The Day of the Draw at Hogwarts

"Oh, it was sent from home..." Tom said casually to Padma, "Can I open it and take a look?"

"Of course." Padma nodded.

Harry clenched his fists nervously. He didn't know why this box appeared in Padma's hand. All he wanted now was to knock the box out of Tom's hand, then grab Padma by the collar and ask her why she wanted to harm Tom and Hermione. But seeing Tom's calm look, it was hard for him to have an attack, so he could only stand aside and stare at the box.

Tom was also a little confused. Padma's attempt to get Hermione to touch the cursed necklace was undoubtedly malicious, so why didn't Hermione's anklet sound an alarm?

It couldn't be that Padma and Voldemort happened to use the same packaging box, right?

A guess came to his mind.

The anklet showed no malice, indicating that Padma had no malice at all.

This may seem like nonsense, but it actually means that Padma has no idea that the necklace in the box is cursed.

"You said it was sent to you from your home, can you tell me when it was sent?" Tom showed a strong interest in the box.

"Uh," Padma was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect Tom to ask such a question. She recalled it and said with some uncertainty, "It seems like this morning?"

Harry and Hermione were speechless: Can't you remember this?

No matter how dull they were, they could still notice something was wrong with Padma's state: How could someone not remember when the gift from their family arrived? This is not a long time ago, this is what just happened this morning.

"Who sent it? Your father or your mother?" Tom continued to ask gently.

Padma was speechless.

This time, she herself realized something was wrong.

In her eyes, this necklace was a gift sent to her from her family, but once she was asked about the specific details, she would get stuck.

"This is my dad...no, it's my mom. Wait, that's not right, my mind is a little messed up." Padma held her head in her hands, with a look of pain on her face.

"This is not something sent from your family at all," Harry put his hand on Padma's shoulder and shook her hard, trying to wake her up, "You were bewitched by a horse or someone using magic!"

There was no substantial evidence to convict Malfoy, so Harry changed his story midway.

Hearing what Harry said, Padma was stunned for a moment, and then the expression on her face gradually became vivid. Padma's cognitive barriers were like a thin membrane that disappeared after being pierced.

She looked at the box in Tom's hand and screamed: "I picked up this box in the corridor this morning! I was just curious about what was inside, and planned to open it and take a look before handing it to Professor McGonagall. As soon as I touched the box, my mind became confused! It seemed like a voice was telling me that this was a gift from my family and asked me to take it to Granger to see... so I did. "

At this point, Padma also broke into a cold sweat. If Granger really opens the box and reveals something, he may not be able to get rid of the suspicion.

"Is it the Imperius Curse?" Listening to Padma's description, Harry thought that she might have been under the Imperius Curse and controlled, but Tom shook his head.

"The Soul-Seizing Curse is not that easy to remove. I think it is a Confusion Curse. This spell can be easily seen through by outsiders, but you often don't realize the logical problems on your own, and it is much more difficult to cast a Confusion Curse. The Imperius Curse should be low."

Several acknowledged the possibility.

"Who cast a confusion spell on me?" Padma's slender eyebrows raised, her eyes flashing with anger. She vowed to find this man and teach him an unforgettable lesson.

"I suspect it's Draco Malfoy." Harry finally revealed his suspicion.

"Malfoy? I haven't offended him, haven't I?" Padma couldn't help but be startled when she heard the name. She usually had no interaction with Malfoy, so why would he harm her?

"Sometimes you just have bad luck." Tom put the box in his trouser pocket and led a few people towards the direction of the principal's office.

It is still a bit difficult to find someone in such a huge castle, but if Dumbledore gives the order, it will be much more efficient.

Dumbledore was speechless when he saw Tom again: Yodel was the most diligent student he had ever seen running to the principal's office. Other students, even though Dumbledore was an amiable old man, stayed away from him. Normally I can't wait to walk around the principal's office, let alone run inside every two days.

However, after meeting Padma, a rare visitor, Dumbledore vaguely sensed something was wrong.

Padma was so nervous when she first entered the principal's office that she didn't even know where to put her hands, but Dumbledore took the initiative to ease her mood.

"Miss Patil? I didn't expect to see you here today? Would you like some finger cakes? I didn't see you in the auditorium just now."

In just two sentences, the tension in Padma's heart melted away, and she had the illusion that she was visiting the grandpa's house next door.

"Thank you, if you can..." She actually hid in the corner holding a plate of maple finger cakes.

"Professor, look - don't touch the contents inside, little one." Tom handed the wooden box to Dumbledore, reminding him that the contents inside were cursed. It would only be funny if Dumbledore accidentally touched the necklace and was cursed. What Voldemort was thinking about and unfinished, Tom completed for him...

Dumbledore very carefully opened the lid of the box with the tip of his wand, and saw the gold necklace inside. His expression became solemn, because he could clearly feel the magic contained in the necklace. This necklace can easily take the life of a student!

"Where did it come from?" He stared at Tom with burning eyes.

After hearing the whole story, Dumbledore turned to look at the portrait on the wall. At this time, the previous principals of Hogwarts had already woken up, and what Tom told them made them very angry.

It's really shocking that someone brought such a dangerous item into the campus and used a confusion spell to instigate classmates to use the necklace to harm others.

"This is a disgrace to Slytherin House!" the principal named Phineas roared extremely angrily, because he saw something different in the eyes of the other principals.

"This is an example. Please don't prejudice all Slytherin teachers and students because of this individual behavior..."

"Hmph, everyone should be wary of the negative impact that a large number of routine actions will have on Slytherin House." A principal sneered unceremoniously, causing Phineas's face to turn the color of pig liver.

