The thick stack of materials that Rita found is still in the Order of the Phoenix.

In June of this year, a batch died.

The dead ones weren't the only ones in the Ministry of Magic. In the archives, there are too many people who are Death Eaters and still serve in the Ministry of Magic.

"At least there are almost none of the Aurors, and Kingsley is a trusted partner." Dumbledore tapped the table, and a long line of honey water fell into his mouth, "Scrimgeour too, though he doesn't want to join the Order of the Phoenix. ”

"Thankfully, I finally know that the Ministry of Magic is in charge of the Aurors." Harry waved his hand and took a sip of his drink.

"Are you suspicious of Pierce?" Dumbledore finally reacted, and he looked surprised.

Harry nodded.

"Why, although Pierce has never had a presence, he was also part of the rebellion against Voldemort more than ten years ago, and he was an upright man." Dumbledore asked, "He doesn't look like someone who would be in the same league as the Death Eaters. ”

"Professor Dumbledore, I can't trust anyone from the Ministry of Magic right now." Harry shook his head, "It's not normal. ”

"When we arrived, there wasn't any magic in the vicinity of the Leaky Cauldron."

"But you say that the apparition is locked down here."

"The power of the Death Eaters can't do that."

Although the people of the Ministry of Magic are useless, they have to admit that they are perfect in monitoring this link.

"Maybe it's an official, but it's also likely to be him, these have nothing to do with me, teach you to pay attention." Harry put the cup down and changed the subject, "Tom was slashed by me, with a snake bone sword, although the basilisk's venom is extremely deadly, but it is Tom, I don't think he will die so easily." ”

"Of course, the materials for removing basilisk venom are fixed, and I'll keep Rita on the lookout, and I should be able to catch the Death Eaters in no time."

"You're going to get up to speed on that thing."

Dumbledore exhaled heavily.

Horcruxes!

The biggest headache, so far, even if Montungus is involved, he hasn't found any useful clues.

"Harry, do you have any clue?" He frowned.

Harry tapped the table, "I suspect there's a Horcrux in Hogwarts. ”

Dumbledore was stunned, "Isn't that a misunderstanding caused by what we thought was Sirius?" ”

Sirius, who was drinking, tilted his head, his eyes sharpened.

Something to do with yourself?

Harry said, "That's what I thought at first. ”

"But it's so abnormal, there are outsiders breaking into the castle, pets are missing, werewolves are attacking"

Speaking of this, he paused slightly: "Judging from the results, all the plans of the Death Eaters revolved around Hogwarts, but suddenly the Gringotts thing appeared. ”

"Of course, these can be said to be the Death Eaters' cover-up."

"But Barty Crouch Jr. never showed up, and that upset me."

Sirius interjected, "Maybe Barty Crouch Jr. is really dead?" ”

Harry and Dumbledore's speculation has always confirmed that Barty Crouch Jr. is alive, but on the Order of the Phoenix, everyone has seen him with their own eyes, whether it was last year, the Triwizard Tournament, or this time.

There is no trace of this person ever existing.

Is he really alive?

Sirius was skeptical of this fact.

Harry looked at him, not speaking, but slowly shaking his head.

"There's a place in the castle that we haven't explored." Dumbledore frowned.

"Go back and ask Mr. Gryffindor?" Harry waved his wand and refilled himself, "Maybe he'll have some idea." ”

Sorting Hat Probe: "Godric has seen that map of the living spots, and he doesn't know more than you do." ”

Both Dumbledore and Harry had their eyes on him.

The Sorting Hat was pointed: "The castle belonged to Salazar, Rowena and Helga were involved in some of the design, and Godric, he was busy clearing out some dangerous creatures around the contract, and Hogwarts was inhabited by dragons at the time. ”

"Looks like we'll have to go find it ourselves." Harry sighed.

Dumbledore nodded.

They sipped their wine sullenly and analyzed the events of the day.

At this moment, Hogsmeade, in the corner on the right, Draco Malfoy was restlessly pacing back and forth in the snow.

He didn't choose to go home for Christmas.

Since second grade, he hasn't been back at Christmas – since his father was in prison, the grand mansion has never felt like home.

But just now, his mother owl sent a message to him out of Hogwarts to meet him at Hogsmeade's Hogwarts.

The notes were hurried and flustered.

This made him feel uneasy.

The wind and snow were cold, and he walked around here for half an hour, but he didn't feel cold at all, at least the temperature outside was far less cold than his heart.

"Draco, Draco." Someone called his name.

It was a male voice, a little unfamiliar, but also a little familiar.

