Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures-Chapter 1512: The Conversation Continues

As Malfoy spoke, he backed away, as though unable to believe what he was hearing. All the plans he had been building, all the things he had done — he had thought Dumbledore didn’t know. But now, Dumbledore was telling him he knew everything. …

Fear, disbelief, anger, all kinds of strange emotions surged within him.

They were brewing in Malfoy’s body, making him feel a strange humiliation.

Dumbledore knew everything, and yet had done nothing!

Malfoy clenched his wand, his whole body was shaking, and he couldn’t tell whether it was because of fear or anger, or both.

He wanted to kill this man, he wanted to kill him! He had to kill him!

“I tried to stop it, Draco, but I couldn’t expose you directly and send you to Azkaban, or just tell you not to do it. Voldemort wouldn’t have forgiven your failure. I had to protect you,” said Dumbledore calmly. “Professor Snape has been keeping watch over you on my orders —”

“Protect me? Snape?!” Malfoy froze, as if he’d just heard something utterly ridiculous, and then burst out laughing. His laughter grew louder and wilder. “Is this what you call a measure?! Ridiculous, Snape hasn’t been doing your orders, he promised my mother —”

“Of course that is what he would tell you, Draco, but —”

“He’s a double agent, you stupid old man, he is loyal to the Dark Lord, he isn’t working for you, you just think he is!”

“We must agree to differ on that, Draco. It so happens that I trust Professor Snape —”

“Humph, you’re losing your grip, then!” sneered Malfoy, seeming to regain some of his confidence, almost frenzied now. “You know everything?! And you tried to protect me? What a joke. You can’t do anything now. Maybe you don’t even know this — Snape has been offering me plenty of help — wanting all the glory for himself— wanting a bit of the action — ‘What are you doing?’ ‘Did you do the necklace, that was stupid, it could have blown everything —’ But I haven’t told him what I’ve been doing in the Room of Requirement, he’s going to wake up tomorrow and it’ll all be over and he won’t be the Dark Lord’s favorite anymore, he’ll be nothing compared to me, nothing, nothing, nothing!”

He shouted those last three words with force.

Malfoy hoped to vent his anger in this way and find some confidence for himself.

He needed that if he was going to kill Dumbledore.

There was another moment of silence. The only sound on the tower was the intensifying chaos of the battle below.

Harry struggled fruitlessly, mutely, against the enchantment binding him.

“Very gratifying,” said Dumbledore mildly. “We all like appreciation for our own hard work, of course… Well, since you don’t believe that I asked Professor Snape to protect you, let us talk about something else. For example, you must have had an accomplice, all the same … someone in Hogsmeade, someone who was able to slip Katie the — the — aaaah …”

Dumbledore’s painful expression appeared again, he shook and closed his eyes.

This made Malfoy more confident. Dumbledore was very weak. Harry vaguely saw the two giant serpents on the Staff slightly open their eyes, then close them again, and it was gone in a flash. If he hadn’t been paying attention to the caduceus, he wouldn’t have noticed it at all.

Damn it, Dumbledore had no time. Where was Evan?!

Harry remembered Dumbledore had said his time was precious now. He wanted to see Snape before he left. Harry couldn’t see why he would continue stalling with Malfoy, but Dumbledore didn’t seem eager to end the conversation. In fact, he appeared genuinely interested in carrying it on.

“No need to say it — Draco… it was Rosmerta. How long has she been under the Imperius Curse?” said Dumbledore slowly in a low voice.

“Ha, got there at last, have you?” Malfoy taunted.

There was another yell from below, rather louder than the last.

Malfoy looked nervously over his shoulder again, then back at Dumbledore, who went on: “So poor Rosmerta was forced to lurk in her own bathroom and pass that necklace to any Hogwarts student who entered the room unaccompanied? And the poisoned mead … well, naturally, Rosmerta was able to poison it for you before she sent the bottle to Slughorn, believing that it was to be my Christmas present. … Yes, very neat … very neat … Poor Mr. Filch would not, of course, think to check a bottle of Rosmerta’s. …”

“That’s right!” said Malfoy, with a twisted smile. “I got the idea of poisoning the mead from the Mudblood Granger, I heard her talking in the library about Filch not recognizing potions…”

“Please do not use that offensive word in front of me,” said Dumbledore.

“Haha!” Malfoy gave a harsh laugh. “You care about me saying ‘Mudblood’ when I’m about to kill you?”

“Yes, I do,” said Dumbledore, his feet slid a little on the floor, and he had to grip the Twin Serpent Staff even more tightly to remain upright.

“Pathetic. Pointless stubbornness. So what if you knew everything — what could you do? Just look at you now, weak as a dying man … still hoping Mason will come save you!”

“Oh, I think he will.”

“Then he’ll be just in time to see your corpse!” Malfoy roared.

“Perhaps, Draco. A lot has happened tonight, that’s true. But really, things haven’t changed quite as much as you imagine,” said Dumbledore. “In my opinion, instead of becoming a Death Eater, you would be much better off staying at Hogwarts and completing your education.”

“Shut up, I don’t want to stay here, I will become the Dark Lord’s favorite!”

“What a disappointment, I had hoped you aspired to something greater. Let’s get back to the point, Draco, as for being about to kill me, you have had several long minutes now, we are quite alone, I am more defenseless than you can have dreamed of finding me, and still you have not acted. … What are you waiting for…”

Malfoy’s mouth contorted involuntarily, as though he had tasted something very bitter. The confidence that had returned to his face now began to fade again into unease.

“Y-you… what’s wrong with you?” he stammered.

“Oh, that’s a long story. You could say I cast a spell… and suffered an extreme backlash. It has left me temporarily without magic… weak. But I came back — barely made it back!” Dumbledore muttered softly, barely able to speak. “That should please you, shouldn’t it? You must have known from Rosmerta that I left Hogwarts. She saw me leaving, so you decided to spring a trap for me and wait for my return.”

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