Contempt for the "Savior"

From "My father is Lucius Malfoy" to "I hope I'll be lucky enough to be sorted into the same House as you"—had this Uchiha boy, whom he had met only once, really left such a... profound "impression" on Draco?

Daphne's curiosity was thoroughly piqued. Her probing gaze shifted back and forth between Uchiha Madara and Draco, keenly sensing the unusual undercurrent beneath the calm surface.

"Lord Madara, let me introduce the two beside me. Crabbe and Goyle, my friends. They wanted to..."

Draco had not even finished speaking, and the eagerness had yet to fade from his voice—

Bang!

The compartment door was violently shoved open from outside by a reckless force, slamming heavily into the inner wall!

"Neville! Trevor must be in here! I swear I just heard it croak!"

Ron Weasley's distinctive, boisterous voice burst in first, his bright red hair bobbing in the doorway.

"Ron! Keep your voice down! The sign says this is a private compartment!"

Hermione Granger's anxious voice followed close behind, filled with her usual concern for order and propriety. She reached out to tug on Ron's sleeve.

"Y-yes, sorry! We didn't mean to disturb anyone! It's just that my toad, Trevor, has gone missing again..."

Neville Longbottom's round face was flushed red. Carrying an empty cage in his hand, he had been half-dragged to the door by Ron as he explained in panic.

The Golden Trio, plus a Neville who had lost his toad, barged in without warning in a chaotic mess, coming face-to-face with the Malfoy trio who were in the middle of "paying their respects" to Madara!

The air instantly froze.

The humble, friendly mask Draco had been painstakingly maintaining dissolved the instant he recognized the intruders, as though acid had been poured over it!

Shock, offended fury, and the embarrassment of losing face before an important figure swiftly replaced his previous expression.

His gray-blue eyes openly revealed his deep disgust toward Hermione and the others. But after glancing at Madara, who still sat with his eyes closed, he forcibly swallowed the curse that had reached his lips and merely let out a faint, disdainful snort through his nose.

"Tch." He wrinkled his nose with startling speed, as though he had smelled something unclean.

The moment Ron saw Draco, the anxiety on his face was instantly replaced by disgust. He sneered, his voice unconsciously rising again. "Well, well, isn't this the 'noble' young Master Malfoy? What, did you lose a pet too? Or is there someone here even more 'noble' than you?"

He carelessly jerked his chin toward Uchiha Madara in the center of the compartment. Clearly, he had long forgotten their encounter in Diagon Alley a month ago. He had even forgotten that he had ever met Uchiha Madara.

Neville was so frightened by the scene that he nearly fainted. Hugging the empty cage, he trembled and wished he could curl himself into a ball.

Harry Potter's gaze quickly swept across the compartment.

He first noticed the unfamiliar blonde girl seated on the single sofa by the door, elegantly dressed and calm in demeanor—Daphne—and a trace of curiosity flashed through his eyes.

Then his gaze seemed to be drawn by a magnet, fixing firmly on the center of the compartment—

On the black-haired boy sitting there with his eyes closed, as though completely isolated from everything around him.

It was him! The red-eyed boy Harry had met once in Diagon Alley, the one who had made Hagrid so nervous!

Harry's heartbeat inexplicably skipped a beat.

"Crabbe, Goyle!" Draco's voice was low, but it carried an unquestionable command.

He quickly turned toward Madara and gave a tiny bow. In a voice audible only to those nearby, he rapidly said, "My apologies, Lord Madara. A minor disturbance. I'll handle it immediately."

Then he turned back, casting Ron and the others a disgusted glance. "Please escort these 'lost' gentlemen and lady out. Don't let them disturb the peace here."

He emphasized the word "please," but the expulsion in his eyes was obvious.

Crabbe, the huge and simple-minded lackey, nodded and stepped forward. Stretching out his thick arms, he landed two heavy punches in Harry and Ron's stomachs without a word. As the two collapsed to the floor in pain, Crabbe curled his lip and grabbed one in each hand, carrying them toward the door like chicks.

"Let go! What are you doing?!" Hermione's cheeks flushed with fury. Following behind, she anxiously pounded hard on Crabbe's solid back. "This is violence! It violates school rules! I'll report you to the prefects! I'll report you to the professors!"

Watching the noisy Hermione, Goyle scratched his head, grabbed her hair, and yanked her backward onto the floor. Then he slung her over his shoulder and followed behind Crabbe. As he passed the tearful Neville, he snatched away his empty cage. Neville looked like he was about to cry and followed after them helplessly.

The compartment was immediately filled with chaotic struggles, protests, and the dull sounds of dragging.

