Chapter 688: Chapter 688: Malfoy: It's Just the Teacher's Assignment (Edited)
Draco could tell just by thinking with his toes that this curse was by no means good. The loyal follower of Voldemort, risking being caught by Dumbledore, came to Hogwarts to mark him with the Dark Mark. The curse on the accessory they handed him couldn't be something as insignificant as causing a breakout of acne, right? It was surely lethal!
Bellatrix noticed the panic on Draco's face, but she didn't care. This was a direct order from the Dark Lord, and he had to follow it no matter what. If Draco refused, Bellatrix might even use the Imperius Curse to control him and force him to carry out Voldemort's tasks.
"So, who do I deliver it to?" Draco tremulously took the box, trying to understand who the target of Voldemort's task was.
"The Dark Lord didn't specify a clear target for this task. Do you understand, Draco?" Seeing her nephew looking a bit dazed, she decided to remind him, for her sister's sake, that he needed to think.
"The more important the person you kill, the higher your standing before the Dark Lord." Bellatrix stared into his eyes, stepped closer, and said, "Believe me, if you manage to kill Dumbledore, you'll receive unimaginable rewards, and your father will regain the Dark Lord's trust... For your father, for the ancient Malfoy family!" Bellatrix put her hand on Draco's shoulder and shook him forcefully, speaking almost hysterically.
"D-Dumbledore?" Draco was frightened by the name Bellatrix uttered. How could he possibly have the capability to kill Dumbledore? Could the accessory in the box really kill a wizard like Dumbledore?
He didn't believe it. This had to be a joke. Voldemort, do you really have that kind of power? If you do, why would you send a fifth-year wizard like me to do this? You don't have that ability!
Realizing that he had accidentally revealed his thoughts, Bellatrix also felt inappropriate. He was just a child; sending him to kill Dumbledore was undoubtedly too difficult a task. As she thought about this, she shifted her focus.
"I said it without thinking. You decide how to act. Even if you choose a common wizard, it's fine."
At the same time, to reinforce her persuasion, Bellatrix opened the box and revealed the accessory inside: a golden necklace with a small golden swan hanging from the end.
The accessory seemed harmless, but Bellatrix's expression was extremely serious.
"Don't touch the necklace with bare hands; it's deadly." She seriously warned her nephew. With her wand, she made the necklace spin twice in the air and then placed it back in the box. She then handed the box to Draco.
Draco trembled as if he had received a scorpion.
"As long as you don't touch the necklace, there won't be any problems." Bellatrix looked at Draco with a disdainful expression. To her, this family had very little courage.
Looking at the box in his hands, Draco muttered quietly, "Can I choose any wizard?"
For a moment, he felt tempted.
He could simply toss the box down a random staircase bathroom, and then wait for some unfortunate soul to fall into the trap. That way, maybe he could deceive Voldemort. That's how Draco thought about it.
From his perspective, this option wasn't entirely out of the question. It would be safe enough, and he wouldn't have to take many actions himself.
However, Bellatrix ruthlessly shattered Draco's fantasies.
"Choosing any wizard, of course you can." Her mocking expression made Draco feel uneasy. "But if you choose just 'anyone,' the Dark Lord won't be pleased."
Draco: ...
"If the Lord isn't pleased..." he cautiously asked.
"You'll have to carry out the task again," Bellatrix's words chilled Draco's heart.
Carry out the task again? That would be extremely difficult! People at Hogwarts who had already been attacked would surely be more vigilant, making it much harder for him to achieve his goal.
"Maybe I should find a victim for you..." Bellatrix licked her lips, and her eyes reflected a glint of bloodthirsty madness. "I recall there's a Muggle-born who's quite close to Tom Yodel. If you kill her, you'll have fulfilled your part, what do you think?"
"Hermione Granger?"
"It seems that's her name." Bellatrix nodded casually. This girl had been very active lately; she even appeared in the newspaper with Yodel during the holidays. If she were to be killed, it would surely cause chaos throughout Hogwarts and provide an opportunity for the Dark Lord's grand plan.
And the reason they didn't choose someone more famous like Yodel was that Voldemort still held out hope of recruiting him.
At that moment, Draco's heart was filled with fear.
It was Hermione Granger! Whether he succeeded or failed in the murder, his fate would be terrible. If he accepted this mission, he would be pitted against Tom himself, making an enemy of him.
Draco quickly weighed the pros and cons.
This task couldn't be accepted!
