In the days that followed, rumours spread like wildfire. The Hogwarts students were abuzz with discussion, each offering their own interpretation. Everyone tried to guess what role those Gryffindor students had played that night in the Forbidden Forest, and why they had received so many extra points.
However, the individuals involved kept a low profile, and the students barely had a chance to question them.
Hermione Granger only appears during class. As soon as the bell rings, she disappears into the library, and apart from a certain Slytherin boy, even Merlin does not know which nook or cranny she is studying in.
"I had to hide. Professor Dumbledore told Harry and me to keep it a secret," she told Draco, fiddling with a thick book in his private quarters. "He said some news might cause panic among the students."
Harry Potter lay in the Hospital Wing and refused to see anyone. Madam Pomfrey always stood with her hands on her hips at the entrance of the Hospital Wing, turning away enthusiastic visitors.
Neville Longbottom was somewhat easier to catch; he was never very shrewd and would answer whatever was asked. However, he himself was also confused about what happened that night, and apart from repeating the same few sentences he had said in the Entrance Hall, he could not offer any new details.
Furthermore, due to his usual timid and hesitant demeanour and poor memory, students often felt that his words could not be taken as reliable evidence, and their veracity was inevitably questionable.
"Today, some Hufflepuff students, based on the nonsense of that idiot Longbottom, have started making up new rumours!" In the Slytherin common room, Pansy Parkinson wrinkled her nose in disgust as she spoke to Blaise Zabini, who was playing wizard chess. "Some say that Granger tied up Professor Quirrell that night and gave him to the centaurs in exchange for a unicorn; some say that Potter defeated twelve centaurs with his bare hands, which is why he has been in the Hospital Wing for days; and some say that Longbottom and Hagrid ran into Professor Quirrell on a date with the centaurs while they were looking for a unicorn in the Forbidden Forest and caught them red-handed!"
Blaise was a tall boy with prominent cheekbones, dark skin, and narrow, slightly slanted brown eyes. He shifted his rook and said coldly, "Clearly, it is getting more and more outrageous—they have turned this into a form of entertainment, have they not? A contest to see whose imagination runs wild?"
"It is because the main party is not speaking up!" Pansy shrugged, picked up her newly received copy of Witch Weekly, and began to flip through it casually.
"By the way, Draco, are you not acquainted with Granger?" After a while, she suddenly looked up from behind the Witch Weekly, sizing up Draco who was playing with a wizard's chess set across from Blaise, and said with great interest, "Is she not your classmate? She often greets you?"
"That is right," Draco said calmly, shifting his queen's position.
"Why do you not ask her? During the Transfiguration class?" Pansy pressed on.
"Do not make things difficult for him. Do you expect him to start a conversation with a Muggle-born? Besides, he is not much of a talker anyway." A hint of arrogance appeared on Blaise's face.
"It has nothing to do with whether you are a Muggle-born or not. I do not think it is a good idea to gossip in Professor McGonagall's class," Draco said. He unusually spoke a few longer sentences, which made Blaise and Pansy exchange a surprised glance.
Draco ignored their surprised and scrutinising expressions. He continued to direct his queen across the board, revealing the king behind her, and cheerfully announced, "Checkmate!"
Blaise gave a regretful "humph," watching dejectedly as his wizard chess piece raised the white flag in surrender.
"In short, the school cannot just sit idly by and do nothing about this nonsense." Pansy flipped through the magazine noisily and said casually, "Someone has to come out and explain this."
Draco's brow twitched slightly.
Pansy is right. Rumours are rampant these days, and the points have been added inexplicably. A reasonable explanation is necessary.
That evening, faced with a cacophony of outrageous rumours, Professor Dumbledore had to step forward at dinner to dispel the falsehoods and set the record straight: Hermione Granger received an extra fifty points for discovering Quirrell, who had harmed the unicorn; Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom each received an extra twenty points for bravely facing and confronting the danger without abandoning their friends.
Dumbledore did not reveal the whole truth. Draco understood that both the secret of Quirrell's back of the head and the "Potter scar pain" were too sensitive. Revealing only half the information would explain Gryffindor's sudden rise in points without being too dangerous—the Death Eaters probably would not smell anything.
In his previous life, Dumbledore had said very little about this. Draco was able to know what was behind Quirrell's head because his father, Lucius, told him—during the summer after fourth year—shortly after the Dark Lord's resurrection.
However, the old man was really biased. Potter did absolutely nothing, he was just rolling around on the ground and having a headache! As for Longbottom, he was not even there at the time.
Every time Draco passed by that huge hourglass and saw the sudden increase in the number of rubies inside, he could not help but complain to himself.
However, let it be! Given that the Dark Lord was successfully imprisoned by Dumbledore, Draco decided to be magnanimous and let Potter and Longbottom off the hook.
Hermione's brilliant Full Body Bind Curse alone deserves a hundred points.
He knew she was not unafraid. She collapsed to the ground afterwards.
At the time, she withstood the pressure and did a great job.
A twelve-year-old witch can accomplish such a great thing! Even with fear in her heart, the wand she uses to cast the spell is steady and does not shake at all.
How many people can possess such mental fortitude? Draco inexplicably felt a surge of pride.
In short, no one can ignore the fifty points Hermione earned back for Gryffindor. She finally survived the period of ridicule and regained the kind smiles of her classmates.
She started sitting in the front row of every class again, actively answering questions—behaving no different from the smug, know-it-all girl she used to be.
This relieved Draco. He was used to her flamboyant, energetic demeanour; living a life of dejection, timidity, and hiding was nothing like Hermione Granger.
Since she has talent, she deserves to be recognised and seen, not buried. His indifferent grey eyes remained fixed on the back of the girl who was jumping around and raising her hand in front of Professor Binns, and he thought to himself.
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