Chapter 194: Draco: A Club?

Draco Malfoy's recent days have been difficult. In fact, the signs of this started last semester— Ever since he attempted to ambush Ravenclaw's Wade Grey with some help, only to be nearly scared into tears by a swarm of bugs, some people have been less willing to side with him. By this semester, Draco felt he hadn't really done anything wrong, but one by one, his friends began to drift away. Even Crabbe and Goyle, those two fools, started publicly turning against him. The Quidditch team had been going fairly well because his father donated a batch of broomsticks, so the others had been trying to please him. But as a Seeker, he lost to Gryffindor in the match. Especially when... the Golden Snitch was right next to him, and he did nothing, allowing Harry Potter to seize the opportunity and catch it. Draco felt wronged. Because Potter had cunningly feigned an attempt to knock him off his broom, distracting him just enough that he didn't notice the Snitch's location. However, his teammates did not accept his explanation. Flint even mocked, "That Snitch almost flew right up under your nose—what else does it need to do to get your attention?" Montague and other team members all laughed. Derrick said, "A good Seeker needs not only a good broom, but also a good pair of eyes. Isn't that right, Draco?" Malfoy used to think that Harry Potter was probably the most annoying person in the world, simply because he ignored his attempts to get on his good side and even mocked him. But when Draco truly faced others' malice, he realized those little contradictions were nothing compared to this. Draco slammed the book shut, and the pages made a sound like a scream. The title "Magick Moste Evile" on the cover slowly turned red, and even oozed blood. He habitually wiped the blood off his fingertips, and no longer recoiled with disgust like he had the first time. "So, you got the wrong target," he said to the person next to him. "I used to hate Potter, that's true. But now, compared to Potter, I'd rather give Crabbe and Goyle a lesson." Behind him stood his house-elf, Dobby. The elf was wearing a ragged, dirty pillowcase, with large ears that seemed recently burned, and his forehead and thin arms were covered in scars. Dobby bent down and said in his high-pitched squeaking voice: "Dobby doesn't understand why Master Malfoy is unhappy that Dobby attacked Harry Potter, but Master asked Dobby to help Master Malfoy." "Hmph." Draco grumbled unhappily. "If my father really wants to help me, he should take back the broomsticks he sponsored for the team!" Dobby blinked his tennis ball-sized eyes and said pitifully, "Master thinks that cannot be done, Master believes it would harm the Malfoy family's reputation." "Forget it, anyway, I've gotten my revenge!" Draco smugly patted "Magick Moste Evile" and loudly declared, "Did you see that? I only learned a couple of spells, and I had those guys running in circles! They still have no idea what happened!" He pushed the photos of the other people in the dorm off the table, stepped on them a few times, adjusted his collar, and cast a contemptuous glance at the house-elf who had its head hanging low. "I should go visit my injured roommates! You clean this up, don't go outside and get caught, and don't let me see you!" Draco put away his wand, hid the spellbook, then slammed the door and left. As soon as he entered the common room and saw the others, Draco's expression darkened. Without saying a word, he passed through the doorway and headed to the infirmary. Today, several of his roommates had been sent there. Crabbe and Goyle had attacked others, but they didn't know the Shield Charm and were knocked out by other students' counter spells, leaving them with bloody heads. Thinking about the miserable state of his roommates, Draco's mood of being excluded recently improved a little. ... In the dormitory, Dobby watched Draco leave, almost eagerly walking to the door and reaching for the handle. Then his hand started to tremble. [Don't go outside!] Draco's casual words were an unbreakable command to Dobby. Dobby quickly withdrew his hand, then suddenly slammed his head against the wall! "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby! Trying to disobey Master's orders! Bad Dobby!" After slamming his head a few times, he seemed to feel a bit better, and with his buzzing head, he swayed as he turned to start cleaning up. The photos were returned to their proper places, followed by the ruined curtains, bed sheets, pillows, and wardrobe... Today, there were no other students in the dormitory. Draco had vented his pent-up anger, and wrecked the place completely. Luckily, he