The next morning, Ron and Harry were discussing what might be underneath the trapdoor, while Hermione was focused on whether Bing Huan was still angry. She paid the two boys no mind.
An owl flew toward Harry, carrying a long, slender package far too large for its body. It was the Nimbus 2000 Ron had talked about again and again in the dormitory. Professor McGonagall, who was above them, smiled at Harry in greeting.
When Draco learned that he'd gotten onto the Quidditch team because of Bing Huan, he found it hard to accept. While Draco was still reflecting on himself, a creditor came calling.
Bing Huan came up behind Draco. "Draco~ About our bet, shouldn't we... huh?" Draco looked at Bing Huan nervously. "I, Draco Malfoy, always keep my word. What do you want?"
"But didn't you stand Harry up yesterday?"
"Never mind that. It was part of my plan." Draco's face reddened again. Bing Huan stopped teasing him and said, "The request is simple. Let's make another bet."
"Another bet? What are we betting on?"
"You and I will both send letters asking your father, Lucius Malfoy, to meet us. We'll see whether he comes to meet me or you first. If I win, you'll study under me from now on. Of course, I'll get Lucius to agree, too. If I lose, I'll pay you 1,000 Galleons."
Hearing the terms, Draco felt confident again. There was no way his father would leave him behind to meet his classmate. To be safe, though, Draco wrote a letter filled with heart-wrenching longing for his parents—all emotion, no technique.
Bing Huan hadn't paid much attention to the contents. He'd had his people invite Lucius to Hogwarts in the Daoist Sect's name to discuss a potion distributorship, and told him to come see him once he arrived.
That afternoon, Draco had been thinking about how to spend his 1,000 Galleons, but his father never showed. Instead, his kind and concerned mother, Narcissa, arrived. "Mum, where's Father?"
Narcissa patted Draco's head. "Your father has an important business partner to meet. But that person is at Hogwarts, too. He'll come see you when he's done." Realizing what had happened, Draco slumped onto the sofa. "It's over."
Narcissa was puzzled by her son's strange behavior. Bing Huan smiled and explained, "Mrs. Malfoy, Draco and I made a little bet. It's nothing serious. But my upcoming discussion with the head of the Malfoy family concerns Draco and the future of the entire Malfoy family. It would be best if you listened in, too."
Bing Huan sent Draco to wait next door. Lucius arrived soon after, looking as though he'd hastily put himself back together. When he entered, he saw a boy waiting for him, along with his wife, who should have been visiting their son. Narcissa explained what had happened.
Lucius looked at Bing Huan. "I never expected Draco to make a friend from the Daoist Sect."
Bing Huan smiled. "Bing Huan. My master is Zhang Tianhao. I expect you've heard of at least one of us."
"Now I know both of you. Your letter said you wanted to discuss a potion distributorship with me."
"That isn't important. If our discussion goes well, someone will get in touch with you about it. It's clear the Malfoy family is happy to work with the Daoist Sect."
"Of course."
"So, which side will the Malfoy family choose?"
Lucius hadn't expected the conversation to move so quickly. "I think there may be a misunderstanding. We only helped the Dark Lord because we were under the Cruciatus Curse."
"Hahahaha. It seems you take me for a harmless child like Draco." The next moment, Bing Huan's smile disappeared. "I'll be blunt. Side with us, and you'll establish ties with the Daoist Sect. This means more than cooperation. I'll educate Draco to the standards expected of an heir to a great family in China.
"If you choose Voldemort, I guarantee the Malfoy family won't live to see him resurrected. What do you say?"
Though the boy was the same age as his son, Lucius felt the pressure bearing down on him. "Well..." Bing Huan waved a hand. "Don't worry. I'm not some devil. I understand that the fate of your family is at stake, and that a head of the family has to be cautious.
"So, I'll give you two years to see for yourself. The Philosopher's Stone being coveted at the school, and the contingencies Voldemort left in your hands—you'll have to deal with them without the Daoist Sect's help. I'll join a few classmates in stopping you.
"These two years will also give your family time to clean up its reputation. I don't want the Daoist Sect's partners to be too tainted. To show my sincerity, someone will contact the Malfoy family tonight about the potion distributorship. Draco can start studying under me right away.
"But if I do all that and the Malfoy family still can't give me a satisfactory answer in two years, don't blame me."
