Chapter 259: Crabbe and Malfoy
Chapter 259: Crabbe and Malfoy
Hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor, and the portraits on either side occasionally opened their eyes, shouting, "Hey, kids, what are you up to today? Why haven't I seen a few people?"
Vold paid no attention and strode past, his black wizard's robe billowing in the wind, giving him a hint of Professor Snape's demeanor.
Behind him, the wizard in the portrait angrily exclaimed, "What a lack of manners!"
Vold reached the infirmary door, turned to look back, and nodded at Mackey, who had brought him here. With a 'bang,' Mackey disappeared from his field of vision.
Then, Vold pushed open the door, and the person standing by the entrance immediately looked up, gazing at him with trepidation.
It was Malfoy.
He shuddered as if he had seen a ghost, his face ashen, and his body trembling uncontrollably.
Slytherin students stood at a distance, as if an invisible barrier separated them from Malfoy.
Those were the Slytherin students who often hung out with Malfoy and had accompanied him to the competition this time—
Pansy, Zabini, and Nott.
Together with Crabbe, Daphne, and Malfoy, they formed the entire team.
As for Goyle, due to his overly touching IQ, he could only stay outside as a spectator this time and was not present here at the moment.
Vold then noticed that several professors, including Dumbledore and Snape, were gathered around a hospital bed, with over a dozen potions on a small cart beside it.
"We can only manage this much for now..."
Madam Pomfrey spoke softly, "We need to send him to St. Mungo's."
Dumbledore nodded and said, "Then we'll trouble you, Pomona, Filius."
"You're too kind, Dumbledore, it's no trouble at all," Professor Sprout replied.
Professor Flitwick carefully levitated the person on the bed with magic, while Professor Sprout covered most of the person's body with a bedsheet.
As they passed by the door, Vold noticed that the person wrapped in the sheet was Crabbe.
His eyes were tightly shut, his face devoid of any blood color, but a strong smell of blood emanated from his body, along with the vibrations of Dark Magic.
Malfoy's body trembled violently, and he abruptly took two steps back, unwilling to look at Crabbe's condition.
The door opened and closed again.
Then, Professor Snape approached the group.
He was usually extremely cold and stern, but now he seemed even more terrifying.
Malfoy, who was always favored by this professor, was terrified to the extreme, looking as if he might faint at any moment.
Professor Snape's footsteps halted in front of Pansy and the others.
"Get out of here!"
His voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, deep and subdued, as he said,
"If I hear any rumors—"
The Slytherins shook their heads vigorously like rattles, with Zabini taking the lead, and they quickly escaped from the professor's line of sight.
Only Malfoy remained, staring fixedly at the floor in front of him, looking utterly desperate.
"Vold."
Professor Dumbledore approached, his voice relatively calm, and said,
"I recall you mentioned that FlowMirror could capture almost every corner of the maze?"
"Yes," Vold replied, his gaze shifting from Malfoy.
"Can the recorded footage be replayed in a short time?" Dumbledore asked again.
"That's correct," Vold confirmed.
"Then we might need a small portion of it.
"Dumbledore said, "About ten minutes ago."
"I can ask Mr. Coliver," Ved said, glancing at the school infirmary. "Er... Is it here?"
Although the ward was currently empty, it was foreseeable that it would be filled with students in ten minutes.
There were quite a few students injured during the competition, but they wanted to see the results, so they endured without immediate treatment and stayed in the audience.
Dumbledore, looking exhausted, said, "Go to my office. Severus—"
He turned to look at Professor Snape.
"I think you need to bring Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Crabbe here."
He was naturally referring to the fathers of the two.
Snape, with a grim expression, nodded without saying more. He didn't even glance at Draco Malfoy again and turned to leave.
"Ved, I'll leave the recorded footage to you," Dumbledore said. "The fifth layer of the maze, northwest corner, about ten minutes ago."
"Okay." Ved nodded and quickly left.
As he walked out of the castle, Ved saw the students returning.
They were unaware of the accident and were excitedly discussing the competition, occasionally bursting into laughter.
Even the injured students didn't want to miss the excitement. Those who could walk were forcing themselves to do so, even showing off their wounds to others.
One student had picked up a huge scale, holding it above his head like a medal, surrounded by a group of younger wizards.
The Gryffindor students were carrying Harry, singing and dancing, looking extremely happy. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs joined in the celebration, and even the Slytherins didn't feel too bad.
Although the Slytherin House didn't win the championship, they came in second place.
The Ministry officials stayed until the end. Instead of returning to the castle immediately, they entered the maze to observe its layout, with Fudge asking questions frequently, showing great concern.
After the Headmaster's disappearance, Professor McGonagall, as the Deputy Headmistress, had to take on the task of receiving these people, even though her expression remained as stern as ever, with a hint of annoyance.
The magical creatures, unaware that these were government officials, would occasionally launch attacks, so Hagrid and the others stayed on guard nearby.
Only Mr. Weasley stayed behind, comforting Percy, who looked dejected.
Ved successfully found Mr. Coliver from the Magical Workshop. Before he could get close, he heard Coliver's excited voice:
"Where have you been, Mr. Gre?—Never mind, do you know what the feedback from the FlowMirror broadcast is? All the sub-mirrors in the British Isles can see the footage! This is simply—"
"Mr. Coliver," Ved interrupted him, speaking in a low voice. "I need to take a master mirror."
The "control panel" in Coliver's hand could broadcast, but the footage was still stored in their respective master mirrors.
Coliver was taken aback for a moment, then seemed to understand something without asking further. He nodded and said, "Okay—which one do you need?"
Ten minutes later, Ved entered the Headmaster's office with the FlowMirror.
Upon entering, he saw the Malfoy couple sitting with Draco, their complexions as pale as ever. Lucius Malfoy was silently stroking the large jewel on his wand.
On the other side of the office, Crabbe's father sat with his head bowed.
This was the first time Ved had seen him, but the power of genetics was strong. Just by looking at his appearance, he knew the other's identity.
Professor Snape stood by with his arms crossed, his eyes icy.
At the sound of the door, everyone in the office turned to look.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
