"I've brought the door for you. Oh, no need to stand up, just stay seated… Goodbye, Mr. Scamander~"
Malfoy bowed and scraped, cautiously smiling as he slowly closed the carriage door, his smile vanishing instantly.
Two stout figures ran over from the corner. Goyle looked at the pale Malfoy and grunted, "Draco, are you alright?"
"What could be wrong with me?!" Malfoy's expression was a bit unnatural. He said with a gloomy face, "You wouldn't think that kid named Scamander is my match, would you?!"
"But…"
"I just had a Wizard's duel with Scamander and almost made him drop out of school!"
"But…"
"All four of them are no match for me. I just wasn't feeling well today, otherwise I could have made them all cry…"
"But…"
"Are you two annoying? Why so many 'buts'?"
"But…" Goyle and Crabbe said in unison, "Your butt is sparking, and your robe has a hole burned in it!"
"Quick! Put it out, this is a high-class item I ordered from Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions…" Malfoy shrieked.
Goyle and Crabbe both reached out to pat Malfoy's butt, but it was no use. Sparks drifted everywhere, and his stomach rumbled, intermittently releasing pungent gas.
The methane-rich gas caused Malfoy's backside to erupt in bursts of brilliant flames, singeing Goyle and Crabbe.
A reprimand came from inside the carriage: "Keep it down!"
Malfoy immediately shivered, his gradually rampant "arrogance" vanished again, becoming gentle and polite:
"Sorry, I'll go further away so as not to disturb you, Mr. Scamander!"
Goyle and Crabbe exchanged glances… This was the one who almost made Scamander drop out of school?
"Go!" Malfoy no longer cared about his image in front of his underlings and hurried away with his two followers, running into the distance.
After running four or five carriages away, Malfoy quickly took out the bottle of liquid secreted by the Armadillo. He opened the bottle, sniffed it, and a indescribable musky smell wafted out.
Rolf had instructed him to "ingest and apply externally." Malfoy had no choice but to pinch his nose and drink half of it. He smacked his lips… Hmm, it was quite sweet.
Malfoy then handed the bottle to Goyle and Crabbe, instructing, "Pour this half of the liquid on the wound on my neck."
While his two followers were cleaning his wound, Malfoy pulled out his already shriveled wallet made of transformed lizard skin.
The skin of the transformed lizard could stretch freely, allowing it to hold more things than an ordinary wallet, which was why he could carry a huge sum of two hundred Galleons with him.
Besides Galleons, he also kept many expensive magic items in his wallet, all newly bought and intended to show off at school… Now they were gone, paid to Rolf!
What a disaster. If only he had known not to put all his good things in his wallet, then they wouldn't have been taken all at once!
One could only say that Scamander was still somewhat humane and didn't snatch his transformed lizard wallet as well!
After applying the potion, Malfoy felt much better. He said resentfully,
"No, I have to get my Galleons and things back, and I also have to get them expelled."
"Draco, don't provoke Scamander anymore, he's too dangerous." Goyle showed a fearful expression.
"You two are useless!" Malfoy cursed angrily, "What are you afraid of? I'll write to Professor Snape later. For my father's sake, he will definitely help me out.
Those guys can wait to pack their bags and get out. I'm going to make sure they don't even see the Sorting Ceremony!"
"But…"
"No buts!" Malfoy clenched his fist, his face grim. "If I don't get my revenge, I won't be called Malfoy; I'll change my surname to Scamander!"
…
…
Inside the carriage,
Rolf lifted the lid of the small black leather case. Bowtruckle, Salamander, and Mortl rat lined up and scurried into the case. He then stuffed the cage containing the Bag Spider inside as well.
After closing the case, Rolf twisted a knob and sat back on the long bench. He found that everyone was staring at him blankly. The young man rested his chin on one hand and smiled, "What's wrong?"
"Your case is so small, how can it hold so many things?"
Hermione asked what everyone had been wondering.
Hermione, needless to say, had moved half her home, and even Shirley, who was traveling light, had more luggage than Rolf.
The most outrageous thing was that his small case actually hid so many… Magical Creatures!
Rolf raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, then lifted a hand, leaving a small gap between his thumb and forefinger, and smiled,
"My case only looks small; it's actually a little bit bigger on the inside than on the outside."
