After convincing his parents to let him attend Hogwarts, Draco was ecstatic. Thank goodness my transmigration didn't change my fate of going to Hogwarts.
Draco only wanted to say one thing.
Hermione, this time, you won't escape my grasp.
Meanwhile, far away at Hermione's home on the outskirts of London, Hermione suddenly let out a loud sneeze as she excitedly looked through her Hogwarts acceptance letter.
She rubbed her nose, an inexplicable trace of unease rising within her. She kept feeling that something bad was quietly drawing near.
Just as Draco was secretly rejoicing, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
[Ding! Mission complete-convince your parents to let you attend Hogwarts. System successfully activated!]
System? Draco's heart jolted, his eyes filled with incredulous delight.
He had a system too?
The winds of systems had finally blown all the way to England, all the way to Malfoy Manor!
In his overwhelming excitement, the silver fork in his hand trembled slightly and nearly fell onto his plate.
Narcissa was the first to notice something unusual about her son. She set down her knife and fork and asked, her face full of concern, "Draco, what's wrong? You look so strange. Are you feeling unwell?"
Draco hurriedly composed himself, concealing his excitement behind a shy smile. "Mother, I'm fine. I'm just terribly excited at the thought of going to Hogwarts soon."
At this, Narcissa smiled gently and reached out to stroke his hair. "Silly boy, that's perfectly normal. Once you're actually at school, away from home, you might start missing how nice things are here, and your mother's roast goose."
Something stirred in Draco's mind, and he asked with feigned curiosity, "Mother, what do you mean? Is there something bad about Hogwarts?"
Narcissa merely gave a mysterious smile without explaining. "You'll find out once you're there. Telling you now would spoil the fun."
"All right." Draco nodded, pretending to be obedient, and lowered his head as though to continue eating. In reality, he was eagerly communicating with the system in his mind. System, system, how exactly do you work? Hurry up and tell me!
[Ding! Hello, host. This system is called the "Hogwarts Fortune System." Two features are currently available: the Fortune Points panel and the exchange shop. Fortune Points can be used to redeem various items in the shop. The higher your Fortune Points, the rarer the items you can redeem.]
Draco quickly brought up the Fortune Points panel, only to see a glaring "0" displayed in the Fortune Points field.
The corner of his mouth twitched, and he asked again, Then how do I earn Fortune Points? They can't stay at zero forever, can they?
[Ding! There are two ways to obtain Fortune Points: 1. Change the original plot, earning 10 Fortune Points each time; 2. Add an original plot event, earning 20 Fortune Points each time.]
Draco understood. Neither method seemed particularly complicated.
He couldn't wait to open the exchange shop, and the sight instantly dazzled him-the shop was filled with a dazzling assortment of items, with everything one could want.
There were spells, rare potions, and all sorts of bloodlines...
The sight left Draco overwhelmed, his urge to shop instantly soaring. He wished he could redeem everything on the spot.
But when he saw how many Fortune Points each item required, it was like having a bucket of cold water dumped over him-even the lowest-tier beginner spells cost 10 Fortune Points, while those rare items required thousands or tens of thousands.
Ugh, poverty is holding me back, Draco sighed inwardly. It seemed his most urgent task was to find a way to earn Fortune Points.
Suddenly, he remembered the beginner benefits other systems offered and hurriedly asked, System, system, other hosts all get beginner gift packs. Don't tell me you don't have one?
[Ding! The host has been detected to have zero Fortune Points and to be so poor as to be on the verge of begging. A system beginner gift pack has therefore been issued. Would the host like to open it immediately?]
The corner of Draco's mouth twitched. Though quite displeased with the system's mockery, he still eagerly said in his mind, Open it! Hurry up and open it!
[Ding! Congratulations on opening the beginner gift pack. You have received the following rewards: 1. 10 Fortune Points; 2. Legendary spell-Occlumency.]
That's it? Draco was instantly dumbfounded, his mind full of disdain. That's way too stingy! You're practically tossing scraps to a beggar! Ten Fortune Points won't get me anything, and all I get is Occlumency?
[Ding! Disdain toward the rewards has been detected. The system authorizes reclamation of the beginner gift pack. Confirm reclamation?]
No, no, no! I was wrong! Draco instantly backed down, hurriedly shouting in his mind, I'm not dissatisfied! Not in the slightest! Occlumency is great! With it, I won't have to worry about people who know Legilimency, like Dumbledore and Snape, prying into my thoughts. It's incredibly useful!
What a joke. Occlumency was a legendary spell. If it were taken back, he would have nowhere even to cry.
As for those 10 Fortune Points, they might not be much, but they were better than nothing. Saving them for now was fine too.
Draco browsed the exchange shop again and found that 10 Fortune Points really weren't enough to redeem anything, so he could only give up for the moment and decide to learn Occlumency first.
He said silently, Learn Occlumency.
The moment the words fell, an immense torrent of knowledge surged into his mind. The principles, incantations, and casting techniques of Occlumency, and even its various advanced applications, were all imprinted in his mind with perfect clarity.
It was as though he had studied the spell for decades, mastering it completely and reaching the pinnacle.
At that very moment, Draco sincerely felt that no one in the world understood Occlumency better than he did.
Unable to suppress his wild delight, he couldn't help letting the corners of his mouth rise into a brilliant yet bizarre smile, his eyes filled with smug satisfaction.
But to Lucius and Narcissa, the sight looked especially strange.
Her face full of worry, Narcissa reached out and gently patted his shoulder. "Draco, don't frighten your mother. What's gotten into you? Why are you suddenly smiling so strangely?"
Only then did Draco abruptly come back to his senses. He hurriedly wiped the smile from his face and said as though nothing had happened, "Mother, I'm fine. I just suddenly thought of something very funny and couldn't help laughing."
"As long as you're all right. As long as you're all right." Narcissa breathed a sigh of relief and spoke gently.
Lucius, however, frowned and regarded him with a grave gaze. "You're this happy merely because you're going to Hogwarts? Let me make this clear now: if your grades are poor once you get there and you disgrace the Malfoy family, I'll bring you straight home to reflect on your mistakes in confinement. You won't be allowed to return to school."
Draco spoke too quickly and blurted out, "Laodeng, relax! Didn't I inherit this talent from you two? My grades will be freaking amazing. I definitely won't embarrass you!"
The instant the words fell, silence descended over the dining room.
Lucius and Narcissa both stared at him with strange expressions, their eyes filled with confusion and incomprehension.
Draco's heart sank. He hurriedly covered his mouth, inwardly cursing his mistake-how had he let an expression from the Muggle world slip out?
If Lucius learned the true meaning of "Laodeng," he would probably draw the wand at his waist and beat Draco until his teeth were scattered across the floor.
Lucius's brow furrowed deeply, his tone tinged with displeasure and confusion. "Draco, what did you mean by that 'Laodeng' just now?"