He would dare to assassinate Dumbledore, but not Hermione. Because Dumbledore was a good person, even if he failed in his attempt, Dumbledore wouldn't retaliate against him. But Tom was different; if Draco committed such an act, he would be sentencing himself to certain death with no escape.
"Alright, alright," Draco tried to stay as composed as possible, but inside, he was conflicted.
He had two options before him. The first was to leave the Hog's Head Inn and find Tom, telling him about Bellatrix's plan. If possible, he might even reveal her location to Tom, using Bellatrix as a bargaining chip, securing an escape route for himself.
The advantage was clear, but the risk was too great, as it would completely tie him to the Order of the Phoenix.
The other option was simply to follow Bellatrix's plan, but in case Tom found out, it would be wishful thinking to avoid ending up in Azkaban.
What to do? He couldn't keep postponing the decision.
"You seem to be indecisive," Bellatrix wasn't an easy person to deceive; she noticed that something was amiss with Draco and stared at him as if she wanted to read his mind.
"N-no... I-I just don't know what to do..." Draco felt his heart racing and gripped his wand even tighter.
"I see, there's a proper solution for that," Bellatrix gave Draco an idea.
"You can Confund others into delivering the necklace for you, so you won't expose yourself, you can hide in the shadows."
The advice sounded tempting to Draco. However, he didn't know how to use the Confundus Charm.
Upon hearing Draco's response, Bellatrix sighed.
"You don't know how? Well, I'll teach you... Pay attention... Imperius!" Bellatrix pretended she was going to teach him the Confundus Charm, but suddenly cast the Imperius Curse on Malfoy's forehead.
Draco's expression instantly became confused.
"All of you, always speak nicely, but when it comes to serving the Dark Lord, you all hesitate and refuse. Lucius is like that, Cissy is like that, and you too..." Bellatrix muttered quietly, resentment filling her eyes.
She couldn't understand why these people couldn't faithfully serve their master. Even her own sister showed indecision. It must be the weak influence of the Malfoy genes! Didn't she know about the Malfoy family's dirty past actions?
Bellatrix controlled Draco, gave him some orders, and then left the Hog's Head Inn using a Portkey.
Draco also left with an expressionless face, carrying the wooden box. He should return to Hogwarts according to Bellatrix's instructions and look for an opportunity to act.
"It's getting late; maybe we should head back to the castle," Dumbledore buried the food scraps in the ground and brushed the bread crumbs off his robe. He looked at Tom and Hermione with a playful tone, "Do you have any other plans? I want to remind you that Hogwarts has a curfew. If you plan on spending the night outside..."
"We won't!" Hermione stamped her foot on the ground, blushing.
"Really?" Dumbledore discreetly glanced at Hermione's black stockings and thought that her words didn't sound very believable.
"Of course," Tom said, "Professor, don't worry, we'll follow the school rules."
Despite Dumbledore's astonishing mental strength, he could hardly contain his laughter at that statement.
You, Tom Yodel, following the school rules? Do you not realize how many times you've been out of bed at night?
"Well, if you're sure..." Dumbledore cleared his throat, picked up the basket, and retrieved the picnic blanket from the ground. Then he gestured to Tom and Hermione, "I'll be heading back first."
"Professor, wait a moment, I forgot to mention one thing," Tom suddenly remembered he had something else to ask Dumbledore.
During the picnic, they were just chatting without discussing important topics. They talked about the feasibility of putting surveillance on Azkaban and the use of the Philosopher's Stone. But what Tom really wanted to ask hadn't been addressed yet.
"What is it?" Dumbledore turned to look at Tom calmly.
"What protective measures does Hogwarts have?" Tom looked curiously at Dumbledore.
"Protective measures?" Dumbledore was surprised by Tom's question. Hermione, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but interject and answer the question.
"Hogwarts has the Muggle-Repelling Charm and the Disillusionment Charm, and it can't be pinpointed on a map. To Muggles' eyes, Hogwarts is just a ruin, and there are signs saying 'Danger, Keep Out,' so when they approach, they think they have urgent business and quickly leave. All of this is in 'Hogwarts: A History,'" she gave Tom a look as if she thought he had asked a rather inappropriate question.
"And what about defensive measures for wizards?" Tom's concern was not the Muggles but potential enemy wizards.
Dumbledore: ...
To Tom, Hogwarts had always been deficient in terms of permanent defenses against wizards. The castle's vision has always been like the imagined enemy by the founders and successive headmasters, Muggles with ill intentions. Wizards, on the other hand, seemed not to be within their considerations. Even after Sirius Black's escape, despite the Ministry of Magic sending a large number of Dementors to block the entrances and exits of the school, they couldn't prevent Sirius Black from entering.
