Harry Potter: Miss Malfoy

In the study of Malfoy Manor, Lucius Malfoy sat quietly in an armchair in front of the French window, his eyes closed and his brows furrowed.

At the other end of the armchair, a man dressed in black had a blank expression on his face, waiting for Lucius to speak.

"Draco told me, but..."

Finally, Lucius rubbed his brow and whispered hesitantly with a worried tone.

"Is this possible? The Dark Lord is not dead?"

When he opened his eyes, his tone was no longer filled with anxiety.

"I'm afraid so, Lucius. Dumbledore has started to take notice as well."

Snape sighed and spoke softly. The weight of his words made Lucius' heart sink.

"What would he think? You surrendered to Hogwarts, and I never went to look for him."

"Not to mention Draco..."

He was worried that his best friend might also be concerned about himself, but he could not control himself when talking about his beloved daughter.

He stood up and paced back and forth in the study.

"If...if we reach out now, if we succeed in helping the Dark Lord..."

"The Dark Lord will understand. We can assist him better than that Quirrell."

"Are you going to search for the Dark Lord? He may have left England, Lucius."

"The Dark Lord has always been cautious. He failed in his attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone, and Dumbledore discovered that he survived."

"I don't think the Dark Lord will stay in England for long."

"Don't forget, the Order of the Phoenix has not been completely disbanded."

"Of course...Of course..."

"Besides, Draco is involved. The Dark Lord may have become suspicious of the Malfoys."

"If I show up before the Dark Lord now, maybe... maybe..."

His worries kept coming back to him, and always came back to his beloved daughter.

Lucius's brows remained furrowed, and he couldn't help but feel frightened when he thought of the Dark Lord's mood swings.

His breathing became rapid, and he suddenly cursed angrily.

"Damn Harry Potter! You ignorant brat. Why did you involve Draco in this?"

Seeing Lucius's angry mood, Snape tried to comfort him sincerely.

"This is my fault. I should have expelled him earlier."

"Well, is there any way we can-"

"You can help the Dark Lord regain his strength without having to look for him yourself?"

Snape asked tentatively, and Lucius suddenly stopped, his eyes lit up with worry.

"The diary left by the Dark Lord..."

Lucius said as he walked over to the bookshelf and tapped his wand, unlocking the curse on a glass cabinet.

He took out a wooden box and held it carefully in his hands.

He returned to the armchair and placed the wooden box on the small round table in front of the two of them.

"He ordered strict guarding, but he also said—"

"If sent to Hogwarts at the right time, Dumbledore could be eliminated."

"Maybe..."

Lucius hesitated to speak, Snape stared at the wooden box with his dark eyes, narrowed his eyes, and responded meaningfully.

"If, with careful arrangements, perhaps, Harry Potter can be excluded."

"what do you mean?"

"What if the diary that caused the trouble was brought into the school by Harry Potter?"

Lucius smiled, and Snape's mood became much happier.

On the corridor outside the study door, a small figure carefully holding a silver tray, preparing to serve a wine glass, stared in fear.

-

Draco was extremely lazy during his first summer vacation after leaving home for school.

Maybe it’s because, after a full year of classes, the semester ends with a mysterious adventure.

In addition to the tea parties every two weeks when Daphne and Pansy visited,

During the hot summer days, he would either stroll around the manor or flip through textbooks, practicing and reviewing the magic in the textbooks.

Of course, there are also the little tricks that Severus taught him since he was a child.

For example, the water mist magic that he had always been proud of and used to save Harry was enough to melt the ice.

Apart from this, what is inexplicable is that throughout the summer, there is always an indescribable sense of loss in my heart that I cannot get rid of.

The reason may be like the last time we met,

Daphne and Pansy were hesitant and mysterious, and finally spoke frankly -

Both of them have experienced some changes in their bodies, and perhaps, I have also reached a similar point in time.

I didn't expect that when we talked about this topic, Daphne's face turned red, and Pansy was shy and awkward.

