Chapter 64: Hypnosis and Protection
The first days of the new school year were fully underway, and some things hadn't changed from the previous year. Magic still fascinated the Dragonborn no matter how much they studied, and every professor provided new and fascinating insights to broaden their horizons. The Gryffindor Quidditch team remained as spirited as ever, with their intense practices in the early morning. It was likely the fault of their eccentric captain, Wood, the Quidditch fanatic.
Once again, the team was on the lookout for a new seeker. They had parted ways with Cormac MacLaggen at the end of the previous year after the Weasley Twins orchestrated a series of pranks to make it clear he wasn't wanted. Meanwhile, some things were quite different from the previous year. Ron Weasley was no longer actively trying to befriend Harry and had been largely replaced by either Colin or Ginny, who had become Harry's number one stalker.
To be honest, Harry himself had changed quite a bit. He had become more silent and isolated, but that could be attributed to the fact that Ron was no longer following him around and they didn't see each other as often. Draco Malfoy, on the other hand, had become louder, brasher, and more arrogant. Something must have happened at his home to change the fragile understanding of non-aggression they had last year. He had already attempted to provoke Harry and his close friends a few times.
Given the events of the summer with Dobby, something was certainly going on within the Malfoy household. Coincidentally, Malfoy had also become the new seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team, using bribery to secure his position by buying the whole team a set of the newest high-quality brooms.
This led to an amusing situation between the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams on their first day of training. Both teams wanted to train their new seeker. For Gryffindor, it was a boy named Dean Thomas who was in the same year as Harry. While Gryffindor had booked the field, Slytherin had a note from Professor Snape.
The conflict escalated to the point of almost turning into a mass fight between the two teams, until Draco Malfoy's big mouth ruined the amusement for innocent bystanders who were enjoying the warm morning sun before lessons.
"What are you laughing at, Mudblood?" Draco spat at Hermione, who was close to the training field, having followed Harry and the others to watch the conflict unfold.
Friends were important to Harry, and being aware of the ongoings of the Wizarding World, he knew that Malfoy had used a racial slur against Hermione. The atmosphere grew heavy and tense as Harry released the pressure of his demonic power, which was more potent than the normal magic of wizards.
"If you ever call my friends that word again, Malfoy, you will regret it," Harry said with a threatening, dark voice. Nobody interfered, as the Gryffindors didn't care about Malfoy, and most of the Slytherins knew better than to provoke two noble families like the Potters and the Greengrasses, whose capable heirs were present and friends with Hermione, especially since Harry didn't even have his wand in hand.
But he didn't need it. Instead, he used a magic he hadn't had much chance to practice, as it was useless against most targets of a certain strength—Hypnosis Magic. Channeling his demonic power and the negative emotions extracted from the millions of souls within the Philosopher's Stone, he cast a darkness into Draco's mind. Pale-faced, Draco watched Harry, his forehead glistening with sweat.
The magic Harry placed in Draco's subconscious would give him nightmares of his fears for the next few weeks or months. Harry himself wasn't sure how long it would last, as he didn't often use that magic. Devils mostly used it to alter human memories or mind control them, steering them away from supernatural events.
"Are we clear? Has this entered your pea-sized brain?" Harry asked, still exuding his threatening aura, pressuring the arrogant boy into submission with pure power.
"Y-yes. I won't do it again," Draco stammered, sweat pouring down his face.
"Then apologize!" Harry ordered.
"I am sorry for offending you, Heir Potter," Draco replied, trying to maintain some dignity.
"Not to me! You didn't call me a Mudblood. Apologize to Hermione. She is under the protection of House Potter, and you insulted her," Harry barked, disregarding the offended look on Draco's face. Draco seemed to battle hesitation within his eyes, but Harry increased the pressure and commanded, "Do it. Now!"
"I am sorry, Ms. Granger, for my offense and the insinuation about your lower blood status. I didn't realize you were so valued by House Potter," Draco begrudgingly admitted. Hermione simply nodded in response, unsure of what had just happened. Many Slytherins began whispering among themselves.
"Let's go back. Lessons are about to start," Harry said to his friends as the pressure lifted, nodding to both Quidditch teams before turning around. Daphne, Tracey, Padma (who had recently begun hanging out with them more often, as the other two Ravenclaw girls were more introverted) and Hermione followed him.
Harry could feel the gazes directed at the back of his head. After a while, once they were out of reach from other students, Hermione couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer. "What just happened? Was that something related to nobility? What does 'under protection' mean?" she asked.
Daphne was the first to reply. "Harry basically made you a member of House Potter. These things are usually done for people in need of protection, either because they are being threatened by another house or have lost their own house for some reason. Another house can offer them protection by making them a temporary member. Usually, it lasts until they can stand on their own again. It usually happens between close allies."
"You shouldn't have done that, Harry. It sounds important. Does it even mean anything when you did it during a fight between school kids?" Hermione inquired, her face turning red with confusion.
"No, it's official. He announced it in front of heirs and members of multiple noble houses," added Daphne. "They will write to your home, and it will become an official thing among the higher circles."
"Thank you, Harry. But you shouldn't have done that," Hermione muttered, her face still flushed.
"Don't worry, Hermione. It was already pretty much an unofficial thing. Now it's just official, and pure-bloods won't publicly insult or look down on you. Just be careful with what you do, as you are now representing House Potter. So, basically, don't act like Malfoy in public," said Harry with a smirk, as they all laughed about that blonde idiot.
"I won't let you down, Harry. You've always looked out for me since we met. You, Daphne, Tracey, and Padma. Thank you for being friends with me," Hermione said with a happy smile.
"Don't worry about it. Of course, we're your friends. You're such a nice person. Who wouldn't want to be your friend?" added Padma as the others nodded with a smile and continued onto the Castle.
While the Girls where chatting with each other about their upcoming Lessons, Harry was in his thoughts. He seriously considered, What was going on with Malfoy?
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