Hogwarts: Who made her a professor?

Chapter 14 Full of Motherly Charm

Draco Malfoy's life so far is undoubtedly enviable.

He comes from a wealthy and powerful family, has healthy parents, is an only child, and has a wealthy, beautiful, and free-spirited aunt.

If this were in other types of literature, Malfoy would be a domineering CEO whose catchphrase would be: "Woman, you're playing with fire."

However, in Harry Potter, on the train to Hogwarts, Draco is not some domineering CEO, nor does he want to see his rich, handsome, and free aunt.

Compared to the Malfoys, Draco was clearly more afraid of Belvina Black. From the moment Belvina parted the crowd, young Malfoy did not utter a single word, not even daring to breathe loudly.

As for Andromeda Tonks, who is that? Young Master Malfoy really doesn't know him.

In the cramped cubicle, besides Draco, huddled in the corner was Ron Weasley, whose face was flushed.

The Weasleys' youngest son had no idea who Belvina was, but out of his natural fear of the professorship, he shrank into a corner, his face redder than his striking red hair.

Harry Potter was the only one who behaved normally. He was neither as scared as Ron and Draco, nor did he stand there nonchalantly, looking like a dead pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water.

But Harry Potter's behavior was the most abnormal; he kept staring at Belvina, looking at her from head to toe, over and over again.

This wasn't the first time Harry had met a Hogwarts professor, and he shouldn't have been like this. It was just that Belvina gave him a completely different feeling from Quirrell. He felt a strange sense of closeness and familiarity with Belvina, but he couldn't quite put his finger on where this feeling came from.

Only Belvina was sitting in the cubicle, her gaze shifting back and forth between the three new students.

"Alright, gentlemen, can anyone tell me why you're fighting?" Belvina clapped her hands. "You're fighting before the train even reaches Hogsmeade. That's really something."

Harry and Ron looked at each other without saying a word, while Draco remained motionless, eyes downcast, like a lifelike statue.

“Alright, Mr. Potter, you tell us,” Belvina said. “I trust you will give a fair and unbiased account of why you fought.”

Harry, who had been chosen, first looked at Ron, whose face was flushed, and then at Draco, who was frozen in place, before he began to recount the cause, process, and outcome of the matter.

They neither shielded Ron, who was on the same side, nor did they shift all the blame onto Draco.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy came to this compartment wanting to be your friend, but his tone and attitude are very uncomfortable, is that right?" Belvina said, glancing at Draco who was pretending to be dead.

Malfoy's pale, oval face instantly turned rosy. He nodded and continued to pose like a statue.

"Upon hearing Mr. Malfoy's name, Mr. Weasley couldn't help but laugh at him, didn't he?" Belvina's gaze shifted to Ron.

Ron awkwardly touched the gray spot on his nose, burying his fiery red head even deeper.

"Mr. Malfoy then insulted the Weasleys, which led to your argument and eventually a fight, right?"

Harry, Ron, and Malfoy nodded in unison, their teamwork showing no signs of having just fought.

"Gentlemen, honesty is a valuable quality," Belvina continued, "but you must still take responsibility for your foolish actions. Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley must apologize for their rudeness, and so must you, Mr. Potter. You could have stopped their foolish behavior, but not only did you not stop them, you even participated in it. Now, gentlemen, begin to apologize!"

Harry and Ron exchanged bewildered glances; they hadn't expected this verdict.

The newly formed duo was still hesitating when Draco began to apologize. Young Master Malfoy knew that his aunt was extremely vengeful, so it was best to do as she asked while she was still speaking politely, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

"I'm sorry, I apologize for my rudeness. I shouldn't have done that," Young Master Malfoy said softly, his voice slightly nasal. It was clear that the child felt extremely wronged.

Harry and Ron quickly followed suit and apologized, though their tone wasn't as aggrieved as Draco's.

"Very well, gentlemen, it's nothing for boys to have a fight once in a while. I hope today's unpleasantness won't affect your future relationship," Belvina said. "You still have seven years to go, and you have a long way to go in your lives. There's no need to hold a grudge over this little unpleasantness."

Belvina stood up and continued, "Now, gentlemen, you may shake hands."

Draco, looking aggrieved, was the first to extend his hand, followed closely by Harry and Ron. Although somewhat reluctant, the three of them clasped hands.

