Chapter 187: He's a Slytherin, After All
Chapter 187: He's a Slytherin, After All
As Kyle and Connor walked towards the castle, chatting, they happened to cross paths with Hagrid, who was in the process of carrying a spruce tree into the castle.
"Are you off class now?" Hagrid poked his head out from the branches, a smile spreading across his face. "You should head to the Great Hall. It's truly something to behold."
"We can wait," Kyle said as he drew closer, glancing at the tree. "Is there more? We can help you carry them."
"No need, this is the last one," Hagrid assured him, winking. "I didn't forget about Christmas this year, thanks to you, Kyle."
"You forgot about Christmas?" Connor asked, confused by the statement. "How could you forget about Christmas... I mean, the Great Hall was decorated so beautifully last year."
"Yes, well... for certain reasons, that didn't go as planned," Hagrid mumbled, his face falling slightly. "But thankfully, with Kyle's help, we managed to get things ready in time."
Losing his memory was too embarrassing to admit, and Hagrid didn't want too many people knowing about this particular low point in his life, so he tried to brush it off with vague explanations.
Fortunately, Connor didn't press the issue further.
They continued into the castle together, but they had only taken a few steps when Hagrid suddenly stopped.
Just as Kyle was about to question this, he heard Harry and Ron's voices coming from ahead.
"Hey Hagrid, need a hand with that?"
"Where are you taking such a huge tree?"
"No thanks, I'm fine. Thanks, Ron," Hagrid replied, poking his head out from the branches.
"Could you move aside? You're blocking the way," a cold, drawling voice, unmistakably Malfoy's, interrupted. "Are you trying to earn some pocket money, Weasley? I bet you're hoping to end up as a gamekeeper here after you graduate from Hogwarts, aren't you?"
Ron's face reddened, and he clenched his fists, turning angrily as if he were about to throw a punch at Malfoy's smug face. Crabbe and Goyle stepped forward, anticipating a confrontation.
However, Malfoy wasn't intimidated; instead, he looked rather pleased. But just as he was about to say something else...
"I think you should apologize to Ron, Draco. And stop drawing out your words like that; it makes you sound petty," a voice interjected.
"Who... who dares meddle in my business!" Malfoy exclaimed, his eyebrows knitting together as he looked past Hagrid.
He wanted to see who dared to suggest he apologize to a Weasley, and to imply that he, Draco Malfoy, was being petty in front of Harry Potter, no less!
Drawing out his words was something he had picked up from Professor Snape, so to call him petty was to insinuate the same of the esteemed professor!
How dare they!
"Crabbe, Goyle, teach them a lesson..." Malfoy began, but his voice trailed off as he recognized the speaker, and his tone changed abruptly. "... and get our friend Kyle some treats."
He hadn't expected to run into Kyle here, along with that girl... Connor Prince, if he recalled correctly.
Malfoy remembered how, just a week ago, Marcus of the Quidditch team had been taken away by Professor Snape mid-meal and put in detention for calling her Kyle's little sidekick.
Three days of dealing with Flobberworms in the dungeons.
To be fair, Malfoy hadn't been sure if that particular detention was related to the girl, so he had made some inquiries.
And what he found out astonished him—Professor Snape had been giving this Hufflepuff girl extra points in every class!
"No more treats, Draco," Crabbe blurted out.
"Yeah, we finished them all," Goyle added hastily.
"You..." Malfoy sputtered, his anger rising.
Most of the expensive candies his father had sent had ended up in Crabbe and Goyle's pockets, and now they dared to say they were all out? Not to mention their blatant attempt to hide it from others.
"Come on, hand them over..." Malfoy demanded, feeling humiliated in front of the others. "Or else I won't be sharing next time."
Crabbe and Goyle scowled but reluctantly produced a candy each, their hands trembling as they passed them to Draco.
"You..." Malfoy's face darkened even further, his stinginess evident. He stepped forward and grabbed a handful of candies from each of their pockets, turning to stuff them into Kyle's hands.
Crabbe and Goyle stood there, petrified, their mouths hanging open as their eyes lost their luster.
In that moment when Malfoy took the candies, they felt like their world had come crashing down.
"Thanks, Draco..." Kyle said with a smile, taking the candies from Crabbe and Goyle as well.
"And thank you too, Crabbe, Goyle. Oh, Screaming Soda Pops, I was just craving some of these."
"Oh!" Crabbe let out a strange cry, almost fainting on the spot.
As for Goyle... he had already fainted the moment Kyle took his last candy.
Malfoy paid no heed to his embarrassed minions. He straightened his clothes and approached with a smile, "It's nice to see you here, Kyle. Oh, and Miss Prince, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Draco Malfoy of Slytherin."
"Hello," Connor replied curtly, her usual demeanor towards strangers.
"In fact, I was just about to look for you, Draco," Kyle stepped forward, holding out a translucent snake-shaped bracelet that glowed with a soft green light. "This is what you asked for. I took the liberty of engraving the Malfoy family crest on it. Have a look and let me know if you're not satisfied, and I can modify it."
"Satisfied... of course, I'm satisfied!"
Malfoy had only intended to get rid of Kyle quickly, but upon seeing the item in Kyle's hand, he immediately forgot about Harry.
The bracelet was even more exquisite, elegant, and intricate than he had imagined, especially with the Malfoy family crest on the snake's body. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it.
"How much extra for the crest engraving? I'll pay you now."
"No need, Draco. The 100 galleons you gave me earlier are more than enough." Kyle smiled, "As our loyal customer, consider this a complimentary gift."
"Thanks... this is amazing!"
"Won't you try it out on the Quidditch pitch?" Kyle suggested with a grin.
"Ah, yes, yes..." Malfoy finally caught on, ignoring Crabbe and Goyle for the moment as he rushed towards the Quidditch pitch.
It wasn't until he had left the castle that the others snapped out of their daze.
"Kyle... you're actually on such good terms with Malfoy...?" Ron exclaimed in disbelief, "He's a Slytherin."
(End of Chapter)
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