Just then—

Uchiha Madara, who had kept his eyes closed as though entirely uninvolved, slowly opened them.

There was no expected anger or rebuke. Only bottomless coldness.

His gaze, like two tangible ice spikes, first swept over the six people making a commotion at the compartment door.

It was merely the act of opening his eyes.

Hummm—!

An invisible, bone-chilling coldness suddenly spread from Madara like the heart of a polar storm! It was not a drop in temperature, but an absolute pressure on the level of life itself, mixed with the crushing force of pure will, instantly engulfing the entire compartment!

Crabbe and Goyle, the largest of them all, bore the brunt of it!

The expressions on the two hulking idiots' faces instantly froze. Their eyes bulged, their pupils shrank to pinpoints, and strangled gasps escaped their throats. Their massive bodies seemed to have been stripped of every bone and ounce of strength, collapsing stiffly and heavily onto the floor like two mountains of flesh!

Thud! Thud!

Two muffled impacts. Their eyes rolled back, and they passed out cold.

This sudden, bizarre, terrifying turn of events left everyone stunned!

The color drained from Draco's face in an instant! His humble expression shattered completely. "Crabbe! Goyle! You two idiots..." Malfoy's voice carried unmistakable panic. Though he had no idea what exactly had happened, the oppressive atmosphere around him instinctively made him feel threatened.

He reached out and seized unconscious Crabbe by the collar, trying to pull him up, but the lackey who usually seemed so big and dependable was now impossibly heavy.

On the Golden Trio's side, before they could even celebrate being freed, Harry Potter felt a sharp pain shoot through the scar on his forehead! It was as though a red-hot iron poker had been driven into his skull and twisted!

He groaned and had to clamp one hand over his forehead. His jaw was clenched tight, while his other hand braced against the nearby wall just to keep himself upright. His green eyes were filled with pain and bewilderment.

Ron, meanwhile, looked as though he had been kicked in the chest by a unicorn. His face went deathly pale, and he struggled to breathe as he stumbled backward again and again. Only when his back struck the cold wall of the compartment did he stop retreating. His mouth hung open, yet he could not draw in enough air.

Hermione felt as though her thoughts had been thrown into icy water and instantly frozen. Her treasured knowledge and logic were utterly pale and powerless before this pure will! Her mouth was open, but she could not make a sound!

Neville's legs gave out entirely. He collapsed onto the floor, his empty cage rolling aside. He stared at Madara in terror, as though he had seen the most horrifying nightmare!

Even the light in the compartment seemed to dim and distort for an instant, while the air became as thick as glue.

Only the monotonous sound of the wheels rolling over the tracks was endlessly magnified, like a hammer striking everyone's fraying nerves.

At last, Madara's gaze fell upon the boy clutching his forehead, black hair disheveled, pain and defiance mingling in his green eyes—Harry Potter.

Very slowly, the corner of his mouth curled upward into a cold arc.

It was not a smile.

It was an expression of utter contempt, disappointment, and cold amusement, as though he were looking at a poorly made, undeserving counterfeit.

A hoarse, low voice, like rough metal scraping against metal, shattered the deathly silence. Every syllable struck against their eardrums like an ice spike:

"Since I set foot on this land,"

"I have kept hearing tedious rumors."

Madara tilted his head slightly. The crimson One-Tomoe Sharingan flashed in the depths of his pupils, like the Demon Eye opening in the abyss, locking onto Harry Potter with merciless scrutiny.

"Harry Potter... the famous Savior?" He paused, his tone calm yet cruel enough to crush every halo surrounding the name.

"That so-called Dark Lord was defeated by... trash like you?"

That gaze was like an invisible sledgehammer, smashing fiercely into Harry's heart!

Harry felt as though his soul had been peeled open and laid bare beneath those eyes! The searing pain in his scar, mixed with overwhelming humiliation and helplessness, instantly drowned him!

After saying that, Madara withdrew his gaze, as though looking at Harry for even another second would be a waste.

He calmly uttered three words, carrying an unquestionable indifference, like one shooing away flies:

"Get out."

The instant his words fell, an invisible force, like a giant unseen hand, flung Neville, who was slumped on the floor, Hermione, who had gone rigid, Ron, who was leaning against the wall, and Harry, who clutched his forehead and bit his lip hard to keep tears of humiliation from falling, out of the compartment together.

Bang!

The compartment door automatically shut behind them with a dull, thunderous crash, separating the inside and outside into two different worlds.

[Oh no, compartment door, don't separate little Mouse from the great wizards! Little Mouse still wants those precious recommendation votes in your hands!]