Chapter 96: Confession in the Astronomy Tower
On Sunday, when Hermione quietly relayed Professor Dumbledore's findings about Quirrell's escape to Draco under the big oak tree by the Black Lake, she saw a look of panic on his face that she had never seen before.
"Quirrel escaped. When did that happen?" Draco's smile disappeared and he asked with a pale face.
"Professor Dumbledore said it was during the Quidditch match yesterday at noon," Hermione said with a frown.
Draco's expression shifted slightly.
He suddenly looked at the golden necklace that flashed across her neck, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Hermione, can we please—" he asked her with a faint hope.
"I know what you're trying to do, but I'm afraid it won't work." Hermione sighed and told him, "The Time Turner has limitations. It can only go back five hours. That incident happened too long ago - it's too late now."
Draco's face was as pale as the fresh parchment in his hands.
Then, everything is settled.
Peter Pettigrew, who gave his life to buy the Dark Lord's freedom.
Even a lion needs to use all its strength to fight a rabbit. He should not underestimate anyone - not even Peter Pettigrew.
They were totally wrong from the start!
Peter Pettigrew had been lurking beside Harry for two years, so of course he knew that the Dark Lord's soul was bound to Hogwarts! Draco thought regretfully.
"Harry and Ron must have talked about Quirrell in front of that rat," Draco said stiffly.
"I think so. But they didn't mean to," said Hermione sadly. "At the time, no one knew that Ron's mouse was an Animagus. When the two of them talked about their secrets, they would avoid their roommates, they would avoid their family, but they would not avoid a mouse that seemed harmless."
"Yeah," Draco said irritably. "This is all my fault."
Draco hated his own oversight. He had thought that the Dark Lord's soul would be safe at Hogwarts under Dumbledore's close supervision.
There is absolutely no way he will go out and cause trouble again.
Draco had never considered the possibility that the Dark Lord had escaped.
Yes, while he was actively trying to trap the Dark Lord, there were also people who were equally active trying to free him!
All it takes is a small spell to remove the petrification! Peter Pettigrew ran into Hogwarts again and again, stealing Neville's wand again and again, just to find the location of the Dark Lord and free him.
"This is all my fault," he muttered, feeling a sharp pain in his temple.
"How is it your fault?" Hermione said anxiously. "You didn't know what he was going to do. No one does."
"You don't understand..." Draco said in frustration, his voice broken in the wind.
He regretted it deeply.
Peter Pettigrew had spent countless days and nights hiding in the Shrieking Shack, and he had so many opportunities to catch him and prevent all this!
However, because of the Slytherin principle of "mind your own business", he carelessly let the light of the Shrieking Shack slip through his fingers time and time again.
Even if you take one more look or do a little more, the result may be completely different.
Damn self-preservation!
I don't want to meddle in other people's business!
If his abilities were limited, he might not be so upset.
However, this has nothing to do with ability; right or wrong is just a matter of his thoughts.
It was like Professor Flitwick told them time and time again how important the "Levitation Charm" was, but he kept being arrogant and dismissive of the simple spells he had learned in this grade.
It wasn't until his floating wine glass fell and shattered into pieces during the OWLs exam that he felt any regret.
His arrogance and blindness ruined everything!
He stood up suddenly, his vision went dark, and he almost fell to the ground. He held on to the oak tree, stunned for a few seconds, and then stumbled away, not even paying attention to what Hermione was shouting behind him.
Poor Draco Malfoy! He deeply felt the weakness of the individual and the cruelty of fate.
Oh, fate!
He had been trying to resist fate, trying to change it. He was testing it little by little, fiddling with the thread of fate, hoping it would deviate from its established trajectory and take a different path.
However, in the face of fate, all efforts, attempts and struggles seem so insignificant and ridiculous.
The events in my memory are still coming true one by one. The Fat Lady's portrait will still be torn, and the Dark Lord will still be at large...
He walked a long and tiring circle, trying his best, but was shocked to find that he might be walking in the same place.
His carefully planned efforts may have brought about a slight shift in the timeline, but what impact would that have on the final outcome?
Almost no impact, perhaps. Almost no meaning.
Then, everything will return to the starting point.
