Chapter 16: The Incident Unfolds

Helping someone upload an avatar for their identity on the system? It seemed feasible, though it might require some adjustments to certain alchemical devices.

"Sure. Once I modify the Dueling Club system, you won't just be able to help me—you'll also be able to design avatars for your friends," Glenn suggested, sensing that this might make the young witch happy.

"Really? That's amazing!" Hermione blinked in surprise, her eyes lighting up with excitement. She began rubbing her hands together, as if already envisioning the joy of helping her friends upload their dream avatars in the future.

At her age, Hermione was eager to showcase her abilities. And since Glenn had noticed this, he naturally wanted to provide her with a suitable stage to shine.

As for Glenn himself?

He wasn't interested.

Tinkering and tweaking, tinkering and tweaking. Glenn put away the Duel Badge in his hand, along with the leaderboard and the scattered materials on the floor.

Hermione, seeing this, closed her book as well. "Shall we go?" she asked.

"Let's go," Glenn replied, pushing open the door to the Room of Requirement.

It was Saturday, almost noon, and the afternoon would be spent with Hermione honing her cooking skills with Hagrid. The two planned to grab lunch first, then take a stroll to Hagrid's hut to chat with their giant friend. By evening, Hermione and Hagrid would practice cooking, while Glenn would take on the role of taste tester.

Of course, dinner would still be prepared by Glenn himself.

After all, no matter what, the young witch couldn't be allowed to suffer. Glenn couldn't bear the thought of Hermione tasting her own cooking and potentially losing all confidence.

The two walked side by side in silence, yet there was no sense of awkwardness between them. Hand in hand, they strolled leisurely toward the Great Hall.

Before they even saw the people inside, they could already hear the commotion. As they approached the entrance, Draco's boisterous laughter echoed through the hall, accompanied by the chuckles of other Slytherin students.

Hermione's gentle eyes instantly turned into deadpan "fish eyes." Based on her understanding of Draco, such unrestrained laughter usually meant one of two things: either he had witnessed an enemy's misfortune, or he had just mocked someone into speechless frustration.

In short, it was never anything good. Draco's twisted personality thrived on deriving joy from others' pain.

So, who had Draco tormented this time?

For him to be laughing this hard, it was likely none other than those two unlucky Gryffindors, Harry and Ron.

Though those two were a bit mischievous and often cost Gryffindor points, Hermione couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for them if they had somehow provoked Draco's ire.

"Hahaha! Did you see what that Weasley idiot did? I can't believe it—casting a spell at someone only to have it rebound on himself. What kind of moron does that?" Draco laughed so hard he slapped the table, tears nearly streaming from his eyes.

See? Just as expected.

Meanwhile, in Hagrid's hut, where Ron was still spewing slugs, he sneezed, sending yet another slug flying across the table and splattering onto Harry's concerned face.

---

Far away from Hogwarts, in a dark and shadowy place, a black serpent with an eerie human face also sneezed.

"Are my loyal followers calling out to me?" Voldemort, currently possessing the snake's body, mused silently.

It must be, right?

---

Back at Hogwarts, Glenn and Hermione gleaned the details of the incident from Draco.

"So, your brilliant plan was to parade your seven Nimbus 2001s in front of our team right before the Quidditch match to crush their morale?" Hermione stared disapprovingly at Draco, who was grinning sheepishly. She was a bit annoyed—this was hardly an honorable tactic.

The Slytherin team captain, Marcus Flint, had somehow discovered Gryffindor's training schedule. He had then requested Professor Snape to grant the Slytherin team access to the Quidditch pitch during the same time slot, bringing along the Nimbus 2001s sponsored by Lucius Malfoy.

And, well…

The results were devastating.

The move had a profound impact on the Gryffindor team's morale.

Merlin only knew how the Gryffindor players felt when they saw every Slytherin team member equipped with a Nimbus 2001, while enduring Draco's sharp tongue. The mental blow must have been immense.

The Slytherin team had truly embodied their house's motto: cunning and ambition, by any means necessary.

"I originally planned to just mock them a bit to mess with their mindset before heading off to practice. But then Potter and that Weasley boy accused me of only making the team because my father bought those Nimbus 2001s. They said it's typical Malfoy behavior. That's slander!" Draco huffed indignantly. "I admit I'm no saint, but I would never stoop to bribery to join our house's Quidditch team. Those two are just… just… utterly unreasonable, making baseless accusations!"

Malfoy family etiquette finally kicked in, successfully preventing Draco from outright cursing.

"I couldn't stand their insults—especially against me and the Malfoy name—so I gave them each a punch and a kick," Draco continued, his face darkening as he animatedly reenacted the scene. "Then that hothead Weasley, after I knocked him to the ground, had the audacity to pull out his wand as if to curse me. The nerve of him!"

At this point, Draco's expression softened slightly, and a cold smirk spread across his face. "When I saw him draw his wand, I was ready to dodge. But who could've guessed? His broken wand backfired, and his slug-vomiting curse hit himself instead. He looked absolutely pathetic."

"And, of course, I reported the whole incident to Professor Snape. I imagine Potter and Weasley are about to face some serious punishment," Draco added with a sly grin, clearly pleased with his handiwork.

Hermione was speechless. Both sides were at fault, but the outcome was undeniably worse for Harry and Ron. This incident would surely deal a heavy blow to Gryffindor's Quidditch team morale.

Still, Hermione felt uneasy. Her housemates had been humiliated, and her friends had been falsely accused of bribery. It left her feeling torn.

"Draco, having you as a friend is truly something else. Tomorrow, we're going to Professor Snape's office for a duel. Let's test Glenn's alchemical devices while we're at it," Hermione said, shaking her head and deciding not to dwell on the matter. Gryffindor's defeat in Quidditch this year was practically guaranteed, and Harry and Ron—whom she wasn't particularly close to—could suffer the consequences. She would make up for the lost points herself.

As for Draco… though they were friends, he still managed to irritate her. So, a duel it would be!

Fighting him might just help her relieve some stress.

Danger flashed in Hermione's eyes. Why did everyone around her have to make things so difficult? Hmm?!

Glenn, at least, was always well-behaved.

Hermione turned and patted Glenn's head affectionately.

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