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"You don't know?"
Harry's expression was a bit subtle. Though many thoughts rushed through his mind, he still wanted to hear what Draco had to say.
"Could it be that you've lost your memory?"
"Memory loss?" Draco froze for a moment, then shook his head in denial. "No."
"Cassandra isn't my biological sister. She's my father's illegitimate daughter."
"Excuse me???" Harry blinked, his eyes wide in surprise. "I never imagined that..." he muttered under his breath.
"Shocking, right?" Draco's voice remained unchanged, as though such news were perfectly ordinary. "But it's true."
"Cassandra was brought home by my father two years ago. Like I said, I don't know anything about her past."
"A sudden illegitimate daughter has become the heir of the Malfoy family? Draco, you must be really calm about this." Harry teased. This was getting interesting.
"Is that so?" Draco scratched his head and then shook it slightly, his eyes briefly clouded with confusion. "I hadn't really thought about it. Maybe it's because it doesn't matter."
"Is that so? I always thought something was off between you two."
Harry turned his gaze away from Draco. "You seem kind of afraid of her. Last year on the train, I almost thought she wasn't your sister, but your mother."
Draco flinched imperceptibly. "How could that be?" he said instinctively.
"Guess you've been bullied by her quite a bit, huh? Cassandra seems like a really dominant person. Girls mature faster, so... did she beat you a few times?"
"My sister is very good to me. She's a gentle and kind girl."
The words sounded strangely familiar. Didn't Dobby describe Cassandra in the same way before?
"Ha, I really wish that were true." Harry didn't see any gentleness or kindness in Cassandra, especially considering her Malfoy background. She was well-known at Hogwarts, particularly in Slytherin. Even so, gentleness and kindness weren't the labels people used for her—at least, no one had ever seen that side of her.
"Anyway, you should go find Wood. He'll arrange your training. That's the first step to joining the battle group. If you can't handle this basic training, there's no point in talking about the next steps."
"I understand," Draco answered seriously.
After watching the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw practice matches and finishing his own tasks, Harry left the Quidditch pitch.
"Things have definitely gotten a bit more complicated, but it's still kind of interesting."
When Harry met Dobby during the holidays, he'd picked up on some strange things from Dobby's words. After talking with Draco, those odd feelings had only grown stronger.
If Dobby's plea for help wasn't mistaken, where was Draco's danger coming from? If Cassandra really wanted to harm Draco—perhaps to secure the family fortune by getting rid of him—then she shouldn't have sent Draco to him in the first place.
Dobby had once accidentally mentioned the word "only." Narcissa Malfoy's only child was Draco. Now that he knew Cassandra was an illegitimate daughter, that statement actually made sense.
For Narcissa, bringing home an illegitimate daughter wasn't something she would want. She might not care about her husband's chaotic personal life, after all, the Malfoy family was the only wizarding family in England with a noble title (granted to them by William the Conqueror). Such things weren't uncommon.
But the girl didn't just come back—she threatened Draco's inheritance. Even if Draco said he didn't care, did Narcissa really want her only son to be treated this way?
Keep in mind that, in another timeline, Narcissa had been willing to lie to Voldemort's face for Draco's sake, hiding the truth that Harry was still alive, which indirectly led to Voldemort's defeat. She loved her child more than anything.
"Two years ago, Cassandra came to the Malfoy family. Not long after, before school started, Narcissa fell ill with a strange disease and became bedridden. Dobby said Lucius went mad, and Draco mentioned that his father became even more irritable, his temper worse than before, and his attitude toward Narcissa changed as well."
"Even so… the Malfoy family still seems harmonious. But isn't that the strangest part?"
"Perhaps Cassandra intentionally pushed Draco toward me with some hidden agenda? Lucius has a grudge against me because of the Black family. This theory makes sense. By doing this, she could sever Lucius's ties with Draco, which might help her grab the family fortune."
The pieces of the puzzle were starting to fit together. "But somehow, I still don't think this is the right answer," Harry muttered, furrowing his brow. He wasn't very skilled at schemes and manipulations. Such tricks were for clever people, not him. Compared to playing games of deceit, he preferred physics. Or, more accurately, after explaining physics, he liked making others listen to him reason.
"The Book of Spells wasn't studied for nothing."
"Wait a minute, I almost forgot about the Chamber of Secrets." Harry slapped his forehead. He'd been so focused on the Malfoy family's power struggle that he neglected something important. "I went all around the castle to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and aside from the fact that she already knows the entrance to the Chamber is there, there shouldn't be any other possibilities."
