Fated but Not Meant to Be

A deafening dragon's roar echoed through the heavens— Skylar's Patronus, the silver- Dragon, descended into the center, separating the two sides in the battle. Then, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were shocked to find that their wands had suddenly flown away uncontrollably, landing in the hands of the indifferent-looking Skylar. Skylar's face was terrifyingly cold; Hermione had never seen him like this before, and he seemed so unfamiliar to her.

Skylar's emotionless voice rang out coldly. "Hermione, you hit my brother?"

Hermione felt a sudden chill creep into her heart, making her shiver involuntarily. She mustered her courage, "Yes, I hit him. He insulted Hagrid..."

"This is Hogwarts. Whatever he does wrong, the professors will handle it. Hitting him in public is like slapping the House of Malfoy in the face..." Skylar sneered. "You should be glad I don't hit women. But from now on, we're no longer friends!" Skylar casually tossed the three wands to the ground as if they were trash, then turned to Draco and his companions, saying softly, "Brother, please give me some face and let this go, okay? The professors are coming; it's not worth breaking school rules for them."

Draco hesitated for a moment, his anger still burning, but the cold aura emanating from his brother made him waver. His intuition told him that it was best not to go against Skylar's wishes at this time. Finally, he snorted and said harshly, "Consider yourselves lucky!" before leading Goyle and Crabbe away, following Skylar. The other Little Snakes, seeing that there was no fight to be had, also dispersed with grumbling.

Harry and Ron, overwhelmed by Skylar's imposing aura, finally snapped out of their shock at having their wands taken from them and immediately ran to retrieve them. Even Ron, usually so good at talking, dared not speak ill of Skylar now—for a brief moment, he had felt a chilling, bone-deep cold emanating from Skylar, a coldness that seemed to pierce his very soul, freezing him to the point of losing his ability to think.

When Harry handed Hermione wand, he noticed two long, clear tears hanging beneath her eyes.

Stunned by the sight, Harry was at a loss for words. He stammered, "Hermione, what's wrong?"

Suddenly, Hermione covered her face, said nothing, and rushed back to the castle, leaving Harry and Ron there looking at each other in bewilderment.

In the Slytherin Common Room, Daphne and Meredith looked at Skylar with some unease. They had known Skylar for over two years, and Skylar had always been a charming and nonchalant figure. This was the first time they had seen such a terrifying side of Skylar.

Not to mention, everyone present probably sensed that what emanated from Skylar just now wasn't a burst of anger stemming from the House of Malfoy's humiliation—it was a cold, resolute determination filled with calm and reason. At that moment, Skylar gave the impression of an emotionless Dementor...

The two girls who were more familiar with Skylar knew the source of this Dementor- like feeling. They both sensed traces of slightly out-of-control soul magic on Skylar. It was probably some kind of soul magic related to Fear Charm, capable of penetrating fear directly into the soul, making people so desperate that they couldn't muster any thought of resistance.

Although the House of Malfoy's honor must not be tarnished, the other party was just a little girl, and had previously been a friend of Skylar's. Skylar's reaction was indeed much beyond their expectations.

After a long pause, Daphne finally mustered the courage to speak, "Skylar, are you alright?"

Skylar shook his head and sighed, "It's nothing, just another friend lost."

"Again?" Meredith keenly grasped the details in Skylar's words.

Skylar nodded, then shook his head. "It's Gemma. I've fallen out with her; we're enemies now. Don't approach her lightly. Also, she's not just some ordinary small family behind her. I haven't found out who else is involved with her yet."

Daphne said, "I still don't quite understand, is Gemma's matter related to what happened today?"

Skylar explained, "The two things are unrelated. Gemma and I simply have different views on Half-blood wizards and Muggle-born wizards. Regardless, we are both Pure-blood families, both Slytherin, and some conflict is inevitable, but we wouldn't become mortal enemies. As for Hermione..."

Skylar knew the true nature of the Pure-blood diehards all too well. They kept saying that Pure-blood were born noble, yet they had recognized a Half-blood wizard as their master. As long as he grew stronger, they would do as they pleased. Skylar didn't believe that these Pure-blood diehards would fight him to the death.

Hermione is a very principled girl, as evidenced by her unwavering commitment to freeing House Elf. Her act of publicly hitting Draco also made Skylar realize an insurmountable gap in their social standing...

Just now, he was forced to choose between Slytherin and Hermione, which is a perfect example, and it is foreseeable that there will be many more such examples in the future.

He wasn't Harry. He didn't start school with the aura of Savior, nor did he receive special treatment from Dumbledore. He relied on his own efforts, planning step by step, and after two and a half semesters of hard work, he finally managed to gain a foothold within Slytherin. However, this attracted the attention of two hidden enemies: the Pure-blood diehards and the Ghosts Society. At this point, he absolutely could not do anything that would cause the young Slytherin wizards to become disloyal or turn against him.

(Author: Skylar once again expressed envy, jealousy, and hatred towards the domineering aura.)

Skylar paused for a moment before continuing, "Hermione and I are not on the same path. The path I'm about to take deviates too much from her loves, hates, and principles—after these three semesters, I believe you've all noticed something. Hermione, Harry, and Ron are Dumbledore's chosen successors, Dumbledore seems to intend for them to become the Saviors who defeat the Dark Lord..."

