Harry Potter: The Rise Of Malfoy

Chapter 7.

After returning from Diagon Alley, there was still a month until school started.

Soren had already memorized a vast amount of knowledge about spells and potions. Now that he had a wand and a cauldron, he could begin practicing spellcasting and potion-making. All he needed was to continuously practice to transform the knowledge in his mind into practical skills.

Every day, Soren practiced every spell he knew until he could wield each incantation with the skill and ease of a second nature.

Mr. Ollivander was right; this wand was indeed a perfect match for him. When held in his hand, his magical power seemed to blend seamlessly with the wand, making any spellcasting feel effortless and natural.

Notably, he even discovered that this wand seemed to amplify the power of dark magic; the spells he had learnt from the family books were casted often more potent than other spells.

Two weeks later, Soren happily received the wizard robe sent by Madam Malkin. He examined it with great delight before packing it into his luggage for Hogwarts.

Time quickly passed by and arrived September 1st. 

The Malfoy family arrived at King's Cross Station. 

Passing through Platform 9¾, Soren was surprised to see a deep red steam locomotive parked at the platform, with a sign reading: Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock. 

The thick smoke from the steam engine swirled above the noisy crowd, and various colored cats weaved through people's feet, while owls hooted loudly. 

There were so many people here; some were saying goodbye to their children, while others were sharing their holiday experiences. 

"Father, Mother, you can depart now; we'll get on the train by ourselves," Soren said. 

Narcissa's eyes were wet as she hugged her two children and kissed them on the cheeks. 

"Alright," Lucius's face also showed reluctance, but he tried hard to keep his tone calm, "Study hard in magic, take care of yourselves, and remember to write home often." 

"Draco, you'll have to do much more than just fooling around all day; or should I say learn from your brother, understand?" Draco responded with a bitter "oh." 

"Soren, keep an eye on your brother. If anything happens, go find Uncle Snape; he will take care of both of you." Soren replied, "Got it," and then pulled Draco to turn and find the train's boarding door. 

Once they entered the reserved compartment, the two brothers waved goodbye to their reluctant parents out the window before Lucius took Narcissa's hand and left. 

After watching their parents leave, Soren curiously examined the interior decor of the compartment. Soren and Draco shared a compartment, which Lucius had arranged in advance through his connections at the Department of Magical Transportation; it was located in the middle of the train, where it would be least bumpy, making it the most comfortable compartment on the entire train. 

In fact, Lucius's aim was to prevent the two brothers from facing the embarrassment of not being able to find any empty compartment, and having to share compartments with those muggle-born childs.

"this is really a third class compartment," Draco began to complain the moment his bum touched the comfy seat, "Why do we have to take a ride in such a backward thing? can't they arrange something like a carriage which we have, that way it would be a pretty good ride to Hogwarts."

Soren on the hand just smiled and said, "brother, those creatures that pull our family carriage are not that easy to tame, moreover do you really think just anyone could afford them?"

"Haha." Draco laughed, "you're right, there's no way those poor chums could afford such luxury." 

seeing his brother laugh on others lack of wealth, Soren took out the daily prophet and began to read it with interest, but just then Crabbe and Goyle ran in, "Draco, Soren do you know Harry, Harry Potter is also in this train." The two of them looked too much excited as if they had found some kind of treasure map.

"Why are you that excited? I knew that he was coming to Hogwarts a month ago." Draco muttered calmly, maintaining his haughty image, "Soren and we met him in the diagon alley a month ago, but anyway since you're that excited I'll introduce the two of you to him. Let's go, Soren."

With that four children walked in the somewhat shaky aisle, followed by Crabbe and Goyle like two bulky bodyguards. seeing this scene Soren couldn't help but shake his head.

As the group approached a certain compartment, "He's inside this compartment." Goyle said all of a sudden.

Draco stopping in his tracks turned toward the compartment and then extending his hand forward he opened the door. Just like the two bodyguards had said Harry was sitting there, and opposite him sat a red haired boy with a slight stain on the corner of his nose.

"Hey harry, how was your summer?" Draco asked loudly, as if Harry was his old friend.

