Chapter 54: Dragon Egg! My Turn, Draw!
In the most remote corner of the Library, towering bookshelves cast long shadows.
The air was filled with the dry scent of old parchment mixed with dust.
Hermione Granger sat in the shadows like an alert cat.
Only when Draco Malfoy appeared did her tense shoulders relax.
Draco didn't look at her, pulling a thick copy of A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration straight from a shelf and flipping through it casually.
"Speak."
He didn't even look up, his voice kept extremely low.
"They've been looking into A Guide to Dragon-Keeping in Great Britain lately."
Hermione reported quickly, her voice like a mosquito's hum.
"Harry and Ron have spent almost all their spare time here, trying to find a way to get rid of that thing."
"That thing?"
Draco turned a page, his fingertips brushing across the rough paper.
"Hagrid's dragon egg."
Hermione's breathing was a bit hurried, as if saying the word carried a certain forbidden weight.
"They want to help Hagrid."
"Help?"
The corner of Draco's mouth curled into an imperceptible arc.
"Truly self-sacrificing Gryffindors."
He closed the book with a soft "snap."
Hermione flinched at the sound.
"Draco, I... should I stop them?"
She asked uneasily, her amber eyes full of dependence.
"Stop? Why stop them?"
Draco finally turned his head, his platinum eyes appearing exceptionally bright in the dim light.
"Hermione, you must remember that sometimes the best way to help a friend is to let them commit their mistake to the very end."
His voice carried a bewitching magic.
"Only by letting him light the fire himself will he be burned the most painfully and remember it the most clearly."
Hermione froze, trying to digest these words.
Draco's finger tapped lightly on the table with a rhythmic "thump, thump," as if beating time for his theory.
"Not only should you not stop them, you should 'help' them."
"Help?"
Hermione was even more confused.
"Yes."
Draco's gaze fell on her, carrying a sense of scrutiny and command.
"Use your identity as 'miss know-it-all' to help them look up information, give them ideas, and encourage their foolish plan."
"Make them believe they are doing something great and right, saving their friend Hagrid and an innocent little life."
Draco's voice was soft, yet every word was clear.
"Make them feel like heroes who have deceived all the Professors."
Hermione's heart beat very fast.
She understood.
What Draco wanted wasn't to stop them, but to praise them to their doom.
He wanted Harry Potter to fall and shatter at the peak of his self-righteousness.
"I understand."
Hermione nodded vigorously, the confusion in her eyes replaced by fanatical adoration.
"For... for the greater board," she whispered, as if convincing herself.
"Very good."
Draco was satisfied with her comprehension.
He stood up and shoved the thick book back into its place.
"Go on, return to your 'friends' and play your role well."
He didn't look at her again, turning and leaving the corner.
Hermione watched his receding back until that flash of platinum hair disappeared at the end of the shelves, then she slowly let out a breath.
She felt like a scalpel in Draco's hand—cold, sharp, and precisely dissecting the sacrifice named "Harry Potter."
This feeling made her both terrified and excited... Late one night a few days later.
Draco was in front of the fireplace in the Slytherin Common Room, leafing through an ancient Alchemymanuscript.
The two-way mirror suddenly vibrated slightly.
He picked up the mirror, and Hermione's face, filled with anxiety and excitement, appeared.
"Draco!"
Her voice was very low, with the red curtains of the Gryffindor dormitory in the background.
"The dragon egg has movement! It's glowing and shaking!"
"Hagrid says it might hatch tonight!"
Draco's eyes lit up.
It was time.
"What about Harry and Ron?" he asked calmly.
"They've already put on the invisibility cloak and are preparing to sneak out!" Hermione replied quickly. "I'm going with them too!"
"Good, proceed as planned."
Draco cut the connection after speaking.
He stood up and walked toward his bedroom.
Crabbe and Goyle were already sleeping like two dead pigs.
Draco didn't disturb them, dragging a trunk from under his bed and taking out the silver-grey invisibility cloakthat belonged to the Potter family.
This trophy was much more convenient to use than the Disillusionment Charm.
He draped the invisibility cloak over himself, his figure instantly vanishing into thin air.
The Castle corridors were silent in the dead of night, except for the occasional friction of distant armor.
Draco didn't take the usual path.
Relying on his Child of Wind talent, he could clearly perceive a turbulent current of air moving not far ahead.
That was the air disturbance caused by three people squeezed under one invisibility cloak.
Truly ridiculously clumsy.
Draco trailed them unhurriedly, like a patient hunter following his soon-to-be-trapped prey.
He could even hear their suppressed, excited breathing and the curse Ron let out when he stepped on his own robes.
Fools, thinking they were ghosts in the night.
They didn't know that the real ghost was right behind them.
Soon, they reached Hagrid's hut.
Harry lifted the invisibility cloak and knocked on the door.
The door opened immediately, and a wave of heat rushed out.
Inside, the fireplace fire was burning intensely, making the entire wooden hut feel like a giant oven.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione slipped inside, and the door was quickly shut.
Draco silently moved to the window of the hut.
The window's wooden planks were slightly warped, leaving a small gap just big enough to see the scene inside.
Hagrid was keeping watch by the table, covered in sweat.
In the center of the table sat a huge, black egg.
The shell was covered in cracks, with an orange-red light shining from within, and it was shaking rhythmically.
"Almost, almost!"
Hagrid's voice trembled with excitement.
Harry and Ron also leaned in nervously, their eyes fixed on it without blinking.
Hermione stood a bit further away, but her eyes instinctively glanced toward the window, her face carrying a trace of imperceptible anticipation.
Crack—
A crisp sound of shattering rang out.
A hole cracked at the top of the eggshell.
Then, the crack expanded rapidly.
Crash!
An ugly, blackish little thing crawled out of the shell.
It looked like a crumpled black umbrella, with spikes on its wings, a skeletal body, and smoke rising from its nostrils.
This was the Norwegian Ridgeback?
Truly... uniquely ugly.
Harry and Ron let out exclamations of wonder.
Hagrid was even more moved to tears, reaching out a thick finger to carefully stroke the little dragon's head.
"Oh, little fellow, look at you..."
The little dragon didn't seem quite adjusted to this world, stumbling a few steps on the table.
Then, it suddenly sneezed.
"Achoo!"
A small cluster of sparks puffed from its nostrils, igniting Hagrid's large beard.
"Oh! Oh!"
Hagrid frantically batted at the flames in his beard.
The room was in chaos.
However, outside the window, Draco felt the system within him vibrate violently the moment the little dragon sneezed.
[Ding!]
[High-purity sub-dragon life essence detected!]
[Target: Newborn Norwegian Ridgeback.]
[Analyzing... Life essence purity 92.7%, containing primordial dragon bloodline factors, possesses extremely high Alchemy and Potion value.]
[Can be used for host body strengthening, magic smelting, advanced potion base...]
A series of system notifications flashed before Draco's eyes.
That was a bottle of top-tier Potion on legs, a strengthening material that could make his strength leap forward.
Harry Potter and the others only thought about how to get rid of this "trouble."
What a waste of God's gifts.
The corner of Draco's lips curled into a greedy and cold arc.
This little dragon—he wanted it.
Chapter 55: A Bloody Case Caused by a Dead Branch; A Bird Startled by the Mere Twang of a Bow
Hagrid finally extinguished the flames on his beard, yet not a trace of annoyance could be seen on his face.
He looked at the little thing that had almost set him on fire, his eyes filled with affection, as if he were looking at his own biological son.
"Oh, Norbert, you're so lively."
He gave the dragonet a name, his voice brimming with pride.
Harry and Ron leaned in closer as well, curiously sizing up this legendary creature.
"Its teeth are already coming in!"
Ron pointed at the dragonet's open mouth, where several fangs as sharp as needles were already visible.
Norbert didn't seem to like being watched, irritably flicking its tail. The spikes at the end of the tail scraped across the tabletop, leaving a deep scratch.
The four people inside the house were completely immersed in the unique atmosphere of a new life's arrival, not noticing the cold pair of eyes outside the window at all.
Draco watched them as if he were watching a foolish family comedy.
The timing was about right.
He lifted his foot and stepped lightly onto a dry tree branch by his feet.
"Snap."
The faint but clear sound of snapping was exceptionally jarring in the silent night.
The laughter and chatter inside the small hut stopped abruptly.
