A boy stopped in front of the gargoyle standing guard in the third-floor corridor.
He flicked his wand, seemingly uttering something silently, and his face immediately became calm.
The stone gargoyle was dozing softly when it sensed someone's arrival. It opened its eyes, looked him over, and pricked up its ears, as if waiting for something.
"Acid Pops," he said expressionlessly.... the gargoyle immediately leapt aside with a grin.
Draco stepped onto the spiral staircase, which wound higher and higher until he finally arrived at the Headmaster's office.
He knocked on the brass door knocker, and a kind voice came from within.
"Please come in."
"Good afternoon, sir." Draco walked in.
The clock in the Headmaster's office struck four.
"Very punctual, Draco. Sit down," Dumbledore said with a smile.
Draco sat down and looked around, trying to guess why Dumbledore had summoned him.
The round office was exactly the same as when he last saw it; the long-legged desk was piled high with delicate silverware emitting wisps of smoke, and the Sorting Hat sat listlessly on a shelf on the other side. The portraits of the former Headmasters dozed in their frames. Fawkes perched on his branch behind the door, wearing an inquisitive expression not unlike Draco's own.
"My child," Professor Dumbledore said in a serious tone, "I think you must be wondering why I called you here."
"Yes, sir."
"Any guesses?" His white beard reached his waist, and Draco noticed that he had tied a rope around the tip of it.
"If you have come to comfort me... to tell me not to worry about Peter Pettigrew, who is still at large, or that you think me too weak to face Dementors.... you may rest assured.... " Draco said dismissively.
"Oh, to be honest, I do not concern myself too much with either of those things," Professor Dumbledore said cheerfully. "You handled it very well, did you not? But I do need to advise you not to take any more risks if you are not sufficiently capable."
His deep blue eyes looked at him inquisitively, as if he were referring to something specific.
Draco shrugged, trying his best to look like an innocent third-year student.
Was Dumbledore referring to the possible existence of more Horcruxes, or to his poorly executed Patronus Charm?
"Last term, we had a conversation in this office, and we spoke about Horcruxes." Seeing Draco's unyielding attitude, Professor Dumbledore did not press the matter further and quickly changed the subject.
A brief pause.
"You said you wanted to do some research," Draco said.
"That is right. I have spent a few months doing some research, and I believe things are starting to look promising." Dumbledore opened a drawer in his desk and placed a blackened, twisted, broken object in front of him.
Draco could vaguely make out that it should have been a golden cup, but for some reason it had been so badly damaged.
"This is.... " He looked at Professor Dumbledore with a puzzled expression. A thought suddenly flashed into his mind.
"Yes, I believe this is another Horcrux that has been destroyed," Professor Dumbledore said calmly.
"Another one?" Draco said in disbelief.
Even though he already knew the Dark Lord was a madman and had steeled himself mentally against his evil, he was still shocked when he saw the evidence with his own eyes.
How many Horcruxes did he actually create?
"Where did you find it? How was it destroyed?" Draco stared intently at the broken and deformed cup, his tone revealing a rare eagerness.
"Let me answer your second question first," said Professor Dumbledore. "It was destroyed by the sword of Gryffindor, and the one wielding the sword was not me, but Sirius Black. The night before last, Fawkes suddenly flew away with the Sorting Hat in his beak, and not long after, Sirius found me with Fawkes, the Sorting Hat, the sword, and this golden cup."
The phoenix beside him let out a triumphant cry and showed off his beautiful tail feathers on the branch.
"Undoubtedly, Sirius had a fierce battle with the evil spirit within the cup. You can imagine how brutal it was from his appearance. Fortunately, he did not suffer any irreversible damage. I have arranged for him to recuperate in the Hospital Wing, and he will recover before long," Professor Dumbledore said with a smile. "I have already informed Harry; he is probably visiting his godfather right now."
"How dreadful for him," Draco said without a trace of sincerity. "I do not understand what this has to do with me."
"That all started with where the golden cup came from," Dumbledore said calmly, his blue eyes gleaming. "I have heard that Sirius received the golden cup from your mother."
"Impossible! I have never seen this in our house before.... " Draco blurted out in shock.
"I am certain this does not belong to the Malfoys. I have heard she took it from the Lestranges' vault," said Professor Dumbledore.
Draco fell silent for a moment.
