Chapter 630: Harry Potter Giving Up on Himself?During this period, the power and deep foundations of the Malfoy family drove one fact home to every wizard with brutal cla |
Ever since that conversation, it was as though Lucius’s words were being proven true.
Only a day later, an owl from Hogwarts arrived with this year’s book list, along with the magical tools and other items each student was required to bring.
It was hard not to suspect that all of this had been arranged in advance.
But that also meant that everything they had said last time had not been a lie meant to placate Draco.
Of course, Draco had never doubted his father to begin with...
That was not the only thing that surprised him, either.
Information that had once been kept from him was no longer secret now that Dobby had been assigned to his side. As long as he asked Dobby, he could learn everything happening outside, as well as what Lucius and the others were doing.
Most of it was not particularly important, but for Draco, that was already enough.
Because it indirectly showed the Malfoy family’s attitude toward him, and how those under Lucius felt about this decision.
His father... no, the entire Malfoy family, was building a banner called Draco.
“How many days are left before school starts?”
“Young Master, Dobby has already prepared everything needed for school. If you wish, we can leave at any time. When the time comes, Dobby will go to Hogwarts with Young Master.”
“You are going too? So it has already been arranged?”
“Yes, Young Master. According to the earlier decision, Dobby will go straight to work in the kitchen.”
“Oh.”
“Um... when Dobby gets his first wages, Dobby hopes to treat Young Master and his friends to a meal. Dobby heard Miss Granger say that this is how friends spend time with one another.”
Dobby’s voice was full of anticipation and excitement.
It was probably because he was about to have a job, instead of simply being ordered about by Lucius like a slave.
Those round eyes were fixed on Draco expectantly, as though treating him to a meal was something of tremendous importance.
There was no such custom in the wizarding world, but Draco did not think it was a difficult request, so he nodded without hesitation. “When the time comes, I will bring Pansy and the others with me.”
“That is wonderful. Dobby cannot wait!”
Perhaps in essence, Dobby was still the Malfoy family’s house elf, but for Dobby, this seemed to count as a good beginning.
Seeing that a single sentence had nearly moved Dobby to tears, Draco reminded him helplessly, “Do not forget. You are not really going there to work.”
“Do not worry, Young Master. Dobby will never let anyone hurt you!”
That was right.
This so called job was only a convenient excuse.
In truth, Dobby had been given work in the Hogwarts kitchens so he could protect Draco’s safety while he was at Hogwarts.
For Dobby, who was not restricted by wizard magic at all, that was practically the same as acting as Draco’s personal guard.
And with Lucius’s status as a Hogwarts governor, arranging for an insignificant house elf, one wizards treated as little better than a slave, to enter Hogwarts was not difficult for him at all.
Only this way could Narcissa truly feel at ease about Draco’s safety.
As for the strength of a house elf, there was no need to doubt it in the slightest...
...
By now, Voldemort’s return was no longer any kind of secret that needed to be hidden, nor was it something that could be concealed for long.
The Dark Lord’s resurrection had already begun to affect the everyday lives of wizards.
If Lucius’s faction had not been there to keep pulling against the tide and maintain this fragile balance, the Second Wizarding War might already have begun outright.
To be precise, even if the arrogant and crazed Voldemort wanted to start fighting, Dumbledore, who was plotting something of his own, would not agree so easily either.
Simply put.
The current peace was nothing more than the dawn before the coming storm...
“Compared to the outside world, Hogwarts has actually become the safest place now?”
“And tell me, what is Voldemort thinking? Why not just take Hogwarts directly?”
The voice speaking by Draco’s ear belonged to Fleur Delacour, who had appeared from who knew where yet again.
Compared to the young wizards of Britain, Fleur, who came from a country famous for romance and love, naturally did not feel much awe or fear toward Voldemort, the Dark Lord.
After all, Fleur had not grown up with adults constantly drilling into her how terrifying Voldemort was.
And probably only Draco could still remain calm and composed when hearing the name Voldemort...
In response to Fleur’s question, Draco, who was in a fairly good mood, unusually chose not to ignore the beautiful girl. “Probably because of some complicated feelings he cannot make sense of himself. Of course, it is more likely that he is wary of Dumbledore.”
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
As someone Voldemort had taken an interest in, Draco naturally needed to understand everything about him.
So it was only natural that Draco, who could practically be called a Voldemort scholar, had long since formed his own views on the matter.
Fleur had not expected Draco to answer her, so along with her delight came a trace of confusion...
“I will not ask about the first reason, but you are saying he is wary of Dumbledore? But is he not injured? I heard it was because of a Horcrux.”
Injured.
Horcrux.
That was not some secret.
Or rather, the moment Dumbledore was injured, it ceased to be something that could easily be hidden, much less kept secret.
Who had injured the man who could be called the strongest wizard of the current age?
That question alone was enough to make people dig into the matter relentlessly.
Whether ally or enemy, their curiosity would not rest until they found the answer.
And clearly, it would not be easy to keep it concealed...
Draco shrugged at Fleur’s question. “Dumbledore is only part of the reason. If it were you, would you really think Hogwarts, with a thousand years of history behind it, has no means of defending itself at all?”
“Well, perhaps you are right.”
Fleur pouted slightly. She looked a little displeased, but the gentle swing of her little feet gave away how good her mood really was.
Her pale calves gleamed in the sunlight like white jade.
Unfortunately, Draco’s attention was not there.
His mind was on the Horcrux Dumbledore had failed to destroy.
Although he already knew why Dumbledore had been injured, many of the details were still unknown.
The Dark Lord’s Horcruxes...
It seemed there were far more than just two.
...
During this period, the power and deep foundations of the Malfoy family drove one fact home to every wizard with brutal clarity.
