Chapter 278
A rather absurd thought suddenly surfaced in Draco Malfoy's mind.
Still, he continued calmly,
"Have you considered the consequences of your decision?"
"If you truly had those kinds of concerns, you wouldn't even ask that question."
Fleur let out a soft sigh of relief before smiling smugly.
"From the way things look now, I'm supposedly helping the mastermind behind everything, yet you're still questioning me?"
"I don't believe someone bold enough to defect to the Dark Lord would be this easy to talk to."
"As for consequences?"
"What consequences?"
"Helping revive the Dark Lord?"
Malfoy's expression froze instantly.
For a rare moment, he found himself unable to answer.
The emotional turbulence from earlier had clearly dulled his thinking.
When someone was trapped in extreme emotions, their judgment naturally became unstable.
"What exactly did you do to me just now?"
Malfoy asked again.
"A tiny bit of magic."
Fleur raised her slender right hand and pinched her thumb and index finger together slightly.
A playful smile appeared on her face, utterly lacking the awareness a "hostage" should have had.
"Fine, I'll explain."
Seeing Malfoy's expression becoming increasingly unpleasant, Fleur reluctantly gave in.
"The Veela's abilities are not simply about charming people. That's far too superficial."
"Rather than attraction…"
"It's more accurate to say we're born with the ability to influence emotions."
"Of course, most Veela prefer using that ability to make others like them and gain goodwill."
"That's why people always assume we only know how to seduce others."
Fleur paused briefly before blinking mischievously.
"After all, that interpretation sounds much better for us, doesn't it?"
"It's just that your guard was too strong."
"You're far too cautious."
"So I had no choice but to use another method."
"You were constantly suspicious, so I simply forced all of those emotions to erupt at once."
"The effect probably looked terrifying."
"And honestly…"
"It didn't seem like your wariness was directed only at me."
Fleur's voice softened slightly.
"Besides, even if I tried again now, it probably wouldn't have much effect."
"You've already released most of those negative emotions."
"Alright."
She smiled brightly, revealing perfectly white teeth.
"I've already told you one of my biggest secrets."
"In exchange…"
"Shouldn't you tell me one of yours too?"
She looked genuinely expectant.
"Fine."
Malfoy nodded slowly.
At the same time, his fingers tightened imperceptibly around the wand hidden in his sleeve.
At this moment, the only thing he was still considering was—
Should he use Obliviate?
Or simply Stun her directly?
Fleur continued staring at him expectantly, completely unguarded.
And just as Malfoy prepared to "deal with" this troublesome problem—
An unexpected voice suddenly echoed through the forest.
"You're absolutely right, Miss Delacour."
An old man's warm and gentle voice drifted through the darkness.
It sounded distant—
Yet calm and generous.
Fleur jumped in fright and nearly lost her balance.
Malfoy's movements stopped immediately, and the wand quietly slid back into his sleeve.
"Oh, my apologies. I'm over here."
A silver-white phoenix suddenly flew out from the far edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Its silvery radiance blended beautifully beneath the moonlight, dazzling beneath the night sky.
At the same time, it let out a clear phoenix cry.
"Dumbledore?!"
Fleur cried out in alarm.
She instantly became vigilant.
The old man's appearance meant someone's escape might no longer succeed.
"There should be a little more trust between people, shouldn't there?"
The old man's kind voice echoed once more above the Forbidden Forest, startling countless owls and bats resting among the trees.
"I personally agree with the idea of exchanging secrets."
"It's an excellent way to deepen trust."
"Oh, and please stop pretending in front of this poor old man."
"I'm terribly sorry, but I happened to overhear most of your conversation."
The silver phoenix quickly spoke again when it noticed Fleur subconsciously inching closer toward Malfoy.
A Patronus strong enough could do far more than repel Dementors.
With sufficient magical control, it could also act as a means of communication between wizards.
And in this reduced form, it was incredibly difficult to detect.
"I distinctly remember saying our communication was one-way only, using a two-way mirror."
Malfoy said coldly.
"Have you become so old that you've forgotten already?"
"Something unexpected happened with the plan."
The phoenix let out cheerful laughter.
"So naturally, I had to pay attention."
"I genuinely thought you were planning to kidnap this brave Beauxbatons warrior."
Fleur had already gone completely numb.
She felt as though she might have been placed under the Imperius Curse.
Otherwise—
What exactly was she witnessing right now?
The Hogwarts student accused of helping revive Voldemort—
Was casually chatting and joking with the greatest Light wizard in the world.
As though none of the chaos from earlier had ever happened.
"Sometimes, sharing certain secrets can lighten one's burden."
"Occasionally, I even write letters to—"
Dumbledore rambled on leisurely.
Through the silver phoenix, it almost felt like one could see the old man's irritatingly cheerful smile.
"The one imprisoned in Nurmengard?"
Malfoy interrupted flatly.
"Mm…"
"You see?"
"Now the three of us share a common secret."
Dumbledore chuckled softly.
Malfoy could practically imagine the old man stroking his long silver beard while secretly observing the two of them through the Patronus.
Fleur frowned slightly, still completely lost.
She had no idea what unbelievable secret she had just heard.
"Nurmengard…?"
"Is there someone Dumbledore knows imprisoned there?"
For a moment, she still failed to react.
"I believe Miss Delacour is trustworthy, don't you?"
The old man suddenly said.
"I think having another assistant involved in our plan would be extremely helpful."
"I'm sure she'd be more than willing to help us."
Dumbledore continued warmly.
"Next, however…"
"I'll have to ask Miss Delacour to leave for a moment."
The phoenix spoke again.
Fleur suddenly realized she could no longer hear anything.
The sounds around her disappeared instantly.
She could only see Malfoy and the phoenix moving their lips silently.
Then, a heavenly melody slowly entered her ears.
It was the phoenix's song.
…
"The objective of the first plan is already about eighty percent complete."
The old man's voice gradually became drier.
"At this point, whether or not you enter Azkaban no longer changes very much."
"Perhaps…"
"The second plan you mentioned earlier—the one you wanted me to carry out…"
"I'll have to leave that responsibility to you now."
"You really know how to throw problems onto other people."
Malfoy understood Dumbledore's meaning almost immediately.
"Are you really that afraid?"
He let out a cold sneer.
"Yes."
At that moment, sorrow unexpectedly appeared upon the silver phoenix's face.
"Please allow this poor old man the right not to know the truth."
"It would simply be too cruel for him."