Pansy stared at the expressions on their faces in confusion, completely unable to understand what was wrong with what she’d just done.
“That would be terribly rude,” Daphne said, shaking her head.
“There’s no need to rush.
We’ll find out at the Sorting Ceremony anyway,” Draca added, looking helplessly at Pansy.
Pansy shrugged and nodded.
Evidently, she wasn’t particularly determined to find out the black-haired boy’s identity either.
Although the Parkinson and Greengrass families weren’t as prominent as the Malfoys, all three girls had grown up with plenty of opportunities to meet well-known figures in the wizarding world because of their families.
Their feelings toward Harry Potter were therefore much like Draca’s.
It was hard not to be curious about a child their own age who already possessed such legendary achievements and fame.
Beside the platform, the deep crimson steam locomotive suddenly released a series of whistles, reminding everyone that it was time to board.
“Are you all right?
Why are you suddenly frowning like that?”
The three girls were just about to turn back and say goodbye to their parents when Pansy noticed the sudden change in Draca’s expression.
“It’s nothing.”
Draca shook her head and forced a smile.
The three girls returned to their parents, politely greeted Mr.
and Mrs.
Crabbe and Mr.
and Mrs.
Goyle when they approached, and also exchanged greetings with Crabbe and Goyle themselves.
“Little Draca!
Don’t worry about anyone bullying you at school.”
“Our Crabbe will protect you properly.”
“Goyle too, right?
Boy, make sure you do a good job as her bodyguard!”
Mr.
Crabbe and Mr.
Goyle spoke in their rough voices.
“Thank you, Mr.
Crabbe, Mr.
Goyle.”
Draca could faintly sense that her mother wasn’t particularly fond of the way the two wizards spoke.
“But Crabbe and Goyle will need to make friends of their own as well.”
With a sweet smile, Draca thanked them while gracefully declining their goodwill at the same time.
Narcissa lightly patted her daughter’s back in approval.
The whistle sounded again. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
After embracing Lucius and Narcissa, Draca rose slightly onto her toes and kissed each of her parents on the cheek.
“Be careful on the way, and take care of yourself, Draca.”
“If you get homesick, tell Severus whenever you like.
You can use the fireplace in his office…”
Her mother and father offered different kinds of advice.
Lucius was clearly having a harder time letting his beloved daughter leave home.
Draca nodded.
She could barely contain her excitement, yet at the same time, a faint sense of unease and melancholy rose within her.
With Crabbe and Goyle clearing a path ahead, Draca boarded the train together with Pansy and Daphne.
Only then did they discover that their luggage had already been loaded aboard under their parents’ arrangements, and that two compartments had been reserved for them.
Without saying a word, Crabbe and Goyle disappeared into the smaller of the two compartments, leaving the one with a clear view of the platform to the girls.
“So?
What exactly happened to you just now?”
Before they had even settled into their seats, Pansy finally lost patience and questioned Draca.
Daphne also looked deeply interested.
“That boy.
It looks like he’s gotten mixed up with that red-haired family.”
“You really do care about him!”
“Red hair?
The Weasleys?”
Ignoring Pansy’s teasing, Draca nodded at Daphne’s question, her delicate brows slowly drawing together.
Although Draca had never personally met any of the Weasleys, she had heard her father speak of them before.
The Weasley family had once been a highly respected old pure-blood wizarding family, but after abandoning what they considered wizarding principles, they had fallen so far as to be branded “blood traitors.”
Even after wizards had suffered persecution at the hands of Muggles and been forced to conceal their identities, the family still refused to abandon the bonds they had formed with Muggles over generations.
Not only did they sympathize with Muggles, they continued to firmly believe that wizarding society would one day coexist peacefully with them.
Even if that meant wizards would have to continue living isolated, inconvenient lives for a long time.
They had even repeatedly spent their own wealth assisting Muggle development, happily continuing until their family fortune had been nearly exhausted.
In Draca’s still-young mind, the Weasley name had practically become synonymous with willingly lowering oneself.
When she saw the black-haired boy board the train surrounded by members of the Weasley family, an inexplicable irritation rose in her heart.
First that rough gamekeeper, and now a family with no ambition whatsoever.
Why did this ignorant orphan insist on surrounding himself with people who could only harm the development of his character?
A good upbringing couldn’t guarantee everything, but at the very least, it greatly reduced the chances of falling in with the wrong sort of people.
Regardless of who that black-haired boy actually was, as a descendant of the Malfoys, one of the few great families still remaining in the wizarding world, she couldn’t simply watch a young wizard she’d already met once fall into ruin.
And if that boy truly was Harry Potter—
How could she, as a member of the nobility, allow the hero of the wizarding world to stray onto the wrong path?
Even after the train began moving, Draca’s thoughts continued circling around the same concerns.
Only when someone lightly knocked on the curtained glass window of their compartment door were her thoughts interrupted.
“Excuse me.”
A dignified female voice sounded outside.
The compartment door slid gently open, and Draca, Pansy, and Daphne quickly rose to their feet.
Standing beyond the door was a serious-looking girl with long brown hair, a pale face, and glasses.
Behind her stood a group of older students.
Several had already changed into their robes, making it obvious that they were all Slytherins.
The students were visibly curious, but after seeing the three beautiful girls inside the compartment, they repeatedly hesitated and drew back.
The girl leading them was clearly becoming impatient.
She clicked her tongue softly, then gave the three girls a polite bow.
“Miss Malfoy.
I’m Gemma Farley, a Slytherin prefect.”
“Although you haven’t gone through the Sorting Ceremony yet, as one of Slytherin’s prefects…”
“We wished to welcome in advance a member of the Malfoy family, which has always contributed so greatly to our House, on her arrival at Hogwarts.”
Listening to Farley, Draca privately found the situation somewhat amusing and quietly exchanged glances with Pansy and Daphne.
Scenes like this had long since become completely ordinary to all three of them.
Armand Malfoy, the ancestor of the Malfoy family, had indeed been granted a hereditary noble title by William the Conqueror.
That alone gave the Malfoys a particularly distinguished position even among the great pure-blood families.
On top of that, successive heads of the Malfoy family had traditionally served as important advisers to the Ministry of Magic and members of Hogwarts’ Board of Governors.
As a result, members of the Malfoy family weren’t merely frequent names in the Daily Prophet.
They were also constant subjects of gossip in the wizarding tabloids.
That had become even more pronounced after the marriage alliance between the Malfoy family and a branch of the Black family.
To young witches and wizards who had grown up in the magical world, encountering a member of the Malfoy family was often comparable to a Muggle encountering a member of the royal family in everyday life.
Even if that person was only a distant royal relative.
“You’re far too courteous, Miss Farley, and so are the rest of you from Slytherin.
These are Miss Parkinson and Miss Greengrass.”
“We sincerely hope that, in a few hours, we’ll have the honor of joining Slytherin and continuing the proud traditions of the House alongside all of you.”
Draca quickly returned the greeting while introducing her two closest friends.
Her words immediately sent the Slytherin students’ spirits soaring.
It really helps the fic grow!