The four people were like they had been hit with Petrificus Totalus, instantly freezing in place.
Hagrid's massive frame solidified, his hand that was stroking Norbert stopping mid-air.
Ron's mouth remained open, the curiosity on his face turning into terror.
Hermione quickly covered her mouth, her eyes perfectly displaying a look of panic.
As for Harry, his reaction was the fastest.
Like a startled rabbit, he whipped his head around, staring intently toward the window where the sound had come from!
Draco had calculated the timing perfectly.
Right as Harry turned his head, he controlled a corner of the invisibility cloak, intentionally letting it flutter past the gap in the window.
It was a corner of a Slytherin robe embroidered with a silver snake pattern.
Harry's pupils instantly constricted to the size of pinheads.
That familiar emblem, that shade of dark green belonging to Slytherin, was like a poisonous thorn stabbing deep into his eyes.
"Malfoy!"
Harry let out a suppressed, terror-filled low growl.
Reflected in the firelight, his face instantly turned deathly pale, devoid of any color.
"Clatter!"
The teacup in Hagrid's hand fell onto the wooden floor, shattering into pieces.
Tea mixed with shards splashed everywhere.
"Who? Where's Malfoy?"
Hagrid's massive body turned frantically, like a trapped bear.
"Outside the window! I saw him! It was his robe!"
Harry's voice was shaking.
Discovered!
Their greatest secret had been discovered by their greatest enemy, Draco Malfoy!
Draco didn't linger outside the window.
What he wanted was this momentary glimpse, this perfectly timed exposure.
He turned around, intentionally making his footsteps heavier.
"Rustle... rustle..."
The sound of feet stepping on fallen leaves was infinitely amplified in the silent night.
The sound was unhurried, step by step, clearly reaching the ears of everyone in the small hut.
It didn't approach, nor did it immediately recede; it was like a ghost pacing around the hut, scrutinizing everything inside.
Only then did the footsteps gradually and leisurely recede, finally vanishing into the darkness of the forest.
This was a hundred times more terrifying than rushing in for a direct confrontation.
The unknown is what tortures people the most.
The footsteps disappeared, but fear fermented wildly in the hut like an invisible toxic gas.
"It's over..."
Ron was the first to break down; he clutched his head and slumped onto the floor.
"We're all finished! He'll definitely go and report us! We'll all be expelled!"
There was a sob in his voice.
"Shut up, Ron!"
Harry snapped, but his own legs were also feeling weak.
Expelled... this thought was like a cold iron pincer, tightly gripping his heart.
He would be sent back to the Dursleys, back to that cupboard under the stairs, saying goodbye to the wizarding world forever.
No, he couldn't accept that!
"What do we do? What do we do now?"
Hagrid had also lost his composure. This big man who could normally handle Giants was now sweating profusely from anxiety, pacing around the room.
"It's all my fault! All my fault! I shouldn't have raised Norbert!"
He looked at the bewildered little dragon on the table, his face full of regret and despair.
"Now is not the time for this!"
Hermione's voice rang out, carrying a hint of a tremble, yet she was the calmest of the three.
She began her performance, following Draco's pre-set script perfectly.
She walked up to Harry and looked at him with a gaze mixed with anxiety and reproach.
"Harry! I told you this was a bad idea! Why wouldn't you listen!"
"Look at this now! Malfoy knows! He'll tell everyone first thing tomorrow morning! He'll tell Dumbledore!"
"I... I..."
Harry was left speechless by her questioning.
Guilt overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.
Yes, it was his idea, he was the one who insisted on coming, he was the one who dragged everyone into this.
Hermione's reproach was like salt being rubbed into his already bleeding wounds.
This made him feel even more guilty, and it made him hate that phantom outside the window—Draco Malfoy—to the extreme.
The atmosphere inside the small hut was suppressed to the freezing point.
No one had the heart to look at the little dragon anymore.
The new life that had once brought surprise and joy had now become a bomb that could explode at any moment.
They didn't know that the instigator was currently walking leisurely back to the Castle in a pleasant mood.
Fear is the best catalyst.
Draco knew that starting tonight, the nerves of Harry Potter's trio would be stretched to the limit.
They would be like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow; the slightest rustle in the wind would be enough to make them break down.
And he only needed to wait patiently.
Wait for this group of poor prey to stick their own necks into the next noose he had prepared... By the time Harryand Ron returned to Gryffindor Tower, it was almost dawn.
The two of them lay in their respective beds, eyes wide open, staring intently at the velvet bed hangings.
Neither could sleep.
Malfoy's figure, that corner of the Slytherin robe, flashed repeatedly in their minds.
They were waiting.
Waiting for Filch to kick open the dormitory door, or for Professor McGonagall's stern face to appear at the entrance.
Every gust of wind, every creak of the stairs, made their hearts leap in fear.
However, nothing happened.
The night was unusually peaceful.
But this peace was even more suffocating than the calm before a storm.
The next morning, in the Hogwarts Great Hall.
Harry and Ron, with heavy dark circles under their eyes, sat down at the Gryffindor table like two wandering spirits.
They had barely slept all night, and their mental state was on the verge of collapse.
They didn't dare look up, feeling as if everyone's gaze was focused on them.
Just then, a burst of relaxed conversation and laughter came from the Slytherin table.
Harry couldn't help but look up and over.
Draco Malfoy was sitting on his exclusive 'throne'.
He wore a well-tailored robe, and his platinum-blond hair was perfectly groomed.
A sumptuous breakfast was set before him, and Pansy Parkinson was attentively pouring Pumpkin Juice for him.
Draco seemed to sense Harry's gaze; he looked up, his vision crossing over hundreds of students to land precisely on Harry's face.
There was no mockery or triumph on his face, only an elegant and detached calm.
He unhurriedly picked up his silver cutlery and sliced a sausage on his plate, his movements pleasing to the eye.
Then, facing Harry, he raised the fork in his hand in a gesture of a distant salute.
In those platinum-colored eyes, there was a hint of cat-and-mouse playfulness.
Harry's fist clenched tightly under the table.
After Draco finished his sausage, he wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin and stood up.
Everyone thought he would head toward the classroom as usual.
But he didn't.
He walked straight across the Great Hall, ignoring anyone's greetings, and headed with clear purpose toward the Castle gates.
That direction led to the Gamekeeper's hut.
Harry's heart sank abruptly.
Chapter 56: Blackmailing Hagrid, My Hush Money is a Bit Expensive
Inside Hagrid's hut, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt like it could drip water.
Norbert, that tiny Norwegian Ridgeback, was being hidden by him in a massive wooden crate.
The little dragon seemed to sense its owner's anxiety, scratching restlessly inside the crate with a'scritch-scratch' sound.
Hagrid's heart tightened with every sound.
From time to time, he glanced out the window, terrified of seeing Professor McGonagall or Dumbledore's figure.
The face of that Slytherin boy from last night haunted him like a nightmare.
He knew that none of the children from the House of Malfoy were easy to deal with.
Just then, a 'thump, thump, thump' of knocking sounded at the door.
It wasn't heavy, but it was very rhythmic.
Hagrid's massive frame shuddered violently, and the keg in his hand nearly flew out of his grip.
He was scared out of his wits.
It was here! The judgment had finally come!
He stood frozen in place, not daring to open the door or make a sound.
The knocking stopped.
The person outside seemed very patient, not pressing impatiently.
A few seconds later, a calm and clear voice penetrated the thick wooden door.
"Hagrid, I know you're in there."
It was Draco Malfoy's voice!
Cold sweat instantly poured down Hagrid's face.
"I also know it's in there."
The voice continued, its tone flat yet carrying a pressure that suggested he knew everything.
Hagrid's mental defenses completely collapsed.
He knew there was no hiding from this.
With trembling hands, he walked over and unlatched the door.
Standing at the doorway was Draco Malfoy.
The early morning sun cast a golden rim around his platinum-blond hair, making him look like an elegant yet merciless angel.
He didn't start shouting as Hagrid had imagined, nor did he have a face full of schadenfreude.
His expression was very calm.
He stepped into the house, his gaze scanning the room before finally landing on the wooden crate that was constantly making scratching noises.
He didn't speak, merely extending a finger to calmly point at the crate.
This simple gesture was more powerful than any threatening words.
Hagrid's knees buckled; his massive frame seemed to have its bones removed as he suddenly slumped into a heap.