"The diary horcrux should still be in the Malfoy family home, and Cassandra has been in contact with the diary. It's even possible…"
"That she might recreate the scene with the Heir, releasing the Basilisk to terrorize Hogwarts?"
"Maybe I should ask Hagrid if any roosters have been poisoned recently. While I don't understand why someone would release a Basilisk to scare people... Wait a second..."
Harry's brow furrowed deeply. After a moment's thought, he slowly uttered a word: "Snake?"
Harry suddenly remembered what Dobby had mentioned to him earlier: several of the owls in the household had gone missing, including even Lucius's favorite peacock. That was definitely odd. Lost in thought, Harry muttered to himself, "Do snakes eat owls and peacocks?"
The empty dormitory gave no answer, but just then, Ron, covered in dirt and grass, burst through the door.
"Harry, you're here. Didn't you go to the Quidditch pitch? They were just finishing up when I got back." Ron tossed himself onto his bed, clearly exhausted from his trip to Hagrid's.
"I went, but there wasn't much happening, so I came back early." Harry glanced at Ron and then asked, "Ron, do snakes eat owls and peacocks?"
"What snakes?" Ron asked, curious. "Well, if they can catch them, snakes will eat anything. Though, technically, an owl could eat a snake, but if the hunt fails and the snake catches the owl instead, it wouldn't be unusual for the predator to become the prey."
"Why are you asking this all of a sudden? Don't tell me Hedwig's in trouble. She's the smartest and most beautiful snowy owl I've ever seen."
"Hedwig's fine." Harry smiled and waved his hand. "Just a random question."
"I've got something to do, so I'm heading out."
Harry stood up and walked toward the door, leaving the Hufflepuff common room.
He made a special stop at the library. As long as it wasn't too early or meal times, there were usually students working on their assignments there. Harry found a Gryffindor upperclassman and asked her for the password to the Gryffindor common room. After politely declining her invitation to join her, he turned and headed for the eighth floor.
The Fat Lady, a little curious about a Hufflepuff student coming to Gryffindor's tower, was still willing to let Harry through after he gave the password. As she opened the passage, the sounds of cheerful chatter and laughter emerged from within. Without classes, young witches and wizards were playing cards and games. Each common room had its own style.
The Gryffindor style, though, was one where the common room wasn't great for doing homework—unless it was late at night. That's when you'd find many students catching up on assignments due the next day.
The twins had just returned from the Quidditch pitch and were being lectured by Wood, who had them sitting in front of the blackboard while he went over the day's training analysis. Wood was obsessed with Quidditch, but judging by the twins' half-asleep faces, they probably hadn't heard a single word of it.
"Hey!"
Harry suddenly slapped the twins on the shoulder, startling them. They glanced nervously at Wood, but when they realized it was Harry, they let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Perfect timing, Boss!"
"We need to report something to you!"
"We almost forgot about it."
"It's about upgrading the equipment!"
The twins exchanged a sly wink at Harry, their little scheme exposed.
It had only been a few days, and even if the twins were exceptionally gifted, there was no way they had figured out how to upgrade the equipment in such a short time. Alchemy was incredibly complex. Even though the twins managed to study different parts of a textbook simultaneously, they were still progressing slowly, despite their quick learning pace.
"I borrowed them for a bit, since I had something to ask them as well."
Wood clearly wanted to say, "I'll be done in five minutes, just give me a moment," but in the end, he didn't speak.
"You're a lifesaver, Captain!"
"You don't know how crazy Wood has been this year because of the World Cup!"
"Besides the regular training, this guy's been pushing for extra practice."
"Angelina's starting to get irregular periods."
"Why do you know that, Fred?"
George glared at Fred with a murderous look, viciously grabbing him by the neck.
"I'm not a single guy anymore, George. But you're still a little baby," Fred grinned, baring his teeth, and ruffled George's hair. But the next second, George had him pinned in a headlock, pummeling him with a flurry of punches.
"You won't even let Angelina introduce me to her friend!" George's anger flared, and he started beating Fred even harder, causing Fred to yelp in pain.
"Fine! Fine! I'll do it! I'll tell her when I get back!"
Realizing he had no way out, Fred reluctantly gave in. He had been planning to tease George for a bit longer and take a jab at him, like making him do something annoying, like taking responsibility for a year's worth of stinky socks. But that plan was clearly out the window now.
