"Thank you, Robert. It's a good thing you called Madam Pomfrey in time."
Harry didn't know how many times he had thanked him, but every time he looked at Malfoy lying on the bed next to him, a feeling of relief after narrowly avoiding disaster would well up in his chest.
So once again, he sincerely thanked Robert.
Malfoy's leg lay limply on the bed, looking like a thick, flesh-colored rubber boot—Lockhart had removed the entire bone from his leg. If Madam Pomfrey hadn't arrived when she did, that treatment might very well have been inflicted on Harry instead.
His own leg was a minor issue. His shoulder had also been injured—dangerously close to his neck. What if Lockhart's hand had slipped and removed the bones from his neck instead?
Harry shivered involuntarily and turned back to Robert. "I'm willing to give you all my Chocolate Frog cards. I remember you collect them too, right?"
"I don't need any extra Dumbledores. You should keep them yourself," Robert replied.
Harry looked embarrassed. Half of his cards were indeed Dumbledores.
Malfoy, on the next bed, had not woken up yet. He had been unconscious since the moment he realized the bone in his leg was missing.
"What was the result of the match?" Harry asked.
"It's complicated," Ron replied, visibly frustrated. "Malfoy was already breaking the rules when he jumped onto your broom, and Marcus Flint is claiming the match didn't count from that moment. Madam Hooch did blow her whistle."
"What... what does that mean?" Harry's heart sank.
"He thinks you caught the Golden Snitch after the whistle, so it doesn't count..."
"Why not? I didn't hear any whistle at all!" Harry exclaimed angrily. "I had to keep my eyes on the Snitch and stop Malfoy from pulling me off my broom!"
"Oliver said the same thing! They can't cancel your score!" Ron grew angrier, clenching his fists. His gaze shifted toward the unconscious Malfoy, as though he might leap over and punch him.
But that idea was swiftly dismissed, especially after Madam Pomfrey, already at her limit, kicked both Ron and Robert out of the Hospital Wing.
"Sorry... I was just too angry," Ron said sheepishly, looking at Robert.
"It's alright. We could only visit for ten minutes anyway," Robert replied. "Where's Hermione? Isn't she coming to see Harry?"
"Hermione went to find Professor McGonagall," Ron answered. "She thinks Malfoy's actions were attempted murder. She went to report it as soon as the match ended."
"I really hope the school expels Malfoy. He nearly got Harry's head smashed by a Bludger."
Ron looked back at the Hospital Wing, regret clearly written on his face. He hadn't even punched Malfoy once.
At the time, Malfoy was already unconscious and Madam Pomfrey was preparing a potion. Even if he had hit him, no one would have noticed.
By the time Robert and Ron returned to the Castle, the entire student body was fiercely discussing the match and whether Lockhart's final act—removing Malfoy's bones—was accidental or intentional.
Although it seemed like a magical mishap from every angle, at least Malfoy was no longer in pain.
During lunch, Oliver Wood brought some good news.
Madam Hooch had dismissed Marcus Flint's protest and ruled that the match result was valid.
"The foul was committed by Draco Malfoy," Fred said, mimicking Madam Hooch's voice. "Harry Potter was able to catch the Golden Snitch despite his interference, and therefore the match result stands."
"That's right!" George added happily. "Quidditch doesn't have a rule saying the match pauses if the Seeker falls off their broom."
"Professor Lockhart must think so too," Fred said with a grin. "That's why he used the opportunity to remove Malfoy's bones."
"I heard Malfoy has to drink Skele-Gro."
"Believe me, that stuff tastes like someone's peeling your flesh with a knife."
"And he has about twenty-six bones to grow back," said Fred.
The Weasley twins shouted in unison:
"I declare..."
"Gilderoy Lockhart is the best Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor!"
At that exact moment, Lockhart happened to be passing the door. Hearing them, he sped up and hurried away.
Though he loved attention, this was a little much—even for him.
After all, Slytherins were all pure-blood wizard families. Offending them was no small matter.
However, the twins had no intention of letting him escape.
With their sharp eyes, Fred and George immediately noticed the blur at the door.
"It's Professor Lockhart!" George shouted. "Anyone want to get his autograph with me?"
A dozen students instantly rose from their seats, and nearly half of Gryffindor followed them out.
"With so many students wanting his autograph, Professor Lockhart must be thrilled," Robert said.
But Hermione, standing beside him, had a very tense expression. She clearly wasn't happy.
