First Day of Classes

It's no exaggeration to say that fifth year is the most terrifying year for many Hogwarts students, earning it the nickname "nightmare year."

The class schedule for the first day of school has been handed out.

In Gryffindor, Ron sighed, "Two History of Magic, two Potions, one Divination Class, two Defence Against the Dark Arts classes... Binns, Snape, Trelawney, and that woman named Umbridge, all on the same day!"

Slytherin wasn't much better off— Daphne stared at the long list of classes, speechless for a long time: Alchemy, two Potions, two History of Magic, two Defence Against the Dark Arts...

Today's alchemy class focuses on theory, discussing the gender theories of the famous Germany sorcerer Cornelius Agrippa. In his work, "A Debate on the Sublime and Superior Nature of the Female Sex," he argued that women's bodies, including parts such as blood, skin, and hair, possess a more acute magical power, giving them an advantage over men in the process of learning alchemy.

This argument was met with fierce criticism from almost all men in the magical society at the time. Of course, as time has passed and things have changed, people have gradually come to realize that his research results are true, and they have begun to recruit female alchemists on a large scale.

After class, the assignment was to discuss the differences that men and women face in practicing alchemy, and how to use these differences to promote the advancement of alchemy in society. Everyone, including Skylar, was astonished by such a profound topic.

After class ended, there was still some time before the next Potions. Originally, the group was going to wait outside the Potions Classroom, but Daphne happened to have left something in the classroom, so she let the Little Snakes go ahead and went back to retrieve it by herself.

So Draco and the others left.

Skylar thought for a moment and decided to wait for Daphne at a small door next to the corridor. Outside the door was a small courtyard, which was a bit damp because of the rain.

As luck would have it, Harry, and their friends, who had also just finished class and were waiting for their next Potions to begin, were also there.

Hermione smiled and greeted Skylar politely, and Skylar nodded in return. However, Harry and Ron, standing beside Hermione, still harbored obvious hostility in their eyes.

For Skylar, who was adept at understanding people, Ron's gaze was easy to understand; it was the look of jealousy. Although both of them were Prefect, Skylar was far superior to Ron in terms of appearance, clothing, temperament, popularity, and reputation.

This stems not only from the vast difference in their wealth and family background, but also from the confidence and wisdom they exude, which have created an insurmountable gap.

To put it bluntly, if Skylar had simply stood next to Ron, it would have been a magical version of "The Prince and the Beggar."

But Harry's gaze puzzled Skylar. Last semester, although Harry had embarrassed himself in the Triwizard Tournament because of her, she had ultimately saved his life from Voldemort. Why then did Harry harbor such hostility towards Skylar, which could even be described as escalating to hatred?

Skylar ignored them, gazing at the gray sky and patiently waiting for Daphne's arrival.

A light drizzle was falling, making the figures of the people huddled together in the courtyard appear somewhat indistinct. Just then, a slender figure rounded the corner and walked towards them.

It's Cho Chang.

Clearly, Cho Chang was looking for Skylar. She wore a neat Ravenclaw robe, her steps were light, and her long, flowing black hair cascaded over her shoulders, swaying gently with her movements. Her expression was gentle and serene, seemingly unaware of Harry's gaze. As she passed the trio, Harry felt as if an invisible hand had gripped his heart, and an impulse made him blurt out almost without thinking—

Hello, Autumn!

Cho Chang paused, clearly surprised. She turned her head slightly to look at him, a hint of confusion in her eyes, but still nodded politely and replied softly, "Hello, Harry."

Her voice was like a morning breeze, clear and gentle. Harry's throat inexplicably went dry. He instinctively reached up and rubbed his messy black hair, trying to appear more relaxed, then flashed what he thought was a dashing smile and asked casually, "You... um... how was your summer vacation?"

Cho Chang Qiu paused slightly, seemingly surprised that Harry would initiate the conversation, but quickly nodded and replied gently, "Yes, it's fine, I—"

Before he could finish speaking, Ron suddenly spoke up, his tone tinged with surprise. "Is that the Tornadoes's badge?"

Ron suddenly pointed to the front of Qiu's robe, where a sky-blue badge with two bright gold "T"s was pinned. "You don't support them, do you?"

Cho Chang's brows furrowed slightly, and her voice turned colder. "Yes, I do support them."

Ron seemed intrigued and made no attempt to hide his skepticism. "Have you always supported them, or did you only start supporting them after they won the Club Association Cup?"

Harry's heart sank, and he cursed inwardly. Ron's tone was clearly skeptical, as if he were accusing Cho Chang of being just a bandwagon supporter.

