Chapter 124: Argument (Patreon)

The next day.

Elavin heard about what had happened to Harry and the others in the Great Hall and let out one sigh after another.

"Just look at you guys. You've been at Hogwarts for half a year, and you still got caught sneaking out? Don't ever tell anyone you learned spells from me. You're making me look bad."

Ron couldn't help muttering, "That was Professor McGonagall! How many people in all of Hogwarts can hide from her?!"

"Uh... fair point."

Harry mumbled around a mouthful of mutton pie. "But at least now we can finally go see Norbert at Hagrid's every day, and no one can stop us!"

"It's Norberta!" Malfoy corrected.

Since they couldn't agree on the dragon's gender, they'd decided to each use their own preferred name.

Hagrid, Harry, and Ron called the dragon "Norbert"; Elavin and Malfoy called the dragon "Norberta."

"What can you even do when you see her, Pot-terrr? At most, you can talk to her and feed her some rock cakes."

"Now, I'm different!"

"Last night I already had someone order some premium food specially made for dragons. That's what Norberta should be eating!"

Malfoy proudly flaunted his wealth, flicking back his flashy blond hair with an air of superiority.

Harry and Ron fell silent.

On one hand, they genuinely didn't have the money to argue back.

On the other, they truly wanted Norbert to eat well, rather than being fed the unhealthy, nutritionally poor food Hagrid kept giving her.

After all, Norbert was only a little over a month old!

Just as they were talking, Hermione hurried over from the Ravenclaw table, her bushy hair flying behind her.

She stopped in front of Harry and Ron, giving them almost the exact same look Professor McGonagall had given them the night before.

"I heard about it. Is it true? You were caught roaming the castle at night by Professor McGonagall, lost fifty points each, and got detention?"

They both nodded awkwardly.

Hermione gasped. "I can't believe you actually did something like that... and now you're sitting here eating as if nothing had happened! If I'd caused my house to lose a hundred points from sneaking out, I'd probably be so guilty that I wouldn't be able to eat all day."

The corner of Ron's eye twitched.

From their very first meeting, he'd disliked Hermione's overly results-oriented mindset.

Plus, in this timeline, they weren't in the same house, so they interacted less. The troll incident on Halloween hadn't happened, so their friendship wasn't as deep as in the original timeline.

That meant there was less consideration and fewer reservations whenever they spoke to each other.

Today, already feeling miserable from losing house points and being gossiped about and ostracized by his housemates, Hermione's words hit him the wrong way. He felt she was taking jabs at him, every word rubbing him the wrong way.

On top of that, he felt humiliated in front of a girl, which only made him even more irritated.

Ron had always been blunt, so he couldn't help retorting in the same tone, "Oh? Only one day without eating? I thought you'd go on a hunger strike for three days and three nights!"

Hermione caught the sarcasm in Ron's voice, and her chest tightened. She fell silent.

She was only trying to help, to encourage them to study harder and do better. Why couldn't they appreciate it?

Not only did they not appreciate it, but they always came back at her with backhanded remarks.

It made her feel like some shameless bitch going out of her way just to be their friend...

The more Hermione thought about it, the angrier she became. Finally, she stomped her foot and ran off, her eyes brimming with tears.

Watching the young witch's retreating figure, Harry and Ron fell silent.

"Ron, what you said was a little too harsh..."

Ron immediately became indignant. "Why didn't you say that just now? Now you're suddenly blaming me? Oh sure, you're the noble one. You're above the rest of us!"

Harry knew Ron was proud and cared a lot about saving face. Continuing to press the issue would only backfire, so he didn't argue any further.

"I can tell what you said really hurt Hermione. I think you should go apologize to her... I'll come with you."

Ron had always responded better to gentle persuasion than pressure.

"...Let me think about it."

"What do you guys think?" Harry turned to Elavin and Malfoy to hear their thoughts.

In his mind, Elavin was clever, well-liked, and had strong leadership skills. Malfoy, though annoying, came from an aristocratic family and had broader experience. Surely the two of them could help him and Ron make up with Hermione.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Harry had to recount the entire exchange between Hermione and Ron.

After hearing the whole story, Malfoy surprisingly sided with Ron.

"I think Ron was right!

"Hermione isn't just a busybody. Sometimes the things she says are genuinely unpleasant, yet she doesn't even realize it. Instead, she thinks everyone else is the one speaking harshly."

"People like that need to learn a lesson and remember it!"

He clicked his tongue and shook his head, his tone dripping with undisguised disdain.

"Muggle-borns are like that. They don't understand how to deal with people, and their experience is so limited. All they ever think about are house points..."

"Ahem!"

Hearing the cough beside him, Malfoy froze.

Damn!

He'd forgotten that Boss Elavin also came from the Muggle world!

This was bad... Malfoy hurriedly corrected himself.

"But then again..."

"We can't completely blame this on the differences between Muggle and wizarding society. After all, even the Muggle world has someone as exceptional as Elavin!"

"Hermione's personality is probably the result of many different factors. Maybe it's because boys and girls think differently, or maybe it's simply because of her family or her own personality. In any case, it isn't entirely her fault."

"What we should do is pity her, forgive her, be more tolerant of her, clear up misunderstandings and conflicts, and promote the great unity of Hogwarts!"

Harry and Ron just stared at him blankly.

Since when did you become so eloquent? Are you preparing for your O.W.L.s?!

Elavin was very pleased with Malfoy's performance. He smiled and nodded.

"Not bad... Your mindset has improved. My months of careful guidance haven't been in vain."

Then he turned to the dumbfounded Harry and Ron.

"Once Hermione has calmed down, find a chance to make up with her.

"Honestly, what you two said was far too shallow.

"You don't even qualify as amateurs at throwing sarcastic jabs. I really don't see what there was to get so upset about!"