The Headmaster's office was now wrapped in a heavy atmosphere.
Standing before Dumbledore, who sat with his elbows on his desk and a serious expression, were McGonagall, Harry, Hermione, Edith, and Malfoy.
Everyone was tense, but Malfoy especially looked pathetically pale, trembling as if he might collapse at any moment.
"I've removed the curse on Madam Rosmerta. Her testimony confirms that Draco Malfoy did indeed use the Imperius Curse. I've also confirmed the burned cabinet in the Room of Requirement, just as Harry described."
McGonagall explained in an unusually grave tone while Dumbledore listened silently.
Despite learning his own life had been targeted, his expression was strangely impressed—almost curious.
"Ah... I see, the one that was on the third floor until last year. Very clever... If I recall, it had a matching pair?"
"Yes. We're currently investigating, but according to Potter, it pairs with the one at Borgin and Burkes..."
"Ah, no need to investigate, Minerva. I know that one well. It undoubtedly pairs with the one at Borgin and Burkes."
Dumbledore nodded repeatedly, as if checking a student's answers.
This struck Harry as strange—and infuriating.
Why wasn't Dumbledore angry? Why was he acting as if he were praising Malfoy?
"We examined the cabinet with detection spells and found Malfoy's fingerprints. He was indeed attempting to repair it all year."
"A magnificent plan. And the Death Eaters were supposed to rush to young Malfoy's aid through Borgin and Burkes. A clever plan... truly clever... And doing it right under my nose—how audacious."
Dumbledore praised Malfoy's plan gently, with a smile.
"But there must have been times when you thought you couldn't repair the cabinet. So you resorted to crude, reckless methods. Sending me a cursed necklace even though it would obviously end up in someone else's hands, poisoning mead I'd almost certainly never drink..."
"Albus... It goes without saying, but this is a grave incident. A Hogwarts student conspiring with Death Eaters and nearly killing two people—this is unprecedented. As much as it pains me, I believe we must turn him over to the Ministry."
McGonagall's merciless pronouncement made Malfoy tremble.
Using an Unforgivable Curse on a person warranted a life sentence in Azkaban.
His fear stemmed from understanding this reality.
But Dumbledore spoke as if to placate McGonagall.
"Wait, Minerva. True, the boy committed crimes... But if that's the standard, then I'm equally guilty."
"What do you mean, Albus?"
"You see, I actually knew. I knew the two attempted murders were his doing and that he was plotting something."
Dumbledore's bombshell shocked everyone present.
Their expressions varied, but all looked at Dumbledore with doubt.
McGonagall especially spoke with anger in her voice, almost interrogating him.
"Then why didn't you stop him? Previously, Potter came to me concerned that 'Malfoy was suspicious.' But at the time, I foolishly dismissed his words. Yes, I won't make excuses. It was all due to my ignorance and lack of thought. But you just said you 'knew'! Then why did you watch him commit crimes in silence?!"
"Ah, Minerva, please calm your anger. Your anger is justified, but first hear me out."
Dumbledore spoke in a troubled voice, clearly daunted by Minerva's flaring nostrils and shouting.
McGonagall snorted forcefully, crossed her arms, and assumed a listening posture.
"Thank you, Minerva... Now, why didn't I stop him, you asked. The answer is not that I didn't stop him, but that I couldn'tstop him."
"What do you mean?"
"He was acting on Voldemort's orders. So... if the Death Eaters learned that I knew about his plan, what do you think would happen?"
"That would be..."
McGonagall's eyes widened in sudden realization.
Of course—if he was acting on His orders, failure meant death.
In other words, Dumbledore deliberately didn't stop Malfoy to protect him.
"Turning him over to the Ministry would be the same. Eventually, the Ministry will fall to Voldemort. If he's in Azkaban when that happens, he'll certainly be killed."
"A-Albus, you're saying the Ministry will fall?!"
"Yes, Minerva. Unfortunately, we've taken countermeasures far too late. If only we'd spent the previous year preparing... No, if only Scrimgeour had become Minister a year earlier..."
Rufus Scrimgeour was a competent man.
Unlike Fudge, who'd turned a blind eye to the threat before him and gorged on false security.
