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Chapter 1174: The Great Bat's Threat
Chapter 1174: The Great Bat's Threat
"I wasn't wrong, was I? Everyone's happy that the DA meetings can continue."
As Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the Great Hall, Ron excitedly shared with Harry the main reason for everyone's enthusiasm for the gathering.
"Bill said the Dark Arts defense training at the Ministry is quite popular. In these turbulent times, everyone wants to learn something useful to protect themselves."
"While Snape may know more about the Dark Arts than most Defense Against the Dark Arts professors, what he can actually teach us is quite limited..."
"Ron..."
Hermione interrupted him, feeling that Ron's evaluation was rather biased.
"At least, without any real practice, it's completely meaningless." Ron shrugged, "You can't expect to become a great Dark Arts defender just by memorizing a bunch of spells."
"I've heard similar things many times. Sometimes I really don't understand their enthusiasm." Harry noticed the expression on Hermione's face and asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Hermione?"
"Oh, Harry, I believe you must have realized it." Hermione said with a quirky expression, "It's actually because you've become popular. But, I suppose it's a good thing."
"A good thing?" Harry couldn't understand what Hermione meant, "I don't think it's a good thing at all."
"At least a lot of people support you and are willing to join the DA gatherings." Ron slightly raised his eyebrows, clearly not liking what Harry had said.
"Without the help of Fred, George, and Cedric, we wouldn't be able to manage teaching so many people." Harry felt that Hermione and Ron were overthinking things, and he personally didn't care for this so-called popularity, "Don't forget what happened last year. Many people considered me a troublesome idiot because of the newspapers, and now they see me as some sort of savior because of another newspaper article?"
"Harry..."
Hermione seemed surprised that Harry would say such things.
"I don't need that kind of fame, believe me. If Voldemort takes control of the Ministry, I'll soon become Britain's most wanted criminal and be despised by everyone."
After his previous experiences, Harry was averse to this so-called popularity and even thought those people were fools.
After all, only a fool would easily believe everything they read.
In fact, Harry had already started to make the worst-case preparations.
Both Dumbledore's injury and Albert's prophecy troubled him.
The truly turbulent times were yet to come.
That was why Harry had decided to teach everyone how to protect themselves while on the run, as he suspected he might need that knowledge himself in the future.
Of course, Harry wasn't stupid. He understood what Hermione was hinting at—to gather support while he was popular. However, there were some things Harry simply couldn't bring himself to do, so he could only promise to try his best.
As they turned the corner of the corridor, Harry felt someone bump into his shoulder hard, almost causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground.
When he steadied himself, he immediately saw Malfoy and his gang; Goyle and Crabbe were glaring at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, clearly having intentionally bumped into him.
"Let's go, before they find a few Death Eater buddies to finish us off." Harry reached out to stop Ron, who had already drawn his wand, a sneer forming on his lips.
"You're right, it's scary."
Ron looked at the Malfoy trio and said sarcastically.
"Maybe they're just eager to join the Death Eaters."
"Maybe one day they'll end up in Azkaban, reuniting with their families."
Seeing the furious duo, Harry was surprised by Draco Malfoy's calmness, which only made him more suspicious of Malfoy. He sneered, "Being a Death Eater is a dead end. Don't forget how Scrimgeour deals with them. I dare say he probably guessed that Voldemort would attempt a prison break, and who knows, he might decide to execute all the Death Eaters in prison one day to prevent them from causing more harm."
"Let's go."
Draco Malfoy held back Crabbe and Goyle, ignoring Potter and Weasley's provocation.
"Harry..." Hermione called out softly.
"That guy sure knows how to hold a grudge." Harry muttered.
After walking some distance, Crabbe angrily said, "Why did you stop me? That's unlike you..."
"That's enough, Crabbe," Malfoy stopped and turned to face him, "I understand your anger, but I really don't have time for such trivial matters right now."
"Trivial matters."
Both Goyle and Crabbe were stunned by Malfoy's words.
"Yes, I have my own matters to attend to, important matters that must be accomplished."
Malfoy grabbed his left arm and looked up at his two partners, reminding them, "Also, the current situation at the school is not in our favor. Everyone is watching us, so don't cause any trouble."
He was more concerned about completing the Dark Lord's task and needed to remain hidden as much as possible until then to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
"Alright, we should go now before we're late."
With that, Malfoy turned and left.
Although Malfoy already had two plans in mind, they didn't seem very foolproof, especially with Snape's opposition, which made him feel anxious.
As for Snape's suggestion to wait until Dumbledore grew weak before striking a fatal blow? Malfoy thought it was unreliable.
Snape could afford to wait, but the Malfoy family couldn't. Voldemort had ordered him to complete the task of killing Dumbledore within this school year.
Who knew when Dumbledore would become weak due to his injured hand? Even if Dumbledore did grow weak, Malfoy wasn't confident that he could defeat him head-on. In fact, he suspected that the Dark Lord himself wasn't sure, or else he wouldn't have sent him on this assassination mission.
Draco's determination to restore the Malfoy family's glory had taken a severe blow after the fire at Malfoy Manor. His mother had revealed the cruel truth to him: the Dark Lord's task was merely a setup to get him killed, and all he was expected to do was cooperate with Snape to ensure the safety of his father, Lucius, and himself.
The harsh truth shattered Draco's confidence, leaving him fearful and anxious. Although his mother, Narcissa, assured him that Snape would help him complete this seemingly impossible task, Draco was reluctant to trust that man.
Severus Snape was a double agent.
A skilled deceiver who had successfully fooled Dumbledore.
Malfoy worried that Snape would deceive his mother and use him to achieve his own goals.
