Chapter 137: Interests, Undercurrents, and Hidden Mysteries

While Ciel was immersed in his stay within the little greenhouse, what happened here also spread throughout the castle. The little Hufflepuffs had just been reveling in the joy of making Quidditch history, when they immediately heard the news that Ciel would be detained for a full three weeks because Bozo Chalman had been severely injured in the little greenhouse. For a moment, Hufflepuff House was practically in uproar. "How can this be? What does this have to do with Ciel? I've heard of Bozo Chalman's name... isn't he always criticizing this and that in Herbology newspapers? Now he can't even handle the plants in the little greenhouse, gets injured, and Ciel still has to be detained? This isn't fair! Who made this decision?!" But upon hearing that it was Dumbledore who made this decision, and that even the detention spell was personally arranged by Dumbledore, with Professor Sprout unable to prevent it, the little Hufflepuffs couldn't help but become dejected. Cedric clenched his fists, feeling regret. He shouldn't have listened to Ciel then... he should have gathered the little Hufflepuffs to protest. As for whether it would affect his future entry into the Ministry, Cedric's gaze was resolute. If he didn't help friends just to avoid being a "troublemaker" and keep his record clean, that wouldn't be Cedric Diggory's style! But now, he sighed. He could only wait until after the review committee left to think of ways to get Ciel out. At this time, unlike Hufflepuff's sighing atmosphere, the originally gloomy Slytherin common room, which had been heavy with dark clouds due to the Quidditch match, immediately erupted in cheers upon hearing that the review committee had "forced" Dumbledore to compromise and make Ciel suffer three weeks of detention. Draco Malfoy's face flushed red. He completely abandoned any noble demeanor, jumped onto a table, and waved his fists. "I knew it!" He said smugly. "When my father comes, our Slytherin will be at peace. When my father comes, our Slytherin will have backing. My father is on the Board of Governors! Using those despicable methods against our Slytherin House... they must pay the price. So what about Dumbledore? He still has to listen to the Board of Governors!" Many of the surrounding little Slytherins had originally looked at him strangely because Malfoy had repeatedly suffered losses at Ciel's hands. But now, their expressions became respectful again. The Malfoy family was truly worthy of being representatives of pure-blood families. This presence... even Dumbledore had to yield. Then, while Draco Malfoy was still smugly boasting about how his father wouldn't let certain people off easy, Snape's voice came from the doorway. He said coldly, "Young Mr. Malfoy, I had intended to wait until you finished boasting before calling you. But I've already listened to you boast for a full three minutes. You'd better come down from the table quickly... your father is waiting for you in my office." Draco Malfoy's eyes lit up. He immediately jumped down from the table excitedly and ran out eagerly. "Father must still have good news for me. Just wait and see! To restore Slytherin's glory, I, Malfoy, will spare no effort!" Watching Draco Malfoy like this, Snape couldn't help but curl his lips, his expression somewhat strange. Restore Slytherin's glory? Perhaps others would take this matter to heart. But Lucius Malfoy? Snape knew him too well. This fellow had rarely involved himself in conflicts of pride since school. Compared to so-called glory, Lucius Malfoy cared more about tangible benefits. When necessary, even the dignity that pure-blood nobles valued more than life, Lucius Malfoy could abandon. Otherwise, how could he have escaped reckoning after the war, even managing to maneuver and make the Malfoy family rise again? That process required plenty of bowing and scraping. As for this Draco... His life had been too comfortable. It was time for him to be knocked down a peg. Leading Draco to the office door, Snape didn't enter, only saying coldly to Lucius Malfoy sitting inside. "You two talk. Thanks to you, I still have to deal with those stupid review committee members. Lucius, don't cause me such trouble again. Otherwise, our little friendship won't stop me from hitting you with a curse." Lucius laughed awkwardly. However, Draco Malfoy didn't mind his House Head's tone. As a Slytherin student, he could distinguish whether Snape was really angry. His House Head wouldn't casually say such things to people. This actually showed that his father and the House Head had a much deeper friendship than ordinary people. This made Draco Malfoy even more proud. He looked at Lucius excitedly. "Father, why did you call me?" Only then did Lucius's expression become serious. He said slowly, "Do you know what other punishment Ciel Sprout has besides three weeks of detention? At the end of the term, he has to patrol the Forbidden Forest for one night." Hearing about the Forbidden Forest, Draco Malfoy became even more excited. "I knew you wouldn't let him off so easily, Father! I heard the Forbidden Forest has everything... there are even werewolves there. That stupid little Hufflepuff might get eaten by something in there!" After Draco chattered for quite a while, Lucius Malfoy finally interrupted him. "At the end of the term, you need to find a reason. It could be deliberately breaking school rules or something else. In any case, you need to accompany Ciel in there." With these words, Draco's expression instantly froze. He momentarily wondered if there was something wrong with his ears. What was his father saying? Make him accompany Ciel into the Forbidden Forest?! After a long pause, Draco finally reacted, saying somewhat hysterically. "Why? Why should I accompany him to that hellish place in the Forbidden Forest?!" Lucius said calmly, "Because this incident will ultimately leave that boy with grievances. Although I gave him a spell, it probably can't completely reverse this bad impression. But if you're willing to accompany him into the Forbidden Forest and face danger together, then no matter what happened in the past, after one night, everything can start anew. He can become a friend of the Malfoy family, become your future support..." Before Lucius could finish, Draco couldn't accept it. "Friend? Support? No, Father, I won't do it. I can't accept it! I've fought him so many times... he knocked out my teeth, used Bubotuber pus against me, and made me suffer so much. Why should I try to please him?" Draco looked at Lucius with pleading eyes. In the past, this look had worked for anything. But this time, Draco was disappointed. Lucius's expression was resolute. Clearly, this