Harry Potter: Shadow Eminence

Chapter 13

"Brian, I don't want to speak to Pansy again," Daphne said to Brian, her anger evident. "This time it's serious."

"What happened?" Brian smiled and listened attentively.

"She lost my favorite bow, but she refuses to admit it was her fault and mocked that it was so ugly even pigs wouldn't wear it!" Daphne's voice quivered with emotion.

Brian thought for a moment and replied, "Hmm, how did you find out it was her who lost it?"

"Peggy said she saw Pansy wearing it on her head that day, and then it fell into the lake."

Brian was at a loss for words. He could only comfort the distressed girl and join her in criticizing Pansy Parkinson.

"Alright, I don't want to discuss her anymore," Daphne said, feeling somewhat better.

"By the way, can you tell me about your friends?" she inquired.

"Um, Draco and them? Okay, what do you think Draco is like?" Brian asked.

"He's... he talks a lot and seems very immature," Daphne replied candidly.

Brian couldn't help but laugh, "He's only eleven! So are you! How can anyone be mature at that age?"

"But you're different," Daphne said, gazing at him with her bright blue eyes. "Your eyes are like my father's."

"...I'm different?" Brian said after a brief silence, shaking his head. "Actually, Draco is indeed immature, but he values loyalty. Although he has some flaws like Pansy and can be annoying, he's genuinely kind to his good friend."

"His personality is intriguing, a bit childish, but I would say he's more tsundere," Brian smiled. That personality was quite entertaining.

"Childish? Tsundere? What does that mean?" Daphne awkwardly pronounced the two unfamiliar terms.

"It means he's a bit arrogant and likes to show off, but he doesn't really mean what he says; he's somewhat kind-hearted and... um, nice," Brian thought for a moment. "It's a bit of an awkward personality, but still likable if you get to know him better."

"I think he definitely wouldn't appreciate you calling him likable," Daphne chuckled.

"He always hangs out with those two big guys," Daphne said. "And they have a conflict with Harry Potter. It's really strange."

"Yeah, that's quite a significant feud," Brian shrugged, not wanting to elaborate further.

"But Crabbe and Goyle are actually more troublesome," he continued.

Daphne remained silent, looking at him with curiosity.

"Crabbe is okay, but Goyle leaves me puzzled," Brian said.

"He's always so clumsy and can't do anything right; we're worried he won't pass the O.W.L. exams."

"But you will help him, right?" Daphne asked.

"Of course, but... I played a prank on him the other day. I told him that if he faced the mirror in the empty classroom on the third floor at nine o'clock at night, peeled an apple with a silver knife without breaking the peel, and then took out his wand and said 'Accio,' he could summon the mirror spirit to grant him a wish."

"You're so mean," Daphne covered her mouth and laughed. "What happened next? Did he believe it?"

"Yes, not only did he believe it, but over this time, he's peeled dozens of pounds of apples," Brian said helplessly.

"Why? Normally, after trying once, people would realize it's fake, right?" Daphne's eyes widened.

"Exactly, but the key is, he hasn't completed the ritual even once," Brian said with even more frustration. "He always fails to keep the apple peel from breaking in the middle."

Daphne stared wide-eyed for a long time before bursting into laughter.

"I've been trying to tell him that I'm just messing with him, but he doesn't believe me; he insists on trying it himself," Brian shrugged. "He might end up peeling apples for an entire year."

"I'm looking for a way to ensure that when he finally completes a ritual, our friendship won't break," Brian concluded. "Do you have any suggestions for me?"

"No, I think you could peel apples with him," Daphne said, clutching her stomach and laughing so hard she couldn't stand up straight.

...

The Christmas holiday was approaching, and almost all the young wizards were indifferent to their studies, eagerly anticipating the break.

The weather had turned bitterly cold, and the underground classroom for Potions was particularly damp and chilly.

Malfoy wrapped himself tightly in his robes, huddling next to a steaming cauldron for warmth.

"So are you trying to be a cold doll or something?" Brian said, draped in a warm black cloak with silver clasps, looking at Malfoy's somewhat thin attire.

"Don't say that; I didn't expect this classroom to be so cold," Malfoy complained. He had always disliked wearing bulky clothing for fear of ruining his image.

