Chapter 115: Draco's Warm Heart
A few days later, Draco Malfoy finally understood what Sirius Black meant.
Dislike and resentment were pouring in on Harry from all sides—making him need the support of his friends more than ever.
"Don't hold it to your chest, Draco." That day, Pansy Parkinson held up an enormous badge and waved it in front of him. "It's a joint badge produced by Slytherin and Hufflepuff!"
Draco silently looked at the bright red letters on the badge: "Support Cedric Diggory - a true warrior of Hogwarts". When Pansy pressed it, it turned into a green light: "Potter stinks."
The badge flashed, as if from another world.
This strange yet familiar thing brought back so many memories of his past.
In his previous life, Draco had also been eager to put on the badge and ridiculed Harry. He had thought that this was a farce staged and directed by "Dumbledore's favorite" to attract attention, another unfair treatment that broke the rules without any punishment.
Being exempted from final exams, gaining everyone's attention, and competing on the same stage with a Quidditch idol like Krum... In the eyes of those naive, arrogant, and stupid little wizards, this matter has only a thousand advantages and no disadvantages.
At that time, he didn't understand what he would face or what it meant to be a champion of the Triwizard Tournament.
At that time, he still thought that the "true warriors of Hogwarts" would win glory, not death.
However, now - "I won't wear it, and I suggest you don't wear it either." Draco didn't reach out to take the badge in Pansy's hand, but flipped through the Daily Prophet in his hand, intending to continue reading.
The sisters behind Pansy all gasped in offense.
"Draco, what do you mean?" Pansy's face darkened, feeling humiliated that someone didn't buy her argument. "Are you going to support Potter, who used despicable tactics to bring shame to Hogwarts, instead of Diggory, who was selected through the Goblet of Fire through legitimate means?"
"Use your brain and don't just follow the crowd. Since they were all chosen by the Goblet of Fire, they are all champions of Hogwarts." Draco put down the newspaper in his hand and said calmly, "Isn't the competition from other schools fierce enough? Doesn't Hogwarts need infighting? Don't you think the other two schools will laugh at us?"
Pansy glared at him angrily and was speechless for a moment.
"They're already laughing at us! Krum hasn't even signed autographs for us lately! I bet it's all because of Potter!" A girl behind her—Daphne Greengrass—suddenly shrieked, causing Theodore Nott, who was buried in a Potions magazine, to glance up at her. "Potter's actions have brought shame upon Hogwarts. We must draw a clear line between ourselves and him! Otherwise, everyone will think that Hogwarts resorted to underhanded tactics to squeeze two people into the Triwizard Tournament—"
"Did I speak to you?" Draco said coldly, not even looking at her, and continued to talk to Pansy, "Harry Potter is participating in the Triwizard Tournament as the fourth champion. This is an established fact. If he loses or disgraces himself, people will not single him out for derogation; they will only say that the champion from Hogwarts - Harry Potter - lost or disgraced himself. Do you understand?"
"Why? Should we let this little rotten apple like him ruin our reputation? A scum from the Lions' Courtyard is implicated in the glory of our Snakes' Courtyard—" Pansy said angrily.
"Pansy Parkinson, don't forget one thing," he stared calmly at Pansy's suddenly stiff face and said word by word, "whether he was born in the Lion House or the Snake House, he will always be a part of Hogwarts - just like you will always be a part of Hogwarts - no matter the honor or disgrace, do you understand?"
Pansy moved her mouth but said nothing. She watched the boy stand up from the armchair by the fireplace, holding the rolled-up newspaper, and walk away indifferently in the cold atmosphere.
"I don't understand!" After the girls dispersed in disappointment, Pansy sat in front of Theodore angrily, "Aren't you going to take care of him, Draco's savior? He has been supporting Potter recently, which is not well received by the Slytherins. He seems to be able to listen to you, right?"
"Actually, he does have a point." Theodore put down the magazine in his hand, revealing a thoughtful face. "Pansy, first, you have to be accepted and recorded in the Hogwarts Admission Book. Then, you will be sorted into Slytherin by the Sorting Hat. After all, you have to be a student of Hogwarts before you can consider whether you are a Slytherin."
"Oh, so, you're on Draco's side, just like Blaise?" Pansy said frustratedly. "Am I the bad guy again?"