Draco couldn't help but smile, but he also couldn't help but feel anxious.

Of course, another possible reason is that the atmosphere in Malfoy Manor is weird.

Ever since I listened to Professor Dumbledore's instructions and told my father about the incident with the Philosopher's Stone and the Dark Lord's defeat,

My father always looked gloomy from time to time, and spent more time hiding in the study.

Of course my mother would have long talks with my father, but she never told me the content of the conversation.

It was not until after dinner tonight, when the family of three went to the living room to rest, that the father exchanged meaningful glances with the mother and spoke slowly.

"We never said it, Draco, but I think you've already guessed it."

"Dad...once followed the Dark Lord."

"I know, because you agree with the Dark Lord's cause—"

"Wizards have no need to fear, and there is no need to live in hiding from Muggles."

"I agree with this idea, too."

Seeing his father fall silent, Draco quietly stood up and walked to his father's armchair.

"Will you blame me for stopping the Dark Lord from obtaining the Philosopher's Stone, Father?"

Lucius raised his head, looked at his beloved daughter, and gently held her delicate hands.

"You are a student of Hogwarts. It is normal for you to want to protect the school."

"Besides, we are still not sure whether Quirrell is really working for the Dark Lord."

"Maybe, he's just a thief who's acting under a false name for personal gain."

This was what he discussed with Narcissa after Snape's visit.

An explanation that could be given to the Dark Lord if necessary.

After all, when he served the Dark Lord in the past, he had never heard of Quirrell.

Seeing that Draco was still a little hesitant, Lucius spoke calmly.

"Given the Dark Lord's trust in Dad, if he really comes back, there is no reason for him not to ask Dad for help."

"Instead, choose a mediocre person who has spent his past life teaching Muggle Studies."

He stood up and gently hugged his beloved daughter whom he cherished in his hands.

"Don't worry. It's Dad's duty to help the Dark Lord regain his strength."

I was about to tell my daughter to keep her distance from Harry Potter.

But he noticed Narcissa's warning look and had to give up.

"Go to bed early, Draco."

Narcissa stood up, walked to the father and daughter, and gently combed her daughter's long hair.

"You have to get up early tomorrow to go to Diagon Alley."

After hearing his mother's words, Draco turned his head curiously.

"Won't Mom come with us?"

In the mother's eyes, I could see a look as if she was hiding some secret.

Draco could only nod slowly, kissing his parents goodnight before backing away towards the living room door.

Rich women always keep some secrets that cannot be pried into -

This is the truth that Draco was taught by his mother since he was a child.

Just like in the past few weeks, when I found that Dobby was a little uneasy, I always kept it a secret from my parents.

It was like deliberately extending the time between getting up and changing clothes before dinner so that Dobby could sneak away from the manor.

He never asked where the little elf, who had always been both his servant and friend, had gone.

I just reminded him not to punish himself in front of me or his parents.

"This is the young master's order, Dobby."

"As long as you don't reveal the truth, I don't have to help you lie."

"You wouldn't want the little master to lie, would you?"

Then, as expected, Dobby's tears as big as beans rolled down like a waterfall.

On the way back to the room, I recalled Dobby's appearance and couldn't help but smile, but a shadow flashed across my mind at the same time.

Dobby started to get restless after Severus's visit.

At the same time, that was also the beginning of my father's sudden enlightenment.

Despite his father's reassurance, the one who coveted the Philosopher's Stone might not be the Dark Lord at all.

But that was because he had not told his father what he had seen in the forbidden forest and the prophecy of the centaur.

Of course, there was no mention of the dark shadow that appeared after Quirrell disappeared, and the curse-like roar that came from the dark shadow.

Until I fell asleep, I was still surrounded by questions.

What if, by some chance, I really did thwart the Dark Lord, would that cause trouble for my father?

What did Severus say to his father, and where did Dobby sneak off to?

Also, is there any relationship between Severus and the Dark Lord?