"Mr. Malfoy..."
He was incoherent, his voice carrying a sob.
"Please, please don't report it... Norbert is just a baby, he doesn't know anything..."
"And Harry... Harry and the others were just trying to help me... please let them go..."
This Giant, who could drive away a Troll, was now like a child who had made a mistake, pleading submissively.
Draco looked at his pitiful state without the slightest ripple in his heart.
He pulled over a chair and sat down elegantly, crossing his legs.
"Report you?"
He gave a soft chuckle.
"Hagrid, what kind of person do you take me for? Do I look like the type of person like Filch who enjoys tattle-telling?"
Hagrid froze, lifting his tear-stained face to look at Dracoin confusion.
"I have zero interest in whether Gryffindor loses points or if Potter gets expelled."
Draco spoke in a slow, deliberate manner.
"That's your own business."
A flicker of hope ignited in Hagrid's eyes.
"Then... then you mean..."
"I mean, I can pretend I didn't see anything."
Draco looked at him, a kind smile on his face.
"Last night I was just out for a walk and accidentally got lost; I know nothing of any dragons or any Potters."
Hagrid could hardly believe his ears.
"Really? You're really willing to..."
"Of course."
Draco nodded, then his tone shifted.
"However, there's no such thing as a free lunch, right, Hagrid?"
The smile on his face remained unchanged, but his platinum-colored eyes glinted with the shrewd light of a merchant.
"I'm helping you keep such a massive secret, saving you, your 'little pet', and Gryffindor's 'savior' from disaster."
"You also have to pay a small price."
"Hush money, do you understand?"
Hagrid's heart sank; he knew things wouldn't be that simple.
"You... what do you want? Galleons? I... I don't have much money..."
"Money?"
Draco acted as if he'd heard a joke.
"Hagrid, do you think the House of Malfoy would be lacking those few Galleons of yours?"
He stood up, walked to the wooden crate, and tapped it lightly with his fingertip.
"What I want is this."
Hagrid's face turned deathly pale.
"No! You can't take Norbert away!" he shouted excitedly.
"Don't misunderstand."
Draco turned back to look at him again.
"I have no interest in raising a fire-breathing lizard. What I want isn't its life."
He paused, saying each word clearly:
"I want its blood, its saliva, and the scales it sheds every day."
"What?"
Hagrid was completely bewildered.
"It's very simple."
Draco's tone brooked no argument.
"From today on, you must provide me with a small vial of fresh dragon blood, a vial of dragon saliva, and all the scales it sheds every day."
"This is my 'hush money'."
"This... this will hurt Norbert!" Hagrid said in pain.
"Whether it hurts him depends on your technique."
Draco's gaze turned cold.
"Or, you could choose to refuse."
"I'll go to Professor McGonagall's office right now; I think she'd be very'surprised' by the news of a Norwegian Ridgeback appearing in Hogwarts."
The threat was lethal.
Hagrid's massive frame was trembling.
On one side was his beloved Norbert and his friend Harry, and on the other was this devilish demand.
He had no choice.
After a long time, as if all his strength had been drained, he nodded dejectedly.
"...I promise you."
These three words were incredibly difficult for him to say.
"A wise choice."
Draco smiled with satisfaction.
He walked up to Hagrid and, like a magic trick, pulled an exquisite silver blood-sampling needle and several small crystal vials from his pocket.
"Since this is our first transaction, let's start now."
He shoved the tools into Hagrid's hands.
"Don't tell me you don't know how. I've heard that in the Forbidden Forest, you have quite a way with those 'big guys'."
Hagrid looked at the tools in his hand, then at Norbert in the crate, his eyes filled with pain and struggle.
Draco didn't rush him, just stood aside, watching patiently.
He even 'kindly' began to offer guidance:
"Start from the soft flesh under the base of its wing; the blood vessels are plentiful there, and it heals quickly."
"Remember, just a little bit is enough. I need it 'fresh', not for it to lose too much blood."
"As for the saliva, just lure it with food it likes, it's very simple."
His technique was so professional that it made Hagridfeel a chill.
What was the background of this young master of the Malfoy Family? His understanding of magical creatures was simply not like that of a first-year student.
In the end, Hagrid compromised.
He opened the crate, coaxed the restless Norbert, and with trembling hands, pierced the little dragon's tender skin at the spot Draco had designated.
A drop of crimson blood, carrying a scorching aura, flowed out.
Hagrid caught it with a small vial, then with tears in his eyes, handed the vial of dragon blood—which still seemed to hold heat—to Draco.
Draco took it and shook it slightly under the sunlight.
The liquid in the vial was like a molten ruby, radiating powerful magical fluctuations.
[Ding!]
[High-level body-tempering material 'Newborn Dragon Blood' successfully obtained!]
[Quality: Perfect.]
The system notification sounded.
Draco put away the vial, a satisfied look appearing on his face.
"Very good, Hagrid. Remember our agreement."
He patted Hagrid's shoulder; the force wasn't great, yet it made the Giant feel a humiliating chill.
"From today on, you are my exclusive supplier."
With that, he turned and left the hut, leaving behind that massive, weeping silhouette.
Over the next few days, Draco visited Hagrid's hut at a set time every day.
He was like a rent-collecting landlord, taking the agreed-upon materials every time.
Hagrid watched as Norbert grew thinner and more lethargic day by day, his heart aching, yet he dared not speak out.
And on the side of the Gryffindor trio, Hermione perfectly played her role.
She constantly conveyed to Harry and Ron the illusion that 'Malfoy doesn't seem to have reported us yet, we still have a chance'.
This kept their hopes up, thereby stabilizing the situation and ensuring Hagrid could continue 'producing' for Draco.
A perfect closed loop of interests had been formed.
Draco looked at the rows of crystal vials filled with dragon blood, dragon saliva, and dragon scales in his storage box and decided to start the next step of his plan.
It was time to let this body taste the power of a dragon as well.
Chapter 57: dragons blood Medicinal Bath, Pansy, Use a Bit More Strength
Hogwarts, eighth floor.
The door to the Room of Requirement slowly emerged before Draco.
He pushed the door open and entered; the stone wall behind him immediately closed, sealing away all secrets.
The interior of the room, according to his will, had transformed into a luxurious bathroom with an ancient Roman style.
Moist mist and a faint scent of sandalwood filled the air.
In the center of the room was a massive circular bath carved from a single piece of obsidian.
The pool was not filled with clear water, but with a boiling medicinal liquid that was "glug-glugging" and bubbling.
The liquid was an eerie deep green, emitting a thick herbal aroma.
This was the Body-Tempering Base Liquid he had concocted using a recipe from the Secret Records of Ancient Alchemy, at the cost of many precious materials.
Now, only the final and most crucial main ingredient was missing.
From his storage space, Draco took out all the dragons blood he had extorted from Hagrid over those few days.
Over a dozen crystal bottles were lined up neatly by the edge of the pool; the crimson liquid inside shimmered with an eerie luster under the light of the magic lamps.
He pulled the stopper from one of the bottles.
A violent, scorching aura rushed toward him.
Draco did not hesitate and tilted the bottle.
"Sizzle—"
The crimson dragons blood, like a line of fire, slowly poured into the deep green medicinal liquid.
The moment the two came into contact, the entire bath boiled!
The deep green liquid, like a pan of oil set ablaze, churned violently; its color quickly turned red, eventually becoming a lava-like crimson.
Terrifying heat radiated outward, raising the temperature of the entire Chamber of Secrets by several degrees.
Draco poured all of the dragons blood inside.
The pool water completely transformed into scalding lava, emitting a wild scent of sulfur mixed with blood.
Just then, another small door to the Chamber of Secretswas pushed open gently.
Pansy Parkinson walked in.
She wore only a thin, nearly transparent black silk bathrobe that barely covered her vital parts.
Her wet, short black hair clung to her cheeks; her face, which usually bore a mean expression, was now filled with daze and fanaticism.
She walked to the edge of the bath, said nothing, and knelt down directly, looking at Draco with a gaze as if looking up at a god.
Draco took off his robe, revealing his body which, though still lean, already had very smooth lines.
Naked, he stepped into the churning, lava-like bath one step at a time.
"Hiss..."
The moment his soles touched the medicinal liquid, an unimaginable burning pain shot from his feet straight to the top of his head.
