Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Telling Stories
In the afternoon, sunlight enters a room through a window and creates a pattern of light and shadow on the wooden table. Even though it is summer, the air is still cool.
Draco is enjoying reading a lot of books in the room. He is interested in learning about even obscure or complex magic techniques and other lesser-known subjects.
"People used to think that studying and learning is only for living a long life, but they didn't realize that the excitement of making progress in their studies can be addicting," Draco thinks to himself.
Thanks to his excellent memory, Draco is able to continually increase his knowledge and finds great satisfaction in this pursuit.
People in his past life, including Draco, used to be drawn to online games because they provide immediate rewards, such as experience points and virtual currency, for their actions.
This short cycle of rewards can be addictive.
On the other hand, learning and studying is important, but it requires a lot of perseverance.
The feedback cycle for learning can be very long, which can cause self-doubt and make it difficult for people to see progress.
As a result, some people may give up and become slaves to the short cycle of rewards provided by games and other activities.
However, Draco is passionate about magic and is determined to learn and improve his skills. He doesn't worry about forgetting what he has learned and becomes a true scholar.
"It looks like making this potion will be really difficult," Draco says as he closes the book and sighs.
In his previous life, Draco was not very interested in powerful potions like complex decoctions, but he was very curious about potions that could temporarily alter his luck.
He continues this interest in his current life and looks for books on the subject.
However, after researching many books, he finds that the rare ingredients and difficult production methods make it almost impossible to create such potions.
Even if he manages to gather everything he needs and follows the instructions perfectly, it would still take six months to complete the process.
"But I won't give up trying," Draco thinks to himself.
Just as he is thinking this, he hears a familiar voice coming from outside the door.
"Then trouble you," the middle-aged man says.
Draco recognizes the voice as belonging to Lucius, his father.
"It's no trouble at all. Maybe my child is just too happy to be helpful," Lucius says.
A knock on the door follows the conversation.
Draco closed the book on magic potions, stood up from his chair, and walked to the door.
He opened it to find Hector, a man he had met before, standing there with Lucius.
"Oh, Draco, we meet again. This time, you may need to help your uncle a little bit," Hector said.
As Hector spoke, a small figure stepped out from behind him. Draco couldn't help but raise his forehead in surprise when he saw who it was - Pansy Parkinson.
Today, Pansy is not dressed in her usual gothic clothing. Instead, she is wearing a white dress with pale yellow bows on the cuffs, a double skirt embroidered with rose patterns, and small red leather boots.
She also carries a delicate small leather bag. In comparison to the last time they met, when she looked like a demon, Pansy now looks like a fairy out of a fairy tale.
"We meet again," Pansy said softly as she looked at Draco.
"Welcome," Draco responded awkwardly, not sure how to react to the sudden visit. He bowed slightly to signal his greeting.
"Ah, those worms," Hector suddenly said with disdain.
"You don't have to worry about them. Whose property doesn't have two such people?" Lucius tried to persuade him.
It is difficult for two people with unequal status to maintain a friendship, and a friendship without the exchange of interests will not last.
As two pure-blooded wizards with similar interests, it is impossible for their relationship to be purely platonic.
The Malfoy family's wealth did not come out of thin air. They also make money through various investments, just like Muggles. Wizards also need to make a living.
Unfortunately, Hector is currently facing economic problems in his own business, and unfortunately, Lucius also has a share in that business.
Therefore, they need to go out and discuss the situation.
"I don't want to give all the money to the goblins at the Gringotts. I don't have any good feelings about those goblin wizards," Hector said, clearly unhappy about the situation.
"Okay, don't say these things in front of the child," Lucius said, turning to Draco.
"You heard it too. Your uncle and I have to go out now. Pansy can't come with us. Can you stay here and keep her company? We should be back by tonight."
"This girl has to follow me everywhere and it's a headache. Now I can only trouble the little ones in your family. We can't delay anymore if the situation is urgent, otherwise I don't know what those worms will do," Hector said.
Before leaving, Hector gave Pansy a small warning.
"Pansy, listen well and don't do what you did last time," he said.
"Okay, you can rest assured," Pansy said, her face blushing with embarrassment at the mention of the previous incident.
"Relax, father, uncle. I will take good care of her," Draco said, also regretting his lack of caution last time and hoping to make up for it.
He vowed to take good care of Pansy, but he couldn't imagine what might happen.
"Let's go, Hector. I think those worms will enjoy our anger," Lucius said.
"I can't wait, Lucius. It seems that they have forgotten our past fame after too long. It's time for them to experience it again today," Hector said.
The two figures then gradually became transparent and finally vanished, apparently using a spell called Apparition to teleport.
"This is the legendary teleport," Draco thought to himself, his eyes flickering with a craving for knowledge.
