#780 - Peep (asking for monthly ticket recommendation ticket)

“Who are you calling not an opponent?”

Just as Ron and Harry arrived at the Trophy Room, a snort came from inside the room. Immediately after, they saw Draco standing at the doorway, having clearly overheard Ron's muttered complaint.

Ron, upon seeing him, didn't hold back. “I'm just stating a fact. Do you really think you can beat Harry? Heck, even I could knock your teeth out.”

Draco, hearing this, ignored Ron's taunt and addressed Harry directly, “Hurry up and come in. I don't want to get caught by Filch. And why did you bring this idiot along? I heard he doesn't even have a single ★★★ attribute.”

“You!” Ron, provoked by Draco, instantly flared up and was about to lunge at him.

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Seeing this, Harry quickly stopped Ron and gave Draco a cold look. “If that's your attitude, then there's nothing to talk about.”

Draco was momentarily choked. He didn't want to lose the chance to participate in the new instance just for the sake of a momentary jab.

After all, instance challenges not only offered the novelty of exploration, combat, and alchemical items but, more directly, the chance to improve one's strength.

Many people had felt their strength improving during the Ruins instance, especially in terms of practical adaptability.

While physical training and target practice could improve combat ability, they couldn't truly integrate theory with practice.

Moreover, after multiple practical battles, many young wizards clearly realized that real combat could accelerate the improvement of attributes and skills.

Real combat could further stimulate a wizard's potential and greatly temper their will.

So now, the batch of young wizards like Harry, who constantly fought in instances, had pulled far ahead of others, and that gap would only widen.

Unfortunately, the intensity and unpredictability of the original Ruins instance weren't very high, allowing many people to find standardized ways to progress.

When it was safe, when enemies would appear, and where the enemies were strongest were all memorized by wizards who frequently delved into the instance.

Furthermore, whether one could successfully challenge an instance and how well one did had become a source of bragging rights and a symbol of honor within Hogwarts.

Those ranked high on the leaderboards naturally spoke with more authority.

The earlier one could enter an instance, the earlier they could gain a head start, which was why everyone was so excited about a new instance.

“Fine, I misspoke, but he started it.” Draco surprisingly didn't continue to argue, muttering before stepping aside.

Harry and Ron were taken aback. Draco's attitude was quite rare; it was the first time they'd seen him back down.

Exchanging glances, they stepped into the Trophy Room.

“Potter, you know why I asked you here?” Draco got straight to the point. “How about we team up to challenge the new instance?”

Seeing how eager Draco was, Harry nodded inwardly. It seemed Draco valued this new instance as much as he did.

“I personally have no objections, but you need to understand that this is only a temporary team. Once Ron's attributes are up to par, there probably won't be a place for you in the team.”

“I understand that.” Draco wasn't expecting to cooperate with them long-term. “Even if you didn't say it, I'd leave the team and form my own once Pansy and Daphne's attributes improve.”

“Ron.” Harry turned to his friend. “What do you think?”

Ron thought for a moment. He and Malfoy didn't get along, especially after their conflict in Diagon Alley.

But he also knew how much entering the instance early would help everyone, and since Harry respected him so much, he didn't want to hold the team back for personal reasons.

“I'm okay with it.” Ron reluctantly pouted, then added, “But we need to clarify some things beforehand.”

“Such as?” Draco raised an eyebrow.

“Like the command issue within the team.” Ron paused. “You're only joining temporarily, so you naturally have to follow the orders of the others in the team.”

“Are you kidding me!” Draco's voice suddenly rose. “What, am I supposed to be a substitute player? You wouldn't even have a team without me, right? The commander should be whoever's capable. You don't expect me to be your subordinate, do you?”

Harry decisively said, “That's just how it is. There are three of us, and we already have a well-formed team dynamic. You'll have to learn to cooperate with us. We can't cater to you alone!”

“What if your command goes wrong? Besides, your previous team was for the old instance. Everything has to start over with the new instance.”

Draco couldn't accept becoming a subordinate to Harry's team, especially with a Muggle-born wizard in it. Although he now disagreed with his father's extreme pure-blood ideology, he still instinctively rejected Muggles.

Harry and Ron exchanged a smile, Ron wearing a smug expression. “You probably don't know, but we've already been through the Despair Town instance once. We know it best.”

“What?” Draco stared in shock. “You've been in it? What instance is that? What kind of enemies are there?”

“Well… I can't really tell you. We promised the professor we wouldn't reveal it.” Ron shook his head. “But I can tell you that the danger level is several times higher than the Ruins instance, and we've even cleared it. You'll only be able to familiarize yourself with the environment quickly if you follow us.”

Draco lowered his head in silence. He hadn't expected this. Despair Town wasn't a new instance? Harry's team had been inside…

Was the professor also the type to show favoritism? Draco admired Dumbledore most for his fairness, treating everyone equally in teaching.

But now, he was letting students close to him experience the instance beforehand?

Thinking of this, Draco couldn't help but feel disappointed, but considering the reality, it seemed he had no choice but to agree to their conditions. Joining a team that had experience would undoubtedly greatly reduce the challenge.

“Okay…”

“Clang!”

Just as Malfoy was about to reply, a metallic clanging sound suddenly echoed through the Trophy Room, growing louder.

Startled, the three of them instinctively drew their wands and quickly stood back-to-back, vigilantly guarding their respective areas.

