Ever since the senior sister sent the pendant, Lin Shu had drawn the Talisman Papers that very day, tucking them separately into the secret compartments inside the pendant.
There were three in total: one for Cedric, one for Fred, and naturally one for Malfoy after he asked her for it, though she felt he probably didn't need it all that much.
Once she had everything planned out, she placed the finished pendant into the pocket of her wizard's robes, thinking she would hand them over if she ran into them during class.
As it happened, she had a class today: Madam Hooch's flying class. She was far from unfamiliar with the art of flight, which meant she lacked the eager anticipation most first-years felt for the subject.
She figured that if this class had a final exam, she could practically breeze through it with her eyes closed and take first place.
No exaggeration at all.
Malfoy, on the other hand, seemed immensely eager for the flying class, an eagerness mixed with absolute self-assurance.
"Shu, let me tell you, I've already learned how to use a Flying Broomstick at home ages ago. You know me, I'm talented at everything I do, and flying is no exception. I even play Quidditch at home! The feeling is simply fantastic, and even my dad says I fly brilliantly."
"Wow! Impressive, truly impressive."
Acting as a good listener, Lin Shu provided Malfoy with plenty of emotional validation. The two of them headed toward the flying grounds together, listening to him chatter endlessly along the way about how dashing and mighty he looked playing Quidditch—so much so that her ears were practically ringing.
By the time he finished recounting his glorious exploits, they had arrived at the training grounds. They were still some distance away from the main crowd, but they could see the rest of the students quite clearly.
Lin Shu was just about to wave and greet Hermione.
When suddenly, Malfoy's expression shifted entirely. His gaze locked straight ahead, looking as though he wanted to devour someone alive.
Before Lin Shu could even ask, Malfoy spoke up on his own.
"Shu, do you see that eyesore of a Potter? I'm sure he's never ridden a Flying Broomstick in his life, and he's bound to make a complete fool of himself in class today."
"Malfoy, perhaps your hostility toward Potter is a bit too deep. Do you hate him just because he turned down your offer of friendship?"
"Not entirely. Honestly, I think this Potter is entirely full of himself. Everyone goes on and on about how he's the Savior, you know? He hogs all the spotlight, but on what grounds? Anyone with half a brain can figure out he doesn't have an ounce of the ability it takes to be a Savior."
Lin Shu nodded, understanding the little inner workings of Malfoy's mind.
Put simply, this young master was used to being flattered constantly and found it hard to accept that someone else could be more famous or more talented than he was.
Coupled with the fact that Potter's usual performance was indeed rather ordinary, with nothing particularly brilliant to show for it, Malfoy naturally held him in even greater contempt.
This was simply the most ordinary aspect of human nature.
People usually only bow in admiration before those who are vastly superior to them.
When encountering peers who are on the same level or just a fraction higher, their first reaction upon seeing those peers achieve success isn't envy, but jealousy, and sometimes even hatred.
"Listen, Malfoy, while I don't know the whole story behind this Savior title you all keep talking about, I do know one thing: Harry didn't fight or scramble for that name. It was forced upon him by the outside world, so how can that possibly be his fault?
As the saying goes, 'Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.' His fame might look glamorous to outsiders, but for him personally, it's hardly a blessing. So Malfoy, a gentleman of your breeding and refinement should be able to shine with your own light—why bother comparing yourself to others?"
Malfoy pressed his lips together, feeling as though he had just heard a profound truth he had never encountered before. He ought to have found it annoying, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt Lin Shu was entirely right.
He was Draco Malfoy.
He had no need whatsoever to compare himself to anyone else.
He had simply been caught in a narrow-minded trap earlier, believing he looked down on Potter while constantly trying to snatch away his halo and beat him.
"So Shu, are you saying I was wrong?"
"No, you weren't wrong. To be human is to have desires—greed, hatred, delusion, pride, and doubt. As long as you are human and living in this mortal world, it's impossible to remain completely untouched by these flaws in human nature.
We have a saying back home: 'A gentleman is judged by his actions, not his thoughts; if thoughts were judged, no one in the world would be pure.' Everyone breeds dark thoughts in their hearts from time to time; it all comes down to whether or not a person chooses to act on them."
"Shu, you're amazing. Everything you say sounds so novel, yet listening to you brings me a sense of calm. It feels really nice.
That being said, I still hate Potter. I hate him so, so much, and I don't think I'll ever make peace with him."
Lin Shu let out a long breath, thinking to herself: *Fine, whatever works!* Everyone walked a different path in life, and every person was an independent individual with a right to their own thoughts and choices.
Still, looking at it this way, everything she had just said was probably wasted on him.
Even so, among friends, talking about nonsense was still quite pleasant.
"Oh, that's right, Malfoy—look at my wretched memory, I almost forgot."
"What?"
The next instant, Lin Shu pulled a necklace pendant out of her pocket. As Malfoy looked over, he even caught a faint flash of silver light shimmering across the pendant.
"A gift for you. The inner lining holds a Talisman Paper I drew myself; it's awfully effective at keeping you safe. You can carry it with you everywhere. The pendant itself is also a magical artifact—even if it gets soaked in water, the paper inside won't get ruined."
"Is this really for me? This is so cool. Shu, you actually remembered what I said all this time."
Of course. You and I are the best friends in the entire world."
Malfoy's joy was visible to the naked eye. He tried hard to suppress the corners of his mouth, but they refused to stay down; if he hadn't been mindful of his dignity, those corners of his mouth would probably have reached straight up to touch the sun.
