"Malfoy, thank you very much for the juice," Hydrus said with a smile as she twisted the cap back on the bottle. "But I ate far too much at breakfast. If you'd brought it before the meal, that would've been perfect."
"Oh… oh…" Draco looked flustered. "Um—Snakescale Fruit is really rare. It's not the same thing as the Muggle version. You'll… you'll drink it, right?"
"You even know about the Muggle version of Snakescale Fruit?" Hydrus praised lightly. "Impressive."
Malfoy forced a smile, but there was no joy in it at all.
"Don't worry," Hydrus continued calmly. "I won't waste it."
She waved, turned, and walked away.
Only then did Draco relax. His expression was complicated—so much so that it was impossible to tell whether he was relieved or anxious.
He rubbed his arms hard and muttered, "Why is it so cold? How does she put up with this?"
How does she put up with it?
Simple: Galleons.
Hydrus's clothes were top-tier enchanted items—impervious to heat and cold alike.
As soon as she left the Great Hall, Hydrus vanished with a soft crack and reappeared in the kitchens.
"Little Master!"
Hydrus patted Momo's head and handed her the bottle of juice laced with love potion.
"Mix this into the milk and place it in front of Aronia Rorl."
"Yes, Little Master!"
Momo didn't care about right or wrong. If the Little Master ordered it, she would do it.
After all, the Little Master was always right.
The morning class was Ancient Runes.
Hydrus discovered that Nicolas Flamel truly knew his craft.
Though he had only taught her for a month and a half, her level of runic mastery already far surpassed that of her peers.
Of course, that also had something to do with her… personal advantages.
Two souls came with certain perks.
She listened through the morning lessons with ease.
As soon as class ended, she went straight to Professor Bathsheda Babbling to request an exemption.
"Professor, this academic year I need to complete coursework that normally takes other students five years," Hydrus said sincerely. "My schedule is extremely tight. And I already studied runes with Professor Flamel through July and August."
She asked eagerly, "So… could I be exempted from Ancient Runes?"
Professor Babbling had large eyes, dark circles beneath them, and long black hair draped over her shoulders. She studied Hydrus for a moment before speaking in a voice that was airy and melodic.
"Then I'll need to test your proficiency."
She took out a thick book. "I'll open to a random page. Translate it for me."
Hydrus shook her head. "That's The Book of Hieroglyphs. Professor Flamel wrote it. I can recite it for you instead."
Professor Babbling fell silent.
Hydrus successfully obtained her exemption from Ancient Runes.
Though it took a bit of time, she still made it to lunch.
—She had, once again, forgotten to eat in her dormitory. Tonight. Definitely tonight.
"Hydrus, did you hear?" Iselin whispered from a few seats away. "Senior Rorl has gone completely mad!"
Hydrus widened her eyes. "What happened?"
"She suddenly started aggressively pursuing Mr. Filch!"
Iselin looked horrified. "It's terrifying! She even skipped Professor Snape's Potions class this morning just to cling to Filch and demand he be her boyfriend—and he actually agreed!"
"Salazar above!"
"Professor Snape even deducted two points from Slytherin. That's how angry he was!"
"Wow," Hydrus said, mouth agape in apparent shock. "She's truly a brave warrior in pursuit of love."
"Huh?" Iselin blinked.
Hydrus smiled serenely. "She must have discovered Mr. Filch's hidden charm."
The star witch concluded solemnly, "Everyone has their merits. When someone finally notices them, even a stone can become gold. You shouldn't look down on Mr. Filch."
Iselin felt Hydrus made… a strange kind of sense.
Still, something felt off.
At the Slytherin table, Draco deliberately sat at the very edge, eyes darting around, not daring to look at Hydrus.
Damn it. Why did the love potion end up being drunk by Senior Rorl herself?
That wasn't how magic was supposed to work!
But was hiding useful?
Could anyone truly escape the clutches of a terrifying elder cousin?
After lunch, Draco was cornered by Hydrus in the broom closet.
"Draco Malfoy," she asked quietly, "do you know why I brought you here?"
Draco lowered his head, silent.
Hydrus sighed. Lecturing him in this identity would probably go straight over his head.
She released her Metamorphmagus transformation.
"Draco. Look at me."
His head snapped up.
The voice had changed.
When he saw Hydrus's true face, his mind went blank.
"H-Hydrus?!"
Audrey Astre was actually his cousin—Hydrus Lestrange?
Draco's brain short-circuited.
"C-cousin…"
He lowered his head again.
What had he done?
"Draco, are you stupid?"
Hydrus grabbed his ear and forced him to look at her, furious and disappointed all at once.
"As the future heir of the Malfoy family, how can you let someone use you so easily?"
"Talk. What really happened?"
Draco didn't dare hide anything and confessed everything.
The memories of his cousin's childhood "discipline" were still vivid—she absolutely would smack him if he disobeyed.
Not to mention, his father had made things very clear.
This woman was that man's daughter.
After hearing everything, Hydrus asked calmly, "If you'd succeeded, did you ever consider the consequences?"
Consequences?
Wouldn't it just be your reputation ruined?
Seeing Draco's blank expression, Hydrus was speechless.
Lucius, can you actually teach a child properly?
"Listen carefully," she said. "If I'd been affected, the school would have launched a full investigation. And last night, when you broke into Filch's office—you weren't as unseen as you thought."
Draco's face went pale.
"I was seen?"
"When I suffer, you suffer too. And the real instigator walks away clean—because you have no proof she ordered you to do it."
Draco's mouth fell open.
He'd spent the entire night planning how to make Hydrus drink the potion, even sacrificing the precious Snakescale Fruit. He wasn't stupid.
But clever tricks weren't the same as wisdom.
"But… but now Senior Rorl was affected," he protested weakly. "Won't I still be exposed?"
Hydrus shook her head. "It'll be fine. I'll take you to the Headmaster and explain."
"The Headmaster?"
"Of course. Didn't you know? Every painting in this castle is one of Dumbledore's eyes."
"What?!"
"Nothing escapes him," she added lightly. "Better to explain it yourself than wait for him to come knocking. After all, the one who started this was Aronia herself."
"Oh, and one more thing."
Hydrus shifted back into Audrey's appearance.
"You keep my identity secret. Fewer than four people in this entire school know who I really am."
"If you dare leak it—"
Draco looked at her like a newly adopted puppy, frightened and obedient.
"How would I dare, Cousin?"
"Hmph. You'd better remember that."
Snape strode out of the Headmaster's office, his face dark as thunder.
Draco Malfoy, that idiot.
Aronia Rorl, that useless fool.
Look at what you've done!
Slytherin had lost one hundred points.
No—one hundred and two.
He exhaled slowly.
Detention. Severe detention.
But thinking of Lucius and Narcissa's request to look after Draco only made him more irritated.
In the end, the punishment was set.
Draco Malfoy: detention for one month.
Aronia Rorl: detention for an entire academic year.
Useless, the lot of them.
Was this really Slytherin?
As for Audrey Astre?
She had reported the incident—but she was the victim.
Hmm.
Snape suddenly spoke, "Audrey Astre upheld justice and reported a violation. Slytherin gains fifty points."
Snape walked away briskly.
Draco left the Headmaster's office alone.
Points had been deducted, and judging by Professor Snape's expression, further punishment was inevitable.
But at least… it was over.
He sulked for two seconds—
Then broke into a grin.
Who would've thought?
Audrey Astre was actually his cousin.
Wasn't that even cooler than "Lucius Malfoy is my father"?
Too bad he couldn't tell anyone.
Truly a waste.
An absolute, tragic waste.