Draco, for once, didn't listen to his mother's instructions and chose to go home for Christmas.
When Narcissa saw her little boy happily standing at the door, the last bit of color drained from her already pale face, making her look like a corpse covered in white powder.
"I told you to stay at school this Christmas!" Narcissa grabbed Draco's arm and whispered urgently.
"But I already spent Christmas at Hogwarts last year. Since nothing's wrong at home this year, why can't I come back?" Draco frowned in discontent, feeling that Narcissa's unreasonable request almost made him think he had no family, just like Harry Potter.
"This year's situation is very special!" Narcissa found it hard to explain to Draco that there was a Dark Lord in their house, and she didn't want Draco to have too much contact with "Voldemort."
"I'll take you to your aunt's house right now. You'll spend Christmas there this year—"
Narcissa, with an unyielding grip on Draco's arm, tried to drag him away.
However...
Before Draco could protest, Cyrus's voice sounded behind her.
"Narcissa, I must criticize you. Christmas is a time for family reunions. How can you drive your own son away?"
Narcissa's heart sank. She stiffly turned around to see Cyrus leaning against the door, smiling at her and Draco.
"That.. that..."
The fear made her forget how to greet Cyrus.
"That's right, Mother. Why should I spend Christmas at someone else's house?" Draco immediately seized the opportunity and then looked at Cyrus, frowning. "And who are you?"
Draco scrutinized Cyrus for a long time with a wary expression. He felt that the handsome man in front of him looked very familiar, as if they knew each other, but he just couldn't place him.
"Be respectful, Draco!"
Narcissa grabbed Draco's arm in fear. She was terrified that Draco's arrogant behavior would anger Cyrus, putting their lives at risk. Her mind raced to find an appropriate title, "You should address him as—Black—"
"What's wrong, Draco? Don't you recognize me?"
Cyrus interrupted her, feigning ignorance. "Last year at Hogwarts, didn't you call me Tom?"
Tom?
Narcissa was stunned, unable to process the name, and she suddenly seemed lifeless.
Draco's erased memories began to resurface, with fragments of last year's events at Hogwarts slowly coming back. Although still blurry, the name "Tom" stood out clearly in his mind.
"Tom?! It's you!" His eyes lit up. "I remember now!"
He joyfully bypassed the petrified Narcissa and approached Cyrus, familiarly patting his arm. "So, you're alive?! I did see something in the papers, but I forgot we knew each other!"
At this moment, Draco recalled everything from the previous year because Cyrus had willingly lifted the memory modification on him.
For Draco, those were good times.
Cyrus had taught him a lot about alchemy, which had been very beneficial.
Draco had recognized Cyrus as a friend, despite him being a half-blood...
"I erased your memory," Cyrus explained briefly.
"I knew it! But it's okay, I won't hold it against you!" Draco said magnanimously.
With each word Draco spoke, Narcissa's body trembled uncontrollably.
She felt herself edging closer to death, wanting to stop Draco, but her body was growing increasingly rigid.
Her heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly, making it hard to breathe.
Draco continued talking.
"By the way, you probably don't have a place to go, right? Why not spend Christmas at my house?" Draco invited enthusiastically.
"Don't worry, even though my father usually only associates with purebloods and looks down on half-bloods, you're my friend. He won't be prejudiced against you because of me!"
"Shut up, Draco!"
Narcissa was about to lose her mind. It was the first time she had ever wanted to slap her beloved son to teach him that one should not speak without thinking.
She forcefully pulled Draco's shoulder, her severe expression making him feel unfamiliar.
"What's wrong, Mom?"
"Shut up! You are not allowed to say another word!" she hissed through gritted teeth, pinching the flesh on Draco's arm hard with one hand while grabbing the back of his head and forcing him to bow to Cyrus.
Her face was full of pleading. "Sir, Draco doesn't know..."
Her voice trembled.
"Don't worry, Narcissa, I'm not upset with Draco. However, you really should teach him some manners." Cyrus truly didn't mind at all; after all, he wasn't "Tom."
"We will..."
"Good!" Cyrus nodded in satisfaction.
Draco, still being held by Narcissa, was utterly confused, but he couldn't speak at the moment.
"Also, thank you for your kind invitation, Draco. But I won't be staying for Christmas. I've prepared a gift for you, it's in your room," Cyrus said softly.
"Tell Lucius to proceed as planned. If you sense a summons, just go as if you never pledged loyalty to me."
After speaking, Cyrus left directly.
He wasn't fond of holidays and didn't consider today a special day.
To him, ancient magic was more important.
Now that the issue with the soul fragment was resolved, it was time to head to the Chamber of Secrets indicated on the map and begin the trials set by the four guardians.
His figure vanished into the snowstorm, and for a moment, a golden eagle flickered into view before disappearing into the white wind.
Only Draco and Narcissa remained in the cold wind and snow.
Narcissa felt as if all the bones in her body had been removed, collapsing to the ground with a look of fear and relief.
"Mom, why did you stop me just now? Tom is my friend..."
*Slap!*
Draco's words stopped. He stared blankly at his mother, who loved him the most, his cheek burning with pain, a red handprint marring his pale face.
"Never call that name again!" Narcissa glared at him, unyielding for the first time. She took a deep breath, as if making a firm decision. "It seems that your father and I have been too indulgent with you. From today on, you must put away all your arrogance..."
In the past, Lucius educated Draco based on pure-blood supremacy.
