HP: She married Malfoy after becoming an exchange student.

[Charms Lesson]

After Harry's spell failed again, Hermione Granger tried to help him, only to be met with Ron's sarcastic remark, "Look, our great professor is here to help again."

"Get away from me! Do you think you're Reinhardt?"

Hermione's eyes reddened, and she silently walked away.

…………

The bell rang, and Ron was still complaining to Harry in the hallway, his expression exaggerated: "She's a complete freak, no wonder nobody wants to be friends with her."

"Uh..." Harry remained silent, his eyes glancing awkwardly at Hermione as she walked past him. He could faintly hear the girl sobbing, and the hem of her robe traced a sad arc as she walked away.

"Ron, I think she heard you."

"So what?" Ron said, but a hint of unease crept in his voice. "She must have noticed that she doesn't have a single friend."

"Oh dear, aren't poor bastards supposed to be the most united? Bullying a girl?" Draco slowly strolled over, raising an eyebrow dismissively, with Elias following behind, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"Shut up, Malfoy!!!" the red-haired boy roared angrily, his eyes practically spitting fire.

"You even needed someone to teach you how to levitate before, and you're still so rude to them. Didn't your family tell you to stop?"

Draco's gray eyes gleamed with a mischievous light. "Oh—I forgot, the Weasleys are so poor they even use secondhand wands, they don't have time to worry about manners!"

"Your house used to be full of Death Eaters..." Ron's reckless words were interrupted by Elias.

"Watch your words, Ron Weasley!" Elias stepped forward, shielding Draco behind him, his eyes dark and warning as he looked at the red-haired boy.

"I'm not going to stoop to your level," Ron said firmly, but eventually shut up, stiffened his neck, and pulled Harry up. "Let's go."

"off"

Draco stood smugly behind Elias, watching the two figures walk away, but he didn't say anything more unpleasant. He just stared at the sleeve of the person in front of him, lost in thought.

Elias noticed Draco's distraction and assumed he was still bothered by Ron's words, so he whispered reassuringly, "There's no need to get angry over irrelevant people."

Draco snorted, his nose twitching high.

This small conflict was like a pebble thrown into a lake; it didn't create huge waves, but it left ripples in everyone's hearts.

As the days drew to a close with the falling snowflakes, the long-awaited Halloween finally arrived.

Pumpkins grown by Hagrid were also displayed in the castle hall. A giant pumpkin, half a person's height, was carved into a giant lantern, with a candle flame lit inside and its triangular eyes glowing with a faint red light.

Hundreds of candles danced in the air above the hall, their melted wax dripping down the pine needles and forming tiny beads on the floor. Ghosts roamed freely among the tables and chairs, occasionally startling the young wizard into screaming.

Four long tables were set with roasted potatoes, roasted turkey, and piles of pudding. The air was filled with the aroma of meat and wine. Even the armor was wearing pumpkin hats, which occasionally jingled and clattered when they were turned.

At the Slytherin table, Crabbe and Goyle were engrossed in their third turkey, oil dripping from their mouths onto their silver plates.

Pansy Parkinson listlessly fiddled with the Halloween pudding on her plate, glancing at the absent-minded Draco beside her. "Malfoy, what are you looking at? What's so interesting about Gryffindor?"

Draco looked away, a few snowflakes clinging to his platinum blonde hair—he had just taken a stroll in the yard with Elias.

"Nothing much," he said casually, poking at the pudding with his silver fork, "I just find it ridiculous that Potter, all poor and shabby, is sitting at the table."

Even so, my gaze involuntarily drifted toward Gryffindor, where Harry and Ron were huddled together talking, and Hermione sat not far away, holding a cup of hot cocoa, her face devoid of any smile.

Elias, sitting beside him and leisurely slicing a piece of ham, glanced up at the question: "I heard that for this year's Halloween feast, the house-elves specially made a flaming whiskey-flavored pudding. Want to try some?"

The silver-haired man pushed the pudding on his plate a little closer, his eyes carrying their usual gentleness.

Draco frowned, but still forked a piece and put it in his mouth—the sweet caramel flavor mixed with a faint aroma of alcohol spread on his tongue.

"not bad"

The noble young Malfoy gave an affirmative assessment. Of course, he would be even more credible if he didn't wrinkle his nose.

Elias took in all of Draco's lively little expressions, a gentle smile blooming on his face, his eyes curving into a soft arc, utterly tender.

Pansy felt a chill run down her spine watching their interaction, shook her head, and went off to find food.

Just as everyone was enjoying the festive atmosphere of Christmas Eve, a commotion suddenly broke out at the entrance of the hall.

