A Single Scheme, Three Victims

Slytherin's efforts over this period proved that the young wizards' sweat had not been wasted. Their progress was obvious to all. With the badges Su Yu had given them, casting spells had become far easier. The upper-years had also mastered silent casting and wandless casting to perfection. Malfoy, Theodore, Blaise, and Pansy had improved the fastest among them. They had already learned silent casting. It was truly excellent.

But the conflict between Slytherin and Gryffindor only grew fiercer. The other two Houses, seeing Slytherin becoming increasingly arrogant, mostly pretended not to see it and kept their distance. But the little lions of Gryffindor did not have such mild tempers. Every day, they found something to dislike about Slytherin, and Slytherin felt the same.

The most famous incident happened on the day of the Quidditch match, when Ron brought Neville to provoke Malfoy. Yes, you heard that right. It was not Malfoy looking for trouble. Ron had brought Neville to provoke Malfoy.

Malfoy no longer bullied the weak, but his arrogance had not changed. That disdainful look in his eyes only made Ron angrier.

Ron could not stand it, because whenever Malfoy saw him, Ron felt as though Malfoy were looking at a beggar...

So on the day of the Quidditch match, the atmosphere around the pitch had already been tense. The Slytherin players warmed up on the field, their green uniforms especially striking beneath the sunlight. The Gryffindor players were warming up as well, their red uniforms like clusters of flame. The stands on both sides were packed, and banners snapped loudly in the wind.

Ron dragged Neville along and blocked Malfoy near the entrance to the stands.

"Malfoy," Ron said in a low voice, though every word burned with anger, "what exactly do you mean?"

Malfoy stopped and glanced at him, ignoring Ron.

"What do you mean?" Ron raised his voice slightly. "What kind of look do you keep giving me?"

The corner of Malfoy's mouth shifted slightly. It was not quite a smile. "Are you worthy of my attention?"

Ron exploded.

His face immediately turned red, from the base of his neck to his forehead. He clenched his fists. Neville stood beside him, his lips moving before he finally gathered the courage to speak. "Malfoy, you shouldn't talk like that—"

Malfoy shifted his gaze to Neville and paused for a second.

"Neville," Malfoy said unhurriedly, "if brains were gold, you'd be poorer than Weasley. Do you understand what I mean?"

Neville's face turned red too. Neville had zero attack power.

At that moment, Harry happened to make a beautiful dive from the sky, drawing cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, covering her mouth with both hands. Then Harry shot toward the ground like a bullet.

Malfoy glanced at Harry. "You're really lucky, Weasley. Harry seems to have spotted some gold that fell onto the ground."

Ron could no longer hold himself back.

He and Neville charged forward together. Ron lunged at Malfoy, while Neville circled around from the other side. Their fists swung out at the same time—

Malfoy's wand was already in his hand.

A silent spell. The Leg-Locker Curse.

An invisible force shot from the tip of Malfoy's wand and struck Ron and Neville's legs. Their feet suddenly stuck together. They lost their balance, collided with each other, then fell to the ground in a tangle.

"Let us go!" Ron roared, struggling on the ground, but his legs seemed welded together. No matter how hard he tried, he could not pull them apart.

Malfoy put away his wand and looked down at the two writhing on the ground. Crabbe and Goyle emerged from behind him. Crabbe kicked Ron in the backside, while Goyle crouched down and punched Neville in the back. The three of them began beating Ron and Neville, leaving them howling in pain.

In the end, Hermione heard the commotion below from the stands and turned to look. She hurried down, pulled them apart, and rescued Ron and Neville. When she helped them up, she saw that their faces had swollen like pigs' heads, their feet were still locked together, and Malfoy stood nearby while Crabbe and Goyle laughed.

"Malfoy! Get lost!" Hermione was like a mother lion then, shielding Ron and Neville before quickly casting a spell to undo the curse on them.