It didn't feel like being scalded by hot water, but like a red-hot branding iron being pressed firmly against his skin.
Draco gritted his teeth and submerged his entire body into the bath.
"Ah—"
He finally couldn't help but let out a suppressed, beast-like low growl.
Intense pain radiated from every inch of his skin and every pore.
The violent dragons blood energy, like billions of red-hot steel needles, frantically bored into his flesh, tearing at his muscles and burning his bones.
Veins bulged on his forehead, and the muscles throughout his body spasmed from the intense pain.
This was a reconstruction.
Using the power of dragons to forge a mortal body into a war machine comparable to a dragon.
Just as Draco was about to be swallowed by this pain, a soft and cool body gently pressed against his back.
It was Pansy.
She also climbed into the bath.
The scalding medicinal liquid instantly turned her fair skin red, yet she seemed not to feel the pain, only staring obsessively at Draco's face, which was distorted by agony.
In her hand was a bottle of specially made cold oil that emitted a chilly air.
She poured the cold oil into her palm and then, with her soft hands, gently and tenderly stroked Draco's burning back, relieving that terrifying burning sensation.
The intertwining of ice and fire gave Draco's tense body a moment of respite.
But the violent energy of the dragons blood was also battering his sanity.
The intertwining of pain and the pleasure of growing power drove him to the edge of madness.
He suddenly turned around and grabbed Pansy's shoulders.
His platinum eyes had turned completely crimson, filled with predatory desire and wild madness.
He said nothing, only lowered his head and roughly snatched her breath away.
The kiss was full of possession, plunder, and the venting of power.
Pansy's body trembled.
Partly from pain, and partly from the sense of submission from being completely dominated.
She did not resist; instead, she hugged Draco even tighter, letting him pour that violent power onto her.
[Ding!]
[Deep interaction with Bond Character 'Pansy Parkinson'.]
['Master-Servant Bond' has been strengthened.]
[Reward for Host: Constitution Trait 'Endurance Enhancement (Junior)'.]
The system's notification sound, like a dose of cooling potion, was injected into Draco's chaotic consciousness.
He He suddenly let go. Pansy.
The color of the medicinal liquid in the bath had gradually faded, turning from a viscous crimson to a pale pink.
The violent energy had been completely absorbed by his body.
Draco stood up and stepped out of the bath.
His body had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.
The originally smooth muscle lines had become tighter, filled with an explosive sense of power.
Under his skin, a faint red light could even be seen flowing, as if lava were racing through his veins.
He felt that he could now punch through the Castle walls with a single blow.
This was the power of the Dragon Blood War Body!
Pansy also climbed out of the bath and knelt at his feet, picking up a soft towel to wipe the water droplets from his body, the fanaticism in her eyes even stronger than before.
Draco didn't look at her.
He casually picked up a pure silver goblet from the table by the pool.
Then, he applied force with his five fingers.
"Creeeak—"
The solid silver goblet, in his hand, was like a fragile biscuit, easily crushed into a ball of scrap metal.
The power of a Troll and the violence of dragons bloodmerged perfectly within him.
Draco looked at his unharmed palm and felt the surging power within him that was almost overflowing, showing a satisfied smile.
Potter, you're still worrying about how to send away a little lizard.
While I have already made the power of the dragon my own.
The gap between us is no longer something you can imagine.
Chapter 58: Harry: Why Is He So Skilled!
The Potion Class classroom in the Slytherin Dungeonwas always so cold and dim.
Glass jars containing specimens of various disgusting creatures soaked in the walls cast twisted shadows under the flickering candlelight.
Professor Snape glided silently to the front of the classroom like a giant bat.
"Today,"
he began in his characteristic tone that could freeze the air.
"we will learn a very delicate skill—handling the blood and internal organs of different magical creatures."
His greasy black hair hung by the sides of his face, obscuring his obsidian-like eyes.
But everyone could feel the undisguised malice in his gaze as it swept over the Gryffindor table.
Especially toward Harry Potter.
"Materials will be distributed to your desks."
With a wave of his wand, Snape caused the storage cabinet doors to open automatically, and buckets of materials flew to each student's front.
Most students received materials that were not too difficult to handle, such as Goblin Spleens or the Mucus of a Rolling Bandit.
However, what flew to Harry's front was a wooden bucket emitting a strong, foul stench.
The bucket was filled with a turbid, dark green liquid, with some nauseating chunks floating on the surface.
"Potter," Snape's voice carried a hint of cruel pleasure.
"This is the blood of a Horned Toad. Given your 'talent,' I imagine this will be quite a challenge for you."
Ron made a gagging sound beside him.
Harry flushed with anger, glaring at Snape but not daring to speak.
In stark contrast to him was Draco.
What flew to Draco's front was an exquisite crystal container holding an orange-red liquid that flowed like flames.
"Malfoy," Snape's tone softened considerably.
"This is the blood of a high-level Salamander. I believe with your ability, you can handle it perfectly."
The entire class could see this blatant favoritism, but no one dared to say anything.
The class began.
The classroom was immediately filled with the sounds of boiling cauldrons and chopping.
Harry's side was already in chaos.
He fumbled as he tried to pour the foul-smelling Horned Toad Blood into his cauldron, spilling it everywhere.
Green smoke billowed from his cauldron, emitting a burnt-egg stench.
Ron recoiled from the fumes.
On the other side, Draco's movements were like an elegant artistic performance.
He did not rush to start.
First, he gently tapped his wand, and a light breeze dispersed the scorching aura emanating from the Salamander blood.
Then, he picked up a silver knife and a dropper.
His hands were as steady as a rock.
Every action was as precise as a textbook.
Separation, filtration, purification... For days, he had been doing the same thing with even higher-level dragons blood.
Handling this mere Salamander blood was like a university Professor solving elementary school arithmetic.
The flowing, flame-like blood seemed to come alive in his hands.
Finally, he used the dropper to inject the purified blood drop by drop into a test tube.
The liquid in the test tube displayed a perfect, flawless ruby color, shimmering under the candlelight.
Snape had, at some point, stopped at Draco's desk.
Looking at the perfect potion, his perpetually icy face revealed an almost intoxicated expression.
"Oh... perfect..."
He praised in a tone like a recitative.
"Unparalleled precision, master-level operation! This is simply a work of art!"
He looked up at Draco, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration and pride.
"Ten points to Slytherin!"
A suppressed cheer came from the Slytherin table.
Snape nodded with satisfaction, then turned and glided toward the Gryffindor side, his expression instantly reverting to its usual sarcastic look.
"Potter! What are you brewing in that cauldron? Trollvomit?"
Harry's cauldron had turned into a black, bubbling, gelatinous mess.
At that moment, Draco stood up from his seat, holding his perfect potion, ready to hand it to Snape.
As he passed Harry's table, he paused briefly.
He leaned down and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Potter, you can't even handle toad blood."
His voice carried a hint of scornful laughter.
"I really don't know where you got the courage to touch something ten thousand times more dangerous than this."
Harry's body stiffened abruptly.
He looked up angrily, meeting Draco's platinum-colored eyes.
Those eyes were full of mockery and ridicule.
Harry instantly understood what he meant.
Draco was talking about the dragon! About Norbert!
He was mocking him for being a mess in Potion Class yet daring to handle a dragon!
A wave of immense humiliation and helplessness washed over him.
He wanted to retort, to roar, but he couldn't.
If he spoke out, it would be admitting everything and dragging Hagrid down with him.
He could only clench his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, glaring at Draco with reddened eyes.
"Malfoy! You..."
Ron couldn't stand it anymore and was about to curse, but he instinctively looked at Hermione.
Hoping she would, as usual, use her vast knowledge to defend Harry.
However, Hermione kept her head down, concentrating intently on handling the materials in front of her, as if she hadn't heard anything happening nearby.
Her face showed no expression.
Ron's momentum deflated instantly.
He opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only turn red with anger, unable to utter a word.
Draco watched Harry's expression of suppressed fury and extreme frustration, the smile on his lips deepening.
He straightened up, no longer paying attention to this pitiful "savior," and presented his perfect potion to Snape.
"Ding-dong—"
The class bell rang, sounding like heavenly music to Harry.
"Potter, stay!"
Snape's icy voice made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
"Gryffindor loses five points because of that hopeless garbage in your cauldron! And you are to clean up all this disgusting mess!"
