Kate and Hermione walked into the Great Hall hand in hand, leaving the crowd of little snakes and little lions staring in stunned silence.
"Let's eat first; we still have Flying Class this afternoon." Kate only stopped once they reached the two long tables, acting as if no one else was around.
Hermione glanced at the students staring at them with curiosity and revealed a helpless expression.
The two separated to sit at their respective House tables, and immediately, several students from their own Houses scooted over.
"Hermione, did you make up with that Shafiq?" Ron, unable to hold back his impatience, was the first to ask.
Hermione never had much goodwill towards this guy who had tactlessly ripped open Kate's scars at the start of term.
However, she couldn't suppress her good mood today, so she replied casually, "Kate and I never quarreled, so don't talk nonsense."
Heh, only a fool would believe that.
Ron and Harry looked at each other in dismay; they also remembered the mishap of speaking wrongly before.
It was just that the person Ron's loose tongue had offended was a Slytherin, and since he had always detested that House, he hadn't found the face to speak to Kate.
Meanwhile, at the Slytherin long table, Pansy glanced at Kate, who seemed to be in a good mood, and reminded her in a low voice, "Kate, that's a Gryffindor."
"Mm, and so what?" Kate asked indifferently while spreading butter on a slice of bread.
Even Romeo and Juliet, or Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, could have beautiful romances.
She and Hermione were simply childhood friends who grew up together; did they have to sever ties just because they were separated by a House?
"She means that it's best you don't associate with that kind of Muggle-born fellow."
Malfoy walked in from the outside and sat down right next to Kate. "Shafiq, don't forget, you are a pure-blood."
For once, he hadn't brought his two followers along.
"Oh." Kate felt no fluctuation in her heart. She took a bite of her bread and chewed expressionlessly.
Her family did indeed have the position of Lord of the Manor waiting for her to inherit, but what did that have to do with her making friends?
Malfoy couldn't help but glare, a faint flush appearing on his pale face. "You don't believe my words? My father said that kind of Muggle-born Mud—"
His words came to an abrupt halt.
Because silently and without a sound, Kate had already drawn her wand and aimed it at his face.
Swallowing the food in her throat, Kate finally looked up, staring him straight in the eye, the corners of her lips curling into a slight arc.
"Student Malfoy, before you speak, you should consider whether some people are ones you can insult with your words."
She smiled just as she usually did, looking shy and gentle, with only the wand at her hand revealing a hint of her current mood.
Because the three of them were sitting a bit far from the other students, no one noticed the situation on their side.
As if held hostage by some immense pressure, Malfoy stood frozen in place, his face pale.
He couldn't believe that Kate would point her wand at him with such open hostility in the Great Hall, where almost the entire student body was present.
Beside them, Pansy's expression also changed slightly. She stared nervously at Kate, her hand unconsciously reaching toward her pocket.
"Please do not act rashly, Student Parkinson," Kate reminded her softly. "I have no intention of making a move here."
Only then did Malfoy's body relax a little.
But very quickly, Kate continued, "However, that does not mean I dare not."
She had just met with Dumbledore and managed with great difficulty to lower the White Dark Lord's guard against her. Making a move on Malfoy at this time was not a wise act.
But even if she risked being scrutinized by Old Man Dumbledore again, she had to properly warn this loose-lipped Young Master.
It was currently just the beginning of first year. Although Malfoy had a cheap tongue and an attitude that invited a beating, he hadn't actually done any substantial bad deeds yet.
Facing such a brat, as long as he didn't provoke her, she couldn't be bothered to haggle with him.
But there was one thing that was unacceptable.
"Those slanderous words, Young Master Malfoy—I advise you to quit them early. It will be better for everyone."
As Kate spoke, she aimed her wand at an uncut loaf of bread. "Diffindo."
The bread before them was instantly split into several pieces.
She raised an eyebrow. "If such a spell were used on your body, Young Master Malfoy, I wonder if this pure-blood body would be more pain-resistant than the bodies of others?"
Before she could finish her sentence, Malfoy's face twitched. With a miserable wail of "Wah!", he stumbled and ran out.
One didn't need to think to know he was going back to write a letter to his old dad to tattle.
But Lucius couldn't help his precious son this time.
"Don't be afraid, Student Parkinson."
Kate leisurely withdrew her wand and turned to smile at Pansy. "I trust you are different from Student Malfoy and won't use foul language against your classmates, right?"
Pansy's body trembled, and she nodded in panic.
Receiving an affirmative response, Kate turned to look at the surrounding students, who were clueless about everything that had happened there, with a face that said nothing was wrong.
"Student Malfoy seems to have remembered he has unfinished homework, so he hurried back first."
Having that kind of reaction to unfinished homework was simply too normal.
The other students nodded in deep agreement and began to discuss enthusiastically which course had assigned the most difficult homework.
Kate sighed lightly and methodically finished the still-warm bread in her hand in a few bites.
What she had just displayed was completely different from her usual behavior, but all in all, it could be explained.
Even a rabbit bites when cornered. Someone slandered her friend, so she educated him a little—it didn't seem like something hard to understand.
Not to mention that the Severing Charm hadn't actually hit Malfoy; she could always spin a story.
If Lucius wanted to cause trouble, she believed the old butler would help her handle it.
She turned to look at Pansy. Although the child was still sitting beside her, she had unknowingly put some distance between them.
Is she that afraid of me?
Kate's heart tightened slightly. Had she gone too far just now?
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained 1 Fear Point, now converted into Emotion Points.]
[Emotion Points possess storability. Using 1 point can increase overall attributes by 10% for one day. Usage can be stacked.]
Kate: ???
"No, wait, System, can you speak a bit more clearly?" she asked urgently.
[The Host can obtain points by harvesting the emotions of others, such as joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, which are converted into Emotion Points for storage.]
[For three days after using Emotion Points, magic cannot be used. Please use with caution, Host.]
"Then why didn't I hear you mention this before?"
[This is a function expanded only after the System upgrade; it had not been triggered until now.]
Oh, so I have to blame myself for being too incompetent?
[You are correct, Host. This System has no words to refute that.]
"Shut up, you!"
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