"Well, there is no definite evidence yet," Dumbledore said, suppressing the dispute among the previous principals. He asked the principals to search for Malfoy in the portraits in every corner of the school, and also invited Snape along.

The principals agreed with a bang and quickly disappeared into their respective portrait frames.

After a while, the office door was pushed open, and Snape strode in with a gloomy expression. Also brought in by him was the suspect Draco Malfoy.

There are no surveillance cameras used by Muggles in Hogwarts Castle, but every portrait can actually have a surveillance effect. It's easy to find out people's whereabouts from them.

That's how Snape found Malfoy without any trouble and brought him to the Headmaster's office.

"Pull up his sleeves." Dumbledore looked at Snape, who silently pulled Malfoy aside and lifted up the cuffs of his robe.

During this process, Malfoy seemed to have resigned himself to his fate. Malfoy said nothing from beginning to end and just suffered in silence.

When the bright red Dark Mark was exposed to everyone's view, a hint of joy appeared on Harry's face, and Dumbledore sighed. After what they imagined came true, their reactions were completely opposite. Harry rejoiced that his old enemy was about to suffer, Dumbledore was saddened by the fall of a soul.

"Draco, you joined the Death Eaters after all." Looking at the Dark Mark on Malfoy's arm, Snape felt a little uncomfortable. The Death Eaters were by no means a good organization and he would have been opposed to Draco joining it if possible.

It's just that many times the development of things does not change according to human will.

"Aren't you the same?" Malfoy showed a sarcastic smile and looked at Snape.

Snape was silent.

"Malfoy, did you bring this box into Hogwarts?" Harry couldn't suppress the throbbing in his heart and walked up to Malfoy and asked sharply.

Malfoy looked at Harry with dull eyes and refused to answer his question.

"We can use Veritaserum." Snape gave his own suggestion. He keeps a small supply of Veritaserum in his office for those critical moments.

"Maybe we have other ways." Dumbledore looked at Malfoy's expression thoughtfully. He walked over to Malfoy and tried to use an anti-Imperius Curse.

Malfoy's eyes regained their vitality, and when he saw the people in the room clearly, his face suddenly turned pale.

Good news: the Imperius Curse has been lifted.

Bad news: Dumbledore solved it.

"Professor..." Malfoy opened his mouth, but his tone was full of bitterness. He didn't know how to explain it.

In the past, he should have called his father to come and give him peace, but now he no longer has his father's protection. At this moment, Malfoy suddenly felt so powerless.

It turns out that without my father, I am nothing.

But thinking of Lucius in custody, Malfoy felt a sense of fighting spirit in his heart: He must not be sent to Azkaban or expelled from Hogwarts, otherwise who would save his father?

So he plucked up the courage and said to Dumbledore: "I am controlled by the Imperius Curse, and I don't want to do this!"

Malfoy's words were more like forced quibbles. Because although the Imperius Curse can be lifted, there is currently no reliable way in the magic world to tell whether a person is controlled by the Imperius Curse or whether it comes from the heart. This is also the reason why a large number of Death Eaters were able to get away with it after the war.

After Malfoy said this, he felt extremely uneasy. He knew he was telling the truth, but it was hard to say whether Dumbledore believed it or not. His family's reputation has never been very good with Dumbledore.

Will he take the opportunity to convict himself and expel himself from Hogwarts? During the brief silence, Malfoy began to think wildly.

"I believe you." Dumbledore said softly. His voice was soft, but it sounded like thunder in Malfoy's ears.

"Professor!" He raised his head and choked with sobs.

In the past, he always ridiculed Dumbledore for being pedantic and always mercifully gave people a second chance. Only now did he realize the value of this kind of character.

Maybe when he left the principal's office and returned to Slytherin House to calm down for a few days, he would put this idea out of his mind, but now he was truly grateful to Dumbledore.

Seeing that Dumbledore actually let Malfoy go, Harry was a little impatient. He wanted to say something, but Hermione behind him pulled his sleeve in time to calm him down.

Dumbledore naturally had his reasons for doing things.

Harry fell silent.

Malfoy began to tell his experience bit by bit.

After listening to Malfoy's confession, Dumbledore looked at him with his lake-blue eyes. He didn't speak until Malfoy became a little uneasy.

"I can understand your feelings about saving your father, and I can assure you that Lucius will get a fair trial."

Malfoy's face twitched: What's the difference between this and putting his father in Azkaban? Doesn't he know what his father did?

"I believe you are all tired, so go back and rest first." Dumbledore waved his hand and ordered everyone in the room to be kicked out.

"Draco, I hope you won't be confused next time. I appreciate your courage to resist Bellatrix, and I hope you can keep this courage."

It's hard to say whether Malfoy listened to Dumbledore's teachings, but there is no doubt that he didn't have the courage to take on Bella's mission.

"How could he spare that guy? In my opinion, that was obviously sophistry!" Harry walked out of the office with an indignant look on his face. He really couldn't understand why Dumbledore would let Malfoy go so easily. At this time Padma, Draco and Snape had separated from them, leaving only Tom, Hermione and Harry walking in the corridor.

"Because it is indeed impossible to prove that Malfoy wanted to assassinate us, and his confession is also very valuable." As the target of the assassination, Hermione spoke up for Malfoy.

Regarding the Death Eaters targeting Hermione, Tom did not want to discuss it for the time being. He was more concerned about the content of Malfoy's confession.

"Malfoy didn't mention You-Know-Who, did he?" he said softly.

Harry and Hermione frowned at the same time.

"Is he lying?" Harry's first reaction was that Malfoy was hiding something.

Tom shook his head, preferring another possibility than that Malfoy had lied.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Harry understood Tom's eyes, so he was furious.

"You really need to learn Occlumency, Harry." Tom sighed.

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Two in one, four thousand words, good night~