After Draco left, the emotions that had been forcibly suppressed in the boys' dormitory surged up all at once, like a pot lid being lifted.
Ron stared blankly at the closed door for several seconds.
Then he suddenly exhaled the breath he had been holding for so long.
"'So you don't need it?!'" He practically roared, his voice still brimming with unreleased anger. "What kind of attitude is that?! As if we've let him down! He's just putting on an act! Who needs his help?!"
As he spoke, Ron waved his arms, as if to release all the pent-up frustration he had been holding in.
However, he soon discovered that the sense of shared hatred and indignation he had expected did not materialize in the dormitory.
Harry seemed a little distracted, his gaze still lingering on the edge of the bed where Draco had just been sitting, as if he were recalling something.
Seamus had already started packing his luggage, hanging his clothes one by one into the closet, and only gave a perfunctory "hmm" in response to Ron's outburst.
Neville, seemingly distracted, squatted on the ground, frantically chasing after Trevor while muttering something under his breath.
Ron's curses sounded hollow amidst the almost deserted response.
Feeling bored, he muttered a few words like "What bad luck," and had no choice but to pull over his suitcase and start packing.
There was very little conversation in the dormitory; everyone was engrossed in their own tasks, yet they would occasionally glance unconsciously towards the door.
They were all waiting for Draco to come back.
Even if they say they don't care, they all understand in their hearts.
This blond boy, who had suddenly barged into their world, had unknowingly become the most conspicuous presence in the dormitory.
After a while, the door hinges made a very slight creaking sound and were pushed open.
The moment the door was pushed open, Ron abruptly rolled over, slamming his back heavily onto the bed with a thud, as if to express his disdain and resistance.
Draco slowed his movements, entered quietly, and closed the door gently behind him.
He didn't look at anyone, nor did he make any unnecessary noise.
Harry was drawing the bed curtains, preparing to go to sleep.
His hand stopped in mid-air.
He remained half-up, his eyes fixed on Draco's figure in the dim light.
From the doorway to the bedside, and even the way he put down his toiletries bag, he kept a close watch on every detail.
After a while, he slowly and silently lay back down.
However, the curtains were not completely drawn, leaving a thin gap.
His gaze lingered on Draco's bed for a long time through the crack.
Draco walked to the bedside, spread out the bedding, and put his pajamas and toiletries bag into the closet without making a sound.
Then he lay down on the bed, drew the curtains, pulled back the covers, and crawled inside.
"I'm so sleepy," Ron said in a voice loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. "We have class tomorrow! Some people better behave and not make a sound!"
This was clearly meant for Draco.
Then, the dormitory finally fell silent.
However, beneath this silence, no one's heart is at peace.
Ignoring Ron, Draco quietly opened the system's exchange shop from under the covers.
A pale blue light screen unfolded in his consciousness, and lines of text and icons appeared.
His gaze lingered on the Marauder's Map.
"It's changed."
He mentally clicked "Exchange".
With a flash of light, a small parchment map appeared in his inventory.
[Hint: Instantly?]
"No."
He planned to take it out again first thing tomorrow morning to deal with the possibility of getting lost on his first day of class.
Draco really wanted his roommates to come with him so they wouldn't go to the wrong classroom or be late.
In this way, he can also earn some Fortune Points.
But with Ron, that troublemaker, around, he knew very well that he wouldn't be able to get along well with his other roommates anytime soon.
"We'll talk about it later," he sighed inwardly. "They're late, there's nothing I can do about it."
Meanwhile, things were just as unsettled in the girls' dormitory.
Hermione, Lavender, Parvati Patil, and the unassuming Olivia formed a four-person dormitory.
Lavender Brown, while placing a Winky headband into the drawer, blurted out, "Oh, Merlin, did you see that? Everything tonight! It's like a dream! I mean, the Sorting Hat! And... him!"
Lavender pronounced the word "him" both softly and heavily, with an indescribable excitement in his voice.
Parvati was carefully putting away a beautiful pair of earrings. "Of course! ' Gryffindor '! I almost swallowed my tongue! Do you think the hat malfunctioned? Or did the Malfoy family cast some kind of Confundus Charm him to play a prank?"
After changing into her conservative cotton pajamas, Hermione sat on the bed, quickly flipping through " Hogwarts: Hogwarts, A History " without looking up. "According to existing records, the Sorting Hat is the product of a spell cast jointly by the four Founders, and there is no reliable record of it being successfully interfered with by external magic in the past thousand years."
"The likelihood of Confundus Charm' is less than 0.3%. More likely, the hat arrived at an unexpected conclusion based on its internal evaluation criteria. We need more observational data."
Olivia sat on her bed by the window, packing her schoolbag as she said casually, "I'm more curious about what will happen to him afterward. You saw the way Slytherin looked at him; it could freeze him solid. And here we are..."
She glanced at Lavender. "Not everyone welcomes him."
"Welcome? I'm absolutely in awe!" Lavender turned excitedly to face the group. "You don't understand! That wasn't a malfunction, nor a prank! It was fate! The hat saw his true self! A noble soul trapped in a flawed family and unrealistic expectations!"
Her voice trembled slightly with excitement, but her eyes held an almost reverent certainty.
"Really? Lavender, you seem to know something? Tell me!" Parvati was immediately intrigued.
Hermione finally looked up from the book, her brow furrowing slightly. " Miss Brown, it's highly inaccurate to simplify the complex issue of social identity to 'fate' and 'noble soul' without concrete evidence."
"We know almost nothing about him; the only verifiable facts are that he used ' Lumos ' in the tunnel, and..."
She hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke, "It seems we've found Longbottom's toad somehow."
"Look!" Lavender immediately seized on this point. "He helped! He brought light to everyone in the darkness and even helped Neville find his pet! Doesn't that prove he has a kind heart?"
"And didn't you see how he dealt with those Slytherin in the hallway later? So calm, so... dignified! Like an exiled prince, facing the malice of the whole world alone!"
Parvati was moved, cupping her face in her hands, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, now that you mention it... the way he walked over, his back so straight, his face so pale and fragile... it's a little heartbreaking."
"Besides, he is indeed very good-looking, if he weren't always so cold."
Olivia chuckled softly, but her tone was pragmatic. "Being good-looking won't put food on the table, nor will it protect him from being ostracized by the two houses. I heard the Weasley brothers have been making fun of him in the hallways. He lives in the boys' dormitory; he's probably not having an easy time."
Hermione nodded. "That's exactly the problem. Regardless of Malfoy's personal qualities, he's been placed in a highly conflicted position."
This is not only a personal predicament, but also a small-scale social experiment. His coping mechanisms will directly impact the dynamics within Gryffindor and even the relationships between different houses.
"We need to observe several key points: how he handles the classroom, whether he tries to fit in, his Slytherin reactions, and..."
"Will he show Mr Potter any special attention, whether in good faith or bad?"
Lavender was completely absorbed in his own fantasy, his hands clasped together. "He will surely remain proud and solitary! Until someone can see through his cold exterior and touch his burning heart... Perhaps, that person is in Gryffindor..."
After she finished speaking, she looked around the dormitory meaningfully.
Parvati immediately chuckled, " Lavender, you're not thinking—"
"I'm just stating a possibility," Lavender said seriously, though a smile couldn't be hidden in his eyes.
Olivia interrupted their gossip, steer the conversation back to reality. "More than that, I'm curious how he's going to get to the Great Hall tomorrow morning."
"A good point of observation. This will be an important signal of his attitude—whether he accepts reality or passively resists," Hermione agreed.
Parvati's curiosity was piqued. "What do you think he's doing in the boys' dorm right now? If he's in a room with Harry, Merlin, just imagine the scene! Ron would definitely be swearing, Harry probably wouldn't know what to do, Neville would probably be terrified..."
Lavender sighed softly, "He must be so lonely... lying in a strange bed, listening to someone else's breathing... Oh, it's so tragic, so romantic..."
"It's immoral to romanticize other people's suffering, Miss Brown." Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly. "What we should be focusing on right now is tomorrow's schedule and how to find our classrooms. Also, I suggest we get some rest early so we're well-rested for the first day of school."
Olivia agreed, " Hermione's right. Whether Malfoy is a prince or a schemer, we all have our own lives to live tomorrow. However..."
She paused, a slight smile playing on her lips. "I bet everyone'll be staring at him at breakfast tomorrow, watching to see if he's wearing a red tie."
"He will," Lavender said firmly. "Maybe not tomorrow, but one day he will accept his true self, accept the... redemption" that Gryffindor has given him."
After saying that, she climbed into bed, pulled the covers over herself, and wore a dreamy smile, as if she had already reenacted the story of the next few years in her mind.
Parvati lay down as well, and whispered, "I still think this is too strange... but it's definitely going to be interesting, we'll see."
Hermione gave the books she would need for tomorrow a final check, and after confirming everything was correct, she turned off the lamp. "Whether it's interesting or not, remember, we're here to learn. Goodnight."
The lights in the dormitory were turned off one by one.