Perhaps due to the influence of her previous life, Belvina always believed that the little squabbles between boys were nothing serious, and some of them even became good friends after fighting.

"Alright, that's all for now. Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, have a pleasant journey ahead."

With that, Belvina opened the cubicle door and walked out first.

In the corridor, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom didn't leave like the others; they remained standing outside the door. One of the two children was in front, the other behind, giving the impression that Hermione was protecting Neville.

Opposite them, two humanoid baboons, Crabbe and Goyle, were mindlessly pinching their knuckles, seemingly intending to teach the arrogant Hermione a lesson.

Belvina glanced at the two hopelessly stupid humanoid baboons; she couldn't even be bothered to talk to them.

Immediately afterward, Draco also came out of the cubicle. He pushed away Crabbe and Goyle who came forward to check on him, and followed closely behind Belvina. He looked forlorn and pitiful, just like an abandoned puppy.

The two quietly walked through several carriages and returned to Belvina's original compartment.

"Sit down, don't stand." Belvina sat back down in her seat.

Draco obediently sat down silently, but the ensuing silence made him restless.

Soon, Draco began to feel unable to breathe, unable to move, his nails dug into his palms, and he broke out in a cold sweat. This feeling of a knife or axe hanging over his neck but not falling was suffocating Draco and caused him great pain.

Unfortunately, the young and naive Malfoy failed to realize that what causes the most pain is not the threat of death, but panic.

"You might as well scold me a bit," Draco stammered, his head bowed, not daring to look at Belvina.

"What do you mean, Draco?" Belvina's voice was full of motherly concern. "How many times have I told you? Your family background isn't something you can flaunt, much less a reason to look down on others!"

Even when flaunting his family background, Malfoy failed to make it clear that Potter and Weasley's family backgrounds were in no way inferior to his.

Although the Weasleys are known as pure-blood traitors, their family line is exceptionally large, boasting the largest number of members in wizarding society. While some pure-blood families have become extinct, and others face extinction, the Weasleys have remained prosperous and enduring.

It has been proven that the ability to reproduce is a very important skill.

The Potter family goes without saying; their ancestors were truly wealthy, with not only members of the Wizengamots but also wizarding business magnates. Even across the ocean in America, the Potter family was thriving.

Seeing Draco silently enduring the scolding, Belvina's suppressed anger began to erupt, even though she knew very well that she was meddling in other people's business.

"On the first day of school, before even being sorted into our houses, you got into a fight with Harry Potter! Tell me, what were you thinking?" Belvina continued to lecture, "You're just like your deadbeat father. You two are father and son, not a bit different. You two don't have any of the good qualities of the Malfoys' ancestors at all. You've learned to bully others perfectly."

Draco lowered his head even further; he neither dared to argue nor wanted to.

"Seriously, I'm practically as busy as your house-elf every day," Belvina said, getting angrier the more she thought about it. "Back in the Ministry of Magic, I had to clean up your dad's messes. Now at Hogwarts, am I going to have to clean up your messes too, lest you get beaten to death one day for being so cheeky?"

Seeing that Draco was so quiet he wouldn't utter a word, Belvina didn't bother to say anything more. After all, she was just his aunt, and there was a distance between them.

"Are you hurt? Does it hurt?" Belvina's tone softened considerably. She felt she should have a good talk with Narcissa sometime.

Draco shook his head, looking aggrieved. "I'm not hurt, and it doesn't hurt anymore. I—I really went with the intention of making friends. Dad said I should befriend Potter—if I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have gone."

In the end, Draco Malfoy was still just a kid. As soon as he opened his mouth to speak, his spirits deflated, and he couldn't control the grievances in his heart. Tears streamed down his face.

"Alright, stop crying. It's one thing to fight Potter, but you didn't even win," Belvina said irritably. "Don't ever say you know me again. I'm too ashamed to admit it."

As she spoke, Belvina handed her a handkerchief.

"Alright, stop crying like that. Anyone who didn't know better would think the Malfoys had a daughter," Belvina continued. "Okay, stop it. It's not a big deal, why are you crying like this?"

Perhaps—maybe—perhaps, Belvina was comforting Draco.

"Draco, your family background isn't something you can flaunt. It's your foundation and your asset," Belvina said very seriously. "With that foundation and asset, you can make friends if you want, or not if you don't, even if that person is the famous Harry Potter."