Harry Potter, who had no idea what the ability to talk to snakes really meant, was struggling to lift Ron Weasley from the floor. His thin arms made the effort look utterly futile.
Snape, watching his frantic attempts, sneered and shoved Harry aside.
"I suppose our savior has completely forgotten he's a wizard. Or perhaps it's simply that he can't even manage the most basic Levitation Charm, so he's left to lug his best friend around like a Muggle."
"..."
Though Snape called it a Levitation Charm, the spell he cast was anything but gentle. Ron dangled in the air like a puppet with its strings pulled too tight, and Harry—who could clearly tell this wasn't a Levitation Charm—flushed scarlet with frustration, his face twitching.
So much for thinking Snape actually cared about his students. That had been nothing but his own illusion.
Harry seethed at the mockery, but before he could retort, Snape suddenly stiffened.
"Hm?"
He hadn't been paying much attention to Ron, but now his sharp eyes caught something. Though the potion seemed to have worked, his expression darkened as he bent closer, frowning while examining Ron more carefully.
"It's as if something has drained his life away. His magic is in utter chaos... This is dark magic."
At the words dark magic, Harry's head whipped toward Draco Malfoy, who stood not far off. He didn't say a word, but his movement alone made his suspicion obvious.
"Professor—"
"Shut your mouth, Mr. Potter. Unless you mean to waste more time on pointless questions and wild guesses."
Snape dismissed him coldly, pulling another vial from his robes. He tipped it down Ron's throat, then with practiced ease hoisted the unconscious boy, whose head lolled limply to the side, and started back the way they had come.
Clearly, Ron's condition had convinced Snape that now was not the time to investigate.
"Come with me. At once."
It was as though his only purpose in coming here had been to rescue Ron Weasley. He offered Draco not a single word, not a single question about what had really happened. The brief moment their eyes met left Draco with nothing but confusion at the unreadable look in Snape's gaze.
That strange reaction made Draco frown to himself...
Hermione, walking beside him, looked far more at ease. Relief was written plainly across her face, her mood light even after passing the massive, terrifying shed skin of the Basilisk. She'd even paused to inspect it with curiosity.
After glancing once at Snape and Harry ahead, she turned back to Draco and asked quietly,
"So—you really did deal with the Basilisk?"
"No. I didn't see any Basilisk."
"...Do you take me for an idiot?"
"I do. But I really didn't see it. Maybe it ran off before I arrived."
They had walked past a freshly shed Basilisk skin only minutes ago, but Draco delivered the lie without hesitation. Hermione, however, was no fool.
"Fine. Let's just say that's what happened."
"..."
Draco's expression darkened, and Hermione kicked at a loose stone in irritation. She didn't know what secret he was keeping, but she chose not to press further. Whatever it was, it had to be important.
Even so, she couldn't hide her disappointment. Perhaps it was simply that Draco didn't trust her enough to share it.
But Draco didn't soften. The fewer people who knew, the better. And with Harry Potter walking just ahead of them, ears clearly pricked to catch every word, it was out of the question to say more.
"Well, I think I can promise this—no one else will be attacked."
"Really? Then what's inside the Chamber of Secrets? Did you defeat the killer?"
"I doubt you'd want to know. Especially Weasley."
"Ron... right. Why was Ron in the Chamber at all? And why was he in that half-dead state?"
Draco's words made Hermione freeze for a moment. Only then did she realize she hadn't even asked about Ron's condition. Did the attacker have something to do with him?
Draco glanced at Ron Weasley's back with a strange expression.
"You'd have to ask that Weasley what sort of idiotic things he's been up to. Though I'm sure he'll turn it into some heroic tale he can brag about later."
"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying Ron was the murderer?"
Draco's voice wasn't particularly loud, but Harry Potter caught every word. He spun around, glaring at Draco with unmasked hostility. Hermione frowned slightly at Harry's reaction, then turned to Draco in confusion.
"Ron... did he really do something?"
"Hermione, you don't believe him, do you? He's the one we found inside the Chamber, alone. Who knows what he did down there? Maybe he's trying to pin it all on Ron."
"Harry, calm down. Draco's here because—"
"You clearly know something. I was the one who asked Hermione to find Professor Snape. So why are you here?"
Draco cut across Hermione before she could finish, his tone sharp.
Hermione shot him an irritated glare for interrupting, but deep down she wanted the same answer.
"Of course it's because—"
"Enough! When we stand before Dumbledore, you can say whatever you like. Until then, keep your mouths shut!"
Whether on purpose or not, Snape's cold command landed just as Harry was about to speak.
Dumbledore?
At that name, Draco's expression grew more serious.
First the Dark Lord... and now the Greatest Wizard ?
Not long ago, he had fought a dark wizard and even managed to disrupt the man's plot. But Draco wasn't arrogant enough to believe that made him equal to such figures.
Dumbledore—the wizard who could stand against Voldemort—how could someone like that rely on simple means?
And in all of this chaos... there were far too many traces of Dumbledore's hand.
...
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