"It was alright." Harry said, lost in his own thoughts, after having that conversation with hagrid his opinion on the Malfoy family had changed very much. But Draco didn't notice Harry's abnormality at all and continued talking to himself, "This is Crabbe, this is Goyle." 

Finally, Draco noticed the red-haired boy next to him, raised an eyebrow, and said, "I guess you must be a Weasley. My dad said your family all has red hair, and there are so many kids—"

Soren coughed lightly, and Draco suddenly stopped talking. Soren looked at Ron, whose face was turning red, and said, "Hello, I'm Soren Malfoy, this is my brother Draco. What he just said was not intentional, and I apologise on his behalf. We are all from pure-blood families, so I hope you won't take it too seriously. We might even become house mate!"

Unfortunately, the bad impression had already been planted, and both Harry and Ron looked displeased at the moment.

Just then, a little girl walked up to the door of the compartment, followed by a round-faced little boy who seemed a bit timid. "Has anyone seen a toad? Neville lost his toad."

The little girl had thick, long brown hair and a pair of big front teeth. She spoke loudly, and her tone sounded somewhat demanding. With such distinctive hair and way of speaking, Soren naturally recognized her as Hermione Granger, one of the three main characters.

Seeing Hermione, Draco frowned. From the girl's attire and demeanor, he suspected that this girl was the "mudblood" he despised the most, a derogatory term used in their pure-blood circles for those whose parents were both Muggles or Muggle-born wizards.

But at that moment, he couldn't be sure, and knowing that his brother generally didn't like him speaking ill of "mudbloods," he ultimately restrained his desire to speak and said nothing.

Soren looked at the round-faced boy whose robe was embroidered with a coat of arms featuring two lions resting their front paws on a throne and calmly said, "Neville, you are from the Longbottom family in Kent, right?"

Before the boy could respond, Soren continued, "I suppose so. I guess you are Frank Longbottom's son? I've met your grandmother, Mrs. Augusta Longbottom. She mentioned having a grandson, that must be you?"

The boy, who had been keeping his head down, suddenly straightened up upon hearing his grandmother's and father's names, looking a bit proud as he faced the young man, "Yes, that's me. You can call me Neville. You know my grandmother and my father?"

"Let me reintroduce myself, I'm Soren Malfoy from the Malfoy family, and this is my brother Draco. We've heard of your parents; they are both remarkable Aurors."

"Really?" Neville's eyes sparkled with a different light. It was the first time he had heard a positive remark, even if it was just about his parents.

Soren continued, "Though I haven't seen your toad, I think I can help you find it."

Hermione showed a curious expression, "How do you plan to find it?"

Soren smiled confidently, pulling out a round device that resembled a compass from his pocket, then quietly asked it, "Where is Neville's toad?"

The compass vibrated noticeably, and after a moment, the needle pointed in a direction.

Seeing Hermione's surprised expression, Soren explained with a smile, "This is a locating needle; it can find items that were lost not long ago, but the time since they were lost can't exceed five hours."

"I know about this thing," Hermione said quickly. "I've seen it in 'The Encyclopaedia of Household Magic,' but this is the first time I've seen a real one. Its principle is..."

"Stop!" Seeing Hermione about to launch into a long-winded explanation, Soren hurriedly interrupted her.

Soren first looked at Neville, "According to the locating needle, your toad should be to the south. You need to continue searching towards the back of the train. Based on the color changes on the needle, I believe, uh..." Soren calculated in his mind, "It should be a small distance from here, which would be compartment thirty-eight. You should go ask there."

"Okay, thank you. Really, thank you," Neville said sincerely. Before this, he had sought help from others, but every student in the compartments had coldly told him that the toad wasn't in their compartment. Hermione was the first to volunteer to accompany him in searching for the toad, and Soren was the first to actively help him find it.

"You're welcome. I hope we can become friends in the future," Soren said.

"Um," Neville seemed to regain the courage he had lost upon hearing his parents' names. He said, "Then I'll go find Trevor now, so I won't disturb you from continuing your conversation. See you at school!"

After Neville turned to leave, Hermione did not follow him but instead scrutinized Soren with a thoughtful gaze.

"Why didn't you let me continue just now?" Hermione asked, a little displeased. "I was about to say that the principle of the..."

Soren gazed at Hermione's face with his gray pupils, remaining silent. Hermione seemed to feel something and suddenly blushed, falling silent as well.