Cho Chang's face instantly turned cold. She straightened her back and said coldly, her tone devoid of any warmth, "I've supported them since I was six years old."

The atmosphere instantly became awkward and tense. Cho Chang said nothing more, turned and left, leaving behind a brief, "Okay... goodbye, Harry."

Harry's lips twitched slightly as he watched her departing figure with a complicated expression, but Cho Chang never looked back.

She stopped beside Skylar, bowed slightly, and said softly, "Skylar, I haven't had a chance to thank you in person for what happened on the train..."

Her voice was soft and sincere, a stark contrast to her previous coldness. Skylar glanced at her, smiled faintly, and waved his hand casually, his tone tinged with helplessness. "Qiu... you don't need to be so polite. Given our relationship, this is what I should do."

Even so, his tone didn't seem genuinely indifferent, especially when Cho Chang looked at him with those bright, clear eyes.

At the same time, Skylar keenly sensed a gaze that could almost tear a person apart, fixed intently on him. A slight smile played on his lips as he lazily turned his head, meeting Harry's green eyes, which were filled with resentment and jealousy.

A slight smile played on Skylar's lips, though inwardly he sneered. Harry's inexplicable and intense hatred for him had already stirred up his resentment. Although the two weren't exactly friends, Skylar believed he had never intended to deliberately harm the protagonist of the original story.

Ha, how ridiculous, since that's the case--

A wicked sense of amusement arose in Skylar's mind.

He slowly approached Cho Chang, leaning slightly forward, his deep voice close to her ear, tinged with a hint of teasing. "Hey, that kid Potter's got his eyes on us. Looks like he likes you."

Cho Chang suddenly opened her eyes wide.

Her heart felt as if it had been struck hard, and a tingling electric current spread from her ears throughout her body, making her dizzy for a moment.

Skylar was too close.

His warm breath gently brushed against her earlobe, and for a moment, she almost held her breath.

She instinctively followed Skylar's gaze and, sure enough, met Harry's eyes.

Harry's eyes were terrifyingly gloomy, his emerald green pupils were shrouded in a thick haze, and his face was so pale it was almost bluish.

She suddenly understood the meaning behind Skylar's words—

Harry Potter likes himself.

But so what?

She had never liked Harry; in fact, they were just ordinary classmates who had barely exchanged a few words. Yet, Skylar's words clearly implied a possible romantic relationship between her and Harry.

She didn't want Skylar to misunderstand her relationship with Harry.

She had liked Skylar for a long time, but because Skylar was already taken, she hesitated and didn't have the courage to take that crucial step.

Now, the mere thought that Skylar might believe she and Harry had some kind of romantic relationship was something she absolutely could not accept.

She recalled the moment he saved her on the train, Skylar's calmness, decisiveness, and even his indifference to power and background. She knew that her heart had already quietly changed.

She wanted Skylar to know what her feelings were.

So, before anyone could react, Cho Chang made a bold decision.

She suddenly stood on tiptoe, reached out and grabbed Skylar's sleeve, and kissed his lips directly.

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

Ron's mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg, Hermione gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief as she watched the scene unfold. Harry's pupils constricted sharply, and he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning, his face turning deathly pale.

Skylar was also stunned.

He had only meant to tease Cho Chang casually, but he never expected her to actually... kiss him.

This is a huge problem.

It's not that Skylar dislikes Cho Chang anything like that. It's just that Skylar knows his own situation. He already has enough girlfriends around him, and if things continue like this, he's afraid he'll eventually mess things up and create a mess.

Just thinking about that scene gives me a headache; I doubt anyone would like it.

Cho Chang's lips were soft and warm, carrying the unique fragrance of a young girl. Her movements were slightly awkward, yet they carried an urgent determination, as if she wanted to use this kiss to completely break down all misunderstandings and make him understand her choice—she never belonged to Harry, she was just expressing her feelings to him.

Raindrops slid down from the eaves of the porch, tapping on the damp stone floor with a pitter-patter sound. In this quiet moment, Harry's eyes grew increasingly somber, and his fingers gripping his wand trembled slightly with anger.

He was almost unable to control his emotions.

The voice in my mind rang out again, deep and seductive.

Look at him... He stole your glory, and now he wants to steal your woman...

You'll make him pay!

Power is everything!

Harry's hand unconsciously reached for his wand. Unbeknownst to him, a chilling red light was already faintly emanating from the depths of his pupils.

--Attack him!

