New chapter! Thanks for all the support!
x
"You can't do that..."
Malfoy wanted to stand up, but he simply couldn't.
He could feel his legs trembling uncontrollably.
He could even hear, as he spoke, his upper teeth knocking against his lower teeth, making a "tek-tek-tek" sound.
"Oh? And why wouldn't I?"
Dudley lightly tapped his fingers against the meeting table in the room.
Each tap was like a heavy hammer striking Malfoy's heart, making him tremble involuntarily.
Then Dudley stretched out that enormous hand, like a fan, and said unhurriedly:
"You should know that you've crossed me."
"And many times."
"I think I already told you before that I'm not a nice guy, Draco."
"The people outside know you were the one who brought me here."
For once, Malfoy actually used his brain.
As if he had grabbed hold of a lifeline, he shouted loudly:
"If you dare hurt me, the professors will find out! They'll expel you!"
The moment he mentioned expulsion, Malfoy immediately regained some spirit.
At that instant, it was as if he had found something to rely on.
His teeth stopped chattering.
His body stopped shaking.
One deep breath, and he snapped back.
"Mr. Malfoy..."
Dudley lowered his voice, cutting off Malfoy's fantasies.
His eyes gleamed with danger.
"Are you threatening me?"
A single look from Dudley was enough to completely drain away the courage Malfoy had just managed to gather.
Like a shriveled balloon losing all its air.
"What made you think I care about being expelled?"
Did Dudley care about being expelled?
Honestly, he did.
He really had planned to spend his years at Hogwarts peacefully.
But...
What right did Malfoy think he had to get him expelled?
Because of some supposed Viking bloodline?
Or because his father was on the Board of Governors?
Ah, of course.
In some places, having a father on the Board of Governors really could let you do whatever you wanted.
But Hogwarts, unfortunately for Malfoy, was not that kind of school.
The Board's power...
Wasn't that great.
They couldn't even decide what would be served for dinner at Hogwarts.
Dudley had already looked into that.
And he was absolutely certain.
Just as the Sorting Hat had said—he always prepared before taking action.
Those words left Malfoy stunned.
With the mental capacity he had at that moment, he simply couldn't understand why a student wouldn't fear expulsion.
In a clash of words, whoever breaks first loses.
And now...
It was Dudley's turn.
Under Malfoy's terrified gaze, Dudley slowly spoke an address.
"England, Wiltshire."
The exact location of Malfoy Manor.
"How do you know that?!"
A sharp, strangled squawk burst out of Malfoy.
His voice was twisted by fear.
His heart pounded so violently that Dudley could hear it clearly.
Why did Dudley know the Malfoy family's address?
Good question.
If anyone was to blame, it was Lucius.
That man was flashy, arrogant, and far too high-profile.
He had never hidden the location of his home.
Nor had he ever cast a Fidelius Charm.
Plenty of people in the wizarding world knew where Malfoy Manor was.
For example, Arthur Weasley, his longtime rival.
Even the Ministry of Magic occasionally carried out surprise inspections there for Dark artifacts.
With Dudley's intelligence, combined with the Data Magic Eyes, deducing the exact location wasn't difficult.
The problem was—Draco didn't know any of that.
And Dudley's words truly terrified him.
Deep down, the regret he felt was indescribable.
Was there anything more threatening than hearing someone say:
"I'll be waiting at your front door"?
At least for a student, there wasn't.
Recently, while studying History of Magic, Dudley had come across something interesting.
According to the Malfoy family's own records, their ancestor was Armand Malfoy of the eleventh century.
He was said to be the founder of the Malfoy family.
The eleventh century spanned from 1001 to 1100.
In other words, nearly a thousand years ago.
At first glance, didn't that sound impressive?
A noble family with a thousand-year legacy.
However, that claim wasn't recognized in the wizarding world.
According to magical history, the Malfoy family first appeared in the sixteenth century.
And the recorded founder was Lucius Malfoy I.
There was a six-century gap between those accounts.
Even more interesting—there were no records within the Malfoy family itself from before the sixteenth century.
The only "evidence" consisted of a few lines in family texts.
One claimed that Armand Malfoy founded the family in the eleventh century.
Another stated that, in the fourteenth century, Nicholas Malfoy used the Black Death as a pretext to "eliminate" Muggle tenants, escaping punishment from the Wizards' Council.
And beyond that...
Nothing.
No records at all.
As for proof...
Don't ask.
Because there wasn't any.
According to magical history, Hogwarts was founded in the year 990.
In 1100, Merlin became the court wizard of King Arthur.
In 1200, the Deathly Hallows came into existence.
Wow.
That would place the Malfoy family in the same era as Merlin.
Even a century earlier than the Deathly Hallows.
If Armand Malfoy had been born early enough, he might even have witnessed the founding of Hogwarts.
The Malfoy family's history was truly impressive.
Impressive in the same way those so-called ancient English lineages liked to seem impressive.
"I've heard you have a beautiful white peacock..."
"Portraits hanging on the walls..."
"A marble fireplace..."
"Gilded mirrors..."
"Luxurious carpets..."
Based on the information he had gathered, Dudley stared at Malfoy and reconstructed the appearance of Malfoy Manor piece by piece.
As if he had seen it himself.
With every detail Dudley spoke, Malfoy felt as though his heart was being crushed.
'How is this possible? How does he know? How does he know all this?'
At the same time, his instincts told him—if Dudley were expelled, everything he said would absolutely happen.
In truth, Dudley had never been to Malfoy Manor.
But rich people's homes usually looked like that anyway.
"If I get expelled, take a guess..."
"Will I come pay you a visit?"
"Draco, I don't think your father, Mr. Lucius, can protect you all the time."
"There must be moments when he's not around, right?"
"For example... this week?"
"France is quite a nice place."
Dudley spoke slowly.
Deliberately.
And as he continued, Malfoy's face grew paler and paler.
White as paper.
Malfoy believed him completely.
His father really was in France that week.
Dudley was breaking Malfoy down, piece by piece, using the simplest words possible.
Why did Dudley know all of this so clearly?
In truth, it was simple.
Someone like Lucius, so high-profile, always made sure everyone knew when he was doing something important.
That week's Daily Prophet had reported his trip to France.
Malfoy didn't have the habit of reading newspapers.
In fact, very few young wizards did.
But Dudley did.
After making some money from the wand business, he had subscribed to the Daily Prophet and other wizarding publications.
Observation was one of the essential qualities of a wizard.
What mattered was that Malfoy believed him.
So…
Kids really are easy to fool.
x
x
x
If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to add it to your library and drop some Power Stones.
Your support really helps the novel grow!