Draco's true intentions were soon laid bare before Jane Yu.
Just as the tense and thrilling revision season was entering its final sprint, news spread throughout the school:
Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge had resigned in disgrace, with Amelia Bones taking over as Minister.
"My father's far from pleased with her," Draco announced before a group of Slytherins, delivering his usual impromptu speeches. "You know how those Hufflepuffs are—always clinging to their peculiar do-gooder principles. Especially the Bones family—hard as nails, utterly immovable."
He frowned and tilted his head back, addressing the front-page story in the Daily Prophet with his nostrils, continuing his complaints:
"My father tried several times to approach her, to discuss certain policies and legislation, but she's completely impervious!"
Jane Yu noticed that Goyle and Crabbe, curled up on the sofa, were chewing much more quietly than usual.
"But Draco," Goyle mumbled indistinctly, saliva and food particles spraying from his mouth, "approaching Bones won't bring any benefits. My father says her leanings are obvious... We never side with the Ministry of Magic..."
"Loyalty brings rewards," Crabbe said with an innocent smile on his chubby face, though a hint of malice flickered briefly in his eyes. "If it were my father, he wouldn't set foot in the Ministry at all."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the surrounding Slytherins grew rather uncomfortable.
Though spoken cryptically, those who knew their fathers' Death Eater backgrounds would shudder at the information they'd carelessly revealed.
Draco's expression appeared unchanged, but he immediately snapped at them with obvious displeasure:
"You two idiots, do you understand what government-business relations are? What lobbying means? You have no business acumen whatsoever!"
"If my father can't maintain good relations with the Ministry of Magic, how can he influence those policies and legislation? How can he adjust business strategies in time?"
Crabbe resumed chewing, shrinking further into the sofa:
"All right, you're quite right, Draco."
Though they spoke submissive words—
Anyone present could detect the subtle shift in their power dynamic.
Jane Yu understood that perhaps due to Draco's recent erratic behaviour, or perhaps due to changes in their families' loyalty rankings in Voldemort's eyes, Goyle and Crabbe—who previously had to obey Draco's commands—were now challenging his authority.
Invisible tension and hostility rose between them, but Draco suddenly changed tack, his tone shifting dramatically:
"Have I told you about the pathways for constructing government-business relationships?"
As always, he snatched the biscuits Goyle and Crabbe were bringing to their mouths and began another round of MBA lectures:
"How many times must I say it—political donations are a form of political investment to obtain government subsidies and preferential terms! Just as my father does: as long as he donates to St. Mungo's Hospital, he can easily influence the Ministry of Magic's next policies... Do you understand how to influence their policy-making through lobbying activities? My father does far more than yours... Do you know that in America, companies that understand lobbying can achieve sales four times higher than those that don't participate in lobbying...?"
Goyle and Crabbe, who had developed conditioned reflexes, exchanged glances and simultaneously clutched their stomachs:
"Ow... ow... stomach trouble..."
They both leapt from their seats and rushed toward the washroom.
But Draco's speech wasn't finished—he searched for new audiences, targeting the surrounding Slytherins.
Almost the instant his lecturing affliction struck, the Slytherins grimaced and scattered like startled birds, with more than half departing. After Goyle and Crabbe fled, the remaining Slytherins, sensing trouble, also excused themselves under the pretext of revision.
Jane Yu was about to be dragged away by Daphne when her other arm was suddenly grabbed by Draco.
He seemed to regard her as one of his few "kindred spirits," eloquently discussing his recent studies on the various ways politics and business influence each other.
Amidst his monk-like droning, Jane Yu noticed his right eye suddenly winking comically several times.
"Yes, you're absolutely right, Draco," Jane Yu said, changing tack just as she was about to forcibly excuse herself. "Besides what you mentioned, perhaps you understand interest groups... Daphne, we have some advanced theories to discuss—you go ahead."
Having read Draco's intended message, she decided to create space for private conversation.
Daphne glared at Draco with the caring look one reserves for the mentally challenged, then gazed at Jane Yu with the reverent admiration due a hero, before reluctantly departing.
Almost the moment only the two remained, before Jane Yu could even cast anti-eavesdropping charms, Draco burst out impatiently:
"Yu, don't go near Crabbe and Goyle—shake them off whenever possible, and stay silent when they're present."
He ignored Jane Yu's attempt to interrupt, speaking rapidly in low tones:
"I spent the holidays eavesdropping outside my parents' study... Their fathers are monitoring our family. Since term began, they often don't follow my arrangements, yet stick to me like glue... I can only find opportunities like this... I suspect they're also monitoring you, reporting your whereabouts, and about the Department of Mysteries..."
Jane Yu, having just cast a Banishing Charm, looked at him with shock.
She wasn't surprised that Goyle and Crabbe would monitor her, but what surprised her was—
That months of entrepreneurial failure leading to madness had actually been entirely Draco's self-directed performance!
