A glorious tradition of Slytherins is to ridicule Gryffindors to the best of their ability, seizing every opportunity regardless of the consequences.
For example, at the dinner table the next day, Pansy Parkinson displayed her usual domineering style, using the act of "faking fainting" to win cheers from the Slytherin girls around her.
Draco could tell at a glance who she wanted to embarrass.
"Do not do that, it is so tasteless," Draco said as he passed her. "I made that very clear yesterday."
"I know you have got some connections with Potter's gang," Pansy said nonchalantly, turning to wink at her group of girlfriends before saying to Draco, "But that is none of your business."
Pansy Parkinson.
Like Vincent Crabbe and Theodore Nott, she was a friend of Draco since childhood.
As one of her childhood friends, Draco Malfoy knew her character well.
She was arrogant like any spoiled Slytherin heiress, and could not tolerate any disobedience.
"Who did you spend time with during the holidays? How did you pick up so many bad habits?"
Draco glanced suspiciously at her group of girlfriends behind her, and inexplicably received a burst of silly laughter from the girls.
"Who they associate with is not the point I think they are right!" Pansy said dismissively, arms crossed.
"I have figured it out: 'Scarhead Potter' is just taking advantage of the Headmaster's favour to do whatever he wants!
Last year's House Cup, the Gryffindors won unfairly! Each of them received two hundred extra points that is four hundred points in total who can beat them?
What is the point of us working so hard? No matter how hard we try, it is not as good as Dumbledore's extra points!"
"What does this have to do with you faking fainting?" Draco said impatiently. "He did not get points by faking it!"
"He got points for the Chamber of Secrets incident, and everyone praises him! Just thinking about the Chamber of Secrets makes me angry!
Last school year, because of that damned Slytherin heir legend, how many scornful looks and accusations did we receive for no reason?
Almost every Slytherin was pointed at and treated like dirt by the other three Houses! In the end, the truth came out, and it had nothing to do with us.
Not a single person apologised to us — not one!" Pansy's face twitched. "Speaking of which, why should Slytherins only get ten points for doing something good? Draco, How are you convinced?
Do you not feel wronged?"
It is like past has come true again.
At this point in his past life, Pansy had complained to him in exactly the same way. And the other Slytherin students had been unable to hide their resentment either.
Slytherin students were inherently more arrogant than students from other Houses.
Most of them came from pure-blood wizarding families and often considered themselves the chosen ones, displaying an air of superiority towards students from other Houses.
However, this group of students, who seemed to want to wear their "pride" on their sleeves, were hurt by rumours during the Chamber of Secrets incident in the previous school year and became objects of contempt for students from other Houses for a long time.
Who would not feel angry? Would not feel they had lost their dignity? Would not feel the school's handling of the situation was unfair?
At that time, Draco had shared the same thought.
He had felt it was unfair, resentful, and that his self-esteem was hurt. He had felt that Potter and his gang had gotten all the good things, taking advantage of the Headmaster's favouritism to pat themselves on the back and claiming to be innocent.
At that time, from a distance, he had only thought that Potter was the most arrogant, show-off, and hypocritical person in all of Hogwarts.
But in this life, when Draco was close enough to Harry, when he witnessed firsthand the hardships Harry faced in the Chamber of Secrets and personally experienced the immense damage caused by the Dementors — to some extent, he was able to understand Harry.
He knew that Harry did not think that way.
Many times, Harry was not in control of his own destiny.
Harry Potter was just a pitiful person forced to move forward by the hand of fate. What had he done wrong?
If Harry had a choice, he might prefer his mother to still be alive, giving him a hug on the Express platform. He might not want the lightning bolt-shaped scar on his head that gave him his so-called "Protagonist Halo," but rather to be an ordinary, happy little wizard, pampered by his parents.
What others saw as a halo was, to Harry, more like a heavy shackle.
Pansy continued yelling at him, glancing disgustedly at the Gryffindors sitting across the hall. "I am going to make the Headmaster's darling feel bad too, and let him experience what it is like to be ridiculed by the other Houses!"
Pansy has completely gone astray. Draco sighed softly.
Competition between Houses and conflicting viewpoints are never solely the fault of any one student.
One should not blame Harry for all that resentment and make him suffer even more.
But Pansy did not understand these things, nor did the disgruntled students.
Any teenager, in the heat of youth, would find it difficult to grasp the deeper issues.
They still act solely based on their personal likes and dislikes, reacting instinctively to the outside world based on the feeling of being hurt, regardless of whether this will harm innocent people or cause more unnecessary conflicts and contradictions.
"Is there no use in my trying to persuade you?" Draco asked, looking at Pansy's rebellious face.
"No use at all. Someone has to step up and pay the price for 'offending Slytherin,' and I am simply seeking justice," Pansy said maliciously.
"I will not show any mercy to the 'hero of Gryffindor.' I will laugh at him until everyone knows that he is actually a coward.
How could someone who faints at the drop of a hat possibly go to the Chamber of Secrets to kill monsters? There must be some shady dealings involved! Soon everyone will find out that he is a coward who does not live up to his name!"
"That is a bit extreme," he said, his tone carrying a hint of disagreement.
"Your heart has gone astray, getting closer and closer to the Gryffindors!" Pansy said with a stern face.
"Draco, if we had not grown up together and known each other inside and out, I would have thought you were the child of some pure-blood traitor! I have never said a word about your behaviour, and you should not interfere with what I do.
Even if you do not want to laugh at him, do not stop me from laughing at him — agreed?"
"Very well. Since you enjoy gossiping and mocking others so much, I happen to have something I would like to discuss with your group of girlfriends,"
Draco approached her expressionlessly, speaking through gritted teeth in a voice only the two of them could hear. "Last night, you and Blaise the broom cupboard under the spiral staircase on the first floor do I need to continue?"
"What?!" Pansy's haughty expression vanished, replaced by a look of utter offence.
"How did you know? Did Blaise tell you?"
"No. He did not say anything, but I have my ways. Shall we see how it goes? Let those gossipy girls talk about something other than Dementors? Experience the joy of rumours flying everywhere?"
Draco smiled at her mercilessly.
The Marauder's Map is really useful.
"You horrible boy! This is not gentlemanly behaviour!" Pansy's arrogant composure finally cracked with panic. She stammered softly, "We were just unlucky locked in there by Peeves we did not do anything—"
"A gentleman? I never said I was a gentleman. I am a Malfoy, a Slytherin, nothing more." He calmly sat down in his usual seat and began drinking his porridge, ignoring Pansy's disapproving glare.
"And besides, how many people do you think will believe your excuse? When faced with rumours, people tend to interpret them in the most extreme ways —"
"Stop! Do not say another word! I am not going along with this anymore," Pansy glared at him and said angrily.
"Really?" Draco said. "You are giving up voluntarily? Do not say I forced you."
"That is enough!" Pansy said viciously. "Draco, you have no class at all!"
"Likewise," he chuckled lazily.
"You had better keep this a secret." She was extremely annoyed and waved away her group of girlfriends behind her. "Go, go, go! Disperse! Do not block the way! Daphne, what are you looking at? Go do what you are supposed to be doing!"
Draco watched with amusement as the group of reluctant, sarcastic girls scattered like birds and clicked his tongue. "You really went to a great deal of trouble to get such a group of people to cooperate with your performance."
"Do not push your luck. You had better not let me find out one day that you are secretly fooling around with some girl in the broom cupboard." Pansy turned around and squeezed out the words through gritted teeth.
Draco shrugged dismissively.
A filthy place like the broom cupboard? What on earth are you thinking?