Pushing open the Great Hall doors, Harry and Ron were laughing so hard they were practically falling over, Ron's eyes were watering, and Harry was clutching his stomach, slumped over the table.
Hermione wasn't there; she must have gone to her next class.
Draco sat at the Slytherin long table, his face ashen, his lips pressed into a thin line.
Crabbe and Goyle sat beside him, wide-eyed and silent, not daring to speak.
Charlie walked to the Gryffindor long table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
"What happened?" he asked.
Ron looked up, a smile still on his face.
"It's such a shame, Charlie, you didn't see it. Draco was so scared of the Acromantula he called for his daddy!"
He mimicked Draco's tone, yelling exaggeratedly, and burst into another fit of laughter.
Charlie raised an eyebrow, looking at Draco.
Draco's face darkened further. Charlie was someone he had been trying hard to win over, and if Charlie thought he was a useless coward who only called for his daddy, he would lose all face.
He suddenly stood up, pointing at Harry and Ron.
"Shut up, Potter, Weasley!"
But the two of them laughed even harder, treating his threats as nothing.
Draco gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tightly.
He was actually very puzzled. That Acromantula clearly spoke, saying it wanted to eat him, but no one around seemed to have heard it. Was it a hallucination?
Regardless, he absolutely refused to let Harry make him lose face in front of Charlie.
Being ridiculed now was certain, so he needed to find a target even more embarrassing than himself; that way, he wouldn't seem so mortifying.
"Don't get too smug, Potter," Draco's voice was icy.
"At least I didn't faint from fear like you did when the Dementor came."
Harry's smile froze for a moment, but he immediately retorted, unwilling to show weakness.
"Even if I fainted, it's better than someone crying and calling for his daddy."
"You're more disgraceful."
"You're the most useless."
"You're trash."
...Charlie rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. Was this a kindergarten squabble?
Not long after, the two seemed to tire of arguing and gradually quieted down.
But after a short rest, Draco was still not satisfied and continued:
"I'm definitely going to tell my father about this and have the school board fire Hagrid."
Harry's anger was ignited by these words.
"You're just a daddy's boy; you're useless without your dad."
Draco's expression twisted for a moment but quickly returned to a sneer.
"Daddy's boy?"
"Better than having no father at all."
This made Harry clench his fists in fury, his eyes spitting fire, wishing he could punch Draco to death.
Charlie looked at Draco in surprise.
This kid seemed to have wised up since Charlie had cursed him; his mouth had become venomous.
Ron suddenly stood up, pointing at Draco and shouting, "Shut up, Malfoy!"
Draco, however, laughed even harder. He folded his arms, his head tilted slightly.
"If it were me, I would personally catch my enemy and get my revenge, instead of hiding in the Castle all day."
Ron looked at Draco as if he were an idiot, opening his mouth.
"What... what are you talking about?" His voice was full of confusion.
"Who doesn't know your family is You-Know-Who's lapdog, and Harry has already had his revenge; he defeated You-Know-Who."
Draco let out a scoff, a hint of triumph flashing in his eyes.
"So you still don't know."
Harry frowned, his anger burning even brighter on his face.
"Are you crazy, Malfoy? What stupid things are you saying?"
Draco, however, wasn't annoyed at all; instead, he smiled profoundly.
The more anxious the other party was, the less he wanted to speak, but he overlooked that there was another person present whose curiosity he had piqued.
Charlie frowned.
"If you keep playing coy, do you believe I'll make you really go feed the Acromantula?"
Draco's smile froze for a moment, his neck retracting, and he finally spoke honestly.
"Because of Sirius Black's betrayal, You-Know-Who killed Harry's parents."
"So Harry's true enemy is the Ministry of Magic fugitive, Sirius Black."
At these words, Harry froze in place.
Charlie was also a little surprised, not expecting Sirius Black and Harry to have this connection.
Ron questioned, "What evidence do you have?"
Draco rolled his eyes at him:
"Do you think every family is like yours, so poor they know nothing?"
(Draco was mocking Ron, but in reality, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley knew but were unwilling to tell Harry, fearing he would seek revenge.)
Ron's face instantly flushed red. He opened his mouth to retort but couldn't speak.
You could criticize the Malfoy family's character, but you couldn't say they lacked ability. Knowing such information was easy for their family.
Draco turned to look at Harry, a sneer playing on his lips:
"Honestly, if it were me, I would have gone out to find him long ago, unlike you, still hiding in school, waiting for the Dementors to take him back to Azkaban."
Harry ignored his taunt, staring intently at Draco.
"You said Sirius betrayed them; was he once allied with my father?"
Draco looked at Charlie, seeing that he was also watching him, and put away the mocking expression on his face, his tone becoming unusually serious.
"I'm not clear on the specifics, but what's certain is that Sirius betrayed your parents."
Harry's fists clenched, cracking, his knuckles turning white.
His chest heaved violently, his breathing became rapid, and intense anger surged in his eyes.
Charlie pondered for a moment.
To get rid of Sirius, Grandma White would truly be safe.
He lowered his voice and leaned closer to Harry: "Want revenge?"
Harry suddenly turned his head, his eyes bloodshot, and nodded heavily.
Charlie's lips curved slightly upward.
"Then this weekend, go to Hogsmeade, and follow my lead."
...Leaving the Great Hall, the next class was Defense Against the Dark Arts Class, which Hufflepuff and Gryffindor took together.
In the corridor, Harry walked beside Charlie, looking as if he wanted to speak but held back.
He opened his mouth several times, but in the end, he held back. The weekend was still a few days away; asking now was useless.
Ron noticed Harry's expression and whispered, "Don't worry, Charlie definitely has a plan."
Harry nodded, but his brow remained tightly furrowed. Draco's words were like a thorn, stuck in his heart, impossible to pull out.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.
Hermione ran over, panting, her cheeks flushed, fine beads of sweat on her forehead, and her robes a little disheveled.
"Wait for me," Hermione gasped, finally squeezing into the line with difficulty.
Charlie glanced at her and asked:
"Just finished class?"
Hermione nodded, taking a few deep breaths, finally recovering.
"The Arithmancy Class Professor talked for too long; I almost didn't make it."
Charlie clicked his tongue in wonder; this was a true top, spinning non-stop all day.
Hermione pulled out a thick copy of "Defensive Magical Theory" from her bag, flipping through it as she walked.
The group arrived at the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class classroom door and pushed it open.
Many students were already seated in the classroom, with Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students sitting on opposite sides.
Charlie found a window seat and sat down, with Ernie and Justin following closely to sit beside him. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in the front row.
The bell rang for class, but the podium was empty.
Students began to whisper.
"Why isn't Professor here yet?"
Just then, the classroom door was pushed open.
Professor Lupin walked in, carrying a worn briefcase.
His robes were still tattered, but his complexion was much better than on the first day of school; there was some light in his eyes, and he no longer walked so wearily.
It seemed that Hogwarts' food really nourished people.
Professor Lupin walked to the podium, put down his briefcase, and turned to face the students.
"Sorry, I'm late," his voice was gentle.
"I ran into a little trouble on the way."
"But it's alright; we'll start class now."
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