When Peeves asked him a question, Ron gave Draco a smug look.
Then he deliberately puffed out his chest and said loudly:
"The truth I want to tell you is that Malfoy is now Gryffindor! The Sorting Hat sorted him into Gryffindor in front of everyone! He already admitted in the Great Hall that he had been abandoned by his family! Have you all forgotten?"
As he spoke, Ron arrogantly surveyed his surroundings.
"So he was just bluffing! His father won't bother with the trouble caused by a Gryffindor son who's been kicked out of the family!"
This statement, like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly ignited the crowd's dormant memories and suppressed discussions.
"Oh yeah! How could I forget that!" A Ravenclaw upperclassman suddenly slapped his forehead.
The crisp sound was exceptionally clear in the suddenly silent corridor.
"Yes, yes! The Sorting Hat sorted him into Gryffindor! Everyone was stunned!" another Hufflepuff student quickly chimed in.
The look in his eyes as he looked at Draco instantly shifted from fear and disdain to sudden realization.
It was like seeing through an elaborate scam.
" Lucius Malfoy's son is a Gryffindor... Merlin's beard, he must be furious, how could he possibly care about him?"
"No wonder Peeves seemed a bit hesitant earlier; he'd been fooled!"
"Bluster... He's really good at it, I almost fell for it!"
Whispers rose like a tide, quickly drowning out the previous panic in the corridor.
The whispered discussions carried a hint of schadenfreude, and a touch of kicking someone when they're down.
All eyes were once again focused on Draco, but this time, the meaning in those gazes had completely changed.
Previously, they were feared because the Malfoy family was behind them, and they could avoid them if they couldn't afford to offend them. Now, they were watching a clown.
"Granfendorf?! Abandoned by his family?!"
Peeves' two button-like eyes stared intently at Draco.
His voice sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth, each word carrying the furious rage of someone who had been thoroughly fooled.
who is he?
He's Peeves!
He is the unbridled king of pranks at Hogwarts!
It's the kind of entity that gives professors headaches and terrifies students!
But just now, he was almost scared away by a Gryffindor boy who had been abandoned by his family, using the name of a father who had long since disowned him?
This is an utter disgrace!
This was the most embarrassing thing that Peeves had ever done in all his decades at Hogwarts!
"You lied to me! You dare lie to me! You big liar!"
Peeves shrieked, his body trembling violently with rage, and the air around him seemed to ripple with agitation due to his emotions.
"I'll make you regret ever being born! I'll make every day you spend at Hogwarts a complete nightmare!"
"I'm going to turn your hair into caterpillars, your textbooks into toads, and your bed into a thicket of thorns!"
Peeves shouted, startling the figures in the portraits on both sides of the corridor, who all poked their heads out.
Hermione, standing to the side, was also stunned, as if struck by lightning.
She stared blankly at Draco, her mind reeling, the sound completely overturning her previous understanding of all of Draco's actions.
Yes, how could she forget?
Draco is no longer Malfoy of Slytherin; he is a member of Gryffindor, someone publicly abandoned by his family.
The actions that had previously aroused her suspicion now had a reasonable explanation.
She was completely fooled by her own stereotypes about the Malfoy family and was utterly unaware of this.
Hermione snapped back to reality, her rationality returning in an instant.
She quickly glanced at the enraged Peeves, then at Draco being pointed at and whispered about by the crowd, and her heart sank.
Draco's current situation is extremely dangerous!
Peeves ' rage had reached its peak, and he had lost the Malfoy family, his greatest deterrent.
In Peeves's eyes now, he's nothing more than an ordinary student with no support, someone Pipi Gui can manipulate at will.
She couldn't bear to see Draco being tormented by Peeves.
Whoever he was in the past, at this moment, he is her Gryffindor classmate standing shoulder to shoulder with her, the one who just moments ago pulled her along and protected her.
Hermione's mind raced, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the wand in her robe pocket as she desperately tried to think of a way to get him out of this predicament.
