Chapter 7: Malfoy on the Train

"Thanks for the heads-up, but I'd say sincerity is a person's greatest weapon, don't you think?" Edward flashed a genuine smile as he spoke. Daphne froze, completely caught off guard by his response. She'd imagined this handsome boy would lash out, lose his temper, throw some sarcasm, or maybe fire back with a biting remark. But thanking her? That was the last thing she expected. *Sincerity as a weapon? Is this guy's head screwed on right?* Daphne stared at him, at a loss for words. "Hmph, sincerity," she finally scoffed after a moment, turning to gaze out the window, saying nothing more. Edward caught the shift in her demeanor instantly. *Oh, doesn't know what to say now? Seems like she's got a bit of a tsundere streak.* "By the way, that brooch of yours is really nice. Thanks for supporting my mom's design," Edward added, smoothly changing the subject. He nodded toward the laurel-shaped brooch on Daphne's chest, glinting faintly gold in the sunlight. "What? Your mom—" Daphne's eyes widened as she unpinned the brooch and flipped it over. *Designed by Ms. Anne Morgan.* The words materialized on the back. Daphne's cheeks flushed hot. She'd just taken a jab at Edward's parents, and now it turned out the brooch she was wearing was designed by his mother. Talk about slapping her own face. "It can change into different shapes based on my thoughts. I just picked it up in Diagon Alley. Ms. Morgan's got decent taste," Daphne mumbled under her breath, turning her head to hide her embarrassment. She flipped open *Standard Spells, Grade 1* to the page on the Levitation Charm. But inside, her mind was anything but calm. *Why did I have to say that? Why did I even come into this compartment?* Regret gnawed at her. Edward's lips curled into a slight smile. He could practically read her thoughts. He opened his *Knight's Manual of Magic* and went back to reading. The compartment fell quiet again, both of them absorbed in their books, until noisy footsteps echoed from outside. "Look who we have here!" Draco Malfoy's annoying face poked through the door. Behind him trailed two unimpressive, somewhat dim-looking boys, like a pair of bodyguards. He yanked the compartment door open. "I was hoping to find the famous Harry Potter in one of these compartments, but look who I ran into instead," Malfoy sneered. His gaze shifted to Daphne. "And you, Daphne, sitting with a pure-blood traitor like him? What, got a crush on this pretty boy?" "Draco, I thought Mr. Lucius hired you a top-notch etiquette tutor, but now I'm starting to think it was just a troll in disguise," Daphne shot back, slamming her book shut and glaring at him like an arrow ready to strike. Malfoy was momentarily speechless. The Greengrasses and Malfoys were old family friends, but he'd never been able to get the upper hand in a verbal spar with Daphne. He opened his mouth awkwardly, then decided to turn his attention to Edward instead. Edward had been quiet, mostly because he was trying not to laugh. Daphne's comeback was brutal, and he had to give her credit. "Something funny? At school, you won't have your parents to hide behind. I'd suggest keeping your head down when you see me, unless you want to end up like those filthy Mud—" Daphne's brow furrowed sharply. Even as a pure-blood purist, she'd never stoop to using *that* word. Malfoy cut himself off mid-sentence because Edward had stood up. His eyes must've been playing tricks. It had only been a month since their run-in at Ollivander's, but this guy looked *bigger* somehow. Had he been chugging illegal growth potions in Knockturn Alley? And that aura Edward gave off—it made Malfoy instinctively want to back away. It wasn't like facing a fellow student. It felt more like staring down a magical creature rated 4X or higher. "You just said something you shouldn't have, didn't you, Malfoy?" Edward's voice was low, his expression deadly serious. "Crabbe, Goyle, get him!" Malfoy yelped, stumbling back. Crabbe and Goyle immediately stepped in front of him. But even Goyle, who was big for his age, didn't look like much compared to Edward. Fat and muscle were worlds apart, after all. Not to mention, they were up against a magically trained knight who could fight with both spells and fists. Still, against three eleven-year-olds, a bit of physical force was more than enough. Malfoy had barely ducked behind his goons, hoping to make a break for it, when a massive force hit him from behind. Something heavy crashed into him. Crabbe, caught off guard, was flung out of the compartment, slamming into the doorframe and collapsing in a dizzy heap on top of Malfoy. "Ow, ow, OW! Crabbe, get off me!" Malfoy howled, his scrawny frame no match for the impact. His cries drew students from nearby compartments. "What's going on? That was loud!" "Who's out there playing human Jenga?" "Well, look at that—it's the Malfoy heir!" Malfoy struggled to crawl out from under Crabbe, but no matter how he squirmed, he was stuck. The growing crowd in the corridor only made his pale face burn redder. "Stop staring! Nothing to see here! Go back to your seats!" he shouted, furious but powerless. The crowd just laughed harder, ignoring him completely. Goyle, still processing what had happened, watched Crabbe fly out, then felt his collar being grabbed. Edward lifted him effortlessly, pressing a wand firmly under his chin. "Malfoy didn't finish what he was saying. Care to pick up where he left off?" Edward asked coldly. Goyle was too terrified to speak, shaking his head frantically. "I suggest you three go tidy up. We're almost at school, and you don't want to show up to the Sorting Ceremony looking like a mess," Edward said, releasing Goyle. "And Malfoy, consider this your first lesson of the term: try a little humility," he added, glancing at the boy still sprawled on the floor. Goyle, relieved, scrambled to pull the dazed Crabbe and a fuming Malfoy to their feet. "This isn't over!" Malfoy snarled, shaking out his robe and storming off through the laughing crowd, cursing Crabbe and Goyle as "useless" the whole way. The corridor buzzed with students craning their necks to see who'd just humiliated the Malfoy heir on the first day. "Who's that guy? Never seen him before. A first-year?" "That move was slick—did you see it? One push, one toss!" "He's got guts messing with Malfoy. Bet he's in for it once school starts." Whispers and chatter filled the corridor. Edward just leaned out, gave the crowd a friendly smile, and shut the compartment door. Then, he heard a soft cough behind him. Clearly, Daphne, who'd been watching the whole thing with a cool gaze, had something to say. read more inpatreon ilham20