I Misjudged You, I Didn't Expect You to Be This Kind of Person

Hermione looked at the girl beside Luke and asked in confusion.

Taylor also raised her head to look at Hermione, her gaze turning sharp as a blade in an instant.

"This is Taylor—Taylor Barbara. She's a trustworthy classmate."

Luke looked at Hermione and spoke calmly.

Of course, he had no reason to panic. For one thing, his relationship with Hermione had not reached the point where he needed to be nervous about this sort of thing. For another, he and Taylor were purely friends for the time being. Besides, they were only eleven. Wasn't it a little too early to be discussing such matters?

Hermione nodded, then smiled and held out her hand to Taylor. "Hello, I'm Hermione Granger. Luke's friend."

Taylor shook Hermione's hand. Her expression remained blank, but her tone was gentle. "Hello."

After the two had introduced themselves, Hermione calmly sat down on Luke's other side.

One row behind them, Draco had just been preparing to vault stylishly over the desk and sit on Luke's other side. Seeing his spot snatched away again, he was so furious that his nose nearly twisted out of shape.

Already ill-tempered to begin with, having his place taken twice—especially the second time by a Gryffindor—had left him barely able to suppress the fire in his heart.

So he instinctively opened his mouth, intending to vent his emotions at Hermione.

But before a word came out, an explosive roar suddenly rang through his ears. He covered his ears with a pained expression, feeling as though needles had pierced into them. He opened his mouth, yet no sound emerged.

Professor Flitwick, standing in the center of the classroom, frowned and looked toward Malfoy, seeing the pained expression on his face.

Luke sensed that something was wrong almost at the same moment as Professor Flitwick. He turned around directly and saw Malfoy's face filled with pain and discomfort.

Luke immediately looked at Taylor beside him. Taylor hummed softly to herself. When she noticed Luke looking at her, she looked back innocently and said in a quiet voice, "I only stopped him from saying something he shouldn't have said. He's the target you set up, isn't he? He can't just fall so easily."

Luke's brow creased almost imperceptibly. Thinking of Hermione on his other side, he nodded to Taylor. "Watch the intensity. He's not just a target—he's also someone we can talk to."

Taylor nodded to show that she understood.

By then, the stabbing pain in Malfoy's ears had finally vanished completely. He was only a little dizzy now.

He had no energy left to say anything that might be impolite.

Professor Flitwick witnessed it all, then silently looked toward the boy who had reacted similarly to him.

Luke noticed the professor's gaze and smiled faintly as he nodded.

But the professor ignored him. Instead, following Luke's line of sight, he looked to the right, where Taylor was seated.

He examined Taylor's hair and stared at her closely, as though trying to spot some other distinguishing feature. But after speaking with Luke, Taylor lowered her head again as if shutting herself off.

Professor Flitwick saw nothing, but his frown only deepened.

Seeing this, Luke pressed his lips together, then said to Hermione beside him, "Later, we'll probably be pairing up. If you don't mind working with a Slytherin student, pair up with Taylor."

Of course Hermione did not mind working with a Slytherin student. After all, that was why she had come here. But Taylor was not who she had expected.

"What about you?"

Hermione did not ask further questions. When facing peers less mature than herself, she liked to act as their teacher. But when facing someone stronger than herself and without ill intent, she was still willing to follow advice that was more likely to be right.

"It's a small matter. Don't worry."

With that, Luke stood up and headed toward the row behind them while people were still gradually finding their seats.

Hermione watched Luke's back and could not help frowning, but she did not say anything more.

Taylor had already moved over beside her and said with a smile, "Don't worry. Luke knows what he's doing."

Hermione looked at Taylor beside her. Compared to when they had first introduced themselves, Taylor was clearly much friendlier now. And now that they were finally close enough, Hermione could at last see her face through the scattered strands of hair.

For a moment, Hermione was slightly dazed. Her appearance needed no comment, but more importantly, there was a sharp beauty to the girl's eyes. Like a keen blade, they seemed capable of seeing through people's hearts.

Naturally, Hermione did not yet know that Legilimens existed. So she had no idea where such blade-sharp eyes came from.

"All right, I understand."

In the row behind them, Luke lightly patted Goyle on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Goyle, could you make some room? We may have to pair up later, two to a group. I'd like to pair with Draco."

"No problem, Luke! I'll pair up with Crabbe."

Goyle agreed with remarkable enthusiasm.

It was not as though he could refuse. The lingering aftereffects of the Fire-Making Spell on the train were still fresh in his mind, and Malfoy had spent the past two days boasting about their deep friendship. Either one left him with little room to say no.

As he spoke, Goyle stood up and moved to the empty seat beside Crabbe. This made the Slytherin girl who had originally been sitting one seat away from Crabbe frown before getting up to change seats.

"Hey, Luke, hiss—" Malfoy noticed the change beside him. He had not expected Luke to come looking for him on his own, and it made him a little excited. Luke approaching him voluntarily was clearly powerful proof of all the boasting he had done before. But as soon as he started raising his hand, the larger movement made his head hurt.

"No need to be so formal, Draco. We should be friends," Luke said, smiling as he patted Malfoy on the back. Then he added, "Honestly, I should apologize for what I said to you on the train."

Malfoy looked astonished, but he quickly replaced it with a proud, self-important expression. "That's only natural, Luke. I don't blame you either. You didn't understand what I was really like back then."

"Of course. I was too hasty. I didn't realize you were this kind of person, Draco. When I offered you my hand at the feast that day, I was actually a little regretful."

A nostalgic expression appeared on Luke's face. "After all, on the train, you were so cowardly—bullying the few with the many, and looking down on Weasley, a fellow noble."

Malfoy's face reddened. He wanted to insist that he had done nothing wrong, but Luke's wistful, approving expression left him unable to say anything.

"But afterward, you were able to speak up for a half-blood student. That truly made me happy. Draco, you know, after learning about Slytherin's current state, I felt deeply troubled. The Slytherin I had imagined should have been a group of people who were proud, but not arrogant."

"And now, how had Slytherin House become like this?"