Chapter 1260 The Domesticated Viper
Owl Court Club Activity Room.
“Something’s not right with him.” Harry looked at the Snape card Ron played and casually pulled out a Umbridge card. “He saw me, but he… went easy on me. That’s not like him.”
Ron held his breath at Umbridge's appearance. "Him? Who is that?"
"Malfoy".
Ron said "Oh," and stared at his hand with a furrowed brow.
Sure enough, no matter who it is, even Snape, they all instantly become more handsome when standing next to Umbridge.
"Ron? Are you even listening to me?"
“Sorry, Harry.” Ron tentatively threw out a Golden Cauldron, increasing his Snape's strength by 2 points. “You mean Malfoy? What happened to him?”
Harry slammed his cards down on the table with a hint of exasperation. "Didn't you notice something was off about the game this morning? Half of the Slytherin players were listless, especially Malfoy. He didn't provoke us, didn't try anything to interfere with us, and even ignored their captain's complaints after the game, going back to the castle by himself."
Ron hesitated for a moment, "Maybe he's finally realized he's a complete idiot? That's a good thing, Harry, we don't have to worry about him tripping us up behind our backs anymore."
Harry shook his head. "No, that's not how it is."
The image of his chance encounter with the Malfoys in Diagon Alley before the start of the school year flashed through his mind.
Lucius wore an unprecedented gloom and caution on his face. Narcissa gripped her son's arm tightly, while Draco, even paler than he was now, looked like a startled rabbit, glancing at him quickly before looking away.
Draco, or rather the Malfoy family, must have encountered something.
Harry's eyes widened suddenly, and he lowered his voice to a whisper, "Ron, he was injured by Professor Dumbledore. Will he go to the Malfoys' house to recover?"
Ron's expression froze, his hand gripping the Gwent cards tightly. "Listen, Harry, I understand what you mean. If the Man of Void really is in their house, and Malfoy looks like this..."
Merlin's beard! That means Malfoy Manor is now the most dangerous lair of darkness! Who knows what's happening in there? Who knows if he's being forced to do something terrible, or if it's just a trap?
Harry was about to say something, but Ron saw right through him.
“No, Harry, this is not a routine investigation, not some trivial matter at school.”
Ron's expression was extremely serious. "Think about it. If he really is related to the Man of Darkness, and you go and get involved, wouldn't that just give them an excuse to deal with you? Professor Dumbledore will handle it. This is none of our business."
Harry fell silent. He knew Ron was right, rationally right.
Draco Malfoy, the once arrogant boy who always talked about "my dad," is now just a pale shell with his soul gone, his eyes vacant, always alone, staring blankly out the window.
Watching someone fall into an abyss is a truly unpleasant feeling.
Harry lost interest in playing cards, so he got up, left the activity room, and went down the corridor to a quiet, empty classroom.
He opened the magic communicator and lightly tapped the image of his godfather Sirius on the projection screen.
The video call connected quickly. Sirius was in his study, holding a quill pen, with several documents piled up next to him.
"Good afternoon, Harry."
Harry could see the weariness on his face.
The sixth season of "Gryffindor" is about to start filming, he must be very busy right now.
“I…” Harry took a deep breath and blurted out, “Voldemort is at Malfoy Manor, and Draco Malfoy is acting very strangely. I think his family might be being coerced.”
Sirius, we have to do something. Maybe we can persuade Lucius Malfoy to testify, and then the Ministry of Magic will drop the warrant for Vincent's arrest, and Professor Dumbledore won't be targeted anymore.
Sirius's smile vanished instantly. He put down his quill, his eyes showing not the approval Harry had expected, but rather a solemnity and a hint of pity.
“Harry,” he said in a deep voice, “we know.”
Harry was stunned. "What?"
“We know where it is.” Sirius rose and paced around the study. “It was Dumbledore’s idea. Rather than letting him hide in some corner we can’t find, recovering his strength and plotting even more insidious schemes, it’s better to keep him in a place we ‘know’.”
“But—” Harry retorted urgently, “But Malfoy and the others…they’ll be dead! Draco Malfoy, he—”
“He’s the son of a Death Eater, Harry!” Sirius stopped, his tone unusually stern. “Lucius Malfoy is one of the most loyal followers of the Man of Void. They chose that path, and they must bear the consequences.”
Sirius's voice softened, "Keeping him at Malfoy Manor is like keeping a venomous snake temporarily in a glass box. We can keep an eye on him, and although we can't break the box right now, at least we know where he is and what he's doing."
Harry lowered his head. "So...so we just have to watch? Watch them be tortured, even killed?"
Sirius's eyes were complex, filled with helplessness and reluctance, but more so with an undeniable determination: "This is war, Harry. Sometimes, we don't have a better choice."
“I understand.” Harry forced a smile. “Sirius, I want to be alone.”
Is it really true that there are no better options?
Harry clenched his fists and, with his last glimmer of hope, strode out of the classroom.
He ran all the way to the eighth floor of the castle and to the principal's office.
Dumbledore listened patiently to everything, and finally, Harry pleaded with him to do something, such as banishing Voldemort to another glass box.
Dumbledore gazed calmly at Harry, his deep blue eyes seeming to see right through everything.
“Harry, what Sirius told you is the best strategy we can take right now: alert Voldemort and force him to move. It’s like releasing a snake back into the darkness, so he can launch a fatal attack on us at any time.”
Dumbledore paused for a moment, then said, "As for Mr. Malfoy, everyone has their own war to fight, their own choices to make, and some paths they must walk on their own."
Harry felt a little suffocated. "What about Vincent? Professor, he can come back as long as we prove that Voldemort's return is true."
A deep sadness settled over Dumbledore's eyes. "Vincent... he... he's not coming back."
“Why?” Harry frowned. “We can prove Fudge wrong, and the Ministry of Magic wrong.”
Dumbledore reached out and gently placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, saying earnestly, "Harry, this world is far more complex than you imagine. Right and wrong are merely differences in perspectives."
For some reason, Harry always felt that the hand on his shoulder was particularly heavy, as if it could crush a person at any moment.
At that moment, Harry felt the heavy burden on Dumbledore's shoulders.
Voldemort is unkillable; as long as one Horcrux remains, he will never be killed.
To avoid greater sacrifices, letting him remain at Malfoy Estate is indeed the wisest choice at present.
……
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