“That’s not fair!
Why am I the only one in a different dormitory?”
At their first breakfast at Hogwarts, Pansy’s complaints nearly drowned out the warm scent of pancakes and the wisps of steam rising from the breakfast tea.
“If you’re that unhappy, you could always complain to Professor Snape.”
Seeing Pansy so unusually frustrated, Draca struggled not to laugh as she made the suggestion with a straight face.
“Heartless Miss Malfoy…”
Pansy glanced toward Professor Snape’s seat at the High Table, then slumped over the long table with a pout, burying her face in her arms as she muttered her complaint.
Seeing her so dejected, Draca and Daphne exchanged amused looks.
The moment the three girls had entered the Great Hall, they had attracted quite a few curious gazes.
After all, the Malfoys were one of the most important families in the wizarding world.
Being close to Draca naturally meant that Pansy and Daphne quickly became subjects of conversation around the school as well.
So Pansy’s dispirited behavior naturally drew plenty of surprised looks.
Many students had assumed that young ladies from the traditional families of the Sacred Twenty-Eight would never casually display their emotions in front of outsiders.
“Don’t be upset.
Apart from sleeping, we’re still together all the time.”
Daphne had initially been somewhat uncomfortable with Pansy’s complete disregard for table manners, but now she simply patted her friend gently and comforted her in a soft voice.
“But I want to be in the same room as you two…”
Pansy’s voice sounded genuinely dejected.
“I’ll ask about it for you…”
Draca could only answer with a mixture of exasperation and amusement, while shooting a cold glare at several students who kept sneaking looks in their direction.
Before she could finish, however, her voice was drowned out by a wave of excited chatter spreading across the Great Hall.
“Is he here?”
“I see him, I see him!
That one!
Beside the tall red-haired boy!”
“The one with the glasses?”
“Can you see his scar?”
The voices were filled with excitement.
Even Pansy raised her head, joining Daphne in looking toward the entrance.
“Harry Potter again?”
Draca didn’t even turn around.
She simply asked in an icy tone.
“Looks like he’s coming to breakfast with one of the Weasleys.”
Pansy hadn’t even finished explaining before Draca abruptly rose from her seat. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“I’ve lost my appetite.
I’m going back to get ready for class.”
Without waiting for Pansy or Daphne to react, she headed straight for the doors.
A crowd of students had gathered to stare at Harry, blocking the way.
Draca gave a few impatient coughs.
Once the students hurriedly opened a path for her, she strode through and muttered just loudly enough to freeze the lively atmosphere around them.
“Utterly vulgar.”
Draca’s first week of classes at Hogwarts proved somewhat harder than she’d expected, though it wasn’t without its rewards.
To her growing annoyance, she discovered that quite a few professors, just like the students, reacted to Harry Potter’s arrival with a level of excitement that hardly seemed appropriate for teachers.
Charms, for example, had once been one of the subjects she’d eagerly anticipated.
That changed the moment Professor Flitwick reached Harry Potter’s name during roll call, became so excited that he toppled backward off his platform, and instantly sent the subject plunging to the bottom of Draca’s personal rankings.
If Professor Flitwick hadn’t spent the rest of the lesson repeatedly emphasizing that the key to successfully casting a spell wasn’t blindly waving one’s wand, but first understanding the principles behind the spell, Draca might have mentally placed Charms even below History of Magic.
“Understand magic.
Don’t merely rely on your wand.”
It was a principle Severus had drilled into her since childhood.
Professor Flitwick clearly held a similar view.
Although he allowed the students to take out their wands and practice spellcasting toward the end of class, most of the lesson was spent understanding how to pronounce incantations and move one’s wand in order to direct magic effectively.
Draca soon discovered that some professors behaved in ways that made it difficult to understand how they had ever qualified to teach at Hogwarts.
Defense Against the Dark Arts, which Pansy had been looking forward to most, was exactly that sort of class.
Professor Quirrell frequently turned deathly pale and spent his time solemnly recounting tales of his adventures, yet never seriously explained what Dark Magic actually was or how the students were supposed to defend themselves against it.
On the other hand, some professors spoke with genuine wisdom and possessed strength that couldn’t be underestimated.
Flitwick was one of them.
Even though his reaction to Harry Potter had made Draca roll her eyes several times, still…
Professor McGonagall, who taught Transfiguration and was also Head of Gryffindor House, was another.
Unlike the mild-tempered Professor Flitwick, who preferred patient explanations, Professor McGonagall began her very first lesson with a stern warning.
“Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts.”
“Anyone who fools around in my class will leave immediately and will never be allowed back into my classroom.”
Then she tapped her wand and transformed the teacher’s desk into a pig.
Pansy and Daphne were thrilled.
Draca, however, merely continued taking careful notes while privately disagreeing.
Severus had also told her that Potions was the most complex and dangerous subject.
And between the always-strict Professor McGonagall and Severus, Draca obviously trusted Severus’s declaration more.
By the time the bell rang to end Transfiguration, Draca finally confirmed what she considered the greatest achievement of her first week at Hogwarts. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
During their first exercise in turning a matchstick into a needle, Draca had been the only Slytherin student to successfully transform the match’s tip into the point of a needle.
She had still been frustrated by her incomplete transformation when Professor McGonagall gave her rare praise.
Slytherin received five points for Draca’s excellent performance.
That also made her the first first-year student to earn points for Slytherin.
After class, quite a few first-years happily crowded around her.
Daphne and Pansy simply stood to one side, smiling quietly.
Draca looked at them and gave a playful blink.
Clearly, all three understood that as far as Draca was concerned, becoming one of Slytherin’s main first-year point earners in the race for the House Cup was only natural.
What truly pleased her about Professor McGonagall’s praise was the valuable information that came with it.
Apparently, across the entire year, only the Gryffindor girl named Hermione Granger had managed to successfully transform her matchstick.
The famous Harry Potter, it seemed, was nothing more than a reputation.
“Feeling pleased with yourself?
Looks like you’ve beaten Harry Potter.”
On the way back to the common room, Pansy whispered cheerfully into Draca’s ear.
“We’ll get to see for ourselves in Potions tomorrow, won’t we?”
Draca answered calmly, trying to suppress the satisfaction in her heart.
Professor McGonagall’s implications suggested that Harry Potter’s performance had been thoroughly ordinary, but Draca still needed to witness it personally before she could confirm that he was no threat worth worrying about.
Then she couldn’t help frowning.
“Still…”
Before she could continue, Daphne picked up the thought.
“That girl called Granger?”
“She really does seem impressive.
Everyone’s been talking about her.”
“It’s just…
she doesn’t seem very popular.”
Draca turned toward her in surprise, her eyes widening.
She hadn’t expected Daphne to be so interested in student gossip.
Daphne seemed to notice Draca’s surprise and gave a slightly embarrassed smile as she explained softly,
“Everyone’s afraid of you and Pansy, so they come talk to me instead…”
“Yes, yes.
Everyone loves the sweetest and gentlest Miss Greengrass.”
“Ahh…!”
Pansy pinched Daphne’s cheeks as she teased her, leaving Daphne able to do nothing but protest helplessly.
It really helps the fic grow!