Chapter 21: Losing 150 Points
Just as Draco returned to the Slytherin dormitory chewing a chocolate muffin, thankful that Mr. Filch and his clever cat did not discover his night wandering around Hogwarts, Potter and his friends got into trouble.
The morning after returning from the Hogwarts kitchens, Draco had no appetite and decided to have some oatmeal for breakfast at his usual spot.
At this moment, his classmate Blaise Zabini sat down next to him and said gloatingly, "Look at that big hourglass! The Gryffindors are going to be furious! They lost a full 150 points!"
He high-fived Pansy Parkinson across from him. "Thanks to the heroic Potter, Granger who always showed off in class, and that silly-looking Longbottom."
Pansy chuckled across from him. "I heard they ran into Mrs. Norris near the Astronomy Tower last night. Mr. Filch caught them red-handed."
Astronomy tower?
Oh, yes, they should have sent Hagrid's illegal dragon to Weasley's brother through the Astronomy Tower.
A while ago, when Draco accidentally saw Hagrid, who never read, wandering around the restricted area in the library, he knew something was wrong.
When he saw that Hagrid was reading "Raising Dragons for Pleasure and Profit", combined with his previous life experience, it was not difficult to guess what Hagrid was doing.
If there was anything in common between the brutish gamekeeper and Draco, it was their passion for dragons.
What little wizard hasn't dreamed of owning a dragon?
In a way, Draco could understand Hagrid.
However, raising a dragon is dangerous after all. Especially Hagrid's cabin is not suitable for raising a fire dragon.
Who knows, one day, when the dragon gets excited and breathes out its breath, the gamekeeper will become a dish next to the pumpkin patch - grilled Hagrid.
Keeping it is definitely not a long-term solution.
Given the current peaceful relationship with the Potter trio, Draco did not make things difficult for them, nor did he have the slightest interest in informing them.
He originally planned to pretend he didn't know and just wait quietly for them to send the dragon away.
But they didn't expect that they would be so unlucky. Even if no one reported them, they were still caught by Mr. Filch's cat, the sharp-eyed Mrs. Norris.
Come to think of it, doesn't Potter have an invisibility cloak?
This child has such a huge treasure, but he doesn't even know how to use it?
This turn of events made Draco's already gloomy mood even worse.
If he was near the Astronomy Tower, he might consider helping Potter, but he hadn't been there to check in recently. Instead, he was busy wandering around the Ravenclaw Tower, tirelessly trying to strike up a conversation with Ms. Grey, but repeatedly watching her leave.
It is disheartening to think that research into the crown has come to a standstill.
Even the fact that Slytherin had many more hourglass gems than other houses could not save Draco from his current depressed mood.
Just as Draco was chewing his cereal fiercely and thinking about how to talk to Ms. Grey, he heard the applause and whistles of several Slytherin students coming from the door of the Great Hall. "Thank you, Potter, you've helped us a lot!"
Harry Potter was isolated by the Gryffindor students.
Draco noticed that Potter often sat dejectedly at the table, with only Weasley by his side. The other students kept a distance from him.
And there was Longbottom. Draco occasionally saw him forgetting the password to the common room and trying to ask the Gryffindor people for help, but no one paid any attention to him.
Hermione, on the other hand, became even more obscure. Her lively personality was extremely restrained. She was no longer obsessed with showing up in class to answer questions, and she couldn't muster the energy to smile at anyone.
Before the Transfiguration class, Draco strode through the crowd, walked straight to the listless, ignored girl, and sat down next to her.
Then, he pushed a book to her who was looking down, and said briefly, "Here you are. It's the book you mentioned you wanted to read last time."
"Thank you." She said quickly and softly, took the book, continued to lower her head, and didn't even want to look him in the eye.
Draco stared at her melancholy profile and found that he could no longer maintain his cold attitude.
She looked a little pitiful, like the cutest yet most aggrieved kitten in the world, abandoned by someone, the kind that definitely needed help.
For some unknown reason, he couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to return my hard work of finding the book for you with a smile?"
Hermione finally looked up at him, her expression a little surprised.
She hadn't expected him to initiate a conversation again. Normally, without so many worries weighing on her mind, she would have responded more positively.
