The Return to Hogwarts

Harry gave a wry smile.

“Professor Blaine is not so easy to talk to. After entering the second phase of training, he did not allow anyone to withdraw. Padma is Parvati’s sister. She even wanted to ask Professor Flitwick to plead for them to be allowed to skip physical education class. But in the end, she seemed to give up the idea.”

"Oh--"

Hermione shrugged.

"In fact, Padma did go to Professor Flitwick. She told him that the intensity of physical education classes made it impossible for her to concentrate on her other subjects. Professor Flitwick also spoke to Professor Blaine in private, but Professor Blaine told him that unless he was expelled from Hogwarts, he would not allow any young wizard who had entered the second phase of training to leave his classes."

Seeing Harry's bewildered look, Hermione innocently said,

"Luna told me—"

To be honest, Ron's performance in the first training session wasn't particularly outstanding, but that was to be expected. Even Luna and Neville, who were considered to be very talented in this type of training, performed terribly in their first training session. The fact that Ron didn't immediately cry out that he wanted to give up after the experience was already quite satisfactory.

Harry and Hermione were equally experienced in treating post-training injuries. These injuries might seem serious, but in reality, applying some white peony root would suffice.

Hermione handed the white cinnabar she had brought to Harry and then withdrew for a moment. Harry had Ron lie down on the desk they had used for their dueling theory class, applied the white cinnabar to Ron's back, and left the rest for Ron, who had regained some mobility, to handle himself.

As dusk settled in the west, the last vestiges of sunlight were easily carried away by the howling north wind, and Black Lake finally froze completely in the extremely low temperatures. The cold forced many young wizards to leave the outdoor areas and seek refuge inside the castle, while some daring students even jumped into the frozen surface of Black Lake to skate, their dashing figures earning cheers from the students watching on the shore.

Harry, his friends, and their companions stood by the window for a while, watching the students running amok on the Black Lake, until Filch, who had been informed, rushed over and chased all the students ashore before they turned their attention away.

"I feel much better!"

After resting for more than half an hour, Ron swung his arms, carefully measured himself, and then let out a long sigh of relief, saying happily.

"Alright, that concludes this training session."

Harry glanced at his watch again.

"Dinner won't start for a while yet, so we have enough time before then to finish our morning exercises and then go back to the dorm for a hot shower--"

Hermione agreed with Harry's suggestion, while Ron looked around at the armor that had ravaged him, his face showing fear, but his eyes also revealed a hint of unsatisfaction. However, he also knew very well that he could not become a 'master' all at once.

Ron walked to the starting line, picked up the robe and cloak he had thrown on the ground, and was putting on the first sleeve when—

Click——

The door to the gym classroom was suddenly pushed open, and three people, eager to escape the cold, rushed in. They then noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were about to leave.

Almost the instant the two spotted each other, the atmosphere in the gym classroom froze. Ron, who was halfway dressed, stopped, while Harry and Hermione, who were looking at the newcomers, suddenly focused their gazes.

Draco's somewhat indifferent gaze fell upon Harry, while Pansy Parkinson glanced sideways at Hermione with disdain. Astoria of the Greengrass family, on the other hand, possessed a tranquil demeanor and showed no hostility towards the three Gryffindors.

Harry and Malfoy stared at each other, their thoughts drifting.

Although they met several times a week in various courses, their first real confrontation like this in private seemed to have been at the beginning of the semester when the Daily Prophet got Mr. Weasley's name wrong, and Malfoy made sarcastic remarks about Ron. This conflict even dragged Professor Blaine and Moody into it, and the two professors put on a 'not-so-exciting' confrontation in front of everyone. It was not-so-exciting because Professor Blaine made Professor Moody look quite embarrassed with just a simple spell.

-

Since that incident, Malfoy seemed less inclined to create conflict as before, and before long, he spent more time at school with Parkinson and Greengrass than with Crabbe and Goyle.

All these changes stemmed from Professor Blaine's physical education class, which marked the start of the third phase of instruction.

Draco easily noticed the wariness and disgust in Harry's eyes. At Hogwarts, only Harry Potter would stare at him like that, which annoyed him. However, after a few seconds of hesitation, Draco did not react immediately. He looked away from Harry, only lingered on Hermione for a second before fixing his gaze on that disgraceful pure-blood descendant.

"What's wrong, Weasley?"

Draco, who had easily noticed something amiss, looked at Ron, a mocking smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips.

"Are you starting to change your mind?"

Chapter 679 Dare to have a match?

2024-01-07

Ron's lips tightened, and his cheeks and ears flushed red. He couldn't possibly miss what Malfoy was implying. He couldn't say a word, because Malfoy's sarcasm had struck a nerve regarding something that had been bothering him for some time.

"What Ron does is none of your business, Malfoy—"

Fortunately, Ron wasn't alone. Harry, who had just thought Malfoy had changed somewhat, inwardly mocked his own naiveté. Some people are just born bad, finding pleasure in mocking others—something they'll never change until they die. He strode up to Ron and said with a stern face.

Draco smiled slightly and turned his gaze to Harry.

"I bet you're thrilled, Potter, that your good friend is finally starting to work hard. Maybe you're hoping Weasley will join your dueling team? Oh, and frankly, you have terrible taste in teammates. I mean, he might not even be as good as Longbottom!"

"Speaking of which, how did you come to your senses, Weasley? Was it because you saw a witch of inferior blood thriving in the Triwizard Tournament, and your pride finally gave out?"