Suddenly, an image flashed before his eyes: his mother carrying a small package, gracefully walking out of the Lestrange family vault.
Given the extent of her familiarity with her mad aunt Bellatrix, it would not be surprising if his mother had casually "disposed of" a few pieces of gold jewellery from the vault.
"When did this happen?" he asked coldly.
"I do not know the exact time, but it was probably after Sirius was released from prison," Professor Dumbledore said casually.
"Oh.... " Draco said, his face pale. "I think I know when it was."
As far as he knew, Narcissa had almost no communication with her cousin, Sirius Black.
There was only one time. They had had a face-to-face conversation, which had taken place when they went to Grimmauld Place.
Draco had thought his mother was simply talking to her cousin about the Dementors' weaknesses; he had not expected they might have discussed something else entirely.
No wonder his mother had left halfway through that day. When she came back to collect him, she had looked rather unwell.
Draco had initially thought her unhappiness stemmed from some internal power struggle within the Black family; now it seemed there was far more to the story.
"He must have deceived her. My mother probably did not know what she was bringing him." Draco's eyes narrowed, his tone unpleasant.
"I suspect so." Dumbledore's tone was relaxed, as if he were discussing what to have for dinner. "So I am giving you advance warning: the Malfoys have been involved in this. Your parents, whether intentionally or unintentionally, have contributed to the destruction of a Horcrux and have stood against Voldemort."
"You do not seem to care about my family's safety," Draco said coldly, his grey eyes fixed on him. "I did all this to protect my family, not to drag them into danger with me. Have you considered how Bellatrix will treat my mother when she finds out?"
"I am very sorry about this. The only consolation is that Bellatrix is now imprisoned in Azkaban." Dumbledore looked at him with his deep blue eyes.
"That does not mean she will not come out." Draco sneered. "Sir, have you forgotten about Peter Pettigrew, who is still at large?"
"That is another matter entirely," Dumbledore said.
"I never imagined that a great wizard such as yourself would suffer from the common bureaucratic flaw of evasiveness. Is there really anything more to say about this broken golden cup?" Draco said impatiently. He had already risen to his feet, ready to leave.
Dumbledore smiled slightly, unperturbed by the boy's sudden outburst. He pushed the golden cup towards Draco. "Look at the pattern on this cup. Look closely."
Draco bent down to examine it.
He could vaguely make out the exquisite carving that had once adorned the gold cup; it appeared to be a badger.
"This is.... " he said softly, his tone revealing an unexpected emotion.
"That is right.... Hufflepuff's Cup," Dumbledore continued. "One of the relics of the founders of the four Houses of Hogwarts. I have already had some of the oldest house-elves in the school identify it, and when they saw the cup destroyed like this, they wept so hard they nearly fainted. This is Helga Hufflepuff's Cup."
Draco nodded slightly.
Earlier, in a series of historical accounts he had consulted, he had learnt that the golden cup was the first vessel used by house-elves at Hogwarts to transport magical food. It was not surprising that the house-elves could recognise it; they are naturally capable of accurately sensing such magical artefacts. They would not be mistaken.
"You may have noticed that Voldemort is very interested in the history and relics of the four founders. For example, Hufflepuff's Cup, and the Chamber of Secrets. I believe that the treasures of the four founders must hold great attraction for Voldemort. I cannot be certain whether he has found the Slytherin and Ravenclaw items, but I am certain that the only known relic of Gryffindor is safe and sound." Dumbledore nodded towards the sword of Gryffindor displayed on one side of the Headmaster's office.
"On this point, I agree with your thinking. At the very least, Slytherin's relics have always been particularly attractive to Slytherins," Draco said.
The Dark Lord was like someone who had never seen the finer things in life, going about collecting souvenirs at every turn, and then, in a completely uncouth manner, destroying the magical world's shared treasures that ought to have been carefully preserved. He thought disdainfully.
If the four founders knew about this, their fury towards the Dark Lord would probably overflow the entire Black Lake.
To place one's filthy soul inside someone else's belongings is no different from a dog defiling someone else's property. It is a deeply degrading act.
No wonder the Grey Lady had been so desperate to see Ravenclaw's diadem destroyed. Who would want someone to tamper with their precious heritage? It was practically blasphemy.
Now that Ravenclaw's diadem had been secretly destroyed by him, where were Slytherin's relics? Draco frowned in thought.