After hearing Hermione's words, Lavender immediately perked up. "I knew it! I felt something was off earlier, and it turns out it really was!"
Parvati chimed in, " Harry, tell me honestly, do you have feelings for Cho Chang?"
Draco leaned back in his chair, a smile playing on his lips as he glanced at the bewildered Harry, adding casually, "You can't win someone over by being stubborn."
Harry's face burned with embarrassment from everyone's chatter, and he frantically waved his hands, saying, "No! Really, no! Don't listen to Hermione's nonsense!"
Neville nodded dumbly, adding in a low voice, " Cho Chang is indeed very outstanding, and good-looking too. Harry, if you like him, you could actually..."
Before he could finish speaking, Neville was glared at fiercely by Harry, which startled him so much that he quickly lowered his head and started eating.
Harry kept trying to explain, but the more he tried, the more everyone laughed.
Ron patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Come on, Harry."
Hermione watched Harry, who was surrounded and at a loss, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of triumphant smile hidden in her eyes.
Amid the laughter, Draco tapped the edge of his plate to get everyone's attention.
He looked at Ron and said, "Hey you, stop teasing others, have you forgotten something important?"
Ron's laughter stopped abruptly. He scratched his head, looking bewildered. "Forgot what? I haven't forgotten anything."
Harry, as if grasping at a straw, quickly chimed in, " Ron! Have you forgotten about the bet you made with Draco before Defense Against Magic this morning?"
"It seems to be saying..." Neville recalled.
"It seems like they were betting on whether Professor Quirrell would be a good teacher. The deal was that if he wasn't, Ron would have to acknowledge Draco as his older brother."
Draco nodded emphatically twice in agreement.
Ron's face turned pale instantly. After a pause, he finally spoke, "I... I was just saying that offhand! It doesn't count!"
Ron's cheating provoked a backlash from the crowd, Lavender said, " Ron, a bet's a bet!"
Parvati chimed in, "Exactly! If you lose, you have to admit it. You can't cheat!"
Olivia, always eager for drama, asked, "What, does the Gryffindor Champion want to back out?"
Ron stammered, and said in a low voice, somewhat reluctantly, "I... it's not like I don't admit it."
"Alright, since you've agreed, stop dawdling. Call me 'boss' now, and the bet is over," Draco said.
As soon as Draco finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent, and all eyes turned to Ron.
Ron's Adam's apple bobbed, but he remained silent for a long time, clearly unable to bring himself to say it.
He glared at Draco, then glanced at the onlookers, and curled his lip.
His defiant yet resigned expression drew snickers from the crowd.
"Speak up, Ron!" Lavender urged impatiently, "Stop dawdling!"
Ron took a deep breath, as if he had made a huge decision, stiffened his neck, and called out in a small, indistinct voice, "Boss... Boss."
"Well done! What a generous gentleman!" Draco couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"I'll protect you from now on. If you perform well, I'll even pay you a salary— Galleon or Sickle choose, of course, it depends on whether you're willing."
Before Ron could even agree, Lavender's eyes lit up instantly. He threw down his fork and rushed over, saying, "Is this for real? I want to be your underling too!"
Draco glanced at Hermione, who was slowly cutting her steak beside him, and said, "That won't do. It depends on whether my wife is happy to have a female follower around."
The quick-thinking Lavender immediately turned to Hermione, clasping his hands together in a pleading gesture. "Please, Hermione? I promise I have no ulterior motives!"
"Who knows?" Hermione continued eating her roast chicken, her knife and fork still in her hands, a faint smile playing on her lips.
" Hermione, just say yes!" Lavender listed the benefits, "Once I become Draco's underling, I'll definitely keep an eye on Draco and not let any other girls get close to him!"
Draco's hair stood on end, and he looked disgusted. "Never leaving my side? So you'll follow me to the bathroom too? Lavender, you pervert!"
Upon hearing this, everyone at the table burst into laughter, Lavender's face darkened.
Ron, unusually, looked up and grinned smugly at Lavender: "Serves you right! Serves you right for meddling in the fun!"
"Stop bullying Lavender!" Hermione patted Draco's arm, saying this, but there was no hint of reproach in her tone.
Lavender glared angrily at Draco and said fiercely:
" Draco, how dare you tease me! I've decided, from now on I'll be Hermione's personal follower, constantly badmouthing you to her. Just you wait!"
"No, no, no~ I was just joking, okay? I just wanted to spend more time alone with Hermione, I wouldn't dare to really mess with you." Draco immediately backed down.
He suggested, "How about this, if there are any problems in the future, I'll definitely help if I can. Just please don't whisper anything in Hermione's ear."
Seeing Draco back down, Lavender smiled smugly and waved his hand dismissively, "That's more like it. You know what's good for you."
Just then, two familiar figures pushed through the crowd and walked over. George and Fred each held a butter biscuit in their hands, with the same mischievous smile on their lips.
Their gazes fell on Ron, whose head was drooping.
"I heard the commotion from far away. What's wrong with our Little Ronnie?" Fred asked cheekily, reaching out to ruffle Ron's hair.
George raised an eyebrow, glancing at the smiling faces of everyone at the table, his gaze shifting between Draco and Ron.
"Judging from this, it doesn't seem like they've been bullied; it's more like they've found someone to protect them?"
Ron blushed, stiffening his neck as he tried to protest, "I didn't—"
Before he could finish speaking, Draco interrupted him, smiling at the two of them, "It's nothing, it's just that your brother is a man of his word and has acknowledged me as his boss."
George and Fred exchanged a glance, their surprise instantly turning into amusement.
Instead of getting angry, the two moved even closer together.
Fred patted Ron on the shoulder and said:
"Great job, Little Ronnie! You have good taste! With Draco Malfoy as the boss, no one at Hogwarts will dare to bully you anymore."
"And we might even get some benefits from the Malfoy family, it's a good deal!"
"That's for sure," George chimed in with a joke.
"Don't always think about going against others. Now that you've acknowledged someone as your leader, you have another strong backer."
"Besides, I think I just heard that there's also a salary to be paid? Little Ronnie, you've struck gold."
The two of them, working in unison, showed no sign of feeling sorry for Ron; on the contrary, they thought it was a very good deal.
Ron's face turned even redder, and he stamped his feet in frustration. "Are you two really my brothers?! I lost the bet! I lost!"