After parting ways with Snape, Malfoy chose to spend the rest of his time in the library. He had not yet officially announced his return to school, and it was inconvenient for him to appear in public.
Even though he had chosen a secluded corner, the girl who knew him best quickly managed to find him.
Pansy kept asking him questions in a low voice, but Malfoy could only respond with half-truths.
As the sun began to set, dinner time arrived. The two of them left the library and walked along the corridor towards the Great Hall.
Many students had already taken their seats.
There was no dramatic development.
Occasionally, when first-year students from other houses stared at him curiously, the Prefects would cover their eyes.
As for the older students from the various houses, including Slytherin, they looked at Malfoy with a mixture of awe and curiosity.
His temperament had changed considerably after his travels. He had become quieter and more reserved, and the sense of distance and alienation he maintained from others had deepened.
Pansy, however, stayed close to him without the slightest concern, as though nothing had happened.
Neville looked at the classmate who had once helped him, his expression complicated.
His face had become much thinner, leaving only a faint outline of the chubby appearance he once had.
"Imperio."
"How many times are you going to use that excuse? Do you think we're fools?"
Ron angrily kicked the leg of the long table, causing soup from several plates to splash out.
Hermione instinctively moved the table aside and took a few steps back, frowning as she looked at him.
Of course, it was only because of his irrational behaviour.
She did not particularly want to refute what Ron had said.
Because it really was strange.
"All right. That's enough. Let's welcome this student back to school."
Professor McGonagall seemed unwilling to elaborate any further.
An awkward silence briefly descended over the entire Great Hall.
Malfoy, however, remained completely calm.
Then, applause suddenly rang out from two different sections of the hall.
One group was seated near Malfoy, while the other was at the Ravenclaw table.
A smile played across Luna's lips as she clapped her hands, seemingly oblivious to the curious gazes directed at her.
Encouraged by the two of them, the other students gradually joined in. The atmosphere finally became less awkward.
However, Pansy's gaze immediately began moving between Malfoy and Luna.
"Have you met before?"
She shifted her eyes between him and Luna, displaying a sensitivity that seemed unique to women.
"Huh? Who?"
Malfoy tried to appear completely indifferent.
"The other girl who applauded for you. Your dance partner."
Pansy's voice carried a hint of displeasure.
"So, when do you think I'll get to meet her?"
Malfoy threw the question back at her.
Pansy fell silent.
At the same time, Malfoy was left speechless.
Intuition did not seem to be the exclusive property of any one person. It appeared to be a particular talent of women.
After dinner ended, Pansy prepared a welcome party for Malfoy in the Slytherin common room.
However, some of the first-year students who had never seen him before looked rather timid when they encountered him.
"No need. I think everyone is tired. Let's call it a day."
Malfoy clapped his hands, signalling that he had no interest in the celebration.
Reintegrating into the school would take time. There was no need to rush.
"You don't seem very happy, Draco."
Pansy asked the question perceptively.
"Why do you say that?"
"You might find it a little difficult to readjust."
Malfoy raised an eyebrow and offered a somewhat perfunctory explanation.
The next day, in the Ancient Runes classroom, Malfoy looked at the girl sitting in front of him with some surprise.
"Although I haven't been at school for a long time, I remember which electives you took. This shouldn't be one of them."
Malfoy glanced at Pansy and spoke in a teasing tone.
"Shouldn't you be in Divination class right now? Aren't you going?"
"Of course I skipped it. I don't think Professor Trelawney's classes are interesting anymore."
Pansy answered against her better judgement. She pretended to listen attentively, tilting her head and looking straight ahead.
"Professor Babbling hasn't arrived yet," Malfoy reminded her.
"Wouldn't it be better if I prepared in advance?"
She looked around again, then put on an expectant expression.
"You seem even more excited about this class than I am."
Malfoy smiled and shook his head.
This was actually his first class since returning to school, but he was not as excited as one might have expected. He remained remarkably calm.
"Really? No, I don't think so."
Pansy spoke deliberately.
Yet her gaze remained fixed on him.
She was also afraid that everything might be a dream.
While the two of them were talking, Hermione entered the classroom, found a seat in the first row, and placed her books on the desk.
A moment later, Professor Babbling entered. She was wearing only a pale-yellow knitted shawl and carrying a handbag.
"In our previous lessons, we systematically studied the practical applications of runes."
"You may be surprised to see what I'm wearing today, considering how cold it is outside."
"This is the power of runes. They can reduce the inconvenience of daily spellcasting and provide considerable benefits in terms of continuity and convenience."
A warm, comfortable sensation continuously radiated from her shawl.
"Drawing spell runes is relatively simple. The assignments you submitted previously involved merely copying and imitating basic spell runes. However, making those runes function properly and drawing effective spell runes is considerably more difficult."
"This requires a wizard to maintain a high level of concentration and strong control over magic."
The shawl, covered in rune markings, was passed around as an example.
Pansy remembered the shoes Malfoy had given her when she was in her fourth year.
It seemed that the principle was the same. Those shoes had also possessed a warming effect.
She subconsciously bit her lip and glanced at Malfoy.
However, it seemed that he had forgotten about them entirely. He showed no reaction to anything related to the shoes.
Malfoy simply unfolded the shawl, examined it briefly, and then handed it to her.
"Although I haven't attended many of these lessons, since you're here, why don't you take a look?"
The lesson in Ancient Runes proceeded peacefully.
Afterwards, the two hurried to Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class.
During the lesson, the students learned that the results of the previous Transfiguration examination had been released.
"Mr. Malfoy, perhaps you studied this topic beforehand?"
Professor McGonagall scrutinised her student with her sharp gaze.
That was the only explanation for his perfect score on the examination.
He had even proposed another internally consistent insight into a theorem that was almost considered an established conclusion.
Whether the insight was correct or incorrect, it was still meaningful.
By comparison, Hermione had made a small mistake.
Each student's examination paper flew out of the bag and floated towards its respective desk.
The scores on the first page were concealed, as though they had been covered with a special Invisibility Potion.
Only the red markings made by the quill remained, and the situation did not appear particularly promising.
"Miss Parkinson, come to my office later."
Professor McGonagall looked extremely serious as she walked over to Pansy's desk and spoke in a low voice.
"That old woman is so annoying. She's so long-winded."
Pansy muttered under her breath as Professor McGonagall returned to the podium.
The private conversation was clearly not about anything else.
It was about her appalling examination paper.