had to be done. Draco's head lowered. He gritted his teeth. "Father. I'll do it." Then he raised his head again, his eyes red, his voice somewhat choked. "But I need to know why." Lucius sighed, touched Draco's head, and showed a guilty expression. "Because he has value worth doing this for, Draco. There are no eternal friends in this world, no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. Ciel Sprout... he could bring enormous returns, even help our Malfoy family survive future crises." Lucius's voice lowered as he gripped Draco's hand. "Child. I understand your feelings... I understand far better than you. I've bowed my head many more times than you. Even in places you can't see, I've groveled. But precisely because I bowed and groveled, now you can hold your head high and smugly speak of Malfoy family glory." As he said this, his mind conjured the image of that letter that had appeared at Malfoy Manor. The Dark Mark on his arm seemed to ache faintly again, bringing bone-deep fear and unease. Lucius unconsciously tightened his grip. "I don't know if I'll still be able to guide you in the future. You need to start learning now, child." Draco stared blankly at his father. He suddenly discovered that the wrinkles on his father's face seemed deeper than in his memory. Deep worry shrouded his father's face. Draco's eyes stung. "I'll learn, Father." At this time, he thought of something and hesitated. "What about Harry Potter? He's the Boy Who Lived... should I also maintain good relations with him?" Lucius showed a gratified smile but shook his head. "No. Draco. You can continue being the Boy Who Lived's insignificant enemy. Being the Boy Who Lived's friend often brings danger. But being the Boy Who Lived's enemy is much safer." Draco nodded with half-understanding. After Lucius asked him some questions about school life, he let Draco leave. However, before Draco left, Lucius seemed to remember something. His expression grave, he warned. "Draco. During this time, don't go out at night. Absolutely don't. There might be something terrible in the castle... I don't want you to encounter it, not even a one-in-ten-thousand chance." Draco Malfoy shuddered deeply. From his father's tone, he sensed a fear that penetrated to the bone. At this moment, in the Forbidden Forest, a shrill whinny echoed. Silver blood fell on the snow, more brilliant than the snow itself. A beautiful creature lay stiffly on the ground. Its silvery-white fur still retained its luster... clearly it had just died. This was a unicorn. At this time, a figure in a black hood emerged from the shadows of nearby trees. Like a starving ghost seeing a feast, he pounced forward. He didn't even have time to use his wand, instead using his mouth to viciously tear open the unicorn's wound. Letting that cursed blood flow into his body. His weak body finally received replenishment through the unicorn blood's power. Quirrell made sounds of satisfaction. Voldemort's rare praise also echoed in his mind. "Well done. Quirrell. Killing a unicorn... that's not something ordinary people can do." Quirrell's face also showed a joyful smile. "To serve my master, I must give my all." Then Quirrell said urgently, "Master. I plan to write another letter to Lucius Malfoy. Have him find some reason to hold a review meeting or something to tie up Dumbledore, preferably restraining other professors too. Tonight, while the unicorn blood's effect is still at its peak, I'll steal the Philosopher's Stone." Voldemort asked in a deep voice, "Are you confident?" Quirrell's eyes were full of confidence. "The most troublesome three-headed dog... I've already tricked the method to get past it from Hagrid. As for the rest, I've known about them long ago. Devil's Snare? Flying keys? Wizard's chess? And some logic puzzle..." He laughed. "Child's play. I won't even need five minutes to break through all those obstacles." Hearing this, Voldemort also spoke, his voice full of anticipation. "Then let's act, Quirrell. If you succeed, you'll get everything you want. When necessary, I'll give you some help." Quirrell's face was full of desire, as if he could already see himself standing at the pinnacle of the magical world. As for the obstacles before the Philosopher's Stone, except for the three-headed dog, Quirrell didn't care about them at all. "After the three-headed dog is Devil's Snare? Mere Devil's Snare... what could it possibly block? Tonight, I will change this magical world!" Night fell. In Hogwarts castle, treacherous undercurrents surged. Some Board members were thinking about how to profit from this academic review. Others just wanted to protect themselves, not offending either side. In the Gryffindor common room, ever since learning about the Philosopher's Stone, the trio of Harry couldn't sleep through the night. In the Slytherin dormitory, Draco stared at the ceiling, his mind constantly replaying what his father had said to him during the day. Repeatedly thinking. "Interests, bowing heads." Then came a long sigh. However, all of this had nothing to do with Ciel in the little greenhouse. At this moment, his eyes lit up with excited brilliance. After studying Serpensortia for an entire day, he finally understood why Dumbledore said this spell would benefit his Transfiguration. Now, after Professor McGonagall's explanation, he already had a clear understanding of the theoretical framework in the field of Transfiguration. Gamp's Transfiguration corresponds to magical form changes. And Toleran Transfiguration corresponds to magical nature changes. These were the two major categories of Transfiguration. But to solve practical problems, one certainly couldn't rely only on theoretical frameworks. Just like in his past life, though subjects could be divided into Sciences, Engineering, Liberal Arts, etc., to solve specific problems, one needed more detailed directional knowledge. For example, to do accounting, one needed Accounting from Liberal Arts. To build bridges, one needed Structural Mechanics from Engineering. Transfiguration was the same. Under the two major theoretical frameworks of Gamp's and Toleran Transfiguration, there were also more branches created to solve practical problems. Serpensortia was representative of one such branch... Conjuring from Nothing. From nothing, conjure serpents! Mastering it meant that as research deepened, it would also be possible to conjure more things besides snakes. Such as shields, swords, ropes... Ciel's mind flashed with inspiration. Various details of this spell emerged in his mind. The next moment, he raised his wand from bottom to top, then thrust it forward. "Serpensortia!" [Chapter Complete] *** Want more? 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