“Clear!” Ron quickly scanned his area and reported in a low voice.

“Clear!” Harry similarly whispered after completing a series of tactical maneuvers.

“It's this way!” Draco noticed a shadow flickering in the darkness not far away, quickly alerting the other two.

Upon receiving the information, Harry and Ron unhesitatingly turned around, facing the same direction as Malfoy, confronting the shadow in the darkness.

“Doesn't seem like Filch.” Draco was the first to offer his judgment. “That guy always carries a lamp when he patrols, and we can't hear his cat.”

“Then be careful. Maybe someone's looking for trouble. You're so annoying, they might be coming for revenge.” In this tense moment, Ron didn't forget to mock Malfoy.

“Quiet…” Harry softly warned. “Whoever it is, should we find cover first?”

“Wait…” Draco suddenly realized, somewhat speechless. “We're not in an instance right now. Why are we so tense? It can't be an enemy, can it? Maybe it's just a couple sneaking out for a date.”

Reminded by Draco, Harry and Ron also felt they might be overreacting. They had even used tactical maneuvers for a quick response. Thinking about it now, it was a bit funny.

But there was nothing they could do. After Dumbledore's high-intensity training last year, everyone was a bit jumpy, even after a summer break.

Although the three of them realized they might have overreacted, they didn't completely relax, maintaining their original vigilant posture.

At the same time, Ron maliciously egged him on. “In that case, why don't you scout ahead for us? If you run into Snape, maybe you'll get fewer points deducted. Maybe he'll even let you off.”

“Do you think I'm an idiot?” Draco rolled his eyes. “What if it's McGonagall? You go!”

“Stop arguing, that figure's getting closer!” Harry urgently whispered, his eyes fixed on the front.

Hearing this, Draco and Ron cautiously became vigilant. They weren't entirely against running away or hiding, but there was nowhere to hide in the Trophy Room, and the doorway was in the direction they were coming from.

However, when they saw the short figure gradually approaching, the three of them simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hogg, why are you here instead of sleeping?”

Ron looked speechlessly at Hogg walking slowly towards them, unable to stop himself from cursing.

“Ha, you have the nerve to accuse me first?” Hogg, with a fish bone in his mouth, arrived in front of the three of them. “It's you guys who aren't following curfew and are here late at night. I was wondering why there was noise in the Trophy Room so late. Are you afraid your house has too many points?”

Startled by Hogg, the three of them immediately tensed up again. They knew all too well what this dead dog was like. The most frustrating thing was that he even had the authority to deduct points.

“Hehe…” Seeing this, Harry quickly crouched down and smiled at Hogg. “Hogg, it's all a misunderstanding. We'll leave right now. Just pretend you didn't see us, okay?”

Having interacted with Hogg for so long, Harry and the others were familiar with his stubborn nature.

“Not okay!” Hogg, taking advantage of the situation, proudly raised his head. “I think you're just itching for a beating. Breaking school rules on the second day of school. I think you should not only have points deducted but also be banned from instances for a month or two.”

“Ah? No, please!”

Hearing this, the three of them immediately panicked. Ron quickly ingratiated himself. “Big Brother! As long as you let us off this time, you'll be my brother from now on. We've been friends for so long, don't be so ruthless, okay?”

After being flattered, Hogg was somewhat carried away and looked at the three of them with interest. “Then it depends on your performance…”

“We'll definitely perform well in the future!” Harry quickly replied. “How about this? If Ginny ever bothers you again, we'll stop her for you!”

After spending a summer together, Harry knew that the people Hogg feared most, besides Dumbledore, were Ginny, that little girl. Even during morning exercises, Hogg didn't dare to be as harsh with Ginny as he was with others.

“Oh?” Hogg was a little tempted, thinking for a moment before smiling. “Alright, I'm not the type to be ruthless. Get out of here and stop wandering around in front of me.”

The three of them didn't dare to argue at this point, immediately thanking him profusely before leaving the Trophy Room. They had suffered more than once at the hands of this Hogwarts bully.

After watching the three kids leave, Hogg immediately changed his expression, looking seriously in the direction where the sound had come from, sniffing from time to time.

After a while, Hogg quickly rushed out of the Trophy Room and went straight to Dumbledore's office.

“What? Someone was spying on Harry?” Dumbledore, who was working, turned his head. “Are you sure of their identity?”

“Based on their figure and scent, I can confirm that it was a house-elf! And I'm not sure if Harry was their target.” Hogg reported the situation in detail.

“I was wandering around the main tower when I saw Harry, Ron, and Draco near the Trophy Room. I was going to scare them, but when I got closer, I noticed someone hiding nearby.”

“However, just as I noticed them, they noticed me and ran away, using the house-elf's unique Apparition!”

“Hmm…” Dumbledore lowered his head and pondered. “So, they were spying on one of the three. Can you determine their intention? Did they show any dangerous actions? Did the malice detection charm react?”

“I didn't even have time to activate the charm before they disappeared!” Hogg twisted his head in frustration. “But their actions were suspicious, so they probably weren't good people. Otherwise, why would they run away as soon as they saw me?”

“It seems this school year won't be peaceful either. Tell Kiki to investigate through house-elf channels.” Dumbledore instructed, then added, “Also, go to the Hogwarts kitchen and see if this has anything to do with the school's house-elves.”