With so many wizards at Hogwarts, there were certainly some clever ones among them. Especially after taking over the Defence Against the Dark Arts position, Snape's deliberate—or perhaps accidental—behavior quickly aroused suspicion. And really, it wasn't difficult for anyone to investigate further.
Fortunately, just as rumors that Lupin was a werewolf began to spread through Hogwarts, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley returned to the castle. Their arrival conveniently diverted everyone's attention, putting the matter of Lupin aside for the time being...
"Harry?"
"Isn't that Harry? You're back!"
"Wonderful! That's fantastic news."
"You're incredibly lucky—you won't even have to take the exams."
Compared to the rather overlooked Ron Weasley standing next to him, nearly every wizard present was focused on Harry Potter. It had to be said that the Daily Prophet's coverage, along with the Weasley twins' boasting, had once again turned Harry Potter into a celebrity.
On the surface, neither of them seemed to have suffered any harm. Mentally, aside from Harry's slightly agitated expression, there was nothing particularly strange about the two of them. In fact, judging from their cheerful demeanor, one might even think they'd just been off on a trip and had only now remembered to return to school...
...
Harry Potter and his friends returned just as the final exams had ended.
As Draco and the others stepped out of the History of Magic classroom, ready to finally relax, they caught sight of Harry Potter and his companions entering the Great Hall. A crowd of young wizards surrounded them immediately. Among them, the Weasley twins were enthusiastically patting Harry on the shoulder while chatting animatedly with the others.
There was no need to listen to know they were bragging about that newspaper article again.
"Isn't that Potter and his lot? When did they get back?"
"Boss lady, we're heading over to check it out. We'll tell you everything later."
Goyle and Crabbe, who had looked completely drained just moments earlier from all the exams, instantly perked up at the sight of Harry Potter. Their enthusiasm was impossible to stop.
Watching them rush off, Pansy rolled her eyes in exasperation, then turned to Hermione beside her.
"Aren't you going too? They might tell you everything~"
"No need. I'm more worried about the exams we just had. Draco, what did you put for the Goblin Rebellion question? I think my answer wasn't detailed enough. Do you think I'll lose points for that? And what about the question on vampires?"
Come to think of it, after Hermione had followed Draco's advice and stopped using the Time-Turner, she seemed much better than before. At least those dark circles under her eyes had disappeared.
So even though she kept bringing up those nerve-wracking exam questions, her clear voice and the bright curiosity in her eyes made several nearby male wizards glance at Draco with envy.
Of course, that was assuming they weren't the ones being interrogated by her...
The sour looks from those boys didn't go unnoticed by Astoria, who had remained quietly observant. Her gaze kept darting toward Draco, as if trying to see right through him.
If Astoria's curiosity was innocent, Pansy's was anything but.
Watching Hermione Granger cling to Draco with question after question, Pansy—who had just tried to drive Hermione away but been completely ignored—now wore a stiff expression. Her beautiful eyes were filled with barely contained fury.
"I have questions for Draco too!"
"Hold on, I asked first."
"Hah? Obviously he should answer mine first—I'm closer to Draco."
"What did you just say?!"
Seeing this, Draco's followers and the nearby Slytherins couldn't help but suspect that Goyle and Crabbe had run off earlier precisely to avoid the crossfire between these two girls...
...
Draco and his group certainly drew attention. Especially with Pansy and Hermione constantly bickering—it was nearly impossible not to notice them.
The moment they appeared, Harry Potter and his friends spotted Draco's group as well.
Harry, who had been in a rather good mood, froze the instant he saw Hermione standing so close to Draco. His expression turned... odd.
"Isn't that Hermione? What is she..."
"Oh, Harry, you haven't heard? While you were gone, our Miss Know-It-All spent quite a bit of time around Malfoy."
"Yeah, if you didn't know better, you'd think she was a Slytherin."
Hearing this, Harry found it hard to believe what the wizards beside him were saying.
Meanwhile, Ron Weasley—who was being largely ignored—watched Hermione with a flickering gaze as she held a book and spoke to the young Death Eater. Whether it was an illusion or not, Ron's eyes carried a darkness that made one's heart skip a beat.
"Harry, Hermione must have been tricked by Malfoy. You'd better keep an eye on her."
"Honestly, I don't think it's a big deal, but Ginny won't stop bringing it up. It's driving me mad, so I'm leaving it to you."
As Harry listened to George and Fred grumble, he pushed his glasses up his nose.
The gesture was oddly reminiscent of Dumbledore—who often did the same thing. Perhaps during the time he'd been away, Harry had spent so much time with Dumbledore that he'd picked up the habit unconsciously.
"I'll give it a try. Besides, we've got something we need to talk to Hermione about anyway."
Harry had already noticed that Hermione's attitude toward Draco was different, but he'd always assumed it was just because of Norberta. That had given them plenty to talk about and, naturally, led her to side with Draco more often than not.
Things had only recently started to settle down.
He hadn't expected that, during his absence, the relationship between the two would skyrocket as if they'd been launched by a rocket. The thought filled Harry with confusion—and a simmering anger.
Especially now, seeing both Hermione and Pansy looking even prettier than before, a strange emotion twisted in Harry's chest. He pressed his hand against his faintly itching lightning scar.
'I'm not the same anymore... I have a godfather who truly cares about me, and Dumbledore himself has been teaching me. Even you...'
His gaze fell on the figure standing not far away, bathed in pale golden light. Harry's hand clenched tightly beneath his robes.
That powerful confidence in his expression didn't go unnoticed. From across the hall, Draco—feeling the weight of Harry's gaze—looked back at him.
It seemed that change had not come for Harry Potter alone...
...
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