Harry Potter: Who cares about belated motherly love?

"Oh, isn't this the young master of the Malfoy family? It seems that the lady and the son are here with him today."

With a slight snort, Mrs. Longbottom glared sharply at Lucius Malfoy - no, to be precise, at Narcissa Malfoy who was beside him.

Narcissa lowered her head slightly under Mrs. Longbottom's gaze.

...I remember now, wasn't it the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange, Narcissa's biological sister, who tortured Mrs. Longbottom's son Frank and daughter-in-law Alice into madness?

Mrs. Longbottom's eyes did not directly express blame, but she was obviously emotional. Afterwards, she asked Neville to greet the Malfoy family, and left with Neville on the pretext that there were other people to greet.

We watched this scene quietly, no one spoke, and then we looked at each other.

There was only the soft sound of piano in the venue, which barely avoided the awkwardness of the air being completely frozen.

Lucius coughed lightly, as if trying to dispel the stiff atmosphere, and turned his gaze to Bill Weasley.

"I would like to extend my greetings to the young talents who have just joined the Weasley family. I am Lucius Malfoy, the head of the Malfoy family. This is my wife Narcissa Malfoy, and my son Draco Malfoy. And standing over there is Theodore Nott, the heir of the Nott family of which I am a guardian."

Following Lucius' introduction, Draco saw Theodore standing one step behind him. He had temporarily suspended his studies for physical and mental recovery after the "Chamber of Secrets" incident, and this was the first time they had met since then.

(I seem to have lost some weight...)

No, it was more like "he's grown taller but his weight hasn't changed." He wasn't very sturdy to begin with, and now he looks even thinner. The word "thin" is the most appropriate.

As Lucius introduced him, Theodore and Draco bowed slightly, which made people feel a little worried about him.

"You are very welcome. My name is Bill Weasley. These are my brothers Percy, Fred and George, and my sister Ginny. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Malfoy."

Although Theodore's condition was worrying, I forced myself to focus on Bill's introduction and followed my brothers in the ceremony.

——In theory, given his family's status, Bill should have greeted the Malfoys first. Lucius's initiative in talking to them was indeed an extraordinary move.

What's more, it was Lucius Malfoy who took the initiative to express his greetings to the Weasley family (even members of their branch) of lower status, and this matter had already caused murmurs among the pure-blood families present.

"More importantly, I heard that your son saved my sister from the hands of evildoers. Please forgive me for my belated gratitude."

——Draco wrote to me before, hoping that I could help explain that he saved Ginny in the Lockhart incident. I told Bill about it.

At first, Bill's expression was quite surprised. But with the support of Charlie, Percy, and even Fred and George, he seemed to have revised his impression of "Draco Malfoy".

"It is his honor to help you. I always teach him to be a gentleman to ladies."

Lucius rarely showed a gentle smile and responded to Bill in a pleasant tone.

Amid the whispers around them, Lucius and Bill maintained a calm and polite conversation on the surface. Narcissa stood gracefully beside Lucius, smiling slightly, not saying much, but occasionally joining in the conversation.

She was wearing a light blue dress, sapphire earrings and a necklace, the luster of the jewels highlighted her beauty and elegance. At this moment, Draco looked like his father Lucius, but his temperament was more like his mother Narcissa.

Just when everything was going smoothly——

"Ginny."

"Long time no see, Draco."

Draco approached with a gentle smile and whispered my name. Seeing this, Percy's eyes widened, and Fred and George raised their eyebrows at the same time. Although Bill remained calm on the surface, I could feel that his attention was completely focused on us.

In this case, I also called Draco's name with a smile.

"You seem to be in good spirits, that's great... I was a little worried before."

"Thank you. Although it was a little difficult to adjust, it was pretty good...but there were a few times when I really wanted to skip Mrs. Clark's class."

Draco's eyes showed genuine concern. I smiled back and made a little joke, trying to lighten the mood.

"That's good."

Draco chuckled and patted the shoulder of Theodore Nott, who was standing next to him.

"Come on, Theodore. Don't you have something to say?"

"…Ms. Rona."

Perhaps because the occasion was so formal, Theodore deliberately used my name instead of casually calling me "Weasley." His tone was serious, and I subconsciously straightened my back and stood face to face with him.

Theodore's handsome face looked pale, as if he was under great pressure, which made me vaguely guess what he wanted to say.

"…Regarding the 'Secret Chamber' incident, I apologize to you. It was me who put you in danger…"

"No, it's your fault."

I interrupted Theodore before he finished speaking.

——I already know why Theodore has "Tom Riddle's Diary".

Draco had explained to me in a letter that Theodore was willing to put himself in harm's way to protect his father, and I couldn't blame him for that devotion.

At this time, there was some commotion around. The young master of the Malfoy family and the daughter of the Weasley family were actually talking in a friendly manner, not to mention that the heir of the Nott family was standing next to them. This scene undoubtedly caused the children of the pure-blood families to talk about it.

The Slytherin students reacted particularly strongly. Among them, Pansy Parkinson's eyes were particularly piercing. By the way, she seems to like Draco? If I remember correctly, this seems to be mentioned in the "original book"? Or am I wrong, is this a secondary setting? I can't remember it for the moment, but it is obvious that Pansy doesn't like me at all now, and even needs Draco to scare her from time to time.

To my surprise, when Draco and I were comforting Theodore, who was feeling deeply guilty, Draco suddenly turned around and glared coldly at Pansy. She was stunned, her face turned pale, and she hurriedly looked away.

"I'm sorry that my classmate upset you. I'll find time to talk to her."

"Ah... don't be too harsh, just a little reminder will be fine."

When Draco turned around and looked at me, his cold eyes softened instantly, with a hint of smile. This clear attitude towards friends and outsiders is perhaps the typical trait of Slytherin students. Obviously, Pansy is not an "important person" to Draco.

——At the same time, I could feel that although Bill was not looking directly at us, he was obviously paying close attention to the situation here.

Just as I was trying to ignore the many looks around me and trying to calm my gradually surging emotions, the sound of the automatic piano in the conference hall suddenly stopped.

Then, a clear sound echoed throughout the venue, like some kind of signal.

Everyone stopped talking and turned to look in the direction where the sound came from.

It was a small door in the far corner of the hall, opposite the entrance we had entered. The door opened, and Sirius Black and Harry Potter walked in side by side.