Chapter 757: Punishment and Confinement
Chapter 757: Punishment and Confinement
At dinner, Dumbledore, who had been absent for a long time, reappeared at the teachers' table, right on time.
He looked weary, his silver hair and beard dull and lacking their usual luster. Despite his attempts to conceal it, a keen observer could still detect the fatigue on his face.
"He must have been very busy lately," Connor remarked as she glanced at the teachers' table.
"Yes," Kyle nodded in agreement.
Even though he was at Hogwarts, the recent issues of the Prophet had kept him informed about the outside world. He knew that Dumbledore's presence was crucial in boosting the morale of those fighting against the Death Eaters.
To counter the increasing threat of the Death Eaters, Dumbledore had no choice but to leave Hogwarts and make frequent public appearances. After all, it was common knowledge in the wizarding world that Voldemort feared Dumbledore the most. Only with Dumbledore taking action would others find hope.
This explained why Dumbledore had been busier than ever lately.
"By the way," Connor said as if she had just remembered something. She spread some jam on her bread and asked casually, "I heard that Potter and Malfoy got into a fight in the bathroom?"
"Yes..." Kyle nodded subconsciously, but then he paused, "Wait, who did you hear that from?"
He recalled that Connor had been in the common room doing homework all afternoon, and he didn't think he had found an opportunity to tell her about it.
So how did she find out? Surely it wasn't from Snape...
"Oh, it was Michael," Connor replied nonchalantly. "He went to the hospital wing in the afternoon to get some stimulants to help him pull an all-nighter for his assignment, and he happened to overhear something.
"Now almost the entire Hufflepuff house knows about it, and he said you were involved too."
"Tsk," Kyle clicked his tongue.
He had to admit that Michael had a natural talent for gathering information. When it came to intelligence gathering, he never disappointed.
"Yes, that's true," Kyle confirmed. "And they were both serious about it, going at each other with all they had."
"Then how did you get involved?" Connor asked, curious about the part she found most incomprehensible.
"It was a coincidence," Kyle explained. "I had just decided to take a day off when I stumbled upon the situation, so I took the opportunity to try and break up the fight." Kyle briefly recounted the previous events, including how he had heard the explosion, rushed to the seventh floor, and pulled Harry and Malfoy apart, likely saving them from a trip to the hospital wing.
"So, you've learned it then?" Connor's eyes lit up with excitement. "The method that Professor Ragor mentioned... altering the essence of magic with runes?"
Professor Ragor was the Charms professor in the Room of Requirement, bearing a striking resemblance to Old Tom from the Leaky Cauldron.
Connor had attended a few of his classes with Kyle, and while she hadn't understood much, she remembered the key points, especially the part about altering magic with runes—essentially rendering magic ineffective.
The class that left the deepest impression on her was the one where Kyle had been scolded relentlessly. Out of a one-hour lesson, he had been reprimanded for a good fifty-five minutes—it was hard for her to forget that.
Of course, Kyle had no idea what she was thinking.
"I guess you could say I've learned it," he mused after a moment's thought. "Also, the curses Harry and Malfoy were using weren't particularly complex, making it relatively easier. If it had been two professors dueling, I definitely wouldn't have been able to do anything."
"That's still impressive," Connor said with a laugh. "At least Professor Ragor won't scold you anymore, right?"
"It's hard to say," Kyle rubbed his forehead. The thought of the irritable old professor gave him a headache, and there were still so many other things he needed to learn.
After dinner, everyone gradually got up from the table and headed back to their common rooms.
Kyle, however, remained seated, waiting for a while. He expected that he would likely be summoned to the headmaster's office, and waiting here would save him some walking.
But after sitting for over ten minutes, the Great Hall had emptied, and no one had come to call him to the headmaster's office.
During this time, Nearly Headless Nick had passed by, but he wasn't looking for Kyle. Instead, he was searching for Harry and Malfoy.
Kyle stood up, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Looks like you guessed wrong," Connor said with a hint of amusement. "Professor Dumbledore doesn't seem to be looking for the person who broke up the fight."
"Well, I guessed wrong," Kyle shrugged nonchalantly. "It's just a pity... I thought I'd earn at least fifty points for this."