Indeed, Snape had replaced Lucius as Voldemort's right-hand man.
"Draco, Professor Snape asked me to give this to you."
Shortly after the end of their Transfiguration class, Pansy handed a piece of parchment to her boyfriend.
"Oh, I see." Malfoy took the note, responding with a sound of acknowledgment.
"What did Professor Snape want with you?" Pansy asked worriedly. "You seem rather exhausted lately."
"You know, the affairs of my family have been draining me." Malfoy unfolded the note, glanced at its contents, and explained with a sense of helplessness.
That evening, at precisely eight o'clock, Draco Malfoy knocked on the door of Snape's office. He found the Slytherin Head of House busy grading student assignments at his desk.
"Professor, what did you want to see me about?"
Malfoy lowered his eyelids, avoiding eye contact with Snape, as Aunt Bellatrix had taught him how to prevent others from reading his thoughts and peering into his mind.
"Take a seat for a moment. I'll be done shortly."
Snape quickened his pace in grading the assignments. After about a quarter of an hour, he finally put down his quill and looked up at Draco.
"I assume you've heard about Bellatrix."
"Yes, I have." Malfoy replied expressionlessly.
"The Dark Lord is most displeased about it."
After a moment of silence, Snape continued, "Not long ago, your mother contacted me. She..."
"I can handle it myself..."
"No, you don't understand." Snape interrupted Malfoy's attempt to interject. "This matter has very little to do with you anymore."
"What do you mean?" Malfoy's head snapped up, his eyes fixed on Snape.
"Your father, Lucius, needs Dumbledore dead to alleviate the Dark Lord's reproach, and so does Bellatrix. Don't be naive enough to think that I've usurped Lucius' position." Snape looked at Malfoy, who had lowered his eyelids again. "I've mentioned this to you before—this task was originally mine."
"But the Dark Lord assigned the task to me." Malfoy argued, "I'm confident I can accomplish it."
"And what if you fail?" Snape countered.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you really think your ridiculous plans will succeed?" Snape bluntly shattered Malfoy's confidence. "A skilled wizard would immediately recognize the cursed necklace. If it falls into the wrong hands and ends up killing a Hogwarts student, do you truly believe you won't be exposed? Don't underestimate Dumbledore, and as for poisoning, if that tactic worked, I would have done it long ago."
Malfoy's mouth hung slightly agape.
"Abandon your ridiculous plans. I doubt you've been taking this seriously." Snape glared at Malfoy sternly. "You haven't treated the Dark Lord's order with the gravity it deserves."
"Of course, I have!" Malfoy exclaimed, his voice filled with emotion.
"If your plans alert Dumbledore and cause him to heighten his guard, they could directly sabotage my subsequent plans." Snape fixed his gaze on Malfoy, speaking with an air of indisputability. "However, I know you won't give up without experiencing failure firsthand, so I'll give you a chance. If your ludicrous plans fail, you will follow my plan."
"What do you mean?" Draco asked, his fists clenching involuntarily.
"This task was always an impossible one for you. Now, I'm merely offering you a simpler, more feasible way for them to gain the Dark Lord's forgiveness." Snape asked expressionlessly, "Unless you want to fail and face the consequences. Don't tell me you're unaware of the price of failure."
"What are you planning?" Draco's lips quivered as he spoke. He was all too aware of the terrifying price of failure, a fear that haunted him day and night.
"Have Bellatrix assemble a reliable team. I'll find a way to get them into Hogwarts, where they will ambush Dumbledore." Snape said coldly, "Dumbledore is already injured and not as powerful as before. If they're lucky, they might succeed in killing him."
"Of course, if possible, it would be better to wait a while longer, but we don't have many options at this point."
"And if they fail?"
"If they do, I'll strike Dumbledore from the shadows." Snape replied coldly.
"You intended to use Aunt Bellatrix and her team as bait from the beginning." Draco widened his eyes, feeling as though he had seen through Snape's conspiracy.
"If there were more time, I would continue to wait for the opportune moment. But you've accelerated the timeline, and fortunately, we still have a semester left." Snape said impassively, "You must ensure that Bellatrix and her team are prepared to invade Hogwarts. As for the ambush, it will only be used as a last resort."
"How do you plan to get them into the school?" Draco frowned, asking, "The defenses of Hogwarts are formidable. Sneaking in unnoticed is practically impossible."
"That's for me to worry about. You don't need to rush, and I'll inform you when the time comes." Snape looked at Draco and said, "For now, you need to be patient and wait, not just for a quarter of an hour but for a more extended period, and make more thorough preparations."
"So, you've been using me from the start." Draco seemed to have figured everything out. "You want to steal my glory?"
"You're talking like a child." Snape replied coldly.
"You just want to complete the task and gain the Dark Lord's trust." Malfoy sneered, "And we're all just tools for you to achieve your goals."
"I'm trying to save your family." Snape reminded him without a hint of emotion.
"Do you take me for a fool?" Malfoy retorted with a cold smile.
"If it weren't for my relationship with Lucius and your mother's pleas, I wouldn't be taking this risk. Or do you think your mother is a fool?" Snape reminded him coldly, "If you mess this up, I'm sure the Dark Lord won't be pleased. Even if you manage to survive and return, no, I believe Dumbledore probably wouldn't kill you, but I doubt you want to face the Dark Lord's wrath. In that case, your entire family, along with Bellatrix, would be doomed."
"You're threatening me!" Draco Malfoy's whole body trembled slightly.
"Threatening? No, I'm merely stating facts. If we fail, we all die together." Snape smiled coldly at Malfoy, "Don't tell me you think you can survive failure."
(End of Chapter)
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