"You're not a bad person." Theodore smiled faintly. He suddenly asked her, "But you're always the first to jump out and be the bad guy, aren't you? Why is that? Why don't those who whisper in your ear to support your point of view be the first to jump out?"
Pansy looked at him in surprise—Theodore, this autistic boy, actually said so much to her today?
She was a little confused and lost, and left with a frown.
The badge was forgotten by her on the seat, flashing lonely.
However, although Draco could control his own behavior and some of his friends' behavior, he could not control everyone's behavior.
In recent days, students from the three colleges other than Lion College have shown more or less contempt and hostility towards Harry.
The students of Badger House collectively sneered at Harry who showed up out of nowhere because they wanted to support their own warrior Cedric; the students of Serpent House already had a natural hostility towards the students of Lion House, and this became even more intense; the students of Eagle House seemed to be staying out of it, but many of them also openly pinned the "Potter Stinker" badge.
Inside the Lions Court, things seemed peaceful and harmonious, but undercurrents were actually surging. Ron Weasley, Harry's best friend who should have supported him, had an inappropriate quarrel with him, leaving Harry in a miserable situation where he was attacked from all sides.
The only time the unfortunate warrior could smile was when the owl named Hedwig appeared at the Gryffindor table every few days, bringing Harry a greeting from Sirius Black—sometimes expensive broomstick care tools, sometimes a large basket of Honeydukes sweets.
Harry's attitude became noticeably more optimistic during the days he received his godfather's gifts. He tried not to care about the badges people wore in the corridors, but instead focused on letting Hermione teach him the theory of the "Eye-Sickness Charm" and the "Summoning Charm" in the library.
Draco had mixed feelings about this.
On the one hand, Harry diverted some of Hermione's energy, and she could no longer concentrate on her SPEW membership recruitment activities. According to Harry, this terrible organization has already annoyed the Gryffindors.
"I paid her two Sickles just to shut her up, but she only made more noise. Few people were willing to support her; they all thought it was a joke," Harry said to Draco as they walked to the Owlery. "Even Hagrid couldn't stand her anymore. One day they debated the issue of house-elves for over two hours and ended up parting on bad terms..."
"She's probably pissed," Draco said flatly.
"Very annoying," Harry shrugged.
On the other hand, Rita Skeeter, a woman who loves to stir up trouble, ingeniously turned the warriors' interview report into some kind of whimsical gossip because of Hermione's close relationship with Harry.
"Harry finally found his first love at Hogwarts. His close friend Colin Creevey said that Harry was inseparable from a girl named Hermione Granger. Miss Granger was stunningly beautiful and came from a Muggle family. Like Harry, she was also one of the top students in the school... We still don't know what this ambitious girl's feelings are towards Harry, whether they are sincere or just playing..."
Draco couldn't find words to describe how he felt when he saw this article. It wasn't the first time he'd read this kind of nonsense from Rita Skeeter—he'd seen it countless times in his previous life—but this time, the feeling he had was very strange.
In a sense, he knew that this was probably nonsense; but from another perspective, Hermione had always been close to Harry - both in the past life and in this life - Rita Skeeter's words could not be completely regarded as groundless.
"Did you say that?" The day Draco saw the newspaper, he couldn't help but stop Colin Creevey, the rumormonger, on the road, threw the newspaper in his face, and asked coldly.
"This is a misunderstanding!" The little Gryffindor boy glanced at the newspaper, looked at him in surprise, and said, "I have already explained it to Harry and Senior Granger -"
"Is it enough to just explain to the parties involved? It takes only one mouth to spread rumors, but it takes a lot of effort to refute them, do you understand?" Draco glanced at him sinisterly. "Can your ridiculous explanations match the influence of the Daily Prophet?"
The little boy stood there in a daze, his face pale and tears welling up in his eyes. He muttered, "I wasn't completely wrong. They often studied together in the library... I don't know why that female reporter misinterpreted it like that..."
"I don't care what you say, you'd better keep your mouth shut. Otherwise, I'm going to throw you into the Black Lake to feed the giant squid, or into the Forbidden Forest to feed the werewolves!" Draco was furious. After threatening the loud-mouthed little boy a few times, he snatched the newspaper from his hand and strode away.
He knew he was taking his anger out on others, but he just couldn't help it.
Walking angrily, Draco suddenly realized an indelible fact:
Hermione and Harry are both Gryffindors. They have spent more time together and may have more in common.
