It was practically killing three birds with one stone.
Not only had Draco earned Fortune Points, but he had also put an end to Pansy's further pestering, keeping her from bothering him again before school started.
He had also used Pansy as a shield, letting the girls from other Pure-blood families see his "closeness" with her and cutting down on unnecessary approaches.
Although not every Pure-blood girl was like Pansy, valuing only family interests and power, those without such concerns were ultimately few and far between in Pure-blood circles. The less trouble, the better.
Time slipped by, and a day had passed since the Puffapod competition.
The afternoon sunshine was just right, and a gentle breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying wafts of fragrance.
Draco was sitting on a courtyard bench when he saw Goyle and Vincent running toward him, their faces full of excitement and anticipation. They were still some distance away when they shouted, "Boss! Boss!"
The two stopped in front of Draco, panting. Goyle spoke first. "Boss, we've bought all our school supplies-wands, textbooks, uniforms, everything. Now we can study spells with you and be ready whenever you need us, right?"
Vincent hurriedly nodded too, complaining a little. "That's right, Boss. Pansy insisted on holding that Puffapod competition the other day, so we had to spend days at home practicing the Engorgement Charm. We had no time to come see you. We were going stir-crazy."
Goyle immediately nodded along, looking indignant. "Exactly! That Engorgement Charm was so hard. We practiced for days and still couldn't figure it out, then made fools of ourselves at the competition. It was so embarrassing!"
Putting down his book, Draco looked at them with disdain. "You practiced for days and still made a complete mess of the competition. You couldn't even enlarge a Puffapod properly. What exactly were you practicing? You completely disgraced me as your boss!"
At that, Goyle immediately lowered his head and said guiltily, "Boss, we're sorry. We really wanted to, but we just couldn't do it! The Engorgement Charm looks simple, but controlling the magic is too hard. No matter how much we practiced, we couldn't get it right. Either the pod wouldn't budge, or it would explode. We just couldn't manage it..."
Draco raised an eyebrow and asked with some puzzlement, "If you couldn't learn it, why insist on entering the competition? Why go and embarrass yourselves when you knew you'd make fools of yourselves?"
Vincent pulled a miserable face and sighed helplessly. "Boss, we had no choice! My parents said that if I didn't enter the competition and support the Parkinson family, they'd only let me have one bowl of rice a day from then on. I'd starve to death!"
Hearing that, Draco felt rather embarrassed. He turned to Goyle with a questioning look.
Goyle immediately nodded, looking just as aggrieved. "My parents were much the same. They said it was socializing between families, so I had to go. If I dared refuse, they'd ground me and wouldn't let me play with my magical toys. It was just too cruel!"
Looking at their aggrieved faces, Draco didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He shook his head. "All right, all right. You were unlucky, getting forced by your families to make fools of yourselves. But since you practiced for so long without figuring it out, hurry home and practice some more. Come back when you've mastered the Engorgement Charm!"
Goyle immediately panicked and waved his hands. "Please don't, Boss! You know what our brains are like. We're just not cut out for learning spells. Even if we practiced for another ten days or two weeks, we probably still wouldn't get it. Don't make things hard for us!"
Draco found his anxious expression amusing. "At least you're self-aware enough to know your brain doesn't work very well."
Goyle scratched his head and leaned closer with a flattering expression. "That's why we came to ask for your help, Boss! You're so amazing, you must know some tricks. With just a few pointers from you, we'll definitely learn it!"
Draco rolled his eyes helplessly and spread his hands. "I don't know it either! I've never practiced the Engorgement Charm before. I don't know any tricks."
Vincent immediately looked disbelieving. "Boss, stop pretending! Even Pansy learned it, so you must know it too. You're just hiding your abilities because you don't want to teach us!"
Looking at his utterly certain expression, Draco felt rather helpless. "You're so clever. If you put this much thought into studying spells, you wouldn't be unable to learn even an Engorgement Charm. Yet you insist on using it to figure out what I'm thinking. You've really got your priorities backward!"
Scratching his head, Vincent said aggrievedly, "Boss, I want to! But whenever spells are involved, it's like my IQ goes offline. My brain just won't work. I can't help it!"
Draco looked at their pleading faces and thought about going to Hogwarts in the future.
They were his followers, after all. He couldn't just watch them keep fumbling around and making fools of themselves.
"All right, all right, I give in. Listen carefully. I'm only saying this once, so don't blame me if you can't remember!"
Goyle's and Vincent's eyes immediately lit up.
Excitement filled their faces as they leaned toward Draco, pricking up their ears and saying earnestly, "Go ahead, Boss. We'll listen carefully and remember every word!"
Seeing how serious they were, Draco wasted no more words. He cleared his throat and explained his understanding of the Engorgement Charm point by point:
"The key to the Engorgement Charm is a steady output of magic. You have to say the incantation 'Engorgio' clearly and evenly, pronouncing every syllable precisely without slurring. When you cast it, keep your wrist steady. Don't let it shake. Your magic should flow out evenly like running water, without growing stronger or weaker. Otherwise, the pod will either stay completely still or explode outright..."
Draco explained the casting techniques and precautions in detail. The two listened extremely attentively, nodding in agreement from time to time.
[Ding! Original plot added. Fortune Points increased by 20!]
Hearing the system notification, Draco immediately sat up. He hadn't expected this to work too.
Once the explanation was finished, Goyle immediately said excitedly, "Boss, I heard everything clearly! It's just... I understand all the principles, but when it comes to actually doing it, I'm still afraid I won't control it properly!"