Draco is more interested in the mysterious principles of magic rather than spells that are deadly but lack depth.
When a spell involves space and time, the difficulty increases exponentially.
Compared to powerful spells, Draco sees these more complex spells as the true source of progress in the wizarding world and the embodiment of magic and mystery.
Draco thought carefully about the differences between magic and Muggle technology.
While ordinary people who do not practice magic may see it as inferior to their own technology, wizards have made significant progress in understanding and manipulating space and time.
While there may be restrictions on its use, the time converter, which involves the mystery of time, and the phantom shift spell, which allows for teleportation, are enough to make Muggle scientists want to understand more about it.
"I really look forward to learning more magic in the future," Draco thought to himself.
"But now I have to deal with a little problem," Draco thought, feeling uneasy about the task of apologizing to Pansy.
However, Draco soon realized that his concerns were unfounded.
"Last thing..." Draco began to say.
Before he could finish, Pansy dropped a packet onto his desk with a snap and looked at him with cold eyes, all traces of her shy expression gone.
"You can open it now," Pansy said, her tone slightly provocative.
Drack was momentarily stunned, but he did as he was told and opened the purse.
"Damn," he thought to himself, feeling that he had underestimated the extent of a woman's vengeance, even though Pansy is still just a child.
"I think the officials at the Ministry of Magic would be happy to see this evidence. At that time, many people were still angry about your father's offense," Pansy said with a smirk on her face.
Inside the purse were photos of a book with the title "Decryption of Cutting-edge Black Magic" and Lucius' name on the cover. There were also photos of pages with annotations made by Lucius, showing his dense handwriting and drawings of lines and circles.
People are always afraid of the unknown, but when they are certain about something, it is easier to accept.
Before, Pansy was afraid of black magic, but now that she is certain that Lucius is interested in researching it, she is no longer afraid and is instead using it to threaten Drack.
"The book in the secret room must have been taken away," Draco realized, feeling a sense of defeat.
In a way, children can be very difficult to deal with.
Adults understand the trade-offs and exchange of interests, but children like Pansy may not. Who knows if she will really report the evidence to the Ministry of Magic?
Looking at Draco's stiff expression, Pansy said proudly, "It seems that Muggle cameras are still very useful."
"What do you want?" Draco asked, his expression returning to normal.
The adult mind is able to think quickly and consider all options. If Draco thinks about it carefully, he knows that many people were involved with the Death Eaters during their heyday, but not all of them were punished.
Lucius likely has a deep network of connections, and many people at the time may have turned a blind eye to his involvement in order to protect their own interests.
Furthermore, Lucius' money has likely bought him protection. Evidence at this level is not a big deal.
Even if Pansy does turn in the evidence, at most it will just bring the Ministry of Magic's surprise inspection forward.
Pansy had originally been satisfied with Draco's scared expression, but now that he is calm, she feels uncomfortable.
She had imagined that Draco would be terrified and beg for forgiveness, but instead he remained composed.
Pansy couldn't help but feel disappointed as she saw Draco's expression remain unchanged, as if he didn't care at all about the situation.
She had been hoping to see him cower in shame, but instead, he wore a poker face.
Pansy understood the gravity of the situation. She knew that if she acted recklessly, it could lead to hostility between their two families.
Even though her father was usually kind and gentle, Pansy knew that he would be furious if he found out about this. She also saw firsthand how angry Hector, her rare angry side, could get.
She had originally intended to scare Draco as a final act of revenge, but it seemed like that plan had backfired.
Pansy wasn't the type to be an eager informant, so she was left feeling frustrated and unhappy.
The sound of Pansy's father stomping echoed through the room, causing Pansy to tense up. She walked over to the desk and sat down, not knowing what to think.
Drack, on the other hand, wasn't too concerned about Pansy's state of mind. He knew that he must have offended her in some way, but he didn't let it bother him. He returned to his research on the agent, determined to finish it.
"If you're feeling bored, there's a "Book of Poems and Stories" on the third row, fourth column of the bookshelf. You could try reading that to pass the time," Draco offered to Pansy as he continued to work hard. It was a small gesture, but it showed that he was willing to try and help her pass the time.
"Who wants to read a book with a name that sounds like it's meant for children," Pansy snapped back, her voice sounding like that of a frustrated kitten.
Drac couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over him. It seemed like he had stepped on a minefield again.
OHe shook his head, wondering how Dumbledore, the person he had bought the book for, would react to Pansy's evaluation.
"It looks like our time is running out," Draco said, closing the book he had been reading. "So, what are you going to do, Missy?" he asked, trying to smooth things over.
Pansy simply huffed and turned away, refusing to speak to him any further.
"If you want me to try and win you over, I'll do my best as a cultural communicator today," Drack thought to himself, recalling some of the things his predecessors had done to try and win over someone's favor.
