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Chapter 258 — The Almost-Killed Copycat Cat
Kassandra's anger rose almost instantly.
Malfoy, as usual, made it worse.
"Those Crabbe and Goyle just now were actually Harry Potter and Weasley under Polyjuice Potion. Ridiculous! They really thought they could fool me. We have charm-tokens to sense each other's presence. When I watched their behaviour, I immediately thought of Potter's scar—and sure enough, the scar turned grey. I knew it!"
Kassandra stared at him, stunned.
For a moment she even wondered whether Malfoy… liked Harry Potter?
That would explain why he treated Darren kindly.
If someone liked Harry Potter, being good to Harry Potter's brother might seem normal.
But the heir of the Malfoy family… having that kind of hobby?
"I do NOT!" Malfoy snapped.
"I only pick fights with Scar-Head because I can't stand him. And I'm good to Darren because… because… why are all of you staring at me?"
Kassandra eyed him with suspicion.
Or maybe this guy liked Darren instead?
Her expression became wary.
Malfoy ground his teeth.
"Fine! I swear—if I have any special feelings for either of them, I'm a dog!"
The surrounding girls snorted.
"Childish."
"We're not swearing with you."
"What you don't like has nothing to do with us."
"We should show you to the door, Mr. Malfoy."
They strutted away dramatically.
Malfoy looked at Kassandra with wounded eyes.
She shrugged.
"Threaten me when you can beat me."
His face darkened again.
"Hmph. You're welcome. I only told you that something's off with Darren. But at least I got something out of it—I showed him the newspaper about Weasley's father being fined. His expression was priceless."
Kassandra barely listened.
She was too annoyed.
Why had that stupid guy let someone impersonate him to enter Slytherin?
And why could that Miss-Everything open his dormitory door?
The anger followed her all the way to Darren's dorm. She pushed the door—
It opened.
Why? She distinctly remembered the Headmaster saying only those Darren approved could enter.
Had he approved half the school now?
She closed the door again, exasperated.
If this continued, the entire Slytherin House might soon be able to walk into his room.
And still—that idiot had allowed someone to impersonate him? Using his identity to sneak into Slytherin?
She sat in the common room to wait for him, only to learn that Darren had been sent to the Hospital Wing.
Because he'd drunk something.
How could Darren, of all people, drink alcohol?
Then she remembered the cup Miss-All-Talents had handed him at the feast.
Was that wine?
Unbelievable.
So Darren had been carried to the Hospital Wing… by her.
Amazing.
Hopefully he'd be more careful next time.
As for Kassandra?
She was just an ordinary classmate.
What could she do against Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, the stupid guy's best friends?
Her heart sank.
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Meanwhile, Darren had locked himself away ever since his article in the Wizengamot Press was published. Except for classes, he stayed in his dorm.
Firstly, he was brewing a potion intended to help Squibs gain magical ability—he needed to finish it quickly.
Secondly, he was studying how to infiltrate the Gryffindor common room quietly.
After several days he concluded that unless he learned to swim through the pipes at night or became an Animagus, it wouldn't happen.
Animagus transformation wasn't possible yet.
He was hoping the system would eventually grant him Master Transfiguration so he could transform into anything.
So he prepared for night-time wandering instead.
His Invisibility Cloak had reappeared in his closet—Rozier had secretly returned it the moment she committed to following him.
Notably, Rozier had almost killed his copycat cat, Lezi.
She'd thought the cat suspicious for "stealing her master's things" and had tried to eliminate it.
Thankfully, the copycat cat couldn't truly die.
It returned safely, which also meant Darren learned he'd nearly lost it.
Rozier hadn't told him, convinced he wouldn't want to know.
Fortunately, Lezi forgot everything quickly.
Otherwise it would have been furious.
But that was another matter.
Tonight Darren was planning to put on the Invisibility Cloak.
He just hoped he wouldn't end up stuck outside until morning—otherwise rumours that Harry Potter's brother had been captured by Death Eaters would spread across Hogwarts by noon.
Regardless, he needed to prepare.
If he failed to return in time, he needed his dormitory to look convincingly like he had spent the night researching.
His "Holy Father" image had to be maintained.
Even if he returned successfully, someone still needed to see his dormitory soon and believe he'd been studying intensely.
Darren took out several cauldrons filled with half-finished potions.
He'd brewed them during idle hours.
Their only purpose was to make everything look believable.
He couldn't suddenly produce a completed potion overnight—it would raise suspicion.
His squib-to-wizard potion needed to look like a long-term research project.
For realism, he even left his hair uncombed for the past two days, giving himself a perpetually exhausted look. Everywhere he walked, he carried a book.
A few professors had already warned him to "balance work and rest", claiming he was "oppressing himself".
"…I need more books to scatter around," he muttered.
But not new books—that would look unnatural.
They needed to look well-used and heavily read.
Which meant he needed the system's help.
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[Ding. Aging a stack of books requires 500 Holy Father Value.]
If the host wishes to transform the entire dormitory into the appearance of a research-obsessed, sleep-deprived potion maniac, it requires 5000 Holy Father Value.]
Which option does the host choose?
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