New chapter!
Thanks for all the support!
x
“And this is…”
Aurelian looked past Draco at the black-haired boy standing behind him.
The boy was thin in an unhealthy way, and he was the one Draco had been speaking to before Aurelian and Catherine entered.
In the next second, Aurelian realized the question was unnecessary.
He had seen the lightning-shaped scar partly hidden beneath the boy’s fringe.
“Someone I just met.
He is a new Hogwarts student too.
Hey, what is your name?”
Draco called out to the boy rather rudely.
Aurelian almost sighed.
So Draco had been talking to him all this time without even learning his name.
“I am Har…”
“Look at that man!”
Just as the boy was about to introduce himself, Draco gave an extremely impolite cry and cut him off.
Aurelian followed the direction of Draco’s finger.
A huge man stood outside the shop, holding two large ice creams and waving in.
From the direction of his wave, he was clearly greeting the boy Draco had been talking to, and the boy’s next words confirmed it.
“That is Hagrid.
He works at Hogwarts.”
For some reason, the boy looked very happy when he saw Hagrid.
“Oh, I have heard of him.
Some sort of servant, is he?”
Draco’s tone was openly disdainful.
“He is the gamekeeper.”
The boy heard the contempt in Draco’s voice, and his dislike showed plainly on his face.
“Yes, exactly.
My father told me about him.
A rough fellow.
A complete oaf.”
Draco still did not seem to notice the boy’s displeasure and continued belittling Hagrid.
“I think he is brilliant.”
The boy’s voice turned colder.
He was beginning to despise Draco.
“Do you?”
Only then did Draco notice the chill in the other boy’s tone.
A mocking smile appeared on his face.
“Then why is he the one with you?
Your fath…”
“Draco, mind your words.
Do not disgrace House Malfoy.”
“Aurelian, you…
Sorry.
I spoke out of turn.”
Draco wanted to ask why, but when he saw Aurelian’s brows draw together, he shrank back and apologized.
Aurelian said nothing.
His face remained cold.
Draco had always felt a measure of awe toward Aurelian.
They had been close since childhood.
Although House Pendragon and House Malfoy had drifted apart over the years, the relationship between the two boys had not suffered.
Draco knew him well enough to understand that this expression meant Aurelian was truly displeased.
“All finished, dear.”
At that moment, the witch beside them, who had been entirely unaffected by the atmosphere while adjusting Draco’s robes, spoke up.
“Then I will see you at Hogwarts.”
Draco looked as if he had been granted a reprieve.
He said goodbye to Aurelian and Catherine, then hurried out of Madam Malkin’s.
“My friend was rude just now.
I apologize for him.”
After Draco left, Aurelian brought Catherine over to the black-haired boy and apologized.
“Oh, it was not your fault.”
Because of Draco, the boy had disliked Aurelian and Catherine at first.
But after seeing Aurelian reprimand Draco, and seeing how polite he was now, most of that dislike had faded.
“My name is Aurelian Pendragon.
This is Catherine.
You are Harry Potter, yes?
It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Aurelian offered his hand.
“How did you know my name?”
Harry shook his hand, surprised.
“Your forehead.”
Aurelian pointed lightly toward Harry’s scar.
Harry understood at once, and his impression of Aurelian and Catherine improved even more.
Aurelian had known who he was from the beginning, yet he had not made a fuss over the scar and had even stopped Draco from mocking him.
To Harry, that made Aurelian seem like a decent person.
“Thank you for helping me earlier.”
“We will all be classmates soon.
Helping each other is only natural.
Now, we still have other things to do, so we will see you another time.”
Aurelian and Catherine’s robes had also been fitted.
They had Madam Malkin wrap everything up, said goodbye to Harry, and left the shop.
“Master Aurelian, I thought you had never cared much for the Savior.
Why help him?”
After leaving Madam Malkin’s, Catherine asked in confusion.
“I did have some reservations because of Dumbledore’s request last year.
But after seeing Harry, I suddenly felt that holding those reservations against him was pointless.”
Aurelian sounded rather emotional.
“You have read the information on him.
His parents were killed by Voldemort when he was still an infant.
Dumbledore placed him with his aunt and uncle, and that family despises wizards.
His life these past years has not been good, and he knows almost nothing about the wizarding world.
Dumbledore’s request may have been for Harry’s sake, but Harry himself knows nothing about it.
I should not place the blame on someone innocent.”
“Besides, insulting someone’s parents is not proper behavior for a noble.
Even if he were not the Savior, I would have stopped Draco.”
Catherine understood then.
No matter what Dumbledore had done, Harry Potter himself had not known about it.
“All right.
Let us go home.”
After explaining, Aurelian suddenly stopped.
“Eh?
But Master Aurelian, we have not bought everything yet.”
Catherine was puzzled.
In the next second, she understood why he had changed his mind.
“Father and Mother already know about the attack at Gringotts.
Bercas, come out.”
With a pop, an elderly house-elf appeared in front of Aurelian.
“Bercas, when did you arrive?”
Catherine was surprised to see him.
“I arrived while Master Aurelian and Miss Catherine were inside Madam Malkin’s,” Bercas said with a bow.
“But Master Aurelian was speaking with the Savior and Draco Malfoy, so I did not show myself.”
After explaining, Bercas turned his attention to Aurelian.
“Master Aurelian, the master and mistress know what happened to you.
They require you to return to the family at once.
Bercas will purchase the remaining supplies for you.”
“I understand.
Troublesome, but I understand.”
With Bercas’s help, Aurelian and Catherine returned directly to the family estate.
What they did not know was that just after they left, Harry Potter and Hogwarts gamekeeper Hagrid came running up, gasping for breath, just in time to see Bercas disappear with Aurelian and Catherine.
“Ha…
Hagrid, did they just…”
Harry stared at the spot where Aurelian and Catherine had vanished, his mouth open in shock.
“Apparition.
Looks like we were worrying for nothing.
House Pendragon already sent someone to fetch them.”
Hagrid braced his hands on his knees and panted for a while before explaining.
After Harry had finished buying his robes and left Madam Malkin’s, he had told Hagrid about meeting Aurelian and Draco.
Hagrid’s expression had changed dramatically.
Without explaining why, he dragged Harry after them, only for both of them to witness Aurelian and Catherine disappearing.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter.