The stone walls of the corridor gleamed coldly in the morning light, and footsteps sounded exceptionally clear in the silence.
Now it's Draco following behind Percy, walking all the way.
As they turned a corner, two familiar figures suddenly appeared ahead— Goyle Vincent.
They stood there in the middle of the corridor, like two out-of-place stone pillars, blocking the way.
The two men, one tall and one strong, one thin and one tall, were both watching Draco with equal tension.
Draco stopped in front of them, his gaze sweeping over their faces.
"How are things?" Draco asked casually, "... are you doing well in Slytherin?"
Goyle's eyes reddened, and his voice trembled with the urge to cry, "I'm alright... I just miss my older brother."
Draco was both amused and exasperated. "It's only been one night, is it really that big of a deal?"
Vincent quickly chimed in, "It's too hard not being able to follow my older brother and listen to his teachings."
Draco didn't respond to their words, but his smile faded slightly, and he became serious. "You all better behave yourselves in Slytherin, understand? If anyone speaks ill of me, don't argue. Protecting yourselves is the most important thing, otherwise how will you follow your elder brother to do great things in the future?"
Vincent nodded firmly, his voice reassuring, "We understand, brother."
Goyle scratched his head, somewhat unconvinced. "But I just can't help wanting to argue a bit..."
"Absolutely not," Draco interrupted him. "Remember, this isn't the time for empty talk. If you cause trouble, I can't help you much from Gryffindor."
Draco paused, then softened his tone. "However, if anyone causes trouble for no reason, come find me. Although I'm not in Slytherin, I'll definitely deal with them."
Goyle's eyes lit up. "If only I could be assigned to Gryffindor..."
As soon as he said that, Percy, who was standing next to him, visibly broke out in a fine sweat.
One Draco is bad enough; if two more get in, will Gryffindor ever have any peace?
"Stop thinking about this and that." Draco patted Goyle on the shoulder. "Study hard over there. I'm leaving."
"Big brother, you must come back!" Goyle cried out urgently.
Draco didn't even turn around, leaving behind the words: "Don't treat me like I'm going to my death."
After saying that, he continued walking forward.
Goyle Vincent stood there, watching Draco's retreating figure, their faces filled with reluctance and confusion.
They couldn't understand why the world had changed like this overnight.
But they knew.
No matter where he is, he will always be their eldest brother.
After walking a while longer, two more people appeared ahead.
Theodore and a brown-skinned boy.
If Draco remembers correctly, it should be Blaise Zabini.
Theodore remained aloof and taciturn, while Zabini maintained his usual cynical attitude.
"Good morning, Malfoy," Nott spoke first, his tone calm. "It seems you have important business to attend to."
Draco nodded and replied, "Morning."
"The humidity in Slytherin's cellars has been a bit unusual lately. Perhaps it's related to the water level of the Black Lake," Theodore remarked casually.
Draco knew perfectly well that he was telling himself that.
He didn't target me intentionally; he was just forced to keep his distance due to pressure from Slytherin.
"Thank you for letting me know," Draco replied curtly.
That's enough.
But Zabini clearly wasn't going to stay quiet.
"Ah, Malfoy," he began lazily, "An interesting morning, isn't it? I heard the bacon in the Great Hall was a little overcooked today."
Zabini then gave a playful smile, "However, some people just like... well-done, even if it's been removed from the grill."
Draco pretended not to understand and gave him a dismissive glance. "Is nothing else to you besides food?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zabini's nonchalant smile froze instantly, and a hint of offended anger and surprise flashed in his eyes.
His meticulously planned attack was dismissed by Draco as a low-level pursuit of "only knowing how to eat."
This hurt him more than a direct rebuttal.
Zabini's face darkened.
Continuing to argue about "eating" would make him seem like he only cares about such trivial matters.
However, changing the topic made him seem out of his element.
Finally, he could only manage to squeeze out, "At least I know what I should and shouldn't eat."
"Then eat and drink well."
With a casual remark, Draco turned away without hesitation, not looking at them again, and walked straight ahead.
At this moment, Zabini felt a strong sense of suffocation and humiliation.
He was first accused of "only knowing how to eat," and then dismissed like a beggar with the words "eat well and drink well."
His supposedly clever argument was crudely labeled as "lowbrow" and abruptly ended by the other party.
Zabini let out an angry sneer through gritted teeth as he watched Draco's retreating figure, but his expression grew even more somber.
What's even more frustrating is that he can't vent his anger.
Because what Draco said was simply extremely unpleasant in attitude.
This infuriated him even more than a direct verbal exchange.
Percy and I continued downwards.
Not long after, Draco encountered another group of people.
Pansy, and her two henchmen.
Pansy stood in the middle of the corridor, arms crossed, looking at Draco with a complicated expression.
" Draco," her voice trembled slightly, "You must have your reasons, right?"
Her tone contained expectation, unease, and a hint of stubborn pleading.
Draco glanced at her. "Dilemma? Probably because I didn't sleep well last night, and the hat thinks I'm reckless."
"Who knows? Anyway, now I have to deal with my father's wrath. Good luck, Pansy."
Pansy is prepared to accept any answer.
But faced with Draco's casual attitude...
Her body and expression froze instantly, as if she had punched the air with all her might.
His pupils dilated slightly in confusion, and his brows furrowed unconsciously as he thought:
"... Didn't sleep well? Reckless? That's the explanation he uses for the house selection? Is he... joking? Or is he treating me like a three-year-old?"
What she longed for was a heavy secret, the helplessness of being forced by her family.
Instead of Draco's casual remark that he hadn't slept well.
The surprise on her face quickly turned into a blush of humiliation and anger.
Pansy raised her chin again, but this time the posture lacked the previous vulnerability, only the arrogance of being offended.
The blush faded quickly, and her face returned to a bloodless calm.
She gave Draco a cold, reassessing look, as if seeing him for the first time truly.
Or rather, to see clearly the role Draco chooses to play.
Then she nodded almost imperceptibly, her movements as stiff as a marionette.
Then Pansy's lips curled into a smile that was devoid of any genuine laughter, and even carried a faint hint of sarcasm.
"Of course." Each word she uttered was like an ice bead. "Sleep is important. I wish you... good luck, Malfoy."
After saying that, Pansy turned around without hesitation, not looking at Draco again, and said to Millicent and Daphne beside her, "Let's go."
She was the first to leave, radiating a chilling aura that said "keep away."
Draco finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Once you're hooked on Pansy, you just can't shake her off.
She'll definitely explode if you say the wrong thing.
Now, it seems her illusions have been shattered.
The initial plan has finally come to a successful conclusion.
[Ding! Original storyline added, Fortune Points +20]