"You're still worried about Japan and the followers of the Death Eaters?" Dumbledore said in a low voice.
"Yes, according to the available information, haven't both factions joined forces already? And there's also the ghost roaming America, the Trackers. With these three mixed forces, it won't be easy to resolve the issue," Tom looked seriously into Dumbledore's eyes. "If they were to target Hogwarts, it would be a big problem."
"You're right," Dumbledore nodded, taking Tom's advice.
"I'll increase Hogwarts' protection level," he whispered quietly with his back turned. "Around Hogwarts is a defensive barrier against wizards, but it's not normally activated. When it's activated, it will deploy a powerful invisible barrier containing all kinds of ancient and challenging magical spells to break from the outside."
Activating this barrier would require a great cost, but Dumbledore believed it would be worth it, as he really didn't want Hogwarts to become a battlefield.
With the upgrade of the school's protection level agreed upon, Dumbledore left first. Tom and Hermione planned to continue wandering the street for a while before returning to the school.
As they walked aimlessly down the street, Tom noticed a golden flash in the corner of his eye. He turned his head, and indeed, it was Draco Malfoy.
Draco quickly passed by them, seemingly not having noticed their presence at all. However, as he passed by Hermione, Tom heard a pleasant tinkling of bells.
Tom raised an eyebrow; that bell-like sound seemed to be coming from the ankle bell he had given Hermione. She always wore it, even while bathing or sleeping. When the bell rang, it meant that someone with ill intentions was near her.
So, did Draco have ill intentions towards Hermione? How dare he?
"It seems our fellow Draco isn't as honest as we thought," Tom said, looking at Draco's back with coldness. "Daring to take an interest in you."
"I don't know what he's up to," Hermione frowned. Knowing that someone had ill intentions toward her but having to wait passively was not a pleasant feeling.
"Should we take action and eliminate him in advance?" Tom looked at Hermione and gave his proposal. In his view, why have a passive defense against enemies? It would be better to act decisively.
Hermione hesitated for a moment but ultimately shook her head.
"It's not necessary, after all, he hasn't done anything yet."
Chapter 689: Chapter 689: Harry Jumping Straight to the Prophecy (Edited)
In the end, Hermione rejected Tom's suggestion. She didn't want to punish someone without apparent reason. Tom, with no other option, accepted Hermione's idea.
"Alright, I'll listen to you, but in the next few days, you'll have to stay close to me so I can protect you properly," Tom said seriously.
Hermione: ...
"Even sleep together at night?" Hermione asked with a mischievous smile at Tom.
Tom coughed twice, trying to explain that it was all for her safety and that Hermione shouldn't read too much into it.
Both of them didn't worry too much about the matter and returned hand in hand to Hogwarts Castle.
With the arrival of night, the young wizards who had worked all day or all night were plunged into their dreams, and Harry Potter was no exception.
But this time, he had another dream.
The setting of his dream was somewhat different from the previous two times. The difference was that he recognized the place in his dream.
It was none other than the village of Hogsmeade! He had been there several times! Although darkness covered the place, he could clearly recognize the familiar buildings.
Wait, Hogsmeade? Harry had a vague sense of what was wrong with his dream, but because it was a magical dream, he couldn't wake up immediately and could only silently observe everything.
With the experience of the two previous dreams, Harry knew he was seeing things from Voldemort's perspective. Today's Voldemort seemed to be in a very good mood...
"Harry" he entered a ramshackle bar and went upstairs, opening the door to the private lounge. He saw two people sitting in chairs waiting for him.
"My lord." Seeing Voldemort enter, the two people immediately stood up and greeted him with respect.
"You've done well, Bella."
Bella is... Harry first felt confused, but then he realized. Bella must be Bellatrix Lestrange, mentioned in the newspapers, a fugitive Death Eater and Voldemort's confidante.
What was she doing here? Harry was somewhat confused.
Soon, his question received an answer.
"My lord, I've brought the person you wanted. Draco, come here!" Bella gestured to the person in the corner of the room, indicating him to approach.
The second person was originally in the room's shadow, and his face couldn't be seen, but when he took a few steps forward, he emerged from the darkness, and Harry could clearly see his face.
Seeing that face, Harry felt like he was about to wake up. That person turned out to be Draco Malfoy!
However, he couldn't wake up.
He watched helplessly as Voldemort marked Draco Malfoy with the Dark Mark and then handed him a wooden box.