Draco climbed the stairs of the Astronomy Tower step by step, like a wandering soul, returning to the place filled with his complicated memories and endless nightmares.
There was the biggest turning point in his life.
Lightning flashed across the Astronomy Tower and Dumbledore fell suddenly. He did not seize the fleeting opportunity and could never turn back.
He might become a Death Eater again, with the dirty mark branded on his arm again, and linger under the Dark Lord's hands; or perhaps, this time the Dark Lord would give him a quick death - if the things he did in secret were discovered.
A lonely figure stood alone on the astronomy tower.
It wasn't the Bloody Baron, but another poor, frustrated soul.
Draco was gazing at the scenery of Hogwarts Valley. From that high vantage point, it seemed peaceful and tranquil, vast and beautiful, as if those evils had never happened and would never happen again; as if Death Eaters would never come and destroy this pure land.
I wonder what Professor Dumbledore felt when he fell in his previous life?
If he falls down, will all the sufferings in the world be gone from him?
But he still refused to give in.
He was still a little unwilling.
"No, Draco isn't in the common room." Pansy Parkinson looked at Hermione warily, an offended look on her face. "A Gryffindor! A Muggle-born! What could be wrong with running to the Slytherin common room to find him after school?"
For Merlin's sake, if this self-righteous know-it-all hadn't said that there was something important involving Draco, she wouldn't have bothered to bother!
Look at her restless hair, it's all messy! Pansy stroked her neatly styled bob and felt that she shouldn't talk to a girl who didn't care about fashion - it's cheap, isn't it?
"Nothing...it's about study..." Hermione said with a wandering look in her eyes, and then she was ready to run away.
"Hey, wait! I haven't allowed you to leave yet!" Pansy stopped her and asked arrogantly, "I've wanted to ask you for a long time! What's the matter with the snake-shaped ring on your hand? Why would you, a Gryffindor, wear such a ring? Did Draco give it to you -"
"It's just a gift," said Hermione distractedly. "I'm really worried. I need to go find—"
"Hey! Wait a minute--" Pansy wanted to interrogate her and find out what her relationship with Draco was--this didn't seem like an ordinary study partner relationship!
Unexpectedly, this messy-haired Gryffindor Muggle-born was as slippery as a catfish and disappeared in a flash.
Throw it away after use? Pansy felt the wind blowing past her with deep resentment and made an unhappy "tsk".
At midnight, Hermione ran up to the astronomy tower breathlessly and finally found Draco.
He huddled in the narrow space under the observatory like a lost child, his long legs curled up in grievance, his hands hugging his knees, his eyes blank and helpless.
She had never seen him like this before. She was more accustomed to his lazy expression, which showed dignity and pride.
Hermione had long known that he wore many masks over that perfectly handsome face.
Most of the time, he was calm and confident, as if everything was under his control and nothing could stump him. He was indifferent, even cold, to people he wasn't interested in. But when it came to her, he was gentlemanly, considerate, and gentle...
But today, in the astronomical tower, he took off all his gorgeous masks, opened the exquisite shell that she had been peeping at for a long time, and revealed a shocking weak and even timid heart that she had never seen before.
Hermione was furious because he had left without saying goodbye, leaving her with such rudeness that she had to spend so much time looking for him. All her study plans had been put on hold just to find an ordinary friend from the outer courtyard who had disappeared at Hogwarts!
She couldn't leave him alone. He had left looking so distraught, so devastated.
All the light had gone out of his pure, transparent grey eyes, and his pitiful look made her feel uneasy.
She ran to almost every place in Hogwarts where he might be, but she couldn't find any trace of him.
She even desperately sought help from Pansy Parkinson, the girl who always looked down on Muggles. If Parkinson hadn't appeared in front of her, she would have even considered sneaking into Professor Snape's office, getting some Polyjuice Potion, and then fearlessly going around the Slytherin common room again!
She was so worried! She was going crazy because of this irresponsible boy who was running around!
It was already past curfew, and she was running around breaking school rules, risking fifty points. And for whom? This ordinary friend from another house! Hermione thought angrily.
However, when she saw his appearance, she felt like she was being stabbed in the heart by needles.
All her annoyance and anger combined were not as important as the frown on his face at that moment.