Draco stopped at the classroom door and glanced back.
Harry was awkwardly holding a rag, trying to wipe the toad blood splattered on the table and floor.
His back looked like a bullied House-elf.
Chapter 59: Saturday Midnight at the Astronomy Tower, Whoever Comes is a Dog
The humiliation in Potion Class was just the beginning.
What truly pushed the trio into a desperate situation was Norbert.
The growth rate of that little dragon exceeded everyone's expectations.
After just one week, its size had already doubled, almost as big as an adult hunting dog.
Its wild nature was becoming increasingly difficult to tame.
Hagrid's hut was starting to feel like a cramped cage to it.
It grew more irritable, frequently breathing fire and burning holes all over the furniture in the house.
Finally, an accident occurred.
That night, it was Ron's turn to feed Norbert.
Carrying a bucket of chicken blood mixed with brandy, he cautiously approached.
Norbert seemed to be in a very bad mood, letting out a threatening hiss at Ron.
"Hey, little guy, time to eat..."
Ron tried to soothe it.
However, just as he set the bucket down, Norbertsuddenly bit his hand!
"Ah—!"
Ron let out a scream and fell to the ground.
When Harry and Hermione rushed over, they saw a row of deep tooth marks on Ron's palm.
The wound quickly swelled up and took on an ominous green hue.
"Its teeth are poisonous!" Hermione screamed in terror.
They frantically took Ron to the Hospital Wing.
Facing Madam Pomfrey's stern questioning, they could only lie and say Ron had been bitten by a wild dog at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Madam Pomfrey clearly didn't believe them. She looked at the strange wound, frowning deeply, but ultimately didn't press further.
Ron was forced to stay in the Hospital Wing, making their situation even worse.
"We can't go on like this!"
Harry paced anxiously back and forth in the hospital corridor.
"Norbert is too dangerous! We must send it away immediately!"
Fortunately, Ron's brother Charlie, who studied dragons in Romania, finally replied.
The letter said his friends were willing to help.
They would pick up Norbert at midnight on Saturday, on the top floor of the highest building at Hogwarts—the Astronomy Tower.
Seeing this letter, Harry and Hermione finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They finally saw hope of solving this big problem.
That night, after visiting Ron and confirming he was okay, Hermione immediately found an excuse to return to the common room.
Hiding behind the curtains in the girls' dormitory, she took out the two-way mirror.
A flash of light appeared on the mirror's surface, revealing Draco's handsome yet cold face.
"Speak."
"The plan succeeded."
Hermione lowered her voice and quickly reported.
"Charlie replied. They've set it for Saturday midnight, on the top floor of the Astronomy Tower. They'll pick up Norbert using Flying Brooms."
"Harry and I will transport it up there using the invisibility cloak."
Saturday midnight... Astronomy Tower... invisibility cloak... Draco listened to these key points, his fingers lightly tapping the mirror frame.
All the elements were in place.
It was time to close the net.
"Good."
His voice betrayed no emotion.
"This is an opportunity to completely crush them."
Looking at Hermione in the mirror, he gave his final instruction.
"I want more than just sending that dragon away."
"I want Gryffindor's points and Potter's pitiful reputation to be completely wiped out tonight."
Hermione's breath caught. She understood what Dracomeant.
"Then... what should I do?"
"You don't need to do anything."
A cold smile curled at the corner of Draco's mouth.
"You just need to make an 'unintentional mistake' at the last moment."
...After cutting off the communication, Draco immediately contacted another person.
Hagrid.
He didn't use the two-way mirror but directly used magicto make the huge figure appear in the fireplace flames of his room.
Hagrid's face looked haggard and pained.
"Mr. Malfoy... Norbert is about to be sent away..."
"I know."
Draco interrupted him.
"Before sending it away, I need one last thing."
"You... what else do you want? I've already given you its blood..."
"I want Heart's Blood."
Draco said word by word.
"A dragon's Heart's Blood is the essence of its life force and the most precious alchemical material."
"No! That will kill it!" Hagrid shouted angrily.
"Don't worry. The method I taught you will only weaken it for a few days; it won't die."
Draco's tone left no room for argument.
"This is our last transaction, Hagrid. After this, you, your little dragon, and Potter and the others will all be free."
"If you refuse, you know the consequences."
The flames in the fireplace flickered, illuminating Hagrid's desperate face.
In the end, with tears in his eyes, he nodded in humiliation.
Draco smiled with satisfaction.
The final, most precious trophy was about to be obtained.
Then, he began his next move.
He didn't write an anonymous note; that method was too low-level and could leave traces.
He chose a smarter approach.
After Potion Class, he "accidentally" left a book about "Dragon Species Classification and Identification" in the classroom.
On a certain page of the book, he lightly drew a circle with a quill.
The circle enclosed an illustration of a "Norwegian Ridgeback."
Beside it, there was a small line of text written in handwriting he had imitated from Harry Potter's scrawl: "Saturday, midnight, Astronomy Tower."
He knew Snape would check each student's desk after class.
Given Snape's "favoritism" toward him and "hatred" for Harry, what would happen upon seeing this was obvious.
Who would Snape report this "clue" to?
Dumbledore? No, too slow.
He would directly tell the person who hated students breaking school rules the most—Minerva McGonagall.
A perfect net, woven by the enemy themselves, had quietly been set.
Saturday night finally arrived.
Hogwarts Castle fell into slumber.
Draco didn't go to the Astronomy Tower.
He put on the invisibility cloak and silently made his way near the fourth-floor Trophy Room.
This was the only path to the Astronomy Tower and an excellent vantage point for the show.
Leaning against the cold wall, he waited patiently.
Before long, he heard difficult footsteps and suppressed panting.
They were coming.
He saw an invisibility cloak moving clumsily down the corridor.
Beneath the invisibility cloak, two pairs of feet were struggling to carry a large, constantly shifting crate.
From inside the crate came Norbert's uneasy growls.
Harry and Hermione, those poor "heroes," were laboriously moving step by step toward their fateful end.
Chapter 60 Draco: Sorry, I'm a Victim Too
At the top of the Astronomy Tower, the cold wind howled.
Harry and Hermione put in a tremendous effort to finally lift the huge crate containing Norbert onto the tower's platform.
Both were panting with exhaustion, collapsing onto the ground.
"Finally... we're finally here..."
Harry wiped a handful of sweat from his forehead, and a huge weight was lifted from his heart.
The midnight bell had just finished tolling.
Not long after, several small black dots appeared in the night sky.
Four Wizards riding broomsticks quickly approached and landed steadily on the platform.
They were Charlie's friends.
"Are you Harry and Hermione?" the lead Witch asked brightly.
"Yes!"
The handover went smoothly.
Charlie's friends were clearly experienced with dragons; they used a rope net to secure the crate between two brooms, preparing for takeoff.
Norbert seemed to know he was leaving, letting out a few sad roars from inside the crate.
"Don't worry, we'll take good care of him," the Witch said with a smile to Harry and Hermione.
Soon, they took off again with Norbert, disappearing into the deep night.
Harry and Hermione stood at the top of the tower, watching them depart, relieved smiles appearing on their faces.
They had succeeded!
They had successfully sent Norbert away without being discovered by anyone!
A massive sense of joy and accomplishment filled their chests.
"We did it, Hermione!" Harry grabbed Hermione's arm excitedly.
"Yes, we did!" Hermione also smiled, though a hint of an unknown, complex emotion was hidden within that smile.
The two were so immersed in the joy of success that they completely forgot one most important thing.
As they headed downstairs, because they were so happy and relaxed, they actually forgot to put back on that life-saving invisibility cloak!
When they walked to the corner of the stairs, talking and laughing, a scrawny figure holding an oil lamp appeared before them like a ghost.
It was Filch!
His wrinkled face twisted into a gloating smile in the dim light.
"Oh ho ho... look who I've caught?"
He said in that biting, sarcastic voice.
"Two little Gryffindors, wandering around the Astronomy Tower in the middle of the night! You won't get away this time!"
Harry and Hermione's blood froze in an instant.
The smiles on their faces stiffened, replaced by utter terror.
It was over!
Just then, another set of footsteps came from above the stairs.
Professor McGonagall, wearing her classic Scotland plaid dressing gown, appeared at the top of the stairs.
Her face was ashen, and her lips were pressed into a stern, straight line.
"Filch, they are here."