"…"
"Alright, don't worry about my case anymore." Rolf put away his playful expression and beckoned, "Come, let's divide the spoils… bah, I mean, everyone's mental compensation."
Two hundred Galleons and many expensive magic items were piled on the ground.
But no one moved.
"Everyone gets fifty Galleons and some magic items. Of course, if you don't like them, you can sell them second-hand." Rolf leaned back in his chair, gently tapping one finger against another. He smiled,
"Don't feel any psychological burden taking them. Malfoy wanted to throw our luggage out; this is his punishment for doing something wrong."
"Of course, I know you're all thin-skinned. If you don't want to take the Galleons, just leave them with me for now." Rolf smiled,
"I'm going to open a Veterinarian clinic at Hogwarts, and I'm a bit short on start-up capital. Consider it your investment; you'll definitely make a profit."
"Are you really going to be a Veterinarian? I thought you were just joking when you said those things in the corridor!" Hermione frowned.
"I'm serious." Rolf glanced at Hermione and said softly, "Although it's a Veterinarian clinic, nurses are quite scarce. If you and Shirley have nothing to do, you can come and help. I'll provide you with nurse uniforms."
Hermione quickly shook her head. She always felt that Rolf had ulterior motives!
Rolf smacked his lips regretfully. He really wanted to see the two girls in pink nurse uniforms.
Shirley, who had been silent for a long time, looked at Rolf and reminded him, "Malfoy doesn't seem like someone who would let things go. Will he go to his School Board father and Dean Snape?"
"Don't worry." Rolf leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed and at ease, "My grandfather said to find Dumbledore if I encountered trouble. I'll write a letter to the Principal later. Can a School Board member and a small Slytherin Dean be greater than the Principal?"
"I'm sorry, Rolf!" Neville said in a small voice, filled with guilt, "It's all because I fought with Goyle and them that I caused you trouble and made you provoke Malfoy."
"What are you apologizing for?" Rolf looked up and smiled, "You didn't do anything wrong, and you don't need to apologize to anyone.
We don't look for trouble, but if trouble comes knocking, we're absolutely not afraid of it! Understand?"
Neville felt relieved and smiled again. He puffed out his chest but quickly slumped, saying, "I really want to go to the same house as you, but you're so excellent, and I'm afraid I can only go to Hufflepuff."
At the mention of Sorting, Hermione perked up. She said excitedly, "Indeed, you can't go to Hufflepuff. I heard everyone there is stupid."
"I myself hope to be sorted into Gryffindor. Everyone says it's the best, and Dumbledore graduated from there. But I think Ravenclaw isn't too bad either…"
"Yes, that's what everyone says." Neville's voice was low. "But I'm sure I'll be sorted into Hufflepuff. For so many years, my family has always treated me like a Muggle.
My Uncle Algie always tried to catch me off guard and find ways to force me to show some magic. Once he pushed me off the Black Lake pier and almost drowned me… but nothing happened… My talent is really poor…"
"There's nothing wrong with Hufflepuff." Rolf shook his head, his expression serious. "Actually, all four houses are the same; there's no superiority or inferiority between the houses."
"And I must say, you all vastly underestimate Hufflepuff!"
Rolf gently tapped the windowsill with one finger, his expression calm and composed, and he smiled,
"If you open the illustrious History of Magic, you'll be surprised to find that Hufflepuff has nurtured so many great Wizards:
Newt Scamander stood up and fought against Grindelwald when the first Dark Lord swept the globe. He also compiled the most authoritative magical creature textbook;
Grogan Stump was the greatest Minister of the Ministry of Magic in history;
Bridget Wenlock was the most outstanding Arithmancer in the world;
Hengist founded the best Wizarding village, Hogsmeade… Wizards from Hufflepuff are no worse than those from any other house!"
"And the most important point," Rolf said seriously, "Hufflepuff is the house with the fewest Dark Wizards.
In the other three houses, some betray friends for profit, some surrender to fear. Only this house, which takes 'idiots,'
never abandons kindness and loyalty!"
"The Sakamoto family has always been Hufflepuff!" Rolf looked at Neville and smiled,
"Neville, if you come to Hufflepuff, I'll be happy for you. This is a house worthy of any excellent student!"
…