Draco felt that something was off about Crabbe and Goyle.
Usually, the two of them would start following him everywhere the moment he got out of bed.
But when he was about to go out today, they said they were too tired from playing yesterday and needed to rest.
Even more unusually, they did not even go to the Great Hall for lunch.
"Uh, Draco, go ahead and eat. I'm not that hungry yet." Crabbe sat on his bed, showing no intention of getting up.
"Me neither." Goyle sat beside him, and the two watched Draco in unison as he left.
When he reached the Great Hall, even Potter and his two friends were absent. Draco felt somewhat relieved, but also a little puzzled.
He was relieved because, without Crabbe and Goyle at his side, he might struggle to take on all three alone. Potter's absence was a good thing for him.
What puzzled him was, what was going on with everyone today?
Draco quickly finished his meal, then sneaked back to the dormitory without making a sound.
Although it compromised the dignity of the Malfoy family, Draco looked around for a moment before pressing his ear against the dormitory door to resolve his doubts.
"I can finally pull cards again!"
"This time I have to get Morgana le Fay. Or Ella Thornwood would work too."
"Oh no-it's Sir Luckless. I'm going to make another account."
"Move over, Goyle. It's my turn."
Draco picked his moment and pushed the door open, only to find Crabbe and Goyle squeezed onto one bed, fighting over the Muggle imitation he had thrown away yesterday.
"What... exactly are you doing?"
Hearing the anger in Draco's voice, Crabbe hurriedly let go. He got off the bed and straightened his clothes before explaining, "Draco, we just thought that if someone found it after we disposed of it like that, it would be beneath our dignity, so we wanted to wait until no one was around to get rid of it..."
"But it's just so much fun," Goyle said, hanging his head. "Draco, maybe I was wrong yesterday. This doesn't seem like something Muggles could make. You really should try it."
Draco gave them a suspicious look. Fun? Could it be more fun than Wizard's Chess and Quidditch?
Besides, although he had thrown this Magic Mobile Phone away himself, Crabbe and Goyle had used it. The Malfoy family did not use secondhand goods.
Still... there's nothing wrong with pure-blood families offering one another guidance. If Goyle's clumsy hands can't operate it properly, I could reluctantly help him out.
This is the mercy of a pure-blood.
Draco nodded at his own reasoning. He pointed at the clumsier of the two, Goyle, and said, "You operate it. I'll watch."
Overjoyed, Goyle pointed at himself. "Me?"
Draco nodded.
Crabbe was unhappy again and muttered under his breath, but when he saw Goyle and Draco sitting together, he could not resist edging closer.
As Goyle adjusted the position of his hands, the previously dormant black slab suddenly lit up.
Goyle said proudly, "You have to do it like me. Hold the Magic Mobile Phone in both hands. You have to get the position exactly right, or the controls will stutter."
"Now I can control this slab however I want. Look, I'll make it swipe left... swipe right..."
Draco frowned. All he saw was Goyle holding the phone, without casting a spell or drinking a potion, and simply making the things inside the slab swipe left and right at his command.
He could not understand it at all. Besides, how was he supposed to learn something so abstract? Goyle was just showing off!
"That's enough, Goyle," Draco interrupted. "If you think sliding left and right is fun, I suggest tying dittany to the soles of your shoes."
"Of course not. Look at this."
Goyle immediately sat up straight and opened the only square icon on the screen. Its name was written beneath it in gorgeous calligraphy.
Wizard Legend.
Dazzling white light filled the entire screen. Before it could fade, the whistle of a train suddenly sounded from the Magic Mobile Phone.
Draco immediately made an assessment. It lit up, made sounds, and had moving pictures. At the very least, it served the three functions of a lantern, a musical instrument, and a photograph.
But photographs only repeated a single action, whereas the scene inside the phone kept moving forward. Amid a jumble of noise, countless people swept past the camera. The viewpoint soared high to look down, then dipped low to look up, before finally settling on a suitcase.
There was clearly someone beside the suitcase. The viewpoint slowly moved upward, but just as Draco was about to see who it was, the picture suddenly froze.
"Is it broken?" Draco asked, somewhat agitated.
Goyle remained unhurried. "Don't worry, Draco. That person is you. It's asking you to choose your clothes now."
Draco was stunned.
That person... is me?
At first, he had not understood the full weight of those words, but when a dazzling array of tops and trousers appeared on the screen for him to choose from, he finally realized.
It was asking him to create another version of himself.
Unable to hold back, Draco shoved Goyle aside with his backside. "Move over, Goyle. Your hands are too slow."
Goyle, who had been swiping rapidly to let Draco choose his clothes: "?"
The instant the Magic Mobile Phone entered his hands, Draco felt how unusual it was. The magic within his body seemed to be drawn toward it, feeding into it in fine threads.
He copied Goyle, supporting the Magic Mobile Phone with his fingers-so there were grooves on the back. Goyle had actually forgotten to mention something so important.
As he adjusted his fingers, Draco immediately felt as though some sort of connection had formed between his body and the Magic Mobile Phone.
The black slab in his hands seemed to have become part of his body. Swiping, tapping, or holding down any spot on the screen happened instantly with a single thought.
He felt a little regretful that he had not been the first to try the Magic Mobile Phone yesterday.
Otherwise, those two, Crabbe and Goyle, would never have had a chance to touch his things!
Draco patiently chose his clothes. He wanted elegant, well-fitting, appropriate clothing. Whenever something displeased him, he would shake his head slightly, then undo his choice and choose again.
This left the two behind him frantic.
"This isn't a dress-up game, Draco." Goyle's eyes were practically glued to the phone. "Hurry up and finish choosing. There's even better stuff afterward."
Crabbe chimed in too. "Yeah. Once you enter the game, your clothes turn into a square block of color anyway."
Draco's mental selection of clothes came to a halt.
He hated spoilers so much.
Now he was not even in the mood to choose clothes.
Draco ignored them, but quickly selected the clothes that had first caught his eye.
The picture began moving again, slowly rising from the suitcase to reveal the trousers, top, and hairstyle he had just chosen.
The character he had created sat quietly in a seat, holding a book.
Just then, someone shouted, and the character on the screen gently put down the book. A gust of wind blew past, lifting the cover to reveal a grayish-brown flyleaf.
The picture paused again.
Draco understood. It wanted him to name his character.