Meeting Harry, Draco's transformation!

It was as though fate had ordained it.

The moment Harry Potter entered, Draco turned around.

Their eyes met!

A fated encounter!

Argus could not help marveling inwardly.

Sure enough, Draco and Harry were the real couple!

Ginny? She was nothing but a third party coming between them!

[Congratulations on meeting Harry Potter, host. Achievement unlocked: Meeting with The Chosen One]

[Achievement point reward: 50]

Woohoo, just meeting Harry Potter unlocked an achievement?

Coming to Hogwarts really was the right choice!

"Here for Hogwarts school robes?" Before Harry Potter could speak, Madam Malkin said, "We have plenty here. Two young boys are trying on clothes right now."

At this point, Harry Potter had yet to emerge from the shadow of the Dursley family, and everything about his bearing conveyed inferiority.

Once his measurements had been taken, he silently walked toward Argus and Draco.

"Are you a new Hogwarts student too?" Draco asked, looking Harry over curiously.

"Y-yes."

"Do you have your own broomstick? Have you ever played Quidditch?"

"Do you know which house you'll be sorted into? I'm definitely going to Slytherin!"

"My father says..."

"Draco!" Noticing Harry's awkwardness, Argus interrupted Draco's incessant chatter.

He gave Harry a slightly apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry. Draco's a little too excited today. I apologize on his behalf."

"It's all right!"

Argus's gentle, polite manner immediately won Harry's favor.

Compared with Draco and his superior tone, Harry preferred the elegant boy before him.

More importantly, ever since he had arrived in Diagon Alley, everyone had looked at him as though he were a rare animal.

Everyone except this elegant boy!

"My name is Argus, Argus Grindelwald. This is Draco Malfoy."

"Harry Potter! Just call me Harry."

"You're Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived!" Draco exclaimed, drawing sidelong glances from the people around them.

It also made Harry frown.

Hearing the commotion inside, Hagrid hurried in from outside.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

"Nothing, Hagrid. I'm chatting with some new friends."

"Good, then. These two are your friends?" Hagrid smiled good-naturedly and held out a hand to greet Argus and Draco.

"Hello, young wizards!"

"Hello, Mr. Hagrid. I've heard your name before, Hogwarts' Fantastic Beasts expert." Argus bowed with a smile.

Argus was quite fond of this Hogwarts master of Fantastic Beasts.

After all, who would turn down a generous, secretly wealthy man?

Seeing Harry looking at him with admiration, Hagrid scratched his head sheepishly.

"I-I'm just a gamekeeper. I just like keeping a few Fantastic Beasts in my spare time."

"A Hogwarts servant! Some expert!"

Draco's deeply ingrained pure-blood beliefs made him intensely disdainful of someone with Hagrid's mixed nonhuman blood. Seeing his two good friends treating Hagrid with such respect, he immediately could not resist mocking him.

At those words, Harry's expression instantly turned cold. Hagrid was at a loss too, not knowing where to put his two large hands.

"Hagrid, the clothes will take a while yet. Let's go look at something else first!"

With that, he pulled Hagrid outside.

Draco did not think he had said anything wrong. Instead, he wondered why Harry was angry.

Argus sighed inwardly.

"Draco, do you know what you just did?"

"What did I do?"

Draco had absolutely no idea what had happened and still looked utterly bewildered.

"Let me ask you, who is Hagrid?"

"Isn't he just a half-blood giant?"

"He's Harry's friend!" Argus's expression gradually grew serious.

"Insulting your friend's companion in public-is that the upbringing you have as the Malfoy heir?"

To be honest, he really did not want to play babysitter, but Draco was an important pawn in his future plans.

Through Draco, he could open the doors of the Malfoy family, formally enter Britain's circle of pure-blood families, then influence their younger generation and spread his ideas.

As Draco was now, he could not possibly accomplish the goals Argus expected of him.

Therefore, Draco's views had to be corrected!

Hearing Argus's words, Draco also realized how inappropriate his remarks had been.

But the boy's pride kept him from backing down.

"I was telling the truth! He's just a half-blood giant, a mongrel..."

"Draco!" Argus said earnestly.

"Do you think being a pure-blood from the Sacred Twenty-Eight makes you superior to everyone in every way?"

"Especially when it comes to half-human hybrids like Hagrid, whom you look down on to your very core!"

"I... I don't..."

Draco stammered, not daring to look at Argus.

"Listen, Draco!" Argus looked straight into Draco's eyes.

"Pure blood is never a reason to place yourself above others!"

"A wizard's true nobility never lies in his bloodline, but in his heart!"

"Perhaps he has no pure pedigree. Perhaps he has no great wealth, nor polished manners."

