"Malfoy, thank you so much for the juice," Audrey smiled as she tightened the cap on the juice bottle. "It's just that I'm too full from breakfast. If only you had brought it before the meal."
"Oh, oh..." Draco was a bit at a loss. "Well, Serpentscale fruit is very rare, it's not the same as the Serpentscale fruit in the Muggle world. You will drink it, won't you?"
"You actually know about Muggle Serpentscale fruit? That's amazing."
Faced with Audrey's compliment, Malfoy couldn't feel happy at all. He just forced a smile.
Audrey continued, "Don't worry, I won't waste it, Malfoy."
Waving, Audrey turned and left. Draco relaxed, his expression complicated. It was impossible to tell if he was happy or worried.
He rubbed his arms hard, complaining, "It's so cold. How can she stand it?"
How could she stand it?
The answer was the power of Galleons. Audrey's clothes were high-grade, impervious to heat and cold.
...
Walking out of the Great Hall, Audrey swished and appeared in the kitchen.
"Little Mistress!"
Audrey patted Momo's little head and handed her the bottle of juice laced with Amortentia. "Mix this juice into some milk and put it in front of Arjonia Rolle."
"Yes, Little Mistress."
Momo wouldn't care about right or wrong. As long as Little Mistress ordered it, she would do it!
Little Mistress was so great, everything she did was right!
... ...
The morning class was Ancient Runes. Audrey discovered that Nicolas Flamel really knew his stuff.
Although he had only taught her for a month and a half, her current level in runes far surpassed her peers.
Of course, this was also related to her transmigrator bonus—a double soul, you know.
Audrey listened to the morning class with great ease.
After class, she immediately submitted a request to the Ancient Runes professor, Bathsheda Babbling, to be exempted from the class.
"Professor, I need to complete five years' worth of schoolwork this academic year, so my time is very tight," Audrey's face was full of sincerity. "And I've already learned most of the runes with Mr. Nicolas Flamel in July and August."
She asked with an expectant look, "So, can I please be excused from attending Ancient Runes class?"
Professor Babbling had large eyes, somewhat heavy dark circles, and long black hair over her shoulders. She looked at Audrey and spoke, her voice ethereal and rhythmic: "Then I must test your level."
She took out a thick book. "I'll flip to a random page, and you translate it for me."
Audrey shook her head: "That's The Book of Hieroglyphs, written by Mr. Nicolas Flamel. I can recite it for you..."
Professor Babbling: "..."
... ...
Audrey successfully obtained exemption from Ancient Runes. Although it delayed her, she still made it to lunch.
—'I forgot about eating in my room again. Tonight, definitely tonight!'
"Audrey, did you know?" Isaline said to her from a few seats away. "Senior Rolle has gone mad!"
Audrey looked surprised: "What happened to her?"
"She suddenly started crazy pursuing Mr. Filch!"
Isaline looked horrified: "It's terrifying! She even skipped Professor Snape's Potions class this morning, pestering Mr. Filch, insisting he be her boyfriend! And Mr. Filch actually agreed!"
"Salazar be praised!"
"Professor Snape even deducted two points from Slytherin! You can see how angry he is!"
"Wow," Audrey's mouth fell open, as if in great surprise. "She truly is a warrior for true love!"
Isaline: "Huh?"
Audrey smiled: "She must have found Mr. Filch's hidden charm!"
Our superstar concluded: "Everyone has their good points. When that good point is discovered, even a stubborn stone can turn into gold. You shouldn't look down on Mr. Filch, you know."
Although Isaline felt Audrey had a point, she still felt something was strange.
...
At the long table, Draco deliberately sat at the far end. His eyes darted around, not daring to look at Audrey.
'Damn it! Why did Senior Rolle end up drinking the Amortentia herself? This isn't magical!'
But was it any use hiding?
How could he escape his big cousin's clutches so easily?
After lunch, Draco was cornered by Audrey in a broom closet.
"Draco Malfoy, do you know why I brought you here?"
Draco hung his head, not daring to speak.
Audrey really didn't know what to do with this cousin. If she lectured him in her current identity, he probably wouldn't listen.
