The fact that Lupin was a werewolf was known only to a small handful of people, Draco among them.
To most wizards, werewolves were dangerous, non-human creatures known for mauling and killing humans. Because of that, werewolves—or wizards infected with lycanthropy—were despised and found it nearly impossible to fit into society.
But Draco knew how to deal with such beings, so he didn't see Lupin as a real threat.
At least, not within Hogwarts. Draco couldn't imagine Dumbledore ever allowing Lupin to transform before the students, much less giving him a chance to lose control and attack anyone. As for the risk of infection, it wasn't as simple as people thought. To become a werewolf, two conditions had to be met:
First, the transformation had to occur under a full moon, when the werewolf was in its transformed state.
Second, infection required contact between saliva and blood.
Only when both conditions were fulfilled could someone bitten become a werewolf. Simply put, as long as you stayed away from Professor Lupin on the night of the full moon, there was nothing to worry about.
Still, one had to wonder—why would Dumbledore go to such lengths and take such a risk to bring Lupin in as the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor?
Even with the Wolfsbane Potion keeping him in check, for the students, he was still a dangerous, unexploded bomb...
...
Tonight was the full moon—and also the day of Draco's Quidditch match.
Because of the game, Draco and his teammates had arrived early at the pitch to prepare.
Now they were waiting in the Slytherin locker room...
"You mean, have Goyle and Crabbe coordinate with me?"
"That's right. More specifically, their only task in this match is to interfere with the opposing Seeker."
"But if they do that, your side will be under huge pressure from the Bludgers. Are you sure that's fine?"
Standing before the tactics board, Draco didn't even look up, but Pansy immediately voiced her concern.
For once, she wasn't her confident self.
While the plan offered her support, it also came with a heavy burden. Pansy couldn't help but feel she was dragging the team down, and that this new strategy was Draco's way of compensating for her.
Last year's Quidditch season had ended abruptly due to the Basilisk incident, so this was Pansy's true debut match.
No wonder she was nervous...
In response to her hesitation, Draco flicked his fingers and gave her a light knock on the forehead.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
The entire team instantly averted their gazes, not daring to watch or even laugh.
Ignoring their reactions, Draco withdrew his hand, lowered his head slightly, and locked eyes with her.
"Who do you think I am?"
"..."
"I don't need you worrying about me."
His commanding tone and steady gaze made Pansy's cheeks flush, her eyes darting in confusion. Her shy expression left Goyle and Crabbe exchanging uneasy looks, silently wondering if they should make themselves scarce.
They didn't dare look again.
But a second later, Goyle and the rest shrank back even more, faces grim as if they'd rather Disapparate on the spot.
Because Draco had just said something that made Pansy's temper explode—
"Besides, I'm not counting on a rookie to secure our victory."
"..."
Pansy's bashful smile froze instantly.
Her large, glistening eyes filled with pure murderous intent...
…
"Let's welcome today's competing teams—the unexpected dark horse of the year, Hufflepuff!"
"And led by Draco Malfoy, the nine-time consecutive Quidditch Cup champions—Slytherin!!"
As always, Lee Jordan's energetic shout filled the air, mingling with the deafening cheers of Quidditch fans.
In the commentator's booth, another figure stood beside him—the specially invited Headmaster Dumbledore.
His presence was mainly due to the recent Dementor incident, prompting him to personally step in as a guest commentator for today's match.
No one was quite sure if Dumbledore actually understood Quidditch, but that didn't stop him from being a favorite among the students...
"First, let's give a warm welcome to today's special guest—our beloved Headmaster, Dumbledore!"
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Dumbledore rose from his seat, smiling as he waved to the crowd. His calm and reassuring presence only fueled the thunderous applause.
With Dumbledore here, the students no longer needed to worry about Dementors wandering nearby, so their enthusiastic welcome was well justified.
"Now, both teams are taking off! Let's hope for an exciting match today!"
As the two teams lifted into the air, the game officially began.
Draco, leading the green blur of Slytherin players, darted straight toward Hufflepuff's goal with lightning speed.
Even though everyone knew this opening play by heart, seeing it in action never failed to impress.
It was then that the audience noticed something odd—the Slytherin Beaters, who should have been focusing on the Bludgers, were instead targeting the opposing Seeker.
"Cedric's being shadowed by Vincent and the others—are they planning to mark him out completely? But if that's the case, the pressure on Draco... Well, in just the first thirty seconds of the game, Slytherin's powerhouse, Draco Malfoy, dodges the Bludger and scores the first goal with a clean side shot!!"
Hearing Lee Jordan's voice booming through the stands, Cedric—having just shaken off Goyle and his teammates—frowned.
"I expected this, but that was way too fast."
"Hmph, what's so surprising about that?"
The voice came from Pansy as she sped past him, her tone full of pride.
That confidence made Cedric glance briefly toward the sidelines, where a dark-haired witch was cheering fervently.
But just as Cedric leaned forward to accelerate again, the Quidditch Pitch received some unexpected guests.
Several Aurors. The Chief Auror.
And the Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge—whose recent actions had drawn heavy criticism...
...
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