The Return to Hogwarts

Just as Remus's probing gaze lingered on Malfoy and his companions, Crabbe suddenly pulled out a half-eaten lamb chop from behind him.

We've already eaten.

Even though he had just gone through something absurd enough and his mental defenses were somewhat built up, Remus still felt a sense of absurdity when he saw the roasted lamb chop that the big guy Crabbe was holding.

"Oh, interesting, you guys are having a picnic in the owl hut?!"

Perhaps Malfoy was annoyed by Remus's persistent pestering, because he spoke bluntly.

"This is none of your business, Professor Remus Lupin!"

Being disliked to this extent finally annoyed Remus. He nodded, abandoning his attempt to reason with the three eccentric young wizards, and quickly found a school owl that seemed reliable enough. He slipped the envelope into the owl's claws and whispered something.

"This is urgent. Please do it as soon as possible, at least bring back a reply."

Watching the owl's silhouette gradually become a black dot in the vast sky until it disappeared from sight, Remus breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew his gaze.

"So--"

Remus glanced indifferently at the little wizard who stood there like a wooden stake.

"I'll take my leave now. Wishing you a Merry Christmas!"

Fearing something might go wrong in the office, Remus turned and left swiftly after saying those words, unaware of the hint of fear and pleading in Malfoy's grey eyes as he turned away.

The owls here were already quite familiar with Malfoy and his companions. After Remus left, many owls landed back on the ground and slowly pecked at the sparse grass seeds in the fluffy straw.

What happened to Remus Lupin that made him rush to write a letter to Amost Blaine on Christmas Day?

A few minutes later, when everything returned to normal, a mouse with a missing front paw silently appeared on Malfoy's shoulder.

Chapter 256 Malfoy, the Target

Let's go back to early November.

The torrential rain shook the world. The vast Black Lake trembled in the waves stirred up by the gale. In the deep, bottomless waters, a huge black shadow was agitated by the turbulent lake. It swung its tentacles covered with huge suckers and slammed them against the dark green rocks from time to time, causing the Slytherin common room, which was adjacent to the Black Lake, to shake from time to time.

"That ugly beast is throwing a tantrum again!"

Daphne cast a chilling glance at the giant squid ravaging the area outside the glass window.

If it were any of the other three houses' young wizards, they would be trembling with excitement if they had the chance to see the legendary giant squid in the Black Lake. But for the students of Slytherin, it was just an ordinary sight. Whenever the lake surface rippled, this big guy would always throw a little tantrum because he was disturbed from his slumber.

It was around noon, and there weren't many students in the Slytherin common room, which was filled with the glowing green lights. Most of the people there were gathered around the beautifully carved fireplace, continuing their conversation from the previous night, talking with awe about the unexpected incident that had occurred during the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff the day before.

“I don’t understand why Draco would do that. He clearly hates that silly boy Potter so much.”

Pansy Parkinson looked haggard and heartbroken.

"This is indeed puzzling—"

Outside the window, where the water rippled, the giant squid, venting its frustration, spotted a group of unfortunate Grindylos passing by. It turned its attention to them, spitting out a series of bubbles large enough to fit Hagrid, and waving its tentacles like whips, whipping the hapless sea monsters around in circles.

This scene bored Daphne, so she looked away and patted Pansy on the shoulder.

"From any perspective, Draco's actions can be considered a betrayal. If it weren't for his presumptuous actions, we would never have lost to those stupid and reckless lions of Gryffindor. We should have been the ones shining in front of Professor Blaine!"

"I don't want you to say that about Draco, Daphne!"

To Daphne's surprise, Pansy didn't seem pleased by her words. Instead, she pointed at her with a sharp gaze and said arrogantly,

"And you're not qualified, Daphne. Don't forget, your family has many businesses that rely on the Malfoy family's support to survive. You should show some respect to Draco!"

After an awkward silence, Daphne nodded reluctantly.

“You’re right, Pansy—”

She initially agreed with what Pansy said, but then she abruptly changed the subject, saying...

“But I must tell you, Pansy, most of us—I mean Theodore, Blaise, Millison—have reached a consensus that Draco must pay for his betrayal. We won't be involved in cleaning the owl sheds today, unless—”

"Unless what, Daphne?"

Before Pansy could express her anger at Daphne's words, a cold voice suddenly came from behind them, making both Daphne and Percy turn pale.

It was Draco Malfoy and his two loyal supporters, Crabbe and Goyle.

In the current magical world, apart from a limited number of holy pure-blood families with prominent status in the Ministry of Magic, the Malfoy family, with its astonishing wealth, is probably the most powerful and influential. Daphne and Pansy were both a little intimidated by the wrath of the direct heir of such an important family.

Before Daphne could explain her earlier remarks, Draco, chin held high, stared coldly at her, his tone utterly contemptuous.

"Do I need to apologize to you, um, Daphne?"

"Shouldn't you explain yourself, Draco?"