Hermione had always been happy to help Harry, just as Harry was willing to help Hermione.
In her previous life, in seventh grade, she even dropped out of school with him - for some unknown reasons - now thinking about it, it might have been to find and destroy the Horcruxes.
Those long-frozen memories gradually surged up, and bubbles of "mind" emerged in the lake of his heart.
Yes, Draco Malfoy cared, and cared more and more.
Harry must have liked Hermione.
After this thought came to Draco, the sight of the two people in the library studying spells together began to bother him.
He could no longer ignore the sight of them studying side by side.
He even had to put aside his routine homework instructions for Crabbe and Goyle, suddenly got in between the two of them, swaggered them apart, and asked meddlingly, "Let me help you, Harry. I'm very proficient in these two spells. You - what exactly don't you understand? Oh, the summoning spell is not working well? Are you not concentrating?"
"I'm trying to concentrate..." Harry huffed. "Somehow I keep having this really big fire dragon popping up in my head..."
"Oh, why don't you try it and start practicing with small objects first..." Draco drawled, "Rather than a thick dictionary, I recommend you try to summon a fly first..."
Hermione Granger felt that something was wrong with Draco again recently.
This lazy Slytherin, who doesn't care about anything, claims to be extremely selfish and always seeks benefits, often takes the initiative to tutor Harry in spells - in a strange and patient manner - and teaches Harry everything he knows.
He was enthusiastic about Harry—overenthusiastic, even—the kind of enthusiasm that was selfless and reckless.
In today's Hogwarts, it is not easy to help Harry despite everyone's disgust. Hermione knows this because she is experiencing and facing this kind of difficulty - if she is not careful, she may get into trouble and become the target of everyone's harshness.
She originally thought that Draco, a Slytherin who was used to judging the situation, would protect himself and at least stay away from this muddy water on the surface.
This fits his "selfish" personality, doesn't it?
However, he strangely appeared between her and Harry, tirelessly guiding the frantic Harry, and even found the time to say to her in a forced but enthusiastic tone, "Hermione, what are you staring at? Don't you still have to research the rights of house-elves? Go quickly, the house-elves are crying out for your rescue!"
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Hermione asked doubtfully. "My summoning spell is approved by Professor Flitwick! Don't you think I can't teach him?"
"Of course I'm not trying to kick you out. I fully appreciate your spellcasting abilities. Who could forget those wonderful scenes of blackboard erasers, wastebaskets, and maps of the Moon flying towards you?" Draco said lazily, feeling that he was probably crazy for giving her more unrealistic advice. "But honestly, I'm more than capable of tutoring Harry myself. You should relax a bit. Why don't you develop more SPEW members? Have you forgotten the bet we made? Why don't you look more broadly and try to develop students from other colleges instead of just limiting yourself to students from your own house?"
It was so weird. Hermione hugged her books and left the library, looking back every few steps.
"Why are you encouraging her ridiculous behavior?" Harry froze in his seat, tongue-tied, and asked Draco, "You're not even her member, and you're encouraging her?"
Draco ignored his question and asked pointedly, "Haven't you made peace with Ron yet?"
"No," Harry said briefly.
Draco rolled his eyes, "Where are the other students in your house?"
"They still think I voted for it myself, even though I've explained it to them countless times," Harry said with a straight face.
"I'm sorry about that." Draco sighed and hesitated, "Um - there's something I want to ask you."
"What?" Harry looked at the pile of books Hermione had left him, unsure which one to read first.
"What do you—think of Hermione?" Draco asked nervously.
"If she doesn't let me be SPEW's secretary—" said Harry vexedly.
"It has nothing to do with SPEW," Draco interrupted.
"Oh, she's too theoretical, always making me read those books, even though I think I should be doing more practical exercises now—" Harry said ruefully, flipping through one of the thick books Hermione had left him.
"Right," Draco said irritably. "I mean, do you like her?"
"What? What do you mean?" Harry stopped turning the pages of the book, and his green eyes behind his glasses seemed to flash.
"Quick question - do you like her?" Draco asked brusquely.
"Oh, you've read the newspaper, haven't you?" Harry suddenly became quiet and looked at him with a scrutinizing eye.
This look made Draco feel a little uncomfortable.
"That's right," he muttered.
"Draco, the question has never been whether I like her or not, but whether you like her or not." Harry asked in a firm tone: "Don't you think of her as a sister?"
The tone of voice irritated Draco.
