Ron, watching from the side, curled his lip and muttered to Harry, "Is it really that big of a deal? It's just a needle in a haystack, and they're all acting like they've seen Merlin."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but slow his pace and quietly perk up his ears, clearly unable to escape the "it smells so good" phenomenon.
Harry chuckled and shook his head, but didn't call him out on it. He simply slowed his pace, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Draco, seeing the crowd gathering around him, made no attempt to hide anything and said, "Let's talk as we go, don't dawdle, I don't want to be caught late by Filch."
As he spoke, he took the lead and walked towards the door, and a group of people immediately followed, crowding around him. The noise from the classroom drifted all the way to the corridor.
Hermione walked at the back, watching the figures ahead surrounded by others, then quickly caught up, carrying her schoolbag.
Draco stopped in his tracks as soon as he stepped out of the Transfiguration classroom.
He glanced at the crowd around him but didn't see that familiar figure. He casually asked, "Where's Hermione?"
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone around her turned around instantly and saw Hermione walking slowly at the back, carrying her schoolbag.
She was still casually straightening the edges of her textbook.
The group exchanged knowing smiles and tacitly stepped aside, immediately clearing a path leading directly to Draco.
Neville then called out to Hermione in his goofy manner, " Granger, come here! Draco's waiting for you!"
Hermione looked up and saw the empty path in front of her, then met Draco's gaze. The faint blush that had just faded from her face quietly reappeared.
After frowning slightly, Hermione quickened her pace and walked over. As she passed Olivia, the latter lightly bumped her arm, eliciting a soft chuckle.
Hermione walked to Draco's side, not looking at him, and simply said, "Let's go, don't block the doorway."
Draco was satisfied and took the lead into the corridor, whereupon the crowd immediately surged forward again.
This time, however, no one crowded around Draco; instead, they subtly surrounded him and Hermione.
Amidst the sound of footsteps, there were a few suppressed chuckles, which made Hermione quicken her pace even more.
A group of people walked towards the Great Hall. Draco, who was surrounded in the middle, patiently explained the secrets of Transfiguration to everyone while demonstrating the arc of the Transfiguration Needle's force.
"Keep your wrist steady, don't pour in magic all at once, slowly release it along the tip of the wand, and first define the outline of the needle's shape before refining the details; rushing will only lead to chaos."
Someone frowned and gestured repeatedly, a sudden realization flashing in their eyes, perhaps having grasped a little bit of the meaning.
Some people listened with furrowed brows, occasionally interjecting, "How do you determine the proper control of magic?"
Some people weren't even paying attention to Draco's gestures; they were just joining in the fun, occasionally chiming in with a few words, but their minds were already elsewhere.
Several girls huddled together in the back row, whispering amongst themselves.
Their eyes darted back and forth between Draco and Hermione beside him, and they couldn't hide their smiles, clearly still shipping the two of them.
Even Hermione occasionally added, "He's talking about basic magic manipulation; you guys should practice levitating a feather first."
This alone could make them secretly cover their mouths and laugh for ages.
Hermione listened attentively, occasionally adding a few key points and answering questions from Draco who hadn't understood.
This large group of people blocked the corridor, making it even more lively than yesterday's scene, attracting other students who had just finished class to stop and watch.
As Draco reached the entrance of the Great Hall, he raised his hand to stop the crowd behind him who still wanted to ask more questions:
"Alright, that's all I have to say. Go find a place to eat. That's pretty much the trick to Transfiguration. The rest is up to you to practice."
Although everyone looked like they hadn't had enough, and some were still clutching their wands and muttering hand gestures, they all wisely dispersed.
Before even entering the Great Hall, the deafening noise filled my ears.
It was so noisy and chaotic, like a Muggle market that had been moved from Hogwarts.
The moment the curtain was lifted, hundreds of eyes immediately focused on the door.
Even the clinking of knives and forks ceased, and all eyes were on Draco and Hermione.
Lavender, who had squeezed through the Draco, grinned at Draco and said, "Looks like your great deeds today have already been told all over Hogwarts."
As soon as she finished speaking, Hannah Abbott and two or three Hufflepuff friends came running over.
They exclaimed in surprise, " Merlin's beard! Malfoy, I never imagined that Professor McGonagall, besides Professor Sprout, also values you so much!"
The girl next to Hannah immediately chimed in, her voice booming, "More than that! I've heard that your talent for Transfiguration surpasses even Professor McGonagall's?"
Another wizard went even further, leaning in with an air of certainty and saying:
"I also heard that you turned a table into three different flying brooms at the same time! That's amazing!"
Draco looked utterly exasperated.
What is all this nonsense?
It was just a different needle, but as the story spread, it became the legend of a magical genius being born.
Just as he was about to speak in defense, Neville suddenly popped out from behind him, patting his chest and affirming:
"What you're all saying is pretty much the same! The whole class spent the entire lesson in shock; Draco is just that awesome!"
" Neville!" Draco called out to her helplessly, but Neville didn't notice at all.
Hannah immediately grabbed his arm, her eyes full of anticipation, and asked, " Longbottom, tell me the details! How exactly did it change? Did Professor McGonagall praise him on the spot?"
"No problem!" Neville agreed enthusiastically, completely ignoring Draco's gaze.
He pulled Hannah and her group to an empty seat next to him, and began to talk animatedly about what had happened in class.
This time he didn't stutter at all, as if he was more excited about talking about Draco's exploits than about learning a new spell.
Lavender and Parvati were also pulled away by their respective friends, who surrounded them and pressed them for details.
Even Ron was dragged by the neck by George and Fred to the Weasley family.
The twins winked and pressed him to tell them what tricks Malfoy had played. Ron mumbled stubbornly, but couldn't help but recount a few words about what happened in class.
Within moments, several small circles had formed in the Great Hall, filled with discussions about Draco.
Every now and then, a passing wizard would peek in to listen for a few moments, then turn back to look at Draco with an amazed expression, the story becoming increasingly fantastical.
Hermione sat beside Draco, watching the chaotic scene, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
She turned her head and looked at him, saying, "It seems your desire to keep a low profile is completely out of the question."
Draco rubbed his temples, looking at Neville in the distance, who was beaming with joy, and felt a throbbing pain in his temples.
So, this guy's claim of speaking the truth is just turning something as trivial as a needle into a once-in-a-century genius moment at Hogwarts?
Now, only Harry and Olivia were sitting at their original dining spot, leaving an empty circle around them, which seemed particularly conspicuous.