In the end, among the roughly one hundred and sixty or seventy young wizards from the two years, nearly more than half chose to give up. Hufflepuff and Slytherin House had the most withdrawals, followed by Ravenclaw, while Gryffindor had the fewest.
The result was not particularly surprising. Amosta quickly divided the young wizards who had signed their names into teams. After counting carefully, there were ten teams of first-years and twenty-one teams of second-years.
Harry and Draco stood together with dark expressions, glaring at each other with disgust.
"If you're willing to kneel and beg me now, Potter, then when some monster stuffs you into its mouth later, I might generously pick up your chunks of flesh and return them to your Mudblood, your idiot friends. At least they'll have something to remember you by!"
Malfoy said viciously, the corner of his mouth curled up.
"That really surprises me, Malfoy,"
Harry, whose "dream" had come true, stared unflinchingly into Malfoy's gray eyes.
"I thought you couldn't even walk steadily after leaving behind your two hulking lackeys!"
By then, Amosta had finished assigning teams and returned to the classroom door. "Time is precious, everyone. Does anyone volunteer to lead the way?"
No one spoke. Having spent all their courage already, the young wizards stared at their toes and did not dare meet Professor Breen's eyes.
"Since that is the case—"
After scanning the room twice without receiving a response, Amosta seemed somewhat disappointed. He looked at Harry and Malfoy, who were locked in a battle of stares, and smiled happily.
"Then let Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy demonstrate their dazzling courage and wisdom for everyone!"
When the moment truly came, Harry somewhat regretted impulsively signing his name on the contract. Turning his head, he saw Ron, Hermione, Neville, and the