"I didn't think she was..." He muttered, his voice trailing off.
"Draco, I'm not someone who can't tell my feelings apart," Harry said pointedly. "I'm pretty sure she's like a sister to me. It's not like someone once called her a 'sister' at all. There's no ambiguity in that. I think she feels the same way."
"Are you sure?" Draco felt his face getting a little hot. But he still raised his eyes and looked at the black-haired boy. "Just brotherly love?"
"Absolutely. Ever since I've known her, she's always been like a sister, encouraging me, caring for me, and supporting me." Harry's green eyes looked at him with extraordinary seriousness. "Hermione—she has always been generous in helping me, ignoring the rumors. These days, she has endured the slander of the Daily Prophet and the ridicule of my opponents because of me, but she has never left me. She has always been loyal to me, and I am very grateful to her. No one could do better than her."
"Right," Draco agreed.
"Listen, I—I don't want her to cry because of anyone anymore." Harry's expression suddenly became uneasy. "If you can't guarantee that she won't cry, don't provoke her. Draco, do you understand?"
"Oh—I see," Draco murmured, his expression growing serious.
He suddenly realized that the boy in front of him seemed to have seen through him. It seemed that overnight, Harry had experienced a terrifying growth. Perhaps not overnight, but in these four years, he had grown a lot.
Harry no longer seemed the same clueless boy Draco had first met in Diagon Alley. Nor was he the naive and ignorant boy Draco had once believed him to be. In some ways, Harry's vision was sharper.
"Good." Harry considered the seriousness of his words for a moment, and finally smiled for the first time that day. "I'm glad we made that clear."
"Me too," Draco smiled deeply, "I'm very happy."
Hermione Granger had no idea what profound conversation the two boys had behind her back.
She was walking into the Gryffindor common room full of confusion, intending to find her best friend Ginny Weasley and try to figure out the logic behind Draco's recent strange behavior, but unexpectedly, she ran into Ron head-on.
"Where's Harry?" he stopped her nervously and asked.
"Oh, Ron, are you finally going to make up?" Hermione said happily, feeling relieved.
"No, actually, I still need you to pass on the message for me," Ron said awkwardly.
"I'm not an owl!" said Hermione angrily.
"Please, this is just the first time, don't do it again." Ron said solemnly, "This is a matter of life and death!"
"Okay!" She huffed and took Ron back to the library, interrupting Draco and Harry's Summoning Charm lesson, and took the boys to the edge of the Black Lake.
"Say what you want to say!" she yelled at them. "I have so much to do!"
So, Draco Malfoy stood under the oak tree by the Black Lake, checking Crabbe and Goyle's newly completed Defense Against the Dark Arts homework, while watching from a distance as Hermione ran back and forth between two boys who were sulking at each other.
The girl was like a hardworking house-elf, delivering bits and pieces of information with a helpless look on her face.
Rather than news, it's more like boring bickering and gossip.
Hermione Granger's time and energy shouldn't be wasted on things like this. Draco rolled his eyes and whispered, "What a complete waste!"
Besides, if she ran back and forth a few more times, Draco could imagine what Rita Skeeter's front page would look like tomorrow - "The Gryffindor Top Student Who Two-tims Herself" - what a ridiculous plot.
"Expelliarmus!" Draco took out his wand.
Harry and Ron's wands were disarmed by him. They looked at Draco in surprise, not yet understanding what had happened. He waved his wand and conjured a rope, tying them back to back, whistling with satisfaction.
Harry and Ron glared at him.
"Let us go!" they shouted in unison.
"No! Unless you two reconcile and apologize to each other, you will be tied here until you die! Crabbe, Goyle, watch them until they sincerely reconcile with each other." Draco glanced at Harry and Ron - they were still struggling with unwillingness to accept it.
Crabbe and Goyle—satisfied with the chance to witness Harry and Ron's bound and awkward plight—gleefully complied with Draco's request, eager to enjoy the moment.
"Didn't we just have a nice chat?" Harry said in disbelief, "Draco, how could you turn your back on me?"
"Precisely because we had such a pleasant chat, I can understand that you two need a conversation to clear up any misunderstandings!" Draco said mercilessly, "Being cold to each other won't solve any problems, you two idiots!"
"How dare you call us idiots?" Ron said, his face flushed with anger.
"That's right!" said Harry, blushing.
