SWNOVELXO Chapter 34: The Art of Playing Innocent
Draco's POV
"That," I said, "depends on the world I find myself in."
Technically true.
I mean, if it were Marvel or DC, I'd be focusing on survival, probably avoiding gods, aliens, and multiverse crises. If it were High School DxD, well… I'd probably be dodging boobs, devils, and church. And if it were one of those hentai worlds? Let's just say I'd be handing out vitamin C like candy.
So yeah, it really did depend.
"Mmm," Dumbledore murmured thoughtfully. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a small tin of Cockroach Clusters, offering it across the desk.
"I only hope you don't inspire others to follow your path," he said lightly.
I didn't take one.
Merlin knows what else might be mixed in there, truth serum or Legilimency powder.
"Don't worry, Professor," I replied smoothly. "I'll solve that problem soon."
Notice: I didn't say I'd start attending classes, just that I'd prevent others from copying me. Details matter.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, annoyingly unreadable.
"Is there anything else you wished to discuss, sir?" I asked, hoping that was my cue to leave. I didn't particularly want to spend the afternoon playing mind games with the world's most dangerous grandpa.
"Well," he said mildly, "there's been some… disturbance in the Forbidden Forest."
Ah, hell.
The twinkle was back. Brighter than ever.
He knew.
I kept my face perfectly still. Calm. Innocent.
"Of course not. Did something happen?" I asked, with the smoothest lie I'd told all week.
"Hmm," he said. "It seems someone has been targeting the Acromantula colony. For some time now."
His tone wasn't angry. Not even disappointed. Just curious.
I didn't trust it for a second.
"Really?" I said, raising my eyebrows. "Their venom's valuable. Maybe Professor Snape's stocking up for next year?"
He gave a faint smile. "No, I've spoken to Severus. It's not him. He doesn't have any particular grudge against them or reason to be so methodical."
I nodded slowly, feigning thought. "Maybe it's someone from outside Hogwarts? The Forest isn't exactly locked down. There are poachers, illegal potion brewers… not everyone respects boundaries."
Dumbledore tilted his head slightly. "Do you think so?"
"I mean… Acromantula venom sells for a fortune. I wouldn't be surprised."
He studied me for a moment, then leaned back with a small nod. "You may be right. Perhaps I should expand the investigation beyond the grounds."
Wait. That's it? Just like that?
You're accepting that explanation?
"Very well. You may go, Mr Malfoy," Dumbledore said, his voice calm as ever.
He's really letting me go.
I blinked once.
Was this a test? A trap? Some reverse psychology trick where I walk out and suddenly Aurors jump me in the hallway?
Well. Whatever.
"Thank you, Professor," I said politely, rising from my chair. I turned to leave—
Then paused.
Just a little trick. Just to be sure.
I turned back, slowly. "Before I go, Professor… may I show you something?"
His eyebrows lifted ever so slightly. "Of course."
I drew my wand. My grip was relaxed, casual.
"Expecto Patronum."
A swirl of white mist burst from the tip, curling into the air like fog on a cold morning.
I let it fade and turned my eyes back to him.
Dumbledore was watching.
His expression hadn't changed, but for a second, just a second, I thought I caught a flicker of something in his eyes. Surprise? Or maybe curiosity. Hard to tell with him.
Then again… maybe I imagined it.
Either way, the message was clear.
See, old man? No darkness here. Not yet.
"I couldn't give it a form," I added casually, slipping my wand back into my sleeve.
Dumbledore's gaze lingered on the fading mist.
"That's because your emotions aren't strong enough," he said gently. "A Patronus is a reflection of your happiest memory, your most powerful sense of hope. Try using different memories. See which ones carry weight."
He leaned back, fingers steepled. "Still, it's a remarkable achievement for someone your age. Even some Aurors struggle with it."
I shrugged, half to brush off the compliment, half because, honestly, I didn't know how to respond to that kind of praise.
"Maybe they've seen too much darkness," I said after a moment. "So much that they've started to ignore the light… or don't believe in it anymore."
Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly. It wasn't the usual amused twinkle. This time it was surprise.
"Yes," he murmured. "Yes, that's it."
His voice was soft now, almost distant. "Some of them haven't returned from the war, not fully at least. They saw friends fall beside them. Lost families. Homes. Faith. And when it was all over, they looked around and realised they didn't know how to go back."
I stayed silent, just watching him.
"They never truly believed their lives had value again," he finished, almost as if speaking more to himself than to me.
The silence stretched between us, old and tired and full of memories I didn't share but could almost feel.
"Well… I guess I'll try again sometime."
His eyes returned to mine. "I think you should."
"Take care, Mr Malfoy."
Third Person POV
As the heavy wooden doors clicked shut behind Draco, silence hung in the Headmaster's office for a long moment.
Then—
Every portrait on the wall opened their eyes.
One of the older headmasters cleared his throat. "Did you sense anything suspicious, Albus?"
The question hung in the air, heavy with expectation. The others leaned in slightly, eager for a response.
Dumbledore, still seated behind his desk, reached for the tin of cockroach clusters and popped another into his mouth.
"No," he said calmly, chewing with deliberate thoughtfulness. "No soul magic. No trace of the Dark Arts. He is, without a doubt, Draco Malfoy."
There was a collective murmur among the portraits.
"And," Dumbledore added, brushing a crumb from his beard, "he seems genuinely changed. More mature than last year. More focused."
"Of course he is," Phineas Nigellus Black said with a proud huff. "He's a Slytherin. Comes with the territory."
The other portraits chose to ignore him.
"But he's hunting those spiders, isn't he?" asked a sharp-nosed witch with an eagle feather tucked into her hat.
"Indeed," Dumbledore nodded. "He's been targeting the Acromantula colony. Efficiently, too. And recently, he purchased several other ingredients for an Invisibility Potion from a discreet shop in Hogsmeade."
"Does he vanish from the castle as well?" asked a thin, white-bearded wizard in a deep blue robe.
Dumbledore chuckled softly.
"Perhaps. I suspect he's discovered a passage, or even a chamber, I've never come across. Hogwarts still keeps its secrets, even from me."
"Smart boy," muttered Dilys Derwent, her painted eyes narrowed in thought. "Casting a Patronus in front of you like that. Deliberate move."
"Oh, quite deliberate," Dumbledore agreed, the corners of his mouth twitching. "He was showing me that he could cast it. No form, mind you, but enough to make a point."
"And did it work?"
Dumbledore smiled fully now, eyes twinkling.
"How could it not?"
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