Just as the atmosphere was tense and a crisis was about to erupt.
Draco's face showed no sign of panic, not even the slightest hint of confusion.
He simply stood there quietly, a faint smile on his lips.
"Etc."
He spoke, his voice unusually calm.
But those two words froze the impending attack of the Peeves in mid-air.
Its raised arm froze, the distorted expression on its face solidified.
Their two button-sized eyes widened even more, filled with disbelief.
He still dares to say "wait"?!
At this critical juncture when the lie has been completely exposed and there is no way out.
That bastard, he actually dared to say "wait" to him with that damn, nonchalant smile?!
This is beyond the comprehension of Peeves's chaotic logic.
He felt like he wasn't dealing with a greenhorn student, but with an... incomprehensible madman!
A madman who can still laugh even when he's in dire straits!
Not only Peeves, but all the students present were stunned.
They looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.
The lively discussions that had been going on just moments before vanished without a trace, and the corridor was so quiet you could hear everyone's heartbeat.
Hermione was racking her brains for a solution.
Upon hearing Draco's nonchalant "Wait," she abruptly turned her head, looking at Draco as if he were an alien.
She couldn't understand it, she couldn't understand it at all.
How could he still be laughing when he could face the most vicious retaliation from Peeves at any moment?
How could he still dare to calmly say the word "wait"?
Was he completely terrified and gave up entirely?
Or... does he possess some other, far more terrifying reliance or plan that they are completely unaware of?
The idea had barely crossed her mind when even Hermione found it unbelievable.
What backup plan could a student abandoned by their family possibly have?
The students watching were completely silent.
Everyone held their breath, their eyes darting back and forth between Draco and Peeves, completely bewildered by what was going on.
Is this Malfoy... truly terrified, has he lost his mind?
Or is he really hiding some trump card that allows him to turn the tide in this desperate situation?
Ron was completely stunned.
He had assumed that after saying those words, Draco would be severely punished by Peeves and lose face.
He could finally vent his anger.
But to his utter surprise, Draco not only didn't panic, but was also incredibly calm—a calmness that sent chills down his spine.
For a moment, even Ron was somewhat uncertain.
The atmosphere in the corridor was extremely eerie.
Despite it being the height of summer, a chill crept up my spine.
Peeves stood frozen in mid-air, the anger in Button's eyes gradually replaced by a hint of surprise and doubt.
He stared intently at the unchanging smile on Draco's face, as if trying to see right through him.
After a long pause, he hesitantly squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth. "You... do you have any last words?"
In the end, it did not take action.
It's not that I don't want to, it's just that the scene before me is too bizarre.
It was so eerie that even this ghost, who reveled in chaos, felt a strange sense of dread.
Upon seeing this, Ron immediately panicked.
Fearing that Peeves would be intimidated by Draco, he quickly shouted:
"What are you waiting for, Peeves? Are you afraid of him? He's just a good-for-nothing abandoned by his family! There's nothing to be afraid of!"
These words were like a needle, piercing Peeves's pride.
Yeah! What is he waiting for?!
He's Peeves! The king of pranks at Hogwarts!
How could he hesitate just because of the other person's inexplicable "wait" and an infuriating smile?!
What is he waiting for?!
Will this little liar come up with another ridiculous lie?
When he reveals that calm expression that makes you want to tear him apart again?
Peeves ' anger was reignited, even more intensely than before.
"I've waited enough!!! I won't give you another chance! You liar, today I'll show you what I'm capable of!"
He suddenly roared again, his voice making the windows in the corridor rattle.
Before he finished speaking, he lunged at Draco with his claws outstretched.
Hermione's expression changed drastically, and without thinking, she shouted, " Peeves, stop!"
She shouted as she reached for her wand, even though she knew ordinary spells wouldn't work on Peeves.
But at that moment, Draco moved.
He didn't hide, he didn't run away, he didn't even move a step.
He simply looked up, saw the Mischievous Peeves rushing towards him, and shook his head.
I gave you a chance.