But his predecessor had been so excessively incompetent.
Having inherited the negative legacy of an entire wasted year, Scrimgeour was doing well considering the circumstances, but there were inevitable limits.
Unfortunately, Dumbledore believed the Ministry's fall was only a matter of time.
"Now, Draco, let's discuss your options."
"Options... I have none! I had to do it! Otherwise He would kill me and my family!"
Malfoy screamed in response to Dumbledore's quiet words.
No, it truly was a scream.
The scream of a pitiful boy whose life and family were held hostage, with no choice but to obey.
Hearing it, Dumbledore nodded.
"I understand your difficult position. As I said earlier, that's precisely why I haven't opposed you until now. If Lord Voldemort learned I suspected you, I knew you'd be killed."
Dumbledore spoke soothingly to Malfoy.
Honestly, the situation had reached a critically bad point.
Beyond suspicion—they'd skipped that stage entirely and reached complete collapse.
In other words, they needed to act quickly or it would be too late.
"In any case, time is short. Even if you pretend the mission didn't fail, he'll expose everything immediately with Legilimency."
Voldemort was a master of Legilimency.
To block him required either exceptional magical skill or tremendous mental fortitude that refused entry to anyone.
But Malfoy possessed neither.
In other words, the moment of their next contact would be the moment Malfoy's life ended.
"I will help you."
"No one can. He ordered me to do it. If I don't, I'll be killed. I have no other path."
"Draco, come to our side. We can hide you more perfectly than you can imagine. Moreover, I'll send Order members tonight to hide your mother as well. Your father is currently safe in Azkaban, but when the time comes, we'll protect him too."
The plan had failed. Before that became known, they needed to hide Malfoy and conceal his mother.
Malfoy had only two choices left.
Seek help from Dumbledore, or die as things stood.
"Besides, in a way, this might be the best timing."
Dumbledore spoke in a heavy tone while unfolding the Daily Prophet.
It covered, across the entire front page, how Gringotts had been attacked by someone.
Eyewitnesses claimed the culprit was Mirabelle Beresford, who was supposed to be missing. The media criticized the goblins, asking "Broken through by a single girl?" and refusing to believe it.
But everyone present, starting with Dumbledore, knew the truth.
This was undoubtedly Mirabelle's crime.
No one but that woman could commit such an absurd act.
"Regarding the recent bank robbery—the vault attacked belonged to the Malfoy family."
"M-my family...!?"
"Indeed. And from here, this is my conjecture, but something important to Voldemort was likely hidden in that vault. Mirabelle detected it and attacked the vault. Which means Voldemort's rage over losing it will inevitably be directed at your mother."
Malfoy seemed unable to speak anymore.
And with good reason—the Malfoy family had already incurred Voldemort's wrath twice.
The first time was when Tom Riddle's diary was destroyed.
That diary was the very secret to Voldemort's immortality, containing a fragment of his soul—essentially equivalent to life itself.
Lucius Malfoy had used the diary to discredit the Weasley family, and as a result, Harry and his friends destroyed it.
The second time was the failure to obtain the prophecy at the Department of Mysteries.
This prophecy showed Voldemort's future—something he'd spent an entire year trying to obtain.
But Lucius Malfoy failed in its acquisition and lost many Death Eaters besides.
And now came Mirabelle's attack.
Two Horcruxes and the prophecy. Voldemort's rage at their loss was immeasurable.
"I'll say it once more. We can help you. The rest depends on your will, Draco."
At Dumbledore's words, Malfoy nodded silently through his tears.
✦
Severus Snape was panicking.
He'd been informed by Dumbledore just hours ago that Malfoy's plan had completely collapsed.
To save Malfoy's life, Dumbledore had hidden him with the Order, but his mother was still at Malfoy Manor.
Having Snape persuade and extract Narcissa Malfoy was a reasonable personnel choice.
He was a double agent with the Death Eaters, and Voldemort believed him an ally.
In other words, he was the only Order member who could approach Narcissa without suspicion.
But even from Snape's perspective, the situation was already becoming too late.
"Narcissa Malfoy... I told you how important what I entrusted to you was."
