Chapter 358: The Conversation
Chapter 358: The Conversation
Draco Malfoy didn't speak. He slumped on the floor, his face drenched in sweat, and his pale blonde hair stuck to his forehead. He shivered and stumbled, unable to stand. Crabbe and Goyle approached, glanced at the unresponsive Moody, and helped Draco to his feet.
Professor Mcgonagall's suspicious gaze darted between Felix and Moody. She frowned and said, "Professor Moody, did you use Transfiguration on Malfoy?"
"Yes, to teach him a lesson. He needs to understand the consequences of attacking people from behind", Moody replied.
Professor Mcgonagall glanced at Felix, who nodded slightly. She said weakly, "Even so, we would only assign detention, not punish students with transfiguration. Prolonged human transfiguration is harmful and has been banned for years—Dumbledore should have told you this, right?"
"Maybe he did", Moody said casually, scratching his chin. He grinned and said gruffly, "It's not that serious, Professor Mcgonagall!"
"I didn't like the way he attacked from behind, so I scared him a bit. Professor Hup suddenly appeared and might have thought my methods were a bit too harsh! There was a bit of a conflict, and I had also heard a lot about him from Dumbledore earlier... I wanted to test his abilities."
Moody limped around, waving his rough, large hand and growled, "I know why I'm here. Dumbledore didn't hire me to be a pushover!"
"Danger never announces itself with a polite bow. It's my job to prepare you. This is why I'm here—to cut off the tentacles of certain people and things. I might have overreacted a bit, but from my experience, it's better to overreact than to be completely unprepared!"
"Always stay alert!" he roared, causing a first-year student to fall to the ground in fright.
Moody's magical eye caught the sight, and he grinned, dragging his wooden leg to the student. He pulled the boy up, his half-missing nose and intact eye facing him, and laughed, "Kid! You'll find that appearances are the least of what you should fear. Excuse me—"
The crowd parted, watching him with a mix of awe and respect.
"By the way!" Moody stopped and turned to Felix, "We should select some promising warriors and train them early. How about during the first Duelling Class?"
"Of course", Felix smiled.
Moody studied him for a few seconds, then strode away.
"Wow, he's really cool!" a student said, watching Moody's back.
"He's a true warrior, the kind who's seen it all... You'll see", another student who had just had a class with Moody added.
Professor Mcgonagall looked at the students lingering around and said sternly, "Scatter! Go to dinner, don't block the path." She walked over to Draco Malfoy, her gaze hesitating as she glanced at Felix.
"So—Mr. Malfoy—"
"I'll hand him over to Severus", Felix said.
"Alright then", Professor Mcgonagall sighed with relief. She glanced at Crabbe and Goyle beside Draco, and the nearby Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were looking on. She shouted irritably, "Do you want to join him too?"
They quickly scattered.
At the dining table, Ron closed his eyes, his fork suspended in mid-air. He sighed contentedly, "I'm going to get a ferret... Every time I see it, I'll be reminded of today's Malfoy. I wonder if it will grab onto my pants like he did."
Harry and Hermione laughed. Harry asked, "But is human transfiguration really that dangerous? Professor Mcgonagall didn't seem to be joking."
Hermione, holding her fork, said meaningfully, "Imagine being turned into an owl. At first, you remember who you are, but soon, animal instincts take over, and you forget your identity..."
Harry frowned, "So, if the magic isn't undone in time, Malfoy could end up thinking he's a ferret?"
Hermione said seriously, "I'm just giving you an example to make you aware of the dangers involved. Some transformations can resolve themselves over time, but for Wizards with high-level Magic, their transformations can last for a very long time. Some malicious transformations are like curses and can be permanent."
Ron seemed to think of something and laughed, gasping for breath as he said, "That... that wouldn't be so bad, would it?"
Hermione glanced at him. "Although the chances are slim, if Malfoy takes advantage of the chaos to run away and hide in the Forbidden Forest, he might be eaten by the creatures in there before anyone finds him..."
Ron imagined the scenario, and his appetite vanished. Harry also lost his appetite. Hermione, however, finished her dinner quickly and began packing her bag.
"Are you going to the Library?" Harry asked her.
"Of course", Hermione replied. "I have a lot of work to do. It's not schoolwork—" She saw Harry about to ask and preemptively explained, then picked up her bag and hurried off.
On the other side, Felix and Draco Malfoy were walking down a dark underground corridor. Draco's eyes were brimming with tears, and the torchlight on the walls cast a pale glow on his face, making Felix see the occasional flash of resentment in his eyes.
"Do you hate Professor Moody?" Felix asked, looking at him.
Draco clenched his fists, his face flushed with shame. "I'm going to tell my father..."
"Hmm." Felix didn't say much. They continued walking for a while before he suddenly spoke again. "What you said is one way, but it might not be very effective."
"Why! Just because he's Dumbledore's good friend?" Draco asked, grinding his teeth.
"Headmaster Dumbledore", Felix corrected him. But seeing Draco Malfoy's dismissive expression, he guessed Draco was likely resenting the Headmaster as well.
"I'm curious about the origin of this conflict..."
"I insulted Weasley's father", Draco said coldly. "Is that what you want to know? Am I getting what I deserve?"
"No", Felix chuckled lightly. "I'm just wondering what motivated you to provoke him. After all, even without Professor Moody, the three of you—plus Crabbe and Goyle—are no match for Potter alone."
"Or do you think Potter wouldn't hurt you, giving you a sense of security? Or perhaps you don't mind being defeated by Potter—by the way, Hermione Granger isn't easy to deal with either."
Draco's face turned hot, and he stammered, "I... I didn't think that much about it."
"Hmm", Felix nodded and then asked, "Do you remember our first in-depth conversation? When you brought the diary to my office?"
Draco slowly looked at him, not quite understanding why he brought this up.
"I told you then that everyone must take responsibility for their actions—" Felix paused. "It seems you don't remember much."
He smiled. "I wish you could have seen yourself back then. You were a lot like you are now, trembling and hesitant. Of course, one time it was a noble act of self-rescue and altruism, and the other time, it was driven by some dark thoughts..."
Draco glared at him, feeling uncomfortable but also a faint sense of pride.
"It's normal. Anyone who is humiliated would have strong destructive thoughts", Felix said casually. They turned a corner, and Snape's office came into view.
"Have you ever had such thoughts?" Draco asked, but he immediately realized he had asked a poor question. Professor Hup's time at school was far from peaceful, and he must have experienced more.
Felix was amused. "I guess everyone has had similar dark thoughts at some point, but putting them into practice is a different matter." He knocked on Snape's office door, but there was no response.
"Ah, maybe he's not here..." he said regretfully. "We'll have to try another day. Go on, Mr. Malfoy. Get some sleep. I'm curious to see how long this idea will last."
(End of Chapter)
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