Meredith smiled dismissively. "Them? Defeat the Dark Lord? Is that even possible?"

Skylar stared at Meredith, and said with utmost seriousness and earnestness, "Believe me, with Dumbledore's plan in place, anything is possible."

Meredith was taken aback by Skylar's gaze, then nodded seriously to indicate that she understood. After Skylar's repeated tutelage, the two girls had developed an almost blind trust in Skylar; if Skylar said it was possible, then it was definitely possible.

Skylar continued, "That's the problem—if Harry and his friends defeat the Dark Lord as Saviors, it's not hard to imagine that their identities will lead to the next wave of reform in the wizarding world. One is an orphan raised in the Muggle world, one is Muggle-born wizard, and one is a Pure-blood traitor; the glory of Pure-blood families might become history..."

Skylar wasn't making this up. In her previous life, during a fan club online chat, Rowling had said that after the final battle, Kingsley would become Minister for Magic, Harry would become Aurors, and Hermione would first significantly improve the lives of house- Sprite in the Department of Magical Creatures Control before transferring to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, where she would repeal all the laws that favored Pure-blood families.

(Note: This online chat refers to the chat that took place on July 30, 2007, on the Bloomsbury Publishing website, where Rowling answered various questions from fans. The main topic of discussion was the development of several main characters after the story ended, which is the official setting.)

Amidst this wave of major reforms, Pure-blood families officially became history. Although the House of Malfoy still lived comfortably thanks to the wealth inherited from their ancestors, they were now destined to lead a secluded life, free from worldly strife. Social status, fame, and influence were out of the question; a peaceful life would be the best outcome. In the worst-case scenario, they would have to be constantly on guard against the families of Death Eaters or Death Eaters on the run, who would frequently seek revenge, resulting in a life of constant anxiety.

(Note: Lucius's identity Death Eaters was exposed during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. At the end, he was still a wanted criminal, so he was bound to be arrested and imprisoned. However, he later became a witness and testified against all the other Death Eaters in exchange for escaping imprisonment. As a result, he became a traitor in the eyes of the Pure-blood families. Furthermore, because of his past infamy, he was not accepted by Muggle-born wizards, Half-blood wizards, or the Weasley faction. He was caught in the middle.)

Skylar paused, then continued, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not a proponent of Pure-blood Supremacy. In my view, the theory of bloodlines is nothing more than an excuse for those old fogies to flaunt their own nobility. However, I want to protect the honor of the House of Malfoy —reform in the wizarding world is not impossible, but the House of Malfoy must be involved! Even led by the House of Malfoy! Instead of being forgotten on the stage of history."

Skylar's eyes shone with confidence. He raised his right hand, as if grasping the sun, and solemnly declared, "No matter how many difficulties lie ahead, I believe I can do it!"

Daphne and Meredith, seemingly moved by Skylar's expression, exclaimed, "We believe in you too!"

Skylar turned to look at them, a bright smile spreading across his face. "I knew it."

As for Hermione, since their paths have diverged and they've become enemies, causing each other pain and embarrassment, it's better to simply forget each other and go their separate ways. This is probably what they mean by being destined to meet but not to be together.

You ask Skylar if he ever loved Hermione? He doesn't know, maybe he did, maybe he didn't, but he certainly knows that if he had to choose between Hermione and his family, he would choose his family, where his loved ones were, his greatest bond in this life.

That day was also quite turbulent in Gryffindor.

Hermione, the model student, skipped class for the first time, and it was a very important Charms —the class taught the Cheering Charm, which Professor Flitwick hinted would appear in the final exam. The nosy lion cubs were all eager to find out what had happened to Hermione.

That wasn't all. Hermione finally appeared in the afternoon Divination Class, where the young wizards were learning about crystal ball Divination. Just as Professor Trelawney mentioned seeing Grim in Harry's crystal ball, Hermione stood up. She exclaimed, "Oh, for God's sake! Don't bring up that ridiculous Grim again!" (Mysterious voice: Huh? Hermione, do you believe in God?)

Professor Trelawney raised her large eyes and looked at Hermione's face. Her expression first showed disbelief and shock, which then slowly turned into anger. But behind the reflective lenses, no one saw the barely perceptible hint of mockery in her eyes.

Parvati and Lavender whispered to each other; the two girls, both die-hard fans of Professor Trelawney, glared at Hermione, feeling their idol had been insulted.

Professor Trelawney stood up, glaring at Hermione with obvious anger. "I regret to say, dear, from the first moment you stepped into this classroom, you clearly lacked the talent required for the noble Divination. In fact, I don't recall ever seeing a student so mediocre and hopeless."

To the astonishment of her classmates, Hermione slung her backpack over her shoulder and shouted, "Fine! I give up! I'm leaving!" Then she strode over to the Trapdoor, kicked it open, and scrambled down the ladder and disappeared.

Harry and Ron exchanged another bewildered glance. These two blockheads sensed something was wrong with Hermione, but couldn't pinpoint what it was. Then, Lavender's voice rang out untimely. "Oh! Professor Trelawney, I remember now! You foresaw her departure, didn't you, Professor? Around Easter, one of us will leave us forever! You said it all along, Professor!"

Lavender and Parvati looked completely convinced, and even Ron and Harry began to have doubts about Divination.