Chapter 52: Is It Dumbledore?
"Is it Dumbledore?"
When Malfoy finally had time to think about who might want him dead, Dumbledore was the first person who came to mind.
There had always been deep conflict between his father, Lucius Malfoy, and Dumbledore. After graduating from Hogwarts, Lucius joined the Death Eaters and steadily climbed the ranks until he became one of Voldemort's trusted confidants.
His father was not only skilled in the Dark Arts but exceptionally talented, playing a significant role in Voldemort's expansion.
Moreover, as a politician, Lucius in some ways even surpassed Voldemort. While outwardly submitting to Voldemort, he also used Voldemort's power to expand his own influence and wealth.
After Voldemort was defeated by a mere "baby," Lucius swiftly changed allegiances. Not only did he avoid being implicated in Voldemort's downfall, but with no higher authority above him anymore, his maneuvering appeared even more brilliant.
He bribed many senior officials at the Ministry of Magic and claimed he had been under the Imperius Curse to escape prosecution. With immense wealth and prestigious status, he returned to the upper circles of wizarding society.
Now he was not only a governor of Hogwarts but was even attempting to drive Dumbledore out of the school. Dumbledore undoubtedly despised his father—though the two often made use of each other.
"Would Dumbledore kill me because of this?" Malfoy asked himself. "Hogwarts used to be safe. Otherwise, my father would never have allowed me to study here."
"But this year Harry enrolled as well. There are rumors that the Dark Lord will return because of Harry. Once Harry is eliminated, the Dark Lord will rule the wizarding world again. If Dumbledore fears the Dark Lord's return and wants to deal with my father, perhaps I could serve as the breakthrough."
Malfoy had found what he believed to be Dumbledore's motive.
His father didn't believe Voldemort would return—but Malfoy did. From the very beginning of the school year, he had even planned to form an alliance with Harry to oppose Voldemort and seize control of the wizarding world together. Unfortunately, foolish Harry had failed to appreciate his offer and rejected him.
"The creature in the Forbidden Forest was drinking unicorn blood. That's a curse. Even the most evil dark wizard wouldn't do such a thing lightly." Malfoy frowned as he recalled that day. He had thought about that as well.
Malfoy had always believed the Dark Lord would return and reclaim control of the wizarding world. This obsession made him connect many events to Voldemort's resurrection. And what had happened in the Forbidden Forest seemed to fit perfectly with that possibility.
"Besides Dumbledore's actions, this could also be a warning from the Dark Lord. He has lost his power and wants to rise again. He needs my father's support. He might use me to threaten him."
This was another possibility Malfoy considered.
"But what should I do?"
Clutching his head, Malfoy rolled over on the hospital bed, rubbing the sharp pain in his leg muscles. "Oh! Damn it!"
Despite being in danger, Malfoy had forced himself to stay calm. He had been discovered collapsed near the Forbidden Forest and sent to the hospital wing. Contrary to expectations, he hadn't shouted threats or accused the professors of negligence. Instead, he kept silent, treating it as an ordinary accident while trying to confuse whoever was plotting against him.
He recalled his father's teachings:
"Never let others see through your intentions, and never reveal your true hand."
He muttered inwardly, "Don't let them succeed so easily. Wait for them to slip up."
"This isn't easy," he thought bitterly.
Though Lucius had trained him from a young age and Malfoy knew many methods to achieve his goals, he was still only eleven years old. He wasn't ready for this.
When he thought about facing death—about facing Dumbledore, about facing Voldemort—his mind filled with nothing but fear. The idea that he was being watched by the giants of light and darkness in the wizarding world sent chills down his spine.
"Who's there?" Malfoy called out, sensing someone behind him.
"It's me." A timid, chubby figure stepped in from the doorway. It was Goyle.
Aside from occasionally striking him during their first days at school to assert dominance, Malfoy had never actively bullied Goyle. He quickly realized that Goyle and Crabbe were fools—especially after they had been stopped by Neville, leading to Neville being beaten by Ron. That incident confirmed his assessment.
Many times, Malfoy had not even wanted to keep the two idiots around. But as the heir of the Malfoy family, he couldn't dirty his own hands too often. That would disgrace the family name. So he tolerated them.
During these days recovering in the hospital wing, Malfoy knew he was in danger and didn't dare sleep carelessly. He hid there, pondering how to deal with Dumbledore and Voldemort. While browsing www.uukanshu.com to pass the time, he had ordered Goyle and Crabbe to gather intelligence from around the school.
Unfortunately, the two fools were useless.
What kind of news had they brought back?
"Peeves pranked someone, the school introduced a new chocolate flavor, first-year students were flirting with each other, and some so-called secrets that turned out to be rumors."
Malfoy dared not entrust them with anything important. He certainly couldn't tell them he was in danger. He didn't want to wake up the next morning to find the entire school gossiping that Dumbledore and Voldemort were plotting against him.
This only deepened his jealousy of Harry Potter.
"Weasley isn't particularly smart, but he's far better than Goyle and Crabbe. And Granger is clever—if only she weren't a Muggle-born."
"Potter has two capable assistants. Meanwhile, I have to guard my secrets while worrying that the two idiots beside me might expose me at any moment."
The thought filled Malfoy with self-pity.
Growing angrier, he turned and glared at Goyle. "Has anything important happened at school today?"
"Potter… Harry Potter… he was making a fuss," Goyle stammered.
Recently, Malfoy had assigned him to gather information, which made Goyle uncomfortable. Normally, he stood around like a pillar, grinning foolishly whenever he received snacks or small rewards.
But Malfoy had changed lately. He had grown colder and more demanding. The pressure made Goyle feel suffocated.
Finally, after much effort, Goyle had managed to bring back one piece of news: Malfoy was being treated like trash. It had taken him a long time to realize that Slytherin House was deeply unpopular throughout the school.
"Everyone, be sure to give this story a Powerstone! Also, 30 advanced chapters of this story are uploaded on my Patreon—you can go there and read them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
for 30 advanced chapter, visit my patreon
'patreon.com/fatimasoomro123'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"