"Go, my loyal servant, take the weapon I've given you and rid me of the obstacle in your path."
"Yes, my lord." Draco bowed solemnly.
Voldemort shook his cloak and left the bar's private room. As he left, he muttered, "Hermione Granger... Tom Yodel, and... Albus Dumbledore."
Harry suddenly woke up, the morning light illuminating his face, tickling his nose.
His nose... it was so irritated!
Tom opened his eyes and found the culprit of his discomfort: a curly brown hair.
The owner of the hair was sitting, concentrated on reading something on a parchment.
Seeing Tom wake up, Hermione frowned and called him, "Yodel, look at what you've written in this Magical History dissertation... You've completely mixed up the dates of several goblin rebellions, a mistake that could have been avoided if you had consulted a book!"
It was clear that Hermione was very dissatisfied with Tom's academic work.
Tom could only show an awkward smile. He hadn't really been focused on his studies lately. After all, he was a young man who enjoyed excitement and fun, so he couldn't blame himself.
He approached Hermione, gently wrapped his arms around her neck, and gave her a good morning kiss.
Hermione, who had already gotten up much earlier, had finished getting ready, and her mouth emitted a pleasant scent of mint.
After a brief kiss, Hermione impatiently pushed him away and, with her other hand, tossed the work in front of his eyes.
"Look at what you've written, you shouldn't have even done this. This will affect our grades... Here, here, and here, it all needs to be rewritten!" Confronting the schoolwork, Hermione became very strict, and Tom's kisses didn't change her attitude.
Tom felt a bit embarrassed, standing to the side and smiling awkwardly. He had made a mistake, and it had held Hermione back. In a group assignment, if one performed poorly, it affected both.
"Smile, you only know how to smile. I've already corrected part of the work for you; the rest you have to fix before sleeping tonight." Hermione put the work on the table, lifted it onto her lap, and held him by the waist.
"Of course, I'll make sure to complete the task," Tom responded while patting her chest and rubbing it at the same time.
"Behave!"
But Tom didn't listen to her and instead increased his strength. Soon, Hermione couldn't hold the quill in her hand.
"Wait, wait! Oh, look what you've done... the paper is stained..."
"Mmm... it doesn't matter; I'll rewrite it tonight."
Hermione was lifted onto the table, which soon began to shake.
...
After a while, they separated. Hermione cleaned the stains from her leg with a handkerchief, looking at Tom angrily. "So early in the morning, and you've already made me change my socks...?"
"But you have a cleaning spell, right?" Tom was leaning on Hermione's legs, wearing a charming smile.
"Not only is there a cleaning spell, there's also a repair spell." Hermione replied irritably, quickly changing to a new pair of socks while picking up the damp and crumpled paper from the table.
"Remember to rewrite it, hand it to me tonight, and if you don't, there will be consequences," Hermione said. After everything was in order, they both left the Room of Requirement and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Tom piled several sausages, a large heap of bacon and roasted ham onto his plate, along with a bowl of oatmeal with honey and milk. And that wasn't all; he also grabbed two slices of toast and spread a thick layer of butter on them.
"Do you eat this much?" Hermione was surprised by Tom's appetite.
"That's because there's someone who needs to be well-fed," Tom responded as he devoured the food and spoke with his mouth full.
At that moment, Harry approached and sat next to Tom.
"Tom, I have something important to tell you," he whispered quietly, hoping to speak privately with Tom and Hermione as well.
"Alright, after I finish eating, we'll-" Tom was busy eating the bacon he had taken; he didn't want to leave the table at the moment.
"Silence," Hermione took out her wand and cast a spell around them, making nearby students unable to hear their conversation.
"A very useful spell!" Harry praised.
"Tell me, what's going on?" Tom looked at Harry curiously, wondering why he was seeking him out today.
"They're in danger, both you and Hermione!" Harry shared the dream he had last night with Tom.
This time, Harry chose to skip the prophecy altogether. Killing Draco Malfoy, indicating that the person was already a Death Eater.
"He's trying to do something bad to both of you, first Hermione, then you, and finally Professor Dumbledore," Harry was visibly anxious, hoping Tom and Hermione would realize they were in danger.
"I'll follow Malfoy and find evidence that he's plotting against you..." Harry began sharing his plan with Tom.
However, Tom didn't care much; he was more interested in the fact that, according to Harry's dream, Voldemort had appeared in the village of Hogsmeade, which was quite noteworthy.
But this dream seemed strange in every way.
Tom clearly remembered seeing Draco yesterday afternoon, not at night!