Of course, Malfoy was not going to lower himself to Hermione's level. Leaving aside the fact that she was always fooling around with the Prefect, he knew Su Yu's temper. Besides, would Malfoy possibly lay a hand on a girl? Absolutely not. He gestured to Crabbe and Goyle.

"Let's go," Malfoy said.

Crabbe and Goyle followed behind him as the three passed through the crowd and disappeared into the stands.

Hermione crouched down and examined Ron and Neville. Their faces were covered in bruises, their eyes swollen to narrow slits, their lips split, with blood smeared across their chins.

"Can't you two go one day without causing trouble?" Hermione's voice was both angry and anxious.

Ron climbed off the ground, rubbing the swollen corner of his mouth as he mumbled something incoherent. Hermione did not catch it, but she did not want to hear it anyway.

Slytherin still lost that Quidditch match.

It was not because they were weak. The Slytherin players had trained harder than anyone over the past few months, and Ka-jie's command from the sidelines had been flawless. They had kept Gryffindor suppressed the entire time, and by the second half the score was already 150 to 10. Slytherin had been certain to win. Montague scored seven goals, Pucey scored five, and though Flint had not caught the Golden Snitch, his defense kept Gryffindor's Chasers from breaking through at all.

But Harry Potter truly was the chosen child of the version.

That Golden Snitch flew into Harry's hand all by itself. Could you believe that? It circled the sky above the pitch twice, evaded Flint's outstretched hand three times, dodged the Bludger Adrian had sent flying at it, and then—landed steadily in Harry's palm. Even Harry was stunned. He looked down at the Snitch in his hand, then looked around.

Su Yu, at any rate, thought it was rigged. Dumbledore was the biggest puppet master behind it. He knew the old man wanted to build Harry Potter's confidence, but did he have to stop at nothing?

He stared at Harry in the center of the pitch, then at Dumbledore in the teachers' stands. Dumbledore was smiling as he applauded, his silver beard gleaming beneath the sun. Su Yu clenched his fists. The more he endured it, the angrier he became; the more he stepped back, the more cheated he felt.

Golden chakra appeared across his body as the Tailed Beast Cloak covered him. He nearly summoned Susanoo on the spot and smashed that old fossil with a hammer.

A hand pressed down on his arm.

Ka-jie's hand. Her fingers were long and strong, and her palm was warmer than usual—probably because she had been shouting so excitedly while directing the team from the sidelines.

"Don't." Ka-jie's voice was low, audible only to Su Yu. "It isn't worth it."

Su Yu looked down at her. Ka-jie's green eyes were especially bright beneath the sunlight, and his reflection was visible in her pupils. Her lips were slightly pursed, her chin subtly raised, and her entire presence seemed to say, Trust me.

"I will rely on my own ability as a commander," Ka-jie said, each word deliberate, "to lead Slytherin in reclaiming its glory."

Su Yu looked at her.

"Ka-jie is so badass."

Then he lowered his head and kissed her in front of everyone.

Ka-jie's body stiffened. Her eyes widened for an instant, then slowly closed.

The Slytherin students nearby began to cheer. Whistles, applause, and laughter mixed together, making more noise than the Quidditch match itself. Fa-jie leaned against the railing with her arms folded, a smile curving her lips as no one knew what she was thinking. Daphne stood beside her, smiling as she watched the two of them.

In the crowd, Malfoy excitedly picked up Pansy beside him.

Pansy's brain crashed for a moment—her eyes went round, and she froze as though someone had pressed pause. Then she came back to herself and excitedly hugged Malfoy back, rising onto her toes to kiss him.

The laughter from Slytherin became even louder. Malfoy's face visibly reddened, from the base of his neck to the tips of his ears. He wanted to push Pansy away, but felt that would be wrong; yet not pushing her away also felt wrong. His hands hovered awkwardly in midair. Only after Pansy finished kissing him did she realize everyone around them was watching. Her face reddened too. She released Malfoy and stepped back, nearly treading on Crabbe's foot.