This was the kind of influence the Sacred Twenty-Eight possessed, and this was the confidence Lucius had that allowed him to lead others in resisting Voldemort.
At the very least, in terms of influence and connections, it proved that he really could spread the name Draco across the entire wizarding world in the shortest possible time.
That alone was not something just any faction could accomplish.
Of course, not everyone was pleased to see yet another genius wizard appear in the wizarding world.
Especially not Dumbledore. For him, raising a banner of hope and salvation had always been what he was trying to do, and no one would willingly watch years of effort go to waste.
Even Dumbledore could not possibly stand by and watch the path he had insisted on for so many years, and worked so hard to build, be cut off just like that.
This had nothing to do with generosity.
Dumbledore only cared whether his plans could continue smoothly.
But before anyone could clearly tell what Dumbledore’s attitude toward the matter was, the so called savior, Harry Potter, was the first to feel the shift.
And he found it very hard to accept…
…
The Order of the Phoenix.
Harry Potter was snoring loudly.
He had been sitting in a chair by the bedroom window for nearly four hours. Before falling asleep, he seemed to have been staring out at the street as the light slowly faded.
His cheek was pressed against the cold glass, and his glasses had slipped crookedly to one side of his face. His mouth hung open, and the patch of warm breath fogging the window glittered faintly in the orange glow of the streetlamp outside.
Under that unnatural light, his face looked drained of all color, and his messy black hair stood out even more clearly.
At a glance, Harry Potter looked a little like a ghost.
And once one’s eyes moved away from Harry Potter, it became obvious that the room looked as though it had not been cleaned in days.
Things were scattered everywhere, and the floor was strewn with rubbish and broken fragments that had yet to be cleared away.
Owl feathers lay scattered across the floor, along with half eaten apple cores and opened candy wrappers. Even the bed, which should have been for resting, had been taken over by a few messy magic books and a crumpled robe.
Anyone who did not know better might have thought this place was a battlefield.
Under the lamp on the room’s only desk sat a pile of newspapers.
One of the headlines was especially eye catching...
[Harry Potter, the Star of Salvation?]
That enormous question mark was painfully glaring.
It seemed the wizards under Lucius were particularly skilled at stepping on one person while praising another.
While they were exalting Draco, the one chosen as a stepping stone was naturally Harry Potter, the wizarding world’s former savior.
And with the Ministry of Magic, Lucius’s ally, strongly backing the Daily Prophet’s efforts, more and more wizards were beginning to doubt Harry Potter.
It had to be said that the tactic was both clever and effective.
In fact, it was also a way for the Ministry to divert the fire directed at itself, since its current position was not exactly a good one either.
With the benefits outweighing the drawbacks, it was no surprise that the Daily Prophet was putting so much effort into this. It had even managed to shatter Harry Potter’s composure...
“Um... Harry?”
Just as Harry Potter was resting with a frown on his face, a small head suddenly peeked in through the doorway.
That fiery red hair and lively little face made it obvious who it was. But the hesitant tone and faintly guilty look were nothing like her usual brisk, straightforward self.
Yes.
The girl who could appear at the Order of the Phoenix, and who also had that bright red hair, was naturally Ginny Weasley, passionate as fire, and one of the female leads in this incident.
But the moment Ginny saw the chaos in the room, and Harry Potter’s almost self defeating state, she suddenly felt that he no longer shone quite so brightly.
Once the glow of idol worship dimmed, Ginny was finally able to see something she normally could not...
Carefree though she was, Ginny was also sensitive, and she naturally understood very well what had caused Harry Potter to end up like this. So she drew back and gently closed the door again.
Faintly, from behind the door, came a disappointed sigh, along with emotions so complicated that even she herself had not noticed them.
Rustle.
At the very moment she shut the door, a newspaper slipped off the table and floated to the floor.
And the headline on it read...
The True Star of Hope?
The sixteen year old genius wizard, Draco Malfoy!
...
Moonlight. Stars.
The castle. The lake.
Compared with the outside world, full of anxiety and danger, where even walking down the street meant staying alert in case someone nearby suddenly pulled out a wand and blasted the whole road apart in the next second, Hogwarts in its calm felt like a hidden paradise within the wizarding world...
If there was anything here that might make people uneasy, it was probably the long list of safety rules posted on the wall in the entrance hall.
Do not leave home alone.
Be especially cautious at night. If you go out, return before dark whenever possible.
Check the protective measures around your home and make sure every member of the family knows emergency measures such as using the Shield Charm and the Disillusionment Charm. Underage children in the home should especially learn a Loud Spell that can be used to call for help.
Agree on safety codes with friends and family to expose Death Eaters impersonating others with Polyjuice Potion. See the case of Barty Crouch Jr.
If you notice abnormal behavior in a family member, colleague, friend, or neighbor, contact the Department of Magical Law Enforcement immediately, as they may already have been placed under the Imperius Curse.
If the Dark Mark appears over any residence or building, do not enter under any circumstances. Contact the Ministry of Magic Auror Office immediately.
There are unconfirmed reports that Death Eaters may now be using Inferi. If you see or encounter Inferi, report it to the Ministry of Magic immediately.
Standing in the hall, Draco looked over the expressions on the surrounding wizards’ faces and tugged faintly at the corner of his mouth. “Looks like, because of me, the Ministry has finally given up on trying to keep it hidden.”
Now that it could no longer be concealed, the Ministry was at least still capable of doing something useful.
Although the warnings did not mention dark creatures such as Dementors, giants, or werewolves, they were enough to deal with most dangers.
And those blood red warnings directly filled the first years, still confused about magic, and the wizards who had never had access to much information, with deep unease.
At the same time, they understood with painful clarity once again.
Voldemort had truly returned.