The Great Lawn of Hogwarts.
Harry Potter sat cross-legged on the grass, looking a bit bored, watching his classmates joyfully ride their broomsticks in the sky. It was rare for him to skip flying class.
As a seasoned enthusiast of flying brooms and Gryffindor's Seeker, Harry would normally never miss a chance for some close contact with a broom. But today was different.
The reason for this exception was what happened to Harry that morning. He had encountered a very peculiar house-elf whose actions had left a deep impression on him.
That house-elf called himself Dobby and said he had come for Harry.
Just as Harry was about to leave the corridor, the house-elf suddenly grabbed his arm. He whispered some very strange words in Harry's ear, which both frightened and confused Harry.
He didn't even know who to talk to about such an encounter.
The great Boy Who Lived was so scared by a house-elf that he almost wet himself? Harry Potter couldn't bear to be so humiliated.
Helplessly, he could only shrink into a corner, burying his head in thought, just like he was now. What was the purpose of the house-elf calling himself Dobby, and why did it approach him?
And were the words it spoke truly some kind of prophecy?
"Hoo hoo, look who I found?" Just as he was lost in thought, a voice he detested suddenly sounded in front of him. Harry didn't even need to look up to know that the owner of this voice was definitely his arch-nemesis... Draco Malfoy.
Oh, of course.
And those few followers trailing behind him like sycophants. Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy.
"Harry Potter! The boy who lived!" Draco's voice was high and full of mockery, sputtering, "But now he's just like a stray dog."
As the words fell, his followers let out appropriate shrill laughter, their gazes filled with contempt as they looked at Harry Potter.
"Scram, Malfoy." But Harry wasn't one to be pushed around, and his temper was quite foul, especially when he was upset. "This is Gryffindor territory!"
This flying lesson was for two houses, but Gryffindor and Slytherin had always been worlds apart. They usually stayed in their own areas and rarely visited each other.
"No, no, no, this is Hogwarts, after all." Draco shook his head at him, crossing his arms. "Where's your red-haired, filthy friend? Why isn't he here?"
"That's none of your business, get lost!" Hearing the boy in front of him directly insult his best friend, Harry Potter became even angrier, even raising the wand in his hand.
"What are you doing?" But at this moment, Hermione, who was not far away, seemed to have heard something and ran over. "Malfoy, are you picking a fight again?"
Looking at the aggressive girl in front of him, Draco's lips twitched slightly. Ever since rumors of her and Gerard started, he felt that this girl was becoming difficult to provoke.
After all, his father had repeatedly warned him never to provoke that genius professor, who was no less than Voldemort or Dumbledore. And that young man was close to this "Mudblood," which made things difficult for Draco.
Of course, he also grumbled to himself.
Was that genius professor's taste a bit too peculiar? How could he possibly look favorably on such a hoyden? With his qualifications, shouldn't he be choosing a partner from their noble Slytherin House?
"No, this is not a fight." Although Draco didn't dare to be as unrestrained in front of Hermione, he still maintained his outward stubbornness. "We are showing concern for His Lordship, the Savior."
The word "Savior" was emphasized heavily, clearly carrying a deep sense of mockery.
"I think you should mind your own business first, Mr. Malfoy." Hermione retorted fiercely, protecting her friends. "As a pure-blood family, you must have house-elves at home, right? Aren't you afraid it will suddenly appear and tie you up?"
"The Pollard Jera family's affairs were just an exception!" Draco's face immediately changed, and he spoke with less confidence. "A house-elf cannot resist its master; there must be a conspiracy behind this!"
Hermione was not buying it and said coldly, "The conspiracy is your pure-blood families constantly persecuting and oppressing house-elves, which is what makes them want to resist! You will be sinners, sinners of history!"
"Enough, what right do you have to slander pure-bloods in front of me?!" Draco was so angry his face turned green; he had always taken pride in his pure-blood status. How could noble pure-blood families be slandered by a vulgar Mudblood?!
"Hey, Harry, Hermione! Big news, I saw big news... Huh? Damn it, why is Malfoy here too?" Ron came running from a distance with an excited look on his face, but his entire face fell as soon as he saw Draco.
"Don't mind him." Harry shook his head. "What news?"
"Look at this, the front page of the Daily Prophet today!" Ron took out the newspaper he was holding and spread it out in front of his companions.
At this time, Draco also stretched his neck, pretending to look over casually. However, the content of the headline hit him like a lightning strike. [The Killer in the Pollard Jera Family Incident Speaks Out, the Filth and Cruelty Behind Pure-Blood Families!]
If he had only seen the headline, Draco would have surely dismissed such news as the media slandering pure-bloods. But the key was that there were actual, confirmed photos below!
House-elves hanging in mid-air, a basement with an electric torture device, rows of cells that were chilling to behold, and the twisted, ferocious smiling face of Manilla Pollard Jera.
Such visual impact was truly shocking.
Even Draco was somewhat unable to recover. His Aunt Manilla, the paragon of lady-like behavior who always smiled and waved at him whenever they met... how could she be this kind of person?
If she had merely executed a criminal house-elf for family honor, it might have been understandable. But her motive was not for honor or belief at all.
This moving magical photograph, along with the vivid, playful expression on her face, fully demonstrated that she was doing it purely for amusement!
Unacceptable. For Draco, who was proud of his pure-blood heritage, this was utterly unacceptable!
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