It wasn’t just Lucius—Narcissa also sat up unsteadily on the bed.
She never could have imagined that one day, the Dark Mark would be branded onto her son’s arm.
“Lucius Malfoy!”
Narcissa gritted her teeth and lifted her head to glare at Lucius.
Hearing his wife call his full na so formally, Lucius felt his heart skip a beat.
Damn it…
Everyone knows that when you get called by your full na, it’s never a good sign...
Quickly, he diverted the topic, shifting the pressure onto Draco.
“Draco, tell us in detail—how did you end up with the Dark Mark on your arm?”
Draco, already stunned by his parents’ reaction, felt his throat tighten before bursting into tears.
“Lucius!” Narcissa growled. “You’ve scared our little dragon!”
For a fleeting mont, Lucius wore a mask of pure agony. Seriously? At a ti like this, Cissy, you’re still shielding him?!
But there was no helping it. Lucius could only soften his tone slightly.
“Speak, Draco. Tell us how that—Dark Mark—ca to be.”
Draco sniffled and hesitantly asked, “Dark Mark?”
“Yes, it’s called the Dark Mark, little dragon,” Narcissa said gently, her voice soft and soothing. “You need to be honest with us so we can help you.”
Lucius remained expressionless as he stared at his son. Only when his wife tugged at his sleeve twice did he let out a reluctant grunt of acknowledgnt.
His gaze at Draco, however, carried a hint of disdain.
Draco hiccuped before slowly recounting what had happened.
“I… Over Christmas, I found an old notebook at ho. The na written inside was C.C. Malfoy. I thought it belonged to our ancestor, Cassandra Malfoy, so I started examining it closely. Then I discovered that the diary could… respond to . Whenever I wrote in it, it would answer back, as if it had a mind of its own.”
“It told that it was actually Cassandra Malfoy, but to avoid suspicion, it had adopted a pseudonym—rope…”
“After that, I kept communicating with her. Then one day, she appeared before —as a transparent spectral figure. She was stunning, with black hair and red eyes…”
“And you just believed her?!” Lucius slamd his hand against the bed, producing a heavy thud.
“She… she said it was because of dark magic—that’s why her hair had turned black…” Draco muttered guiltily.
“She said it, so you believed her?!” Lucius felt there was no saving his foolish son.
“I… I…” Draco stamred, unable to justify himself.
“Keep going,” Narcissa instructed firmly.
Draco nodded and continued narrating the so-called “rope’s” grand exploits.
“She kept using to get close to Slytherin students, absorbing their life force to sustain herself. She even shared so of that energy with , which drastically improved my spellcasting ability… I heard from Potter that this kind of magic actually drains one’s lifespan…”
“This is dark magic—pure evil!” Narcissa gasped. “That ans I can be sure… It has to be him… It has to be him…”
“Who?” Draco swallowed hard.
Lucius raised his head, fell silent for a mont, and then spoke with difficulty: “The Dark Lord.”
Truthfully, he didn’t want to believe it himself. The master he had sworn loyalty to… had resorted to such desperate asures…
To cling to life, he had resorted to deceiving children…
And not just deceiving children—the most unacceptable part was that the Dark Lord… had dressed as a woman!
This was beyond shaless!
Lucius began to question himself—what in rlin’s na had he been following all these years?!
“The Dark…”
Draco’s teacup slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.
“The Dark Lord?!” he asked in disbelief.
“Yes. No one else would use such sinister magic, and no one else could have branded the Dark Mark onto your arm…” Lucius sighed deeply.
That sigh was not just for his son’s misfortune, but also for his own past blindness…
“Then… could it have been Potter?” Draco asked doubtfully.
“Potter?” Lucius raised an eyebrow. “Which Potter?”
“Harry Potter,” Draco clarified before elaborating. “I thought this power was formidable, so I challenged him to a duel to regain my dignity. But… I lost to him again. That’s when he told to roll up my sleeve—he was the one who pointed out the Dark Mark to … Could it be that he’s the one who put it there?”
Lucius looked at his son with a mixture of disgust and disappointnt before shaking his head. “Impossible. The Dark Mark is an exclusive enchantnt of the Dark Lord himself. No one else can brand it onto another.”
“I see…” Draco murmured, realization dawning on him.
“Besides,” Lucius scoffed, “Potter is the so-called ‘Savior of the Wizarding World.’ The idea that he would… No, absolutely not.”
Lucius would sooner believe that the British would stop eating fish and chips for ten years than believe that Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter could ever be working together.
"But, Potter?" Narcissa lifted her head. "Since it was this Mr. Potter who pointed out the Dark Mark on your arm, why don't you invite him to the manor as a guest? Have you forgotten your manners, Draco?"
"He—he's absolutely unbearable!" Draco hesitated, then decided to tell his mother the full story of his encounters with Potter at school.
He detailed everything, leaving nothing out—including how Potter bullied his classmates and insulted Hermione.
"Mr. Potter was right—you do need to be properly disciplined!"
Lucius spoke coldly, "No matter what, we must not lose our dignity. And you… you have utterly disgraced us!"