"Are you sure everything that happened in the dream was in the afternoon?" Tom interrupted Harry.
"Uh, yes," Harry recalled for a moment and nodded confidently.
"Hogwarts has a curfew; how do you think Malfoy secretly met someone at night? I distinctly remember it was yesterday afternoon when he went to the village of Hogsmeade," Hermione also noticed something odd in Harry's dream.
"This..." Harry hesitated for a moment but was convinced his dream had no issues, so he came up with a good excuse: "Maybe he knows about some passages to enter and exit Hogwarts. Fred and George know several, right? As a pure-blood wizard, isn't it normal for Malfoy to know some passages?"
Tom nodded, Harry's reasoning had some logic to it. Malfoy might have taken advantage of the Hogsmeade Opening Day to leave Hogwarts and meet with Voldemort at night before returning through some passageway.
However, he still felt something was off because it wasn't necessary.
Was Voldemort a vampire and couldn't act during the day? Did he have to wait until nightfall to meet with Malfoy?
Thinking about this, a concern arose in Tom's heart.
"Tom, believe me! I'll find a way to prove it to you! He intends to harm Hermione!" Harry grabbed Tom's arm excitedly. "You're right," Tom agreed with Harry's thoughts. In any case, he couldn't tolerate anyone hurting Hermione.
"I have a straightforward way to check," Tom smiled, wanting to demonstrate that he didn't need to follow Malfoy to prove he had ill intentions. The Dark Mark on his arm was solid evidence.
"Find Malfoy and look at his left arm, the truth will be revealed," Tom said, providing an extremely direct and somewhat abrupt solution.
It's well known that Death Eaters bear the Dark Mark on their left arm, so those with the mark are essentially Death Eaters.
Harry: ...
"Ah, right!" Harry slapped his forehead; he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before. He had become a bit rigid in his thinking.
However, he looked around the Great Hall and didn't see Malfoy anywhere.
"No matter, sooner or later we'll run into him... Doesn't he have to attend classes after all?" Tom calmly finished his oatmeal with milk, looking toward the staff table. "But more than Malfoy, I hope Professor Dumbledore acts soon..."
Dumbledore's action was already swift. After his conversation with Tom yesterday, he activated Hogwarts' defenses. Although he didn't mention the highest level of defense, it was enough to deter wizards coming from the outside. These defenses weren't invulnerable, but as long as Dumbledore was at Hogwarts, he could give those invaders an unforgettable lesson before the defenses were breached.
Seeing Tom's gaze, Dumbledore raised his glass and gave him a small smile.
Tom understood what Dumbledore meant and felt relieved.
In his understanding, Hogwarts now had a protective layer that could ward off some dangers. However, he also knew that this protection wasn't invincible; as simple as that, if the protective layer were invincible, then how would the Battle of Hogwarts have happened in the original timeline?
"Let's go." Seeing that Harry and Hermione had finished their breakfast, Tom didn't want to waste any more time there. He wanted to find Malfoy and resolve that issue as soon as possible.
However, just as they approached the Great Hall door, they heard someone calling for Hermione.
Turning around, they saw Parvati Patil, Hermione's roommate and a fourth-year Ravenclaw student.
"Granger, I received a necklace from my family, can you take a look at it?" Parvati shouted from afar, waving a wooden box in her hand.
"Hermione, today I have things to do..." Hermione was about to decline, but Harry grabbed her sleeve weakly, slowing her down.
"Tom, Hermione, that box Parvati has in her hand is suspicious!" Although they were still far away, Harry could see something in Parvati's hand and suddenly realized that the box was the same one Voldemort had given to Malfoy in his dream.
"What are you talking about?" Padma approached Hermione, her eyes not appearing different.
"Speaking of things, last night Harry had a nightmare, and we were discussing how to interpret it," Tom explained.
It was a reasonable explanation; Tom was known as a Divination genius, certified by Professor Trelawney, so seeking his help to interpret dreams was completely normal.
Parvati, who had great trust in Professor Trelawney, believed what Tom said and also complained about her poor quality of sleep following their chat.
"Before sleeping, you can try drinking a bit of strong liquor to improve sleep quality," Tom suggested as he chatted with Parvati and, naturally, received the box from her. "You said this box contains a necklace your family sent you, right?"
Seeing Tom take the box in his hands, both Harry and Hermione were tense because they knew all too well that the box contained a dark artifact that could spell doom for anyone who opened it.
"Yes," Parvati replied calmly, showing no signs of abnormality.
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
0 Power
stone 
Paragraph comment