The Return to Hogwarts

Peter's shrill voice was like fingernails scratching a blackboard; his small, beady eyes gleamed with murderous intent as he glared angrily at the dumbfounded Malfoy.

"Damn it! You three little beasts, I'll make you pay!"

In that instant, several questions flashed through Malfoy's mind:

Where did that rat go? Who is this man? Where did he come from? What kind of creature is Weasley keeping?

But when the ugly man lunged at him, the only word Malfoy uttered was:

"Run!!!"

Malfoy reacted quickly; he almost immediately realized that this strange man was very dangerous. The moment he shouted, he turned and rushed towards the door. But the problem was that Crabbe and Goyle were standing behind him, and the two big oafs hadn't figured out what was going on. They were wondering why Draco would turn a rat into an ugly old man, and when Draco had mastered this beautiful transfiguration technique.

At the critical moment of their escape, Malfoy was blocked by his two loyal henchmen, and in that blink of an eye, all three of them lost their hope of escaping.

A rough, yet powerful, hand gripped the back of his neck, instantly suffocating Malfoy. His face flushed red, and his body writhed helplessly as the man behind him snatched his wand without hesitation.

"I can't save him, he's dead."

Malfoy stretched out his arms to Crabbe and Goyle, who were nearby and in a panic, pleading for help, but the ensuing violent explosion shattered his last hope.

The two large men were blasted away by Peter. Then, Malfoy was turned around and stared at the ugly man who was almost as tall as him. His body trembled with fear, and even his voice shook.

"Who exactly are you?"

"Lucius Malfoy's son!"

Peter pointed his wand at Malfoy's eyes, and several large, yellow teeth ground together, making a grinding sound.

"What kind of revenge should I take to be worthy of the humiliation I have suffered!"

"You can't kill me--"

Fear brought tears streaming uncontrollably from Malfoy's eyes. His quick wit told him that the man before him was an Animagus, someone Professor McGonagall had recently taught them about.

“Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Blaine are both in the school. Even if you kill us, you won’t escape.”

"Haha, you little rascal, you're just as Lucius's son as you'd expect!"

Peter said breathlessly, a flicker of hesitation crossing his small, beady eyes.

Indeed, this was precisely what he feared; otherwise, those three wretched little fellows would already be cold, lifeless corpses.

"Then what do you suggest I do, Mr. Malfoy?"

After a brief moment of thought, Peter had an idea, but he still gave Malfoy that snarling look.

"Now that you've seen through my true form, you should know that I won't let you go!"

Chapter 259 The Vanished Soul

At that moment, Malfoy cursed Ron Weasley's ancestors for eighteen generations!

This foolish guy actually kept such a dangerous man as a pet and never noticed anything amiss, while he himself was incredibly unlucky and stumbled upon the man's true identity.

Malfoy didn't know why this man had turned into a mouse and was lurking in Hogwarts, but he could imagine that the man was plotting something unreliable. In that case, if Malfoy were that man, he probably wouldn't have let himself, Crabbe, and Goyle go.

What to do?

Malfoy thought with utter despair, "Am I really going to die here today?"

In this life-or-death situation, Malfoy's mind worked faster than at any time in the past thirteen years. He desperately tried to think of a way to save his life. Suddenly, a glimmer of information revealed in the words of this unnamed dangerous individual gave Malfoy hope of being rescued.

"Do you know who my father is, sir—"

With the man's hand gripping his throat, Malfoy struggled to breathe, but he dared not resist too much, for the man was pointing his own wand at him!

Peter was taken aback. He tilted his head and sized up Malfoy, his small eyes revealing a malicious intent.

"It is true that I know your father. But so what? What do you intend to do with your father's name, ordering me to let you go?"

"I believe you may be a friend of my father, sir—"

Unable to breathe properly, Malfoy's eyes welled with tears as he stared at the ugly man with hopeful and pleading eyes, uttering words one by one.

“I think you might be a friend of my father, right? I dare say you…you’re staying with Ron Weasley to teach that idiot a lesson.”

With his thinking clearer, Malfoy spoke more and more fluently.

"That self-degrading family must have offended you somehow, right?"

"Regarding your dealings with them, sir, I can offer you some modest assistance. My father has always utterly despised this disgraceful family, and if you... if you're willing to join forces with my father, I bet even if old Dumbledore protects the Weasleys, we can still drive these shameful bastards out of the British wizarding world!"

To be honest, Malfoy's performance surprised Peter a bit.

Since Ron entered Hogwarts, he had stayed by Ron's side. In less than three years, he had witnessed Draco Malfoy causing trouble for the Potter trio countless times, and in private, he had heard Ron curse Draco Malfoy.

He understood the boy, a typical Slytherin, with the typical traits of a pure-blood descendant—proud and arrogant, yet sensitive and fragile.

