Chapter 867: Draco's Compromise
Chapter 867: Draco's Compromise
After the events at Godric's Hollow, the Death Eaters, who had been causing quite a stir in the Wizarding World, seemed to have suddenly gone quiet overnight.
Even Voldemort himself had not made any public appearances, seemingly retreating into a reclusive lifestyle.
But this was not in Voldemort's nature; he could not possibly be this calm.
Most people, including the Ministry of Magic, believed that the Death Eaters were lying low due to the heavy losses they suffered at Godric's Hollow, and needed time to recuperate.
But was this really the case?
Seventy Death Eaters was indeed a significant number, but it was not enough to cripple them. Moreover, most of those Death Eaters were brought in by Bellatrix, and many were mostly cannon fodder, with only a small fraction being considered elite.
This was evident from the number of Death Eaters who were proficient in using the Killing Curse during the pursuit of Kyle; there were only about a dozen or so.
And the Killing Curse was the ultimate measure of a Dark Wizard's power.
Kyle didn't think that the absence of these cannon fodder Death Eaters would hinder their operations.
He had always wondered what Voldemort and the Death Eaters were up to during this time, but he couldn't find any leads.
Severus Snape probably knew, but he was only accountable to Dumbledore and would never share the information with Kyle.
However, Draco Malfoy's appearance presented Kyle with an opportunity. This not-so-pure-good, not-so-evil Death Eater was exactly what he needed.
So, with a plan in mind, Kyle did not leave Knockturn Alley immediately after being discovered. Instead, he bypassed Snape and followed the two, leading to the scene that had just unfolded.
"You want me to betray the Dark Lord?" Malfoy asked, his eyes wide with fear. "That's impossible! I'll die if I do that. He won't let anyone who betrays him live."
"Keep your voice down. Are you trying to make sure everyone hears you?" Kyle reminded him.
Malfoy quickly shut his mouth.
"It's simple. We just need to make sure he doesn't find out," Kyle said.
"That's even more impossible," Malfoy whispered. "No one can deceive the Dark Lord. In front of him, we can't keep any secrets."
"I have my ways," Kyle assured him. "You saw what I did to her with the Memory Charm. Even she doesn't remember meeting me, so how could the Dark Lord possibly know? See, it's safe."
"The Memory Charm..." Malfoy paused, realization dawning on him. "So, you were..."
"Yes, I was looking for the information I wanted," Kyle confirmed. "Unfortunately, all I found in your mind was fear. There was nothing else of use."
These words seemed to hit a sore spot for Malfoy, and he exploded.
"Fear... Of course, I'm afraid! Do you know what I've been through?"
"It's just the Cruciatus Curse, right?" Kyle said nonchalantly. "I saw you writhing on the ground, so it's not like I haven't seen it before."
"Haha," Malfoy laughed, finding Kyle's words amusing. "You make it sound so easy, but you haven't experienced it yourself."
"How do you know I haven't?" Kyle looked at him. "You don't think that at Godric's Hollow, those Death Eaters willingly threw down their wands and lined up for me to kill them, do you?"
"I..." Malfoy's eyes flickered with uncertainty, and the fear he had managed to suppress resurfaced.
Yes, even seventy pigs, when pushed to the brink, could charge at you, let alone wizards capable of magic.
"So, the Cruciatus Curse is what broke you?" Kyle scoffed. "I've been hit by the Cruciatus Curse too, and it was cast by the Dark Lord himself. How about that? Are you satisfied now?"
"Not only that, you've seen the Killing Curse raining down, flying all around you. Right?" Kyle continued. "I've experienced it firsthand, and it was exhilarating."
As Malfoy looked at Kyle, who was nonchalantly recounting his experiences, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
It was then that Malfoy realized that the Kyle he was seeing now was not the same student who had been selling magical maps at Hogwarts. Instead, he was a ruthless individual who had used the blood of Death Eaters to carve his name into Voldemort's mind.
If a list were made of the people Voldemort wanted to kill the most, Kyle would undoubtedly be in the top three.
Malfoy's legs began to shake again, and he felt like he couldn't stand if it weren't for the vines binding him.
"Here you go again," Kyle glanced at him. "Don't worry, I promised Dumbledore I wouldn't pursue the matter, so consider it settled. You don't have to worry about me killing you here."
"But if I help you pass on messages, I'll still die," Malfoy said. "It's just a matter of time."
