The following evening.
"Expelliarmus!"
A streak of red light flashed. The stick in Ron's hand wobbled, then flew out and landed on a nearby desk.
He looked at his empty hand, then at Harry.
"Finally got it?"
"I think this one counts."
Harry lowered his wand. The panel had already opened.
[First successful spell cast.] [Disarming Charm: beginner (8/100).]
Looking at that line, he finally felt a little better.
Over the past two days, he had borrowed a book introducing basic defensive magic from the library.
He knew the names of the spells, but he still had to practice the wand movements and magical control from scratch.
At least now, if he really ran into trouble, he would not have to just hold up a glowing wand and do his best to illuminate his opponent.
Ron had already run over to pick up the stick.
"One more time?"
"Let's take a break first."
Afternoon classes were over, and the two of them were alone in this temporarily empty classroom.
Harry had just opened his book when a voice came from the doorway.
"Potter."
Malfoy stood by the door, platinum-blond hair falling to her shoulders, her gaze moving from the wand in his hand to the book on the desk.
Goyle and Crabbe were right behind her.
"Well, well~"
Malfoy deliberately drew out the last word, a teasing smile curling her lips.
"Look what I've found."
"So our famous genius, Harry Potter, is hiding here secretly practicing the Disarming Charm?"
The girl folded her arms and lifted her chin slightly.
"What? Finally realized memorizing books alone won't make you a real magical genius?"
"I've only just picked up a little," Harry said.
The girl gave a soft huff and walked into the classroom.
Holding the stick, Ron immediately frowned. "Malfoy, what are you doing here now?"
Malfoy finally glanced at him.
"Shut up, Weasley. I have something to say to Potter."
"Then say it."
The girl did not answer, turning instead to the two girls behind her.
"Goyle, Crabbe."
The two approached almost simultaneously. Ron had only just begun to sense something wrong when his arms were seized, one on each side.
"Wait, you-"
His feet suddenly left the ground.
Goyle casually took the stick from his hand and put it back on the desk. Crabbe hoisted him a little higher, and the two carried him straight toward the door.
Ron's legs kicked twice in midair.
No use.
"Hang in there, Harry!" He hastily twisted his head around, his voice suddenly rising. "I'll tell a professor right now, they're-"
"Mmph!"
Crabbe freed one hand and covered his mouth.
"Mmmph!"
The door was pulled shut.
The sounds in the corridor gradually receded, until all that remained were a few thoroughly unwilling muffled cries.
Harry watched the classroom door in silence for two seconds.
Great. Looks like Ron was the first one who couldn't hang in there.
"Now we can talk." Malfoy stopped beside the desk, her chin slightly raised. "The Weasley family is too noisy."
Harry glanced at the door. It was indeed much quieter now.
"What do you want?"
Malfoy's gaze settled on his wand, and the corners of her lips slowly rose. "Potter, let's have a real magical duel."
Harry's fingers paused slightly.
"We only just finished competing at flying."
"So this time, we'll compete with spells."
"When?"
"Tonight. Midnight." The girl spoke with great solemnity. "The Trophy Room. Bring your wand."
At those words, Harry's gaze immediately turned a little strange.
Midnight, a magical duel, the Trophy Room.
He knew this part all too well. Malfoy in the original story had invited Harry in exactly the same way.
In the end, Malfoy had never shown up and had even tipped off Filch.
The original Harry had gone to keep the appointment, only to be met by the caretaker, and ended up fleeing through the castle in a flurry of flying feathers and squawking chickens.
Though the person before him had become a young lady, the surname had not changed one bit.
Harry looked at her and asked seriously, "You're not playing a trick on me, are you?"
The smile on Malfoy's lips froze. "What?"
"Like making the appointment, then not showing up."
The girl's expression changed at once.
"Potter!" She stepped forward, her gray-green eyes fixed on him. "What sort of person do you take me for?"
Harry did not answer. That was a question he really did have to reconsider now.
"I am Draco Malfoy!"
The girl raised her chin, her voice a little tighter than before.
"If I said I'd duel you, of course I'll go myself! I'm going to beat you fair and square. Why would I need to trick you?!"
Harry looked at her.
The girl gripped her wand, her shoulders held rigidly straight. Clearly, she considered that question even ruder than an outright refusal.
It did seem she wasn't joking.
True, even after winning at flying, this young lady had chased after him with questions.
If she really had to hide and miss the chance to beat him face-to-face... she would probably be even less willing than he was.
"All right." Harry nodded. "Let's have a match."
Malfoy's lips had barely begun to curl upward when he continued, "But how about adding some stakes?"
The girl's eyes lit up.
Stakes?
Of course she wanted that.
In fact, she had decided on them long ago.
"If you lose, you have to apologize to me for your rudeness on the train."
Harry paused slightly. She actually still remembered that.
Malfoy watched him, the triumph in her eyes growing more obvious.
"And you have to kneel to apologize."
She certainly had not forgotten.
That day, she had taken the initiative to offer her hand, but Potter had sat there, refusing to shake it for ages. Weasley had even been watching in amusement beside him.
