But just then, a high-pitched, thin voice suddenly came from the crowd. Pansy stepped forward, arms crossed, and questioned them with a defiant look on her face:
"Wait a moment!
" The Patronus Charm is a high-level defensive spell. Even top seventh-grade students might not be able to cast it completely. You're only a third-year student, so what makes you think you can do it?"
"If you can't actually do it and just brag and lie like Lockhart, then haven't we all been fooled by you?"
After she finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent for a few seconds.
But Draco had already prepared a response to the questioning. He looked at Pansy and asked, " Pansy, don't you know how things are going to turn out?"
"Half of the Four Houses of Hogwarts are on my side. Even if I do nothing, a single spit from me will be enough to drown you in my spittle."
The moment he finished speaking, the entire audience burst into laughter!
Everyone turned to look at Pansy, as if they were looking at a clown.
Pansy's face flushed red and then turned pale. She looked at the dense crowd surrounding Draco, and then at the professors' table where not a single person spoke up for her.
His momentum vanished instantly, and he immediately admitted defeat.
She bit her lip, glared at Draco, but didn't dare say another word. She slunk away and squeezed back into the Slytherin crowd, never daring to show her face again.
Pansy essentially gave Snape a perfect excuse.
He spoke coldly, his voice drowning out the murmurs of the room:
" Miss Parkinson is right."
" The Patronus Charm is an extremely high-level spell, requiring exceptionally strong memories of happiness, composure, and magical control."
"A third-year student, capable of forming a complete form—no one in the entire History of Magic has ever achieved that."
" Malfoy, your empty promises are not courageous; they are reckless."
Draco sighed inwardly:
Okay, I originally wanted to keep a low profile and have dinner with my wife.
It's not that I wanted to show off, it's that the professor forced me to!
He calmly looked at Snape: "Since the professor wants to see it for himself, then I will demonstrate."
The entire venue fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone held their breath and stared at him.
Ron forgot to breathe, Harry's eyes widened, and George Fred stopped joking.
Cho Chang, Emock, Hannah, Susan... all eyes at Hogwarts were on him.
Draco slowly straightened up and drew his wand.
Memories of Hermione flashed through his mind.
Softly recite. " Expecto Patronum."
A bright silver light burst forth from the tip of the wand.
A giant, fiery red lion appeared before our eyes!
Its mane resembles a burning flame, its muscles are sleek and powerful, its eyes are both majestic and warm, and its tail sweeps lightly, bringing a soft golden light as it lands silently.
The symbol of Gryffindor – the lion, the Patronus!
It gracefully circled the center of the Great Hall, its silver light bathing the entire space and dispelling all the chill brought by the Dementor.
The next second—the whole school exploded!
The students have all dug a hole!
"It's a physical Patronus!! It's fully formed!!"
"A fiery red lion! It's so cool!!"
He's only in third grade!
"This is even better than a professor's!"
The professors' reaction was similar.
Professor McGonagall sat bolt upright, her glasses slipping down, her eyes shining, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily turning upwards.
These are her Gryffindor students! They are her pride!
Professor Sprout covered his mouth, his eyes filled with surprise, nodding repeatedly to himself, "This child... is outstanding."
"Perfectly formed! Perfect! The control of magic is an art!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed excitedly, standing on tiptoe.
He then smiled genuinely; in all his years of teaching, this was the first time he had seen a third-grader at such a high level.
Snape's face froze. He wanted to find fault, to make a sarcastic remark... but faced with such a perfect Patronus, he couldn't utter a single word of doubt.
He could only suppress his anger and acknowledge Draco's strength.
Even Dumbledore couldn't sit still any longer.
He hadn't expected that Draco's Protection was still a fiery red lion that resonated perfectly with the spirit of Gryffindor.
This isn't just genius, it's a miracle!
He really wanted to say that Trelawney's Prophecy must have been wrong; this was the true child of Prophecy, it was just a pity Draco wasn't born in July.
The silver light slowly dispersed, and the fiery red lion turned into specks of light and dissipated in the air above the Great Hall.
Draco calmly put away his wand, but the entire Great Hall was already in an uproar.
Screams, gasps, and applause mingled together; everyone was talking like crazy.
Pansy, who had just questioned him, was now deathly pale, and Snape sat silently in the professor's seat, his face dark and bluish.
The students around him were incredibly excited, reaching out to pat him, touch him, and praise him. Dean, Seamus, George, and Fred almost pounced on him.
"Don't come any closer, don't touch us, don't bother us," Draco said, raising his hand to block them.
He glanced around at everyone and bluntly threatened, "Anyone who displeases me, I won't take them to Hogsmeade."
These words were more effective than any spell; everyone froze in place, obediently withdrawing their hands and no longer daring to push.
But the next second, they turned around and continued jumping around excitedly with the people next to them, and the entire Great Hall was still in an uproar.
Couldn't you be a little gentler?
Hermione said helplessly, Draco turned to her and said, "These guys are crazy, being gentle is useless."
"That's true," Hermione had to admit.
At the dining table, Crookshanks raised his head and glanced around the bustling Great Hall.
I thought to myself—have you guys gone this crazy already?
This was just a small part of Draco's skills, shown off casually.
Back on the train, when the Dementor surrounded them,
It was Draco's protective barrier that kept everyone in the car safe.
Crookshanks glanced sideways at the calmly eating boy beside him and silently came to a conclusion:
This guy is ridiculously strong. If these people knew that he was the one who created the barrier on the train, the Hogwarts Great Hall would probably be blown away by their cheers.
It seems I've found an amazing master...
It decided to be more respectful to this "boss" from now on, after all, anyone who can protect its owner deserves a cat's highest respect.
Crookshanks's mind raced, and he got hungry again. He quietly stretched out his paw, wanting to reach for the grilled sausage on the plate.
"No."
Hermione reacted quickly and grabbed its little paw.
Her friends, having calmed down, saw the scene and started advising, "Hey Hermione, don't abuse the cat! Just give it a little bit of food!"
Crookshanks also meowed in response, its round eyes looking at her reproachfully.
Hermione wouldn't budge, poking its round little belly. "How much have you eaten? Look at your belly, it's all sagging."
Crookshanks was taken aback, and actually glanced down at his bulging belly, instantly deflated.
Isn't it cute to be chubby?
Lavender couldn't help but laugh.
Hermione sighed softly, a little helplessly. "She's cute, but she's too heavy. I can barely carry her anymore."
A murmur of laughter rippled through the crowd.
The earth-shattering storm of the Patronus Charm just now was finally overshadowed by this little bit of heartwarming everyday life.