"Mr. Angeloi, I want that big cat! There's no way I'm letting her have it!" Cassandra declared, staring at Hermione.
Angeloi glanced at Mr. and Mrs. Granger for help, but they could only shrug helplessly. Hermione was just like that—she could be reasoned with, but if someone tried to take something from her by force, she would never back down.
Professor McGonagall watched with amusement from her seat. Perhaps Hermione and Cassandra could become good friends; after all, both were very intelligent.
"Miss Cassandra, just because you arrived first doesn't mean anything if you didn't purchase the cat," Cro said as he stood in front of Hermione, speaking in a firm and righteous tone. "We saw the cat first, and only after that did you say you wanted it. By that logic, it's actually you who's trying to take what's ours."
"I understand you might want to get revenge for your friend, but none of this was our fault. If you're as smart as you seem, you should be able to see that, right?"
Hermione poked her head out from behind Cro, nodding in agreement.
Cassandra's breath hitched, her expression darkening immediately. "Who said I'm trying to get revenge for Malfoy? Merlin's beard, how thick-headed do you have to be to think he's my friend?" she snapped.
She had never been so exasperated. She barely knew Malfoy! The idea that they were friends was absurd.
[Detected: Intense anger!]
[Reward: Golden Treasure Chest!]
Cro narrowed his eyes slightly. He was nearing ten golden treasure chests now. Even with the worst luck, he figured ten pulls should guarantee something good. Not to mention he still had his diamond treasure chest. He didn't need to become invincible, just get something decent—like a fully-leveled giant pumpkin spell.
"What's with that expression? You don't believe me, do you? I must be out of my mind to explain all this to you," Cassandra fumed, thinking Cro's expression meant he doubted her words. Her anger spiked further.
[Detected: Intense anger!]
[Daily limit for this target reached!]
With an icy look on her face, Cassandra turned and headed for the door. On her way out, she politely bid farewell to Professor McGonagall, her good upbringing shining through despite her fury.
"Professor McGonagall, I look forward to our next meeting. And for Merlin's sake, please have this boy's brain and eyes checked! Even a troll's brain would be better than what he's using now!" she added, casting one last furious glare at Cro.
Bang! The door slammed shut behind her.
Hermione, still fuming, stomped her foot in frustration. "Why are they like this? First Malfoy, now her! Are all wizarding kids this unreasonable? And what's a troll anyway? It sounds dumb. Was she calling Cro stupid? How could she say that when Cro didn't do anything wrong?"
"I'm not mad, so why are you? Unless... you're really planning to marry me?" Cro whispered teasingly in Hermione's ear.
His warm breath made Hermione's delicate ears twitch involuntarily, and her face instantly flushed a deep shade of red, like a cooked shrimp.
"I was defending you, and now you're teasing me? Hmph! I'm not talking to you anymore!" Hermione shot him a glare, holding the tearful cat tightly as she stormed over to her parents.
The cat : ...I don't want to talk about it. Just end it for me, please!
Watching Hermione's flustered retreat, Cro shook his head with a smile. He hadn't meant to tease her—he just wanted to shift her focus onto something else. Clearly, it worked.
"Mr. Cro, have you found a pet you like yet? If not, how about this snowy owl? Look at her; she's clever, hardworking, and her feathers are stunning. She's practically the perfect snowy owl!" Angeloi said, pointing at a white-feathered owl as it spread its wings lazily.
"Uh... this snowy owl is great, amazing! Her feathers are shiny, and her eyes are sharp," Cro said, showering the bird with praise.
Angeloi nodded in agreement. "So you've decided to take—"
"No, I'll take that eagle owl instead. Weren't you struggling with her? Well, I like her, so I'll take her off your hands," Cro interrupted, pointing to a large eagle owl observing the situation from afar.
The eagle owl : ...
"Of course, I might need you to prepare a cage for her, Mr. Angeloi. Otherwise, my small body won't survive her attacks."
Angeloi's mouth twitched. "Are you sure, Mr. Cro? That eagle owl is quite... well, alright. I'll prepare a sturdy iron cage and some owl food for you. If you can't tame her, you can bring her back, but please be careful. Don't let her out of the cage unless you're sure it's safe."
Seeing Cro's determined expression, Angeloi waved his wand, locking the large-eyed eagle owl into a cage and floating it over to Cro.
The two stared at each other for a moment before the eagle owl rolled her eyes dramatically and turned around, presenting Cro with her back.
Cro chuckled and shook his head in disappointment. Too bad the system doesn't reward treasure chests from animals. This owl could have earned me quite a few.
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T/N:
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