"I remember someone was going to the library to pursue knowledge, wisdom, and power. Why are you staying here now?" Pansy asked strangely.
"Oh, I know," Malfoy was about to speak again when he was interrupted by Pansy's self-talk.
"When you were telling a story, a supporting character said a line: 'Every woman is a book', right?"
"It seems you've been digging through the mud. Hermione, right?" Pansy wanted to say something insulting, but somehow stopped herself.
"Pansy!"
"Draco, you're really disgusting," Pansy ignored him and turned away, but her shaking shoulders revealed her mood. Soon, Pansy disappeared from Malfoy's view.
"This time it really looks like a joke," Malfoy couldn't help thinking. "I'll wait for her to calm down and explain to her." He thought about what to say to Pansy as he sped up his pace towards the restaurant.
After a few minutes, Malfoy walked into the restaurant. The sweet scent of roasted pumpkin filled his nose.
Thousand bats fluttered vigorously on the walls and ceiling, and there were also a thousand low clouds hovering around the dining table, causing the candles in the pumpkin bellies to flicker. Delicious food suddenly appeared on golden plates, just like at a school banquet.
"The layout is really good," Malfoy said, looking at the restaurant's setup.
He glanced around and saw Hermione, Harry, and Ron happily chatting at a table. Ron and Harry seemed very excited, still holding candy from the Duke of Honey.
"Hermione, you're so cool!" Ron said. "My brother always refuses to let me come with them. I know they always find a way to sneak out and steal stuff, but they never take me with them." He also complained a little bit about Fred and George.
Harry echoed his sentiments.
Feeling Malfoy's gaze, Hermione secretly greeted him with an "ok" gesture, indicating that everything had been resolved, and smirked with pride.
"Your friendship boat has set sail again, but my great ship is sinking," Malfoy couldn't help but think of his current situation as he looked at the smiling trio and Hermione's smile.
"Where did it go?" Malfoy felt like he had overlooked something. "The little girl shouldn't miss out on these foods."
As Malfoy was picking up a slice of pumpkin pie to fill his stomach, Professor Quirrell suddenly burst into the dining room. His big scarf was crooked on his head and his face was full of fright.
Everyone stared at him, only to see him walk over to Professor Dumbledore's chair, leaning on the table and panting as he said, "There's a monster in the underground classroom. I thought you should know."
After finishing, he collapsed onto the floor and passed out.
"Damn it," Malfoy suddenly realized something, cursed, and immediately got up and rushed out of the restaurant.
He finally knew what he had overlooked.
The restaurant suddenly became chaotic. Professor Dumbledore had to make a few loud fireworks explode from his wand before everyone quieted down.
"Senior's," he said in a low voice, "immediately lead the students of your college to the dormitory!"
Percy, naturally familiar with the situation, stepped forward. "Come with me! Don't wander off, first-years! As long as you follow my orders, you don't have to be afraid of any monsters. Follow me closely. Make way, first-years coming through! Please forgive me, I'm the leader!"
"How did a monster get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs.
"Don't ask me, monsters are supposed to be stupid," Ron said. "Maybe Peeves put it in to add some fun to Halloween."
"Where is he running off to now?" Hermione was the only one who noticed that Draco's reaction seemed a bit off.
"Pansy, where are you? Pansy?" The corridor was quiet, with only Malfoy's cries echoing through it.
Malfoy clenched his fists tightly, revealing his inner tension. He thought he was a butterfly flapping its wings to change the course of events, but he didn't expect that maybe he was just paint, poured into the river of time, but diluted by one branch after another until it lost its effect.
"Pansy shouldn't be in the women's bathroom now, because those two are currently staying well in the restaurant," Malfoy's thoughts raced.
"Then start with the strong first. Find the monster and solve it as soon as possible," Malfoy had full confidence in his current strength.
"Here." Malfoy suddenly smelled a stench, a mixture of smelly socks and a public toilet that had never been cleaned. He followed the smell.
"I found you," Malfoy said as he saw a behemoth walking away from him at the end of a passage on the left. The low mumble and the sound of huge feet dragging on the ground made it hard to notice him.
Malfoy breathed a sigh of relief, but then his heart sank as he saw two legs sticking out from under a statue of a soldier beside the corridor. It seemed like the person was shaking.
"Lumos!" Malfoy had to draw the monster's attention first.
The plan worked. The monster was turned around by the light source, and the sight was terrifying. It was twelve feet tall, with dull and dull skin the color of granite, and a large and stupid body that looked like a huge pile of mud.
It had a small cocoa head on top, short legs as thick as stumps, and flat, thick, cocooning feet underneath. The smell emanating from it was disgusting. It was holding a thick wooden stick in its hand, and because of its long arm, the stick was dragging on the ground.
Malfoy walked slowly towards the monster. Suddenly, he raised his wand.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
A deep red light shot from Malfoy's wand, flying straight towards the monster.
The seemingly bloated monster had extraordinary sensitivity and intuition. With a subconscious action, the monster turned the wooden stick in its hand into a club. A pile of wood chips slowly slipped from the giant's hand.
