By the afternoon, Esther was already allowed to leave the hospital wing, and if she hurried back, she could still make it in time for the final History of Magic class of the day.
This lesson was shared by Hufflepuff and Gryffindor students, and the instructor was Professor Binns—the only ghost professor at Hogwarts. As a ghost, Professor Binns possessed a remarkable ability to lecture endlessly without ever pausing to check whether anyone below was listening. He simply floated in, opened his notes, and began speaking in the same droning tone he had used for decades, possibly centuries.
This time, Esther did not arrive late. She slipped into the classroom exactly one minute before the professor entered.
The moment her roommates spotted her, their eyes lit up noticeably, and they all waved enthusiastically for her to come over and sit with them.
Esther took a seat between Donna and Cathy. The instant she sat down, Donna leaned over and asked in a hushed voice, "Are you really okay now? Madam Pomfrey actually let you come back to class?"
Esther nodded lightly. "I'm fine already."
If not for Professor Snape's sudden Stupefy, she probably would not even have fainted at all.
Come to think of it, weren't Hogwarts professors technically not supposed to cast spells on students? Did Professor Snape's action count as a violation of professional ethics?
She honestly wasn't sure.
After only a few exchanged sentences, Professor Binns officially began the lesson.
At first, everyone listened obediently and took notes, but before half the class had passed, most students had already drifted off—some mentally, some emotionally, and a few entirely.
Suddenly, someone poked Esther lightly in the back with the tip of a quill.
She turned around and saw a Gryffindor boy behind her.
"Are you Esther Mayne?" he whispered.
A little confused, Esther nodded. The boy's eyes immediately brightened with excitement, and in a clearly gossipy tone, he asked, "I heard that on the very first day of school, you were bullied by Malfoy and the other Slytherins. They snatched your books and even forced you to give them money. Is that true?"
Esther hesitated for a moment before replying, "Uh… that did happen, but I was the one who bumped into him first."
She wasn't trying to defend them; she was simply an honest person who disliked exaggerating or lying about facts.
The boy, however, conveniently ignored the last sentence and continued eagerly, "Then it's also true that they scared you so badly that you fainted, and Professor Snape had to send you to the hospital wing?"
Esther blinked. "The news spread that fast? Everyone already knows?"
The boy nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, lots of people in Gryffindor know about it already. Honestly, Slytherin students really go too far sometimes. I hope their professors punish them properly."
Cathy, who had been listening nearby, turned around and joined the conversation. "That might not happen. I heard Professor Snape is very biased toward Slytherin students. Instead of waiting for him to act, we'd be better off hoping our Head of House will help us get justice."
Hearing this, the Gryffindor boy sighed. "Well, every Head of House tends to favor their own students. Only our Head of House is truly fair and impartial, even to the point of—"
He stopped halfway, clearly realizing that complaining about his own Head of House in front of students from other Houses might not be appropriate. He quickly changed the subject and smiled.
"By the way, my name is Colin Creevey. Do you know Harry Potter? I'd heard so much about him before coming to Hogwarts, and I really admire him! But since last night until now, I haven't had the chance to even say hello to him."
Colin Creevey?
Esther immediately recognized the name. He was Harry's most enthusiastic fan in the books—the one who had once wanted to start a "Harry Potter Fan Club" with Ginny, and whose overwhelming admiration had caused Harry no small amount of trouble.
If she remembered correctly, he would be petrified by the basilisk later that year, and eventually die during the Battle of Hogwarts.
A truly pitiful child.
A trace of sympathy appeared in Esther's eyes.
Speaking of Ginny..
Esther glanced up and noticed that Ginny was seated not far from them, completely focused on taking notes. However, when Harry's name was mentioned, Esther clearly saw her lean slightly in their direction, the quill in her hand pausing mid-writing.
The future Mrs. Potter was still just a young, slightly childish girl at this point. She had not yet grown into herself, with her inherited fiery red hair and freckles scattered across her face.
Objectively speaking, she could not yet be called a great beauty—at most, she was a shy girl with delicate, agreeable looks.
"Harry Potter? Of course I know him," Cathy replied, picking up the conversation. "Pretty much every magical child knows him. Defeating You-Know-Who at the age of one is incredibly impressive."
"But I heard he's about to be expelled," Cathy continued. "Because he used a modified flying car and exposed magic to Muggles?"
"He's not getting expelled!"
Colin Creevey suddenly raised his voice, drawing attention from everyone nearby—including Ginny.
Esther and the others had woken up late that morning and missed the drama at breakfast.
Because Harry and Ron had secretly flown a modified magical car, Arthur Weasley had been summoned for questioning. An enraged Mrs. Weasley had then sent Ron a Howler, which exploded loudly during breakfast in front of all four Houses, prompting no small amount of laughter.
For Ginny, who had just started school, it was deeply humiliating. Still shy and introverted, she felt embarrassed on behalf of her youngest brother, and her mood had been low all day.
Cathy was startled by Colin's sudden outburst and froze as he passionately defended his idol. "Harry Potter is the Savior! He defeated a troll in his first year! There's no way the school would expel him over something so small! Headmaster Dumbledore would never allow it!"
Cathy stared at him blankly before muttering, "Alright then," and turning back around, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation.
Even without knowing the future, she could tell that Colin Creevey was an intense Harry Potter fan. She silently thanked Merlin that this was History of Magic—if this had been any other class, that shout would definitely have gotten her scolded along with him.
"Creevey, could you lower your voice a bit?" Ginny finally looked up and scolded him softly. "You're disturbing others."
She had only just managed to forget about the incident, and now he had reminded her again of her disappointing brother. If Ron ended up expelled, that would be bad enough, but if Harry were implicated too, how was she supposed to face him afterward?
"Oh… right. Sorry."
Colin apologized awkwardly, finally realizing that his voice had been far too loud. The strange looks from those around him made his ears turn red.
In an effort to ease the awkward atmosphere, he leaned toward nearby students and began whispering the "confirmed details" he had just learned from Esther.
Naturally, gossip was far more interesting than the lesson.
Before class even ended, the story had already evolved into: Esther clashed with Malfoy, Malfoy snatched her textbooks, demanded money from her, and frightened her so badly that she fainted.
By dinnertime, the entire Hogwarts student body had heard about it.
Esther: …
She had wanted the incident to blow up—to become widely known—but wasn't this spreading a little too fast? Was this really a proper magical academy, or some sort of advanced school for gossip distribution?
Surrounded by the concerned inquiries of older Hufflepuff students, Esther glanced through the crowd and spotted Draco Malfoy, his face dark, glaring straight at her.
He looked furious, yet oddly, unmistakably aggrieved.
In short, the atmosphere among the Slytherins was noticeably heavy and tense.
***
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