Chapter 22

Kain raised his head and followed Cedric's pointing finger, only then noticing Conner sitting directly opposite him, working on a steak.

However, with each cut she made, she would look up at Kain, as if it wasn't the steak but Kain himself on her plate.

The scene made his teeth hurt.

"Wait, why do I feel like her gaze isn't friendly? She wasn't like this on the train," Cedric curiously asked. "I remember all the new students were together before the sorting. Did something happen in between?"

"It's actually my fault," Kain shrugged and briefly recounted what had happened in the cabin.

After hearing the story, Cedric was dumbfounded.

Using an Unforgivable Curse for sorting? Could a normal person come up with that?

"Did she believe that?" Cedric asked cautiously.

"What else?" Kain replied with a grimace. "Would she be looking at me like this if she didn't believe it?"

...

This was really a case of one daring to say it, and another daring to believe it.

Cedric twitched his mouth, at a loss for words for a moment, and could only look at Conner and then at Kain speechlessly, finally giving a thumbs-up:

"Really, Kain, you two are a match made in heaven."

"She's only eleven, okay? Are you in such a hurry to go to Azkaban?" Kain retorted irritably. "And I'd advise you to never speak like that again, especially if Professor Snape hears you, you're done for."

"She knows Professor Snape?" Cedric exclaimed.

Kain nodded. "Though it's not confirmed, I think they probably do."

...

Cedric's expression suddenly changed, and he glared at Kain with disdain: "You went too far, how could you play such a terrible joke on a new student? If I were a prefect, I'd definitely dock points from you."

Kain stared at Cedric incredulously, as if he had just met him.

Hearing that Conner knew Snape, Cedric switched sides immediately—the speed of his about-face was astounding.

Was this really the Cedric he knew?

However, facing Kain's gaze, Cedric remained unphased and even shifted away, clearly distancing himself.

Kain could only silently give him the middle finger.

Poor choice of friends, indeed. Where had Cedric learned to be so shameless so quickly?

But now, settling down to eat peacefully was out of the question.

Kain simply put down his cutlery and raised his head to look at Conner.

The young witch didn't shy away; they locked eyes, her round cheeks puffing in and out, chewing her steak or perhaps seething with anger.

Neither spoke, just staring at each other during the opening feast as if it were a contest to see who would look away first.

Both Kain and Conner were determined not to lose. At first, both were steadfast as if this standoff would last forever.

However, Conner clearly overestimated herself.

Soon, her gaze began to wander, her usually pale face flushed with a touch of pink.

A few seconds later, her eyes darted away, her breathing quickened, and her face turned beet red.

Finally, unable to hold on, Conner quickly bowed her head, her nose nearly touching her steak as if she wished she could bury herself in the plate, only her flushed ears visible.

...

Conner's personality hadn't changed; she was still as shy and socially anxious as before. The demeanor she had shown was merely due to the frustration of being tricked, somewhat like a rage-induced reaction.

Just as a typically calm and serene girl might curse at her keyboard when betrayed in her favorite game.

The same principle.

Moreover, Kain's avoidance had caused her frustration to build up without release until now.

When that frustration dissipated, she naturally reverted to her shy and socially anxious self.

And Kain's gaze had provided her a way to vent. After all, a stare is also a form of output, albeit less efficient.

Kain hadn't expected her anger to dissipate so quickly, just a few minutes and she was fine again. This personality trait was almost too forgiving.

Ginny Weasley, among those Kain knew, had a pretty good temperament, but even when she got angry, she needed at least half an hour of face-to-face arguing.

Compared to her, Conner seemed too meek, which wasn't a good trait in the wizarding world.

At Hogwarts, it was fine since Hufflepuff was known for being honest and friendly, with little likelihood of anyone harboring ill intentions.

But if she remained this way after graduation, she probably wouldn't even know how she died.

A famous Ministry official, Grogan Stamp, once said that Hogwarts is a fairy tale of the wizarding world; beyond the castle lies only a devouring abyss.

To those dark wizards lurking on the edge of death, a shy, introverted pureblood witch was no different from a walking bag of Galleons. They would swarm like hyenas, devouring her until nothing was left.

Kain wasn't being alarmist; there were precedents, such as the disappearance of certain pureblood families.

After Voldemort's fall, the Death Eaters, having lost their backbone and facing pursuit from the Aurors, began to look out only for themselves, hiding everywhere.

The pureblood families of the British wizarding community were thus thrown into disarray.

Those lurking opportunists seized this chance to strike at these disorganized pureblood families.

Some robbed outright, while others used spells like Legilimency to extract useful information. Any isolated pureblood wizard became their prey.

And they cared little about how influential or powerful your family was, or the potential for retaliation.

As long as there was profit, and as long as the family didn't have a Dumbledore or a Voldemort, they would dare to bite.

During that period, the number of pureblood wizards dying at their hands increased daily, and many families began to decline and gradually disappeared.

This situation persisted until most of the Death Eaters were captured, and the Aurors and Hit Wizards turned their focus to these predators.

What was true then remains true now.

Kain glanced at Conner, now playing ostrich, and after a moment of silence, calmly picked up the black pepper, sprinkled it on the chopped potatoes, and popped them into his mouth.

Forget it, it's only the first year, graduation is far off. Why worry about these things now? Better to fill his stomach first.

(End of Chapter)