Chapter 56: Good News and Bad News
Hermione was making full use of the school library. Her mentor had even drawn up a strict study plan for her. It was meticulously arranged—every day, every hour assigned with different tasks. Summer vacation was just around the corner, and she had no intention of wasting it idly.
George was also busy. He had promised to give Harry stricter training so that Harry could gain the power to kill Voldemort. That was no easy task—especially if he hoped to achieve it several years ahead of time. It would require resources and external support from many sides, not merely adding more lessons to Harry's schedule.
As George had said at the beginning, "If simply adding more homework could defeat Voldemort, then why not extend Hogwarts' seven-year curriculum to seventeen years and mass-produce Merlins?" (Merlin, of course, being the greatest wizard of all time.)
His words reassured everyone that he wouldn't just lazily extend training hours or pile on extra assignments. Instead, he would adopt more scientific methods and more efficient training strategies to achieve better results. That filled Harry and the others with anticipation.
No longer study hours. No endless overtime. Just higher efficiency. For Harry and the others, that was undoubtedly good news.
But soon afterward, they received what could only be described as a delightful piece of bad news.
After the regular meeting of the Mutual Aid Society, George left the trio—Harry, Ron, and Hermione—who were still looking forward to something positive.
"Starting next term, you'll be training together with Malfoy." George offered no buildup; he simply delivered the decision in one breath.
"What? Training with Malfoy?" Ron's eyes widened, his mouth falling open as if someone had shoved a goose egg into it, before snapping shut again.
"My goodness, that's insane," Hermione said. She still remembered how, during class, she had been so furious that she'd drawn her wand and fired a spell at Malfoy. The thought of training—and even living and eating—alongside him was unbearable.
"But Malfoy is our enemy!" Harry knew he couldn't ask George to cut ties with Malfoy while still allowing himself to train alongside him. It was hard to accept.
"Yeah, we've got plenty of scores to settle with Malfoy," Ron added, trying together with Harry to change George's decision.
"If Malfoy is your enemy, have you decided to kill him?" George asked casually, his expression unreadable.
The lightness with which George mentioned killing Malfoy felt like a mountain crashing down on Harry and Ron. They froze, like ducks caught by the throat. Every word they wanted to say was strangled before it could leave their mouths.
They despised Malfoy without reservation—his hair, his height, his face. And especially that domineering attitude of his, like a buzzing fly that wouldn't stop droning in your ear.
His mouth was the most irritating of all; he always had something nasty to say. He mocked Harry, whom no one disliked; sneered at Ron for being poor, claiming he couldn't even afford socks; and called Hermione a "Mudblood." How could they not hate someone like that? Even in Slytherin, he wasn't exactly beloved.
But killing Malfoy? Harry and Ron had never even considered it. They might have fantasized about punching him, about confronting him face-to-face—but killing a fellow student, even one they loathed? That was something they had never prepared themselves to contemplate.
"But that doesn't change Malfoy's hatred," Hermione argued weakly. No matter how much she disliked him, she had never thought of killing him.
"If you don't intend to kill him, then you can't truly stop him," George said. He understood Malfoy's temperament. If someone targeted him the way Malfoy targeted Harry, he would surely find a way to eliminate them.
Yet Harry and the others were still innocent—pure in a way George no longer was. He had already stepped beyond the mindset that bound itself strictly to rules. Under such circumstances, how could they possibly persuade him? How could they demonstrate their own convictions?
"Malfoy is a student of this school. He has the right to learn here. I won't refuse his pursuit of knowledge," George said, almost hypocritically.
"Oh no, I don't want to eat and live with Malfoy just for the sake of training." Seeing that George's decision would not change, the three of them felt as though all their future classes had been replaced with Snape's Potions—everything ahead seemed dark and grim.
"I regret to inform you of this bad news, and the decision is final. However, as compensation, there is also good news," George continued calmly.
"What good news?" Hermione's voice sounded weak, though her gaze remained steady.
They had just suffered a heavy blow. Now that they were told good news was coming, their faces remained gloomy, but their ears perked up instinctively.
"The good news is that you'll finally have plenty of opportunities to beat Malfoy thoroughly. Next term's training will include a lot of practical combat exercises. I won't give him any special treatment."
George paced as he spoke, then muttered, "Yes. That's decided."
"That… really is good news." After the crushing blow of the bad news, this unexpected turn left the trio stunned. It took them a while to process it.
"But obviously it's the same news," Hermione said, quickly sensing the catch.
"Well, when you put it that way, training with Malfoy might not be such a bad thing," Ron said, recovering quickly. Moments ago he had been despondent, but the thought of defeating Malfoy filled him with renewed strength.
"I won't give Malfoy special treatment. I trust that you, being a year ahead of him, would never lose to him—or to anyone among you who lacks that confidence," George said with a peculiar smile.
"Of course. I'll teach Malfoy the true meaning of life," Ron declared eagerly.
"There's no way I'd lose to Malfoy. His grades don't even come close to mine," Hermione said, lifting her chin with a headmaster-like pride.
Lose to Malfoy? Impossible, Harry thought. He had already faced Voldemort. How could he possibly lose to Malfoy? Absolutely impossible.
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