CHAPTER 41

In the study, the wood and stone finish of which spoke of the owner's wealth, two wizards were sitting at the table, seemingly opposites of each other. It was already night outside the window, and the tiny lights of the stars gave almost no light. Only a couple of dim lamps illuminated the study. The gloomy Potions professor, Severus Snape, all in black, with black hair that seemed greasy due to special products. His interlocutor, a platinum long-haired blond, a famous philanthropist, in the recent past the head of the Hogwarts Board of Governors, and simply a rich man—Lucius Malfoy.

Both wizards sat with elegant glasses of Firewhisky in their hands, engaging in a casual conversation about the transience of life and various twists and turns.

"How is my son, Severus?" Lucius finally asked the question for which his old friend—and concurrently the Head of Slytherin House—had been invited.

"Mediocre, Lucius," the Potions Master replied dryly. "I've told you more than once that he's not fit to be a leader."

"And I've told you more than once that even if he's only a fictitious leader, public for the others," Lucius smiled weakly, his steel-colored eyes flashing, "the others will eventually get used to seeing him there. Hogwarts is the perfect time for that."

"And yet," Severus took a small sip of the strong drink, allowing these drops to give every note of taste, "I am forced to once again emphasize his shortcomings, which you, as a father, are simply obliged to work on."

"If you please. It's unlikely that you'll say anything new. And Draco is too stubborn and cowardly. As soon as it smells of punishment, he immediately pretends that he's learned his lesson."

"And you buy into it."

"Both me and Narcissa. Every time we think that now Draco will do everything right. And what about the result?"

"As Antonin used to say: 'This has never happened before, and here it is again,'" Severus covered his grin with his glass.

"Exactly," Lucius did the same. "So what about his negative qualities? And has he gotten involved in another adventure?"

"As always, he is stubborn, inconsistent, his actions are stupid and short-sighted, and his attempts at intrigue are not just not thought out a couple of steps ahead—they take him back."

"Predictable," Lucius nodded. "I'll think about educational activities during the Christmas holidays. Any new conflicts?"

"You don't even doubt Draco's ability to find these conflicts?"

"His lack of restraint will one day play a cruel joke on him. I want this lesson to happen at Hogwarts, under the supervision of Madam Pomfrey and in relative safety."

"Hmm…" Severus took another sip, settling himself more comfortably in his chair. "A new student, a third-year—Hermione Granger's brother."

"Yes, I remember. You seemed to mention several times about a sick boy who was lying in the hospital wing of Hogwarts."

"Draco managed to create a conflict with him on the very first day. A conflict with a Hufflepuff, Lucius. The brother of the Boy-Who-Lived's friend. In response, this boy made fun of your son very sarcastically. Draco did not like this, and he decided to catch him and teach him a lesson."

"Judging by your tone, nothing worked. But knowing you, you probably made the boy look guilty, right?"

"The procedure has been perfected over years of practice, Lucius. That's what Slughorn did, that's what I did, that's what I'm going to do. But this boy has fooled everyone."

A spark of interest appeared in Lucius's eyes, and even the smirk on his face betrayed this interest.

"Go on," the blond nodded.

"By some magic trick, he made Draco and his comrades think that instead of their comrades, they were being attacked by this Hector and his classmate. Lucius, they simply hexed each other, sincerely believing that they were casting a spell on Granger. Moreover, during what was happening, this boy acted in such a way that he could honestly say that he was not involved in anything. Honestly silent. Clean. At all. Even the wand."

"And you didn't guess?"

"I figured it out, but not right away. It was too late to change anything. By the way, I wanted to ask you. Weren't you the one who advised Draco to get injured so he wouldn't play Quidditch while the school was overrun with Dementors?"

"Not exactly. I just told him before leaving that this was one of the options."

"And, as usual, asked to arrange some kind of sabotage in Hagrid's lesson. You knew who the Care teacher would be, right?"

"Of course I knew, Severus…"

Lucius got tired of sitting in the chair and, standing up, walked over to the window, holding a glass of Firewhisky in his hand.

"I may not be on the Board of Governors anymore, but the connections are still there. Of course, I asked Draco to disrupt this forester's lesson if possible, but in such a way that the forester would be the one to blame."

"Congratulations, Lucius. Your undoubtedly brilliant son decided to put himself under the claws of a Hippogriff."

"Nonsense," Lucius said dismissively. "Draco knows how to handle them and how to expose himself safely. A Hippogriff will never strike too hard the first time. A scratch, yes. Not a bad idea, if you don't mind a little pain. Did it work? It was supposed to be today, wasn't it?"

"Yes, today, and no, it didn't work out," Severus also got up from his chair and went to the same window, looking at the night fields around the manor. "Granger ruined the show. Moreover, he put all the facts together on the fly, assumed everything, and in the Slytherin manner dumped a bucket of this slop on Draco."

"Let me guess. My son made a displeased face, lifted his head proudly, uttered a curse word, and ran away in an uncontrollable manner. Right?"

"Exactly, Lucius. He's losing even his imaginary authority. What's worse is that he constantly and in front of everyone threatens to 'write to Papa,' and he'll sort it out. With the Mudblood, Lucius."

The two wizards stared out the window for a few seconds, Lucius turning to the sullen Severus with a questioning look in his eyes.

"You don't really think I'm going to do anything about it, do you? School is school. Let him make his own mistakes. But you can help him. Give him some advice, and if anything happens, cover for him. Your plan, as a grown-up and experienced Slytherin, should be successful."

"Lucius, I'm tired. I have a whole house of these… narrow-minded kids with an inflated sense of self-importance. You're the father, so you advise him. And I'll cover for you. And that's enough about the students. I have the dubious pleasure of solving their problems every day and even night. Better tell me—is there any progress with the Minister?"

"Fudge is a stupid, cowardly idiot."