"Don't worry," Connor said, "Hufflepuff doesn't need those fifty points right now."
This year, Hufflepuff had consistently maintained the top position in the inter-house rankings since Christmas, leading second-place Slytherin by over eighty points.
Gryffindor, on the other hand, remained firmly in last place. Ravenclaw would have been last if not for Harry losing fifty points a few days ago, pushing them into the bottom spot.
The two of them returned to the common room.
...
Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office on the eighth floor...
"Of course." Dumbledore nodded and said softly, "Professor Snape, I hope you can make Malfoy realize his mistake today. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to hand him over to Professor McGonagall."
"Rest assured, I will..." Snape said, still standing in front of Malfoy.
He turned and pushed Malfoy forcefully. Malfoy seemed unprepared for his action and stumbled, almost colliding with the table beside him.
Malfoy glared at Snape, anger flashing in his eyes. But with Dumbledore's presence, he held his tongue and merely inhaled sharply before striding out of the office.
Snape followed closely behind.
As soon as they stepped into the corridor outside, Snape spoke in a cold tone, "Do you know what you've just done? Staring at Dumbledore with such hostility, are you trying to make your intentions obvious? If it weren't for me, your scheme might have been exposed."
"Yes, how troublesome for you." Malfoy's voice was equally cold. "I suppose you must regret agreeing to protect me, your foolish student."
"Indeed, you are foolish." Snape said.
Malfoy's anger intensified, and he kicked the suit of armor beside him.
"Hey, lad, what do you think you're doing? Are you challenging me to a duel?" a knight's portrait shouted.
But neither Malfoy nor Snape paid any heed.
"So you think you're so great, do you?" Malfoy suddenly sneered. "Protecting me in front of Dumbledore, so now I owe you a debt of gratitude and should tell you all my plans?"
"I've never thought that." Snape frowned. "But I must remind you that it's best to keep your thoughts in check when facing Dumbledore, and even more so, refrain from revealing your ambitions and goals. Otherwise, he will see right through you."
"Mind your own business!" Malfoy snapped. "Bella taught me Occlumency during the holidays. Dumbledore can't see through my thoughts."
"Oh?" Snape gave a cold laugh. "You think that a mere month of practicing Occlumency will be enough to shield your thoughts from Dumbledore? You overestimate yourself and underestimate him."
Malfoy still looked unconvinced.
"Then let me put it this way." Snape glanced at him. "Do you think you can hide your secrets from the Dark Lord?"
At the mention of the Dark Lord, Malfoy froze in his tracks, his body trembling involuntarily as cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
"I guess not," Snape said.
Malfoy didn't argue because Snape was stating a fact.
He didn't even dare to think of that name, let alone hide his thoughts from the Dark Lord.
"In that case..." Snape said sarcastically, "...what makes you think you can deceive Dumbledore?
"Or have you forgotten that Dumbledore is the one person the Dark Lord fears the most?"
Malfoy looked up, aghast, as if he couldn't believe Snape would say something so... treasonous, even if it was true.
"Don't look at me like that, I'm just making a comparison." Snape said, "In any case, when you're facing Dumbledore, it's best to keep your thoughts in check and never look him in the eye."
"I understand..." After a long while, Malfoy murmured softly and continued walking downstairs.
"So, what's the reason?" Snape walked beside him. "Whatever you're planning, you should be keeping a low profile now. Why cause trouble for Potter?"
"That scar-faced brat!" Malfoy said through gritted teeth. "He followed me and discovered my secret!"
"Secret?" Snape frowned. "Did he see your plan?"
There was another moment of silence as they reached the first-floor entrance hall. Finally, Malfoy spoke, "No, I discovered him first. He didn't see much."
As he spoke, Malfoy's face twisted with malevolence. "If it weren't for that meddlesome Kyle, I would have taught Potter a lesson!"
"You'd best drop that idea." Snape said flatly.
"What, are you going to protect Harry Potter now?" Malfoy narrowed his eyes.