She had told him he would realize what he had missed. And now, hadn't the opportunity arrived?
After hearing her out, Harry merely raised his eyebrows, then looked at the girl with a smile.
"Does Miss Malfoy want me down on one knee?"
For an instant, the classroom fell silent.
The girl's already raised chin froze.
One knee?
Wait...
One knee?!
Wasn't that the pose people only used when proposing?!
An image surfaced uncontrollably in Malfoy's mind.
Harry Potter knelt on one knee before her, looking up at her with a smile.
Then...
Proposed to her?!
Boom!
The girl's fair cheeks flushed scarlet almost instantly, even the roots of her ears turning crimson.
Th-this bastard! What nonsense was he spouting?!
I only told you to kneel and apologize!
Who-who told you to get down on one knee?!
And... this was a classroom!
"Wh-what are you talking about?!" The girl glared at Harry in flustered fury. "I said apologize! Apologize!!"
"Who gave you permission to think about all that nonsense?!"
Malfoy glared at him, but could not suppress the redness on her face.
Infuriating.
He was simply getting more and more infuriating!
"Oh~"
Harry deliberately drew out the sound, then nodded thoughtfully.
"I see."
"It looks like I misunderstood what Miss Malfoy meant."
He paused briefly, then added with another smile, "But why are you blushing?"
"I-I'm not blushing!" Malfoy blurted out. "It's just too hot in here!"
"Oh, is that so?" Harry nodded with an air of perfect seriousness. "I thought Miss Malfoy was already considering whether to say yes."
"HARRY! POTTER!!!"
The girl's hackles rose completely.
"Shut up! Shut your mouth right now!!!"
Harry finally could not help laughing aloud.
All right.
He couldn't tease her any more.
If he kept going, this young lady might really swing the wand in her hand at him like a club.
"All right, my terms."
The girl pressed her lips together. "Go on, then."
"If I win, you teach me three spells."
Malfoy froze for a moment.
"Spells?"
"Ones I don't know yet, that the textbooks haven't taught us." Harry glanced at the wand in her hand. "Haven't you been getting instruction at home since you were little? You must have learned quite a few."
Malfoy's chin instinctively rose a little higher.
"Of course."
"Then that's what I want."
The girl watched him. She had originally thought Potter would make some thoroughly infuriating demand.
Such as making her admit he was better, or getting even on Weasley's behalf.
Instead, he actually wanted to learn spells?
Harry, for his part, had thought it through clearly.
Given the Malfoy family's background and resources, this young lady had clearly learned more than those few pages in the first-year textbooks.
For him, learning a few more practical spells would be far more useful.
Of course, there was one more thing.
"If I lose, I can formally apologize for being rude to you in the train compartment." Harry looked at her again. "But kneeling is out."
Malfoy immediately frowned.
"How is that-"
"What you want is for me to admit I was wrong myself, isn't it?"
The girl's voice faltered for a moment. Harry's tone remained steady.
"If I win, you teach me the spells. If you win, I give you a sincere apology. Those are the only two conditions."
Malfoy pressed his lips together and watched him for several seconds.
Potter's position was quite clear.
Clearly, no matter what else he said, Potter would never agree to kneel.
Still, a formal apology, an admission of fault from his own lips.
At least he would no longer act as he had sitting in that compartment, not even noticing the hand held out to him.
The girl's grip on her wand slowly loosened a little.
"Fine."
"But don't think you can just toss out a few casual words and call it done."
"A sincere apology." Harry nodded. "As agreed."
Only then did Malfoy look a little more satisfied.
"As for the three spells..." She raised her chin. "We'll discuss that once you've actually beaten me."
"Of course."
The two also settled the rules of the contest.
If either lost their wand or conceded, they would stop.
Ten minutes at most.
They changed the location to the wide corridor outside the Trophy Room, lest a spell shatter a trophy first.
Malfoy put away her wand and turned toward the door. Just before leaving, she looked back.
"Potter, don't be late."
"Remember that. And I will definitely be there."
With that, the girl walked out, chin held high.
Her long platinum hair swayed and soon disappeared past the doorway.
A moment later, the classroom door was pushed open again.
Ron stood in the doorway, panting.
His hair was a little disheveled, and his robe sleeves were rumpled. After coming in, he first glanced back into the corridor.
"Harry!" He hurried over. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
"That's good." Ron finally breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately straightened his back a little. "Those two women were harder to deal with than I thought."
Harry looked at him.
"I battled them for quite a while." Ron rolled his shoulders, his tone utterly solemn. "But in the end, I beat them and came back."
Harry's gaze moved away from his rumpled robe sleeves. He did not expose the lie.
"Very brave, Ron." He nodded politely. "Thanks for the hard work."
Ron's chest puffed out a little more at once.
"It was nothing."
He glanced at the now-empty doorway and finally remembered what he had meant to ask.
"Oh, right, what did Malfoy just say to you?"
Harry lowered his head and opened the borrowed book.
"Nothing."
Midnight.
Miss Malfoy's duel.
Hopefully, the young lady really will come in person this time.
Before you continue