"Forgive me... Forgive me, my Lord."
"I will not. Your husband once betrayed my expectations and failed at the Department of Mysteries. And now you, his wife, have also failed to meet my expectations. I am disappointed... I confess my disappointment."
"Please... please... my Lord."
Before Narcissa, who continued apologizing with her head pressed to the floor, an enraged Voldemort paced.
His anger showed in his rough tone, frightening even the Death Eaters who weren't directly involved.
No wonder—how could he remain calm after having two fragments of his soul destroyed?
"Even as magnanimous as I am, I can no longer forgive you. Punishment is necessary... All three members of your family must be made an example."
"No! Please... please!"
"Silence! Crucio!"
The Cruciatus Curse pierced through the tearfully pleading Narcissa.
A piercing scream rang out, and Snape involuntarily looked away.
Dumbledore had ordered him to save her.
But what was he supposed to do in this situation?!
Offering advice wouldn't work on an enraged Voldemort.
And if he made a wrong move here, his spy activities would be exposed and he'd likely be killed too.
He didn't fear death... but dying before accomplishing what needed to be done was unacceptable.
Voldemort's mood lately had been absolutely terrible.
In two battles—at the graveyard and the Department of Mysteries—the dark forces had suffered tremendous casualties, losing dozens of pawns.
Though less than ten percent of the total Death Eater numbers, among them was Bellatrix, whom he'd personally taken special interest in and taught dark magic—that loss stung.
Also, Death Eaters sent to raid Auror and Muggle-born homes to overthrow the British Ministry weren't returning.
Whether defeated by Aurors or attacked by Mirabelle's forces... Either way, it was more than enough to displease the Dark Lord.
Of course, the Death Eaters had fought hard to improve his mood.
After all, at this rate, they couldn't live with peace of mind.
They never knew when they'd be hit by a Killing Curse in a fit of temper.
That's why Yaxley had subjugated Pius Thicknesse, head of Magical Law Enforcement, and sent operatives into the Department of Magical Transportation.
Walden Macnair had succeeded in recruiting giants and, taking over Fenrir's role, had also allied with the werewolf packs.
Creatures living in darkness were steadily being added to their forces, and preparations to overthrow the Ministry were progressing.
...Though admittedly, another faction was apparently also targeting the werewolves (almost certainly Mirabelle), and nearly half had been poached.
But even that hadn't improved the Dark Lord's mood.
No, it had worsened even more.
To counter the ominously unmoving Mirabelle forces, they needed to quickly secure the British Ministry and its forces.
But progress wasn't going as planned, putting him on edge.
And now came the loss of the Horcrux.
The Death Eaters sensed that this rage wouldn't subside without bloodshed.
"You will become Nagini's meal."
Voldemort pronounced the merciless sentence, and Narcissa trembled violently.
Nagini... Voldemort's pet, and the only friend in this world he trusted and could open his heart to.
Quite mysteriously, though he couldn't open his heart to humans, he opened it to this snake alone.
Perhaps that's precisely why this snake becoming Voldemort's Horcrux was entirely natural.
His one and only partner who gave him peace. That's why she was worthy of sharing his fate.
Voldemort valued this single snake more than all his Death Eaters.
And the same could be said of the other Horcruxes.
Voldemort believed even a single Horcrux was worth more than all the Death Eaters combined.
That's why he had no hesitation in condemning the Malfoy family, who'd lost them twice.
"Forgive me! Forgive me! Please... at least spare my son!"
"No. The crime of betraying Lord Voldemort's expectations deserves death ten thousand times over. After you, I'll have your son follow shortly."
Voldemort snapped his fingers to summon Nagini.
Watching this, Snape was finally forced to make a decision.
Should he prioritize his position and let her die?
Or should he abandon his spy activities and save Narcissa?
But in conclusion, his dilemma proved unnecessary.
After all, no matter how much he called, Nagini didn't come.
"...? Nagini?"
Voldemort felt puzzled.
Never before had Nagini failed to come when he called.
She was currently outside for a walk, but even so, she should come above all else when he called.
Had she gone too far to hear? No, that wasn't possible.