At this moment, she had only one thought in her mind, which was to make him happy.
"Draco..." She breathed lightly, walked over slowly, squatted in front of him, and looked at him without blinking, "Draco, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me..."
He came back to his senses, looked at the girl in front of him sadly, and said softly, "Hermione..."
"It's me. I'm here." She looked at him and timidly touched the back of his hand. She was surprised to find that his hand was cold, even though it was a warm day in June.
"Have you ever had this feeling—" he whispered, his eyes seeming to peer through hers into the depths of the distance. "No matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you try, many things seem to be proceeding along a predetermined path, unaffected by anyone's will..."
"Why do you think that?" Hermione asked curiously, trying to warm the back of his hand. "Are you always so pessimistic when looking at things?"
Pessimistic? No, this is reality. Draco lowered his mouth.
He seemed to be crushed by an invisible burden. He buried his face in his knees, not wanting to face this tragic life and dark reality, and for the first time showed his helplessness, sadness and brokenness in front of Hermione.
A wave of heartache suddenly surged into Hermione's heart.
What happened to him? Even when facing a werewolf, he had never been so vulnerable.
She couldn't help but raise her hand to stroke his soft platinum hair, trying to comfort him.
If it were any other time, she would probably tease him and say, "It feels really good," but now, none of this mattered. She was only worried about him and what he was afraid of.
She slowed her tone and said softly, "Draco, what's wrong with you? What are you worried about? Tell me, okay?"
"The Dark Lord... he escaped." His heart was choked with worry, and his voice came muffled from between his knees.
"I already know. So what?" She was a little confused.
What does this have to do with Draco?
Isn't this something Harry should be more worried about? Even Harry himself didn't act so depressed.
"So what?" He looked up at her, a mocking smile on his lips, his lips pale. "That means everything is over. All my efforts are in vain. He will kill me."
"Why do you think so?" Hermione said puzzledly, "He has no reason to target you. You - you are a pure-blood wizard..." She thought for a long time and actually came up with a reason that she usually scoffed at to comfort him.
"Isn't Harry's father from a pure-blood wizard family? In front of him, pure-blood wizards are not worth mentioning." Draco smiled sarcastically.
"But your father wasn't—" Hermione hesitated, not knowing whether she should say it out loud. She remembered that both Ron and Hagrid had said more than once that Draco's father had supported Voldemort.
"Death Eaters?" He said sadly, his grey eyes filled with moisture, as if it were raining. "The Dark Lord will not show mercy to anyone, especially those who betray him... I have fallen too deep into this path... I can no longer afford the price of failure..."
Hermione had never felt so clumsy. She said anxiously, "Don't cry, I can help you, you still have so many friends, don't cry, Draco..." She took out a light gray handkerchief that Draco had left with her when he comforted her a long time ago.
She wanted to wipe his tears, but Draco held her hand.
"Hermione... Hermione..." He murmured her name, looking at her deeply, as if he didn't know what to do with her.
He looked at her greedily, like a man dying of thirst looking at an oasis in the distance.
He held her hand tightly, as if he was reluctant to let go.
Finally, Draco let go of her hand.
A trace of pain flashed across his pale, stiff face, and he spoke slowly and with difficulty, "Now... while there's still time... please... leave me... don't... don't come near me."
Hermione froze. She looked into his eyes in surprise.
He asked her to leave, but Hermione felt that his eyes were clearly asking her to stay.
Maybe she was overthinking it. Maybe there was no emotion in his eyes.
Perhaps she never wanted to leave him, never.
No matter what, she must not leave at this time.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Are you looking down on me?" Hermione blushed and glared at him. "Do you think I'm a selfish coward? Do you think I'm a coward who runs away from danger and leaves my friends behind?"
He had accompanied her and protected her; in the end, when he was in danger, he actually thought that she could just walk away like that?
Draco lowered his head, not daring to look at her.
Hermione, however, showed her tough nature. She held up his pale, cold face with both hands and forced him to look at her. She said in an unquestionable tone, "Listen, I don't know what you've done, but I can face it with you!"
"But I don't want to! I don't want you to be in danger, I don't want you to get hurt, and I don't want you to die--" Draco's face was placed in her warm hands. He looked into her concerned eyes and choked.