"I'm lucky," Malfoy said, laughing at himself. But he wasn't idle.
"All petrified!"
Another curse flew towards the monster. This time, the monster did not escape as it had before. It was immediately immobilized, only its thick nostrils still flaring.
"Leave the rest to the professors to solve," Malfoy thought, then slowly walked behind the statue.
"Pansy, are you okay?" he asked in a low voice. However, he received no response.
Malfoy moved closer.
When he looked down, he was startled.
The girl in front of him was not Pansy, and she looked a year or two older than Malfoy. She had black hair and black eyes, with long hair shawled around her beautiful face. As a result of being scared by the monster, she seemed a little panicked and even more touchable.
"Compatriots in a different world," Malfoy said as he tried to comfort the girl. "I think it's alright now. The professors will come soon."
Even if it wasn't Pansy, Malfoy couldn't leave a woman who had been scared by a monster. It wouldn't be chivalrous behavior. Plus, the girl reminded him of his hometown.
"Thank you," the girl said softly. "My name is Cho Chang. I've heard rumors about you, Draco. You're in first grade, right? You definitely deserve your reputation. You easily subdued the monster." Cho Chang's face was a little red, probably because she was embarrassed to be saved by a younger student.
"Carving insects and hanging teeth," Malfoy suddenly said in Chinese.
Qiu Chang looked at Malfoy in surprise. "Do you know Chinese?"
"Of course. I admire Chinese culture the most," Malfoy nodded.
Cho Chang seemed a little excited. It was enough to meet someone in a foreign country who knew her mother tongue. Some of the slight strangeness and alienation suddenly disappeared.
As they waited for the professors to arrive, Malfoy and Cho Chang chatted for a while. During their conversation, Malfoy spoke a few short paragraphs in Chinese, causing Cho Chang to cover his mouth and chuckle.
"You're more interesting than the rumors say," Cho Chang praised. In her heart, she added, "And also more handsome."
"Hehe," Malfoy laughed, apparently remembering the scene where Pansy had always said he was boring.
"Can you help me get up?" Cho Chang asked softly.
"Of course," Malfoy said, bending down to offer his hand and gently helping Cho Chang to her feet.
"Thanks," Cho Chang said, but after standing up, she leaned on Malfoy's shoulder again, as if her legs were too weak to support her. Seeing that she was too close to the male, Cho Chang exclaimed and her face turned red.
But Malfoy was looking straight ahead, not paying attention to their close proximity.
"Restore as before," he said, then read a spell on Cho Chang's calf to fix her injury.
"How are you feeling?" Cho Chang asked as they slowly released Malfoy. Cho Chang's face was flushed, possibly due to shyness or something else.
At that moment, Malfoy heard several people running towards them in the hallway.
"Professor, I saw him come here a moment ago," a familiar voice said.
"Is he going to be okay? Right?" another familiar voice asked.
"Calm down, child," Professor McGonagall said as she comforted the little girl next to her.
"He will be fine."
Professor McGonagall led the group, followed by Snape and Professor Quirrell, who was rushing along with two girls by Professor McGonagall's side.
"Mr. Draco, I think you need to explain yourself," Professor McGonagall said as he adjusted his glasses. His voice was cold and emotionless.
Snape approached the monster and examined it before saying, "A perfectly petrified spell, worthy of my students."
This was clearly an attempt to protect Malfoy.
As soon as Professor Quirrell saw the troll, he screamed in fear and fell to the ground, holding his head and shaking.
"Professor, I just defeated a giant monster in the hallway. Do I need to explain anything?" Malfoy said nonchalantly.
"Her classmate Hermione didn't tell me that. She said she only saw you running from the cafeteria to here," Professor McGonagall said, her tone still cold.
"It's too fast to dismantle the platform," Malfoy said, slightly collapsing as he noticed Pansy looking at him worriedly with red eyes.
"I think I can already guess where the plot is going, so I'm the one who needs to be saved, right?" Malfoy said with a helpless smile.
"Well, Professor, I was wrong," Malfoy said as he lowered his head to apologize.
"Ten points will be deducted from Slytherin," Professor McGonagall said as she imposed punishment.
"But for the sake of my classmates breaking the rules," Professor McGonagall said as she touched Pansy's head. "And one person also fought against the monster, which seems to have helped a classmate," she said, glancing at Cho Chang and speaking in a more relaxed tone.
"Slytherin will be given twenty points instead of being punished as an example."
Malfoy breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly found the old woman to be cute.
"Well, the students are enjoying the Halloween dinner, and you should go back as soon as possible. I will also report this matter to Professor Dumbledore," Professor McGonagall said before turning away. Snape continued to deal with the monster.
The next moment was the most difficult time for Malfoy.
"Who is this woman?" Pansy asked, pointing at Cho Chand staring at Malfoy after Professor McGonagall left. It was clear that she was worried and wanted to know what had happened.
"It's a headache," Malfoy said as he rubbed his forehead, clearly trying to think of how to answer the curious little vinegar jar.