Chapter 578 Don't Talk Nonsense!!
December's weather grew colder by the day.
As the snow thickened, so did everyone's workload.
Darren's detentions with Snape also started ending earlier and earlier.
Because he stayed up late every night catching up on assignments, the dark circles under his eyes became increasingly obvious. Snape, seeing this, always suspected that Darren had been affected by witnessing the Thestrals Hagrid brought back.
Recently, Snape had stopped assigning him practical tasks altogether.
He only told Darren to rest properly.
He even handed him a bottle of strong Draught of Living Death, telling him to take a sip if he truly couldn't sleep.
Of course, Darren never touched it.
That kind of thing had nothing to do with him. He wasn't about to develop a habit.
So he continued to wander around Snape with dark circles under his eyes, which made Snape's expression grow darker with each passing day.
Meanwhile, Christmas was approaching.
Malfoy and Kassandra had become extremely busy, helping arrange Slytherin affairs within the castle. Hermione and Ron were also constantly running around.
Watching them every day made Darren feel even more exhausted than if he were busy himself. He was secretly very glad he hadn't taken on the role of prefect back then.
There was little authority, but endless chores. He had no interest in being free labor.
As for the DA meetings, they could only be held once before Christmas.
Darren felt that these kids still hadn't realized the true value of the DA coins.
If this were his original world, they would have already discovered how fun it was to "chat."
But now, these students showed almost no reaction at all.
At most, they would respond briefly when Darren announced the time for a DA meeting.
The rest of the time, the coins were completely silent.
Every time he thought about it, Darren felt they were wasting such a good thing.
Sometimes he genuinely wanted to step in and liven things up, but unfortunately, he couldn't.
It didn't fit his image.
Right now, he was a little "holy father," not some chatterbox. He had even started considering setting up an anonymous chat function—surely that would make things livelier.
But then again, would that expose his true nature?
That thought alone gave him a headache.
In the end, he decided to slowly post more updates in the DA group—sharing study progress, small reminders, and similar things. If it went on long enough, they would naturally discover how useful the group could be.
The final DA meeting before Christmas arrived quickly.
Darren didn't plan to teach any new spells. Instead, he had everyone review what they had already learned.
Time passed swiftly.
When he finally announced that everyone could leave and go to bed early, the room erupted in cheers.
As Harry organized everyone to leave, Cho Chang suddenly grabbed Darren at the back of the line.
Darren felt a flicker of tension.
On the surface, however, he only showed a confused expression.
"Cho…"
he called softly.
Only then did he notice tears in her eyes.
"Why are you crying? Who bullied you?"
Darren frowned.
As the Saint Father points trickled in, he saw Cho shake her head desperately.
"No one bullied me. I—I'm just scared… Every time I practice those spells, I think about what happened to you back then, how you were tortured by him.
"Mum and Dad told me to stay away from you. They're afraid you'll offend that person again. But I didn't want to. I never wanted to leave your side…"
Darren looked at her quietly. Cho's face flushed red.
She pointed above Darren's head and said softly, "Look… that's attachment. Back in fourth year, when you chose Hermione… everyone was sad. I was too.
"No girl truly doesn't care about you. You said you didn't want to hurt our feelings, but you also said you didn't believe those feelings were real. Is it really wrong to want some kind of release—something that makes you feel alive, even for a moment?"
Cho stood on her tiptoes, nervous and trembling.
Darren tasted a faint sweetness, like honey.
The scent of her hair lingered around him for a long time.
Until—
"What are you doing?!"
Hermione's cold voice cut through the air.
Darren froze.
He watched as Hermione rushed over and shoved Cho away.
He let out a soft sigh.
Raising his hand, he gently wiped the tears from Cho's face.
"I told you… don't think about this right now," he whispered. "I don't even know how long I'll live. I don't want to use something so reckless as an outlet."
Then he took Hermione's hand and left.
Half an hour later, they were sitting in the Gryffindor common room. Hermione was still burning with anger.
"How could she think something like that?! I never realized she could be so bold!"
She was furious.
Darren leaned back on the sofa, warming himself by the fire, still faintly recalling that feeling.
But when Ron quietly asked what kissing felt like, Darren immediately snapped back to his senses and said righteously, "Don't talk nonsense about this once you're outside. It's bad for the girl.
"She was just acting on impulse. Don't let it become something that shackles her for life.
"People like us, who struggle just to stay alive, have no right to burden others."
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Holy Father +100]
Ron fell silent.
Even Hermione, who had been seething with anger, suddenly lost all her fire. She covered her face and began to cry softly.
"I don't see any hope for you two surviving at all…"
She hugged Darren tightly, trembling.
Late at night, when only the three of them remained in the common room, Hermione finally calmed down.
She looked at Darren and gave a bitter smile. "Sorry… I've been like this a lot lately."
"You're just too tired," Darren said gently, handing her the Draught of Living Death. "Try this—just one spoonful. You'll sleep well. We'll talk tomorrow."
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Holy Father +100]
Hermione looked at the potion in her hand and shook her head helplessly.
"You've reached the point of carrying Draught of Living Death around with you? Darren, you really should go to the hospital wing.
"I don't want you to die at Voldemort's hands… or from insomnia," she said softly.
Darren nodded firmly.
"Believe me. I won't die from this. I'll take care of myself."
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
"I believe you," Hermione said. "No matter what, I pray you survive. I'd trade anything I have for that."