Hogwarts: Who made her a professor?

Chapter 34: Unmarried and childless, with extensive experience in raising children.

The argument in the faculty and staff lounge seems like it happened just yesterday, but time has quietly moved on to October.

During this time, nothing else went wrong at Hogwarts, and Belvina Black was no longer brought before other professors to act as Draco Malfoy's parent.

With some free time, Belvina began to revise her teaching plan and slow down the pace of instruction.

She decided to start with things that the students were somewhat familiar with, and changed the content shown in class to films related to the 18th and 19th centuries.

The effect of this change was immediate. Young wizards no longer asked silly questions when they saw familiar things, and Belvina was no longer overwhelmed by a flood of questions. Muggle Studies class was able to proceed smoothly.

Belvina breathed a sigh of relief, at least she didn't have to start explaining the science from the First Industrial Revolution, which greatly reduced her workload.

Hogwarts' Midnight Diner welcomed a new customer that night with its pork and sauerkraut stew with glass noodles.

Paul Bernard no longer needs Bassheda Bablin to drag him around; he will now voluntarily appear in Belvina's lounge and begin learning how to use chopsticks.

Bassheda finally got to have the brass hotpot she had been longing for. The hot and spicy hotpot dispelled the chill of late autumn in Scotland, and everything at school seemed to be going in a good direction.

Apart from Draco Malfoy.

Draco, who had just received a severe beating, was having a string of bad luck lately. He first learned that Harry Potter had not only escaped punishment for getting into a brawl, but had also joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team and was even the team's starting Seeker.

Draco, determined to prove himself to the boy who survived the ordeal, couldn't sit still any longer. He immediately wrote home, expressing his desire to become Slytherin's first Seeker, no matter how.

Unfortunately, neither Lucius Malfoy nor Headmaster Snape granted Draco's wish, and even Belvina clearly expressed her opposition.

Then Draco learned that Harry had received a very valuable gift, the Nimbus 2000, which was the best flying broomstick on the market.

Young Master Malfoy became even more restless, his brow furrowed all day long; changing his name to Malfoy the Sorrowful wouldn't be out of place at all.

Draco, burdened by worries, grew increasingly haggard, his mood visibly depressed, and even his arrogant and domineering personality became much more subdued as a result.

Harry Potter was like a mountain, weighing heavily on Draco's heart, making it hard for him to breathe. The more he tried to prove himself against Harry, the more he realized he was inferior to him in every way.

In terms of academic performance, although the two were evenly matched, neither outstanding nor bad students, Draco knew he had lost. He grew up in a wizarding family and was influenced by his surroundings, while Harry lived with his Muggle aunt.

Compared to flying and Quidditch, Harry is already Gryffindor's Seeker, and may be the youngest Seeker in a hundred years, while Draco is still struggling to join the team, having lost so badly that even Malfoy lost his underwear.

In terms of family background and status, Harry is the boy who survived a great calamity and the savior of wizarding society. His Gringotts vault is piled high with gold. Draco does have some fame and status, but that is the reputation of the Malfoy family, not Draco's alone.

Aside from the fact that his parents are still alive, Draco suffered another crushing defeat.

Compared to this, Draco Malfoy fell silent.

To either erupt in silence or become a monster in silence. Draco neither erupted nor became a monster; he simply succumbed to despair.

As if entering a period of spiritual enlightenment, Draco suddenly became indifferent to everything, no longer striving to compete with Harry, nor playing and frolicking with his friends.

For the past month, Draco Malfoy has been like a dragon without its eyes painted—limp and lifeless. If this continues, he'll develop "jade syndrome."

Unable to bear watching any longer, Belvina decided to step in and save the boy who was lost on his path in life. Rather than hoping that Draco would figure things out on his own, it would be better for someone with experience to guide him.

On the last day of October, a dazed Draco appeared in Belvina's lounge. The eleven-year-old boy's robes were clean and tidy, and his light golden hair was meticulously styled, but there was no light in his gray eyes.

Belvina was wearing a white turtleneck sweater, a black A-line skirt, and tall boots. She sat casually by the fireplace, her legs crossed, looking ready to spring off.

The fire in the fireplace was blazing and crackling, its light illuminating Belvina's softly contoured face.

Draco sat there blankly, holding a cup of hot tea in his hands. He didn't ask his aunt for help, nor did he whine or act spoiled. He was quiet and still, like a life-size doll.

"Cici wrote to me." Belvina sighed inwardly. She had intended to wait for Draco to speak first, but the child had suffered such a blow that he seemed to have lost the ability to speak.

Belvina reached out and brushed the flickering flames, dimming the firelight in the fireplace. She continued, "Cissy's letter was full of accusations, but she didn't accuse me of becoming a pureblood traitor."

Among the Black girls, Belvina and Narcissa were relatively closer, perhaps because they were both the youngest daughters in their respective families, or perhaps because Narcissa's pure-blood ideology was not so pure.

Belvina disliked Bellatrix; her bossy attitude and her extreme, almost insane personality were both very annoying.

He was not familiar with Andromeda, who had married Tonks early on and been expelled from the family. Before 1985, the two had hardly ever met.

"In her letter, Cissy said that I hadn't fulfilled my responsibilities as an aunt and hadn't taken good care of you," Belvina continued. "I could read the grit in her teeth as she wrote the letter."

