"I don't think you should be an Auror, Harry," Luna said unexpectedly. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 info Everyone is looking at her. "The Aurors were part of the Rotten Fang's conspiracy, I thought everyone knew about it. They want to bring down the Ministry of Magic from within, through dark magic and gum disease. ”

Harry laughed, choking half of the mead into his nose.

Really, that's the benefit of bringing Luna. He coughed and took the goblet away, soaking wet, but he was still grinning when he saw something even more refreshing: Argus Filch was pulling Draco Malfoy by the ear and walking towards them.

"Professor Slahhorn," Filch said breathlessly, his jaw trembling, his bulging eyes glowing madly at catching a mischievous student. "I found out that the boy was sneaking up in the hallway upstairs. He claimed to have been invited to your party, but was delayed in his departure. Did you send him an invitation? Malfoy broke free of Filch with a furious expression.

"Okay, I wasn't invited!" Malfoy said angrily, "I'm uninvited, happy, right?" ”

"No, I'm not happy!" Filch said duplicitously, with joy in the face. "You're in trouble, you're in trouble! Didn't the principal say that running out at night is not allowed unless you have permission to do so? Well? ”

"It's okay, Argus, it's okay," Slahhorn said, waving his hand. "It's Christmas, and it's not a sin to want to go to a party. Just this time, let's forget all the punishments; You can stay, Draco. ”

Filch's angry disappointment is palpable; But why, Harry looked at Malfoy, and Malfoy was almost as upset? And why was Snape angry and ...... at Malfoy's expression Is this possible? …… Worried again? Before Harry could remember the scene before him, Filch turned and shuffled away, muttering something in his mouth; Malfoy had put on a smiling face thanking Slavhorn for his magnanimity; Snape's expression became unpredictable again.

"It's nothing, it's nothing," Slahhorn said, waving his hand, "after all, I do know your grandfather......

"He thinks highly of you, sir," Malfoy said quickly. "Say you're the best pharmacist he knows......"

Harry stared at Malfoy. It wasn't Malfoy's flattery that interested him; He had been saying these things to Snape for a long time. Harry focused on the fact that Malfoy did look a little sick. It was the first time in years that Harry had seen Malfoy so closely; He saw that Malfoy's eyes were deeply shadowed, and his skin had a distinctly greyish hue.

"I want to have a few words with you, Draco," Snape said suddenly.

"No, listen to me, Severus," Slavhorn said, burping again, "it's Christmas, don't be too harsh—"

"I'm the head of his house, and it's up to me to decide how strict or loose it is," Snape said briefly. "Follow me, Draco."

They were gone, Snape leading the way, and Malfoy angrily followed.

Harry stood hesitantly for a moment, then said, "I'll be right back, Luna - uh - go to the bathroom." ”

"All right," she said cheerfully, as he hurried into the crowd, as if to hear her start discussing the Rotten Fang conspiracy with Professor Trelawney again, who seemed very interested.

As soon as Harry walked out of the auditorium, he pulled out the invisibility cloak from his pocket and draped it over his body, as the hallway was deserted, and this seemed easy.

The hard part was finding Snape and Malfoy.

Harry ran down the hallway, his footsteps muffled by music and loud laughter coming from Slahhorn's office. Maybe Snape took Malfoy to his underground office...... Perhaps he escorted Malfoy back to the Slytherin common room...... Harry pressed his ears to the doors as he walked forward, one by one, until he reached the last classroom in the hallway, where he finally felt a wave of excitement as he leaned on the keyhole and heard the voice talking.

“…… Can't afford to make mistakes, Draco, because if you're fired-"

"I don't have anything to do with it at all, okay?"

"I want you to be honest, because it's clumsy and stupid. You're already suspected of being involved. ”

"Who doubts me?" Draco said angrily. "Finally, I didn't do it, okay? That girl named Bell must have an unknown enemy - don't look at me like that! I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid, but it's useless - I can stop you! ”

There was silence for a moment, then Snape whispered, "Ah...... Aunt Bellatrix taught you Occlumency, I see. What do you want to hide from your master, Draco? ”

"I don't have anything to hide from him, I just don't want you to interfere!"

Harry put his ear on the keyhole again...... What had happened to make Malfoy speak to Snape like that, who had always respected and even liked him?

"So that's why you're avoiding me this semester? Are you afraid that I will interfere with you? You know, who wouldn't come to my office after I've told me to come to my office several times, Draco-"

"Then you're going to lock me up! Report to Dumbledore! Malfoy scoffed.

There was silence again, and then Snape said, "You know very well that I don't want to do either of those two things. ”

"Then you'd better stop letting me go to your office."

"Listen to me," said Snape, his voice so low that Harry had to press harder closer to the keyhole to hear it. "I'm trying to help you! I swore to your mother to protect you, and I made an unbreakable vow. Draco-"

"Well, it looks like you're going to have to break it, because I don't need your protection! It's my job, he gave it to me, and I'm doing it! I came up with a plan, and it was going to work, it just took longer than I thought! ”

"What's your plan?"

"It's none of your business!"

"If you tell me what you want to do, I can help you—"

"I have all the help I need, thank you, I'm not alone!"

"You must be alone tonight, and it's extremely stupid to wander the corridors without sentry and backup. These are the lowest mistakes—"

"If you lock up Crabbe and Goyle, I'll have them to help!"

"Be quiet!" Snape said suddenly, as Malfoy's voice grew louder with excitement. "If your friends Crabbe and Goyle want to pass the Defence Against the Dark Arts O. W。 L。 exams, they'll need to work harder than they do now—"

"What does it matter?" Malfoy said. "Defence Against the Dark Arts - this whole thing is a joke, isn't it, a play? Someone who needs to defend against the dark arts—"

"This is a play that is crucial to success, Draco!" Snape said, "If I didn't know how to act, where do you think I'd be in all these years?" Now listen to me! You're not cautious enough, you're walking around at night, you're caught, and if you're relying on assistants like Crabbe and Goyle—"

"I'm not the only one with them, I have other people on my side, better people!"