That afternoon, Lucius Malfoy came to the school and took Draco away. It was said he also visited the Headmaster's office and had a heated argument with Dumbledore.
No one knew what was said in that meeting, but before leaving, Lucius fiercely threatened to unite the school governors to remove Dumbledore from his position.
Most people simply ignored the threat.
"Threatening Dumbledore? Who does he think he is?" Ron scoffed. His tone was dripping with disdain.
Even the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, wouldn't dare talk about replacing Dumbledore, let alone Lucius Malfoy.
That evening, Gryffindor House held a grand feast in their Common Room to celebrate winning the first Quidditch match of the year.
Unfortunately, Harry had to stay in the Hospital Wing overnight. Had their heroic Seeker been there, the celebration would've been perfect.
Even so, the party lasted well into the night.
Early Sunday morning, Robert didn't go to the Hogwarts Library as usual. Instead, he made his way to the edge of the Forbidden Forest to visit Hagrid.
"Oh, thought you'd forgotten the way," Hagrid grunted, his tone less than cheerful.
"Don't say that, Hagrid," Robert said guiltily. Counting the holidays, he hadn't been here in almost six months.
"Didn't I have a little disagreement with Fluffy?" Robert glanced around nervously. "He's not around, is he?"
"Fluffy's deep in the Forbidden Forest," Hagrid said, his tone softening. "He didn't chase you on purpose last year. He was under the influence of Dark Magic. Most of the time, he's a lovely, well-behaved pup."
Robert chuckled awkwardly.
As a half-Giant capable of sending an adult Cerberus flying, Hagrid was qualified to call Fluffy "well-behaved." But Robert couldn't agree. At twelve, he barely reached the height of one of Fluffy's heads.
Besides, his grievance with Fluffy went beyond just the Castle chase.
His current favorite wand core—silver mane—was made from two Cerberus teeth, which added to his guilt.
If Cerberuses could talk, Fluffy might have filed a complaint with Hagrid by now.
The two talked for a while, and Hagrid's grumpiness faded. He even brought out his rock cakes—his best ones.
"Alright then. Harry told me you've practically been living in the Hogwarts Library this term?" Hagrid poured tea for them both.
"It's not that extreme," Robert said modestly. "I just want to learn Animagus Transformation as soon as possible, so I've been reading more Transfiguration books."
"Animagus?" Hagrid exclaimed. "That's difficult magic! Only wizards who fully understand transformation can master that."
"Yes, it's really challenging," Robert said, taking a sip of tea.
As for the rock cakes... he'd just eaten breakfast and didn't feel particularly hungry.
"How many books have you read so far?" Hagrid asked curiously.
"Including some magazines, probably around thirty," Robert said thoughtfully. "Some need to be reread, though."
"Thirty?" Hagrid whistled. He couldn't even get through one.
"Not that there's anything wrong with reading," Hagrid added quickly. "Just... aren't you pushing yourself too hard? Look at Hermione. She loves reading too, but she knows how to take breaks."
"I do take breaks," Robert said. "I even went to the Quidditch match yesterday."
Speaking of which, Hagrid's tone shifted.
"I heard Harry got hurt. Is he alright?"
"He broke a few bones, but nothing serious. He should be discharged today."
"Good, good," Hagrid said, visibly relieved.
Later, he took Robert outside to the pumpkin patch.
Had Robert visited before Halloween, he would have seen pumpkins as big as carriages. But the season had passed, and the newly planted seeds hadn't sprouted yet.
Beside the patch was a fenced enclosure filled with chickens and ferrets.
"These keep the carnivorous slugs away from the vegetables," Hagrid explained. "Those little monsters have been ruining the cabbages."
Hogwarts grew many of its vegetables here, though the main garden was behind the Castle.
"How are these roosters doing?" Robert asked casually.
"They're great. More effective than any potion," Hagrid replied proudly. "Except Buckbeak keeps trying to eat them. I keep telling him they're not food."
Robert counted. Hagrid had eight roosters, all looking healthy and energetic with brightly colored feathers.
Apparently, carnivorous slugs made a great meal for them too.
By noon, Robert was ready to leave. He reached for his transfigured lizard-skin pouch.
"Oh, right. I brought you a gift this time."
"A gift? Oh, wait a second." Hagrid's eyes lit up. He hurried to a cupboard, pulled out a cloth bag, and handed it to Robert.
"Speaking of gifts, I found these in the Forbidden Forest. I didn't know exactly what you needed, so I picked everything I could find. If you hadn't come, I wouldn't have known where to put them."
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