Chapter 543 — Umbridge Freedom!!
"Darren Potter!"
Malfoy spat Darren's name with deliberate force.
"I'm a prefect now. I'm fully qualified to punish you—a traitor who runs off to Gryffindor whenever he feels like it. I hope you don't get caught by me, because I won't be as easy to talk to as I used to be."
Malfoy glared at Darren, his expression sharp and ugly.
He stared at him for a few seconds, then snorted and walked away, chin lifted arrogantly.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all went pale.
They immediately began to worry about Darren. Now that Malfoy was a Slytherin prefect, he really could grab Darren at any time and punish him openly.
"Darren…" Hermione said anxiously.
Darren tilted his head and looked at her in confusion.
He genuinely didn't seem to understand why they were so worried, which left Hermione feeling helpless.
Luna and Neville were also there, and with them around, Hermione didn't want to explain everything outright.
She could only turn her head and stare out the window with a gloomy expression.
"Almost there!" Hermione suddenly said.
Darren heard the sound of the conductor changing clothes and immediately stood up to change as well.
Not long after, the train finally came to a stop.
Only then did they realize it was pouring rain outside.
"First-years over here!"
A woman's voice shouted loudly.
It wasn't Hagrid's familiar voice.
"What's going on?" Harry asked in surprise, looking toward the platform.
"What about Hagrid?" Darren frowned, clearly worried.
"Maybe he got fired!" Malfoy shouted loudly.
Harry and Ron were instantly furious.
Luna, however, looked a little pleased. She said happily, "I really like Professor Grubbly-Plank's class. But Mr. Hagrid is nice too."
"That's nonsense! Hagrid taught the best!" Harry shouted.
Ron echoed him immediately.
Darren felt a little weak. He didn't shout along with them.
He pretended not to hear and walked a bit farther ahead.
Fortunately, Harry and the others didn't force him to say anything. Otherwise, he would have had to admit—honestly—that Hagrid's teaching wasn't exactly outstanding.
Darren planned to let the topic pass and move back, but as he walked forward, a wave of students behind him pushed him along. There were simply too many people.
The crowd split, carrying him forward with it.
He could only follow the flow.
Then he saw the Thestral-drawn carriages waiting ahead. Nearly a hundred of them stood in neat rows.
The students surged forward, choosing carriages at random. One by one, the carriages filled up and began moving.
Darren finally spotted Harry among the crowd.
He was just about to run over when a hand suddenly grabbed his arm.
He turned around and saw Kassandra.
"Get in," she said coldly. "Harry Potter's carriage is already full."
Darren glanced back. Sure enough, there was no more space.
Harry and Ron noticed him and quickly climbed into Kassandra's carriage as well.
"How was your summer?" Kassandra asked after hesitating for a moment.
"Very good," Darren replied politely.
Kassandra pressed her lips together.
Just as she was about to step out of the carriage, she suddenly leaned closer and whispered, "Be careful. You must be careful from now on. He's back. Slytherin isn't safe anymore."
Darren opened his mouth to thank her, but Kassandra had already jumped down and walked away as if nothing had happened.
The Great Hall was brightly lit by floating candles. Everyone was talking loudly, laughing, chatting, acting as if last year's events were already a distant memory.
But the moment Darren stepped inside, the hall fell silent for a brief second.
Then everything returned to normal.
Darren pretended not to notice and walked toward the Slytherin table.
Malfoy saw him and grinned maliciously at Crabbe and Goyle. "That stupid big guy didn't come. Maybe Hogwarts finally expelled him. My dad would be thrilled to hear that."
Darren ignored him.
His gaze shifted to the staff table—specifically, to the witch dressed entirely in pink.
Dolores Umbridge.
Perhaps she sensed his stare.
Umbridge lifted her goblet and looked directly at him. Then she smiled sweetly, drank, and gave him a small, condescending nod.
Darren remembered then—he also had a "reward."
Umbridge's illusion of favor.
In her eyes, he was one of her own.
…No.
Very good.
Had he achieved Umbridge freedom in just second year?
The thought disgusted him immediately.
That toad-like face. The loose, sagging eyelids. The bulging eyes that reminded him of a frog.
One Umbridge was already more than enough.
"Ha! My dad said Umbridge has a great relationship with him. She must've been greeting me just now!" Malfoy said smugly.
Darren nearly rolled his eyes.
But Malfoy's assumption worked in his favor. At least no one would think Darren knew Umbridge—even if she had tested him before.
Darren smiled faintly.
Just then, Professor McGonagall entered the Great Hall, leading a group of first-year students.
The freshmen looked nervous and uneasy, their faces filled with fear and uncertainty.
Darren thought back to his own first year.
He probably had worn the same expression.
Then again, he remembered that he had been pretending back then.
Maybe only other people truly experienced that fear of the unknown.
He had lost both fear and confusion a long time ago.
The thought almost made him laugh.
The Sorting Hat began to sing.
Long ago, when I was brand new,
Hogwarts had not yet been built,
The four founders shaped this noble school…
We must remain united, or everything will crumble from within.
I've told you plainly—now let the sorting begin!
The song ended.
Darren noticed unease spreading across the faces of the students in the hall.
Clearly, many of them were remembering what had happened last year.
Even Malfoy looked unsettled, though he quickly forced his usual arrogant expression back onto his face.
A Malfoy could not show weakness—at least, that was how noble children were raised.
The Slytherin students remained outwardly calm, though no one could tell whether their hands were shaking beneath the table.
The tension lasted until the Sorting Ceremony finally ended.
Only then did Darren notice everyone relaxing slightly.
At that moment, Dumbledore stood up.
Laughing loudly, he said, "Before I say anything else, I suggest everyone eats first."
"Now then—let us begin! Enjoy your dinner!"
Darren was just about to laugh when he suddenly turned his head—
And the pile of buns on the plate in front of him pressed straight into his nose.
For a moment, he thought he saw the expectant eyes of the house-elves.
It was almost certain they wanted him to eat this mountain of buns.
Darren suddenly felt that buns… were really just that.