When Draco returned to his compartment, Crabbe and Goyle were sitting there eating the last bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. An empty little suitcase sat on the table in front of them.
"We did not keep them all to ourselves; we gave them to the other students," Goyle quickly explained when he saw Draco's gaze drift towards him.
"I know." Draco did not glare at him; instead, he praised him. "Ron told me. Surprisingly, you two did not fight whilst handing out the chocolates."
"That Weasley redhead!" Crabbe muttered. "Since he said 'thank you' to me, I should at least show some courtesy—"
"That is how you should think... Keep it up." Draco yawned wearily and sat down for a nap in his comfortable seat.
They did not rest for long before the train arrived at Hogsmeade Station.
Perhaps because they had just been searched by Dementors, the scene of students getting off the train was exceptionally chaotic. They looked less like a group of students preparing for the start of school and more like a group of refugees.
Draco stood at the carriage door and spotted Hermione in the distance. She was following behind Harry and Ron, running towards the carriages in the rain, holding Ron's sister, Ginny Weasley's, hand.
Those Gryffindors! Always so reckless!
Draco frowned, watching the receding brown figure, then looking at the cramped platform beside him, chilled by the cold air, and the torrential rain pouring down overhead, feeling utterly miserable.
On the platform, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson were arguing again, so loudly that he could hear them from a great distance.
"All right, stop arguing." Draco walked over and said lazily, "You have a whole school year to argue, let us go to the castle first."
So the two sly-eyed birds, assessing the situation, decided to temporarily cease hostilities and followed Draco down the rough, muddy path towards the carriages. They met Theodore Nott on the way and boarded the same carriage.
As soon as they got on, a faint smell of mustiness and straw made the boys wrinkle their noses in displeasure.
Pansy, of course, could not tolerate the smell either. So she sprayed some perfume into the carriage, which only made the mixture even more complicated and unpleasant.
"Please, have mercy on me!" Draco said wearily, sneezing as he was choked by the cloying, powdery smell.
Pansy shrugged, put away her perfume bottle, and her gaze fell on the snake-patterned ring on his finger.
"A ring! Draco, who gave this to you?" Pansy asked with a gossipy, mischievous grin.
"I would wager it is one of Draco's admirers," Blaise grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "She must be a young girl just beginning to experience romantic feelings."
"Why have you stopped arguing?" Draco said, trying to change the subject. "I do not mind if you keep arguing."
"No, we are done arguing," Pansy said with interest. "Right, Blaise?"
"That is right." Blaise and Pansy exchanged a glance and smiled maliciously, suddenly transforming from mortal enemies into teammates who shared a common hatred.
"Tell me, what is going on? Is it a token of love?" Pansy asked meaningfully.
"Shut up, this is just a birthday present." Draco glared at them fiercely, but a blush appeared on his face. "Anyone who asks again will be drinking poisoned pumpkin juice."
"All right, all right, do not make things difficult for him, Pansy. It is not worth you missing dinner over this. We will find out who it is sooner or later anyway." Blaise said with a smile, "Draco, I heard you cast a Patronus Charm and chased away the Dementors?"
"My Patronus Charm is not that powerful. Someone else was the one who ultimately drove away the Dementors," Draco said absentmindedly.
"Come on, it is already spread throughout the carriages. Crabbe and Goyle told us when they were handing out the chocolates," Pansy said.
"Why would you choose to believe in the language abilities of these two 'brilliant' individuals?" Draco asked, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.
"Anyway, thank you for the chocolate," Theodore Nott said for the first time.
Draco nodded to Theodore, ignoring the other two gossipy people, and began to watch the commotion outside the carriage.
At this moment, a line of carriages was heading towards two imposing wrought-iron gates, where two sinister Dementors stood guard.
Through the rain, he saw that troublesome little brown head peeking out of the small window of the carriage in front, seemingly watching the corner towers of Hogwarts.
What a reckless girl! Is she not afraid of Dementors? Is she not afraid of catching a cold? Draco suddenly felt a toothache.
Draco finally breathed a sigh of relief once the carriage had safely passed through the gate and entered the grounds.
