"Oh, that's what they sent you from home..." Tom replied vaguely to Parvati, "May I open it and take a look?"
"Of course." Padma nodded.
Harry nervously clenched his fists, not understanding why Parvati had that box in her hands. At that moment, he just wanted to snatch the box from Tom and grab Parvati by the collar to ask her why she wanted to harm Tom and Hermione. But seeing Tom's calm demeanor, he didn't dare to act impulsively and stood there, watching the box.
In Tom's mind, there was also a doubt: Parvati's behavior in trying to make Hermione touch the cursed necklace definitely had ill intentions, but why hadn't Hermione's bell given any warning?
Could it be that Parvati and Voldemort used the same packaging box?
A conjecture crossed his mind.
The fact that the bracelet didn't detect malice meant that Parvati didn't have ill intentions.
Although this seemed obvious, it implied that Parvati didn't even know that the necklace in the box was cursed.
"You said this was sent to you from home, can you tell me when it was sent?" Tom showed great interest in the box.
"Uh..." Parvati hesitated for a moment, not expecting Tom to ask that question, and tried to remember, "Was it this morning?"
Harry and Hermione were stunned: they couldn't remember?
Even the slowest of them could see that something was wrong with Padma's state: how was it possible for someone not to remember when a gift from home had arrived? It hadn't been that long ago; it had just happened this morning.
"And who sent it to you, your dad or your mom?" Tom continued to ask gently.
Parvati hesitated.
Now she also realized that something was amiss.
In her perception, the necklace was a gift sent to her from home, but as soon as she was asked for specific details, she drew a blank.
"It's my dad... no, my mom... wait, that's not true either. My mind is a bit confused." Parvati held her head in her hands, with a pained expression on her face.
"This isn't even something sent to you from home," Harry put a hand on Parvati's shoulder, shaking her hard in an attempt to snap her back to awareness, "Someone has bewitched you with magic!"
Although there was still no solid evidence, and they couldn't accuse Malfoy, Harry decided to change course halfway.
Upon hearing Harry's words, Parvati was surprised for a moment, and then her expression started to come alive. Parvati's cognitive barrier dissipated like a thin film that disappeared once pierced.
She looked at the box in Tom's hands and shouted loudly, "I found this box in the corridor this morning! At the time, I was simply curious about what was inside, so I decided to open it and show it to Professor McGonagall... but as soon as I touched the box, my mind clouded. It seemed like a voice was telling me it was a gift from my family and that I should show it to Granger... and that's what I did."
Speaking up to this point, Parvati was drenched in cold sweat. If Hermione had actually opened the box, something terrible could have happened, and she would have been the prime suspect.
"Was it the Imperius Curse?" Upon hearing Parvati's description, Harry thought it might have been the Imperius Curse, which was controlling her. But Tom shook his head.
"The Imperius Curse doesn't break so easily; I think it's the Confundus Charm, which is easier to break under the influence of external suggestions, but one doesn't realize the logical problems when alone, plus, it's much easier to cast than the Imperius Curse."
Those present accepted that possibility.
"Who cast the Confundus Charm on me?" Parvati arched her eyebrows angrily, her eyes flashing with indignation. She swore to find that person and give them an unforgettable lesson.
"I suspect it was Draco Malfoy," Harry finally revealed what he had been thinking.
"Malfoy? What have I done to him?" Parvati was surprised to hear that name. Normally, she and Malfoy had nothing to do with each other. Why would he want to harm her?
"Sometimes you're just unlucky," Tom said as he pocketed the box and led the group in the direction of the headmaster's office.
Searching for someone in a castle as large as Hogwarts would be a challenge, but with Dumbledore's order, efficiency would be much higher.
Once again, Dumbledore was surprised to see Tom. It could be said that Tom was the student who frequented his office the most. Other students, even with Dumbledore's kind and affectionate image, avoided him. They didn't need to get so close to his office, let alone enter it again and again.
However, seeing Parvati as an unusual visitor, Dumbledore began to suspect that something was amiss.
Upon entering the headmaster's office for the first time, Parvati was extremely nervous and didn't know where to put her hands. It was Dumbledore who calmed her emotions.
"Miss Patil, who would have thought I'd see you here today? Would you like some maple finger cakes? I didn't see you in the Great Hall," Dumbledore said with a smile.
In just two sentences, Parvati's tension dissipated, as if she were visiting her next-door neighbor's house.
"Thank you, if it's possible..." She gladly accepted, taking a plate of maple cakes to a corner.
"Professor, please look... don't touch anything inside with your hands," Tom handed the box to Dumbledore and reminded him that the contents were cursed. It wouldn't be fun if Dumbledore accidentally touched the cursed necklace. Tom would have accomplished what Voldemort couldn't...
Dumbledore cautiously opened the box using the tip of his wand and saw the golden chain inside. His expression turned serious because he could sense the magic contained in the chain. This chain could easily take the life of a student.
"Where did you get this?" He stared at Tom.
After hearing the whole story, Dumbledore turned his head and looked at the portraits on the wall. The former headmasters of Hogwarts had already regained consciousness and were furious at what Tom had told them.
Someone has brought this dangerous object onto the campus and used a Confundus Charm to incite other students to wear the necklace and cause harm; it's truly chilling.
"It's a shame for Slytherin!" exclaimed Phineas, the director, as he noticed something different in the looks of the other directors.
"It's an isolated case, we shouldn't judge all Slytherin students and professors for this behavior," said another director to calm the disputes among the former directors.
"Hmm, we must be vigilant against the many isolated behaviors that can have a negative impact on Slytherin," added another director, bluntly mocking, causing Phineas's face to turn as red as a pig's liver.