Draco glared at him. "If you suck, practice more! Now that you know the tricks, go home and practice properly. Come back when you can enlarge a Puffapod until it's round and plump without any mistakes. If you can't get it right, don't come out with me anymore. I don't need you embarrassing me again!"
Since there were Fortune Points to earn, Draco naturally became a little stricter.
Goyle looked miserable and wanted to keep begging, but Vincent tugged at him.
Vincent gave him a meaningful look, then said earnestly to Draco, "Don't worry, Boss. We'll definitely practice hard when we get home. We won't let you down!"
With that, the two hurried away, clearly impatient to get home and practice the Engorgement Charm.
Watching their retreating backs, Draco shook his head helplessly and returned to the book in his hands.
As the days passed, Goyle and Vincent really did settle down to practice. Every day, they stayed in their own courtyards working on the Engorgement Charm, occasionally coming to Draco with questions.
Though their progress was slow, they gradually began to improve.
About seven or eight days later, the two came running excitedly to Draco again, their faces full of excitement and pride. "Boss! Boss! We learned it! We can finally enlarge Puffapods properly!"
As they spoke, they demonstrated on the spot. Holding their wands with serious expressions, they clearly recited the Engorgement Charm, keeping their wrists steady and their magic flowing at an even rate.
[Ding! Original plot added. Fortune Points increased by 20!]
He hadn't expected to earn Fortune Points both for teaching them and for their learning it. These two really were his lucky stars.
Before long, the Puffapods in front of them slowly swelled, eventually becoming round and plump, with an even sheen. Though not as perfect as Pansy's, they were still quite good, no longer exploding or remaining completely motionless as they had before.
A flicker of surprise crossed Draco's eyes as he looked at their results, followed by a pleased smile.
"You two really did it. I never expected you to actually master it. I told you that you had potential. You just hadn't found the right method before."
Goyle immediately scratched his head with a simple grin, his voice excited. "Hehe, it's all thanks to you, Boss! Without your pointers, we might not have learned it even if we'd practiced until school started!"
After that bit of flattery, Goyle said excitedly, "Boss, you have no idea. Yesterday, I enlarged a pod and showed my parents. They were so happy that they made several extra nice dishes just for me. I ate five bowls of rice in one meal. It was pure bliss!"
The corners of Draco's mouth twitched. "Is eating five bowls of rice in one meal something worth praising? Can't you aim a little higher?"
Waving his hands, Goyle explained, "Boss, I'm not talking about how much I ate. My parents saw that I'd learned the Engorgement Charm and thought I'd finally made some progress, so they rewarded me. It was the first time I'd ever been rewarded for learning a spell. It wasn't easy!"
Looking at his excited face, Draco turned to Vincent. "You came because you learned the Engorgement Charm and got a reward from your family too, right?"
Vincent immediately nodded. "That's right, Boss! You have no idea how badly I'm usually treated at home. My parents are always saying I'm stupid and can't learn anything."
"Yesterday, after I demonstrated the Engorgement Charm, they doubled my pocket money on the spot. They even said they'd buy me new magical toys if I kept studying spells properly. It was practically royal treatment!"
Looking at their excited faces, Draco couldn't help laughing. "See? That's what learning does for you. As long as you're willing to put your heart into studying spells, you can not only improve your strength but also earn your family's recognition and rewards. Why wouldn't you?"
Both nodded, looking thoroughly convinced.
"You're right, Boss! We'll definitely study spells properly from now on. We won't let you down!"
Draco nodded in satisfaction, then changed tack. "Since you've mastered the Engorgement Charm, I'm giving you a new task-learn the Mending Charm!"
"Huh?" Goyle and Vincent cried in unison, their faces instantly filled with shock.
Then they exchanged glances, both looking miserable as they scratched their heads and ears, their faces full of reluctance.
"Boss, isn't the Mending Charm much harder than the Engorgement Charm? It took us so long just to learn the Engorgement Charm. The Mending Charm must be even harder. Can we really learn it?"
Looking at their troubled faces, Draco couldn't help smiling as he coaxed them:
"Think about it. The Mending Charm is much more practical than the Engorgement Charm. If you learn it, you can fix things yourselves, whether your textbooks get damaged or your wand has a minor problem. How convenient is that?"
"Besides, if you learn the Mending Charm, your parents will definitely be even happier. Forget five bowls of rice or double pocket money-even ten bowls of rice and the latest magical toys probably wouldn't be a problem!"
Their eyes instantly brightened further. The reluctance gradually faded from their faces, replaced by excitement and anticipation.
After exchanging a glance, both said firmly, "Boss, we'll learn it! No matter how hard it is, we'll master the Mending Charm and try to earn even more rewards!"
Seeing that he had successfully motivated them, Draco smiled in satisfaction. "Good, that's ambition! Now that's what my followers should be like! Don't worry. I'll teach you the tricks to the Mending Charm. As long as you study seriously and practice hard, you'll definitely learn it. Once you've mastered it, you'll make me look better when you come out with me, and no one will look down on you anymore!"
With that, Draco carefully explained the Mending Charm's incantation, casting techniques, and precautions to them, covering everything from directing their magic to controlling their wrists and pacing the incantation in great detail.
Once he finished, Draco sent them away.
Watching their retreating backs, Draco thought, These two might be a little dim, but at least they do as they're told.
But the Mending Charm was far more complicated than the Engorgement Charm and demanded greater control over magic. Learning it would be no easy matter. They probably had plenty of practice ahead of them...