Several younger students rushed in, shouting, "Troll! There's a troll in the basement classroom!"

The entire hall fell silent for a second, then erupted in chaotic gasps. Professor McGonagall jumped to her feet, wand pointed straight at the door: "Perfects! Take the students back to their dormitories! Gryffindors, follow me!"

Draco stood up with the crowd, but his heart skipped a beat. He immediately turned to look at the Gryffindor dining table; Hermione was nowhere to be seen!

"What's wrong?" Elias noticed his hesitant steps and asked in a low voice.

Draco bit his lip, said nothing, but suddenly turned and walked in the opposite direction.

Crabbe, his mouth full of food, mumbled, "Malfoy? Where are you going?" Pansy frowned, "Are you crazy? Trolls are dangerous!" Even Theodore, who was usually quiet, showed his disapproval.

Elias didn't ask any further questions, but quickly followed him, his voice extremely low: "To the cellar?"

Draco nodded, quickening his pace: "I just noticed... Granger seems to have gone that way."

He himself couldn't explain why he was meddling in Gryffindor's affairs, which was completely inconsistent with Malfoy's selfishness. Perhaps it was because Granger was crying so pitifully...

Before the two even turned into the corridor leading to the cellar, they heard a dull thud, mixed with a girl's suppressed scream.

Draco's heart tightened, and he quickened his pace to turn the corner—he saw a giant covered in dark green, hard hide swinging its thick, clumsy arms toward the women's restroom, the door teetering precariously. Through the crack in the door, he could vaguely see Hermione's huddled figure.

"Damn it!"

Draco cursed under his breath. Of course, he didn't rush up to confront the giant; that would be too stupid and unbecoming of Malfoy.

Taking advantage of the troll's turn, Draco swiftly pulled a flashbang given to him by his father from his pocket (a small self-defense gadget commonly used by pure-blood families; it doesn't hurt people but can create a bright light), flicked his wrist, and accurately smashed it at the troll's feet.

"boom--"

A blinding white light exploded, and the giant roared furiously, stopped what it was doing, and reached out to rub its eyes.

Taking advantage of those few seconds, Hermione, who had been curled up, finally reacted and scrambled to hide under the sink further away.

Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps came from not far away, and in a few moments, two red figures rushed over from the other end of the corridor—it was Harry and Ron.

Facing the towering troll, Ron barely managed to stand behind it, wand in hand, a bead of cold sweat sliding down his forehead, but he still stubbornly shouted, "Hey! Big oaf! Look this way!" The troll was indeed drawn in, turning around and staring intently at them with its murky eyes.

Harry seized the opportunity to circle around behind the troll, his wand trembling like a leaf in the wind, yet precisely aimed at the back of the troll's head. The boy almost closed his eyes and shouted "Yugardim Leviosa (Lingering Charm)".

The toilet door, which the giant used as a weapon, was instantly lifted into the air.

Troll: ? ? ?

This huge and ugly creature was clearly not very smart. It first scratched its head in confusion before letting out an angry roar.

While the troll was scratching its head, Ron immediately followed up with a "Yugadimmleviosa," which, although it missed the back of the head, struck its knee. The troll's legs buckled, one leg lifted high, and it lost its balance, crashing to the ground with a thud that shook the corridor.

Hermione rushed out of the bathroom, tears still on her face. When she saw Harry and Ron, her eyes instantly reddened: "What are you doing here?"

"We heard you didn't go back to the dorm!" Ron said gruffly, his cheeks flushed.

Draco stood in the shadows, watching this scene, a slight smirk playing on his lips. Elias gently nudged his arm: "Let's go, the prefect should be coming soon."

As the two turned to walk back, the sounds of Professor McGonagall and the other teachers approaching grew louder.

Draco glanced back; Harry and Ron were awkwardly comforting Hermione, the three small figures close together in the dimly lit corridor. He snorted and quickened his pace.

"What? You think they're stupid?" Elias's voice was laced with laughter.

"It's not stupidity, it's recklessness." Draco kicked a pebble on the ground. "Dealing with trolls isn't that easy." But he felt inexplicably relieved—at least Granger, who always liked to steal his thunder, wasn't really in trouble.

The melody of Halloween carols drifted from the end of the corridor, mingling with the laughter of students in the distance. Draco looked up at the window; snowflakes were still falling softly, completely covering the castle's spires.

(On a side note: I've seen many fans worried about writing about Drogba and Heechul, and I just want to say loudly: Don't be afraid!!! The pairing will not be broken up or reversed.)