"I remember Tom seemed to be short on money."
The Greengrass Family could lack anything but money. That was the one thing they never lacked.
Daphne wondered whether she could get closer to Tom by offering to sponsor him.
"Mom once told me that men can't resist temptation..."
If she let Tom get a taste of the good life, perhaps he would be the one seeking her out instead of the other way around.
Daphne was deeply conflicted.
She wanted Tom to talk to her more, but she didn't want him to seek her out just for the money.
"Building relationships is so complicated..."
Though Daphne was troubled, she still got moving. First, she would write home and ask for money.
She had already asked her family for a broom, and now she wanted a large sum of money... She would have to think carefully about how to phrase it.
Meanwhile.
In the Potions Professor's office.
Snape was fuming, with a row of young Aurors standing before him.
"A whole day! An entire day! What are you lot even good for?!"
The Aurors had searched every inch of Hogwarts countless times, yet they hadn't found a single trace of the thief.
My Potions, my Galleons!
Each Wolfsbane root cost one Galleon, and four sprigs of peppermint cost one Galleon...
These weren't just Galleons. Some ingredients were so rare that they were practically impossible to find on the market.
Even he, a professor, had to pull strings to get his hands on them.
And now a thief had made off with a large part of his stock in an instant. Worse, a lot of it was poison. Who knew what the thief intended to do with it?
"I-I'm terribly sorry." One young Auror lowered his head deeply, looking like a child who'd been caught misbehaving.
Then it suddenly occurred to him.
Wait, hadn't he graduated already? Why was he still afraid of the old bat?
He immediately stepped forward, ready to stand up to Snape.
"Professor Sn—"
"What?" Snape's gloomy face turned toward him at once.
The words died in the young Auror's throat. He couldn't force out a single one.
After being taught by Professor Snape for so long, the instinctive fear had been etched deep into his heart.
"You useless lot, get out! I don't know how any of you passed your N.E.W.T.s."
One by one, the Aurors filed out without looking back or hesitating.
They even closed the door behind them on their way out.
The search had only lasted a day. With no leads, they had to return and report that evening.
"Damn it!" Snape slammed his fist down on the desk.
He felt as though his heart were bleeding.
He swore that if he ever found out who had stolen his ingredients, he would make them pay dearly.
He would buy a whole crate of Fat Tongue Potion and make the thief drink every bottle.
Knock, knock, knock!
A knock came from the door.
"Forgetful lot. Did you leave something behind?" Snape's voice was as stern as ever.
"It's me, Malfoy."
"?" Snape looked up. "Come in."
Soon, a small figure pushed open the door and entered.
"What is it?" Snape's expression softened considerably.
Of all his students, the one he liked best—aside from Harry Potter—was probably Draco Malfoy.
It wasn't because Draco had done anything in particular. His father, Lucius Malfoy, had helped Snape back when he was a student, repeatedly stopping James and the others from bullying him.
Now that he was teaching Lucius's son, Snape naturally wanted to repay that kindness in full.
"I want to learn spells. Please teach me!"
Draco clenched his little fists, his face full of determination.
"Why?" Snape asked curiously.
Lucius's son seemed like a forceful child. He often spent time with the Pure-blood young gentlemen, so there was no need to worry about him being bullied. He had simply been spending less time with his friends lately.
Besides, wasn't Snape the Potions Professor?
"Because I want to beat Tom."
"Oh? Has he been bullying you?" A flash of menace crossed Snape's eyes.
"Well... not exactly..." Draco's hands fell to his sides.
He had stood his friends up again recently and failed to attack Tom at night, further straining his relationship with them.
Now that he wanted to bring up the night raid plan again, no one would listen to him.
Even Crabbe and Goyle, his closest friends, seemed to be distancing themselves from him.
That made sense. They weren't in the same dormitory as him, so it was only natural that the boys in the neighboring dorm would turn them against him.
He could no longer rely on his silver tongue alone to win his way back into the group. So... he would have to rely on his strength.
If he was strong enough, everyone would praise him, and those who had grown distant would naturally come back to his side.
The Dueling Club was his best opportunity.
"I see..." Snape seemed to have pieced together at least some of what Draco was thinking from the look in his eyes.
Like father, like son. Lucius and Draco were quite similar in temperament.
"If you want to beat Tom in the Dueling Club, it won't be difficult. The rules clearly state that wizards aren't allowed to use their fists in a duel."
He knew Tom was enormously strong, but that didn't mean his spells were just as powerful.
Draco had inherited the Malfoy family's teachings, and his foundations in spellwork were solid. Learning a few offensive spells wouldn't be difficult.
He could easily achieve excellent results in the club's practical duels.
"I... I'm not very confident."
The battle on the train had truly shaken Draco's confidence in his spells. He was certain he had successfully cast the Leg-Locker Curse, yet Tom had walked straight toward him anyway.
Then, during Flying Class, he had seen Tom's remarkable talent, on top of his terrifying work ethic.
In a month...
Who knew how strong that fellow would become?
To achieve his goal, Draco had to find a mentor and study properly.
Snape got along well with his family, and Draco occasionally saw him visiting the Malfoy family home to have afternoon tea with his father.
"All right." Snape nodded gently and agreed.
Since the son of an old friend had come to him for help, he couldn't possibly refuse.
Besides...
He wanted to see Tom get knocked down a peg, too.
That boy had nearly made him lose face in the very first Potions lesson. He had shown no respect for his elders and needed to have his arrogance curbed.
And the boy also shared a name with one of Snape's enemies.
Draco would make an excellent ally.
Dumbledore had warned him not to go after Tom directly, but Draco was different.
A student defeating another student in an official match didn't break any rules.
"Really?" Draco asked, delighted.
"Of course. Let's start now." Snape's mood suddenly improved considerably.
He got to his feet, ready to lead Draco to the Charms classroom.
There were more training aids in that classroom, which they could use to practice spells.
Before you continue