Ernie was still deeply worried. He frowned and said,
"I heard someone say you were bullied? That your books were taken away? Who did it? Tell me, I'll get revenge for you!"
Esther lay back against the pillows, looking much more relaxed as she replied,
"You don't need to help me. The matter has already become such a big deal that the Heads of House will definitely take care of it. With them standing up for me, there's no need for you to step in."
Only then did Ernie begin to sense that something was a little off.
In his understanding, Esther was not the sort of girl who was timid or afraid of trouble.
So he glanced left and right to make sure Madam Pomfrey wasn't paying attention, then leaned close to Esther's ear and whispered,
"Listen, Esther. Be honest with me. What exactly happened?"
Esther didn't hide anything from him and told him everything from beginning to end.
Ernie frowned fiercely after hearing it.
"Oh! Malfoy! That's really too much!"
Esther calmly corrected him,
"Not him. Them."
Ernie frowned even more in disgust.
"All Slytherins are like that! But I'm not afraid of him. When I get back, I'll tell my parents and have them go complain to Malfoy's parents!"
Esther couldn't help laughing.
"Why are you becoming just like Malfoy—running to your parents the moment something happens?"
Ernie laughed too.
After laughing, he asked again,
"So… did you pretend to faint because you wanted to make the situation bigger?"
Esther raised a finger to her lips, making a shh gesture, and lowered her voice.
"First of all, I did not pretend to faint."
She paused meaningfully.
"I was stunned by Professor Snape."
"Second, yes, I did want to make it a big deal. Based on Malfoy's personality, if I didn't escalate things and drag the professors and Heads of House into it, he would definitely keep coming after me. I don't want to waste my perfectly good school life playing mind games with him."
"But," Ernie said worriedly, "even if the professors help you get justice, I feel like he'll still cause trouble for you."
Esther sighed.
"There's nothing I can do about that. I can't just stand there and let him bully me without fighting back, can I?"
That made sense.
Ernie grabbed her hand seriously.
"Then promise me you won't wander off alone anymore. If anything happens, tell me first. Big brother will protect you!"
Esther nodded and agreed.
Ernie didn't stay long before he was chased back to class.
Although Esther wasn't seriously ill, Madam Pomfrey still suggested she rest a little longer.
Not long after Ernie left, Professor Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff, hurried over.
She was a very kind-looking woman, not very tall, with gray hair and well-worn robes, her clothes faintly smudged with soil.
Aside from being Hufflepuff's Head of House, she was also the Herbology professor, and because she spent most of her time working with plants, there was always a trace of earth about her.
She had clearly come straight after class, her steps brisk and urgent.
"Professor Sprout," Esther said, trying to sit up to greet her.
Professor Sprout gently pressed her back down.
"Alright, Miss Mayne, lie down and don't move."
She then asked if Esther felt uncomfortable anywhere.
Esther shook her head.
"With Madam Pomfrey here, I'm feeling much better."
Just then, Madam Pomfrey returned. After confirming Esther's condition, Professor Sprout finally asked what exactly had happened.
Esther recounted the events once again.
This was the third time she had told the story, and if nothing unexpected happened, she suspected she would have to tell it several more times.
As expected, Professor Sprout frowned after hearing it.
"Don't be afraid. I'll have a proper talk with Severus and make sure he keeps his students in line."
Esther nodded trustingly, then said guiltily,
"I'm sorry, Professor. It was the first day of school and I already caused trouble. Hufflepuff lost points because of me, and I even disrupted Professor Snape's class."
Professor Sprout comforted her gently.
"This isn't your fault. I believe Severus won't blame you either."
She might believe that.
Esther… did not.
But things had already reached this point, and she could only grit her teeth and move forward.
From the moment she had slapped that piece of cake onto Malfoy's face, her peaceful school life had been doomed to disappear.
Professor Sprout was very busy, and after understanding the situation, she hurried away again.
At noon, Esther's Hufflepuff friends came to visit her, bringing a pile of food with them.
She hadn't eaten anything all day. She hadn't noticed at first, but the moment she saw the food, hunger hit her like a tidal wave.
She ate together with her friends. Because there were so many people, the noise they made was a bit too much, which annoyed Madam Pomfrey greatly. Only after repeated promises not to disturb the other patients were they spared from being chased out.
It really wasn't Madam Pomfrey's fault for being unhappy...there were simply too many of them.
Aside from her five roommates, there were Ernie, Hannah, Susan, and Justin, and even two older girls she had only met once before.
They had heard about the incident while passing by and followed along.
"Oh my goodness, Esther, you scared us to death today. Are you really alright?"
Donna whispered, her eyes misty with tears.
Everyone else looked equally concerned.
So Esther told her story once again.
After hearing it, everyone was furious.
"They stole your books and threatened you for money?" Eliana said angrily. "What kind of bastard does that? I'll go deal with them!"
Cathy quickly grabbed her.
"Don't be impulsive. You haven't lived in the wizarding world long enough to understand the Malfoy family. They're very influential among pure-blood families and have good relationships with many high-ranking officials. Don't provoke them lightly."
Especially since Eliana was Muggle-born.
Eliana was furious but also afraid of causing trouble due to her lack of understanding, so she could only simmer in anger.
"When I was in primary school, I'd just hit back in situations like this. The more you tolerate bullies, the more they think you're easy to bully."
Esther comforted her.
"It's alright. Professor Sprout already knows about this. She'll definitely stand up for me."
Only then did everyone relax a little.
Fiona looked very guilty.
"It's my fault. If I had stopped you this morning, you wouldn't have gotten lost, and none of this would've happened."
Esther hurried to reassure her.
"Don't say that. This isn't your fault. Who could have known what would happen later?"
Susan listened quietly as everyone spoke, then finally said,
"If you ask me, Esther actually turned bad luck into good fortune. By making such a big scene and bringing it to the Heads of House, at least someone will step in."
"Exactly," Hannah agreed. "Slytherin students are terrible to deal with—especially Malfoy! He bullied Neville in first year, but Neville was too timid to tell the professors."
Justin added,
"Still, dumping cake on Malfoy's face was pretty satisfying."
"That's right!" Ernie said enthusiastically.
"And I'm not afraid of Malfoy at all. If he dares cause trouble again, I'll punch that pale, pointy face of his!!"
Justin nudged his shoulder.
"Great idea. I'll supervise. You can't go back on your word—what kind of big brother would that make you?"
Everyone burst into laughter.
***
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