But now, she could only say with a bitter face: "I'm not in the mood today."
"Just smile," Draco continued with a straight face.
But Hermione still couldn't muster up the energy, and the corners of her mouth even turned down unconsciously.
"I'll put it on my account." Draco stared at her for a moment, then said in a calculating tone, "Hermione Granger owes Draco Malfoy a smile."
Hermione raised her head and tried to smile at him, wanting to quickly settle the debt; but Draco found that there was still sadness in her eyes and her smile was not sincere at all.
"A wry smile doesn't count," he said.
Hermione sighed and quickly dropped her head again as everyone around her was staring at her.
Amid the faint buzz of people discussing her, Draco glanced around fiercely until all the malicious looks were repelled by his even more malicious ones.
But Hermione didn't see all this. She kept her head down, trying to bury her head in the book he gave her.
"Elizabeth, I can probably understand how you feel. I might even feel worse than you. Not only do they laugh at me, they also treat me like an enemy." After class, Hermione said to the single door of the second-floor bathroom, "It's really not a pleasant feeling."
"Yeah..." Myrtle said miserably, "Do you feel like you've been abandoned by the whole school?"
Myrtle peered quietly through the crack in the door to see Hermione's face.
The face was full of frustration and melancholy, completely different from the bright face she had seen last time.
At this moment, she deeply realized that she was not alone.
"I have to tell you something." Myrtle suddenly didn't want to lie to her anymore, and she said hurriedly, "I actually have another name..."
"I know, Myrtle, right? I asked when I went back that day, and there is no student named Elizabeth in Ravenclaw now, let alone Olive Hornby. However, there is a resident ghost in the abandoned women's bathroom on the second floor. I guess that's you." Hermione squatted on the ground, staring at the wet floor and the dim candlelight reflected on the floor, and said listlessly.
"You guessed right." Myrtle whizzed through the door, her transparent body circling around Hermione. She said nervously and complained, "You don't want to be friends with me anymore? No one likes a crying Myrtle..."
"But you're already my friend. What does it matter? Are living people more approachable than ghosts? Look at those classmates who isolated me!" Hermione said bitterly. She forced a smile at Myrtle. "I still prefer calling you Elizabeth. It reminds me of a noble princess or queen or something."
"You can call me that." Myrtle's whole demeanor changed in an instant.
She felt a little proud of Hermione's flattery, and posed in front of a stained and cracked mirror, her face radiant.
But when Myrtle saw her glasses and the pimples on her chin, she suddenly broke into another sob of grief.
"Don't be sad, Hermione. You are much luckier than me... At least you are still alive and can wear many beautiful clothes. You don't wear glasses and don't have acne..." She finished crying, dived headfirst into the toilet, and hid somewhere unknown.
Hermione sighed, whispered "See you later" to the toilet, opened the door of the women's bathroom, and returned to the cold reality where no one welcomed her.
The seat by the library window temporarily lost its appeal to her - there were always some passing Gryffindor students looking at her critically, and she was hurt by their unfriendly attitude.
She would often find the books she wanted to read in the library early in the morning when there were not many people around, and then take them to an oak tree by the Black Lake.
The lush branches and greenery there could easily hide a sad, depressed and unwelcome girl.
One day in May, Draco was walking by the Black Lake when he ran into Hermione who was alone.
"Hermione Granger, where is the smile you owed me last time? When will you pay it back to me?" he said in a debt-collecting tone.
Hermione was sitting under a lush oak tree, reviewing her lessons with a depressed look on her face.
"Oh, stop bothering me, Draco. I really can't laugh right now." Hermione closed the book distractedly, a frown on her pretty little face.
"I have to admit, you're a true Gryffindor, quite reckless." Draco squatted down in front of her and picked up the notebook filled with words. "The werewolf code of conduct from 1637? The course of the elf rebellion?"
He tutted his words and raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you overpreparing? I think even Professor Binns would admit that this knowledge is too profound for a first-year student."
"Put it down, Draco, stay away from me, it's none of your business." Hermione said angrily, like a sensitive newborn hedgehog whose still soft and tender spines were accidentally pricked.
