Just as Draco returned to his Slytherin dormitory, munching on a chocolate muffin and relieved that Mr Filch and his mischievous cat had not discovered his nighttime visit to the Hogwarts kitchen, Potter and his friends got into trouble.
The morning after returning from the Hogwarts kitchen, Draco had little appetite and decided to have some porridge for breakfast in his usual spot.
At this moment, his classmate Blaise Zabini sat down next to him and said gleefully, "Look at that giant hourglass! The Gryffindors are furious. They lost a full one hundred and fifty points!"
He gave Pansy Parkinson a high five across from him. "Thanks to Hero Potter, Granger who is always showing off in class, and that silly looking Longbottom."
Pansy chuckled across from him. "I heard they ran into Mrs Norris near the Astronomy Tower last night and were caught red handed by Mr Filch."
Astronomy Tower?
Oh yes, they must have sent Hagrid's illegal dragon to Weasley's brother through the Astronomy Tower.
A while ago, when Draco happened to see Hagrid, who never read, wandering around the Restricted Section of the library, he knew something was wrong.
When he saw that Hagrid was reading Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit, and considering his past experiences, it was not hard to guess what Hagrid was doing.
If one were to find even the slightest commonality between this savage gamekeeper and Draco, it would be their shared passion for dragons.
Which young wizard has not dreamed of having a dragon?
To some extent, Draco could understand Hagrid.
However, raising a dragon was dangerous after all. Especially Hagrid's little cabin, which was simply not suitable for raising a fire breathing dragon.
Who knows, one day, if that dragon gets excited and breathes fire, this gamekeeper will become a dish next to the pumpkin patch. Roasted Hagrid.
Keeping it as a pet indefinitely was definitely not a long term solution.
Given the current peaceful relationship with the Potters, Draco had no interest in making things difficult for them or informing on them.
He had originally planned to pretend he did not know anything and just wait quietly for them to send the dragon away.
But he had never expected them to be so unlucky. Even without anyone informing on them, Mr Filch's cat, the sharp eyed Mrs Norris, could still catch them red handed.
Speaking of which, did Potter not have an Invisibility Cloak?
This child possesses a great treasure, yet he does not know how to use it?
This unexpected turn of events only worsened Draco's already gloomy mood.
If he had been near the Astronomy Tower, he might have considered helping Potter, but he had not been to the Astronomy Tower lately. Instead, he had been busy wandering around Ravenclaw Tower, tirelessly trying to strike up a conversation with the Grey Lady, only to watch her gracefully depart time and time again.
The investigation and research on the diadem had stalled, which was very disheartening.
Even the hourglass gems that Slytherin had far more of than the other houses could not save Draco from his current low spirits.
Just as Draco was chewing his cereal and thinking about how to strike up a conversation with the Grey Lady, he heard several Slytherin students clapping and whistling from the Great Hall entrance. "Thank you, Potter, you have done us a great favor!"
Harry Potter was ostracized by the Gryffindor students.
Draco noticed that Potter often sat dejectedly at the table, with only Weasley by his side. The other students kept a certain distance from him.
Then there was Longbottom, whom Draco occasionally saw trying to ask Gryffindor for help after forgetting the common room password, but no one paid him any attention.
Hermione, on the other hand, became even more withdrawn. Her lively personality was severely suppressed. She no longer cared about answering questions in class, and she lost all enthusiasm for smiling at anyone.
Before the Transfiguration class, Draco strode through the crowd, went straight to the listless, ignored girl, and sat down next to her.
Then he pushed a book toward her, who was looking down, and said briefly, "Here you go, the book you mentioned wanting to read last time."
"Thank you," she said quickly and softly, taking the book and continuing to keep her head down, refusing to even look him in the eye.
Draco stared at her melancholy profile and found himself unable to maintain his indifferent attitude any longer.
She looks a little pitiful. Like the most endearing yet most wronged kitten in the world, abandoned by someone, the kind of kitten that definitely needs help.
For some inexplicable reason, he could not help but ask, "Are you not going to even give me a smile in return for all the trouble I went through to find you this book?"
Hermione finally looked up at him, her expression showing some surprise.
She had not expected him to initiate conversation again. Normally, without so many worries weighing on her mind, she would have responded much more positively.
But now, all she could do was say with a bitter face, "I am not in the mood today."
"Smile," Draco continued, his face stern.
Hermione still could not muster any enthusiasm, and the corners of her mouth even turned down unconsciously again.
"I shall put it on my account." Draco stared at her for a moment, then said in a calculating tone, "Hermione Granger owes Draco Malfoy a smile."
Hermione looked up and tried to smile at him, wanting to settle the debt quickly, but Draco noticed that her eyes were still filled with sadness, and her smile was not genuine at all.
"A forced smile does not count," he said.
Hermione sighed and quickly lowered her head again, because everyone around her was staring at her.
Amidst the murmurs of whispers about her, Draco swept his gaze around menacingly until all the ill intentioned stares were driven away by his even more malevolent look.
But Hermione did not see any of this. She kept her head down, trying to bury her face in the book he had given her.