"Well, we still don't have concrete evidence," Dumbledore quelled the discussions of the former directors and asked them to search for Malfoy in the various portraits around the castle, and to also bring Snape.
The directors nodded vigorously and quickly disappeared into their respective portraits.
It didn't take long before the door of the office opened, and Snape entered with a furrowed brow, bringing the suspected Draco Malfoy with him.
There were no monitors like those used by Muggles in Hogwarts, but each of the portraits could play the role of a watchman. Asking them for information about someone's whereabouts was a piece of cake.
Snape, with effortless ease, found Malfoy and brought him to the headmaster's office.
"Roll up your sleeves," Dumbledore said, looking at Snape, who silently took Malfoy aside and raised the sleeve of his robe.
Throughout the process, Malfoy seemed resigned and didn't utter a word, silently enduring what was happening.
When the reddened Dark Mark was exposed to everyone's view, Harry showed a slight expression of joy, while Dumbledore sighed. Their reactions to the realization of what they had suspected were completely opposite: Harry was glad that his arch-nemesis was in trouble, while Dumbledore was saddened by the fall of a soul.
"Draco, in the end, you've joined the Death Eaters," Snape said with regret as he saw the Dark Mark on Malfoy's arm. Being a Death Eater was not a good choice, and if it had been possible, Snape would have been against Draco joining them.
But often things don't unfold according to people's will.
"Aren't you one too?" Malfoy smirked sarcastically, looking at Snape.
Snape remained silent.
"Malfoy, so you brought this box to Hogwarts?" Harry couldn't contain the excitement inside him and approached Malfoy, interrogating him firmly.
Malfoy simply stared at him with expressionless eyes, refusing to answer.
"We can use Veritaserum," Snape suggested. In his office, he had always kept a bit of Veritaserum for moments like this, where it was crucial to get the truth.
"Perhaps there's another method," Dumbledore looked at Malfoy's expression with deep reflection. He approached him and attempted to use a counter-curse to release him from the Imperius Curse.
Malfoy's eyes regained their luster, and when he saw the people in the room, he instantly turned pale.
Good news: the Imperius Curse had been lifted.
Bad news: Dumbledore was the one who had lifted it.
"Professor..." Malfoy murmured, but his tone was filled with bitterness, and he didn't know how to explain the situation, as he was now trapped with evidence against him.
In times past, he would have called his father to defend him, but now he no longer had his father's protection. At that moment, Malfoy suddenly felt helpless.
Without my father, I am nothing.
But thinking about Lucius being imprisoned, Malfoy felt his determination resurface: he couldn't be sent to Azkaban or expelled from Hogwarts, who would then save his father?
So he gathered his courage and told Dumbledore, "I was controlled by the Imperius Curse, I didn't want to do it!"
Malfoy's response sounded more like a forced defense. Although the Imperius Curse could be lifted, in the current magical world, there were no reliable means to distinguish whether a person was under the control of the Imperius Curse or acting genuinely. This was also the reason why many Death Eaters escaped punishment after the war.
After saying this, Malfoy felt extremely anxious inside. He knew he was telling the truth, but he wasn't sure if Dumbledore would believe him. His family's reputation was not exactly good in Dumbledore's eyes.
Could Dumbledore seize the opportunity to blame him and expel him from Hogwarts? During that brief moment of silence, Malfoy began to make wild guesses.
"I believe you," Dumbledore said gently. His voice was soft but resonated in Malfoy's ears like thunder.
"Professor!" he raised his head, somewhat moved.
In the past, he always mocked Dumbledore's outdated nature and how he always gave people a second chance. Now he realized the value of such character.
Perhaps after returning to Slytherin and calming things down for a few days, he could forget about these thoughts. But at that moment, he was sincerely grateful to Dumbledore.
Seeing that Dumbledore seemed to be considering forgiving Malfoy, Harry became a little impatient and wanted to say something, but Hermione, who was behind him, tugged on his sleeve in time to calm him down.
Dumbledore had his reasons for acting this way.
Harry remained silent.
Malfoy began to recount his experiences slowly.
After hearing Malfoy's statement, Dumbledore examined him with his dark blue eyes until Malfoy began to feel uncomfortable before speaking.
"I understand how you feel about wanting to save your father. I can assure you that Lucius will receive a fair trial."
Malfoy's facial muscles twitched. How was that any different from sending his father to Azkaban? Didn't Dumbledore know what his father had done?
"Surely you're all tired, so go back to rest," Dumbledore waved his hand, dismissing the people in the room.
"Draco, I hope that next time you won't make any more mistakes. I admire your bravery in resisting Bellatrix, and I hope you can maintain that courage in the future."
It's hard to say if Malfoy really absorbed Dumbledore's lesson, but he certainly no longer had the courage to accept a mission from Bellatrix.
"How could he forgive him? To me, that's clearly an evasion!" Harry stormed out of the office in indignation, unable to understand why Dumbledore had let Malfoy off so easily. At that moment, Padma, Draco, and Snape had already separated from them, leaving only Harry, Tom, and Hermione walking down the hallway.
"Because we can't actually prove that Malfoy was planning to harm us, and his testimony is very valuable." As a victim of the assassination attempt, Hermione defended Malfoy.
Tom didn't want to discuss the fact that the Death Eaters had intended to attack Hermione and was more interested in what Malfoy had revealed in his testimony.
"Malfoy didn't mention Voldemort, did he?" he whispered softly.
Harry and Hermione furrowed their brows at the same time.
"Is he lying?" Harry's initial reaction was to think that Malfoy was hiding something.
Tom shook his head, leaning more toward another possibility.
"It's not possible, absolutely impossible." Harry understood Tom's look and became furious.
"You really need to work more on Occlumency, Harry." Tom sighed.