Sighing, Audrey undid her Metamorphmagus transformation.
"Draco, look who I am."
Malfoy looked up in surprise, because Audrey's voice had changed.
But when he saw Hydrus's true appearance, he froze.
"Hy-Hydrus!"
'Audrey Astley is his cousin Hydrus Lestrange?'
Draco's little head was instantly thrown into chaos.
"Co-cousin..."
Draco hung his head. 'What on earth had he done!'
"Draco, are you stupid?"
Hydrus grabbed Draco's ear, forcing him to look her in the eye, and said, exasperated: "As the future heir of the Malfoy family, how could you so easily let others use you as a weapon?"
"Spit it out. What exactly happened?"
Draco didn't dare hide anything and told her the whole story.
The memory of his big cousin's torment during childhood was still fresh. If he defied her, she would really spank him!
Not to mention, his father had already told him: this person was His daughter!
After listening to Draco's account, Hydrus asked: "If you had succeeded, have you thought about the consequences?"
'Consequences? Isn't it just that your reputation would be ruined?'
Looking at the clueless Draco, Hydrus was speechless. 'Lucius, can you even teach children? You can't even teach your own son right. You deserve to be a unit of combat measurement!'
"Listen, Draco. If I had been affected, the school would definitely investigate thoroughly. And your sneaking into Filch's office last night... it wasn't unseen."
At this, Malfoy's face changed... 'I was seen?'
"At that time, I'll suffer, and you won't get off easy either!"
"And the real mastermind would get away scot-free, because you have no proof she instigated you."
Draco's mouth hung open. He had never thought about any of this. He had spent all night thinking of countless ways to get Audrey to drink the Amortentia, finally sacrificing his precious Serpentscale juice, which proved he wasn't stupid.
'Just cunning, with no real wisdom.'
"But," Draco seemed to think of something. "But now that Senior Rolle is affected, I'll be found out all the same!"
Hydrus shook her head. "It's fine. I'll take you to the Headmaster to clear things up."
"The Headmaster?"
"Of course. Didn't you know? All the portraits in the castle are Dumbledore's spies!"
"Ah?"
"Nothing can be hidden from Dumbledore." 'Unless you're invisible.'
"Rather than wait for him to come find you, it's better to proactively explain it to him. After all, the perpetrator of this incident was Arjonia herself."
"Oh, right," Hydrus changed back into Audrey. "You'd better keep my identity a secret. Right now, no more than four people in the entire school know my real identity!"
"If you dare leak my identity..."
Draco looked weakly at Audrey, like a newly adopted puppy, scared and timid... "How would I dare, Cousin."
"Hmph. You'd better remember that."
... ...
Snape emerged from the Headmaster's office, his face ashen.
'Draco Malfoy, that idiot!'
'Arjonia Rolle, that waste!'
'Look at what you've done! A hundred points from Slytherin!'
'No, one hundred and two points!'
He let out a deep breath. 'Detention! It must be detention!'
But then he remembered Lucius and Narcissa asking him to look after Draco, and a wave of irritation washed over him.
He finally decided on the punishment.
'Draco Malfoy, one month of detention. Arjonia Rolle, detention for the entire school year!'
'One after another, they're all nothing but trouble! Is this still the cunning Slytherin?'
'As for Audrey Astley? Although she was the one who reported Malfoy and Rolle, she was the victim!'
'Hmm?'
Snape seemed to think of something and suddenly said aloud: "Audrey Astley, for upholding justice and exposing rule-breaking behavior, fifty points to Slytherin!"
... ...
Snape strode away.
Draco walked out of the Headmaster's office alone.
Points had been deducted. Looking at Professor Snape's face, there was probably more punishment waiting for him.
But at least this matter was over.
He was sad for two seconds, then immediately cheered up.
'Unbelievable, unbelievable! Audrey Astley is his actual cousin!'
'Isn't that way cooler than "Lucius Malfoy is my father"?'
'Too bad he couldn't make it public! This is like wearing finery in the dark. A waste, such a waste!'µ
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]