Chapter 583 583: 583: Hannah, Hufflepuff's Friends
Chapter 583 583: 583: Hannah, Hufflepuff's Friends
Herbology class ended.
Hannah hurried out with quick steps, leaving even her friends Ernie and Justin unable to stop her.
"Where's she going?" Justin looked bewildered.
Ernie said, "No idea. She's been like this lately."
As he spoke, Ernie lowered his voice and added, "I saw her leave after curfew yesterday."
"No way," Justin muttered. "Has she gone mad? Filch is scarier than ghosts."
"Even as a prefect, she'd still be scared to death."
Justin had once been caught by Filch while sneaking into the kitchens for a midnight snack.
At the time, it had felt like seeing a ghost. Filch had clearly been far away one moment, only to suddenly block the doorway the next.
As a result, Justin still had to polish trophies in the Trophy Room every evening.
The two friends were completely puzzled by Hannah's behavior.
Then they watched Hannah catch up to a boy walking ahead and lightly pat his broad shoulder.
"Hi, Neville."
Hannah had run so fast that her breathing was uneven.
Neville turned around in surprise. "Hannah, do you need something?"
The two of them were classmates in Herbology and were often assigned to the same group.
Hannah's face was flushed red as she lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers while asking, "Are you going to the Great Hall to eat?"
"I haven't seen you in the Great Hall lately."
"Last time Professor Sprout asked me to take care of the Chomping Cabbages in the greenhouse," Neville said, shaking his head. "Those things are really troublesome. I need to check on them constantly."
Hearing that, Hannah's eyes lit up. She quickly pulled a box from the bag she had unusually brought with her today.
"Professor Sprout also asked me to help take care of the Chomping Cabbages. Let's go together," she said while shaking the lunch box in her hand. "I just happened to make a lot of food."
"Huh?" Neville asked in confusion. "Professor Sprout asked you too?"
He did not remember Professor Sprout mentioning anything like that.
But Hannah had already impatiently grabbed Neville and started pulling him away.
Behind them, Ernie and Justin stood frozen on the spot.
Justin: "Guess what I just saw?"
Ernie: "I'm guessing you also guessed what I saw."
The two exchanged a look. Between lunch and gossip, the food-loving badgers chose gossip.
The pair quietly followed behind them.
They tailed Neville and Hannah all the way to the greenhouse where the Chomping Cabbages were being kept.
From inside came occasional muffled sounds like beasts chewing on something.
"Let's eat something first," Hannah suggested. "From here we can still keep an eye on them, and there's no smell."
Neville thought the suggestion sounded pretty good and nodded in agreement.
Hannah opened the box, revealing sandwiches made with enormous portions of meat and vegetables.
"I thought that since you're so big, you must eat a lot," Hannah said shyly.
Neville looked puzzled. "Me? You prepared this for me?"
Only now did he seem to realize that this was not some chance encounter, nor had Professor Sprout arranged this.
Looking at Hannah and the delicious food, Neville swallowed hard and said, "Thank you, Hannah."
He eagerly began enjoying the meal.
Meanwhile, Hannah rested her chin in her hands, laughing softly from time to time as she watched him eat.
Even the snarling sounds of the Chomping Cabbages seemed to become pleasant background music.
Justin's head was buzzing as he uncertainly asked Ernie, "She's... in love?"
Ernie's eyes burned with gossip-fueled excitement. "Obviously, yes."
The two little badgers lying hidden in the grass silently offered blessings to their friend.
It was such a beautiful moment that it made people feel warm and happy.
But there were always certain people who loved ruining the mood at the worst possible moment.
"Neville, I figured you looked so pitiful that I came to keep you company for lunch."
The voice arrived before the person did.
Malfoy swaggered over with an arrogant stride, carrying food he had brought from the kitchens.
"You'd better eat your fill. Don't use the afternoon training as an excuse to start puking again."
The two of them often wrestled like men beside the Black Lake.
Malfoy felt like he was back in top form and had come to issue another challenge.
Before he could arrive, he was stopped.
Malfoy frowned, clearly not taking the two Hufflepuffs in front of him seriously as he arrogantly said, "Macmillan, why are you stopping me?"
