Chapter 67: Draco’s Dilemma

Chapter 67: Draco's Dilemma

In the world of Harry Potter, time had flown by, and it had been two months since Chu Yang began his studies at Hogwarts.

Since the incident when Chu Yang clashed with the older students from Slytherin, they had repeatedly harassed him in private.

The outcome, as expected, was not in their favor.

Hogwarts' infirmary was often packed, to the point that Dumbledore had to step in and personally warn the upperclassmen and some of their parents, urging them to leave Chu Yang alone.

As a result, Chu Yang became quite famous.

In Hogwarts' nearly thousand-year history, never had a first-year student been known for beating up their seniors.

Partly out of fear of Chu Yang and partly due to Dumbledore's stern warning, the Slytherin students had toned down their behavior, allowing Chu Yang's school life to gradually stabilize.

Notably, Draco Malfoy still hadn't dared to share a room with Chu Yang. For the past two months, he had been squeezing into the dormitory of Goyle and the others.

That was, until Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, heard about this from others.

In a fit of rage, Lucius stormed to the school and gave Draco a thorough scolding, berating him for disgracing the Malfoy family.

Draco, who had always been terrified of his father's authority, was so frightened that he couldn't even string together a full sentence.

Seeing his son in such a pathetic state, Lucius was flooded with disappointment. His anger quickly turned toward Chu Yang.

If Chu Yang hadn't been a student at Hogwarts, he probably would have mysteriously died in some dark wizard's lair in Knockturn Alley.

Those dark wizards might have received a handsome reward from the Malfoy family for the job.

However, Chu Yang was indeed a student at Hogwarts, and a particularly gifted one, constantly in the spotlight of both faculty and students.

Lucius Malfoy couldn't do a thing to him.

He had even attempted to cut off Chu Yang's full scholarship, but Dumbledore blocked the move. Lucius later received a warning from Ollivander, whose tone was noticeably less friendly than before.

Ollivander's exact words were: "If Mr. Chu Yang were to lose his full scholarship at Hogwarts, then Ollivander's Wand Shop would financially support him to complete his education."

Lucius was astonished by Ollivander's unusually firm stance, considering the man had never shown any interest in involving himself in disputes.

Driven by both anger and curiosity, Lucius discovered that Chu Yang occasionally apprenticed at Ollivander's wand shop and displayed exceptional talent, leading the elderly Ollivander to consider grooming Chu Yang as his successor.

Lucius was surprised and sensed something unusual.

Ordinarily, the school wouldn't allow students to take on jobs outside of school, a rule that had never been broken—until now. Chu Yang had been granted a special exception.

Out of caution, Lucius began gathering information on Chu Yang, asking various professors about their impressions of the boy.

What he discovered shocked him!

Lucius had heard of many geniuses, but Chu Yang didn't fit the typical mold.

At Hogwarts, every professor who had taught Chu Yang spoke of him with high praise, including the notoriously strict Snape.

Though their personalities clashed, even Snape had to admit Chu Yang's remarkable talent.

Whether in Charms, Flying, Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, or Divination, Chu Yang always ranked first in every subject. For everyone else, it seemed like they were competing for second place.

The more outstanding Chu Yang became, the more ordinary and incompetent Draco seemed in comparison, which filled Lucius with not just anger but also a hint of jealousy.

How could a Mudblood from a Muggle background be more exceptional than someone from a pureblood family?

It was obvious to everyone that the heads of the four houses held Chu Yang in high regard. If it weren't for the rule that prevented students from switching houses, they might have fought to recruit him.

Professor Sprout, head of Hufflepuff, was still upset with Dumbledore over the fact that Chu Yang had ended up in Slytherin.

Before this, she had always been known as the most good-tempered professor at Hogwarts.

After thoroughly understanding Chu Yang's situation, Lucius, ever the pragmatist, abandoned any thought of retaliating against him.

No matter how powerful the Malfoy family was, they couldn't afford to make so many enemies at once.

It simply wasn't worth it to pay such a price over a young wizard from a Muggle background.

Interestingly enough, Lucius not only gave up on making things difficult for Chu Yang, but he even entertained the idea of recruiting him.

He recognized Chu Yang's talent.

Before leaving the school, Lucius specifically instructed Draco to find a way to repair his relationship with Chu Yang.

This sudden change of heart from his father left Draco completely baffled and torn.

Accustomed to obeying his father's every command, Draco didn't dare defy him. Between his intimidating father and Chu Yang, Draco found Chu Yang much easier to deal with.

In the days that followed, Draco's attitude toward Chu Yang did a complete 180-degree turn.

It wasn't unusual for students to see Draco arriving early in the Great Hall to prepare breakfast for the late-rising Chu Yang.

From an outsider's perspective, Draco seemed more like a bootlicker than even his usual companions, Goyle and Crabbe.

If someone as privileged as Draco could behave this way, it made everyone else seem insignificant in comparison to Chu Yang.

However, Chu Yang paid no attention to Draco's efforts.

He firmly believed that such unprovoked displays of kindness had ulterior motives, especially coming from the Malfoys, who were clearly up to no good.

As a result, after two months, Draco still hadn't succeeded in getting any closer to Chu Yang.

Draco wanted to give up, but Lucius would send letters every one or two weeks, asking about his progress with Chu Yang, which left him utterly distressed.

To appease his father, Draco resorted to lying, claiming that he and Chu Yang had already become good friends, thus avoiding further interrogation by letter.

But for Draco, this didn't mean the problem was solved, as a lie was still a lie.

Draco didn't want to face another round of scolding from his father, so he resolved to become genuine friends with Chu Yang.

The arrival of Halloween brought joy to most of the students and staff, except for Draco, who remained downcast.

Chu Yang, meanwhile, was not only happy but also excited, for just the day before, Dumbledore had finally granted him access to the Restricted Section of the library—a goal he had worked two months to achieve.

Due to Voldemort's past, Dumbledore had been particularly cautious in nurturing talented young wizards. During these two months, he had not only evaluated Chu Yang's academic abilities but also his character.