Cast a Bait

Tom walked over and sat down, and Hermione immediately leaned in, asking in a hushed voice.

"I forgot to ask you yesterday, but when you suddenly appeared that night, as if you were invisible, did you use some kind of magic?"

Tom glanced at Madam Pince not far away and leaned in to whisper in her ear: "The Disillusionment Charm. It hides you by altering light; it's much more useful than a regular Invisibility Cloak."

"Where did you learn it?" Hermione's eyes lit up, her thirst for knowledge fully ignited.

"In Advanced Practical Spells on the innermost shelf. It's also in the fifth-year textbooks."

No sooner had Tom finished speaking than Hermione rushed off in a flurry to find the book. She grabbed it and began flipping through the pages with intense focus, forgetting even to say thank you.

A while later, Tom poked Hermione with his elbow. She looked up with a frown, her expression clearly saying, "Don't bother me."

"Ask you something," Tom raised an eyebrow. "The idea I gave Harry and the others yesterday—did the two of them decide on it?"

Hermione was instantly on guard: "Tom, you definitely don't have good intentions. There's something fishy going on here. What exactly are you trying to do?"

"Oh, how could you wrong me like that?" Tom put on a pitiful look, appearing entirely innocent.

"I'm only helping them for your sake. We're good friends; being in different houses doesn't affect our friendship, right?"

Tom had intended to stake his reputation as a Slytherin on it, but the words died on his lips.

Forget it. The reputation of a Slytherin was less reliable than a house-elf's promise; saying it out loud would only make her more suspicious. He had to play the emotional card.

After a few honeyed words, Hermione's cheeks flushed instantly. She playfully tapped Tom with her small fist: "I don't believe you, you big bad wolf. You definitely have ulterior motives."

"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want." Tom smiled, caught her hand, and gently set it back down. "I was just curious, that's all."

Unable to shake him off, Hermione whispered: "When I left, I saw Harry and Ron go to find Fred and George. Ron was beaming, so I assume they did as you said."

A wicked smile curled the corner of Tom's mouth. The fish had finally taken the bait.

On the other side, in the Gryffindor common room, Ron and Harry were surrounded by a dense crowd of little lions.

Ron stood on a sofa, spitting as he spoke: "That shameless Malfoy challenged Harry to a duel just because Harry beat him in flying class!"

"Harry's flying skills are amazing; even Wood praised his talent!"

"You can ask Wood for the specific details, but Malfoy couldn't afford to lose face, so he challenged him. Plenty of people saw him bring Crabbe and Goyle along, didn't they?"

Several boys nearby nodded immediately: "Right! Thursday afternoon, he came over in a huff, said a few words to Harry, and left!"

"See? We have witnesses!" Ron grew even more excited, thumping his chest as he shouted.

"And we waited for him for half an hour, but we didn't even see a shadow! All we got was Filch and that wretched cat of his!"

He kicked Harry, who immediately put on a look of grief and indignation.

Harry jumped onto the sofa: "Ron said that wizard duels are sacred, especially for a pure-blood like Malfoy, who should care most about family honor."

"If it had been any other trap, I wouldn't have fallen for it. But this was a duel challenge from the Malfoy family, and he actually... he didn't show up?"

Harry stammered, suddenly hitting a wall, having forgotten the lines Tom had taught him.

Fortunately, Fred and George were quick to react, immediately filling the gap: "How times have changed! The face of the pure-bloods has been completely dragged through the mud by him!"

The common room erupted in roars of laughter and angry curses. Ron held his chin high in triumph, and Harry quietly let out a sigh of relief.

Gryffindor had many virtues: bravery, steadfastness, and a high regard for honor.

But to put it bluntly, they were also reckless, ignorant of the dangers, stubborn, and obsessed with saving face.

Human nature is complex, and two opposing traits can coexist, but the House system amplified these characteristics, making the young wizards increasingly conform to their house labels.

These little lions had long been steeped in this atmosphere. Upon hearing that Harry and Ron had dared to wander the castle at night just a week into school, they didn't blame them; instead, they were all filled with admiration.

They praised them for their courage and backbone. Only Percy frowned, wanting to lecture them but finding himself hooked by the story, unable to bring himself to speak.

When they heard that Malfoy had stood them up, the little lions completely exploded, hurling insults that grew increasingly vicious, all while feeling a sense of pride.

See? The arrogant Slytherins didn't even have the courage to duel a Gryffindor; they were nothing but cowards!

Harry looked at his boiling classmates, suddenly feeling a bit afraid of Tom, the Slytherin. He had manipulated their thoughts so perfectly, as if he had known exactly how they would react.

If Tom knew, he would probably scoff: No need for that. Manipulating a bunch of hot-headed fools who care about face only requires a little bit of brainpower.

When the common room quieted down slightly, Harry cleared his throat and shouted loudly.

"I'm not doing this to show off, just to remind everyone: if a Slytherin challenges you to a duel in the future, don't fall for it! They definitely won't show up!"

Another round of laughter followed. The remark was both magnanimous and a jab at Slytherin. Of course, this wasn't something Harry and Ron could have come up with—it was all Fred and George's idea.

As for worrying that the news wouldn't spread? That was underestimating Gryffindor.

If they didn't take this opportunity to smear Slytherin and mock Malfoy, would they even be worthy of being called Gryffindors?

No sooner had Harry finished speaking than several students rushed out, eager to spread the news.

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with triumph—it worked!

Throughout the weekend, the news of Malfoy avoiding the duel spread throughout the castle.

The little lions of Gryffindor became walking loudspeakers, telling the story of Harry and Ron in vivid detail whenever they encountered Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws.

When they ran into Slytherins, they would resort to cold sarcasm and vague insinuations, leaving the little snakes frantic and frustrated.

The Hufflepuffs were more laid-back, just huddling together and laughing, but the Ravenclaw students couldn't sit still; over the years, they had accumulated quite a few grudges against Slytherin.

Everyone knew how Slytherin had secured their six-year winning streak.

Gryffindor was always causing trouble and losing points on their own, so there was no need to target them; Hufflepuff was indifferent to worldly affairs and lacked presence; the only house capable of putting up a fight was Ravenclaw.

If only Ravenclaw had a Head of House as protective as Snape, the House Cup champion would truly be up for debate.

With such a perfect opportunity to kick someone while they were down, Ravenclaw naturally wouldn't let it pass. Playing to their strengths, they dug through records and unearthed scandals, dealing Malfoy a fatal blow.

A disheveled Ravenclaw girl with glasses clutched a book, her lenses glinting as she leaned into the crowd and shouted.

"Don't think Malfoy's cowardice is just a personal issue; it's a family tradition, deeply rooted in their heritage!"

"His great-great-great-grandfather dueled a Muggle knight and fed the knight's horse powerful croton oil, winning in the most despicable way!"

"And his great-great-great-grandfather's brother, while dueling a powerful wizard, bribed others and rigged the gambling to make a fortune, laying the foundation for the Malfoy family's wealth!"