Make him pay the price!

He doesn't deserve any of this!

A deep, dangerous voice echoed in his mind, like invisible claws scraping across his heart, stirring waves of urgency and impulse. Harry's fingers tightened, his wand trembled slightly, as if with a mere thought, some terrible magic would erupt forth—

"Clang--!"

The school bell rang suddenly, like a sharp knife, abruptly cutting off Harry's thoughts.

He shuddered violently, his breathing quickening instantly, as if he had been abruptly pulled back to reality from a deep-sea dream. The treacherous and violent impulse receded as quickly as the tide, and the whispers of darkness fell silent, as if they had never existed.

Harry stood there, stunned, feeling a damp heat on his back as sweat trickled down his spine. His gaze fell on his hands, noticing they were still trembling slightly, and the wand... he couldn't even remember when he had held it.

What just happened?

Meanwhile, on the other side, Skylar and Cho Chang had finished kissing.

Cho Chang's cheeks flushed an unnatural red. She turned her head slightly away, seemingly unwilling to linger under the gaze of the crowd for too long. Without saying a word, she quickly turned around and ran away.

Although Skylar was internally seething with rage, he remained outwardly calm, simply adjusting his cuffs with a faint smile playing on his lips. Looking at Harry's stiff expression, a meaningful glint flashed in his eyes.

Harry forced himself to look away, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down. All the students in the yard started walking towards the Potions Classroom, and he mechanically followed the group.

Along the way, Hermione was angrily berating Ron from beside Harry.

"I can't believe what you just said, Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, hands on her hips, her tone accusatory. "Did you have to question her like that? So what if she's a supporter of Tornadoes? The way you were talking was incredibly rude!"

Ron shrugged, looking unconvinced. "Hey, Hermione, I was just asking casually... Besides, I don't think she's that much of a die-hard fan."

Hermione rolled her eyes, angrily quickened her pace, clearly too lazy to argue with Ron anymore.

Meanwhile, not far from the Potions Classroom, Skylar and Daphne were slowly walking towards the classroom door. Daphne Greengrass was looking at Skylar with a mocking expression and a meaningful smile on her lips.

"Unbelievable!" She shook her head, feigning surprise. "Dear Mr. Malfoy, I was just fetching something, and you've given us another sister."

Skylar offered no explanation or rebuttal, but found Daphne's reaction amusing. He gave a sly smile and said, "I have a feeling someone's actually jealous?"

"Dream on." Daphne rolled her eyes and scoffed, "If I were Cho Chang, I'd be thinking about how to get out of this mess right now, instead of indulging in your sweet talk."

As soon as Daphne Greengrass finished speaking, Skylar suddenly stopped in his tracks.

She frowned instinctively, looking at him, about to add another sarcastic remark, but unexpectedly, the next second, Skylar suddenly reached out, grabbed her chin, and pulled her towards him—

Her pupils contracted sharply, her eyes widening in shock, but it was too late to struggle— Skylar lowered his head and kissed her fiercely!

Daphne's back stiffened instantly, her mind going blank. She hadn't expected Skylar to respond to her provocation in this way at all. She tried to push him away, but Skylar's arms were firmly wrapped around her waist, making it impossible for her to break free.

The kiss was forceful and irresistible, carrying an aggressive pressure that enveloped her as if in an invisible, burning heat. Her reason frantically reminded her—this was in public, she should break free, she should resist—but her body gradually softened under this sudden onslaught, her fingers weakly gripping his sleeve, completely powerless to resist.

Draco, who was not far away, froze, almost dropping his textbook. The other Slytherin students also stopped in their tracks, staring in astonishment at the scene.

Hermione, who was also nearby, stopped arguing with Ron. Her mouth was slightly open, her eyes filled with shock. Although she had known for a long time that Skylar and Daphne were a couple, the fact that they kissed in public still shocked her. First it was Cho Chang, and now it's Daphne. This Skylar Malfoy is just too... Hermione couldn't find a suitable word to describe him.

A few seconds later, Skylar slowly released Daphne and gradually distanced himself.

Daphne's cheeks flushed a blush she had never shown before, and she shyly lowered her head.

Skylar smiled without saying a word, but gently took her hand and said softly, "Baby, don't be angry, let's go!" Daphne kept her head down and did not answer, but let Skylar lead her away.

Harry, standing behind them, unconsciously tightened his clenched fists as he listened to the commotion coming from Skylar's direction.

Unbeknownst to him, a red glint was flickering silently in the depths of his eyes, before vanishing just as quickly.