A scene that left only Malfoy embarrassed had been born. The Slytherin students laughed so hard they doubled over, even forgetting that they had lost the match.

After the Quidditch match, final exams were just around the corner.

Hermione had prepared a revision timetable early and begun studying. Her schedule was incredibly detailed—up at six every morning, Potions review from six to seven, breakfast while revising Transfiguration theory from seven to eight, eight to ten... Every minute was packed, and even her toilet breaks were marked, "Can revise spell pronunciation."

She also dragged Su Yu and Daphne into revising with her.

Su Yu had been feeling better and better lately. The conversion between chakra and magic was becoming smoother, and his Transfiguration and Potions had improved considerably as well. He could not be called exceptional, but getting a passing grade and moving up to the second year would not be a problem.

But rather than revising, it was more accurate to say that Hermione and Daphne studied while Su Yu slept.

One day, he slept with his head on Hermione's lap; the next, he slept on Daphne's lap.

Only Kurama was unhappy about this. Daphne had long legs, and she wanted to sleep on Daphne's lap too.

Some time later, Su Yu and the others heard Hermione say that Hagrid was raising a dragon.

A newly hatched Norwegian Ridgeback. When Hermione said it, her expression hovered between excitement and worry—excited because it was a dragon, worried because it was a dragon that grew far too quickly. Hermione also said that Hagrid fed it brandy and chickens. Kurama seemed quite interested upon hearing that and asked, "Does dragon meat taste good?" Su Yu said he did not know either.

But someone else knew about their dragon too—Malfoy.

That night, Malfoy had something to do, so the Slytherin students had already gone to the Forbidden Forest to gather for training. Malfoy was the only one heading there alone afterward. As he walked along the path at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, he saw three sneaky figures slipping out from the direction of the castle and heading toward Hagrid's hut.

Malfoy followed them.

He hid beside the wooden hut and saw the hatched dragon through the window. The little creature was covered in black scales, with dark red membranes on its wings. Sparks spurted from its mouth, and it looked thoroughly fierce. Malfoy watched for a while, found it boring, and turned to leave. It was only a dragon. It was not as if he had never seen one before. He did not take it seriously at all.

But Harry and the others noticed someone peeking through the window. When they came out to search for whoever had been watching, they checked in the direction of Hogwarts. By then, however, Malfoy had already entered the Forbidden Forest.

So during that time, Malfoy always looked at the three of them with meaningful eyes. Whenever he saw them in the corridors, he would stop, curl his lips slightly, watch them for several seconds, and then turn away.

Harry and the others felt uneasy from head to toe, growing increasingly nervous. Whenever Malfoy looked their way, the three would lower their heads in unspoken agreement, fall silent, and pretend to be occupied with something else. Malfoy felt he could hold this secret over Harry and Ron for the rest of their lives!

But in a dramatic turn, because Malfoy pressed them too hard, Hermione was bitten by the dragon.

That night, Malfoy had originally planned to visit Hermione in the Hospital Wing and apologize. After all, Hermione being bitten was not the outcome he had wanted. But when he reached the Hospital Wing entrance, he happened to find Madame Pomfrey questioning Ron.

"Where was she bitten?" Madame Pomfrey asked. "What bit her?"

Ron stammered, unable to say a word. His face flushed red, his mouth opening and closing, then closing and opening again like a fish tossed onto shore.

Malfoy stood in the doorway, the corner of his mouth lifting.

He walked in and stopped in front of Ron. "Oh, poor Hermione, Weasley," Malfoy said in a tone as casual as conversation. "Madame Pomfrey is asking you a question. Have you gone mute?"

"No, I haven't. I think, I think it was a dog bite, right?"

"Weasley, did you take Neville's brain home with you?" Malfoy teased. "Or are you hiding something? That doesn't look like a dog bite to me."

"Oh, no! It was a dog bite! You have to believe me!" Ron was nearly crying from panic.

Then Madame Pomfrey spoke. "Malfoy, why are you here?"