Her voice was colder than the freezing wind at the top of the tower.
Worse still, behind Professor McGonagall followed a shivering figure.
It was Neville Longbottom!
He had obviously heard some rumors and wanted to come warn Harry, only to end up being caught himself.
"Very well, three of them," Professor McGonagall's gaze swept over the three of them like a knife.
Harry's mind went completely blank.
However, this was not the end.
From the other end of the corridor, another slow and steady set of footsteps approached.
Draco Malfoy stepped out from the shadows.
Seeing the scene before him, a look of'surprise' appeared on his face.
"Professor McGonagall? Why are you here?"
He asked, pretending to be innocent, then pointed at Harry as if'suddenly realizing'.
"I... I came to catch them! I heard Professor Snape say that Potter was up to some kind of mischief at the Astronomy Tower tonight, so I wanted to..."
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Professor McGonagall.
"Mr. Malfoy, you have also violated the curfew rules."
Professor McGonagall's expression did not soften in the slightest.
"All four of you, come with me!"
...In Professor McGonagall's study, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.
The four of them stood side by side like prisoners.
"I simply cannot believe it!"
Professor McGonagall's voice was full of disappointment and anger.
"Four students, sneaking out of their beds on the same night! Three from Gryffindor, one from Slytherin!"
She paced back and forth, her robes making a rustling sound against the floor.
"Potter, I am especially disappointed in you! I thought you were wiser than this!"
"And you, Miss Granger! I always thought you were a sensible girl!"
She turned to Draco and Neville.
"Mr. Malfoy, even if you were doing it to 'expose' your classmates, that is no excuse for wandering around at midnight! Mr. Longbottom, foolish loyalty!"
"Now, can anyone explain to me what you were doing at the Astronomy Tower in the middle of the night?"
Harry opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.
He couldn't exactly say they were there to send away an illegal dragon, could he?
"We... we heard Malfoy was going to duel someone, so..." Hermione tried to concoct a lie.
"Stop insulting my intelligence with such childish excuses, Miss Granger!" Professor McGonagall barked.
"Mr. Malfoy told me an incredible story; he said you were keeping a dragon! A Norwegian Ridgeback!"
Harry's heart sank to the bottom.
Malfoy had snitched after all!
"Do you have anything else to say?" Professor McGonagall stared them down.
Dead silence.
Seeing their silence, the disappointment in Professor McGonagall's eyes deepened.
She thought this was just a ridiculous story Malfoy had made up to frame Harry.
And that Harry and the others being out at night was for some other shady business.
She took a deep breath and delivered her final judgment.
"There is no excuse that can justify your behavior."
Her voice was as cold as ice.
"Each of you four will lose fifty points for your respective houses!"
Fifty points!
Each!
Harry could hardly believe his ears.
Neville let out a desperate whimper.
Hermione lowered her head, her body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.
Draco also 'appropriately' showed an expression of annoyance and frustration.
Professor McGonagall's gaze finally landed on Harry, Hermione, and Neville.
"That is to say, Gryffindor House, because of the foolish actions of the three of you, will be deducted a total of—"
She paused for a moment, and that number came crashing down like a heavy hammer.
"One hundred and fifty points!"
Boom!
Harry felt as if something had exploded in his head.
One hundred and fifty points!
What did that even mean?
That was all the points he had risked his life to win in Quidditch matches, plus Hermione's active participation in class, and everything they had accumulated over countless days and nights—and it still wasn't enough!
It meant that overnight, Gryffindor had dropped from first place for the house cup straight to the bottom!
All his previous efforts were completely in vain!
He had become a sinner of Gryffindor!
"No... Professor..." Harry's voice was shaking.
"My judgment is final."
Professor McGonagall's face was as cold and hard as stone.
"Now, all of you, get back to your dormitories! Your detention notices will be delivered shortly."
The four of them walked out of the Professor's study, despondent.
Draco walked at the very back.
Looking at the three figures in front of him walking like the living dead, he was laughing wildly inside.
Although Slytherin had also lost fifty points because of this, Gryffindor had lost a hundred and fifty!
With this trade-off, Slytherin was now far in the lead, and the house cup was practically in the bag!
And he himself, in the eyes of Slytherin, would be a hero who'sacrificed' himself for the house's honor.
Perfect.
Harry didn't know how he managed to walk back to the Common Room.
He felt this was the longest and darkest night of his life.
Chapter 61 Draco: Dark Lord? I'll take that!
The next morning, when the students of Hogwartswalked into the Great Hall, everyone was stunned by the giant House point hourglasses at the entrance.
The sapphires and topazes representing Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were piled high.
The emeralds representing Slytherin were almost overflowing, shimmering with the light of victory.
But the ruby hourglass representing Gryffindor... was empty.
Not a single one left.
There was only a thin layer of red dust at the bottom.
"Good heavens! Is the point counter broken?" a Gryffindorupperclassman exclaimed.
"How is that possible? We were in first place yesterday!"
At first, everyone thought it was a mechanical failure.
But soon, news spread through the Great Hall like wildfire.
It wasn't a glitch.
It was Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom—the three of them had cost their House a hundred and fifty points last night!
A hundred and fifty points!
This number exploded like a bomb at the Gryffindortable.
All the Gryffindor students looked at Harry, who had just walked in, with looks of disbelief and anger.
Wherever Harry went, it instantly became quiet.
Students who were laughing and chatting immediately shut their mouths upon seeing him, then glared at him with a mix of disdain and hatred.
"It's him! That Potter!"
"What right does he have to do that? Who does he think he is?"
"The points we worked so hard to save up all year were ruined by him alone!"
"savior? More like a jinx!"
The whispers turned into open pointing.
Even when Harry sat down, a fifth-year student across from him stood up immediately.
Carrying his plate, he walked away in disgust, as if sitting with him was a disgrace.
School bullying came so quickly and so fiercely.
Harry Potter, the former hero, the boy who lived, the genius Seeker of Quidditch, had become the enemy of the entire House overnight.
Not just Gryffindor.
Students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff also cast unfriendly glances at him.
Because Gryffindor's downfall meant they could no longer compete for the house cup with the far-ahead Slytherin.
Harry buried himself behind his plate, feeling as if he had been stripped naked and thrown into the snow.
Every gaze was like a cold needle piercing his skin.
Only Ron, who had just come out of the Hospital Wingand knew nothing yet, sat down beside him without hesitation.
"Harry, what's wrong? Why is everyone looking at you like that?"
When he finished hearing what had happened, he was also shocked into silence.
But he still patted Harry's shoulder.
"Don't mind them, Harry. They don't know the truth."
But his support was so weak and powerless.
Soon, those insults and cold looks fell upon Ron as well.
"That pauper from the weasley family, always following Potter around and causing trouble!"
Hermione's situation was slightly better.
She had lost points too, but because of her usual 'top student' persona and the 'rationality' she always displayed.
Many people subconsciously thought she was just dragged down by Harry.
She kept her head down, eating breakfast silently, looking sad and aggrieved.
No one saw that her hand hidden under the table was trembling slightly with excitement.
She quietly looked up and exchanged a secret glance with Draco at the end of the Slytherin table.
In that look was a report of mission completion and infinite adoration for her master.
Draco, on the other hand, was enjoying a hero's treatment.
Slytherin students kept raising their glasses to him.
In their view, although Draco had also lost points, it was to expose Gryffindor's plot; he had'sacrificed' himself for the glory of Slytherin.
This behavior won the respect of all Slytherins.
Draco elegantly sipped his Pumpkin Juice, happily admiring the misery over at the Gryffindor table.
Seeing Harry Potter fall from the clouds into the mud, struggling in the despair of being abandoned by everyone—this feeling was more wonderful than winning a hundred Quidditch matches.
This was what he wanted.
To completely destroy this so-called 'savior' mentally... This period of being isolated by the whole school lasted for several days.
For Harry, every day was an ordeal.
Finally, the notice for detention arrived.
At eleven o'clock that night, Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Draco—the four of them gathered in the Castleentrance hall.
Filch held a dim oil lamp, looking at them with malicious glee.
"Oh, what a pity. The old punishments aren't in fashion anymore."
As he led them out, he muttered in his raspy voice.
"Back in my day, if a student made a mistake, they'd be hung from the ceiling by their wrists with chains..."
"I still have those chains, kept polished and shiny..."