Amidst the commotion, the students disembarked from the carriages, ascended the stone steps, passed through the majestic oak doors, and entered the spacious and draughty Entrance Hall.
In the Entrance Hall, the burning torches chased away the chill brought by the rain. Draco was starving, and as he followed the crowd towards the Great Hall, he heard a stern voice calling his name.
"Potter! Granger! And Malfoy! I need to see all three of you right now!"
Draco turned around and saw Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House, shouting at them over everyone's heads.
Her expression was serious, her hair was tied up in a tight bun, and her sharp eyes shone through her square spectacles.
"Are you all right?" Blaise asked him with a smile, but a hint of worry flashed in his eyes.
"It is all right. You all go and save me a seat." Draco casually put his hands in the pockets of his robes, smiled indifferently at Blaise and the others, and gestured for them to go first.
Harry and Hermione squeezed through the crowd towards him, their faces showing signs of distress. Ron stood out uneasily in the crowd, staring wide-eyed at them. Harry waved hastily at Ron.
"There is no need to be so tense. I just want to talk to you in my office," Professor McGonagall said seriously. She quickly led them through the Entrance Hall, up the marble staircase, and finally opened the door to a cosy little office in the corridor.
This was Professor McGonagall's office.
They filed in and stood side by side before Professor McGonagall, listening to her say:
"Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead of time to explain the situation on the train—"
Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a gentle knock on the door.
"Please come in," Professor McGonagall said.
The next second, the school matron, Madam Pomfrey, rushed in like a whirlwind. Without saying a word, she immediately began to scrutinise Harry.
"I have complained to Professor Dumbledore about this before! Sending Dementors near the school is risky, is it not, Minerva?" she complained loudly to Professor McGonagall as she deftly checked Harry's forehead and pulse, making a fuss as if he were a frail, helpless baby.
Harry was clearly confused and embarrassed by what he was going through his face was flushed he looked like he was about to explode with anger.
But Madam Pomfrey was always very assertive when she encountered patients she considered to be unwell; even Professor McGonagall could not easily refuse her professional advice, let alone Harry, a student about to enter his third year.
"Potter, you have to let her examine you," Professor McGonagall said sternly. "She also has to tell Professor Dumbledore the results later."
Even as Madam Pomfrey burst in, Draco and Hermione wisely stepped back, trying to pretend they were not there; as Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall surrounded Harry, Draco noticed that Hermione's hair was wet with rainwater from outside.
So he secretly picked up his wand from behind his back, shook it, and cast a Drying Charm on her.
"What are you doing?" Hermione suddenly turned her head, her brown pupils reflecting the warm light of the fireplace, her eyes fixed on him without blinking.
"Getting wet in the rain is not good for a lady's health." Draco's lips moved slightly, his platinum blond fringe falling down, obscuring the complex expression in his eyes.
He thought to himself, rather sullenly, that she was so careless and did not care about her health at all.
Hermione gave him a belated smile.
By this time, Madam Pomfrey had finished examining Harry. Then, as if remembering something, she suddenly rushed over, grabbed Draco, and began checking his pulse now it was his turn to suffer.
Draco felt utterly flustered. Hearing Hermione and Harry chuckle softly beside him, he felt his cheeks burn.
"I heard from Mr Potter that you distributed chocolates to everyone," Madam Pomfrey said approvingly as she examined him. "Very effective. You have a great talent for healing and Defence Against the Dark Arts."
Draco gave her an awkward but polite smile.
"It is nothing serious. You already have the chocolate, a good night's rest should be enough. But you do not look too well, it seems you are still not getting enough sleep." Madam Pomfrey examined his eyes and asked, "Would you like some Sleeping Draught?"
"It is all right. Thank you," Draco said dismissively noticing Hermione's curious glance and quickly added to Madam Pomfrey, "My sleep is fine; it is probably just a side effect of the Dementors."
"Perhaps," Madam Pomfrey said sceptically. "Logically, children this age should not have trouble sleeping. It is usually the overthinkers...."
"Thank you," Draco interrupted her, "but you really do not need to."
Madam Pomfrey shook her head and said nothing more.