Chapter -47.
"I'm definitely going to tell my dad! He's going to be so mad!"
The moment Malfoy woke up feeling better, he couldn't help but shout about how he was going to spill the beans to his dad.
He spent the whole day bragging about how amazing his dad was, but when it came to trouble, he was all about telling on others.
Honestly, he was acting just like a spoiled kid.
He was lucky to be feeling okay, thanks to Carlo's potions; otherwise, that awful knotting would have kept him stuck in bed for three days. But if it had been a smaller issue, it might not have mattered as much.
That was just Malfoy's way; as long as he was fine, he'd bounce back, all energetic and fidgety. According to the original story, he would spend six years trying to outsmart Harry and his friends until Voldemort came back.
"Draco! Don't say anything!"
As soon as Malfoy blurted that out, a girl with a bob cut next to him quickly covered his mouth, worried he'd say something that would make everyone angry.
"This is Richmond's order; do you really want to go against him?"
That girl was Pansy Parkinson.
Being a first-year, she had been part of the chaos from the night before.
Every time she thought about what happened, she felt a little twinge of pain.
No one escaped the consequences of that night, and she was no exception.
What happened had become a big no-no for all of Slytherin, something they just didn't talk about.
"What's so special about Richmond? He's just from the Carlo family and started school a few years before me. I'm telling my dad, okay? I won't say anything else."
With Pansy watching him closely, Malfoy's voice got quieter until it was barely a whisper.
Not everyone was impressed by Malfoy; for example, the seventh-year prefects from the Carlo and Parkinson families completely ignored him. Everyone was on the same level, so there was no need for anyone to show off.
"Draco!"
Pansy called out loudly, urging him to stop.
What happened that night had already made a lot of young wizards unhappy with Malfoy.
They had lost under his leadership.
Slytherin only stood with the winners.
So why should everyone else suffer while Malfoy was just fine? Sure, Crabbe and Goyle weren't hurt either, but they were petrified and used as shields; just look at how they tremble at the mention of Dudley now—no one would want to switch places with them.
It was a shame Malfoy didn't notice the unfriendly looks from the other Slytherin wizards in the common room.
"For the sake of the richmond family, I won't bother with that brute. I just hope he doesn't provoke me again; otherwise, I'll make him regret it."
Malfoy was all talk.
He had shouted a few times, but since yesterday, he really didn't dare to mess with Dudley again.
Just look at poor Goyle and Crabbe; they tremble at the mention of Dudley or the Dursleys, unable to walk normally. They clearly went through a lot.
They wouldn't say a word when asked; they just shook.
Malfoy, who had passed out first and got hit by the stunning spell, was definitely lucky, but Goyle and Crabbe had it worse; even though they were petrified, they were fully aware of being used as weapons.
Malfoy figured his mental strength wasn't much better than theirs.
He had some self-awareness, at least.
He was just arrogant, not foolish.
But while he said one thing, he thought another; just because he wouldn't provoke Dudley didn't mean he wouldn't pick on someone else.
"Hmph, this Friday is Professor Snape's Potions class; I'll show you how tough it is."
Malfoy didn't believe a wizard from a Muggle family could understand potions.
Snape was an old friend of his dad's and would definitely favor him; as long as he just nudged him a little, would Dudley dare to go after the professor?
Oh, it was going to be quite a show.
Unfortunately, Malfoy was getting a bit ahead of himself; it was only Monday, and there were still four long days until Friday.
Dudley really had a knack for reading people, or rather, he had a good grasp of Malfoy's mindset.
"Isn't that Malfoy? What a coincidence, you're in class too?"
Not long after, a voice that had haunted him all night rang out behind him, accompanied by a totally random greeting.
Turning around stiffly, Malfoy was startled to see Dudley and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, replying, "Hello."
Pansy, who had been worried about Malfoy clashing with Dudley again, watched him tremble like a mouse in front of a cat and decided to stay quiet.
It wasn't until Dudley walked away that Malfoy let out a long breath, instantly turning red when he noticed Pansy beside him.
"I was just being polite, you know, we malfoy's are very gentlemanly."
Malfoy tried to defend himself, telling a lie he didn't even believe.
Pansy now felt sure Malfoy wouldn't pick a fight with Dudley again.
She just hoped he wouldn't tell his dad.
Richmond seemed to really value this brute.
"Hermione, look! I'm getting along great with my classmates; see how happy he was just now?"
Dudley said seriously.
All the while, Hermione was like a curious little duck, constantly asking about what happened the night before.
It was nice that she cared, but he definitely couldn't spill the truth.
"Really?"
Hermione sounded skeptical; Malfoy's face looked anything but happy.
"Why do I feel like he's scared of you?"
Dudley's expression stiffened: "That's just not true! If you don't believe me, I'll find someone else to back me up."
He randomly picked a lucky bystander.
"Hey, you over there, the little one."
Dudley called out to a Slytherin freshman nearby.
"I'm talking to you; stop."
But that kid seemed not to hear and hurried away.
"If you run again, I'll make you regret it."
In the end, under Dudley's threat, the kid finally stopped, giving Dudley a smile that was even worse than Malfoy's and claiming that Dudley was super popular in Slytherin.
As a result, Hermione was even more suspicious, but she had no idea what had really happened.
Even though they were holding textbooks, the professors at Hogwarts rarely stuck strictly to the textbook content; the lessons often varied based on the professors' preferences, allowing for a lot of freedom.
For example, Professor Sprout's first Herbology lesson was about identifying the plant known as "asphodel." In fact, the asphodel essence that Hermione had given to Dudley in the morning was extracted from that very plant. Interestingly, white fresh was covered later in the first-year textbook. Professor Sprout was truly knowledgeable, sharing insights that weren't found in the textbooks, including two cultivation methods, six techniques, four pest control strategies, and thirty-six uses. This information was super helpful for Dudley, as many of the applications were ones he had never thought of, leading him to ask Professor Sprout endless questions even after class ended.
Putting aside personal skills, Dudley's strongest subject was potions, and herbology was a key foundation for potion-making. If someone excelled in potions, their herbology was bound to be good too; conversely, if their herbology was lacking, their potion-making would suffer. So, Dudley listened closely, remembered everything, and studied hard. His eagerness to learn earned Slytherin two points.
Of course, Hermione, who often answered questions correctly, earned Gryffindor five points.
After class, Hermione looked up at Dudley with a proud expression, as if to say, "See? I have three more points than you." Dudley could only smile helplessly and shake his head, thinking, "This girl's competitive spirit is something else." Thus, Dudley earned ten points in the next history of magic class.
He didn't slack off at all. His knowledge of several hundred years of magical history made Professor Binns see him in a new light, actually remembering Dudley's name in that class, even if he forgot it again in the next lesson.
In the following charms class, Hermione worked hard to earn four points for Gryffindor. On Dudley's side, even though he waved his wand for a long time without any results, his calm demeanor and unique insights on charms led Professor Flitwick to award him five points.
With this back-and-forth, they finally reached the Friday that Malfoy had been eagerly waiting for—Potion class day.
Tl/N: If you want to read more [upto Ten chapters] while supporting me, you can join me on patreon.com/EmptyThoughts ;Thanks.
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Note : Guys, some power stones will be really helpful.
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Upcoming chapters :-
48. Potter, Something's off with your brain.
49. Snape, the bully.
50. Want to learn potions from me?