As she spoke, Belvina chuckled. Narcissa, with her haughty personality, always had a sour face, as if everyone in the world owed her money. She must look particularly ugly when she was angry.

Draco still didn't respond; his only reaction was to tilt his head back and drink the tea in his cup in one gulp.

A teapot engraved with the Black family crest floated over and refilled Draco's cup. Belvina watched Draco's tantrum with interest, thinking, "Try to finish another one, I'll see."

Let's just do one, what's the big deal!

Seemingly understanding Belvina's gaze, Draco downed another cup of hot tea. The steam made his oval face look like a crab in a steamer, and the boy couldn't utter a single word about how hot it was.

However, Belvina was unyielding to any challenge, and the teapot once again wobbled over and refilled Malfoy's cup.

Come on, let's see how much you can drink.

"Are you angry with me, or with yourself?" Belvina said with a smile. "It doesn't matter, I don't have anything else, but there's plenty of tea, so you can drink as much as you want."

Draco Malfoy, a spoiled brat, a badly taught brat, has many flaws and personality defects. Fortunately, he is still young and has a chance to be corrected.

Belvina couldn't control the other children, but she still wanted to lend a hand to Draco. Even if he ended up on the same path as his dead father, she hoped he wouldn't behave so badly and become a laughingstock.

"I—" Draco stammered, "I feel like I'm inferior to Potter in every way!"

Whether he was ashamed to speak or found it difficult to speak, everything became simple after Draco uttered his first words, and he poured out his heart like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

The all-encompassing blow, completely unknown to Harry, shattered Draco's pride, plunging him into a quagmire of self-doubt.

“Everyone loves Potter!” Draco continued. “Everyone! They love being his friend, they cheer him on at Quidditch practice, and they help him whenever he needs it!”

The more Draco talked, the more aggrieved he felt. His little head drooped lower and lower until he buried it in his arms. His slightly choked voice and trembling shoulders all indicated that Draco was secretly crying.

Belvina gently patted Draco's shoulder, silently comforting the weak, tearful little man.

It's better to speak your mind than to be hurtful; once you've said it, you'll feel much better. And when tears fall, the heavy weight on your heart will lessen.

After a long while, Draco finally managed to lift his head, his eyes red and tear-streaked, turning him from a little tearful cat into a little pufferfish.

Belvina handed him a handkerchief, and then the sound of blowing his nose filled the room. Draco's condition had clearly improved after crying, and he casually stuffed the handkerchief into his robe pocket.

“It’s pointless to compare yourself to Mr. Potter,” Belvina said softly. “It’s pointless to compare yourself to anyone, not just Mr. Potter, because the comparison between you is inherently unfair.”

Draco, sobbing, stared blankly at Belvina, not quite understanding what she was saying.

"We come from different families, have different upbringings, and different experiences, so there's no need for us to make comparisons," Belvina patiently explained. "The only person you need to compare yourself to is yourself."

Many parents like to compare their own children with other people's children. They probably mean well and want their children to be better, but they don't realize that every time they mention other people's children, it is a blow to their own children.

"You may not be able to use the Levitation Charm from the Standard Spellbook today..."

"I can cast the Levitation Charm!"

Belvina raised her hand as if to strike, and Draco immediately shrank back, using all his strength to dodge the palm that was destined not to fall.

"I mean, what if, you know!" Belvina rolled her eyes. Draco was cuter when he cried. "What if you couldn't use the Levitation Charm today, but tomorrow your Levitation Charm could make the cushions move? Wouldn't that be progress?"

Sometimes, failing to achieve a goal isn't necessarily due to a lack of effort; it could also be because the goal was set too high.

The main reason Draco became discouraged was that he set his goals too high. Of all people to compare himself to, he had to compare himself to Harry Potter. Wasn't that just asking for trouble?

"By the day after tomorrow, your levitation spell will allow the cushion to fly precisely towards you. Isn't that a success?" Belvina continued. "Let's set our goals a little lower, accomplish one goal at a time, and move on to the next, one step at a time, towards success."

Draco sniffed and nodded thoughtfully. He probably couldn't fully understand Belvina's intentions, and he probably couldn't conclude that "humanity's greatest enemy is not others, but itself."

But that's okay. Draco Malfoy doesn't have to grow up overnight. He's not Harry Potter, and he doesn't have to bear those heavy responsibilities.

"So, Draco, have you decided on your first goal?"

Draco pursed his lips and nodded vigorously. He said, "I've made up my mind. I want to be the Seeker!"

The more spirited and self-assured Young Master Malfoy was, the more Miss Black wanted to punch him.

If you wanted to be a Seeker before I lectured you, and you still want to be a Seeker after I lecture you, then what was the point of my lecture?

"I will become Slytherin's Seeker through my own efforts!" Draco declared, his voice exceptionally firm. "And I will defeat Harry Potter fair and square on the pitch!"

Just wait to die, there's no hope.

Even though Belvina tried hard to correct Draco's thinking, he still inevitably clashed with Harry Potter. The only consolation is that Draco might not be as mischievous as he used to be.

hope so!

After all, Draco is in Slytherin, so he can't possibly keep all sorts of things on hand!