Just thinking about those possibilities made him feel his soul in pain, an unbearable pain.
He had clearly just picked up his reluctance.
However, he now has to get rid of this unwillingness immediately.
He felt pain all over his body.
But what else could he do? He looked at her reluctantly, longing for her warm hands.
"You arrogant fool!" Hermione laughed angrily. She leaned close to his face, her eyes burning with anger. "Have you ever considered that I also don't want you to be in danger, don't want you to get hurt, and don't want you to die?"
Draco was frightened by her anger.
He looked at her with his dull grey eyes, shrank back, and dared not speak.
"Draco Malfoy, who do you think you are? You're acting so self-sacrificing, do you think I care? I want to stand by you and face difficulties together, not be a rat in the gutter, hiding in a dark corner and living a miserable life! Slytherins have no courage and are all cowards, right? Then I'll give you some courage! Gryffindors never lack courage! As much as you want!" She said arrogantly and angrily, and the fire in her eyes seemed to melt the frost in his heart.
The water that had melted from the frost dripped out of his eyes.
His stiff heart began to beat weakly again, vividly, freely, and full of hope.
Hermione Granger, her eyes were full of anger, she was angry.
She looked dazzling when she was angry, Draco thought blankly.
Just like his favorite star, Vega (Lyra), it is so dazzling that people can't take their eyes off it.
"I refuse to stay away from you. You said it was your fault that Peter Pettigrew ran away. I really can't understand it." Hermione glared at him. "You must be hiding something from me. You have hidden so many things from me and refused to tell me anything. You must tell me today!"
"I—" Draco struggled with his expression.
"Tell me, okay? I've always felt that you were mysterious since my first year; in my second year, I even thought you were a dark wizard. Honestly, I don't want to misunderstand you anymore. You're not an evil dark wizard at all. You've been doing good things secretly without telling anyone." Hermione did not continue to vent her anger, but calmed down, muttered, and sat down beside him, resting her face on his shoulder, gazing at the distant night sky and the bright stars with him.
Draco looked at her in panic, at the little girl who was tearing off his mask.
"I've known for a long time that you are not as cold as you appear. I know you are kind at heart. You said you are not brave, but you have always been protecting me and even dared to face werewolves. Now, you say you have offended Voldemort, which proves one thing more. You are not a supporter of him, you are against him, aren't you?" Hermione held his cold hand and softened her tone.
"Don't say that name." He winced. "Please."
"Okay... You-Know-Who." Hermione sighed and decided not to argue with him. She respected his stubbornness in addressing him. "Come on, tell me, what did you do secretly that made you think you would be hunted by You-Know-Who?"
"Do you...really dare to know all this? It's not too late to regret now. Once you know all this, there's no turning back." Draco lowered his eyes sadly, concealing the complexity in his eyes.
This is your last chance to walk away from the truth, Hermione Granger.
Do you know how many times I wanted to hold you in my hands, but was afraid you would hate me, so I didn't dare to hold you?
How many times have I wanted to grab you, but was afraid of hurting you and didn't dare to?
Did you know that once you're on my boat, I might never want to let you go?
Even if you are afraid, regretful, and hate me, I don't want to let you go.
Can you bear it all? The truth, or me?
"Yes, tell me." Hermione said without hesitation, baking his wet heart with her usual innocent enthusiasm, as if casting a drying spell on his soul.
She said sincerely, "I want to know everything, every detail."
She squeezed his hand. Her delicate, slender hand held him in hers.
Merlin, her hands were warm, and Draco selfishly coveted that warmth.
He is a Pandora's box. Once she opens it, so many monsters will fly out... Those monsters may swallow her.
But she is pure and passionate, and is not afraid of the cold.
She tried to use the warmth in her soul to warm his cold heart. She not only wanted to open him up, but also wanted to know more.
He turned his head and looked at her for a long time with sad yet happy eyes.
She seemed to sense something, raised her head, and looked at him fearlessly, her eyes pure and bright.
Like a moth flying into a flame, he knows he might get burned, but he still craves the brightness.
His disheveled, weak heart was trying to beat again, even though it was bitter, even though it was frightened, even though it might fall into the abyss.
