Being a passerby in HP female protagonist fanfiction

I gently hugged a few of my favorite badger cubs and patted their backs, trying to comfort them. The badgers surrounding me were my classmates with whom I had a good relationship, so I didn't feel any pressure holding them.

“It’s alright now, don’t be sad. Did you fall? Are you hurt? Be sure to tell us if anything happens.” I said, “That Malfoy is a xxx (Chinese), he only acts this way because everyone here is a good person.”

"Exactly, exactly, these Slytherins are really going too far."

Susan, who was present, also chimed in with her criticisms of Slytherin, making some sweeping generalizations, but it was good to vent at a time like this.

With several upperclassmen around, I actually felt more secure being comforted by the older students, but the younger students clearly preferred to stick close to us, probably because the older students had a stronger sense of distance.

Several badgers looked at me with suspicion, as if wondering why a word was encrypted.

I was afraid of setting a bad example for the children, so I put on a mysterious expression.

"Alright, alright, anyone want some snacks?"

I gave Susan a look and silently said something. She immediately understood and ran back to the dorm to get a handful of snacks that I usually kept on the table.

When you feel wronged, comfort from others and food can make you feel better. While I was scolding Malfoy, I was also trying to distract the little badgers. Luckily, no one got hurt.

The sobbing badgers gradually calmed down. They weren't the type to hold grudges, and their feelings of grievance and fear subsided quickly.

Please forgive me for only having these few clumsy ways of comforting people. These are all I can think of when I rack my brains at a time like this, but thankfully they are useful, and the atmosphere in the lounge gradually warms up.

It was getting late, and after being comforted, the little badgers prepared to go back to their dorm to rest with their other companions. They were still holding the snacks that I had asked Susan to bring out.

After comforting them, I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched the little badgers gradually return to their dormitories to sleep. When I turned around, I found that senior Cedric was staring at me intently.

"Senior, what's wrong?" I asked quickly.

Is there anything else going on?

"Oh, um, it's nothing, it's nothing." Cedric seemed to be startled awake, speaking very quickly, but he immediately realized what he meant and said a little embarrassedly, "I always felt that Claire seemed very reliable just now, and now that I think about it, you usually take good care of everyone, Claire."

"Really?" I scratched my head a little awkwardly.

“Really.” Perhaps noticing my gesture, Cedric smiled faintly. “It’s precisely because you’re so reliable that everyone relied on you just now.”

"Um, uh, thank you." Faced with someone's praise, I didn't know how to respond and was flustered. "You too, Senior Cedric."

I know perfectly well that I am not the kind of person Cedric described at all. It's just that I was older before I transmigrated, which makes me seem more mature compared to my current first-year student.

Cedric praised me for this, and I felt a little embarrassed. But I guess it's normal for a college student to feel embarrassed when praised for being reliable by middle school students.

“Claire.” Cedric seemed to want to say something more, but after a moment of silence, he finally only said, “Go and get some rest.”

I nodded and went back to the dorm with Susan to think about how to deal with the situation.

Draco Malfoy's bullying can be a big deal or a small deal, depending on how it's handled, or rather, who handles it.

I am very self-aware. No matter what I do, whether I negotiate or threaten, I cannot shake Draco's mind. The fundamental reason is my identity; I am a Hufflepuff half-blood wizard.

My parents, who are part of the magical background, are both wizards, but they are not pure-blooded. But that's okay, being mixed-race is perfectly normal, at least I've kept my citizenship.

Besides, even if he wanted to resolve this matter, I doubt he would resort to extreme measures. Draco is not the kind of person who would change his prejudices simply because of peaceful means involving Hufflepuff half-bloods.

Some fanfictions depict scenes where the protagonist tries to win Draco over with love right after meeting him, but that's simply impossible.

Just like those helpless senior students said, it's unwise to rush in headfirst, and you might end up getting yourself into trouble and causing even bigger problems.

I know the problem perfectly well, and I'm thinking about what solutions I can find.

If I had to say something, I could just pretend this never happened and handle it statically. The senior students couldn't do anything about it, and there was no need for me to step in and make things difficult for myself, to be a good person and find an explanation for them.

Those little badgers might forget about it after a while. If this matter gets blown up, it will have a greater negative impact on them and make me look like I'm meddling.

Besides, my original intention was simply to be a nobody at Hogwarts. If I were to get involved in this, wouldn't that go against my original intention?

I was torn between my inner voice and my own conscience.

I have plenty of reasons to ignore it.

However, if one's conscience is troubled, any reason seems weak.

I spent the whole night in such a state of turmoil.

The next day, when I went to the cafeteria for lunch, the little badgers surrounded me again to express their gratitude. One of the usually timid little badgers mustered up the courage to squeeze in, blushed, and gave me a pretty little flower.

The pale white petals still carry a hint of natural fragrance from the outside world; they must have been picked early this morning.

I accepted the flowers with delight, holding them gently and delicately in my hand as if they were precious treasures.

Having lived this long, across two lifetimes combined, I've received flowers only a handful of times. Even though it's just a very ordinary flower that grows in the grass, it's still special to me.

"Thank you, I will keep it safe." I carefully cast a preservation spell on the flower. "Once it dries, I'll make it into a bookmark and put it in my book."

The surroundings seemed to fall silent for a second.

The badger who handed over the flower, whose face was already red, suddenly turned even redder, as if it were about to ripen.

"So Claire, you like flowers," Susan said in surprise, her face turning red for some reason. "I thought your favorite thing was books."

"Claire's smile was so gentle just now," Hannah whispered, and several of the little badgers nodded in agreement.

Huh? Did I laugh?

"I do like flowers, they're so beautiful." I readily admitted, and it's not something I need to deny.

"Oh, I got it. I'll send Claire flowers next time too." Susan clenched her fist, looking very determined.

"Shall I say thank you in advance?" I joked with them with a smile.

Okay, now that we've received the flowers, let's do something about it.

I secretly made up my mind.