Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

“Thea…you…” Daphne asked with some concern when she saw that Thea remained silent for a long time.

"I'm fine. Will Draco's injuries heal today?"

“Draco only has superficial injuries; Madam Pomfrey said he’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep,” Zabini replied.

"That's good, at least he won't miss tonight's celebration party."

Thea smiled. The medical wing might not be peaceful tonight, so Draco should probably go back to his dorm.

After dismissing the few people surrounding the hospital bed with a few words, Thea closed her eyes to rest and recall the reason for her magical outburst.

From the first time at the Muggle villa, to the second time she was being chased, and finally to this Quidditch match, she experienced magical outbursts.

The similarities once or twice might be coincidences, but the third time, Thea was able to figure out the reason that triggered the surge of her magic: the killing intent that erupted from within her!

The first time was because the butler almost blocked his escape route;

The second time was when his life was directly threatened;

And the third time… thinking about that traveling ball that hit Draco and Harry, Thea still couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. If she hadn't smashed that traveling ball that was heading straight for the two of them…

So is this the golden headband that Sun Wukong wears?

To constantly monitor oneself so as not to harbor murderous intent?

Thea felt somewhat helpless, but a sense of resentment quickly grew within her...

Why?

I did nothing wrong, so why should I have to bear all of this?

The resentment in her heart grew stronger, but the exhaustion in her body left Thea powerless to resist.

How much sedative did Professor Snape actually give himself? Couldn't he have added less of the sleeping pills?

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"Oh! Thea, you're finally awake! If you hadn't woken up, all these gifts might have buried you!"

When Thea opened her eyes, she saw an old man in a silver-white robe sitting on the hospital bed. His beard, which was the same color as the robe, trembled as he spoke, and Thea almost thought that his beard had grown longer.

Such a beautiful beard, it would be a shame not to burn it...

The old man seemed to have seen through Thea's thoughts, so he subtly moved a little further away from Thea and changed the subject to the textbook in his hand.

"Professor Flitwick mentioned to me that your spellcasting skills seem quite good?" Dumbledore winked mischievously, trying to put Thea at ease.

Thea scoffed inwardly, knowing perfectly well that Dumbledore hadn't brought this up casually!

The real intention wasn't in the wine...

"Professor Flitwick may have misunderstood. My level is only slightly faster than other junior wizards because I study by rote. I can hardly be called outstanding in talent."

Thea laughed and shut down Dumbledore's topic, saying that when it comes to humility, China is the grandmaster.

Seeing that Thea wasn't responding, Dumbledore gave up on trying to get information out of her and asked directly:

"The Quaffle that Thea threw today at the Quidditch match was really powerful! I didn't even see how Thea used it."

The old man's eyes were hidden behind his half-moon shaped glasses, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

"So, Thea, could you answer this for me?"

The true intentions were revealed...

Thea's eyelashes trembled slightly; she clearly hadn't expected Dumbledore to be in such a hurry.

"...I don't really know either...I was just so angry, all I could think about was taking down that crazy, wandering ball...I aimed at it with all my might and hit it...and then the wandering ball exploded..."

Thea had no intention of hiding it from Dumbledore, and besides, Thea wasn't the one who did it in the first place.

As many people on the field saw, the ball repeatedly attacked Draco and Harry, but Thea turned the tide and saved the two.

This is undeniable.

Dumbledore stared intently into Thea's eyes, which were clear and devoid of any guilt.

“Alright, you should rest now.” Dumbledore seemed to suddenly remember the visiting time. He abruptly stood up and tried to lighten the mood with a joking tone. “I have to go. If I stay any longer, Poppy might come and kick me out…”

Seeing Dumbledore walk easily toward the door, Thea quickly got up, intending to see him off.

Without a doubt, Dumbledore rejected Thea's offer.

As Dumbledore walked away, Thea breathed a long sigh of relief.

This level... I think I've passed it, right?

Before Thea could even return to her bedside, she was met with a pair of green eyes that held a complex expression.

"...Potter! You're not asleep?" Thea's heart skipped a beat at those eyes.

"...I haven't been able to sleep at all..."

Harry was also startled by Thea's reaction, which nearly made her jump three feet high, but the lion's naturally thick skin made Harry quickly overlook Thea's unusual behavior.

He asked with great interest, "Why do you look so afraid of Dumbledore? He's such a kind professor!"

kind?

Thea almost thought Harry was joking.

But when Thea saw the other party's red wizard robes, her pupils contracted slightly. Indeed, in the eyes of Gryffindor, Dumbledore was kind, but to Slytherin, that old man was more terrifying than the Dark Lord.

Thea turned back to the hospital bed and said lazily, "Yes, yes, Dumbledore is indeed very kind, but I'm naturally afraid of teachers, so what? Is that a problem?"

Harry couldn't find a point to refute Thea's reasoning, but he felt that she was just giving him a perfunctory answer.

Seeing that Thea was no longer the unapproachable person she used to be, and considering that she had just saved him twice!

Harry grew bolder, a strange emotion rising in his chest, "...Thank you, Thea."

"What did you say?"

Thea was distracted for a moment and didn't hear what Harry was saying.

Looking into those clear, bright eyes, Harry gave a naive look. "Thea, are we still friends?"

"If not... then can we be friends again?" Harry's voice was as fearless as a knight's charge.

Thea stared intently into those emerald green eyes, eyes brimming with courage, vitality, and passion. After a pause, she managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "...As you wish, Potter!"

Instantly, a smile more dazzling than fireworks bloomed on the boy's face.

Thea's hands, hidden under the covers, gradually clenched. A smile that was too beautiful always stirred up a destructive impulse in her.

However, welcome to my trap, Mr. Potter…