hadn't used dark magic in this space, so cleaning up wasn't too difficult for Dobby. Dobby didn't spend much time on his work. He covered his growling stomach, glanced at the snacks on the table, but still didn't dare to sneak a bite. Draco hadn't intended for him to go hungry. The young master hadn't even considered the need to prepare food for his own slave, as he never had to worry about such trivial matters at home. Earlier, Dobby had stolen Scurvy grass from the Malfoy family's warehouse. He didn't cover his tracks properly, and as a result, it was exposed that he had attacked Harry Potter in the maze. Of course, no one would have thought that Dobby did this to protect the victim who almost died. The Malfoy father and son naturally believed that Dobby must have heard Draco repeatedly complaining about Potter and his friends over the summer, so he took it upon himself to seek revenge for his master. Lucius Malfoy punished Dobby for acting without permission, but both Lucius and Draco believed Dobby to be very loyal and full of initiative. As a result, when Draco later complained to his father about being bullied by his classmates, Lucius sent Dobby to Hogwarts to protect his son. Lucius, being a School Governor of Hogwarts, had his house-elf bypass the school's protective enchantments and enter the castle, which was like a fortress. However, since arriving at Hogwarts, Dobby's actions had been greatly restricted. His master ordered him not to leave the dormitory casually, and whenever he went out to do something, he was to return immediately, without being seen by anyone or any other house-elves. At the same time, Draco ordered the castle's house-elves not to enter his dormitory or touch any of his personal belongings. Dobby, of course, was considered one of his "personal belongings." Dobby took care of all the cleaning in the dormitory, and no one else noticed. The other house-elves in the castle naturally noticed the change, but Lucius had told him that house-elves would never report such a small change to the school authorities. They were tools of the castle, tasked only with cleaning, preparing food, and obeying orders. They had no authority to "gather information, monitor students, or maintain order." Draco, while hiding Dobby, wasn't worried at all. He looked at the professors and others who knew nothing about it, and even felt a sense of superiority. "What's the point of all those school rules?" Draco thought smugly. "As long as I want, the school is no match for me... those professors are all fools!" He had no idea that among the seemingly naive and eager-to-please house-elves in the castle, more than one actually wanted to "do something" on their own. ... "The student won't let Maggie clean the dormitory, but Maggie overheard," Maggie said, showing his big ears. "Maggie has the best hearing, and can hear from far away." "Thank you, Maggie," Wade said. "I'll find a way to meet that house-elf." "Wade Grey, be careful," Maggie said seriously. "That house-elf is very powerful... stronger than Maggie." "I'll be careful," Wade thought for a moment and asked, "Maggie, of all the house-elves in the castle, whose magic is the strongest?" "Of course, it's Ralph," Maggie said. "Ralph?" "He is over 160 years old, the oldest and the strongest," Maggie explained. "He tells us what to do." Wade understood. That Ralph is probably the leader of all the house-elves? He must be the one assigning tasks to the house-elves, and maybe even responsible for teaching them. 160 years old... older than Dumbledore... Although house-elves can live up to 200 years, in reality, there aren't many that live that long. Some house-elves, as they get older, are considered by their masters to be no longer capable of providing quality service, and are thus ordered to end their lives prematurely. For example, in the former Black family. Most house-elves' lifespans and magical abilities are affected because they haven't been treated well since birth. A 160-year-old Ralph, Wade was quite interested in talking to him. That house-elf must have witnessed many events that could be considered historical. ... The next day, the fight among Slytherin students spread throughout the school. Everyone was surprised because Slytherin was usually known for its unity, second only to Hufflepuff. In contrast, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw often had internal conflicts. Of course, this wasn't because the Slytherins were all friendly and united, but because they were really good at "covering things up"—even if they were fighting fiercely in the common room, they wouldn't show it outside the house. This gave the impression that the