But now, even though Narcissa didn't fully understand Cyrus's situation, she knew the current Dark Lord no longer seemed to promote pure-blood ideology.
Past beliefs were worthless in the face of such power.
If they clung to those outdated ideas, the Malfoy family would only decay like rotten flesh.
"W-What's going on?" Draco realized something was wrong. He had never seen his mother so severe. "Who is he?"
Narcissa lifted her eyes, slowly parting her bloodless lips:
"He is—"
....
"Master, I have successfully entered Hogwarts!"
Peter Pettigrew muttered in his heart.
After waiting for so long, he finally infiltrated Hogwarts on this snowy Christmas night.
He was fortunate. The Weasley twins, who knew the castle inside and out, no longer used the Marauder's Map much.
In fact, if Sirius hadn't been able to sign for Harry to go to Hogsmeade, they had planned to give the map to Harry.
Thus, his infiltration went unnoticed.
Although his Animagus form was known, a rat was still just a rat.
No one was paranoid enough to scrutinize every rat to see if it was missing a finger.
Peter scurried along the pipes and crept along the walls.
He easily entered the Gryffindor dormitory, quickly found Harry's room, and waited silently for the right moment.
Around eight or nine o'clock, Peter heard two voices outside the door.
Harry and Ron were back!
They had no idea they might be in any danger, so they casually took off their smelly shoes and flopped onto their beds. In this cold weather, neither of them even suggested taking a shower.
Ron started talking about Christmas tomorrow.
They were now eager to guess what kind of gifts Cyrus would leave for them.
"Do you think I'll get a flying broomstick?" Ron asked hopefully.
"Maybe?" Harry wasn't sure.
"I doubt it. Good broomsticks are too expensive." Ron shook his head. "If I could get a postcard from Krum, I'd be very satisfied. He's my favorite player after all. What about you? What do you want?"
Harry didn't know either.
He loved Quidditch, but instead of admiring the players, he preferred playing the game himself.
As for other things, he didn't lack anything now. Without Dementors around, even his broomstick was in good condition.
Of course, if Cyrus were to gift him the latest one, he would gladly accept it.
"We'll find out tomorrow. Let's get some sleep!" Harry said, lying back on his bed.
Moments later, the room was silent.
After a while, a yellow rat cautiously poked its head out.
Its small eyes darted around before it transformed back into the form of a fat, rat-faced wizard.
Peter Pettigrew glanced at the sleeping Harry and Ron, a cruel expression crossing his face. "You won't be getting your gifts tomorrow, Harry Potter."
He picked up his wand and pointed it at Harry and Ron:
"Stupefy!"
Two stunning spells shot out, ensuring no unexpected interruptions. Then, Pettigrew approached Harry's bed, looking down at the boy who resembled James so much.
A flicker of guilt flashed in his eyes.
"Don't blame me, Harry. I have no choice. If I don't take you, how can I survive?!"
He waved his wand again, this time casting a Transfiguration spell.
Harry, lying on the bed, was instantly transformed into a tiny mouse. Trembling, Pettigrew picked up the mouse-Harry and tucked him into his pocket.
Then, he moved to Ron's bed, plucked a few hairs from Ron's head, and dropped them into a half-finished potion.
After stirring it, Pettigrew downed the potion in one gulp!
Not long after, "Ron" left the room.
At this hour, the twins were still awake, playing chess in the common room. They looked up in surprise when they saw Ron coming out alone.
"Ron, where are you going?"
"Yeah, where's your 'twin' brother, Harry?"
"Harry's asleep. I couldn't sleep, so I'm going for a walk," "Ron" replied, trying to sound casual.
The twins didn't find anything suspicious. They were more curious about why Harry wasn't with him than anything else.
The plan went smoother than Peter Pettigrew had anticipated. He encountered almost no obstacles along the way. The Christmas atmosphere had lowered everyone's guard.
Everyone was engrossed in the festive cheer, not expecting that on this night, someone would secretly take Harry Potter away.
"Ron" slipped out of the common room and quickly made his way through the castle. Before long, he had reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Here, Apparition was possible.
Without any hesitation, he vanished, leaving only a sharp crack in the snowy wind.
The next moment, Peter Pettigrew's figure appeared in a dilapidated castle.
"Your efficiency disappoints me greatly, Wormtail!"
Voldemort's small, frail figure stood high above, his blood-red eyes glaring down at Wormtail. "Where is he?"
"Here, my Lord!" Wormtail trembled as he pulled Harry out of his pocket and transformed him back to his original form. "My Lord, I present Harry Potter to you!"
Seeing Harry, Voldemort finally showed a satisfied smile.
"This is a fine Christmas gift, Wormtail. Although you were slow, you did not disappoint me in the end!"
Voldemort excitedly approached Harry. He yearned to crush Harry's skull with his own hands, but now was not the time.
At this moment, he couldn't even touch Harry.
He needed Harry's blood for his revival.
However, his current lack of loyal followers meant that nothing was ready.
The potion needed for his resurrection had not yet been brewed, and he required the suitable flesh of an infant as a vessel.
He certainly couldn't use Ranrok's pathetic body for the resurrection ritual.
"You will live a little longer, Harry Potter! When I am revived, I will kill you with my own hands in front of all my servants!"
Voldemort's eyes flashed with bloodthirsty intent.
"I will personally shatter that so-called prophecy! I will make those who think I am dead once again feel true fear! And of course—"
"You, Cyrus, will be the one to suffer the most!"
_____
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