Hermione looked at the girl beside Luke, with some doubt as she asked.
Taylor lifted her head to look at Hermione, her gaze instantly becoming sharp as a blade.
"This is Taylor, Taylor Barbara. She's a trustworthy classmate"
Luke said calmly, looking at Hermione.
He had no reason to be nervous. For one, his relationship with Hermione hadn't reached the point where he needed to worry about things like this. Secondly, he and Taylor were just friends for now. Besides, they were only eleven years old—wasn't it a bit too early to talk about such things?
Hermione nodded, then smiled and extended her hand toward Taylor. "Hello, I'm Hermione Granger. Luke's friend."
Taylor shook Hermione's hand. Her expression remained neutral, but her tone was gentle. "Hello."
After the two introduced themselves, Hermione calmly sat down on the other side of Luke.
Behind her, Draco, who had just been about to do a stylish flip over the desk to sit next to Luke, watched his seat get taken again. He felt his nose nearly twist in frustration.
Already in a bad mood, losing his spot twice—especially the second time to a Gryffindor—ignited a fire inside him that was hard to control. Instinctively, he was about to lash out at Hermione.
But before he could speak, a sharp, explosive noise rang in his ears. Clutching his head in pain, Draco felt as if needles were being driven into his ears. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Professor Flitwick, standing in the center of the classroom, furrowed his brow and glanced toward Draco, noticing his pained expression.
Luke, sensing something was off at almost the same moment as Flitwick, turned to see Draco's face contorted in discomfort. Immediately, he glanced at Taylor beside him.
Taylor was humming softly, and when she noticed Luke looking at her, she gave him an innocent look and whispered, "I just stopped him from saying something he shouldn't. He's your target, right? We can't let him fall so easily."
Luke's brow twitched slightly as he glanced at Hermione on his other side, then nodded toward Taylor. "Watch the intensity. He's not just a target—he's someone we can communicate with too."
Taylor nodded, signaling she understood.
At that moment, Draco felt the stabbing pain in his ears finally fade away, though he was left a little dizzy.
He no longer had the energy to say anything rude.
Professor Flitwick observed the whole scene and silently turned his gaze toward Luke, who had reacted almost as quickly as the professor himself.
Luke noticed the professor's gaze and smiled softly, nodding in acknowledgment.
However, Flitwick didn't return the smile. Instead, he shifted his gaze to Luke's right—toward where Taylor was.
He studied Taylor's hair for a moment, his eyes narrowing as if trying to discern some hidden trait. But after finishing her exchange with Luke, Taylor lowered her head again, retreating into her shell.
Flitwick saw nothing, but his frown deepened.
Seeing this, Luke pursed his lips and turned to Hermione beside him. "We'll probably be working in pairs for this lesson. If you don't mind teaming up with someone from Slytherin, you could partner with Taylor."
Hermione didn't mind partnering with a Slytherin—in fact, she had come to class hoping to do just that. But Taylor wasn't exactly who she had in mind.
"And what about you?"
Hermione asked, without pressing further. When dealing with peers who were less mature than herself, she had a tendency to take on a teaching role. But when faced with someone stronger who bore no ill will, she was more inclined to listen to sound advice.
"Just a small matter, nothing to worry about"
Luke replied with a smile before standing up. Taking advantage of the time when students were still finding their seats, he walked to the back row.
Hermione watched Luke's retreating figure, furrowing her brow slightly, but she didn't say anything more.
Taylor, now sitting beside Hermione, smiled and said, "Don't worry, Luke knows what he's doing."
Hermione glanced at Taylor. Compared to the earlier introduction, Taylor seemed noticeably warmer now. And now that they were closer, Hermione could finally see Taylor's face through the strands of loose hair.
For a brief moment, Hermione was captivated. Taylor's appearance was striking, but what stood out the most were her eyes—sharp, almost like they could see right through someone.
Of course, Hermione had no idea about Legilimens at this point, so she didn't know the true source of that piercing gaze.
"Alright, I understand," Hermione replied.
Meanwhile, in the back row, Luke gently patted Goyle's shoulder and said with a smile, "Goyle, could you switch seats for me? We'll probably be paired up for group work soon, and I'd like to team up with Draco."
"No problem, Luke! I'll pair up with Crabbe"
Goyle responded enthusiastically.
He didn't have much of a choice—between the lingering effects of the fire curse on the train and Malfoy's constant bragging about their newfound friendship, refusing wasn't really an option.
With that, Goyle stood up and moved to sit next to Crabbe, leaving an empty spot next to Draco.
"Hey, Luke... ugh..." Draco noticed the change beside him. He hadn't expected Luke to approach him on his own, which made him excited. Luke's action was clear confirmation of the bond Draco had been boasting about for days. But just as Draco extended his hand, a sudden movement triggered his lingering headache.
"No need to be so formal, Draco. We're supposed to be friends, aren't we?" Luke said, patting Draco on the back with a smile. "Honestly, I should apologize for what I said to you on the train."
Draco looked surprised, but soon masked it with his usual self-assured pride. "It's fine, Luke. I don't blame you. You didn't know the real me back then."
"True, I was hasty. I didn't realize what kind of person you are, Draco. After the feast, I had a moment where I regretted shaking your hand," Luke admitted, his face thoughtful.
"After all, you seemed so cowardly on the train—ganging up on others and looking down on the Weasleys, even though they're fellow purebloods."
Draco's face flushed. He wanted to defend himself, but Luke's reflective and approving tone left him speechless.
"But then you spoke up for muggle-born students later in the common room, and that really impressed me. Draco, you know, after learning more about the current state of Slytherin, I've been troubled. The Slytherin House I envisioned should be full of proud, but not arrogant, individuals."
"And now, I can't help but wonder—how did Slytherin become like this?"
*****
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