Why did this Slytherin boy always hang around her like a debt collector?
Why did he have to make her laugh?
Maybe he wanted to laugh at her. What, was he finally going to take off his mask and laugh at her, this "reckless" Gryffindor?
"Okay." Draco shrugged and put down the notebook, but did not leave. Instead, he sat down beside her calmly.
He couldn't bear to see her unhappy look, so he tried to persuade her: "I have to remind you that no one in this world is perfect. You don't need to be so strict with yourself."
The sun was shining brightly today. He simply placed his hands behind his head and lay on his back, closing his eyes and feeling the warmth shining on them.
Hermione looked back at him. His face was glowing white in the sunlight. His eyelashes cast a small, thick shadow on his face, trembling slightly. He was as beautiful as a butterfly that could fly away at any time.
This relaxed attitude and beautiful profile appear non-aggressive.
He didn't seem to mean any harm.
He was even willing to take the initiative to greet her and talk to her.
He was also willing to be her partner in any class, and seemed to want to make her laugh with a clumsy and serious way of collecting debts; even though she had been in low spirits in doing anything recently, and didn't like to talk to people, let alone laugh.
Then she suddenly realized that her attitude just now was very bad.
"I'm sorry, Draco, I shouldn't have lost my temper with you. You shouldn't be treated like this... You've always been very kind to me." Hermione lowered her head and rubbed her eyes, the mist in her pupils wet her eye sockets.
"It's okay." The sunlight covered his face, bringing a comfortable warmth, which made his expression look lazy.
"I understand how you feel," he said. "I was once as immature and sensitive as you are. When people around you take attitudes too extreme, you feel a certain pain."
"Yes, it's painful and very sad," Hermione whispered. "I hate this feeling, the feeling of shame."
"You have to know that being sad is not shameful. Pain is normal. Only people with hearts as hard as ice will not feel pain." He continued, and his face inevitably flashed with the sorrow of someone who has "been there".
Draco thought he was the one with a heart as hard as ice.
In his previous life, the Malfoy family fell into decline and suffered from the cold stares of others. If he didn't freeze his heart and numb it, how could he have survived?
How much heat would it take to warm through the cold current that was frozen deep in his heart?
"You're a year younger than me!" Hermione said with a nasal laugh, "but you sound just like my grandfather."
She was quite sensitive and hit the nail on the head. In the hazy vision with light shimmering under his eyelids, Draco moved his eyes guiltily.
"People have a short memory. It will be fine after a while. Once everyone forgets about it, or something new happens, life will be much easier." Draco turned his head, opened his eyes and looked at her, comforting her in a relaxed tone.
Hermione sighed.
She followed his example and lay down, looking at the lush green leaves above her head with a sense of loss, recalling the contempt and scorn she had suffered recently.
"But I was deducted 50 points. No one would be deducted 50 points at once." Her eyelashes were wet, and there was a sad and mournful tone in her words.
Draco thought he could smell the bitter salty taste of tears.
She must be very sad.
A freshman who had just entered Hogwarts encountered contempt from his classmates and gloating looks from the other three houses.
Hermione Granger, who has not yet grown up, is just a crybaby girl who cannot hide her fragile, fragile and sentimental side well.
"But you've added more than fifty points to Gryffindor this year. Professors have awarded you points for your outstanding performance in almost every class, and in some classes more than once. If you feel bad about those fifty points, you might as well take action to make up for it. You have to perform better and strive to get more points before the end of the semester to get back what you lost. Also, tell Potter that instead of feeling sorry for himself, he should practice Quidditch well. A Golden Snitch is worth a lot of points." He stared at the ripples in her eyes and said a lot of words in one breath before they overflowed from his eyes - probably more than he usually said in the whole day.
Hermione stared at him in amazement, surprised by his lengthy speech.
Perhaps because of the weather, she suddenly discovered that his gray eyes seemed particularly light, like a clear lake.
The lake seemed to want to absorb her tears, emitting a gentle and soothing breath, rather than the cold and indifferent feeling it often exuded in the past.
She listened blankly to his words of persuasion, and stared at the unique clear lake in his eyes. The waves of sorrow in her heart were silently dissolved by it.
