Harry Potter: Miss Malfoy

When Draco returned to the common room, Pansy, Daphne, and Astoria were all exhausted and collapsed on the sofas by the fire.

It was obvious that the three of them were worried about him coming home late, so they decided to wait at the door.

Draco walked quietly back to the dormitory, washed up, and returned to the common room.

Astoria curled up into a ball and fell asleep in her sister's arms.

Draco smiled at the warm scene, snuggled in between Pansy and Daphne, and leaned against the pillow.

"You're back... huh...?"

Pansy yawned and laid her head on Draco's thigh, continuing to sleep.

"Take a rest, don't be too tired."

Daphne rubbed her sleepy eyes, carefully pulled a blanket over and handed it to Draco.

Gently taking Draco's hand, Draco obediently leaned his head against Daphne's shoulders.

Daphne also turned her face and gently touched Draco's freshly dried long hair.

The four of them snuggled together until dawn.

At the breakfast table that day, the Slytherin students seemed to have surprisingly good appetites.

-

At night, Draco went to the cellar again to start his lessons with Severus.

I felt relieved that my body was not feeling unwell from the spell I was under last night.

Severus only said "Trust Dumbledore",

Without mentioning last night's events, he quickly started practicing on his own.

Maybe the recent intensive training has paid off, or maybe it was an accidental discovery yesterday.

He actually succeeded in using Legilimency in a duel, which gave him confidence.

After blocking Severus's attempt at Legilimency, she successfully counterattacked.

Clearly feeling the tug of war between the two people's consciousness, Severus then smiled as if relieved.

His mind opened up, allowing Draco to see the fragments he wished he had seen.

The last thing Severus wanted to see.

In the Oval Office, Severus was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Are you sure?"

Looking at the old wise man, Severus' eyes were dead again.

The half-moon glasses still sparkled.

"Not sure, but it's worth a try, isn't it?"

"I don't think it would be worth it for you to die now because of experimenting with a new spell."

"Ah, but I can't, and it's not a new spell."

“This is an idea that we’ve had in our minds for a long time, and we can finally put it into practice.”

"you?"

"Severus, sometimes it's polite to be less sensitive."

The sharpness behind his glasses disappeared in an instant, and Severus fell silent.

Professor Dumbledore returned to his smiling face, but his eyes were somewhat serious.

"We have all tested the boundaries of magic, and then, in unison, thought,"

"What is the most effective magic to protect the ones you love."

“We each approached it in different ways.”

"He believes that effective protection requires a stronger force."

"I think that strength is just a medium. What is important is the mind."

"He succeeded before you did, didn't he?"

"Yes. Cultivating mental toughness is more difficult than simply developing strength."

"That's not to say his attempt was worthless, it's just..."

“You want to improve.”

"Dear Severus, I still think you would be a very good headmaster."

Professor Dumbledore winked at Severus, smiled, and then sighed.

"Have you ever heard of protege diabolica?"?

Before Draco could continue listening, Severus's gentle words rang out beside him.

"Let's get here first."

He regained control of his mind and quietly invited Draco back to the armchair.

"I've complimented you too many times. But you did a really good job."

"that is..."

Draco, who should have been excited about the success of the exercise, now only cared about the memory he had glimpsed.

This appears to be a conversation that took place not long ago.

However, why would this be the last thing Severus wanted to see?

"Nothing. Just giving you a target to practice with."

Severus sat down and raised his glass to sip again.

Draco narrowed his eyes.

This was the first time she could confirm that Severus was lying.

I found that he looked tired and his eyes were more complicated.

But it should not be the result of practicing with yourself.

After stepping out of the cellar and returning to the first floor, I was about to walk back to the other staircase leading to the lounge.

I saw Harry and Hermione supporting Ron and preparing to go upstairs back to Gryffindor Tower.

I suddenly realized that there was only one month left before the third trial.