"Really? My father won't have to go to Azkaban?" Draco became excited, and his pale face flushed with anticipation.
"No problem at all." Tom intertwined his fingers and leaned back in his seat, looking at Draco. "More than a decade ago, Dumbledore managed to save Snape, didn't he? It won't be difficult to save your father."
"My mother is also involved," Draco added weakly.
"Saving one or two is the same." Tom dismissed it, even promising Draco that even if Lucius and Narcissa were temporarily sent to Azkaban, the Dementors of Azkaban would not bother them.
At first, Draco didn't believe it. Dementors were ruthless, emotionless creatures—how could they understand compassion? How could wizards establish relationships with them?
But thinking about that rumor, Draco felt it might be possible.
Apparently, a "King" had arisen among the Dementors, and perhaps Dumbledore could negotiate with him.
"Don't get too excited." Tom raised a finger to quell Draco's excitement.
"Only valuable people can receive special treatment. Common Death Eaters will only get a fair trial." Tom waved his finger and continued gently, "Draco, do you think your parents are valuable people?"
From Draco's perspective, of course, his parents were valuable. So he nodded without hesitation.
"And what is their value? I need to see their worth so I can speak to Dumbledore and save them." A playful smile played on Tom's lips.
Hermione, who was sitting to the side, rolled her eyes. Her boyfriend was becoming more like a villain! But since the victim was Draco Malfoy, Hermione preferred to turn a blind eye. She had no sympathy for a pure-blood wizard like Draco Malfoy and only hoped to see him make a fool of himself.
"We're rich. How much money do you need? My father will definitely get it." Draco spoke hurriedly. If he could save his parents from prison, it would be worth even spending thousands of Galleons.
Tom shook his head. He already had his eye on the Lestrange family vault, so money was no longer as important to him.
Besides, was the current Malfoy family estate only worth ten thousand Galleons? Draco's vision was still narrow.
When he saw that his usual tactic of offering money didn't work on Tom, Draco became nervous.
"The Malfoy family still has a lot of influence in the wizarding world. If you have our support..."
"If their influence were really helpful, why would Mr. Malfoy still be locked up?" Tom interrupted.
Draco was left speechless. Influence was a mysterious thing, sometimes it meant nothing, and other times it could be more powerful than an army. But unfortunately, at this moment, the influence of the Malfoy family was ineffective.
"So... my father might be able to identify some Death Eaters who are still free..." Draco delivered his final line.
When the words came out of his mouth, he regretted it a bit. How was this different from taking sides between Voldemort and Dumbledore? He didn't really want to take sides between them. What he feared the most was that Voldemort was still alive. He didn't mention Dobby's contributions just to avoid retaliation from Voldemort. Voldemort wasn't dead, and talking about what Dobby did would mean death! What Draco was aiming for was to keep a low profile and make others believe that the outcome was a result of his family connections.
Facing the bottom line revealed by Draco, Tom also shook his head.
Voldemort's loyal followers had already gone into hiding. Furthermore, Lucius could only report those of questionable reputation, like Bellatrix, or those who were not very valuable. The former couldn't be caught by the Ministry, and the latter held little value.
Seeing Tom shake his head, Draco felt both happy and sad. He was glad that his father wouldn't have to take risks, but he was sad because he didn't know what cards his family had to play at the negotiating table. Tom made it clear that he didn't need money, and the Malfoy family couldn't provide power. Even the path of earning forgiveness through heroic deeds was blocked by Dumbledore.
Most importantly, they still had to negotiate with an intermediary, but they hadn't met the main player yet, Dumbledore.
Draco didn't know Dumbledore's personality very well, but he knew that even he, who was always willing to give second chances, would find it difficult to forgive his father.
After all, he was a Death Eater!
"You can have your father write a confession and deliver it privately to Dumbledore, revealing everything he knows. If he confesses and cooperates, he may be able to return home for the holidays. Dumbledore won't forget your father's contributions."
Tom already had a plan to save Lucius. In the worst case, he would simply send him to Azkaban and keep him there until Voldemort was defeated, and then release him.
Draco sighed, but he knew it was the most viable option at the moment. He wouldn't expose his father, and at the same time, he would have the opportunity to perform heroic acts to the best of his ability.
Only after accepting Tom's proposal did Draco feel mixed emotions. In the end, he chose a side. But unlike his father, who was betting on Voldemort, he was putting his chips on Dumbledore's side.
Reason told him that this was the best solution, but he still felt emotionally uncomfortable.
"Did you seek me out just to discuss this?" Tom felt that the conversation had come to an end, and it was time to conclude the discussion with Draco.
But Draco gave him shocking news.
"They want you to become a Death Eater?" Draco's news left Tom surprised. He couldn't help but omit a part of his response for fear of hurting Draco's feelings. Did the Death Eaters accept anyone? Even someone like him? Was being a Death Eater a profession passed down from father to son? Tom didn't say these words, and Draco didn't know them. He just nodded seriously, confirming the authenticity of the news.
Tom and Hermione looked at each other, and they could sense in each other's eyes a surprised disbelief.
"Accept their proposal, and when the Death Eaters give you orders, make sure to inform Dumbledore," Tom suggested. Although the situation was absurd, it could be easily resolved. If Draco relayed Voldemort's orders in a timely manner, he wouldn't have any problems.
In a sense, Draco became an undercover spy for the Order of the Phoenix within the Death Eaters. Of course, depending on the tasks the Death Eaters assigned him, Draco might well become a double agent.
However, this way, it seemed like the Order of the Phoenix had many spies within the Death Eaters...