The Dark Mark was a remarkably sophisticated dual magic that targeted both soul and flesh simultaneously binding the bearer to Voldemort on multiple metaphysical levels.
It had to be said, from a purely academic perspective, this particular dark magic was truly ingenious and sophisticated in its complex design, even if its purpose was horrifying.
If it were someone else's Dark Mark; an old, established brand that had years to set and integrate with the bearer's magical signature, Adrian wouldn't be remotely confident in his ability to successfully remove it without killing the patient.
But Malfoy's situation was somewhat different, uniquely fortunate.
His Dark Mark was fresh, newly applied...
No, it was absolutely brand new, barely settled into his flesh.
This crucial timing meant that Adrian had a genuine chance to eliminate it completely through his purification potion before the dark magic could fully root itself in Malfoy's body and magic.
Just as Adrian was mentally preparing the procedure and about to instruct Malfoy on what to expect, a beam of bright white light suddenly pierced through the forest darkness, illuminating their small clearing with harsh lighting.
"Found them! Over here!"
A familiar, high-pitched shrill voice rang out through the trees.
Malfoy's entire body trembled violently as a terrible expression of pure dread appeared across his pale face, the thing he feared most had happened.
Witnesses. Professors. Consequences.
Adrian turned calmly to look toward the light source, and soon a small figure came hurrying quickly through the vegetation, nearly submerged by the bushes and ferns in front of him despite the lighting from his wand.
"Professor Flitwick?"
Adrian was genuinely somewhat surprised by this specific arrival.
The Forbidden Forest was certainly unusually bustling tonight with visitors.
For the typically castle-bound Charms professor, the Forbidden Forest was unfamiliar territory. Flitwick was definitely a rare visitor to these dark woods, he rarely ventured beyond the school grounds, so he was clearly here specifically for Malfoy based on some information.
Flitwick jogged up to Adrian's side with short, quick steps, looking slightly out of breath. "Oh, so you found young Malfoy first, did you? Well, that's quite a relief. I need to inform Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall of this news immediately, they're organizing search parties."
He drew his wand with a curl and gave it a light, precise wave.
"Expecto Patronum!"
White mist poured smoothly from his wand tip, swirling and condensing in the air. It gradually took solid form into a corporeal Patronus:
A silver giant bear with protruding fangs and massive paws.
The ethereal creature shook its fluffy fur and affectionately nuzzled Flitwick's small hand with its enormous head.
"Go notify Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall immediately," Flitwick instructed his Patronus softly. "Tell them Malfoy has been found safe in the Forbidden Forest with Professors Westeros and myself."
The silver bear nodded its big head in understanding, turned with surprising agility for something so large, and leapt smoothly into the dark forest, zooming between trees as it went to deliver its message.
Adrian watched this impressive scene with interest, it was the first time he'd seen Flitwick's Patronus in action, and he genuinely hadn't expected it to be such an imposing, powerful bear. The contrast with their tiny professor was quite prominent.
After delivering his message, Flitwick quickly refocused his attention on Malfoy, his expression growing serious.
The glowing Dark Mark on the boy's exposed arm was particularly glaring and unmistakable in the magical light.
"As expected," Flitwick said gravely, shrinking his neck slightly as though the mark might somehow attack him. "Mr. Malfoy, you're actually a Death Eater? At your age?"
Upon hearing Flitwick's direct, accusatory words, Malfoy didn't dare raise his head to meet the professor's eyes. He remained completely silent, staring at the ground.
"Let's wait for Dumbledore before we start interrogations," Adrian suggested mildly to Flitwick. "Don't frighten him."
"This entire situation has scared me half to death," Flitwick said in distress. "A student with the Dark Mark! In all my years..."
A few minutes later, which felt much longer in the tense silence, Dumbledore arrived leading what seemed like a small parade. He was accompanied by a host of other professors:
McGonagall looking stern, Sprout appearing worried, even Snape with his usual scowl. Behind them, somewhat surprisingly, even Hagrid's enormous body could be seen, and Harry's group of students had apparently followed the commotion.
Obviously, Harry must have been the first to notice and report Malfoy's abnormality, probably explaining about the duel and the Dark Mark to the nearest professor he could find.
After a brief, hushed understanding of the situation from both Adrian and Flitwick with occasional interjections from Harry, Dumbledore made a decisive gesture. "We should continue this discussion somewhere more secure. Everyone, please follow me."
He brought Malfoy, the concerned professors, and the handful of students back through the castle to his office, the group was moving in tense silence through empty corridors.
Once everyone was crowded into the headmaster's office, with Fawkes watching curiously from his perch, Harry carefully explained to both Dumbledore and Adrian about discovering the Dark Mark on Malfoy's arm during their encounter.
He cleverly omitted any specific mention of the duel that had preceded the discovery, making it sound like a chance meeting gone wrong.
Malfoy naturally had no energy or inclination to correct this sanitized version of events at the moment. He stood miserably in the center of attention, arms wrapped around himself.
"It's just a mark on his skin," Snape said coldly, his dark eyes flashing. "This doesn't automatically mean he's already joined the Death Eaters' side or participated in their activities."
"You were different in your circumstances, Severus," Dumbledore spoke calmly. "And the crucial point now is that young Malfoy didn't have this mark even a few months ago. This is a recent development that requires explanation."
Snape fell into brooding silence.
"Voldemort is making his move openly now, without any remaining doubt," Adrian observed, crossing his arms and leaning against one of the bookcases. "As for this specific Dark Mark... Mr. Malfoy wasn't willing to receive it. Isn't that correct?"