Malfoy glanced around, spotted the book in Ron's arms, and casually said, "Madame Pomfrey, I came to borrow a book from Ron."

Ron instinctively handed over the book in his hands. Malfoy took it and left. But when he returned to his dormitory and tossed the book onto the table, a letter unexpectedly fell out. It was the letter Charlie had written to Ron, marked with the time and place where he would come collect the dragon.

At first, Malfoy thought it was a trap, something Harry and the others had deliberately set for him. He sat in front of the fireplace and thought about it for a long time. Then, based on his observations over the next two days, Malfoy decided—he would follow the plan. He was going to blow up Harry and Ron's plans!

Hermione was in the Hospital Wing and could not go. That meant he could properly deal with Harry and Ron. He had calculated it well: one student staying out after curfew would lose twenty points, but Harry and Ron were two people, so they would lose forty! This self-destructive method of attack would guarantee Slytherin a profit!

What he had not expected was that Gryffindor lost 150 points that very night.

Neville had been caught by Professor McGonagall while trying to warn Harry and Ron that "Malfoy is going to tell on you." Three Gryffindors—Harry, Ron, and Neville—plus Malfoy. Professor McGonagall was furious.

Gryffindor lost 150 points.

Slytherin lost only twenty points—because Malfoy alone had stayed out after curfew.

Malfoy later described Professor McGonagall at the time as "just like that dragon, except she couldn't breathe fire."

In this battle, Slytherin won a tremendous victory. One scheme took down three worthy foes, and Malfoy became famous overnight.

After all, a House only had around four hundred points in total by the end of term, and Gryffindor had just been knocked down by 150 points.

Malfoy would even suddenly laugh in his sleep, waking Crabbe. Crabbe would then wake Goyle, and the two stared wide-eyed at each other in the dark, having no idea what had happened.

The result was that Malfoy became Slytherin's great hero.

Harry became Gryffindor's great villain. Every Gryffindor student discussed Harry and mocked him. In the corridors, in the Great Hall, in class, people everywhere said, "He's the one who made us lose 150 points." Gryffindor gave Harry a new nickname—Seeker. Not because they praised his skill at finding the ball, but because they mocked him for only knowing how to find trouble. People excluded him everywhere. Those who had once greeted him now walked around him. Wherever Harry went, silence followed, and only after he had passed did the whispers start up again.

It also showed Harry the warmth and coldness of human nature. But he had grown up in such an environment, so he could accept it. He only felt even guiltier. Ron handled it better than he did. Whoever insulted Ron, Ron insulted back. Whoever hit Ron, Ron hit back. Though he lost more fights than he won, he was never afraid.

On the Slytherin side, Su Yu stopped them from mocking Gryffindor.

That night, the Slytherin students loudly discussed Gryffindor's lost points in the common room, with laughter and cheers rising one after another. Malfoy was surrounded in the middle as several people patted his shoulder, while Pansy smiled so broadly her mouth would not close.

Su Yu rose from the sofa.

The common room slowly quieted. Everyone's eyes focused on him. Su Yu stopped those who were mocking them, just as he had stopped them from mocking the Slytherin Quidditch team.

"Don't kick people when they're down," Su Yu said.

No one spoke.

"You are a group of nobles." Su Yu's gaze swept over every face. "You must respect your opponents. When they fail, you must be even more careful, rather than becoming smug, until you have completely defeated them."

"You should also learn to be patient with your companions. After all, they did their best. As long as they have no regrets, that is enough. Look forward to their efforts next time."

The common room stayed quiet for a long time. Then someone nodded, and someone lowered their head. Malfoy stood in the center of the crowd as the smile on his face slowly faded, replaced by a different sort of contemplation.

The Slytherin students followed Su Yu's advice. When they encountered Harry and Ron in the corridors the next day, they did not laugh or mock them. Those who needed to walk kept walking, and those who needed to attend class went to class, as though nothing had happened.

That only made Gryffindor seem especially inhuman.