She might be terrified if she found out what kind of monster she had unleashed.
But she didn't show any fear at the moment, which gave him some courage.
So Draco whispered, "As you wish."
In the howling night wind of the Astronomy Tower, Draco opened his shell a little.
He began to tell her what he had done:
How he had found the knowledge of Horcruxes from the little black book with the help of her translation;
He told her what the Horcruxes created by the Dark Lord were;
He told her that the diary that Harry destroyed in second grade was a Horcrux, and that Sirius Black and Kreacher had recently destroyed Hufflepuff's cup and Slytherin's locket;
He told her how he had obtained the fang of the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets and destroyed the Ravenclaw's diadem single-handedly, a fact that was originally known only to him;
He tells her that he is secretly assisting Dumbledore, secretly working with Sirius Black, in an effort to find Slytherin's ring;
He told her how much he wanted to trap the Dark Lord's soul so that he could not do evil, but that soul had already escaped...
Of course, he still had reservations.
He carefully avoided some details that touched on other people's privacy, such as his mother Narcissa stealing the golden cup; for example, the Grey Lady was deceived by the young Dark Lord.
He carefully concealed the secret of his past life memories - the secret was too dirty and too strange.
He only picked out those secrets that made sense, those obvious facts. Even if it were just these, the shock was enough to make a 14-year-old girl dumbfounded.
With the determination to die, he tried to reveal part of his darkness to her - his confusion, fear, collapse, and helplessness.
Even his sadness. He couldn't even confide in his parents, considering they were once supporters of the Dark Lord, such die-hard purist, Death Eaters. They would never support him, never.
Sure enough, her warm brown eyes were changing their expression, revealing a sense of surprise...
With great uneasiness, he gritted his teeth and continued to tell the story, while staring at her closely, waiting with a trembling heart.
He waited for those eyes to reveal fear, alienation and indifference, and then leave him.
Anyone who hears these horrible, complex, and heavy secrets will be scared.
These secrets were far more than a 14-year-old witch could bear.
He asked himself, could he have endured this when he was 14? The answer was no.
How could he expect her to endure all this? If she ran away in fear, leaving the observatory, leaving him in the darkness, leaving him with such a huge secret, it would be completely understandable, Draco thought bitterly.
But he was wrong.
After a brief moment of surprise, Hermione Granger's eyes still showed no fear, but instead glowed with excitement and excitement. She even said to him, "Draco, why didn't you tell me earlier? I could have gone with you to destroy the Horcrux!"
"What?" he asked her in disbelief.
"I said, I want to accompany you to destroy the Horcrux! I can help you to deal with the mysterious man!" She smiled at him in surprise, as if he was a protostar she had observed with great difficulty in the night sky, or a dusty treasure she had detected in ancient historical relics.
How could Hermione not be surprised?
All the vague worries and suspicions she had harbored about him for the past three years, the whispered suspicions that he was an evil, unscrupulous Dark Slytherin wizard, were finally swept away.
Now, Hermione could finally be completely sure that Draco Malfoy had never been a boy obsessed with the dark arts.
He had absolutely nothing to do with evil. He did not support Voldemort, as his parents were rumored to have done.
He carries a huge secret, but it is never darkness, but a heart-pounding light.
Draco, he had a light in his heart. He was worth her love, every strand of her hair.
He is the best boy. Although he treats her as a sister, he is the best, most powerful and most worthy boy for her to love.
This lovely boy was now staring at her blankly, as if he didn't understand what she said. He was only looking at her with his moist, clear eyes, his lips trembling slightly.
"I've always thought you were quite capable, though a little secretive. I also know you've been doing something secretly, but I didn't know it was something so shocking. However, do you really think you can single-handedly destroy all the Horcruxes and resist the You-Know-Who and his followers?" Hermione held his hand and chuckled, "Have you ever thought about finding someone to share this with?"
"But..." He hesitated, feeling somewhat happy and a little surprised.
His lonely and helpless heart was firmly grasped by Hermione Granger's firm gaze.
"No buts, I want to accompany you to do this!" she said again, her eyes shining and smiling at him.
These were the most touching words Draco Malfoy had ever heard since his rebirth.