Suddenly, a naughty gray squirrel passed by the tree above and accidentally dropped the pine cone in his hand.
The pine cone suddenly fell towards her face. She turned her eyes and screamed, only to find that the pine cone had instantly turned into a light pink flower, spinning down and lightly covering her face.
Like a dream as woven as gauze.
She held up the flower curiously and looked at it in the light that filtered through the gaps between the leaves.
This is a beautiful pink flower with a shallow cup shape, a bit like a rose, the color is very soft and the flower shape is dignified and elegant.
She sniffed it and found that the fragrance of the flower was a little different from that of ordinary roses, with a strong scent of myrrh.
"What kind of flower is this?" She unconsciously smiled innocently and turned to ask the boy beside her. Her brown eyes once again flashed with the curiosity, inquiry and cheerfulness that Draco was familiar with.
Draco raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
——It seems that Miss Know-It-All's energy has returned.
"This is a hardy variety of rose that I often see in Malfoy Manor. The gardeners call it 'Gentle Hermione'. I thought you might like it." He put away the wand in his hand, a hint of pleasure in his eyes.
"Oh! Of course I like it. Draco, I'm afraid my Transfiguration will never be better than yours." Hermione looked at the flower with a carefree expression, complaining half-heartedly, "I'm just rote me, but you use it more flexibly. That natural magical thinking, that smooth and effortless way of casting spells... I really envy you."
"I just have a few years more experience than you because I was born into a magical family. You learn quickly and stand out among students of the same grade. It won't be long before you surpass me." Draco stood up and brushed off the grass debris on his body.
He looked out at the calm black lake, and a layer of frost formed in his eyes again.
He knew so much because he had experienced so many things... those dark and suffocating things... He would rather be a little fool who knew nothing, perhaps he would be happier that way.
"Speaking of which, Hermione, I ask you to do me a favor." He pondered for a moment, and finally turned around, chose to break the silence at the moment, and made his request.
"Okay." Hermione stood up from the lawn and prepared to stand. The boy in front of her seemed to help her without hesitation and stretched out his hand to pull her up.
"Thank you." Under his force, she stood up suddenly and almost rushed over to him.
She didn't expect him to lend a hand to help her. This made her a little surprised, but also a little happy.
It had been so long since she had been treated with a friendly hand, and his hand was warm.
"You're welcome," Draco said. When she was on her feet, he hurriedly let go of her hand and quickly put it behind his back.
He was shocked by his own behavior.
He forgot again about keeping a safe distance.
Perhaps he shouldn't have reached out to pull her. In her previous life, she had never accepted his extended hand with a kind voice, let alone expressed her gratitude to him sincerely.
However, in this life, he had unknowingly become accustomed to reaching out to her, even before his brain had time to think, his hands moved.
And she seemed very happy. After all, she did not reject him, but accepted his hand.
"You can refuse," Draco said softly.
"Refuse what?" Hermione's eyes flashed with confusion.
"I mean, the request I made to you, the one asking you to help me with." Draco said panickedly.
She seemed to accept both his hand and his request well.
This attitude was completely different from his previous life, and sometimes made him feel at a loss.
"Okay." Hermione glanced at him, feeling his words were a little unpredictable. "Do you really want me to agree?"
"Of course I hope you agree. But I have to remind you that you will be risking your life by doing this." Draco said hesitantly.
Secretly, he didn't want to involve her in all this. She should just stay in her safe zone happily and do whatever she wanted.
But he was in trouble.
This matter was so important that if it was accomplished, it might end all his worries, so he had to do it.
However, he had no one else to trust, and this required two people to do it together; either Potter, Longbottom, or Hermione. He had to choose one of these three people to ask for help.
In this situation, seeking help from Hermione Granger, who has an excellent talent for spells, seems to be his only option.
"Will you come with me?" Hermione looked at him brightly.
"Of course." Draco nodded.
"Then I agree." A hint of curiosity appeared on Hermione's face. "Tell me in detail, what exactly is it?"
"Remember the petrification spell I mentioned to you last time? You must master it as soon as possible." Draco said to her seriously, and as expected, saw her confused expression.