The more Malfoy and his two companions listened, the more terrified they became.
"Thank you for the warning... I-I think I'll go rest now," Malfoy stammered, swallowing hard. Forcing his trembling legs to move, he shakily left the compartment.
After watching the three boys leave, Marcus and his group shut the door, cast a silencing charm, and burst out laughing.
"Boss, what are we going to do? I don't want to fight an Acromantula, and I definitely don't want to face a dragon!" Goyle and Crabbe looked at Malfoy, eyes filled with hope.
"Don't worry. Let's ask more people—maybe it's all just a lie," Malfoy said, trying to sound calm, though his voice shook.
The three of them then wandered from compartment to compartment, asking the older students about the entrance exam. The older students, who had already been through the "entrance exam scare" in their first year, were all too happy to provide answers.
"It's not as dangerous as you think, just protect yourself, and you won't die."
"Are you really scared of a little entrance exam? I remember riding on the back of a troll and fighting it for 300 rounds without breaking a sweat!"
"Who told you about this? Didn't they mention that this year's exam is to steal spider eggs from the Acromantulas?"
Such remarks left Malfoy and his cronies utterly hopeless. Soon, the rumors spread to the other first-year students in the train.
Within minutes, panic spread like wildfire.
The Hogwarts Express was filled with the sound of wailing and crying from first-year students, echoing throughout the carriages.
[Detecting intense fear!]
[Reward: Bronze Chest!]
[Detecting...]
The system's notification chimes seemed endless, echoing in Cro's mind.
"Turn off the notifications for now," Cro muttered.
Once the chimes ceased, his furrowed brow relaxed. The occasional system alert was fine, but when it got that noisy, it became a nuisance, like having a radio constantly blaring in your head.
"Do you think we'll get in trouble for this?" Hermione asked nervously, hearing the chorus of wails from the other compartments.
"Hmph, what's the big deal? Did we do anything wrong? All we did was tell Malfoy. It's Malfoy who spread the rumors and caused the panic," Cassandra huffed.
"If the school does get mad, just say it was my idea. This is no big deal. And besides, with my status, the worst that'll happen is a slap on the wrist," she added confidently.
"I'm not saying this to protect you guys or anything; I just... well..."
"You just feel responsible for it, don't you?" Cro interjected with a smirk.
"Yes, that's exactly—" Cassandra started, but her voice faltered as she saw Cro's teasing expression. The words died in her throat, and her excited demeanor quickly cooled. She quietly picked up her book, her earlier enthusiasm vanishing in an instant.
"Miss Vole, I'm glad to be your friend! My name's Hermione Granger, and this is Cro Wells. We're both from Muggle families," Hermione said with a genuine smile.
Cassandra's earlier actions had impressed Hermione, making her change her opinion of the girl. The resistance she'd felt toward her had disappeared.
"I..."
Cassandra opened her mouth, shocked by Hermione's sincerity. Seeing the genuine and friendly expression on Hermione's face, devoid of any desire to cling to power, Cassandra swallowed her retort.
"Cassandra Vole," she said after a long pause, lowering her head as she spoke. Though she acted indifferent about making friends with Hermione, her tightly gripped, trembling hands betrayed her emotions.
"Cassandra, why did you help me fool Malfoy earlier? If I remember correctly, you didn't like me much," Cro asked with a playful grin, tossing a dark green ball from hand to hand.
"Who said I was helping you? What made you think I was?" Cassandra retorted, raising her head in defiance.
"Malfoy's been pestering me for ages, and it's annoying. I know it's not really his fault—it's his family pushing him—but it's still irritating!" she explained seriously. "I was just taking the chance to get back at him, not helping you!"
Cassandra's tone was deadly serious, but Cro and Hermione exchanged a knowing look, both grinning at her. Embarrassed, Cassandra quickly buried her face in her book, pretending nothing had happened.
Knock knock.
Just as Cassandra was feeling uncomfortable and considering an excuse to leave, the compartment door was knocked again.
"Come in," Cro said casually, shifting his attention away from Cassandra.
The door slid open, and two timid-looking boys stood at the entrance.
"Cro! Hermione! I thought I was seeing things, but it's really you guys!" one of them exclaimed.
"I can't believe we found you here! I thought you'd missed the train!" the other added excitedly.
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T/N:
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