"Then why don't you trust me, I can—"

"I know what you're up to, you want to steal my honor!"

There was silence again, and then Snape said coldly, "You talk like a child." I understand your father's arrest and imprisonment that upset you, but—"

Harry only had a second to react when he heard Malfoy's footsteps coming from the other side of the door, and the door slammed open, and he threw it open and walked out; Malfoy strode down the hallway, past Slavhorn's open office, turned around a corner in the distance, and vanished.

Harry curled up in a daze, and Snape slowly walked out of the classroom, the expression on his face unfathomable, and he returned to the auditorium. Harry was still curled up on the floor, hidden under his cloak, his mind spinning.

"Snape offered to help him? Did he really offer to help him? ”

"If you ask again," said Harry, "I'll use this bucket of sprouts—"

"I'm just confirming!" Ron said. They were standing alone by the sink in the Burrow's kitchen, peeling mountains of sprouts for Mrs. Weasley. Snow was falling outside the window in front of them.

"Yes, Snape offered to help him!" Harry said. "He said he had promised Malfoy's mother to protect him, and made an unbreakable oath or something—"

"Unbreakable oath?" Ron looked shocked. "No, he can't ...... Are you sure? ”

"Yes, I'm sure," Harry said. "What's wrong? What does this mean? ”

"Let's put it this way, you can't break an unbreakable oath ......"

"I can almost think of this myself, it's funny enough. So, what happens if you break it? ”

"It's going to die," Ron said simply. "When I was about five years old, Fred and George wanted me to make an unbreakable vow. I was almost all right, and I had already shaken hands with Fred at the time, but my father happened to find out. He's going crazy," a glint of nostalgia flashed in Ron's eyes, "I've seen Dad get as angry as Mommy this time. Fred's left half of his ass has changed since. ”

"yes, okay, leave Fred's left butt alone-"

"Say it again?" Fred's voice said, and the twins walked into the kitchen.

"Ah, George, look at this. They're using knives and stuff like that. God bless them. ”

"I'll be 17 years old in just over two months," Ron said crudely, "and then I can do these things with magic!" ”

"But now," George sat down at the kitchen table, resting his feet on it, "we could see you show us how to use one correctly—oops." ”

"You're the one who did it!" Ron said angrily, sucking on his severed thumb. "Wait, wait until I'm 17—"

"You're going to charm us with your yet-unknown magical talents, I'm sure," Fred said, yawning.

"Speaking of magical talents that are hitherto unknown, Ron," said George, "how come we heard from Ginny that you were with a young lady whose name is—unless our information is wrong—Lavender Brown?" ”

Ron's face turned a little red, but he didn't seem angry when he turned to face the sprouts.

"Be nosy."

"What a prickly reply!" Fred said. "I really don't know what you think. No, what we want to know is...... How did this happen? ”

"What do you mean?"

"What happened to her, or was it something else?"

"What?"

"Well, how did her brain get so damned? Beware, oh! Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen just in time to see Ron throwing the sprout knife at Fred, who lazily waved his wand and turned it into a paper airplane.

"Ron!" She said furiously, "Don't let me see you throwing knives again!" ”

"I won't," Ron said, "and I'll show you again," he added in a very small voice, and then turned to face the mountain of sprouts.

"Fred, George, I'm sorry, dear, but Remus is coming over tonight, so Bill has to sleep with the two of you.

"No problem," George said.

"Also, since Charlie doesn't come home, Harry and Ron live in the attic, and if Fleur can be with Ginny—"

"--Then Ginny's Christmas is over--" Fred muttered.

"Then everyone will be comfortable. Well, there's a bed anyway," Mrs. Weasley's voice sounded a little tired.

"Percy's ugly face won't appear, then?" Fred asked.

"No, I think it's because he's busy, at the Ministry of Magic."

"Or because he's the biggest fool in the world—" said Fred as Mrs. Weasley walked out of the kitchen. "One or the other. Okay, then George, let's go. ”

"What are you going to do?" Ron asked. "Can't you help us deal with this pile of sprouts? All it takes is a wand and we're free. "No! I don't think we're going to do that," Fred said seriously. "It's a good way to train people, learn how hard to cut sprouts without magic, and show you how difficult it is for Muggles and Squibs—"

"—And if you want to ask for help, Ron," George tossed him the paper airplane, "you shouldn't throw a knife at them." Just a small piece of advice. We went to the village, and there was a very beautiful girl in the paper shop who thought my card trick was amazing...... It's almost as ...... as real magic."

"Bastard," Ron said gloomily, watching Fred and George walk out of the snow-covered yard, "it only takes them ten seconds and we'll be able to go." ”

"I can't go," said Harry, "I promised Dumbledore not to wander around while I'm here. ”

"Oh, yes," Ron said. After peeling a few more sprouts, he said, "Are you going to tell Dumbledore Snape what happened between Malfoy?" ”

"Yes," Harry said. "I would tell anyone who can stop them that Dumbledore is number one. I'll probably tell your dad about it too. ”

"It's a shame you didn't hear what Malfoy was up to."

"I can't possibly hear it, can I? It was the most important thing, and he didn't even tell Snape. After a moment of silence, Ron said, "Of course, you know what they're going to say, right?" Daddy, Dumbledore, and all of them. They'd say Snape wasn't really helping Malfoy, he just wanted to know what Malfoy was up to. ”

"They didn't hear what he said." Harry said weakly. "No one is better at acting than him, not even Snape." "yes...... I'm just talking," Ron said.