Laughing and joking, the twins and Harry found a quiet corner of the room, far from the fireplace and tables. It was typically a spot where couples would whisper sweet nothings, but it was still early, and there wasn't a soul in sight for a good three or four meters around.
"So, what's up, Captain?"
"Did you run out of whiskey? We know a few secret passageways to Hogsmeade. We can get there and back in under an hour, super convenient."
"It's in the middle of the fourth-floor corridor, by a hunched, one-eyed witch statue."
"The password is 'left and right apart,' but don't actually pull the trigger. Just tap the barrel with the muzzle."
The twins didn't hold back with Harry; these small things didn't need to be kept secret from him.
"No need for that. There's still a little left, and Madam Rosmerta doesn't have any aged stock. I ordered it all when the term started. She wrote to say it'll take a month or two to get me some vintage stuff."
"She's gonna love you for that," Fred said, giving a mischievous wink.
"Madam Rosmerta really is wow~" George added with a sly grin.
As the best pub in Hogsmeade, The Three Broomsticks' owner, Madam Rosmerta, had earned quite the reputation. She was a woman of many labels—young, married, wealthy, and even a single lady without kids. At twenty-seven or twenty-eight, she was in that delicate age where she was neither too young nor too old, with a well-maintained appearance that turned heads and a body that seemed to defy time.
"Don't even think about asking me for discounts just because I became the boss," Harry rolled his eyes at the twins. "Be careful, though. If you push me too far, I'll give you a super-double charge. You'll end up selling your underwear on the street and doing a striptease for a drink you can't afford."
"Now that's exciting!"
With mischievous grins, the twins high-fived each other, looking like they might actually be tempted.
"Alright, enough nonsense. I need to borrow something from you."
"As long as it's not your virginity."
"Go ahead, take whatever you need, Captain."
"Get lost, I need the Marauder's Map for a while. I have a use for it."
"You actually know?" Fred and George gaped at him in shock. "We never told anyone!"
"Bigfoot, the pitchfork, the moon-face, the worm-tail—the bigfoot is my godfather, Sirius, the pitchfork is my father, the moon-face is Professor Lupin. Now do you get it?"
"Oh, so that's how it is… wait!"
"Your father is the pitchfork? And Lupin's involved?"
The twins exchanged glances, their faces twitching, torn between laughing, crying, or getting too excited.
"I overheard Professor Lupin talking about their old tricks at Hogwarts. Didn't you two sneak around with that parchment last year? I saw you several times."
"There was nothing sneaky about it! We were just trying to find out who was the culprit behind the Halloween prank on Percy!"
The twins defended themselves but also understood how their secret had been exposed. As relatively new students at Hogwarts, they were aware that many of the secret passages were a bit too outlandish. They had never kept the map a secret from Harry, so it wasn't surprising that he figured it out.
"The Marauder's Map is indeed with us."
"But it's in the dormitory. I'll go get it."
Without a second thought, George stood up and quickly made his way toward their dormitory.
"Can you tell me what you're looking for, Captain?" Fred asked curiously. "Maybe George and I can help. We've practically memorized every secret room on the map. Hogwarts is like our second home."
"The Slytherin Chamber." Harry whispered into Fred's ear.
"The Chamber?" Fred's face lit up with excitement. The twins had always been curious about such things. "Has it appeared on the map?"
"Of course not. But there's someone who can take us there."
"The map's here!" George quickly returned, handing Harry the old, yellowed parchment.
"Thanks, I'll head out now. I'll buy you both drinks this weekend. Let's go see Hagrid."
"Alright, Captain!"
George agreed as Harry turned to leave. As soon as Harry was gone, Fred elbowed George. "Do you know what big, world-shattering secret the Captain just told me?"
Fred gave him a mysterious smile, looking all too pleased with himself.
"Spill it!" George, even though he knew it was probably a trap, bit the bait.
"One semester's worth of smelly socks."
"Not happening! Your feet smell worse than a year-old rotten fish, there's no way I'm putting up with that!"
"A month, at least a month!"
"One sock." George gave Fred a cold smile. "That's the limit of what I can tolerate."
"You still want Angelina to introduce you to her friend?!"
Fred glared at George, his eyes full of threat.
"F*ck!" George muttered under his breath, his face darkening as he nodded. "One week. Any more, and I'll choose to drink a bottle of Snape's potion instead."
"Now that's what I call tough!"
Fred gave George a thumbs-up. Drinking Snape's potion was a decision so extreme, it showed a resolve that couldn't be bargained with.
"Deal!"
(End of Chapter)