"Long, long ago, in the far east of the East, there was a story that happened," Draco began, adopting the role of a storyteller. "There was a man named Liang Shanbo who lived in Teijing..."
He went on to tell the story of Zhu Zhu, also known as the Romeo and Juliet of the East. Pansy, who had been sitting in a chair with a frown on her face, became a little more interested as she listened.
"This story sounds a little more interesting," she said, interrupting Draco for the first time. "I'll listen to it."
Many Westerners have a fascination with the mysterious kingdom of the East, and Pansy's curiosity ultimately won out over her pride as she continued to listen to Draco's story.
As he told the tale, Pansy couldn't help but comment on the characters. "Liang Shanbo is so cowardly," she said, and "Ma Wencai seems decent, but who knew he had such a bad stomach? He's a bad guy."
Draco couldn't help but laugh at Pansy's comments.
As he finished the story, he sighed wistfully, feeling like he had been transported back to his own childhood when his parents would tell him stories.
The emotion of the tale even brought a tear to his eye. Despite having told the story himself, he was still touched by it.
'I'm confident that this story is touching enough to bring tears to Pansy's eyes,' Draco thought to himself, proud of the traditional cultural story from his homeland.
"Is this over?" Pansy asked when he finished.
"It's over," Drack replied.
"Oh," Pansy sneered.
Drack couldn't help but feel a little hurt by Pansy's reaction. "I thought little girls were always eager for sad love stories," he thought to himself.
However, Pansy soon noticed Draco's depressed expression and couldn't help but show a happy look. "Although I said I hate you, I have to admit that you told the story well," she explained. "I was just laughing at how you said it was a comedy, but it was really a tragedy."
Draxo couldn't help but feel like his mind couldn't keep up with Pansy.
"Poor you, you've read so many books, and all you've learned is how to be a fool," Pansy mocked him again.
"Obviously, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai are probably Animagus. This was just a play directed by a more reasonable elopement. You've read so many books, but you don't even know about the magic of transformation?"
Draco inwardly groaned, feeling like his brain couldn't keep up with Pansy's quick thinking.
Despite this, he couldn't help but be intrigued by her. "But it's really interesting. As a reward, I'll let you tell another story," he offered.
Few hours later ...
"Miss, are you addicted to it?" he wondered to himself.
"But I don't believe that I can't touch a little girl," he thought, determined to move Pansy with his storytelling.
"It must be that Ruth is too fat, or maybe both of them will be saved," Pansy said, expressing her frustration with the ending of the Titanic.
Draco couldn't help but feel like he was about to vomit blood. His self-confidence had been seriously bruised, and he knew he needed to change the subject.
"There's this girl named Mulan who is very powerful. My father always told me not to do this and that, but why does the girl have to follow so many rules?" he asked, hoping to pique Pansy's interest. To his surprise, she seemed somewhat satisfied.
"Whew, I almost lost face in front of everyone," Draco thought to himself.
"But based on your performance, if the boy had been killed earlier," he continued, feeling a little sullen again. "I have to say that women have disadvantages in some areas, but they also receive a lot of preferential treatment in other areas."
"Looking at the story you told, it was actually quite interesting. I won't hold it against you," Pansy said, finally showing some kindness towards Draco.
"That was a great honor, my elder lady," Draco thought, relieved that he had finally solved the problem.
"But tell me more later," Pansy said, her eyes shining brightly as if she had found a new toy.
"Okay," Draco quickly agreed, although not entirely for her sake. As he told his stories, he found himself thinking about his own past and missing his hometown.
These stories were the only bond he had left with his homeland, and he didn't want to forget them.
Therefore, he continued to tell his stories to Pansy.
However, he became so absorbed in his memories that he was momentarily distracted.
"Hey, Draco, what are you thinking about?" Pansy asked, reaching out to shake him back to reality.
"Sorry," Draco apologized, coming back to the present.
"Is it so boring to tell a story to Little Miss ?" Pansy asked, her tone much better than before.
Although she didn't want to admit it, these stories had improved her perception of Draco.
"It seems like you two are getting along well. Pansy didn't give you any trouble?" Hector asked as he and Lucius returned earlier than expected.
"Father! Where would I get into trouble," Pansy huffed, immediately switching back into her "lady" mode.
"Where is my uncle? I'm also happy to have someone to keep me company," Draco responded politely.
"It's getting late, so why don't you just have dinner here and go back," Lucius offered.
"No, it's not too late today. I still have some things to deal with. I'll visit again later," Hector politely declined, as he still had some matters that needed his attention.
Lucius understood the situation and, after a few more courtesies, he and Draco saw Pansy's father and daughter out of the house. Before leaving, Pansy gave Draco a sly wink.
Draco interpreted this as a message saying "I'll come again next time!"
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