"No, I'm talking about someone else." Snape said softly, "Meddlesome Kyle... He does like to meddle, but you'd best forget about all that... Pretend nothing happened... At least until you've accomplished your plan, don't cause him any trouble.
"Power!"
A massive snake-shaped statue swam over, its body forming a door.
Malfoy strode in and forcefully shut the door behind him.
"Draco, you're back." A crowd immediately gathered around him.
"Are you alright?" Pansy asked worriedly.
"I'm fine," Malfoy replied dismissively. He pushed Pansy aside and walked over to a corner, where he slumped into an armchair.
He, of course, understood what Snape's words meant.
'Stay away from Kyle'... Yes, he had easily controlled himself with a wave of his wand, and that strange magic that had turned the Blasting Curse into a raven.
It would be best to stay as far away from him as possible before his plan was complete.
But that was easier said than done, as the tasks that man had given him included dealing with Dumbledore and killing Kyle.
So, one way or another, he couldn't stay out of it, and the stronger Kyle became, the more agitated he felt.
Especially now that it was already May; if he couldn't complete his mission before the holidays, that man would surely not let him off the hook.
The mounting pressure was pushing Malfoy to the brink of collapse.
Although he had come up with a plan, he hesitated when it came time to put it into action.
Because this plan would affect too many people; many innocent students would be dragged into it, and he didn't want that.
It was also because of this that under the tremendous pressure, he had almost broken down and gone to the bathroom to vent, only to be seen by Harry.
Malfoy grabbed his hair, his whole person falling into turmoil once more.
Crabbe and Goyle had wanted to go over as well, but seeing him like this, the two stopped, exchanged a glance, and went elsewhere.
On the other hand, after Malfoy and Snape left, only Dumbledore and Harry were left in the Headmaster's office.
Harry stood there anxiously, awaiting his punishment.
However, he felt much more relaxed than before, as Malfoy hadn't been expelled, so he probably didn't have to worry.
As expected, his punishment was the same as Malfoy's—a deduction of points and confinement, except that he had to go to Professor McGonagall.
Harry had no objections to the confinement, as long as he didn't have to go to Snape.
The only problem was the Quidditch match.
"Professor, can I change the time?" he stammered, "There's a Quidditch match next Saturday morning. Can I go see Professor McGonagall in the afternoon? Even if the time doubles, it doesn't matter."
"I want to agree with you, Harry, but I can't." Dumbledore shook his head, "You must realize what you did wrong. Missing one of your favorite activities may be more meaningful than just confinement."
"Okay, you should get back to sleep now." Dumbledore rubbed his eyes.
"Professor, there's one more thing!" Harry suddenly said, "Maybe it can make up for my mistake this time."
"What is it?" Dumbledore asked, raising his head.
"This." Harry took out a small glass bottle, "I got Slughorn's memory."
"This is truly exciting news." Dumbledore suddenly became alert, "This is fantastic; I knew you could do it."
"Hermione helped me a lot." Harry said.
"Oh? Miss Granger?"
"Yes." Harry nodded, "The week after the first holiday, she gave me a cup of pumpkin juice at breakfast and told me to go see Slughorn.
"After that, everything went smoothly. I took a bottle of wine to Slughorn's office, and he was delighted and drank a lot.
"Then we chatted about the love potion incident again. He didn't want to talk about it, but he still told me his guess that someone wanted to use it against someone in the school, and he suspected it was me.
"I told him I needed his help, that memory."
"So Horace gave you the memory?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes." Harry smiled, "He gave it to me."
"I guess you were quite lucky that day." Dumbledore smiled, "You have a good friend, and she's very generous."
From Harry's words, it wasn't difficult to tell that the pumpkin juice he drank in the morning was not ordinary, but pumpkin juice with Felix Felicis.
It was also because of this that he was able to find Slughorn when he wanted to drink, and smoothly obtained what he wanted.
However, Dumbledore didn't seem to care about that, or perhaps now was not the time.
As Harry spoke, he stood up and walked over to the cabinet where the Pensieve was kept, holding Slughorn's memory in his hand.
"Now." Dumbledore placed the Pensieve on the table and poured the memory into it, "We will finally see the truth, Harry, come..."
...
(End of Chapter)
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