Draco slowly turned around and looked in the direction the voice came from, incredulous and incredulous, "Daddy? ”

Lucius stepped out of the shadows, wearing a half-worn bearskin cloak, with several new scars on his face, and an air of embarrassment all over his body: "It's me." ”

"You're not in Azkaban?" Draco clenched his wand and took a deep breath, his tone calming.

"We escaped from prison." Lucius replied, "I remember that the magazine called 'Singing Against the Tune' reported it. ”

"I'm not going to read that kind of crazy magazine." Draco shook his head, he stared at his father, "So you called me out to meet me?" ”

Lucius nodded, he noticed the wounds on his son's body, as well as the patched robes: "You have suffered a little during this time? ”

"Some little tricks." Draco waved his hand, his tone calm, "Dad, what are you looking for me?" ”

Lucius paused, and he stomped his foot several times: "The master is resurrected." ”

Master?

The Dark Lord?

Draco frowned.

"Master made you a Death Eater too." Lucius took a deep breath and struggled to spit out the words.

"Me? Death Eaters? Draco gripped his wand tighter, "I'm just a fifth-year wizard, does the Dark Lord need me?" ”

Lucius shook his head: "I don't want to either, but it's the master's order." ”

He. There was no way to disobey orders from Voldemort.

"Dad, what's going on today?" Draco asked, "I noticed that Potter wasn't at the castle all day, and the resurrection of the Dark Lord probably didn't go so smoothly as Dumbledore was halfway through the party and Dumbledore was gone. ”

Lucius's face became a little more ugly, and he nodded with difficulty, retelling the events of the day objectively.

"Potter is so strong?" Draco sighed.

Lucius shook his head: "That's just the master's carelessness, he didn't know that Potter knew swordsmanship, and no one talked about him, and the master has just been resurrected, and the magic power has not returned to its peak state." ”

"Me Too"

"But it's the master's order."

Draco shook his head decisively, "I'm sorry, Dad, I'm not going to be a Death Eater. ”

"So you're going to Potter's side?" Lucius's tone was serious, but the corners of his eyes and mouth were visibly relaxed.

Draco shook his head, "No, there's no way I'm going to be friends with Scarhead." ”

Lucius looked at his son in amazement.

Draco pulled out his wand and pointed it at his father, "Crowds are unreliable, Dad, in the past two years, I have learned the greatest truth, and this is it. ”

"For some reason, they will hold you in the palm of their hands and enshrine you as a leader."

"They're going to throw you in the mud and kick you a few times for some other reason."

"Only if you have strength can you have some."

"What others give, it's all a mirror."

"Recognition from the Dark Lord to become the youngest and newest Death Eater and regain leadership of Slytherin"

Or become a friend of Porter's so-called "change of heart" and struggle for "justice". ”

"Everything in me is a gift from them."

"Whether it's the Dark Lord or Potter, to me, they're no different."

"I don't want to be "gifted" from anyone else anymore, I want me to be just me. ”

Lucius looked at him.

There is a complex and wonderful feeling in my heart, like a spider stepping on it, tickling my heart, and at the same time forming a thick cocoon, wrapping my old, rancid heart.

Two years.

After only two years in Azkaban, his son grew to a point where he felt unfamiliar, to the kind he had always wanted to be.

"Then you are going to disobey the Dark Lord, and you will also disobey my father?" The words that came out of his mouth were not sincere, and they were diametrically opposed to his heart.

"There has never been disobedience." Draco shook his head, "I'm just choosing my own path. ”

"Come on, father."

"I've grown a lot in the past two years, don't you want to see it?"

Except for your weapons!

Lucius jerked, and the spell shot out, heading for Draco.

Draco, who had been attacked for years, reacted quickly, dodging the spell and throwing out the Weasley brothers' fireworks.

Just a few minutes later.

The hasty exchange came to an end.

Draco held his wand and his father's wand, standing straight in the snow, looking at his father calmly.

Lucius' bearskin coat fell to the ground, leaving only a light shirt, revealing the scars on his arms from torture and the fresh scars that Malfoy had just scratched his arms with a cutting spell.

"Draco Malfoy." Lucius picked up his coat and put it back on, "I will tell my master about your disobedience." ”

"Pray that you can stay in Hogwarts more, as soon as you come out of Hogwarts, the master will give you the greatest punishment."

"True Hope"

"I can be so hard-mouthed after seeing you, don't get the master's revenge, cry and go to Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and the Order of the Phoenix for help."

Draco Malfoy, a man, watched his father swear and swear.

(End of chapter)