When the topic of making a big splash came up, Pansy Parkinson let out a loud laugh, like a cow snorting.

Ron's breathing quickened, but Draco Malfoy did not stop his verbal attack.

"Weasley, didn't you beg Professor Blaine to let you return to the class? Maybe you already did, and then the generous Professor Blaine gave you a chance to clean the classroom for everyone?"

Pansy, who was standing behind Draco, finally couldn't hold back anymore. She clutched her stomach and laughed in a shrill voice.

“At least Ron knows to work hard now. Where are Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle?” Hermione said bluntly.

"They're probably still having breakfast in the Great Hall, aren't they?" Harry asked in a low voice. "Sorry, am I right? Haven't they been in the Great Hall since they got up?"

Malfoy's lips twitched, and the smile on his face faded slightly.

“Has anyone ever told you, Granger—” Pansy Parkinson, who was staring at Hermione’s face, “that you were jumping around in the arena like a female monkey?”

"And what about you, Parkinson's?"

Having been tempered by becoming a Triwizard Tournament champion and completing the first event, Hermione was no longer moved by verbal attacks. However, before she could retort, Harry, with a cold expression, spoke first.

"Like a mad cow?"

"How dare you talk to me like that, Potter! I'll make you pay!"

Pansy's face suddenly contorted with rage. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at Harry, seemingly ready to strike at any moment.

For students in physical education class, pulling out a wand during a conflict is a particularly sensitive matter, so even though Harry desperately wanted to teach Malfoy and his ilk a lesson, he tried his best to restrain himself.

“Then shut your mouth, Parkinson!” Harry snapped.

Hermione glanced at Pansy, who had just pulled out her wand, then fixed her gaze on Draco, a hint of suspicion flashing in her brown eyes.

Draco certainly hadn't forgotten the consequences of using a wand, yet he remained unmoved by Pansy's act of taking out her wand. So, what was he trying to do? Hermione didn't hide her doubts either. She pulled Harry, who was struggling with Parkinson's, aside, looked at Malfoy, and asked directly,

"What exactly do you want, Malfoy? If you're here to train, then make yourself at home. We're just about to leave—"

Why are you in such a hurry to leave?

When Malfoy gave a mocking sneer, he bore a striking resemblance to his father, Lucius Malfoy. Hermione's question once again drew his attention back to Ron.

"You were just practicing dodging dung balls, weren't you, Weasley?"

"So what, Malfoy?"

Ron's cheeks were still flushed as he stared directly at Draco Malfoy, but a sense of unease crept into his heart under Draco's light gray gaze. Ron didn't understand why, as this was something he had never experienced before.

"Do you need me to give you some pointers, Weasley?" Malfoy asked, feigning concern.

Hermione stopped Harry and Ron again, who were about to refute her, as she was already fed up with their pointless conversation. Her long dueling training and experience facing a dragon in the Wars of Champions had given Hermione a chilling aura when her face was covered in frost; even Draco unconsciously narrowed his eyes when faced with Hermione's complete solemnity.

"Let's have a contest, Potter—" Finally, Draco stopped hiding his intentions, and he gestured with his chin toward Harry.

"Let's follow the rules from the course, where we practiced with Professor Blaine in a team format, and see whose team is the best!"

Draco's suggestion surprised even his teammates. Although Pansy pulled out her wand, it was only as a deterrent; she herself did not want to be kicked out of gym class by Professor Blaine.

“Don’t forget, Malfoy—” Hermione said sternly, but Draco interrupted her halfway through her sentence.

“Professor Blaine isn’t at Hogwarts. We just saw him leave the school from downstairs. As long as we keep the classroom doors closed and don’t let anyone in, no one will know we’ve been fighting here. What do you say, Potter?”

How about a real duel with Malfoy?

Harry's emerald green eyes gleamed with an unusual light.

Throughout their physical education classes, they have been training with Professor Blaine, who is hailed as the strongest archmage of their time. They have no chance of gaining the upper hand in the competition and have always been crushed.

This is perfectly normal, but the longer it goes on, the stronger the students' desire to face off against 'normal' opponents becomes, and they all hope to have a thrilling and evenly matched battle.

Harry had the same mentality, and if the opponent were Malfoy, it would be an even better opportunity for him to teach him a lesson.

"Don't fall for it, Harry!"

As Harry's close friend, Hermione immediately sensed his interest. She spoke anxiously, then looked seriously at Malfoy.

"Don't forget, Malfoy, I'm the teaching assistant for this course. I won't allow you to disobey Professor Blaine's orders and duel in private, and I won't participate either!"

“Oh, well—” Malfoy wasn’t surprised by Hermione’s reaction at all. He kept his eyes on Harry, shrugged casually, and smiled mockingly. “I always knew Gryffindors were all bluffers—”

"I attended."

Harry, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

"Don't agree, Harry!" Hermione said angrily. "You know what will happen if Professor Blaine finds out!"

"Calm down, bro--"

Ron also whispered his advice, hoping that Harry would give Malfoy a good beating, but if the price was that Harry and Hermione would be kicked out by Professor Blaine for breaking the rules, he would rather be humiliated by Malfoy.

“I know Malfoy—” Harry said coldly, “This isn’t a trap. He really wants a match, and, well, that suits me perfectly—”

That being said, Harry still had to consider the risks. He narrowed his eyes and stared coldly at Malfoy, whose eyes were filled with delight, and slowly said,

"We can have a contest, Malfoy, but I have a condition!"

"What?" Malfoy finally became solemn.

"The duel will take place between the two of us, without any team tactics."