She stubbornly looked back at Soren, suddenly feeling inexplicably that this boy was staring at her too much, and his gaze was too intense. Her character had always been strong, but at this moment, under the boy's stare, she couldn't help but feel a bit flustered, unable to maintain eye contact and looked away.

Soren spoke gently, "You don't have to be like this, really."

"What?" Hermione was confused. "What do you mean?"

"From your clothing and behavior, it's clear that your parents are not wizards, right?" Soren's gaze was piercing, but his tone was undeniably confident. "This is your first encounter with the wizarding world, and you're feeling anxious, right? That's why you want to arm yourself with all your knowledge and learning, so you won't appear ignorant or make a fool of yourself in front of classmates from wizarding families."

"I-I didn't... You're talking nonsense..." Hermione stammered in denial.

"Don't mind it, I mean no harm," Soren smiled gently. "I just want to tell you that your worry is unnecessary. Most students from wizarding families, just like you, were not allowed to access magic before enrolling. I am even willing to say that on this train, among our classmates, there isn't anyone who knows more than you do. At least, not everyone can recognise this Summoning Charm at a glance."

"You are excellent; show your confidence. You don't need to prove yourself like this," Soren teased, "because it only hides your strengths and makes you seem verbose."

"You!" Hermione widened her eyes, unable to believe that this boy could be so sharp-tongued when he spoke.

"I'm not teasing you," Soren said, gently nodding in a noble manner, politely asking, "So, may I have the honor of knowing the name of this kind, intelligent, and knowledgeable lady?"

The girl's face truly turned red this time. "Hermione Granger. You can just call me Hermione," she replied.

"A very nice and special name, it suits you well. I will remember your name," Soren said, noticing Draco, Harry, and Ron were not having a good time, and added, "Alright, my brother and I are going back to our compartment. Let's meet at school, and I hope we can be classmates in the same house. Come on, Draco."

With that, he pulled Draco and his two followers away.

Active Draco, unwilling to feel lonely with his studious brother, ran to the compartment of Goyle, Crabbe, and others to meet some other first-year students. Soren returned to the compartment alone, took out a sandwich and a newspaper, and leisurely started eating and reading.

Suddenly, the compartment door opened again, and two tall blonde girls walked in. The girl in front quickly scanned Soren with a scrutinizing gaze before stepping into the compartment, followed closely by the other girl.

Soren did not recognize them, but since most of the people in the train knew that Malfoy twins were inside the compartment, anyone daring to open this door obviously would not be an ordinary person.

Soren raised his head slightly, his gaze quickly scanning the family crests embroidered on the robes of the two girls, recognizing their backgrounds. The girl who entered first was from the Greengrass family, while the girl who followed was from the Shafiq family. Both belonged to the same Sacred 28 pure-blood families as himself.

In the original story, these two families were mentioned very little. The Greengrass family is most notably remembered for being the family of Draco's future wife, Astoria Greengrass. Most of the women from this family had short life spans due to a hereditary blood curse. In the original story, Astoria passed away at the age of 37.

The blood curse is a very profound and rare type of curse magic that can target the bloodline of a family, with all descendants having a certain chance of activating the curse.

There are many kinds of curses; some can shorten a person's lifespan, some can bring extreme misfortune, and some can ultimately turn a person into a beast. Unless the bloodline is severed or a counter-curse is found to break the curse, it will be passed down through generations forever.

Apart from the Greengrass family, the only known host of a blood curse (Maledictus) in the current wizarding world is Nagini, the giant snake that surrounds Voldemort after his return. The blood curse borne by Nagini is different from that of the Greengrass family; although it does not lead to an early death due to loss of lifespan, it irreversibly mutates into a giant snake.

Soren searched his memory; there were no records of the Shafiq family in the original books, but his extensive reading of the Malfoy and Black families' rich collections had long surpassed the understanding he had acquired from reading the original books in his past life.

In the book "Born Noble: The Wizarding Genealogy," it was mentioned that the Shafiq family is a branch descended from Morgan le Fay, the dark witch and half-sister of King Arthur, who was Merlin's archenemy. Historically, there was a powerful figure in the Shafiq family known as the "Dark Lady," and it is said that the villain Maleficent from the Muggle fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty" was modeled after this Shafiq family dark witch.

