HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

"Draco, letting Lyra date Diggory is actually a good thing for you."

Spoiled by his parents since childhood, Draco Malfoy has a rather bad temper, as evidenced by the items in his dormitory that are either pushed over or broken into pieces.

Just as she had calmed down after venting her emotions, Blaise's sudden remark reignited them, like a few straws meeting a flame, bursting into flames in a second.

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

Draco was furious, his eyes almost red. He stood up abruptly, glaring at his roommate and best friend, his anger mixed with disbelief.

Even Blaise thinks Lyra and that damn Hufflepuff pretty boy are a good match?!

"Draco, if I'm not mistaken—"

Blaise Zabini remained completely unmoved by the Platinum Prince's angry glare, even though the other man seemed ready to pounce on him and take him down if he said another kind word about Digory.

“Uncle Lucius and Aunt Narcissa probably don’t want you to associate with Gryffindors,” Zabini glanced at Draco, who had suddenly frozen, and slowly shifted to a more comfortable position on the bed, continuing, “Not to mention, to associate too closely with a non-pure-blooded Gryffindor girl.”

Draco Malfoy, like a sea cucumber whose guts and heart had been ripped out by a siren with sharp claws, slumped back onto the sofa, barely alive, head bowed and silent.

The claim of "too close contact" was merely a euphemism used by Blaise.

Draco was certain that the other woman had long since noticed his unusual feelings for Lyra, especially since Draco had asked Blaise to be Lyra's dance partner at the previous Christmas ball.

Even though Blaise wisely refrained from asking too many questions, Draco knew perfectly well that his feelings were crystal clear. For Zabini, who was most adept at reading people's minds, it was as easy as sniffing out a shiny Galleon.

Draco's self-deceptive attempts to ignore, or rather, his deep-seated knowledge of the harsh reality that he could not resolve and could only choose to escape, were mercilessly exposed by Blaise.

His parents forbade him to have any contact with Leila, let alone date her.

If even a whisper of this reached his parents' ears... Draco couldn't imagine what would happen.

If Draco hadn't participated in the Quidditch World Cup during summer vacation, he could still optimistically think he could rely on his parents' love to get them to accept Lyra. But after he and Lyra experienced the attack by the dark wizard that night, Draco knew that a part of his carefree childhood had completely disappeared.

He is not only his parents' Draco, but also the future heir of the Malfoy family. There are some things... that he cannot be willful about.

Look, not only his parents have reminded him, but even his only friend is reminding him...

Draco was like a sea cucumber already resigned to its fate, lying in the siren's hand, waiting for destiny to devour it mercilessly.

"But I'm telling you this not to persuade you to give up—"

Draco's eyelashes fluttered suddenly.

"Given the current circumstances, whether considering the family's position or the future of the magic world... it's not a good time for you two to reveal your feelings, much less a good time for you to be together."

Blaise smiled at Draco, who was staring intently at him, a smile that was both reassuring and...deceptive.

"Instead of ruining Lyra's relationship with Diggory and incurring her disgust before we can openly pursue her, let Diggory win her over first. Perhaps we won't even need to do anything; by graduation, she and Diggory will have broken up—"

"After all, campus romance can't withstand the realities of life. Didn't Lyra's last relationship end like that? By the time Lyra graduates, the magical world will have undergone a complete transformation... I think by then, Lyra will naturally know who is the most suitable person for her."

“You’re right,” Draco said, struggling to contain his excitement as he paced back and forth. “When the time comes… when the time comes…”

As Draco's eyes grew brighter and his lips curled into a wider smile with each analysis, Blaise returned his friend's knowing smile.

Then we'll each have to rely on our own abilities, Draco.