"Well, you've come to a point of agreement," Draco gloated, handing their wands to Hermione. "You two in trouble—keep up the good work."
"Draco, do you think this is appropriate?" Hermione said at a loss, holding the two wands. "Isn't this too simple and crude?"
"I've seen you try to persuade them. Apparently, persuasion doesn't work, does it? You have to tie them together before they can talk properly," he drawled. "Sometimes, I think their friendship needs a little passion, a common enemy, for example."
"Does that enemy have to be you?" Hermione said in disagreement. "Are you sure they won't complain about you afterwards?"
"Oh, they'll have to wait until they make up before they can complain to me, a Slytherin villain. Honestly, I'm tired of their weird games of caring about each other," Draco said impatiently. "I think they have more important things to worry about. Besides, their behavior has seriously affected others."
"Who's been affected?" Hermione was still looking worriedly at Harry and Ron who were in a state of confusion behind them - this attitude made Draco feel uncomfortable.
"You." Draco pulled her into the castle without hesitation, not allowing her to look back. "We haven't finished our collaborative Arithmancy homework yet! And there's also the translation of ancient runes! And the antidote analysis paper for Potions! We should finish them today, right?"
"That's right," Hermione agreed, her mind still filled with confusion.
A few days ago, Draco had not taken Harry and Ron's awkwardness seriously. Asking him to try to persuade Harry was like asking him to die!
At this moment, he was unusually enthusiastic, even his attitude changed drastically, and he desperately wanted them to reconcile. Why? He led her all the way to the comfortable chair in the study corner, and she was as confused as a bug that had strayed into a flytrap, completely unaware of the end of the maze.
In any case, Draco's simple and crude method worked.
By dinner time, Harry and Ron were arm in arm again, and they went to Hermione to receive their wands in a timid manner.
That's more like it! Draco thought with satisfaction.
So he and Hermione could study peacefully in the study corner again, and no one could disturb them, not even Viktor Krum, who often appeared in the library.
However, there were often groups of girls hiding behind the bookshelves to spy on Krum, disrupting the quiet atmosphere of the library, which occasionally made Hermione as angry as Madam Pince.
"He's not good-looking at all!" Hermione slammed her quill down on a messy piece of parchment covered with densely packed Arithmetic Divination homework, and stared at his chiseled profile. "They only like him because he's famous! If he hadn't been doing that fake chicken-stealing thing—"
"Lonski feint." Draco tried hard to suppress his laughter and cast a silencing spell on their study corner.
Normally, he would never tolerate anyone using Quidditch jargon, but at that moment, all her ignorance and contempt seemed delightful. It would have been even better if she hadn't been staring at Krum.
"Have some hot tea and cool down," he said cheerfully, using a small silver spoon to shake more sugar into her cup. "The math problems really require concentration. Rest for a while, and then we'll start over again."
On the Saturday before the first Triwizard Tournament, the school allowed students in their third year and above to visit Hogsmeade Village.
Draco couldn't wait to go and see the new consultant of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. He was curious about who he was and who could attract the attention of the Weasley twins.
He had imagined some possibilities for this consultant—perhaps just a gifted senior student—but as he sat in the small drawing room on the second floor of the theater, he realized he had been completely wrong.
Across the table sat Remus Lupin.
He was still in tattered clothes and looked thinner than before, but his eyes were as gentle as ever. When he saw Draco's platinum-blond hair appear at the stairs, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
To be honest, Draco didn't expect to see him again for a long time. In his previous life, Lupin only appeared in the world he remembered for a short year, and the last impression he had of him was his werewolf identity. The next time he saw him was during the war, when he and his new wife were fighting against the Death Eaters.
Draco completely forgot one thing: werewolves also need to work hard to survive in this conservative wizarding society, they also need jobs and salaries.
"How about this?" George said excitedly, "Let's invite the former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor to be our advisor!"
"And he's the best professor ever!" Fred grinned. "Unlike the current Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who's crazy!"
After the initial shock, Draco quickly calmed down and said to Lupin calmly, "I bet there's as much madness in you as there is in others."
"I think you already know my madness very well." Lupin forced a smile, "but I didn't expect that you are so crazy too."
His eyes flickered between Draco and the Weasley twins, then glanced around the shop.
Malfoy invested in Weasley, and this business combination was enough to surprise everyone.