For the sake of their good friend's happiness, Ernie and Justin exchanged a glance.
Then, in voices filled with the determination of men marching toward death, they declared, "I challenge you, Malfoy, in the Slytherin way!"
A challenge?
Malfoy immediately became interested. He casually littered on the spot, tossing the food he had prepared aside.
"You're looking for death? Fine, I'll grant your wish!"
Malfoy came, and Malfoy left again.
Neville paused midway through eating and tilted his head as he listened carefully. "I think I just heard Draco's voice."
"Did you?" Hannah shook her head. "I didn't hear anything."
"Then maybe I heard wrong." Neville took another bite of his sandwich and praised, "This is really delicious, Hannah. You're definitely going to make a wonderful wife."
Hearing those words, Hannah's face turned red.
"Then I'll cook for you forever. I like seeing you eat until you're full and satisfied."
...
Hannah did not see her friends during afternoon classes.
A little worried, she learned from a Hufflepuff girl that Ernie and Justin were in the Hospital Wing.
The moment class ended, Hannah rushed there without stopping. She found the two of them wailing as they begged Madam Pomfrey to change the flavor of the Skele-Gro.
"What happened to you two?" Hannah said angrily. "Why did you go challenge Draco Malfoy to a duel?"
The matter had spread everywhere that afternoon. After all, not many people had the courage to challenge Malfoy.
After the Battle of Hogwarts, anyone with eyes could see the gap between themselves and Malfoy.
But for the sake of protecting their friend's romance, Ernie had fearlessly issued the challenge.
And after Ernie fell, Justin inherited his banner and was thoroughly beaten down by Malfoy.
This act of bravery earned the sincere respect of the entire Gryffindor House.
According to unreliable rumors, Ron Weasley had even suggested erecting a monument in honor of the two of them.
It was supposedly meant to commemorate the brave Hufflepuffs who challenged the evil Draco Malfoy.
However, Hermione rejected Ron's proposal on the grounds that it was far too stupid.
Seeing Hannah angry, Ernie grinned and asked, "Did your date go well?"
"I'm talking to you about something serious, why are you bringing up da..." Hannah suddenly stopped speaking.
Justin said gloomily, "We knew we weren't Malfoy's opponents either, but he was going to interrupt your date."
Tears instantly welled up in Hannah's eyes. Only now did she realize her good friends had fought Malfoy because of her.
Moved to tears, she tightly hugged the two of them.
"We're friends. Taking a beating for you is nothing."
"The important thing is that your date wasn't ruined," Ernie said with a teasing grin. "So, did you confess?"
That instantly made Hannah's face turn bright red as she uncertainly replied, "Sort of?"
"Sort of?" Justin let out a miserable groan. "Then how many more beatings do I have to take before you make up your mind?"
His exaggerated behavior made Hannah angrily punch him once, causing Justin to collapse dramatically onto the bed in despair.
"By the way, how did you end up liking Neville Longbottom?" Ernie asked. "I know he's excellent."
At the mention of this, Hannah touched her braided hair and said, "Don't you think he looks handsome when he swings a sword?"
She smiled shyly. "And he saved me too."
Ernie said, "Saved you? Why don't I remember that?"
They had all participated in the Battle of Hogwarts.
Hannah blushed slightly. "At the time, I got separated from all of you and ended up on the fourth floor. A Death Eater attacked me there."
"Neville came out from behind a door and dealt with the Death Eater for me."
She would never forget that scene.
Neville had appeared from behind the doorway, split apart the spell that would have killed her, and defeated the Death Eater.
Then, in that unwavering voice, he had said, "I'm here now. You're safe."
Those words gave her an incredible sense of security. From that moment on, Hannah fell for the sword-wielding wizard.
Seeing Hannah like this, Ernie knew she truly liked Neville.
As her friend, there was nothing he could do except offer his blessing.
After visiting her friends, Hannah headed toward the kitchens, muttering softly to herself, "It would be nice if I could go to that room again, like it had magic that made cooking feel effortless."
She recalled the room from yesterday. Normally she had never noticed it, yet somehow that room had appeared inside the kitchens.
She remembered her mother's teachings, supposedly originating from a chef named Chen.
If you wanted to win a man's heart, you first had to win his stomach.
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