Soren took the initiative to speak, "Hello, beautiful ladies, I am Soren Malfoy, and it's a pleasure to meet you. How may I help you?"

The girl who entered the compartment first responded gracefully, "Hello, Mr. Malfoy, I am Daphne Greengrass, and this is my friend Meredith Shafiq. We just met your brother in another compartment, but… um..." At this point, her face turned red, and she suddenly didn't know how to continue.

In contrast to Daphne's friendly attitude, Meredith appeared somewhat aloof. She snorted disdainfully and said in a slightly mocking tone, "Your brother and Pansy Parkinson… seem to have a lot in common, huh?"

Soren could now confirm that the two had definitely had an unpleasant encounter with his brother's group of friends, which led them to decide to change compartments, not knowing they would end up here. From Meredith's tone, it seemed she almost said the insulting word "Bitch." No wonder; Soren knew very well Pansy's character—sharp-tongued, self-centered, and likely to offend many with her words.

Soren displayed a friendly smile, "I guess my thoughtless brother must have accidentally offended you ladies, and I apologize on his behalf. Please accept these two small gifts as an apology!"

After saying this, Soren took out his wand and lightly tapped the cups on the table. The cups split into two, transforming into a golden osmanthus flower and a purple delicate silk flower. "Please accept these beautiful flowers as my apology."

Although Soren's actions might seem like flattery to impress the ladies, his superb Transfiguration skills genuinely astonished both women. Throughout the journey, the way they looked at him began to change, and their conversation became more lively as the three of them shared their family backgrounds and aspirations for Hogwarts.

The two ladies eagerly asked Soren various questions about magic, only to discover that he had considerable expertise in Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions, which added admiration and respect to their gazes towards him.

By the time the train reached its destination, it was already evening. The platform where the first-year students disembarked was small and dark, giving it a somewhat eerie feeling. The cold wind rustled through the robes, making a whistling sound.

The school did not make the new students wait long. A lamp swung silently above the students' heads, followed by a rough voice shouting, "First-year students! First-year students, come over here!"

Hagrid, towering at nearly three times the height of the first years, held a magical lamp in his right hand and smiled with his bearded face. "Come on, follow me. Are there any more first-year students? Watch your step! Alright, first-year students, follow me!"

The new students followed Hagrid along a rugged mountain path, and suddenly, sounds of admiration came from ahead.

At the end of the path, a black lake suddenly unfolded, shimmering with rippling waves. On the opposite shore, a towering castle loomed on a steep hillside, shrouded in unfathomable darkness. The castle was adorned with numerous spires, and its windows twinkled under the starry sky. Small boats were docked along the lake's edge, gently swaying with the ripples.

Hagrid shouted, "Get on the boat! No more than four people per boat!"

Dozens of small boats glided across the calm lake towards the opposite side. Everyone was silent, gazing at the enormous castle that reached into the clouds.

Upon reaching the castle's main gate, Professor McGonagall led the new students into the Great Hall, where the Sorting Ceremony would take place.

As expected, the ambitious and scheming pureblood, Soren, was sorted into Slytherin by the Sorting Hat before he could even say anything.

After dinner, the students returned to their respective common rooms under the guidance of the prefects.

Slytherin's common room was located in the castle's dungeons, filled with green light. The spacious room was constructed of black Gothic marble, and looking out the windows revealed the bottom of the black lake, occasionally showing glimpses of the water monster Grindylow and others.

Unlike other houses, the noble Slytherins each had their own rooms and bathrooms, avoiding the need to share with roommates, thus enjoying more personal space. Soren was quite pleased with this; it was truly a fitting house for him, as he had many schemes in Hogwarts, and the fewer people who knew, the better.

Soren chose a secluded and quiet room, locked the door, and snapped his fingers. With a pop, a dirty house-elf named Dobby appeared in the room.

House-elves practiced a completely different magical system from wizards. They could freely Apparate within Hogwarts, and as one of Dobby's masters, Soren had the ability to summon Dobby at any time through a bond in their souls.

'What a wonderful ability this is.' Soren thought; as Dobby would become indispensable… his errand runner this year.