Chapter 188: 188: The Thoughts of Young Ladies - Part Three

Words : 1350 Updated : Oct 8th, 2025

"So, which electives did you two choose?" Cho sipped her butterbeer, her movements elegant and refined, as if she had the very word graceful written across her face. A knowing smile played on her lips as she glanced at Eve. "I'm guessing Nolan didn't let you take Muggle Studies, did he?" "You guessed right." Eve shrugged. "He said that class is completely useless—that I'd be better off taking History of Magic instead." Cho pressed her lips together, stifling a laugh. "We all know there's only one subject that the great Nolan Von Draugr is terrible at," she teased. "And that would be History of Magic." Nolan shot her a sidelong glance, his tone flat. "I'm not bad at it," he corrected, voice calm but defensive. "I just don't see the point in wasting time on it." The way he said it—so utterly unconvincing—made the two girls exchange amused glances. For a boy who was practically flawless at everything, his unwillingness to acknowledge a weakness was... kind of adorable. At least, Eve and Cho thought so. "Alright, alright." Cho lifted her hands in surrender, though her lips twitched with amusement. "I just wonder if I'll ever live to see the day you let go of your grudge against Professor Binns." "I don't have a grudge against him," Nolan stated firmly. "I don't believe a class is bad just because it's taught by a ghost. The real problem is that even if a living professor taught it, it would still put everyone to sleep. The subject itself is flawed. Magic history is the issue." "You're literally the only person who thinks that, Nolan," Eve muttered, rolling her eyes. Cho smiled, swirling the butterbeer in her goblet. "There's an old saying from my country," she mused. "'Studying history gives one wisdom.'" Nolan gave his glass of tomato juice a bored swirl. "I have no idea what that means," he muttered. "You know how it is—historical figures always loved sounding profound. But I have no clue how these so-called wise quotes even managed to survive through the ages." Eve and Cho exchanged a knowing look. "He definitely has a bias against history," Eve whispered. "I don't mind real history," Nolan said, leaning back in his chair. "I just refuse to waste my time on fake history. And I can guarantee you—less than twenty percent of what's in A History of Magic is actually true." He gave a careless shrug. "That's just how history books work." "Fine, fine," Cho sighed. She was used to dealing with his stubbornness. "Let's drop the history talk. What electives did you two actually take? Let me guess—Ancient Runes?" Eve held up a finger. "Correct! But then again... that wasn't really a guess, was it?" She giggled. "Nolan's been preaching about how amazing and useful Ancient Runes is since first year. Everyone knows that by now—even Filch is aware that he's the biggest Ancient Runes enthusiast in Hogwarts." "Even though he probably doesn't understand a single word of it," Nolan added with a smirk. "But I bet if Filch knew that learning Runes could help him create a self-cleaning broom, he'd be first in line to sign up." "And your second elective?" Cho asked, curious. "Arithmancy," Nolan replied. "Oh, damn it!" Cho facepalmed. "I thought for sure you two would take Divination!" Nolan tilted his head slightly, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity. "So you chose Ancient Runes and Divination?" "If you wanted the same electives as us, why didn't you just send me an owl?" he asked. "I'm fairly certain your owl knows how to find me. After all, it already crossed all of England once, two years ago, during its little adventure." Cho lowered her gaze, suddenly fiddling with her fingers. "...I didn't have much free time this summer." Nolan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Because of your sister?" Cho's head snapped up in surprise. "You... met her?" "Where?" "London," Nolan said plainly. "She was with a group of girls from her boarding school, hanging out at a burger shop. I ran into her while taking Ligeitoli to Ireland. Her attitude was... unpleasant. Miss Bai has bottled up a lot of frustration because she wasn't chosen by Hogwarts. That pressure is starting to eat away at her innocence." "I thought so too..." Cho's voice was tinged with sadness. "Bai resents me. She even pushes Mom away. She thinks it's Mom's fault she didn't get into Hogwarts—because Dad is a wizard and Mom is a Muggle. She keeps saying that if Dad had married a witch, things would've been different. Mom hates hearing it." Eve's expression darkened. "Your sister shouldn't think like that! If your dad had married a witch, then you and Bai wouldn't even exist!" Nolan, however, remained unfazed. "You can't use logic to argue with women," he said matter-of-factly, swirling his drink. "Especially young girls who aren't mentally mature yet." Oh dear. Our little vampire was trying to console Cho in his own awkward way, but instead, he had offended both young witches. The next thing he knew—he was getting the cold shoulder. "Oh? Are we irrational, then?" "Mr. Von Draugr, perhaps I should suggest you reconsider your views on women?" Nolan clicked his tongue, sensing the shift in atmosphere. Without another word, he got up from his chair and retreated toward the lakeside. He took over Cho's unfinished task—tossing bread crumbs to the merpeople. Eve and Cho watched his back as he walked away, then exchanged a knowing smile. Eve sighed, shaking her head. "He's always so awkward and clueless during the daytime." "And yet at night..." Cho's gaze grew dreamy, almost dazed. "At night, he becomes sharp, romantic... and mysteriously alluring." She let out a soft breath. "It's unfair. No gentleman should be that charming, both day and night. I doubt any proper lady could ever resist him." Their goblets clinked together in agreement, a quiet toast to the bewitching enigma that was Nolan Von Draugr. "Speaking of which, do you know a first-year girl has been trying to get close to Nolan?" Eve smirked. "I have no idea what's going through her head—she's only eleven, maybe even younger!" Cho chuckled. "We don't exactly have the right to judge her, do we? We used to follow Nolan around when we were first-years too." A nostalgic look crossed her face. "I was so young back then. I didn't even understand what love was... But looking back, it was all Nolan's fault." She sighed dramatically. "He's always had a way of attracting girls—it seems to be second nature to him." "You're absolutely right." Eve, of course, agreed. She knew what Nolan possessed—a rare racial ability. Charm. Or, more precisely—the innate ability to attract others. It was a power all vampires possessed. Though Nolan constantly claimed he was suppressing it, the consequences were still very, very noticeable. Cho stared at his back, her eyes flickering with indecision. Finally, she took a breath and whispered hesitantly— "Eve... I think your relationship with Nolan has changed." Eve blinked. "What makes you say that?" Cho inhaled deeply. "Last term, you two seemed like good friends. But this term, you're a lot closer. You don't even hesitate when it comes to physical contact anymore. Have you two..." She trailed off before finishing in a quiet, uncertain voice— "Have you two... moved beyond friendship?" Eve slowly set down her goblet. She straightened her back, looking Cho in the eyes. "If I said yes... what would you do?" Cho held her gaze for a long time. Then, finally—she exhaled like a deflated balloon. "I... don't know." Her voice was small. "Maybe... maybe it's time for me to give up. I missed my best chance over the summer, didn't I?" "Who knows?" Eve murmured. ~~~---------------------- Patreon Advance Chapters: patreon .com / HPdreame

Chapter 188: 188: The Thoughts of Young Ladies - Part Three

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