Lucius knew he couldn't brush this off again. As they talked, the boy had practically drawn a blade. He hurried to his feet. "Since you've shown such sincerity, I look forward to our formal cooperation in two years. If we hear anything from the Dark Wizards in the meantime, the Malfoy family will inform you at once."
After that, he went next door with Narcissa to speak with Draco. When the couple had left, Bing Huan went in. Draco seemed to still be processing the flood of information. "It's strange, isn't it? We're discussing a partnership with your family, and you get dragged into it."
"That's really strange."
"What if I told you I made that bet and partnered with your family so I could teach you?"
"Huh? I'm a boy!" Draco couldn't understand why someone whose power far outstripped his own would help him so much. Could this guy be...
"I like girls, so relax. I thought of doing this because an old man foresaw that bad upbringing and pressure from others would lead you to do something you'd regret for the rest of your life. Another old man asked me to pull you back from that path. That's all."
As he spoke, Bing Huan pulled a stack of books from his Storage Ring: The Three Pillars of Aristocracy, Obligations and Responsibilities of a Cultivator, and more than a dozen others, from both East and West. Bing Huan said to Draco,
"Draco, teaching you is my responsibility, but whether you take it to heart is up to you. Do you want your family's light to make you shine for a moment, or do you want the Malfoy family to prosper because of you? I'll leave the books here. You decide."
The next morning, Draco came to Bing Huan's table with dark circles under his eyes. He looked exhausted, but couldn't hide his excitement.
"Master!"
Bing Huan: (･_･?)
Hermione: (ﾟｰﾟ*?)?
Harry and Ron: ?(ﾟ_｡)?(｡_ﾟ)?
Hermione asked, "What did you call him?"
Draco said, "I called him Master. Mis—" Before Draco could say anything more outrageous, Bing Huan physically cut him off. He pulled him aside. "What's gotten into you today?" Draco looked excited. "I've decided. From now on, I'm going to study hard under you."
"I mean, why are you calling me that?"
Draco blinked. "Huh? I see you looking after her and cooking for her all the time. I thought you two were..."
Bing Huan's fists clenched again. "We're only first-years. Don't think about things like that!"
"Oh~"
Back at the table, Bing Huan explained to Hermione and the others that someone had asked him to teach Draco. Blushing, Draco awkwardly apologized to Harry and Ron, and promised that next time he'd beat the Chosen One fair and square.
Harry responded with an eye roll.
"Damn you, Potter!"
After trading insults for a while, Draco returned to the Slytherin table.
That night, Bing Huan glanced at the calendar. It was the fifteenth; two weeks had already passed without him noticing. He slipped over to Hagrid's Hut. "In four days, we'll do this..."
On September nineteenth, Hagrid found Hermione after she'd finished her homework. "Hermione, it's terrible! Bing Huan—he's been bitten by a snake!"
"What!" The two hurried over. Inside, everything was dark. When they switched on the lights, Bing Huan and Draco were standing beside a cake. Harry had been taken away to practice, and Ron had gone along to watch.
But both of them had left gifts. Ron had brought a pack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, while Harry had brought a telescope. Draco had taken a set of Potions textbooks written by Snape himself from his family home. Hagrid presented a brooch made from Buckbeak's feathers.
Hermione stared at Bing Huan. "Where's the snake?"
"We made it into a cake."
"You scared me half to death... Thank you, all of you." Hermione punched Bing Huan lightly, then thanked the other two. After they'd spent a while at Hagrid's, they returned to the dormitory with their gifts. Before they parted, Bing Huan put a bracelet on Hermione's wrist.
"I thought you'd forgotten."
"This bracelet will protect you when you're in danger. I'll get a message, too, and come rescue you." Seeing Hermione frown, Bing Huan asked, "Don't you like it?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, it's just that I feel like you've said that to me before."
"When?"
"I can't remember~ Oh, well. Never mind. I'm really happy today." Hermione knew the boy in front of her must have arranged everything for her birthday.
In the days that followed, they went on spending their time in the library as usual. Hermione sometimes helped Bing Huan check on Draco's progress, and Bing Huan helped Hermione tutor Harry and the others. Ron and Neville were always the main ones who needed extra attention.
The good news was that everyone's grades really were improving. With Bing Huan occasionally using spiritual energy to nourish Neville's brain, Neville had become much quicker on the uptake.
And just like that, October was nearly over.
Before you continue