A place that smart people cannot find is a place that smart people will not go.
"What place would smart people not go to?"
John stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "Ravenclaw was someone who pursued wisdom. So what could have made her set that wisdom aside?"
Or to put it another way, what could be worth the proud eagle abandoning the wisdom she pursued?
Ravenclaw had spent her whole life chasing wisdom, as shown by the diadem she left behind.
It was hard to believe that such a person would fall in love to the point of giving up wisdom.
"Gilderoy, you have done me a favor." John leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping the tabletop absentmindedly.
If Lockhart had not decided to change his style and write a book about love set in romantic Paris, John probably would never have thought of this.
Unfortunately, thinking it was one thing. Carrying it out was another.
First, John declared that he had not fallen in love.
Second, where was he supposed to find such a person?
"Wise men do not fall in love."
John felt this condition seemed full of difficulties.
He stepped out the door. In the common room his gaze swept across Daphne, who was sitting on the sofa.
Daphne was glaring fiercely at the large window in the Slytherin common room, or more precisely, at the person standing there.
"Asto, let's go to the Black Lake another day," Malfoy declared with a grand wave of his hand. "I'll get a small boat and we can row on it."
Astoria blinked, smiling sweetly. "All right, thank you, Draco."
Malfoy lifted his head, a proud expression on his face.
He secretly glanced at the distance between himself and Astoria, then his sinful right hand crept toward her.
It made contact.
It was Astoria's clothes.
Through the layer of fabric, Malfoy felt extremely excited.
He applied slight pressure with his right hand, making the loose school robe cling to Astoria's skin and outline the shape of her slender waist.
Malfoy's mind was racing at this moment, and his breathing grew rapid.
Astoria did not resist. Instead, she leaned toward Malfoy naturally.
Closer, closer!
Malfoy seemed to catch the pear blossom scent on Astoria, and his heart beat rapidly.
His gaze fell on Astoria's pink cherry lips. In his mind appeared the kiss from last year in the classroom.
That soft touch was even softer and sweeter than cotton candy.
"Asto."
Malfoy's voice was low and full of affection as he looked at Astoria.
In the end, it was John who stepped in to save him.
Malfoy was furious.
"I am only seventeen! I just wanted to kiss someone. What did I do wrong!"
John looked at him in silence, then quietly took a step to the side.
Daphne, who had finally been restrained behind him, immediately drew her wand at the sight. Frightened, Malfoy quickly pulled John back.
"You really don't know how to keep a low profile," Blaise said, shaking his head with a sigh. "Some things you could just do secretly while on a date. Everyone knows Daphne can't stand this sort of thing."
There was a certain mentality that if I cannot have it, no one else can either.
Everyone in Slytherin knew who Daphne liked.
She had been secretly in love all this time with probably the smartest person inside Hogwarts, but also the densest as a bloke in matters of love, and here was this shameless guy, openly being affectionate with her sister right in front of her.
A Daphne who had been drenched by the rain could not bear to see Malfoy like this. She had to tear up his umbrella.
Malfoy immediately became unhappy and shouted, "You trash who chased Ginny Weasley for a whole year without success obviously don't understand that open and bold love is the best!"
Blaise clutched his chest and staggered back, his fists tightening.
Damn it, he really wanted to beat him to death.
"You... you bastard. If I speak up for you again, you might as well let Daphne kill you!"
With that, Blaise charged forward as if facing death. He locked Malfoy from behind and roared, "Daphne, fire at me!"
A red light shot out and sent both of them flying.
The Slytherin common room was in complete chaos.
...
In the end, John chose to take Malfoy out for a walk.
If they stayed any longer, he suspected Malfoy would not only be attacked by Daphne, but soon the rest of Slytherin would join the fight.
Malfoy was still muttering.
"Clearly Astoria and I are in a normal relationship. She's just jealous. Who told her to be in love with a..." He stopped there and glanced at John.
John glanced back at Malfoy and suddenly asked, "What do you think could make you give up something you've always pursued?"
"Pursued?" Malfoy was stunned. He thought carefully. "How could there be such a thing."
"I think so too." John nodded. The problem seemed to remain.
The two of them strolled along the corridor.
Filch, furious at hearing young wizards out after curfew, stormed into view. But when he saw who it was, he stopped.
"Good evening, John."
"Good evening. The moonlight is nice tonight. I saw Mrs. Norris on the other side earlier."
"Oh, that naughty little one is getting more and more energetic."
John smiled and nodded at Filch. Filch returned the greeting and left.
Malfoy was ignored along with him.
Malfoy said in surprise, "You're the only one who can make Filch act like that."
"What do you mean? He's a good guy."
"You have no idea. To the students, he's even scarier than ghosts."
John replied casually, "Only those who break the rules are afraid of Filch."
Hearing this, Malfoy's expression turned strange.
Weren't they breaking the rules right now?
"Have you heard that rumor?" Malfoy said as they walked along the corridor bathed in moonlight. He always managed to gather a lot of information around the school somehow. "The King of Hogwarts."
"They see you as their leader. It's what you deserve." Malfoy said proudly.
John raised his hand, letting his fingers pass through the cool moonlight, and chuckled softly. "This is only the beginning."
The two of them wandered around the school. At least until Daphne calmed down, Malfoy did not dare to go back.
Unknowingly, they arrived at the Ravenclaw Tower.
There were many paintings on the walls of the tower.
"Lumos."
Malfoy waved his wand. The light caused the sleeping figures in the paintings to complain one after another.
Yet Malfoy maliciously glared at several knights in one painting and said fiercely, "Why can't I sleep, but you can!"
The knights picked up their weapons, shouting that they would teach the arrogant brat a lesson.
"You are just a bunch of moving paint." Malfoy deliberately moved his wand light closer, forcing the knights to flee into other paintings.
If those paintings could come out, Malfoy would definitely be attacked by the whole group.
Suddenly, Malfoy moved too vigorously and knocked over a picture frame.
Then, like dominoes, the paintings hanging on the wall fell one after another.
Just before they hit the ground, all the paintings floated up.
John raised his left hand with a speechless look. "Draco, don't take your anger out on the paintings."
He waved his hand, about to hang them back up.
From the corner of his eye he spotted a landscape painting without any figures, and his movements stopped.
It was a tranquil riverside scene, empty of animals or people.
This was quite rare. Apart from the occasional wind that appeared inside, there was nothing else in that painting.
"Where is the person in that painting?" John beckoned, and one of the portraits flew over.
Coincidentally, the figure inside was an acquaintance.
Sir Cadogan, the fool who had once let Sirius into Gryffindor.
"You mean that one?" Sir Cadogan proudly lifted his head and declared righteously, "I don't know. I only know it has been there for a very long time."
"Very long? How long?"
"I heard from the Fat Lady that it has existed since Hogwarts first appeared."
"Thank you for your help, Sir Cadogan." John nodded slightly at Sir Cadogan.
Sir Cadogan greatly admired him and said, "You are much better than that skunk boy."
Skunk boy?
It seemed even the paintings knew Malfoy's nickname.
He walked toward that unique painting and examined it closely.
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