Slytherins were always in it together, supporting each other. So when this rare event occurred, students from the other three houses couldn't contain their curiosity. Groups of them rushed to the hospital wing, claiming to have headaches, coughs, insomnia, or anxiety, but their real purpose was to catch a glimpse of the few Slytherins lying in the beds. Most of the second-year Slytherin boys were in there, and even two first-years were involved. Outside the ward, Gryffindors were laughing loudly as they claimed to be dizzy, making it hard for anyone to miss them. The Slytherins' faces were hard to read as the chaotic crowd came and went. They had drawn the curtains around their beds, but even though the Gryffindors were just watching the curtains, they seemed to take great pleasure in it. After class, Draco came to visit his roommates, intending to take some amusement from their miserable state. However, before he could even reach the hospital door, he encountered several Gryffindors, arm-in-arm, laughing loudly as they walked down the corridor. Draco's face immediately darkened. Then, he stood at a distance and watched the students who found excuses to sneak into the hospital wing, until they were finally chased away by the increasingly intolerant Madam Pomfrey. Suddenly, a hand rested on his shoulder. "Did you see that, Draco?" Sixth-year Fawley whispered, "Do you know why we Slytherins need to stick together? Because if we fall apart, our enemies will just look down on us and laugh loudly, no one will sympathize, and no one will offer a hand." "What do you mean?" Draco frowned. Next to him, Yaxley said coldly, "When you hurt your own companions, you think you've gained a brief, vengeful satisfaction." Fawley continued, "But when you look back, you'll realize you're just one of the ones being laughed at and despised." "Because you're a Slytherin." "Because we are Slytherins." "Admit it, Draco. We come from Slytherin, and in the eyes of many, that's an original sin!" "Even though the Sorting Hat made the choice for us, in these seven years at school, and throughout our future lives, no one will raise their voice about the injustice we face." "Slytherins are born bad, haven't you heard that before?" "To restore the honor of Slytherin, to restore the glory of pure-blood wizards, we can't afford petty fights and infighting. We must unite and fight for the rights we deserve!" Fawley and the other students exchanged looks, and Draco had forgotten the words he intended to say. His heart wavered with the force of their words, and finally, he couldn't help but ask: "So, what should we do?" The others exchanged glances, someone smiled and nodded. "Come with me, Draco." Fawley clapped a hand on Draco's shoulder and said as they walked, "To face the harsh reality, we like-minded people have formed a club, and I think you might be interested in joining..." The two spoke quietly, and with the crowd of Slytherin students surrounding them, they walked off into the distance. The corridor immediately became empty. Soon, a figure gradually appeared, as if a magical eraser had been wiped across the wall, revealing him. Wade frowned slightly as he watched the Slytherins disappear around the corner. "Alright..." he muttered to himself. "You've only read a series of novels; it's impossible to know everything about this world." The good news was that since Malfoy was taken to join some club, he probably wouldn't return to the dormitory anytime soon, which was perfect timing for Wade to go see Dobby. With this thought, Wade walked down the corridor for a while and then suddenly called out, "Maggie?" From behind a nearby pillar, a small figure appeared. Maggie peeked out at him and whispered, "I'm here, Wade Grey." "Please listen to what they're saying, alright?" Wade asked. "This isn't an order... if it will make you uncomfortable, then forget it." Maggie softly asked, "Is Wade Grey worried they are up to something bad?" Wade replied, "How did the first Death Eaters get recruited by Voldemort?" The mention of that name made Maggie shiver, and he immediately bowed. "Maggie understands, Wade Grey." -------------------------------- ????????Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!! Your support is greatly appreciated! Available on my P@treon page for just $4!! Early access to the following translations:- ⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +177 Chapters & 2 Chapters/Day ⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460 ⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters ⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450 [email protected]/Lightreaper457 --------------------------------