His incessant intimidation made Neville tremble with fear.
They were brought to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Hagrid was waiting there for them, carrying his giant crossbow.
His eyes were red and swollen, clearly still crying over Norbert's departure and Harry's plight.
"You're going into the Forbidden Forest with me," Hagridsaid, sobbing.
"What?" Draco immediately protested, perfectly playing the part of a wronged, pampered young master.
"The Forbidden Forest? There are Werewolf in there! If my father knew..."
"It's what you deserve, Mr. Malfoy!" Professor McGonagall's voice came from behind them; she had come too.
"Your task tonight is to go with Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest and find something."
"Something... that's been injured."
Hagrid held up the oil lamp, illuminating a pool of silver liquid on the ground.
"This is Unicorn blood."
"I found one a few days ago; it was badly hurt. Now there's another... something in the Forbidden Forest is cruelly attacking Unicorn."
Hearing 'Unicorn blood,' Draco's eyes narrowed.
He looked into that dark, bottomless forest.
The wind blew from the woods, carrying a scent of decay and evil.
It was him.
The remnant soul of Lord Voldemort, the monster possessing Quirrell.
It was already so weak that it needed to survive by drinking Unicorn blood.
Draco suddenly felt a strong impulse within him.
He subconsciously touched the wand in his sleeve.
After the strengthening of the dragons blood medicinal bath, his current physical fitness and magic intensity far exceeded those of his peers.
Facing a remnant soul so weak it needed to drink Unicornblood to survive... perhaps he could give him a'surprise.'
A surprise he would never forget.
Chapter 62: Forbidden Forest Hunting Grounds, Harry Potter is Scared into Doubting Life!
At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the night wind was cold and damp.
Hagrid's massive figure was slightly hunched in the darkness, his usually bright, small black eyes red and swollen.
The departure of Norbert and the situation Harry and the others faced had caused the half-Giant to break down completely.
"Alright, you... you'll have to come with me into the Forbidden Forest," Hagrid's voice was thick with nasal congestion, filled with guilt.
"Into the Forbidden Forest?"
Draco's voice pierced the silence, his tone of disdain completely undisguised.
"You want us to go into a hellhole like this with a gamekeeper who can't even keep track of his own pets?"
He stepped forward, his sharp gaze dissecting Hagrid's weakness.
"If it wasn't for your dereliction of duty, Potter and the others would never have had the chance to go to the Astronomy Tower."
"If it wasn't for your incompetence, we wouldn't need to be standing here right now!"
Every word was like a needle, pricking at Hagrid's already fragile nerves.
Hagrid's massive frame trembled, his lips quivered, but he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
Beside him, Neville was shaking all over, terrified by Draco's aura and on the verge of tears.
"I... I'm so sorry..." Hagrid could only lower his massive head.
"Is an apology useful?" Draco snorted coldly, having completely seized the initiative.
He glanced over the shaken Harry and Hermione, his gaze finally landing on Hagrid.
"Since you're unreliable, we'll have to find our own way."
Hagrid looked up blankly: "What way?"
"Split up," Draco said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "You take Longbottom and Miss Grangerdown one path."
He paused, his slender finger pointing toward the whimpering hound, Fang.
"This dog comes with me."
Then, he gestured with his chin toward Harry Potter.
"And he's in my group."
Harry's face turned pale instantly. In a group with Malfoy? In the pitch-black Forbidden Forest?
"Why?" Harry blurted out.
Draco straightened the collar of his robes, looking at him as if he were trash.
"I don't trust you, Potter. Who knows what kind of trouble you'll stir up next that'll get us torn apart by werewolves? I need to'supervise' you personally."
The reason was high-sounding, yet impossible to refute.
Immersed in guilt, Hagrid was incapable of thinking and nodded subconsciously: "Al... alright... you two be careful..."
Hermione gave Draco a worried look.
Draco gave her a look back, and she immediately swallowed her words, turning instead to pull back Harry, who wanted to protest.
"Harry, don't say anything more, just follow the plan."
She displayed a sense of total conviction in Draco's decision.
Harry's body stiffened, feeling a surge of isolation.
He could only watch as Hagrid led Hermione and Nevilleaway, carrying a lantern, until they disappeared into the darkness of another trail.
Now, it was just him, Draco, and the dog that was even more cowardly than Neville.
"Let's go, savior," Draco's voice carried a hint of playfulness as he took the lead into the dense forest that swallowed all light.
Fang, tail between his legs, followed closely at his heels, unexpectedly finding this Slytherin more reliable than his half-Giant master.
Harry grit his teeth, gripped his wand, and followed.
As soon as they entered the woods, the temperature plummeted.
The branches of ancient, towering trees interlaced, splintering the moonlight and casting twisted shadows on the ground.
The wind whistled through the leaves, sounding like distant weeping.
Harry's heart was in his throat; every step was cautious, and the slightest rustle could make him break into a cold sweat.
Draco, walking ahead of him, was like he was taking a stroll in his own backyard.
He didn't light his wand, yet he always managed to precisely avoid the tangled roots and slippery moss on the ground.
His footsteps were light and composed, his black robes cutting a smooth arc through the darkness.
Draco paused and walked over to a cluster of plants emitting a faint silver glow.
He put on a pair of Dragon-hide gloves and skillfully harvested the most essential parts, placing them into a storage pouch at his waist.
Harry watched from behind, dumbfounded.
"What are you doing?"
"Collecting materials," Draco said without looking back. "The Forbidden Forest is full of treasures; only a fool would return empty-handed."
Draco turned to the right again, precisely finding another inconspicuous plant.
His movements were as practiced as an old apothecary.
Harry felt his head buzzing.
He had thought Malfoy was just a pampered young master, but now, the other boy's knowledge of the Forbidden Forest might even exceed Hagrid's.
The sharp contrast made Harry's face flush with heat.
He, the Boy Who Lived, savior, was currently like a child trembling behind an adult.
While his most hated enemy treated the dangerous Forbidden Forest like his own private vault in the darkness.
This sense of shame was magnified by the gloomy environment, making his heart tighten.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, Draco suddenly stopped.
Fang growled uneasily, sniffing the ground.
Harry nervously leaned forward and, by the faint moonlight, saw a puddle of liquid emitting a silvery-white glow among the fallen leaves.
The light was holy and beautiful, yet carried a sense of sorrow.
"This is..." Harry's voice was a bit dry.
Draco crouched down, touched a bit with his gloved finger, and brought it to his nose to sniff.
"Unicorn blood," his voice was very calm. "And it's fresh; it's nearby."
Just then, a system notification sounded in Draco's mind.
[Ding! Temporary task triggered: Face Your Fear!]
[Task Description: High energy reaction ahead. The host is about to encounter an entity of childhood nightmare proportions. During this encounter, the host must remain calm and not take a single step back.]
Draco's breathing hitched for a moment.
Childhood nightmare?
He knew what it was.
He slowly stood up and looked into the thick darkness deeper in the forest, a dangerous yet excited light flashing in his eyes.
The silver bloodstains were intermittent on the dark forest path.
The smell of blood in the air grew stronger, mixed with an evil stench of decay.
Harry's palms were covered in sweat as he held his wand; every step was extremely difficult.
Beside him, Fang whimpered incessantly, wanting to turn and flee several times, only to be forced back by a single look from Draco.
Draco deliberately slowed his pace to walk side-by-side with Harry.
He tilted his head, his voice low and soft, his breath almost brushing against the shell of Harry's ear.
"Potter, did you know? There are many legends about the Forbidden Forest."
"On the night of a full moon, cursed Wizards turn into werewolves, and they love nothing more than biting scrawny, isolated kids like you."
Harry's heart tightened, and the warmth of Draco's breath gave him goosebumps.
"Shut up, Malfoy!"
"Don't be nervous," Draco chuckled softly, though the laugh only made Harry more uneasy.
"Werewolves aren't the scariest things; the vengeful spirits wandering here are."
He changed the subject, his voice eerie.
"I heard your mother, Lily Potter, was also a Gryffindor, very brave."
"Unfortunately, bravery can't stop the Killing Curse."
"Tell me, do you think she was in a lot of pain before she died? Do you think she regretted not being able to protect you?"
"Shut the hell up!"
Harry was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly exploding in anger.
He spun around suddenly, pulling out his wand, the tip emitting a tiny spark of light as he pointed it directly at Draco's face.