To distract himself, he started mocking Harry Potter: "Oh, poor Potter and Weasley, have your families abandoned you? Or is the Weasley family too broke to support you all, are you all going out to beg together?"

Crabbe and Goyle snickered nearby, accidentally knocking over their cauldron.

Harry ignored Malfoy, while Ron shot him a fierce glare.

This only fueled Malfoy's energy; he had no intention of letting them off the hook until Potions class ended.

He continuously mocked the two unfortunate souls who had to spend Christmas at Hogwarts, and eventually, Brian could no longer tolerate it and pulled him away.

"You know, I spent Christmas at Hogwarts too," Brian said helplessly.

"Well, you're not like them," Malfoy muttered. "That's cool."

"I want to spend Christmas at Hogwarts once; it would be very different from previous years," Malfoy said, lifting his chin. "But my mom cried and begged me to come home, so I have to go back and comfort her."

Soon, the Christmas holiday arrived as expected, and most young wizards went home, leaving the school feeling much emptier.

Brian held an envelope adorned with a white rose; the delicate, beautiful handwriting on it was accompanied by a hint of perfume, exuding a subtle fragrance.

This was a letter from his mother.

Brian unfolded the letter. Mrs. Walker expressed her support for him staying at school during Christmas but also filled the letter with various reminders, her longing and concern evident in every line, causing Brian to sigh slightly.

He had never dealt with this kind of situation and wasn't prepared to face her.

Of course, this was only one of the reasons he decided to stay at school. The more important reason was that he needed to see the Mirror of Erised, the mirror that could reveal the deepest desires of the heart.

He didn't want to see it; he needed to see it.

Perhaps it could show Brian what he truly yearned for, helping him understand his own heart.

This was important.

The mirror was supposed to be placed there by Dumbledore specifically for Harry, and it was only set up there during Christmas; he needed to hurry and find that mirror.

But this also meant he would likely face Dumbledore for the first time. He would definitely be watching over there.

For this reason, he couldn't continue to practice the Occlumency in a routine manner; instead, he used a witness point to elevate it to a mastery level. This should be sufficient to deal with any potential Legilimency from Dumbledore, after all, he couldn't fully unleash that spell on a student, as it would be easily noticed and extremely disrespectful.

Stepping out of the castle, the ground was covered in thick snow. The Weasley twins, Fred and George, were having a snowball fight, magically animating the snowballs to chase Quirrell around. Brian saw several snowballs hit Quirrell on the back of the head.

Brian couldn't help but think that Voldemort had truly chosen a troublesome target to be a living parasite in Quirrell's head.

He also secretly formed a snowball, tapped it with his wand, and made it blend in with the Weasley brothers' snowballs, ultimately hitting Quirrell hard on the back of the head.

"That's quite relieving," Brian commented.

He spun around the area a few times but ended up getting hit by a few snowballs from the Weasley brothers. They used the same trick again, sending snowballs after his head.

Brian drew out his wand and muttered a spell, causing the snowball to fly back at a faster speed, but it fell to the ground midway. The Weasley brothers made silly faces at him.

Brian shook his head, ignored them, and turned to enter the castle, heading towards Quirrell's office.

He knocked on the door and then walked into the office.

Quirrell was sitting in a chair, flipping through a book, showing no signs of the earlier disarray, but his complexion was noticeably paler.

"Professor Quirrell, you don't look well," Brian said.

"Ah, it's nothing, I just need to rest a bit more," Quirrell's voice trembled slightly.

Brian nodded and didn't say more.

Perhaps the Dark Lord's possession was continuously eroding his life, making him increasingly haggard.

"I heard something from Potter that might be helpful to you. You know, he has a good relationship with Hagrid," Brian said, "Hagrid has always wanted to raise a dragon; he is obsessed with it."

"I think if we could somehow get a dragon egg, it might lower his guard. Then we could find a way to get him drunk, and perhaps we could extract information from him," Brian said calmly.

Despite Hagrid's usual clumsiness leading him to accidentally let things slip, that was only with those he was close to.

For unfamiliar people and strangers, Hagrid was actually quite vigilant.

At the very least, he would never let anyone get him drunk, nor would he reveal any crucial information.

But undoubtedly, he would lose his composure only when faced with something he desperately wanted.

And a dragon egg was one of those things.

"Well, that's a way to go," Quirrell pondered, "You've done well, keep an eye out for news."