"You have a very, very unpleasant odor."
Luna, her gray eyes fixed on the long-extinguished candles above the Slytherin dining table, spoke in a dazed tone.
Although her voice sounded ethereal, her words were firm.
Sitting at the table was a group of sixth-year students who had just left the Potions classroom and come to the Great Hall for lunch.
Luna, like an elusive sprite, had appeared behind Malfoy at some point, leaving behind this completely nonsensical statement.
Hearing this, Pansy instinctively leaned closer to Malfoy and lightly sniffed the side of his robes.
"No."
She looked puzzled.
All she could smell was a faint trace of shampoo, along with the fresh scent of herbs and the sweet fragrance of chocolate.
Realising that she had just made a rather bold move, her face flushed slightly.
She silently turned away, picked up a piece of pudding, and placed it on her plate as though nothing had happened.
Luna looked at Malfoy, seemingly wanting to say something, but he interrupted her before she could speak.
"Please don't say anything that could be misunderstood."
Malfoy gave her a meaningful look.
Even though Luna had demonstrated her keen intuition time and time again, he was still somewhat impressed by the girl's sensitivity.
"All right, then."
Luna cheerfully pulled out the chair beside Malfoy and sat down.
"But you need to take care of yourself. Don't stay around those things for too long."
Luna kindly reminded him, waving a finger gently in front of her eyes.
Her voice was so soft that even Pansy couldn't hear what she said.
"That might be a little difficult."
Malfoy shrugged.
At this point, his only regret was that he didn't have enough time. Cutting down the time he spent on certain things was even more impossible.
"What are you two whispering about?"
Pansy finished her pudding and interrupted them.
"I've decided what to give you for Christmas."
Luna snapped her fingers lightly, looking very confident.
"How about chocolate?"
She deliberately teased him.
Malfoy coughed violently several times.
Even hearing the word now caused him physical discomfort.
"What kind of riddle are you two playing?"
Pansy's gaze darted back and forth between them.
She had the feeling that the two of them were sharing some unspoken secret.
"Nothing."
Malfoy sighed.
Luna's intuition really was giving him a headache.
Fortunately, the girl was on his side.
Since he had been "assigned" to the school, there was nothing they could do except make whatever preparations they could within their capabilities.
Pansy sensed the silent understanding between the two of them, which frustrated her greatly.
She clearly spent much more time with Draco.
"Also, this is Slytherin's long table, and the Ravenclaw table is over there!"
Pansy gently tapped the table and pointed towards the other side of the Great Hall as a reminder.
For a moment, it seemed as though she were asserting her territory.
"This is the Great Hall of Hogwarts. We're from the same school, so why are you being so petty?"
Luna spoke bluntly.
She picked up a piece of steak from her plate and began cutting it.
"By the way, you're in fifth year now, and your exams are coming up. How do you have time to wander around?"
Pansy even began trying to persuade her, clearly hoping to get rid of her.
"My dad and I don't care much about grades."
Luna didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
"Besides, you don't need a transcript full of O's to find a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."
The girl sat comfortably in her seat.
Even though she was wearing Ravenclaw robes, Luna blended seamlessly into the Slytherin table.
"Thank you for the meal."
She quickly finished eating.
"You'd better go study."
Pansy spoke quietly.
The precious time she had been spending alone with Draco had been interrupted again, leaving her inexplicably irritable.
"As Luna said, I'll be maintaining this state for a long time."
Malfoy spoke calmly.
"So don't be surprised if you see me looking very tired."
"Well, I'm too lazy to ask anymore."
Pansy puffed out her cheeks, sounding slightly petulant.
"Anyway, you always keep everything a secret. I'm apparently not as trustworthy as Miss Luna."
"All right, I'm leaving."
She suddenly stood up from the table and headed towards the door.
"Those kids seem to be up to something again. They're so restless."
Malfoy shook his head helplessly.
Then he raised his sleeve and smelled it.
According to his own sense of smell, everything seemed normal.
There was no "unpleasant" odor like the one Luna had mentioned.
But when he recalled Crookshanks' angry and irritable reaction not long ago, Malfoy could roughly guess what was happening and where the problem lay.
The better you came to know someone, the more likely you were to pick up some unpleasant "flavours" from them.
There was nothing he could do about it.
He sighed, lifted the steaming cup of black tea in front of him, and drank it all in one gulp.
The period that followed was ordinary and dull.
Uneventful days passed one after another.
Malfoy remained in a dazed state, too lazy to even open his eyelids, and continued carrying the unpleasant smell Luna had mentioned.
Even so, he could still handle all the teachers' questions with ease in every class.
However, the pallor of his face had become more pronounced than before.
All the lessons proceeded in an orderly manner, although varying degrees of emphasis were placed on safety precautions, since things seemed to have become somewhat unsettled recently.
Every day, The Daily Prophet published the number of casualties and the locations where damage had occurred.
This was exactly what Lord Voldemort needed—to spread panic.
Therefore, there was no deliberate attempt to conceal the information.
As a result, the focus of many classes began to change.
Ancient Runes shifted towards defensive runes.
Herbology placed greater emphasis on identifying herbs with healing properties.
Charms also took on some of the responsibilities traditionally associated with Defence Against the Dark Arts.
Flitwick taught them numerous spells for escaping dangerous situations, and so on.
Slughorn, meanwhile, had once again revived his old "Slug Club," supposedly for "connecting with others."
A significant number of students were invited.
Those with excellent grades, special talents, or strong family backgrounds.
Although Malfoy qualified under all three categories, he had no interest in joining and ultimately declined using some excuse.
It was also worth mentioning that Hermione's Animagus training was progressing smoothly.
She could now complete her daily practice without Professor McGonagall's guidance.
All she needed was to wait for a heavy downpour.
Then she would be able to complete her first transformation.
Everything was proceeding in perfect order.
Everyone was living their lives step by step.
However, beneath the surface of these ordinary days, signs of turbulent undercurrents occasionally emerged.
The torrents of fate waited for the moment they would erupt, their destination unknown and their paths yet to converge.
Would they surge towards the all-encompassing ocean, or flow into some dark ditch?
That depended on each person's choices.
The final outcome would be formed through the convergence of countless choices.
Unexpectedly, the river that symbolised destiny soon became turbulent.
For most people, the change came abruptly and without warning.
It caught everyone completely off guard.