Daphne couldn't be disrespectful to Draco. Suppressing her anger, she pointed to the ground and explained, somewhat resentfully,

"You've let everyone down. Theodore, Blaise, Millison, and I worked so hard to buy time for Slytherin, but you spent your energy trying to save Potter—"

“I don’t need to explain anything to you, Daphne—”

Draco spoke bluntly, but when he saw the heartbroken Pansy, his expression wavered slightly. After a brief hesitation, he straightened his face and said...

“But since you’ve all reached a consensus, fine, I’ll deal with that hairy beast’s shed—”

“I can help too, Draco.”

Without hesitation, Pansy stared adoringly at the domineering Draco Malfoy and said dreamily.

“No need, Pansy, I don’t lack support.”

Draco gave Crabbe and Goyle, who were standing behind him, a thumbs-up, and then turned and left.

Gryffindor lost their match against Hufflepuff, and the weak and incompetent Potter fell from the sky because of a Dementor. It is said that even his Nimbus 2000 was reduced to a pile of fragments. Professor Blaine displayed his great power and directly imprisoned the Dementor that the Ministry of Magic had sent to guard the gates of Hogwarts.

These things had initially made Draco feel happy and excited, but Daphne's silly words had completely ruined his mood. However, he couldn't find a suitable reason to explain his behavior. He couldn't very well tell them that he was still trying to repay Potter for the small favor he had done for him in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class earlier this year.

If that's the case, then Draco can be certain that he will become a complete laughingstock in Slytherin from now on.

It was lunchtime, and the air in the Great Hall was filled with the rich aroma of food. As they passed through the foyer, Crabbe and Goyle stared longingly at the seemingly glowing delicacies on the long table, their mouths watering.

“Can we go over and get something to eat, Draco—” Goyle said sheepishly. “We’re so hungry we can’t even walk.”

“Disturbing the sanitation is hard work, Draco,” Crabbe pleaded softly, “we’ll starve.”

"Do you really think I'd spend most of the day in that stinking stone house, Crabbe, Goyle?"

Draco, his face pale with anger, scolded him with a look of utter disappointment.

"I plan to just go over there for a bit, give Professor Blaine an explanation, and then I'll be right back. Let's hurry up, we can make it back for lunch!"

Three hurried steps led them up the west tower, where they stopped outside the shed.

Upon opening the door, a strong smell of bird droppings hit him, making Malfoy feel nauseous.

Malfoy the Owlhouse often came over, but when he actually needed to clean the stone house, he realized how stinky it was.

Crabbe and Gore were quite self-aware; as soon as they entered the house, they went to the corner of the cobweb-covered shed where brooms and other cleaning tools were kept, rolled up their sleeves, and prepared to get to work.

"Put down those stupid guys you're holding—"

Seeing Crabbe and Goyle looking completely bewildered, Malfoy became even more furious. He lifted his foot and looked with disgust at the bird droppings and undigested rat bones stuck to the sole of his foot.

"Are the wands you carry in your pockets just for show?"

“But we don’t know those cleaning spells, Draco—”

Crabbe and Gore exchanged a glance and said in unison in their simple, honest voices.

"Then just do whatever you want,"

As Draco pulled his wand from his pocket, he said impatiently, "Just let people know we were here!"

Well, with Draco's orders, Crabbe and Goyle finally found their way. After Malfoy stepped back onto the threshold, the two of them started gesturing with their wands around the room, looking as sluggish as trolls wandering around with sticks.

Crabbe seemed to want his wand to spray some water to clean the ground, but somehow, a small orange flame shot out from the tip of the wand. With a whoosh, the flame leaped into the air and blew off the tail feathers of an owl!

They had really stirred up a hornet's nest. The owls that were resting on the perches of the high tree were furious. They all spread their wings and took flight. Several owls swooped down on Crabbe and Gower's heads and pecked at them with their sharp beaks, while most of the owls, while suspended in mid-air, used their trump card.

Snapped!

Malfoy, who was standing at the door watching the commotion, suddenly felt a warm sensation on his lips. Instinctively, he wiped it with his hand and then looked at it, only to find a sticky, grayish-brown, indescribable substance.

"You. You"

In an instant, a furious Malfoy drew his wand and leaped into the room, roaring at the agitated owls.

"You beasts, I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!!!"

Chapter 257 Bad Luck Strikes

With Malfoy joining the 'battlefield,' Crabbe and Goyle also completely let loose.

They used the opportunity to vent their anger by teasing the owls. Streaks of magical light grazed the owls' wings, scaring the little creatures into chirping and screaming. Many frightened owls lost their way and crashed into the hard stone wall, losing consciousness.

"Ha ha, look at these idiots!" Amidst the crackling sounds, Malfoy's laughter was particularly shrill. "I have something even more amusing!"

A dragon has emerged from its cave!

As he spoke, Malfoy suddenly flicked his wrist, and a wisp of black smoke immediately burst from the head of his wand. The smoke transformed into a long, wrist-thick black serpent the moment it landed. The serpent raised its head, gazing at the owls flying around, occasionally flicking its scarlet tongue.