Asking for a Beating

"What happened to him?"

"Looks like he fell down the stairs."

"Someone pushed him?"

"He probably missed a step and fell in himself."

"What terrible luck."

"He totally deserved it."

"Bet he's done too many bad things and someone finally got revenge."

Whispers rose all around, yet not a single student was willing to offer Malfoy a Helping Hand. They simply watched his miserable state with undisguised delight.

Draco Malfoy scrambled up from the stairs in a sorry state, his face still filled with unconcealed confusion and pain. He could not understand how he had forgotten to skip the trick step and stepped right into it. His right leg seemed to be sprained, and the pain was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

While everyone nearby was focused on Malfoy's misfortune, Albert merely glanced at him before quietly turning and leaving.

That was right. Malfoy's fall down the stairs did have something to do with Albert.

Just moments ago, Albert had secretly erased a small portion of Malfoy's memory. He had also casually cast a Confundus Charm on him to distract him.

The Confundus Charm had worked quite well. Malfoy had even fallen because of it.

Albert genuinely felt no pressure about causing Malfoy a little trouble. He would swear on his life that the Ministry of Magic's sudden change to the appeal schedule had something to do with the elder Malfoy.

Albert was not surprised by this. The Ministry of Magic had an awful reputation in his mind, and it had not started doing things like this yesterday.

Fortunately, Albert had made preparations weeks in advance. Otherwise, the sudden change might really have caught him off guard.

People always said plans could not keep up with changes, but someone who was prepared would never fear any challenge, no