"If I have not mistaken, Mr. Malfoy, this should be our first private meeting since the Christmas holidays?"
After Professor Snape left, Amortentia led Malfoy into the office, glanced at Malfoy sitting opposite her, looking as if he were walking on thin ice, and Amortentia lowered her head, sipping the steaming hot bitter tea from her cup... Since returning to Hogwarts, he had been drinking tea much more frequently than before.
Amortentia did not like bitter drinks, but for some reason, whenever he wanted to drink something now, the first thing that came to mind was tea.
The thought suddenly occurred to Amortentia as he raised his head to look at Malfoy again: "People are truly a complicated creature."
"You're right, Professor Bane."
Malfoy lowered his head and looked at his feet, looking uneasy as if there were thorns on the soft cushion that was poking his buttocks.
Amortentia leaned gracefully back in his chair, constantly rubbing the rim of the cup with his fingertip, smiling at this unique pure-blood, the only heir to the wealthiest pure-blood family in Britain, also known as the most arrogant family defending pure-blood theories, with a flippant tone that can be considered impolite.
"So, Malfoy, what is the purpose of coming to see me, even to the extent of summoning Professor Snape?"
Amortentia spent seven years in Slytherin, knew well how to deal with these pure-blood descendants, and the attempt to gain their recognition with a polite attitude was simply a waste of effort. They would not respect you unless they saw a show of color.
Under the strong oppressive aura emitted by Amortentia, Malfoy's usual arrogant and contemptuous demeanor was completely erased. He was as obedient as Neville in front of Professor Snape, not daring to move at all.
"It's actually about that 'Conjuring Charm' you demonstrated in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Professor Bane. I would like to ask you about the knack of this spell... I've tried it privately, but I can't seem to find the trick..."
Amortentia blinked an eye, Malfoy's response was indeed a bit out of his expectations.
Thud-thud-thud—
Gently knocking on the desk, Amortentia did not immediately speak. He stared at Malfoy with a curious gaze until the little wizard was about to collapse under the weight of his surrounding pressure and run away, before smiling lightly and opening his mouth,
"What is your purpose in wanting to learn this spell...Mr. Malfoy, is it out of a desire for knowledge, or simply to prove that your talent does not lag behind that of the 'Mudblood' Miss you often mention?"
Malfoy's expression grew dark. He couldn't lie to Professor Bane and say that wasn't his purpose, but he was also very certain that if he said so, he wouldn't be split in two, but he might very well be thrown out of the office by Professor Bane directly.
"Hahaha, it seems that you have already realized where the problem lies, Mr. Malfoy."
Amortentia smiled and stood up, back to his usual amiable and friendly appearance, as if the domineering and arrogant wizard he was just was not himself.
He strolled to the center of the office and with just a snap of his fingers, another stone column materialized on the floor, identical to the one from the black magic defense class that day.
"Come on over, Mr. Malfoy, let me see your strength."
It took nearly two hours to instruct Malfoy, carefully correcting his missteps in the spell's incantation and how to align his magical power with the words.
But even at the end, Malfoy was unable to fully master the 'Conjuring Charm' that Amortentia had created and easily used in his first year.
The reason lies in what he said to Hermione in class: For the low-level young wizards, this spell required magical power and inherent spirit control that were too lacking. It was unavoidable that not everyone could be like Amortentia, possessing magical power far exceeding their age and two souls combined into a strong spiritual force.
Malfoy seemed quite pleased with himself. His smirk of pride was too hidden as he looked at the stone chips that the feather he had controlled had sliced from the ground.
"Thank you for your guidance, Professor!"
Standing at the door, Malfoy bent down and expressed sincere gratitude to Amortentia.
"Before you leave, I have a piece of advice to offer you—"
Amortentia returned to his own office and looked at the door with a profound gaze.
"Throughout, the only enemy you have to defeat is your pride, Mr. Malfoy."
...............
The good weather that had continued for days finally ended on Saturday morning. The pleasant breeze that had wandered on the spacious lawn for nearly a month returned to being as wet and chilly as a month ago. Hogwarts Castle stood in the drizzling rain, gazing at the snow-capped mountains in the distance through the trees.
When passing by the Quidditch field, Amortentia was surprised to find that under the gloomy clouds, several young wizards were still riding their flying brooms to beat the wind and rain. By the color of their team uniforms, they seemed to be from Gryffindor.
"Wow!"
Staying to watch for a while, Amortentia shook his head in admiration.
"The poorly Fortinbras, only Merlin and God can help him win this year's final!"
Upon arriving at the Forbidden Forest cottage, Hagrid was at the back of the house, softly humming a tune while wrapping a bandage around an injured animal's leg. The expression on his furry, large face was incredibly gentle!
"Eagle-nosed horse with wings... the temperament of these animals is not good, Hagrid."
"Oh, it's actually not too bad, as long as you find the trick, you'll find that dealing with them is not difficult—"
Hagrid was so focused on attending to the winged unicorn's injury that he didn't notice who was speaking to him.
"This adorable little guy is about to enter adulthood. In order to claim breeding rights, it had a tough battle with its companions, leaving itself covered in wounds. I can't turn a blind eye to this; otherwise, the wounds will rot and ooze!"
Most magical creatures possess an intuition sharper than wizards. Under Amortentia's interested gaze, the little winged unicorn lying on the ground, its neck adorned with a collar, began to fidget uneasily. It seemed to realize that the young man in front of it was very dangerous and could not wait to break free from Hagrid's grasp.
"Oh, don't worry, Buckbeak, I'll be all right soon... Excuse me, could you help me get the scissors for me?"
Hagrid's large hand, like a fan, was gently placed on Buckbeak's neck. No matter how much the winged unicorn on the ground struggled, it didn't move an inch.
"Oh, thank you!"
Hagrid took the scissors from the outstretched hand of a young person, nodded his head, and muttered something under his breath.
"No problem --"
Amortentia smiled politely. Dumbledore was right; the giant-blooded Hagrid indeed exuded a radiance that was not present in ordinary people.
As soon as Hagrid let go, Buckbeak shot out like an arrow, a sharp hiss escaping from its mouth, and ran straight into the Forbidden Forest without looking back. The lively figure brought Hagrid joy and laughter.
"Oh, it seems you're in good spirits, scoundrel. I hope this experience won't make you afraid to pursue love... uh, cough cough! Professor Bane!"
Watching Buckbeak disappear into the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid finally returned with a bright smile. However, upon seeing the visitor's appearance, his radiant smile froze instantly. After a few seconds, he forced himself to turn it into an embarrassed but polite smile.
"Oh, it's you, Professor Bane. You came here... cough cough, I mean, what brings you here?"
"..."
"..."