"I told you to shut up!"
Draco didn't even pull out his wand.
He simply reached out with incredible speed and precisely clamped down on Harry's wand-holding wrist.
A surge of immense force followed; Harry's wrist throbbed with pain, feeling as if it were about to be crushed.
A body strengthened by dragon blood possessed strength far beyond what a malnourished eleven-year-old boy could resist.
"Lumos."
Draco whispered the counter-spell, and the light at the tip of Harry's wand extinguished in response.
His other hand covered Harry's mouth, stifling all roars and struggles.
"Shh..."
Draco half-dragged, half-pulled Harry behind a thick tree, pinning him firmly against the trunk with his body.
"If you want to stay alive, be quiet."
Chapter 63: Lord Voldemort Appears! Draco: Is That It?
Harry struggled violently, but Draco's strength was surprisingly immense; he couldn't move an inch.
Just then, a thick, cloying scent of blood mixed with the aura of death flooded his nostrils.
Harry's struggling ceased.
Following Draco's gaze, he looked through the gaps in the tree trunks at a clearing not far ahead.
Then, he saw a scene he would never forget.
In the center of the clearing, a pure white Unicorn lay in a pool of blood.
Silvery blood flowed from a wound in its abdomen, pooling on the ground.
A figure cloaked in black was hunched over the Unicorn's carcass, head buried, making a gurgling, sucking sound.
The sound was like a beast greedily feasting on its prey.
"Awooo—!"
Fang let out a shrill, piteous yelp. Unable to withstand this primal fear any longer, he broke free from his constraints and fled into the depths of the forest with his tail between his legs.
The yelp startled the dark figure.
Almost simultaneously, the lightning scar on Harry's forehead felt as if it had been seared by a red-hot iron.
Intense pain surged through his brain, and the world began to spin before his eyes.
"Ah!"
He groaned in pain, his body going limp as he collapsed to the ground, drained of all strength.
Draco felt Harry's collapse behind him, but his eyes remained calm and unruffled.
Facing this scene that had terrified him in the original story, he felt nothing but excitement now.
The excitement of an apex predator facing its prey.
Fear? That emotion had long since been burned away in the baptism of dragons blood.
Run? In Malfoy's dictionary, that word didn't exist.
He calmly assessed the enemy.
The remnant soul of Lord Voldemort possessing Quirrell.
Very weak, relying on sucking Unicorn blood to survive while enduring the curse it brought.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The dark figure slowly straightened up.
Beneath the shadow of the hood, two gleams of crimson light locked onto the two uninvited guests behind the tree.
[System Warning: Extremely lethal unit detected! Threat Level: Extremely Lethal!]
[System Analysis: Target unit's soul strength is extremely high, but there is severe rejection with the possessed body. Comprehensive combat power assessment downgraded to: Dangerous.]
"Dangerous," is it?
A faint, almost imperceptible curve tugged at the corner of Draco's mouth.
Perfect.
He pushed aside the limp Harry and stepped out from the shadow of the tree trunk.
He didn't raise his wand to beg for mercy, nor did he turn to run.
He simply straightened his slightly disheveled robes, squared his shoulders, and walked calmly toward the edge of the clearing.
Moonlight spilled over his short platinum-blond hair, reflecting a cold sheen.
He stood there, facing the Dark Lord who made the entire wizarding world tremble, his posture as haughty as a judge's.
Harry saw this scene through the blurred vision caused by the intense pain.
Draco Malfoy, the person he hated and despised the most, was now actually standing in front of him.
Alone, facing that terrifying monster.
Harry's mind went blank.
Had the world gone mad?
The moment Draco stepped forward, a wave of cold spiritual pressure swept over him.
It was Lord Voldemort's soul pressure, enough to turn an ordinary Wizard into an idiot instantly.
"Occlumency!"
Draco chanted inwardly, his mental world transforming into a fortress.
The pressure slammed into the iron wall and was completely blocked out.
All emotions of fear and panic were stripped away and discarded; only absolute calm remained in his mind.
At the same time, the family amulet on his chest warmed slightly, and an invisible magic barrier automatically activated, neutralizing the remaining impact.
"Hmm?"
The dark figure let out a raspy sound of surprise.
His spiritual pressure had failed against a young Wizard.
Furthermore, that amulet carried the magical fluctuations of an ancient pure-blood family that he was familiar with.
A Malfoy brat?
In the moment Lord Voldemort hesitated, Draco seized the opportunity.
Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his wand, and a clear, powerful incantation escaped his lips.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
This was no longer a classroom exercise.
Strengthened by dragons blood, the magic within him surged like a tide. Refined by the system, his control over spells far exceeded that of ordinary people.
A pale white beam of light, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, blasted straight toward the dark figure!
It was too fast and too powerful, completely beyond the level of a first-year student.
Voldemort, possessing Quirrell, had never expected this brat to dare to attack proactively, let alone with such ferocity!
The weakened Quirrell's body couldn't react in time.
*Bang!*
A muffled thud.
The Petrificus Totalus hit the dark figure's left shoulder hard.
Quirrell's body jolted violently; he stumbled back two steps, his left side instantly stiffening, nearly causing him to collapse.
Beneath the hood, his face was filled with shock and fury.
He, the great Dark Lord, had actually been repelled by an eleven-year-old brat using the most basic of spells!
However, the humiliation had only just begun.
"How pathetic."
Draco's voice rang out, calm and indifferent, yet laced with mockery.
"The once-great Dark Lord is now reduced to a stray dog, hiding in the forest and stealing the blood of beasts."
He looked at the dark figure trembling with rage, his voice dripping with condescending disdain.
"You look like this; you truly disappoint me."
"You... seek... death!"
A raspy roar squeezed out from deep within the dark figure's throat.
Lord Voldemort was utterly enraged!
He could tolerate failure, but he could never tolerate being so humiliated by a junior of the Malfoy Family!
A dense, dark-green light began to condense at the tip of Quirrell's wand.
The Killing Curse!
However, just as he forcibly mobilized his soul power, Quirrell's body suddenly revolted.
The curse of the Unicorn blood erupted violently.
Quirrell's body convulsed uncontrollably, as if countless needles were stabbing his internal organs.
"Ugh... ah..."
He let out a pained groan, and the green light forming at the tip of his wand dissipated.
Just then!
A rapid sound of hoofbeats approached from a distance, and a lithe figure burst from the dense forest!
It was the Centaur, Firenze!
His upper body was that of a handsome human, while his lower body was a strong white horse, looking magnificent under the moonlight.
"Filthy creature! Stay away from that pure life!"
Firenze roared, rearing his front hooves and trampling toward the dark figure without mercy!
Lord Voldemort glanced at the charging Centaur, then at Draco in the distance, who was ready to fire another spell at any moment, and made an immediate judgment.
His current state was not suitable for combat.
"You will... regret this..."
Leaving behind a venomous curse, the dark figure turned into a cloud of black smoke and vanished into the depths of the forest with extreme speed.
The crisis was averted.
In the clearing, only the dead Unicorn, the shaken Centaur, the collapsed Harry, and... Draco, who had remained elegant throughout, were left.
Draco slowly stowed his wand back into his sleeve.
His back was soaked with cold sweat, and his heart was still pounding wildly.
But on his face, he still wore the reserved and indifferent expression of a pure-blood aristocrat.
He had won.
Although he had relied on the curse and the Centaur's strength, he had indeed repelled Lord Voldemort in their first encounter.
[Ding! Mission "Face Your Fear" completed!]
[Mission Evaluation: Perfect! The host took the initiative to attack, dealing both mental and physical blows to the target!]
[Mission Reward Issued: Dark Mark Resistance(Medium)! You will have higher resistance against the Dark Lord and related Dark Arts.]
The generous reward put Draco in a pleasant mood.
But his greatest gain was not this.
He turned his head and looked not far away.
Harry Potter was struggling to get up; the intense pain in his forehead had subsided, but his mind was still a mess.
He looked at the unharmed Draco, his entire worldview suffering an unprecedented shock.
What had he just seen?
Malfoy... repelled that monster?
That terrifying monster, which had caused him agonizing pain just by being near, had been driven back repeatedly by Malfoy with a single spell?
Even humiliated by his words to the point of being unable to retort?
How was this possible!
Harry opened his mouth, but his throat was so dry that he couldn't utter a single word.