This made her wonder whether she, not he, might be the mad one.
"You can always trust a Malfoy's intelligence and acting ability," Draco said smugly, his eyes gleaming with cunning. "I guarantee no one else in this school could accomplish such a feat—"
He suddenly fell silent, his voice cutting off like a strangled chicken, terror flashing in his eyes—
Because the door had suddenly burst open, revealing two shadows—one tall, one short, one fat, one thin...
The very subjects of his intelligence report:
Goyle and Crabbe!
Jane Yu frowned and gripped her wand tightly, having already planned her actions—
Just two Stunning Spells plus two Memory Charms, and they'd forget everything they'd overheard!
But as the door fully opened, she bit her tongue mid-incantation, unable to suppress a surprised question:
"Theodore?"
Bad news: Goyle and Crabbe had indeed entered.
Good news: they were unconscious Goyle and Crabbe.
"Quite the big affair indeed—big enough that I heard every word clearly," Theodore's voice rang coldly from the doorway. "There wasn't even a Muffliato Charm here. Malfoy's intelligence and acting skills are truly astounding."
His sarcastic prowess almost made Jane Yu think Professor Snape had arrived in person.
As Theodore's form emerged from behind the door, both Jane Yu and Draco displayed shocked expressions.
He was gently waving his wand, keeping the unconscious Goyle and Crabbe in a semi-floating state before him.
"...Theodore... you too...?" Draco pointed with a trembling finger at him, then at himself, finally at Jane Yu. "Bloody hell, is it what I think? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
His anxious heart finally settled, only now realizing his back was drenched in cold sweat.
Theodore nodded slightly, confirming they'd both coincidentally taken up espionage:
"It is what you think, but if you could be slightly more cautious, I wouldn't need to clean up after you."
"Though Goyle and Crabbe are idiots," he continued his sharp assessment, "they're not stupid enough to let you escape their sight. I've observed many times—they often hide in corners after making excuses to use the loo, eating while listening to your speeches. When you attend prefect meetings, they eavesdrop at the door."
Jane Yu stepped forward to take charge of the unconscious pair, adding two Memory Charms while folding them with a sofa into a three-fold arrangement.
They appeared thoroughly unconscious, showing no signs of awakening. Theodore'sStunning Spell technique was truly masterful.
"Fine," Draco muttered, feeling a chill down his spine, "but you can't deny my plan was world-shaking... Thanks to my ancestral wisdom-filled brain, which fully absorbed Yu's advanced business knowledge, I found an excellent excuse—"
He continued boasting about his great achievements, his tail practically reaching the sky:
"I knew that to escape surveillance, I had to create some extraordinary commotion—so the moment Yu suggested selling Baruffio's Brain Elixir, my brain immediately went into high-speed operation, entering the grand entrepreneurial scheme."
"I originally thought I could use the potion-selling process to send those two on errands and escape; but then I reconsidered—since they were gradually becoming disobedient, perhaps the benefits of entrepreneurial failure would be greater. I could develop hysteria after failing, obsessing over business theories, making Goyle and Crabbe lower their guard... With their brains, they absolutely couldn't understand what I was talking about... Plus I could reasonably write home for money, confirming my parents' safety. Even if those letters entering the manor were monitored, they'd only show they'd raised an incompetent son."
Jane Yu was astounded by his cleverness.
With this explanation, all of Draco's abnormal behaviour when she made her suggestion finally made sense.
His plan had been extremely successful—not only fooling his 24-hour monitors Goyle and Crabbe, but even deceiving his parents.
Compared to Blaise and Daphne's clumsy acting, he truly had deep family theatrical heritage, masterful at playing the fool.
"So what if I fooled them?" Draco flushed, defending himself with complete confidence in his parents' affection. "My parents will understand me—even if they hang me from Snape's dungeon ceiling... Surely they wouldn't begrudge their only son a few thousand Galleons?"
Jane Yu thought of the letter the couple had sent Snape, then of that inverted bell-rope—
Given his demonstrated "filial piety," she felt his parents might not be quite so understanding.
Because even she found it hard to imagine that Draco's months of absurdity had all been an act.
"Are you certain your parents can truly understand?" she couldn't help asking. "You spend every day reading those theories—what about your O.W.L. exams?"
"Just scraping by with passes will do—that way everyone will think me useless," Draco waved grandly, looking quite pleased to be rid of revision worries. "It's brilliant—I don't even need to study... cough... My parents will understand. At worst, I'll just be hung at Malfoy Manor's gates for a scolding."
Perhaps being loved means such fearlessness—he was indeed Slytherin's most beloved child.
Jane Yu and Theodore exchanged glances, both seeing doubt in each other's eyes.
For some reason, an intuitive feeling told her—
What Draco would face might not just be a scolding hung at Malfoy Manor's gates...
But a thorough mixed doubles thrashing.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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