Hagrid's strange behavior wasn't difficult to understand. Or rather, once they saw the Headmaster of Beauxbatons appear, the question that had been troubling Hermione and the others was instantly cleared up. It was unbelievable and a bit unexpected, but it was obvious: Hagrid was in love...
"Hagrid… he wouldn't really do something like that, would he?" Hermione, ever quick, immediately made the connection.
"Not necessarily. Don't forget Hagrid is terrible at keeping secrets. Even if he said something, he might not even realize he let it slip."
"But Draco, if that's true—"
Pansy suddenly cut in, remembering something Hagrid had said before: "I mean, this matter is important, sure, but don't you think Potter showing up is just as noteworthy?"
"You're saying Potter might also know about the tournament?"
"Exactly. When it comes to who he's closest to, none of us here can compete with the savior."
Hermione started to argue but ended up saying nothing.
Hagrid might always seem carefree and big-hearted, but everyone had people they cared about more deeply. Hermione certainly wasn't confident she ranked above Harry Potter in Hagrid's heart. As for Draco and Pansy, that went without saying.
Pansy's suspicion made Draco and Hermione fall silent in thought. Because of Norberta, Draco and Hagrid weren't really enemies anymore, but calling them friends still felt like a stretch. And there was also everything involving Dumbledore and Harry Potter's parents.
So Pansy's point wasn't wrong at all...
...
Because of this discovery, Pansy and her friends began to focus their attention on Harry Potter, believing they could find a breakthrough in him. It must be said, they did indeed uncover something...
If the students were divided into two factions, then naturally the professors also had students they supported. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, as heads of their respective houses, naturally supported their own students—that went without saying. But the most noteworthy figure was the new professor, Alastor Moody.
This veteran Auror openly stood behind Harry Potter, declaring his support for the boy. On more than one occasion, he publicly questioned Draco's legitimacy as a Champion. In his view, Death Eaters were utterly unworthy of the honor bestowed upon Champions...
"He's gone to Moody again?"
"Yes. According to our intel, it seems he's undergoing some sort of special training."
"Special training? Do you know what it involves?"
"That's the strange part. These two are being utterly secretive about their whereabouts, as if afraid of revealing something. It's safe to say no other wizard knows anything beyond them."
"Correct. Our people tried infiltrating, but failed every time. Instead, they received a lesson and a warning from that old man."
At this point, Goyle clenched his fists in anger, for the man he spoke of was currently in the infirmary receiving treatment from Madam Pomfrey. Though not the same Imperius Curse once used on Draco, the advanced Transfiguration spell had still inflicted psychological damage.
No one, including Goyle, had anticipated that the old Auror would show no mercy whatsoever. They were also filled with awe and admiration that Draco could hold his own against such a wizard without being outmatched...
"Draco, you must win the championship! Let that one-eyed old man see that we Slytherins are not to be trifled with!"
"Why wait? Let's plan it out later tonight..."
Goyle's murmurs reached Draco's ears. It must be said, the benefits of his intensive hellish training were now becoming apparent. Beyond increased strength, more crucially, his followers were developing a shared sense of purpose.
United in triumph, united in defeat.
At this age, young wizards were most vulnerable to temptation yet also the most impassioned.
"Draco, aren't you going to stop them? What if..."
"Don't worry. Unless that person can defy Dumbledore, nothing Goyle and Crabbe do will cause problems."
"That's precisely why I'm telling you to stop them." Hearing the skepticism about Goyle's success, Pansy rolled her eyes in exasperation, silently mourning for the overconfident trio.
Just as Pansy's worries deepened, Snape—who rarely appeared in the common room unless absolutely necessary—swept toward Draco, his black robes billowing like bat wings.
"Draco, you'd better come with me. Now. Immediately."
Noticing Snape's slightly agitated expression, Draco silently set down his book. He was somewhat curious—what could his recently ill-tempered godfather possibly want to discuss...
...
It had been quite some time since his last visit to Snape's office. After all, Draco had been focusing entirely on improving his skills and training Goyle and Crabbe. His knowledge of potions had stagnated considerably.
This thought made Draco wonder if his godfather was displeased about this, which might explain why he'd summoned him. But what happened next dispelled that suspicion entirely...
"What is this book?"
"If you're too arrogant to even read the words, I wouldn't mind disqualifying you from being a Champion. I think I could give it a try."
Well, it seemed Snape was deeply displeased that Harry Potter had become a Champion. This had led him to unleash his venom on anyone he encountered lately, and even Draco had been caught in the crossfire.
Draco, who vaguely understood why Snape acted this way, had long since grown immune to it. Whenever anything involving Harry Potter came up, his godfather behaved strangely. This time, however, he seemed particularly volatile.
It was as if something was about to go wrong during the tournament...
'Sure enough, Potter becoming a Champion wasn't a coincidence, was it?'
"What are you thinking? Grab this book and get out of here!"
Snape's words snapped Draco out of his thoughts. Only then did he glance at the book Snape had tossed onto the desk.
But this wasn't the potions textbook he'd expected, nor was it any rare magical tome from the Restricted Section.
Instead...
How to Effectively Weather a Storm, Taught by Lockhart. What kind of muggle-sounding book was this?
And what was Snape's intention in giving it to him?
More importantly.
The author of this book was actually that Lockhart...
...
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