Hermione's face turned red, and then she erupted in a shout.
"Ro! Na! De! Wea! Sley!"
Hermione's hair puffed up in anger, like an enraged lion.
The Room of Requirement fell into a moment of silence; everyone was shocked by Ron's behavior.
Then, a wave of laughter broke out.
Especially Seamus, whose laughter was the loudest.
Harry was a bit dumbfounded; he didn't expect Ron to hit Hermione with a "sock removing" spell.
This familiar scene reminded him of the time in fifth grade when he made Cassandra angry.
That time it was also because of the Summoning Charm; Sebastian had discovered the magic of the Summoning Charm and let everyone practice it.
It so happened that only Harry and Cassandra were alone in the Room of Requirement that day...
"Oh? Potter?" Cassandra lifted her head, her eyes full of contempt, "Hmph... In the end, you still came to the Room of Requirement to practice the Summoning Charm with me?"
A while ago, during dueling practice, Harry was hit by a spell from Cassandra that left his cheek hurting for a long time, making him instinctively avoid facing her with the Dueling Wand.
However, without Harry's company, Cassandra didn't seem to want to duel with others either, and just watched Harry pair up with other opponents, mocking him with sharp words, pointing out his shortcomings in dueling.
"Potter, too slow—"
"Potter—so indecisive, how can you manage like this...?"
"Potter! What on earth are you thinking! Is your Iron Armor Spell just for show? You silly Little Giant!"
Harry found it unbearably annoying, especially when he saw Cassandra's arrogant expression on the sidelines, which made him feel powerless.
Yet he simply couldn't argue with Cassandra, because whether he admitted it or not, he was factually Cassandra's little sidekick—even his good buddy Gareth thought so.
"We're both just what's left after others have picked," Harry said helplessly, "It's not that I want to practice with you, I just have no choice—"
"Hmph." Cassandra showed a smug smile, the mole at her eye corner accentuating her pride.
She waved her magic wand, pointing at Harry.
"Accio!"
Harry felt his clothes being tugged, just like when Cassandra used to grab his collar...
Then, he found himself pulled in front of Cassandra.
The slender hand was clutching his collar again.
"Seems like..." Cassandra's lips curled up, "This spell suits me very well..."
"It's my turn now!" Harry shouted, refusing to admit defeat.
"Alright." Cassandra giggled, letting go of Harry's collar, "Go ahead, I want to see your talent with this spell..."
"Accio!" Harry pointed at Cassandra...
Suddenly, a shadow flashed before him...
Harry only felt a soft and smooth touch on his hand, warm and cozy...
And a fragrant scent lingered around his nose, lasting for a long time...
"Potter!"
Harry had never seen Cassandra so angry before, he only felt the silky touch in his hand vanish as the clothing was whisked away by the Summoning Charm.
The next moment, he was hit by a spell, knocked flat to the ground.
When he came to, Cassandra had already left, and in front of him was the concerned-looking transfer student Vivi.
"You're awake?" she said softly, "When I came to the Room of Requirement, you were lying here—I didn't dare disturb you."
Harry rubbed his head, feeling like it was about to explode.
"It's nothing—where's Cassandra?" he asked.
"When I got here, you were the only one in the room," Vivi said softly, "Do you need me to find her for you? It seems like she's sulking in the dormitory now..."
"No need." Harry waved his hand, staggering out of the Room of Requirement.
He planned to apologize to Cassandra later, but that evening at the Great Hall, Cassandra avoided him at all costs.
For days, it continued like this, with Harry even cornering Cassandra after a class to apologize.
"I didn't do it on purpose, Miss Malfoy, I—"
"You're really annoying, Potter," Cassandra's bright eyes were filled with disgust, "Stay away from me—"
Harry felt a pang of pain in his heart; he truly didn't do it on purpose, even if Cassandra would just listen to his explanation...
Cassandra cast him a superior glance, turned around, and left, leaving Harry standing there, at a loss.
Truly disliked now, Harry was filled with regret. He wanted to smack himself; why wasn't he more careful while practicing the spell?!
Now it's all over, Cassandra dislikes him...
What Harry failed to notice was that Cassandra paused for quite a while at the corner once out of his sight.
When she confirmed he hadn't followed to continue his apology, Cassandra's eyes finally ignited with true rage.
Potter! Potter, Potter, Potter!
Shameless! Stupid! Annoying! Silly Little Giant Potter!
Later on... it wasn't until after Christmas that Cassandra spoke to Harry.
Reflecting on those intense days, Harry absentmindedly watched Hermione, who was furiously clutching Ron's collar, thinking to himself—wouldn't it be better if Cassandra could be like Hermione then?
Cedric noticed Harry's gloom and stepped forward to ask with concern, "What's wrong, Harry?"
"Oh, nothing." Harry composed himself, smiling at Cedric, "Just reminiscing about some old things, youth, isn't it?"
"I think Hermione must like Ron," Cedric lowered his voice, speaking so only the two of them could hear: "Gosh, if she disliked Ron, she would've already hit his face with an Evil Curse when her sock was removed—or just ignored him, instead of getting so mad..."