He directed this last question at Malfoy, who nodded with a visible tremor running through his thin body.
'Not willing? Forced against his will?'
Ron, standing awkwardly to the side near Harry and Hermione, curled his lip in obvious disbelief at this claim.
From his perspective, Malfoy must have been absolutely thrilled to join the Death Eaters, following in his father's footsteps and embracing the family legacy of darkness.
But obviously now wasn't the appropriate time for Ron to voice his skeptical opinion, not with Dumbledore present.
Dumbledore pushed his half-moon spectacles up his nose thoughtfully, his sharp gaze lingering on Malfoy's pale, frightened face for a moment. Then he turned his attention to Adrian. "What are your thoughts on this situation, Professor Westeros?"
"Thoughts?" Adrian was slightly taken aback by being referred so directly. "Well... Malfoy asked me to remove his Dark Mark, and I agreed to attempt it. That's really all there is to my involvement."
"Remove it?" Snape spun around to face Adrian. "Do you have any idea what you're saying? That's Voldemort's personal work. If you fail—"
"Severus." Dumbledore interrupted gently. "Adrian can do it. There's no need for doubt or argument. I have faith in his abilities."
Snape closed his mouth abruptly, looking at Dumbledore with a strange, complicated expression that mixed surprise, concern, and something else harder to identify.
Adrian retrieved the purification potion from his enchanted briefcase and held it up for examination. He explained to the group:
"If this mark belonged to someone else: if it were old and established, I might not have any viable solution. But this one is brand new, freshly applied. Using my purification potion, combined with proper counter-curse magic and timing, I should be able to strip it away completely before the mark fully takes root in his flesh and magic."
Snape examined the golden potion in Adrian's hand with intensely scrutinizing dark eyes, clearly trying to identify its composition.
But equally clearly, he couldn't discern anything useful through the glass bottle from this distance.
At this tense moment, Dumbledore sighed softly, it was a sound of weariness and concern.
He looked at Malfoy with unusual solemnity and asked the crucial question, "Do you truly want to have this mark removed, Mr. Malfoy? Understand what this means. There's no going back after this."
A flash of determination appeared in Malfoy's previously fearful gray eyes.
"Yes," He said clearly, his voice came stronger than it had been all night. "I want it gone."
"Very good." Dumbledore gave him an encouraging, warm smile that transformed his face. "That takes considerable courage."
This decision meant that Draco Malfoy would never join Voldemort's camp in the future, he was actively choosing the opposite path from his father.
Honestly, this was completely beyond Dumbledore's expectations and prior assumptions.
After all, Lucius Malfoy was a known Death Eater who'd escaped justice through claims of being under Imperius Curse and calculated bribes.
According to recent intelligence Dumbledore had received, Lucius Malfoy had been far from quiet these past few months. He'd been constantly working for Voldemort in secret, recruiting, moving assets, spreading influence.
But now Lucius Malfoy's own son was actually choosing to actively distance himself from Voldemort and reject the family legacy.
This was truly baffling and unexpected, raising more questions.
But regardless of the mysterious reasons, the important fact that Draco Malfoy was willing to leave Voldemort's camp was unquestionably the right thing, it is a choice that should be supported.
"Extend your arm, please," Adrian instructed Malfoy, moving to stand directly before him.
Malfoy obediently complied with the instruction, holding out his marked left arm.
Although he wore an expressionless face, trying to maintain his dignity, his violently trembling arm betrayed his inner terror about what was coming.
"I won't lie to you, it might hurt quite a bit," Adrian gave a final honest warning, meeting Malfoy's eyes. "The mark won't want to leave. Are you ready?"
Malfoy nodded jerkily.
Adrian immediately uncorked the bottle with a soft pop and poured the shimmering golden potion directly onto the Dark Mark, coating it thoroughly.
"Ahhh—!"
In an instant, Malfoy let out an absolutely bloodcurdling scream of agony.
Hearing this genuinely hair-raising cry that seemed to come from Malfoy's very soul, Harry and the other students couldn't help but shrink back instinctively, their faces were going pale.
This sounded like considerably more than just "a bit" of pain: it sounded more like torture.
The black lines forming the skull and serpent on Malfoy's arm began to squirm and struggle aggressively like living creatures fighting for survival, desperately resisting the golden potion that burned them. The dark magic was actively fighting back.
The intense magical fluctuations caused the office's lights to flicker wildly on and off, creating a strobe effect. Books on the crowded shelves rustled and flipped their pages as though caught in an invisible wind. Portraits on the walls woke one after another with startled exclamations, some covering their ears and crying out in alarm at the disturbance.
"Quiet!" Dumbledore commanded, and with a wave of his wand, the office returned to relativey normality. The portraits were turned to face the wall, muffling their complaints.
By this time, thick black smoke had begun pouring from Malfoy's arm like a wound bleeding darkness, bringing with it an ominous, oppressive aura that made everyone present feel vaguely ill.
The temperature in the entire office plummeted suddenly, frost was forming on the windows. Several people's breath became visible in white clouds.
Harry's scar began to throb with sharp, familiar pain. He clutched his forehead desperately, staggering backward into a chair.
"What's wrong? Harry!" Hermione quickly moved to support him, her face was filled with concern.
"I'm fine," Harry managed through gritted teeth, shaking his head. "Just... the usual."
The sensation wasn't completely overwhelming this time; he could still endure it, though it hurt terribly.
The black smoke continued filling the office with unnatural density, obscuring vision. Adrian calmly took out an empty crystal vial from his supplies and used his wand to guide and carefully collect the wisps of dark smoke, herding them like a sheepdog with magic.
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