But what Draco Malfoy had just said made Peter realize that the little boy did indeed have some cleverness.

"Well--"

Peter hesitated for a moment, and the strength in his hand slowly dissipated.

“Smart kid, I do have some grudges against the Weasleys. But they are staunch supporters of Dumbledore, so even though I’ve had countless opportunities to take their lives over the years, I’m worried—”

Upon hearing this, Malfoy broke out in a cold sweat, his awareness of the man's danger deepened!

He thought the man just wanted to make the Weasleys look bad, but he never expected that he would actually plan to kill the Weasleys. His father had never planned to wipe out the Weasleys.

Because no matter what, the Weasley family is one of the Twenty-Eight pure-blood families with a long history, and has intricate connections with many prestigious families and dignitaries in the wizarding world. Killing them would undoubtedly offend most of the British wizarding world, and even the Malfoy family would not be able to withstand such a backlash.

"My father can help you--"

Malfoy's face was grim; even though he was inwardly cursing Peter as a madman, he maintained a respectful demeanor.

"As you probably know, my father is capable of dealing with Dumbledore. Earlier this year, he briefly expelled Dumbledore from Hogwarts. I can help you persuade my father, as long as Dumbledore loses power."

Malfoy's words made Peter even more hesitant. His droopy face showed obvious difficulty, as if he was struggling with whether or not to let Draco Malfoy go.

Seeing this, Draco praised his father's omnipotence even more enthusiastically, as if he could send Dumbledore to Azkaban at any time if Lucius wanted to.

"Alright, kid, you've impressed me—"

Malfoy's lips were practically trembling with excitement when Peter finally nodded reluctantly. Staring at the ecstatic Malfoy, he spoke in a sinister tone...

"You must keep my identity a secret, understand, kid? Otherwise, even if you are Lucius's son, I won't let you go."

With a snap, Peter released his grip, and Malfoy fell to the ground.

At this moment, Crabbe and Goyle, who were lying on the ground, slowly opened their eyes. They sat on the ground, dazed, staring blankly at Draco, who was covered in sweat, and the unfamiliar man holding Draco's wand whose name they did not know. Their minds were frozen, and they did not know how to react.

Wow!

Suddenly, Malfoy sprang to his feet like a monkey. He took a few shaky steps back and asked cautiously,

"Sir, I'll go back to my quarters right away and write to my father, asking him to begin planning how to deal with Dumbledore—"

"Draco, what exactly is he—"

Gore and Crabbe looked at each other, wondering what was going on.

"You two, shut your mouths!"

Draco was pale, his undershirt soaked with sweat. He was afraid that his two foolish henchmen would waste the chance to escape that he had fought so hard for with all his wits, so he spoke in a tone that was more stern than ever before.

"So, may we leave now, sir?"

Malfoy mustered all his self-control to keep from turning and running. He kept his voice steady so as not to reveal his true thoughts. This damned man dared to grab him by the neck! Malfoy vowed to make him pay for this!

"You can leave now--"

Malfoy thought he had concealed his hatred well, but to the master of disguise Peter, Malfoy's behavior was simply childish and ridiculous. This little boy actually thought he would let them go. How could Lucius, who was shrewd all his life, have given birth to such a stupid boy?

Peter nodded, a playful and mischievous glint in his tiny green eyes.

"But remember your promise, Mr. Malfoy, you must tell your father to take action as soon as possible—"

The moment he stepped out of the owl's hut, the damp, cold air that hit him made Malfoy shiver involuntarily, and the joy of escaping death brought tears to his eyes again.

"I will remember your instructions!"

After saying those words while holding his breath, Malfoy turned and left. If he hadn't been afraid of being discovered, he would have already run away.

Just then, a startling flash of lightning suddenly appeared in the gloomy sky.

Boom!

Amidst the earth-shattering thunder, a milky white halo rippled out like water, and the three Malfoys who were swept by the ripples froze in the distance.

"The soul is out of body!"

The sudden sound of the incantation filled Malfoy with immense despair, but this despair was quickly overwhelmed by the ensuing darkness. As the incantation ended, three young wizards on the top floor of the West Tower had already been turned into soulless puppets!

Perhaps the previous conversation had exhausted Sirius's energy, because after Remus returned to the office, he remained silent and unwilling to speak, lying quietly on Blaine's cot, bound and gagged.

Remus behaved similarly, sitting on the opposite sofa in the same silence.

Time flies silently, and in the blink of an eye, night falls and the earth is shrouded in darkness, where countless stars are faintly waiting to be lit.

Finally, at one o'clock in the morning, a sound of knocking on the glass broke the silence in the office.

Sirius, who was lying in bed, and Remus, who was dozing off in the office, were both startled awake, their eyes simultaneously turning to the window.