Hermione almost brazenly handed Harry another crystal ball.
The Death Eaters narrowed their eyes as they watched. They had no way of knowing whether the Prophecy Orb Potter had taken this time was real.
"What a clever little girl."
Bellatrix licked her lips and stared at Hermione with malicious intent as she said to those beside her,
"When we catch her, hand her over to me. I'll make him watch as I torture her!"
Harry stepped in front of Hermione and murmured,
"The shelves."
Hermione gave an almost imperceptible nod.
"Well, I suppose there's no harm in telling you just how extraordinary the Dark Lord's wisdom is."
Harry had assumed Malfoy would not be kind enough to explain, but after a long silence, Malfoy truly spoke.
"The Battle of Diagon Alley."
"What does that have to do with the battle where you were utterly defeated?"
Harry asked expressionlessly.
"You recklessly rushed onto the battlefield to help Sirius Black, didn't you? You feared he would die. You worried about him even more than you worried about your own life."
Lucius said softly.
"So what?"
"Oh, hahahaha!"
Bellatrix shrieked amid piercing laughter,
"Stupid baby Potter, you made the Dark Lord realize just how important that Black family traitor was to you. If anything happened to him, you would definitely come to save him at any cost!"
Harry pressed his lips together, his face darkening.
"And the final scene of the Battle of Diagon Alley—"
Malfoy studied Harry with probing eyes and spoke slowly,
"You escaped the Dark Lord's magic through sheer luck. In a way no one could have anticipated, and that made the Dark Lord begin to think seriously. Perhaps your scar means there is some deeper connection between you and him."
Harry's heart skipped a beat.
So, after the Battle