Draco opened his mouth, but he had to admit that his father was right.
"But… a first-year student is already this powerful?" Narcissa, however, was more concerned about Harry’s magical abilities. "Even the Dark Lord, in his first year, did not have such strength…"
"He is the Boy Who Lived, after all," Lucius replied. "It’s only natural that he would be a bit stronger than others."
Draco thought about it. If "a bit" ant spanning the distance between Malfoy Manor and Hogwarts, then sure, that was reasonable.
"But, Father…" Draco lowered his voice. "That Potter… he told that he is the Harry Potter from a hundred years ago. That’s why he’s so strong."
Hearing Draco's words, Narcissa and Lucius exchanged glances and both shook their heads.
The way they looked at Draco was as if they were looking at a fool.
"Silly Draco, how could that be possible?" Narcissa said gently. "Even the Dark Lord could not escape the grasp of ti..."
"But he…" Draco still wanted to believe that Harry was indeed the legendary wizard from a century ago.
Because, frankly, losing to an ordinary first-year student three tis was one thing—but losing to a legendary wizard three tis? That was entirely different!
Losing to the latter ant he could at least boast: I lost to the Harry Potter from a hundred years ago! Not embarrassing at all! If you don’t believe it, go ahead and try!
"That is not the point, Draco." Lucius snorted, tapping the serpent head of his cane against Draco’s sleeve, pulling it back to reveal his wrist. "What matters is how to remove that Dark Mark from your arm!"
Narcissa fell silent for a mont before speaking. "Lucius, I think we should ask Severus for help. After all, back in school, you did look after him quite a bit…"
Lucius glanced at Narcissa.
Hmm…
That was… not unreasonable.
"Very well. I shall have Dobby fetch him imdiately," Lucius said solemnly.
He strode into the parlor, summoned Dobby, and had him bring parchnt and quill. He then penned an eloquent letter—one that masterfully wove together their shared history as Slytherins, the bonds between the Board of Governors and the faculty, and a genuine plea for assistance.
After a final review, Lucius carefully sealed the letter in an envelope and handed it to Dobby, instructing the elf to deliver it via Apparition.
Once Dobby had departed, Lucius sternly forbade Draco from ntioning anything about Harry being the Harry Potter from a century ago in Severus Snape’s presence.
As he issued the warning, Lucius couldn’t help but sigh—what a disgrace to the family…
Getting tricked by the Dark Lord disguised as a woman was bad enough. But if word got out that his son had been completely hoodwinked by Potter, the Malfoy family’s reputation would be in ruins!
--
In a small house on Spinner’s End, Professor Snape, exhausted from a long day, was just about to retire for the night when he heard a knock at the door.
He narrowed his eyes, walked to the entrance, and opened it.
It was Dobby. Snape recognized him imdiately as the Malfoys' house-elf.
"Professor Snape, Master has sent you this letter." Dobby held out the envelope with both hands.
Snape let out a soft huff through his nose before tearing open the letter.
As his eyes scanned the contents, his expression darkened.
A Dark Mark… appearing on a student in Slytherin?
"Take to Malfoy Manor!"
Ti was of the essence. Snape did not bother with Floo Powder but opted instead to have Dobby Apparate him directly.
A fully grown house-elf possessed considerable magical power—Apparating with an adult wizard posed no challenge at all.
In the blink of an eye, Snape arrived at Malfoy Manor.
His black robes billowed as he walked, giving him the appearance of a looming bat.
At the entrance, Lucius and Narcissa were already waiting as their esteed guest arrived.
Seeing Severus, Lucius stepped forward with a sincere smile.
"Severus, it has been too long."
There was an old saying: One does not strike a smiling face. And besides, Lucius had once been a senior whom Snape owed so gratitude. So, Snape returned a slight smile.
"Good evening, Lucius. I have read the letter—so you say a Dark Mark has appeared… in Slytherin House?"
For once, Snape did not drawl his words.
This was, after all, a matter concerning his own House. He had no choice but to take it seriously.
Even if most Slytherin students had the intelligence of trolls, that did not stop the old professor from feeling a sliver of concern for them.
"It’s a long story. Let’s discuss it inside," Lucius said.
Once inside, Lucius summoned Draco to the parlor, shooting him a warning look as he did.
The aning was clear: If you dare spout nonsense about Potter, be prepared for a slap from your father right here and now.
Draco, being the self-preserving sort, imdiately understood. Obediently, he approached Snape.
"Roll up your sleeve," Lucius commanded.
Draco complied, exposing the Dark Mark on his arm.
Upon seeing the mark, Snape’s eyes sharpened. He leaned in, scrutinizing it carefully before speaking in a slow, deliberate voice:
"This is indeed the Dark Lord’s mark… Just what exactly happened?"
Draco dared not lie. Carefully omitting Harry’s involvent, he relayed the rest of the story to Snape in precise detail.
After listening, Snape imdiately understood why so many students in Slytherin had been experiencing extre drowsiness, why so many seed dazed, and—most concerning—why their spellwork had suddenly improved at an alarming rate.
---
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