"Alright." Malfoy raised his head to look at Dumbledore, his gaze shifting constantly.
But in the next second, someone came in front of him, blocking that gaze.
It was Snape.
"No problem, Headmaster Dumbledore," he said, "If there's nothing else, should we be going now?"
"Of course you may." Dumbledore nodded and said softly, "Professor Snape, I hope you can make Malfoy realize his mistake today, otherwise I will have to hand him over to Professor McGonagall."
"Don't worry, I will..." Snape said, still standing in front of Malfoy.
Then he turned around and gave a firm push. Malfoy seemed unsuspecting, staggered, almost hitting the table beside him.
He angrily shifted his gaze to Snape but perhaps due to Dumbledore's presence nearby, he said nothing, just took a deep breath, pulled open the door, and strode outside.
Snape followed him out.
Soon, the two of them were in the corridor outside.
"Do you know what you just did?!"
Having left the Headmaster's Office, Snape caught up, speaking coldly, "Looking at Dumbledore with that kind of gaze, are you afraid he won't know your ulterior motives? If it weren't for me, you might have already been discovered."
"Yeah, that really caused trouble for you." Malfoy's voice was equally cold. "I bet you're regretting it now, regretting agreeing to protect me, your foolish student."
"Yes, you certainly are foolish." Snape said.
Malfoy grew even angrier and kicked the nearby armor hard.
"Hey, lad, what do you want to do? Start a duel with me?" A knight in the painting shouted loudly.
But neither Malfoy nor Snape paid him any heed.
"Do you think you're great?" Malfoy suddenly sneered, "Protecting me in front of Dumbledore, so I should be grateful and tell you all my plans?"
"I never thought of that." Snape frowned. "But I must remind you, in front of Dumbledore, it's best to hide all your thoughts, and never reveal your ambition and intent. Otherwise, you'll easily be seen through."
"Mind your own business!" Malfoy said, "Bella taught me Occlumency during the holiday, Dumbledore can't see through what I'm thinking."
"Oh, really?" Snape sneered, "You think practicing Occlumency hastily for a month can block Dumbledore? You're overestimating yourself and underestimating Dumbledore."
Malfoy still seemed unconvinced.
"Let's put it another way," Snape glanced at him, "Do you think you can hide your secrets in front of the Dark Lord?"
Upon hearing the name, Malfoy suddenly stopped, his body trembling uncontrollably, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.
"I guess not." Snape said.
Malfoy didn't argue, because Snape was speaking the truth.
He didn't even dare think of that name; how could he possibly hide his thoughts before him?
"In that case..." Snape said mockingly, "Why do you think you can deceive Dumbledore?
"Or have you forgotten, Dumbledore is the person the Dark Lord fears most."
Malfoy raised his head in shock, seemingly not expecting Snape to say such... rebellious words, though he was stating facts.
"Don't look at me like that, I was just making a point," Snape said, "In any case, when facing Dumbledore in the future, it's best to hide all your thoughts and avoid looking into his eyes."
"I understand..." After a long time, Malfoy murmured, continuing to walk downstairs.
"So, the reason." Snape caught up with him, "No matter what you're planning, you should aim to lower your profile now—why did you bother Potter?"
"That scarhead!" Malfoy said bitterly. "He followed me and discovered my secret!"
"Secret?" Snape asked with a frown, "Did he see your plan?"
Silence fell again until they reached the first-floor entrance hall and Malfoy finally spoke:
"No, I detected him, didn't see much."
Saying this, Malfoy's face suddenly turned ferocious, "If it weren't for that meddlesome Kael, I'd have given him a proper lesson!"
"You'd better dispel that thought." Snape said calmly.
"What, you want to protect Harry Potter?" Malfoy squinted his eyes and said.
"No, I am talking about someone else." Snape said softly, "Meddlesome Kael... indeed likes meddling, but you'd best forget about it, as if it never happened... At least until your plan is completed, don't cause him trouble."
After a pause, Malfoy said, "I know what to do, don't need you to teach me!"
At this moment, the two had already arrived at the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. Malfoy spoke the passphrase.
"Power!"
A giant snake-shaped statue slid over, forming a door with its body.
Malfoy walked straight in and forcefully closed the door.
"Draco, you're back." A group of people immediately surrounded him.
"How are you, are you okay?" Pansy asked worriedly.
"What could be wrong with me?" Malfoy replied perfunctorily. He pushed Pansy aside and walked over to a corner armchair to sit down.
He certainly knew what Snape's words meant.