"Life needs a little joy. Happiness is worth investing in." Draco nodded calmly in the direction of the Weasley twins, his words hinting at something, "However, at this moment, what I care more about is whether they know about your madness and the small harm that may be caused by this madness."
"We know who he is. He told us all along. We think it's cool," Fred said nonchalantly.
"Honestly, we don't really care," George said with a smile. "There are measures that can be taken to prevent harm."
Of course, it made perfect sense – the Weasley twins had always been open-minded.
Since they are willing to cooperate with a Malfoy, why are they unwilling to accept a werewolf consultant? Draco rubbed his temples, feeling that he really shouldn't be too surprised by this.
"Oh, yes, if you mean the nearby Shrieking Shack, then perhaps," Draco drawled. "That's not a completely adequate solution."
"I see." Lupin's smile turned wry. He said gently, "I completely respect your perspective. I completely understand that—after a night like that—it's natural that you wouldn't want to see me around."
He stood up, ready to shake Draco's hand and say goodbye.
Draco looked at the pale, thin hand he extended coldly, but did not shake it.
He had wanted to refuse Lupin.
But suddenly, he remembered a freezing cold snowy day.
He remembered a girl who had stood in the snow, stubbornly refusing to move forward. Her eyes burned at him, unyielding, and she trembled in the cold air as she asked him, "Is it true that a person's talent, personality, and thoughts are unimportant? Is it true that a person's hard work, sweat, and knowledge are meaningless? Is it true that simply because they're a werewolf, they should be rejected and sentenced to social death?"
Hermione Granger, the girl who was always on his mind!
Draco sighed softly in resignation.
"Of course I will be deeply impressed by that night, which is why I said that I think these measures are incomplete." He sat up straight. "Please sit down first. I haven't finished what I said. You may not know that as early as last school year, I learned the complete method of brewing the improved version of wolfsbane potion from Professor Snape. In fact, I participated in the brewing of the potion you drank later."
Lupin's expression changed.
He had been trying to suppress his frustration and maintain a certain calmness, but now, this calmness was broken.
The boy in front of him said cautiously, "The prerequisite for agreeing to give you this job is that you must take wolfsbane potion regularly every month. What happened last time must not happen again. Absolutely not."
Lupin sat down again, trembling, with an expression of disbelief on his face.
He stammered, "Oh, so—"
"Your salary will be high, but you won't get much. I'll use most of your salary to buy ingredients for the wolfsbane potion. I'll brew it every month and have George or Fred deliver it to you. What do you think?" Draco studied his expression.
"Well, of course, I have no objection," said Lupin hastily.
He was stunned by this good thing - he had never expected that there would be a place other than Hogwarts where he could be offered a job with a salary of making wolfsbane potions.
"You need to live here and take care of the store. We can provide you with an employee dormitory. We still remember the last time Mundungus came to steal things nearby. We need to strengthen security measures. Do you have any objection?" Draco asked, rubbing his forehead, looking a little tired.
"No."
"The kitchen is in the basement, but no one wants to use it. So we provide a daily food allowance for employees. It's not much, but it's enough to keep them full. Is that okay with you?" Draco yawned.
"No."
"You must sign a powerful magical contract, prohibiting you from revealing my identity and the core technology of the store to anyone, including Sirius Black." Draco raised his eyelids and glanced at him. "Can you do this?"
"Okay," Lupin said softly.
"Then I have no objection to that," Draco said flatly.
"But are you sure? After what happened?" Lupin asked again worriedly, "I almost hurt you -"
"But you didn't. In fact, you saved our lives once before," Draco reminded him. "In the train compartment on the way to school—from the Dementors."
"Oh—" said Lupin, looking a little confused.
He had forgotten about it long ago; he hadn't expected Draco to remember it.
"Remus Lupin, I'm inviting you to work at the Variety Show. Don't make me say it again, and agree now before I regret it." Draco had a smile on his face.
He still hated werewolves, of course, but he was willing to give Lupin a chance.
This was just business, Draco had to remind himself, and had nothing to do with the morals, fairness, and justice that Hermione believed in.
Moisture welled up in Lupin's eyes.
He hadn't fully realized what was happening yet and could only nod mechanically.
"It's settled," Draco said slowly. "George, Fred, allow me to reintroduce to you Remus Lupin, the technical advisor to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and one of the creators of the Marauder's Map."
For the first time in their lives, genuine shock showed on the Weasley twins' usually cynical faces.