"But as long as he has a noble heart, he is a noble wizard!"

Argus glanced at the puzzled Draco and continued.

"A noble heart shows tolerance and mercy even to the lowliest slave, and courage and fearlessness even before the strongest enemy."

"It seeks knowledge and explores magic, contributing its own share to the Wizarding World."

"That is true nobility!"

Argus's words plunged Draco into deep confusion.

He was only eleven this year and had not yet been thoroughly corrupted by the rotten older generation of pure-bloods.

He still held beautiful fantasies about the world and hopes for the future deep in his heart.

Argus's words awakened the innocence and hope within him.

Argus stepped forward and patted his shoulder.

"Draco, you've had a good education, and you're the future heir of the Malfoy family. What you carry on your shoulders is not merely your family's fortunes and honor, but also responsibilities and obligations toward the Wizarding World."

"There's no shame in making mistakes. On the contrary, knowing you're wrong yet refusing to change until you regret it for the rest of your life-that is what's truly saddening."

"Do you understand?"

Draco remained silent with his head lowered for a long while before slowly looking up at Argus.

His eyes were red.

"Argus, I'm sorry. I... I..."

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to." Argus smiled and shook his head.

"Do you remember what I just said? There's no shame in making mistakes. On the contrary, knowing you're wrong yet refusing to change until you regret it for the rest of your life-that is what's truly saddening."

"I understand!" Draco's eyes gradually grew resolute.

Then he looked sheepishly at Argus.

"Argus, could you... could you come with me to apologize to Harry and Hagrid...? I... I'm afraid they..."

"Don't worry!" Argus reassured him softly. "Harry and Hagrid aren't petty. As long as you apologize sincerely, they'll definitely forgive you."

The light returned to Draco's eyes. They waited for a little under half an hour.

Harry returned to Madam Malkin's with Hagrid.

After hesitating for quite some time, Draco finally walked up to Hagrid, blushing.

"Mr... Mr. Hagrid, I'm sorry..."

Not understanding what was happening, Hagrid scratched his head in bewilderment.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hagrid. I shouldn't have said such rude things to you, much less looked down on your status or bloodline..."

"A wizard's true nobility lies not in his bloodline, but in his heart!"

"Perhaps he has no pure pedigree. Perhaps he has no great wealth, nor polished manners."

"But as long as he has a noble heart, he is a noble wizard!"

"And Harry, I owe you an apology too. I shouldn't have insulted your friend..."

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me!"

Hearing Draco's words, Hagrid could not help widening his eyes.

Was... was this something a pure-blood could say?

He had spent so many years at Hogwarts and met countless pure-bloods. Never mind apologizing-if they could meet him without throwing a few jibes his way, that already made them good people!

He spoke in a daze. "Did you come up with all that yourself?"

"With what?"

"That... that..." Hagrid racked his brains but could not remember Draco's exact words.

At last, he recalled a key phrase!

"A noble wizard!"

Draco lowered his head sheepishly. "Those weren't my words. Argus said them..."

He repeated what Argus had said word for word.

Hagrid listened, his face full of excitement.

He could not help applauding.

"That was wonderfully said!"

As a half-blood giant, he had suffered countless instances of discrimination throughout his life.

Argus's words undoubtedly let him see hope for harmony and equality in the future magical world.

"I can hardly believe an eleven-year-old child could say all that. Argus, you'll definitely become someone remarkable in the Wizarding World!"

Beside him, Harry's face was filled with admiration!

Noticing the guilt in Draco's eyes, Hagrid stepped forward and casually put an arm around him.

"Little fellow! You've got a very good friend!"

"All right, everyone says the wrong thing sometimes."

"I don't mind, and neither will Harry!"

Seeing Harry nod, Draco finally felt his anxiety ease.

"Young wizards, your robes are ready. Would you like to try them on?"

Madam Malkin's arrival interrupted their conversation.

"No need. Please wrap them up for us. If we can't even trust Madam Malkin's workmanship, I doubt there are any clothes in Britain worth looking at!"

"Hahaha, thank you for the compliment, young wizard."

Argus's words made Madam Malkin laugh heartily.

Thanks to Argus, they all received a nice discount on their school robes.

When it was time to part, Harry practically looked back three times with every step.

"Argus, we're friends, right?"

"Of course, Harry!" Argus still wore his gentle smile.

"Then can I write to you after I go back?"

"Anytime!"

"Me too!" Draco cut into their conversation.

"I'll write to you too!"

After Harry and Hagrid left, Argus watched Draco's thoughtful gaze gradually become determined and finally felt completely reassured.

Good. Now the Malfoy family was truly aboard his pirate ship.

The kind they couldn't be driven off even if he tried!