blending into the crowd, subtly raised his hand and sent a gust of wind straight at Malfoy, flipping his hood right off.
"Whoa! His hood's off! Hood's off!"
"So white, so round…"
"Egghead's the perfect nickname!"
"Pfft…"
"Snicker…"
As Malfoy fumbled to pull his hood back up, Leon stepped forward, all helpful and cheery. Crabbe and Goyle stayed quiet, backing off.
Malfoy, hood finally on, noticed Leon and flinched, ready to bolt. Leon, unfazed, threw an arm around his shoulders. "Hey, Draco! Good afternoon!"
Draco was anything but good. He just wanted to get as far from this menace as possible.
Leon kept talking, ignoring Malfoy's panic. "Weather's turning, Draco. Gets windy this time of year. You're missing some… insulation up top, so take care of yourself!"
Malfoy was trembling now, either from fear or rage. Leon, ready to seal the deal, pulled a shiny golden wig from his pocket.
"Ta-da! Look at this! A seamless, natural, top-quality wig, handpicked just for you! Not a thousand Galleons, not a hundred—just ten Galleons, and this perfect wig is yours! Feeling tempted? Don't wait—act now!"
Malfoy shook harder, tears streaking down his sharp chin as he gritted his teeth. "Leon Green! Don't push me too far!"
Leon figured he'd better not push Malfoy to the brink of collapse. Time to wrap this up. He stuffed the golden wig into Malfoy's hands and, with a flick of his robe, summoned every Galleon, Sickle, and Knut from Malfoy's pockets into his own.
Patting Malfoy's shoulder, Leon said, "Need a different color or style? Come find me—I'll give you a discount next time!"