"I told you, he won't find out," Kyle smiled. "And neither... When you leave this alley, you'll only remember arguing with Professor Snape and storming off with Lady Narcissa. It's that simple."
"You want... to use the Memory Charm on me?" Malfoy asked, his voice trembling with fear.
"Is there a problem?" Kyle looked at him. "You couldn't even block my Legilimency, and you think you can hide it from your Dark Lord?"
Kyle couldn't help but smack his lips, "I'm curious about where you learned your Occlumency. It's so poor, like a sieve, and even worse than Harry's."
"Malfoy's breathing grew rapid, as if Kyle had touched upon a taboo subject."
But in the current situation, he dared not show his displeasure openly. Instead, he spoke coldly, "Bellatrix taught me the Mind-Locking Spell."
"Oh, no wonder. If even her mind is affected, why learn from her?" Kyle paused, "In my opinion, you should seek Professor Snape's help; he's the expert in this field."
"Never mind, let's get back on track." Kyle cleared his throat. "We can't afford to waste time; I need an answer to my earlier proposal."
"If I refuse, will you kill us?" Malfoy asked, glancing at Narcissa on the ground.
"Of course not, I'm not the Dark Lord," Kyle responded. "But you should consider your options carefully. That person won't spare you if you remain with the Death Eaters. Lucius and Narcissa understand this, which is why she brought you to seek Professor Snape's help, hoping to find a way to save you."
Malfoy fell silent, not answering Kyle's question. Instead, he asked, "So, you were the one following me?"
"Yes, it was me," Kyle admitted. "And I was the one who placed the listening device in your pocket. I heard every word you spoke in the house.
"And I can guess what Professor Snape's plan is: he wants you to seek Dumbledore's help to see if he can protect your lives...or at least, your life."
"Then why should I bother?" Malfoy asked.
"What are you thinking?" Kyle chuckled softly.
"You joined the Death Eaters, participated in their plans, and betrayed Hogwarts. Do you think an apology is enough to erase all that?"
"You need to do something to make amends." Kyle waved his hand, and the vines binding Malfoy loosened.
The sudden change almost made Malfoy sit on the ground, but he didn't seem to mind. Instead, he stared directly at Kyle.
"Can you guarantee that the Dark Lord won't kill me?"
"No, this is a dangerous task," Kyle said, spreading his hands. "Just as you didn't consider if the Death Eaters would kill you when you let them into the school.
"No, I didn't. I was forced," Malfoy cried out, his dignity forgotten. "If I didn't do as he asked, he'd kill me. You don't know how terrifying he is; I had to follow his orders!"
"That's why you have this opportunity now," Kyle said, his expression unchanged. "And the root of all this, wasn't it Lucius's plan to use the Dark Lord's diary to harm Ginny?"
Malfoy couldn't argue; it was true.
"Besides, you say you were forced, but I sense you weren't so resistant at first. In fact, you seemed rather proud."
Malfoy stammered, unable to respond. Indeed, when he first received Voldemort's orders, he had felt proud, especially under the envious gazes of others. That sense of achievement made him lose himself.
"Alright, enough chatting," Kyle said, checking the time. He then pointed his wand at Malfoy. "I need an answer. Think it through and respond; this might be your only chance to survive."
Malfoy's face turned pale, his fists clenched tightly. He glanced at Narcissa on the ground, then released his grip, his body slumping against the wall.
"How can I help you..." He seemed to be using all his strength. "I'm just a peripheral figure. They won't inform me of their plans in advance, and I can't possibly deliver messages under the Dark Lord's watchful eye."
"It's fine. Even if you can't deliver messages, you can still shop, right?" Kyle said. "There's a new shop in Diagon Alley that sells valuable and exotic items.
"It's normal for a Malfoy to buy something befitting their status, isn't it? Even the Dark Lord can't stop you from shopping."
Malfoy looked up in horror, finally understanding Kyle's plan...just as Kyle had done earlier. He would use Legilimency to read his memories and then erase this experience with a Memory Charm.
Indeed, this was a safe method; without the related memories, Voldemort would have no way of seeing his betrayal.
But the Memory Charm could be dangerous if not used properly, and he didn't want to end up like Neville Longbottom.
"Don't worry, I'm quite skilled with the Memory Charm," Kyle said, sensing his concern.
"But...but I'm not in the mood for shopping," Malfoy stammered. "If I don't remember today's events, I won't go to that shop."
"Don't worry, I'll leave you a clue...and this."
