After persuading Draco, Hagrid cheerfully waved to the giant octopus and greeted it loudly:
Hello, Octopus Brother!
Everyone held their breath, waiting to see how the giant, magical creature would react.
Octopus Brother slowly turned his enormous eyes, first glancing at Hagrid, then sweeping his gaze over the group of soaking wet, dumbfounded little wizards beside him, before gently patting the surface of the water with his tentacles.
It merely responded in their minds with a spiritual voice:
[This big guy... he looks familiar, but his voice is too loud.]
On the surface, it simply released a string of bubbles, as if to say hello.
Hermione suppressed a laugh and quietly translated for everyone, "It said... hello."
Ron muttered to himself, "That's such a cold attitude..."
Draco pulled a clean towel from his pocket and skillfully wiped the water droplets from Hermione's face and hair.
As he wiped, Draco casually tossed a remark at Ron, who was standing beside him with a disgruntled expression:
"It's already a favor that I even came out to see you, what more do you want?"
The moment those words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent for half a second.
All eyes were fixed on Draco wiping Hermione's face, and everyone's expressions were more interesting than the last.
Ron paused for a moment, then gave a speechless look. "... Alright, alright, I know you love your wife."
The other students were dumbfounded; they were completely stunned.
Rumors circulated that Draco and Hermione were dating, and it turns out it's true.
The arrogant Malfoy was surprisingly gentle and attentive in wiping Granger dry.
Hermione's ears turned bright red from Draco's rubbing, and she muttered reproachfully, "Stop it... everyone's watching."
Draco didn't stop; instead, he naturally wiped the water droplets from her collar, chuckling softly:
"So what if you're looking? I'm wiping my wife's face. Who's bothered?"
Everyone collectively:... I'm impressed. Draco Malfoy is the best at showing off.
Hermione looked at Draco's wet hair and collar, reached out and took the towel, gently wiping the water droplets from his face.
Octopus Brother had been watching for a long time, finally couldn't stand it anymore and slapped his tentacles hard in the water.
Ron immediately seized the opportunity, pointing at Octopus Brother and exclaiming dramatically, "Look at this! Look at this! Even Octopus Brother can't stand their lovey-dovey display!"
Draco, seeing Octopus Brother throwing a tantrum, snapped, "What's wrong, Octopus Brother? Don't you have a wife? Why are you being so nosy?"
Ron laughed so hard he couldn't stand up straight, adding insult to injury, "Look at him, does he look like he has a wife?!"
Lavender nodded frantically in agreement. "Exactly! A man with a wife shouldn't be seen with his wife!"
Upon hearing this, Octopus Brother seemed to have been struck on a sore spot, and he abruptly flung his tentacles away.
Whoosh--!!
A large expanse of lake water was splashed precisely onto Ron and Lavender.
Ron instantly bristled, wiping his face with lake water and staring at Octopus Brother in disbelief. "Are you kidding me, Octopus Brother?! It's those two showing off their love, not us!"
Draco stood with his arms crossed next to Hermione, who hadn't suffered much damage, and laughed gleefully:
"Serves you right. Who told you to keep picking on people's sore spots? Single octopuses have tempers too."
Hermione stood by, helplessly rubbing her forehead.
Lavender, wiping himself dry, muttered, "I only said one sentence..."
Looking at his group of friends, all soaking wet and laughing, Octopus Brother patted his thick tentacles and introduced them one by one.
However, when introducing Ron at the end, Draco deliberately emphasized, "As for this one— Ron Weasley, he's a real chatterbox. He just made fun of you for not having a wife."
Octopus Brother's huge eyes narrowed instantly, staring at Ron for two seconds.
The next second, the tentacle flicked its wrist, splashing a little water droplet on his face; it treated everyone else with polite but perfunctory politeness.
Only towards him was there blatant discrimination and targeted retaliation.
Ron broke down on the spot. "Seriously! You've already introduced me, and you're still targeting me?!"
Parvati laughed uncontrollably from the side, "Serves you right for being so quick-tongued. Now you're scared?"
Seeing Octopus Brother about to raise his tentacles again, Ron immediately backed down, clasped his hands together, and apologized frantically.
" Octopus Brother, I was wrong! I'll never laugh at you again! Please forgive me!"
Octopus Brother then retracted his tentacles, waving them smugly with an arrogant air that said, "You know what's good for you."
Hagrid patted Ron on the shoulder, offering a good-natured reassurance. "Take it easy, Ron. At least Octopus Brother remembers you the best."
Ron said with a sullen face, "I don't want that kind of bad impression!"
Olivia's shoulders twitched from trying to suppress her laughter, and she leaned over to tease him:
"Then you'll just have to accept your fate. From now on, you're the only person Octopus Brother will hold a grudge against at Hogwarts."
Lavender immediately added insult to injury, "And it's exclusive treatment, something others wouldn't even have!"
Ron felt even more aggrieved, staring at the lake with a look of utter despair.
Draco and his friends were interacting with Octopus Brother in a relaxed and friendly manner, their tentacles gently slapping the water and swirling around them, creating a harmonious scene.
But before they knew it, more and more students were gathering by the lake.
They gathered around in twos and threes, pointing and whispering, some even taking out notebooks to take notes, and some older students also came over to watch the spectacle.
When there are too many people, the atmosphere becomes less comfortable.
Draco glanced at the increasingly crowded shore, frowned slightly, and whispered to Hermione and her friends:
There are too many people, let's call it a day.
Hermione immediately understood and nodded slightly.
She used her mental powers to soothe Octopus Brother, indicating that it should stop here for today.
Draco also whispered to the giant octopus:
We're leaving now, we'll come see you again next time.
Octopus Brother seemed to sense the many unfamiliar gazes around him, and uneasily shook his tentacles, ceasing his tantrums and playful antics.
It simply touched Draco and Hermione's hands lightly with the tip of its tentacle, as if bidding them farewell.
Ron breathed a sigh of relief, "Finally, I can leave this place... If I stay any longer, I'm afraid I'll get yelled at again."
Olivia laughed and joked, "Don't worry, Octopus Brother only remembers you now."
Under increasing scrutiny, the group turned and left the lakeside, leaving only the giant octopus slowly sinking into the water and a group of students still excitedly discussing it.
After leaving the lakeside, Hagrid turned to the crowd and said loudly:
"What a wonderful day! You see, it's better for humans to get along well with magical creatures than anything else."
"This big guy is very perceptive; he'll be affectionate towards whoever treats him well!"
However, he changed the subject, glancing deliberately at Ron who was still fixing his hair, and added a cheerful joke:
"Just don't talk too much, otherwise, even the octopus won't like you!"
" Hagrid!" Ron looked at him with a mournful expression.
Everyone burst into laughter.
The group waved goodbye to Hagrid and had only taken a few steps toward the castle when they saw Susan and Hannah running breathlessly down the path.
As soon as Hannah saw them, she immediately put her hands on her hips and pretended to complain:
"That's so disloyal, Neville! He wanted to see Octopus Brother today, and he didn't even invite me!"
Neville panicked immediately, his face turning bright red, and he frantically waved his hands to explain:
"I... I didn't mean to! Everyone was in such a rush, I got nervous and forgot... I'm so sorry, Hannah!"
The more anxious he became, the more he stammered, looking utterly innocent and guilty.
Susan quickly tugged at Hannah, laughing and trying to smooth things over, "Okay, okay, it's not Neville's fault, we were just late."
"It's normal to be late. We just saw Octopus Brother off. There were too many people, it was too noisy," Draco said.
Hannah's face fell instantly. "Huh? You missed it?!"