Chapter 1273 The Hyacinths are in Bloom
Harry pointed to his forehead again.
"I had Dumbledore and another person help me remove something from inside, something that belonged to Voldemort."
The process was excruciating, like I was dying, but after it was over, for the first time, I felt that this was my body, that my life was complete, that it didn't belong to anyone else, it belonged only to me, to Harry Potter.
Draco's eyes widened slightly. There were many rumors circulating on campus about Harry taking leave, but no one knew the truth.
He was the first... and perhaps the second person to know the truth.
"Potter, why are you telling me this?"
Harry's smile faded. "Because you also need to make a choice."
Draco's throat tightened, and his face grew even paler.
"Voldemort, in your home, in your life, in your fears, forcibly defined you as 'the heir of the Malfoy family,' 'the future Death Eater,' and 'his servant.'"
Harry pointed to his forehead for the third time. "This definition, like whether you have a scar on your forehead, is something you can refuse. I'm not saying you should stand up against him; I know how dangerous that is."
His tone was calm, the kind of calm that comes from experiencing life and death: "You are you, he is he, you are Draco Malfoy. Before you become anyone's 'son,' 'heir,' or 'servant,' you are first and foremost Draco Malfoy."
Draco's Adam's apple bobbed; he wanted to sneer, to retort, to say, "What do you know?"
But all the words stuck in his throat, because Harry's eyes were clear and devoid of pity, which involuntarily calmed him down.
“My parents…” he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence, his voice so low it was almost inaudible: “They are there, they… have made their choice.”
“That was their choice,” Harry replied very quickly. “You could choose to be Draco Malfoy, whatever that name ultimately means.”
Draco stared at Harry in utter shock, as if he had heard the most absurd and unbelievable thing in the world.
"Don't let them take everything away from you." Harry didn't wait for a response, nodded slightly, and turned to leave the classroom.
These words were like a tiny but undeniable stone thrown into Draco's heart, who was frozen in place.
It may not change anything, but when that crucial choice arrives, it will certainly unleash unprecedented power.
corridor,
A few small heads huddled together saw Harry leave the classroom and hurriedly shrank back around the corner.
Perhaps because they were in such a hurry, one of their little heads accidentally bumped into the wall.
"Ouch—"
Fred and George quickly covered Cedric's mouth with their hands.
Hearing the sound, Harry stopped and turned to look around.
He seemed to have noticed nothing and continued walking forward.
A short while later, Draco also left the classroom.
Only after that lonely figure disappeared into the distance did Fred and George dare to let go of each other's hands.
Cedric blushed, "I seriously suspect you did this on purpose."
The twins chuckled knowingly, "Of course not, we did it so we wouldn't be discovered."
Cedric rolled his eyes. "So why do we have to eavesdrop?"
Hermione and Daphne also turned their heads to stare at the twins.
They left as soon as get out of class ended, only to run into the two of them on the way, who wanted to gossip, and Cedric, who was reluctant to follow.
Then they saw Harry return to the classroom alone.
The twins' inner gossip was burning brightly, and without saying a word, they led the two of them and Cedric to a suitable corner to eavesdrop.
The fragment of Harry's soul was indeed resolved, but what was even more explosive was his subsequent conversation with Draco.
“Little Harry has grown up.” Fred ignored Cedric’s resentful little eyes.
George remarked with an air of maturity, "It's true what they say, 'A scholar who has been away for three days looks completely different now.'"
Hermione and Cedric corrected in unison, "Wrong, it should be 'a scholar who has been away for three days should be looked at with new eyes.'"
George gave an awkward laugh. "Well, don't you guys think little Harry was really cool just now?"
Hermione smirked. "You and Fred remember not to spread rumors. If the Voldemort story gets out, the Ministry of Magic will definitely try everything to interfere with the school again."
The twins immediately dropped their playful grins. "Understood, boss! We absolutely won't divulge a single word!"
Hermione shook her head, both amused and exasperated.
He rarely acts serious, but his true nature is revealed the moment he opens his mouth.
……
……
Slytherin Common Room,
Draco was still alone, but the gloom that had shrouded him for months had noticeably faded.
He ignored Pansy's probing gaze and did not join Crabbe and Goyle's discussion about what to have for dinner. Instead, he went straight to the round table against the wall, took out parchment, and began writing a paper about the potential dangers in the process of making the wolfsbane potion.
This is the homework Snape assigned this morning, due next Friday.
A slight vibration came from the luxurious gold bracelet Draco wore on his left hand. The bracelet was a magical communicator that the Nobilli brand did not sell to the public.
He spun the emerald on the bracelet, turning on the projection screen, which displayed a text message from his mother.
"The hyacinths are blooming, but the wind is strong outside the greenhouse."
Also: No need to bother going home for Christmas; the greenhouse needs to be closed for maintenance.
Pansy craned her neck, trying to see what was on the screen.
Draco finished reading it quickly and replied, "I understand." She could barely make out the first sentence.
"The hyacinths are blooming," she knew, this was a metaphor used by pure-blood wizard families to convey urgent and confidential messages.
As for what the real content was, she had no idea.
However, judging from the fear on Draco's face, this is probably not good news.
Pansy nudged Blaise Zabini next to her with the tip of her quill pen and whispered, "What's going on with the Malfoys? I've asked my dad so many times, and every time he sternly warns me not to pry into their affairs."
Blaise glared at her first, then looked at Draco's bloodless face. "How should I know? I've been busy filming all summer, I haven't had time to care about anything else."
Pansy scoffed dismissively, "With your acting skills, what good works could you possibly produce? If it weren't for your good mother, you wouldn't even be able to get a bit part."
Blaise's lips twitched suddenly.
He admitted that he didn't have much acting skill, but he had always tried. Although Merlin couldn't compare to Gryffindor, he still had some popularity.
“Parkinson, let me tell you, acting requires a high level of skill, and the character of Merlin is particularly complex, I—”
“I don’t care about your business,” Pansy interrupted him coldly. “If you don’t know, fine, I’ll ask someone else.”
Blaise's face twisted in disbelief. "Parkinson, I advise you to leave them alone. Haven't you noticed the atmosphere in Slytherin lately is a bit off—"
He angrily shut his mouth, because Pansy had already gotten up and walked away.
……
……