"Shu, help me put it on."
"Put it on yourself, Madam Hooch is about to get here."
"No, you put it on me, or I won't wear it."
"You really are a handful!"
Complain as she might, Lin Shu still helped him fasten it properly for such a minor matter.
Malfoy grew even more excited instantly, turning his gaze instinctively toward Harry's spot with his chin held high in a thoroughly provocative manner.
"Potter, did you see that? Shu gave this to me, and Shu put it on me with her own hands. If your eyes weren't blind just now, I expect you saw it clearly."
"Enough, Malfoy. Using schemes and tricks to win Shu's trust—is there no limit to what you'll do?"
Neither would give an inch. The air was thick with tension, and it looked like they were going to come to blows at any second. Seeing this, Lin Shu rubbed her forehead in resignation, hurried over to pull Malfoy apart, and set about handling the dispute between the two troublesome boys like an anxious adult.
"Malfoy, didn't I just tell you not to target Harry?"
"I can't help it."
*Oh, wow!* What a perfect answer; she was utterly speechless.
"Well, why don't you try really, really hard to hold it in?"
"Even if I try really, really hard, I still can't help it."
"Oh, fine. Simple enough—you two probably just have incompatible magnetic fields and conflicting horoscopes."
Lin Shu decided to give up the struggle. She could manage them for a moment, but not for a lifetime.
Right at that moment, Madam Hooch strode over from afar. She walked with brisk, purposeful steps, sporting a sharp crop of short hair, and gave off an air of crisp, no-nonsense authority.
"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch."
"Good afternoon, class. Welcome to your first flying lesson. What are you all waiting for? Step up to the left side of your Flying Broomsticks."
Lin Shu hadn't misjudged her; this was indeed a professor who meant business. Hearing the command, the students scrambled to obey. Facing Madam Hooch's stern expression, they formed up at lightning speed and found their respective Flying Broomsticks.
"Put your right hand over the broomstick and say 'Up'."
*A simple spell,* Lin Shu thought.
Her expression remained ordinary, her mood subdued. As far as she was concerned, whether or not she could summon a Flying Broomstick was entirely unimportant; she could use Sword-flying anyway, and she could guarantee she would fly no worse than any broomstick.
Consequently, when she spoke the word "Up," her tone carried a hint of languid indifference.
"Up—"
The next second, the broomstick flew accurately and flawlessly right into her hand. Succeeding on her very first try earned her sideways glances from many of her classmates.
On the other side, Harry was no less impressive, succeeding on his first try just like her. Malfoy summoned his broomstick on the second try—still a very respectable and talented showing.
Malfoy shot Lin Shu a smug, triumphant look, and Lin Shu threw it right back at him.
Showing off wasn't exclusive to him, after all!
After a good long while, once nearly everyone's broomstick had been successfully summoned, Madam Hooch spoke up once more:
"Now that you've got your brooms, I want you to mount them. Grip them tight, you don't want to slide off. When I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off hard from the ground. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet into the air, and then gently lean forward and touch back down..."
Listening to this, Lin Shu thought to herself: *Is it really this much trouble?*
Having to use your feet to kick off for momentum.
And the most, most, most important thing of all was that it dug right into your crotch!
Did they really *have* to ride them? Couldn't they just stand on them?
As she let her mind wander aimlessly, Madam Hooch blew her whistle: three, two...
Only, before she could finish the countdown, Madam Hooch abruptly stopped.
Lin Shu snapped back to reality just in time to see Neville floating out of control. The broomstick he had chosen seemed especially disobedient.
"Mr. Longbottom, come down! Come down this instant!"
Madam Hooch shouted, but it did no good.
The broomstick drifted and bobbed, going from a slight hover at first to tossing wildly and erratically about. One could only imagine how violently bumpy the ride must have been for Neville sitting on top of it.
"Mr. Longbottom, listen to my instructions and come down right now!"
"No, I don't want to, help me! I think I can't get down!"
His voice trembled with terror, clearly frightened out of his wits.
The next moment, the broomstick careened wildly, tilting upward at a dizzying, hair-raising angle straight into mid-air, leaving Neville with nothing to do but shriek in sheer terror.
Lin Shu fell silent, frowning as she stared at Madam Hooch.
*Wait a minute? Neville's broom is completely out of control like that, and the teacher isn't even going to do something about it? Is she trying to toughen the students up or what?*
"Get down here this instant!"
Madam Hooch called out again, and at that moment, Lin Shu understood.
This Madam Hooch truly wasn't going to handle it!
She stepped out from the formation, her tone laced with wordless irritation:
"Madam Hooch, it's pretty obvious Neville's broom isn't listening to him, and he can't get down even if he wants to. I would think that as a professor, this is the exact moment you ought to be rescuing your student. You have to remember, we're only first-years, and for many of us, this is our very first time touching a Flying Broomstick—none of us know how to fly."
Her tone was hardly polite, and Madam Hooch choked on her words, her mouth opening and closing in sudden speechlessness.
Lin Shu locked eyes with her, showing not the slightest intention of backing down.
Even if Madam Hooch punished her for it, she didn't care.
She was a Slytherin, after all, and the only thing they believed in was strength.
From Lin Shu's perspective, Madam Hooch's reaction either meant she didn't care about the students at all, or she was simply incapable of stopping the broom herself and could only stand there stamping her feet in impotent rage.
Whichever possibility it was, Lin Shu had zero respect for her.