Kyle took out a piece of parchment, wrote something on it, and slipped it into Malfoy's pocket.
"This is..."
"Obliviate!"
Malfoy's hand froze in mid-air, his eyes becoming unfocused.
...
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A few minutes later, when Malfoy regained consciousness, Narcissa also woke up. But instead of waking up on the ground, she was being supported by Malfoy.
"Draco, you're being impulsive." Narcissa rubbed her forehead and said unconsciously, "You shouldn't have said that to Severus. He's your godfather and the only one who can help you."
"I don't care," Malfoy said through gritted teeth. "And can't you see? He's just stalling, he doesn't genuinely want to help us."
"You..." Narcissa sighed, "I shouldn't have let you come today."
"Never mind, Mom, let's go!" Malfoy furrowed his brows, as if a fleeting image flashed through his mind.
It was a shop, but he had no recollection of it.
Malfoy shook his head, also taking note of his surroundings.
The dark and cramped alley made him feel uneasy, especially the messy vines on the walls, which were nauseating to look at.
"Where are we, Mom? How did you bring me to such a place?"
"Isn't this the way you led us?" Narcissa asked, puzzled.
She was wondering the same thing. How could Draco, who had dragged her out, now question where they were?
"Damn it, we must have taken a wrong turn," Malfoy cursed irritably.
Unlike Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley was often filled with interconnected alleys to evade enemies and facilitate escape, making it easy to get lost.
Holding Narcissa's hand, Malfoy grumbled as they retraced their steps, searching for the right path.
Once they left, the alley returned to its quiet state, and a gust of wind blew a few fallen leaves on the ground, as if nothing had happened.](unrelated content)
Meanwhile, in Diagon Alley...
"Professor, even though you're the Headmaster of Hogwarts, we've already graduated. You can't still be trying to control us, can you?"
At Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Fred and George looked at the unexpected visitor with exasperation.
Merlin's beard, wasn't Hogwarts already in session? Why was Severus Snape here at this time, and... inexplicably scolding them?
Please, they had graduated. Did he think he could still boss them around with his professor title?
Impossible! So, when faced with Snape's questioning, Fred and George didn't give him any face. They continued with their work, not even glancing at him.
"And we don't need you to remind us about prohibited items."
Fred spoke slowly as he straightened the shelves, "We expanded the list of prohibited items from thirty pages to two hundred and thirty pages. Do you think we don't know what's on it?"
"Exactly," George chimed in, "And we didn't actively sell to young wizards. I thought they were tourists from Beauxbatons."
"Professor, you should just leave. Don't hinder our business..."
"Yeah, we'll miss the Hogwarts Express if we don't hurry..."
"Hmm? Where is he?"
Fred turned around, only to find that Snape, who had been in the shop a moment ago, was gone.
"How rude," he muttered. "George, let's thoroughly clean the shop later."
"We should. I'll get the all-purpose cleaning agent."
"Remember to get the potent one."
...
Outside Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Snape's face was as dark as a pot's bottom.
But he couldn't dwell on this now. He had just seen Malfoy and Narcissa walking out of Knockturn Alley, strolling casually into Diagon Alley.
This discovery nearly drove him mad. He had been busy running errands, yet his teammates seemed unhurried and even had the leisure to window-shop.
But Snape wasn't foolish. Moments later, he realized something crucial.
He understood the gravity of the situation—Malfoy's life was at stake. Narcissa would be anxious, and something must have happened in Knockturn Alley during his absence.
Snape narrowed his eyes, choosing not to confront them directly. Instead, he returned to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
"Professor..."
"Why are you back again!"
Fred and George, holding buckets, sighed in exasperation.
They had just finished cleaning the floor, and now they had to do it all over again.
"This..." Snape couldn't be bothered to argue. He took an ear-shaped item from the shelf.
"Do you have this?"
"Of course," Fred straightened up, "It's one of our best creations."
"I'll take it."
Without waiting for the brothers' response, Snape tossed a Galleon and left without looking back.
By the time Fred and George snapped out of their daze and chased after him, he had already disappeared into the streets.
"Hey, you shameless jerk!" Fred fumed, "You only gave one Galleon for a six-Galleon item, and you're so brazen about it."
"Is the Slytherin Headmaster so great? We're going to report you to Headmaster Dumbledore!" George also stomped his feet in anger.
Seeing Snape was annoying enough, and now they had lost five Galleons. This was outright robbery!
(End of Chapter)
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