Having just had the Horcrux in the bank destroyed, he'd instructed Nagini not to go far.
Was she attacked by something? No, that wasn't possible either.
Nagini was protected by magical wards the Dark Lord himself had cast.
Besides, there was no way anyone could know Nagini was a Horcrux.
The other Horcruxes had indeed had clues.
He had to admit—Hufflepuff's Cup had been careless, he had to acknowledge.
Regarding the diary, Lucius had been too foolish.
Some Death Eaters knew about the other Horcruxes, so information could be obtained by torturing them.
But Nagini was different—only Voldemort knew about Nagini.
He'd never revealed to anyone that she was a Horcrux.
So there was no way Nagini could be attacked... there shouldn't be.
"...No."
A terrible chill ran down Voldemort's spine.
The golden-haired devil appeared in his mind.
Unable to sit still, Voldemort rushed from the room.
"Snape! Execute that woman!"
"Yes, my Lord."
Seeing Voldemort leave, Snape realized this was the greatest opportunity.
He pointed his wand at Narcissa and silently Stunned her. There was no time even for explanations.
Then he cut her wrist, splattered blood on the floor, and immediately healed her.
He'd made her bleed a bit too much, but this was necessary to fool the Dark Lord.
Having completed his hasty deception, Snape picked up the unconscious Narcissa and Disapparated.
"N-no... That can't be..."
Voldemort stared down at the ground in shock.
His eyes wavered with turmoil, colored by a grief he'd never shown even when Death Eaters died.
He shouldn't have been discovered. There were no elements that could have revealed it.
He'd told no one, hadn't even whispered a word.
So this had to be some mistake.
Even thinking that, the scene before him never changed.
In his line of sight lay the corpse of a snake.
Not moving a muscle, the body was frozen with eyes wide open.
As if struck by a petrification spell, it was rigid without any sign of struggle.
And on its body remained only a vivid wound, as if bitten by giant fangs.
"Curse you... CURSE YOUUUUU!!"
Veins bulging in his head, the Dark Lord roared in rage.
Whether Dumbledore's or Beresford's doing, he didn't know—but this wouldn't end here.
He swore in his heart that he would absolutely... absolutely make them regret it.
Mirabelle: "Hmm... Snake meat tastes like chicken." Munch munch
Grindelwald: "You... I thought you were cutting off part of the body to take with you, but for this...?"
Mirabelle: "Want some? It's delicious."
Random Naked Guy passing by: "Miss, if you don't mind, could you share some of that snake meat?"
Mirabelle: "Sure. Want some Calorie Mate and instant ramen too?"
Big Boss: "Absolutely."
┌(┌^o^)┐ Good evening, everyone. This time featured Malfoy's persuasion and Nagini's attack.
I'm worried whether people are getting fed up with Mirabelle's increasingly villainous behavior.
Incidentally, as for why Mirabelle realized Nagini = Horcrux, it's Harry's fault.
It's common knowledge that Harry's connected to Voldemort, and in the Order of the Phoenix, he saw Nagini attacking Arthur in a dream.
At that time, Harry became Nagini in the dream.
Result: Harry, who should only be connected to Voldemort, connects with Nagini → Wait, is that snake a Horcrux? → Okay, let's destroy it.
The scary thing about having canon knowledge is being able to make god's-eye-view meta-deductions that ignore process.
Even speaking only in your mind without leaving any information behind is already out—the reader can see everything. It's an utterly unreasonable situation.
This is all that OL person's fault...
When you think about it, the Detective Conan criminal suits that hide identities until the last moment are really excellent.
They might be the ultimate stealth item that even deceives the reader's perspective.
Current Horcrux Status:
Gaunt's Ring = Destroyed by Dumbledore
Tom Riddle's Diary = Destroyed by Mirabelle
Ravenclaw's Diadem = Destroyed by Mirabelle
Slytherin's Locket = Destroyed by Mirabelle
Hufflepuff's Cup = Destroyed by Mirabelle
Nagini = Destroyed by Mirabelle. She couldn't escape.
Harry Potter = Still alive. Though Voldemort doesn't realize it. Mirabelle only has knowledge up to Book 5, so she hasn't reached certainty either.
***
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