A Polite Malfoy

Faced with Draco Malfoy's impotent rage, Amosta remained utterly calm. He shrugged innocently, turned to look at him, and said, "What a pity. I thought you'd find it cute!"

Who would find a creature that was terrifying, dangerous, and ugly all at once cute? Was he insane?!

Malfoy wanted to retort like that, but the Acromantula, which had fantasized countless times about the sweet satisfaction of revenge, did not have the patience to wait for the two of them to finish talking. Seeing the powerful wizard who had imprisoned it carelessly turn his gaze away, it decided this was the perfect chance for a sneak attack!

Whoosh!

The shriek of its enormous, horse-sized body tearing through the air was enough to make one's blood run cold. Malfoy's pupils abruptly contracted. Time seemed to slow at that instant; he slowly opened his mouth and watched helplessly as the hairs on the Acromantula's slender legs came into sharp focus.

Malfoy wanted to warn Amosta, but he suddenly discovered that his lips were moving unbearably slowly. Even if he were crushed into a puddle of flesh by the spider, he might not manage to utter a single word in time!

Just as Malfoy thought he was doomed, Amosta, who seemed utterly unaware, suddenly turned and raised his wand. A faint glow gathered at its tip, and he brought it down in a swift chopping motion, as though splitting firewood. In the room suffused with dim light, a dark wall of light, thin as a cicada's wing, suddenly appeared. Like an incomparably sharp blade, it stood between them, its edge facing the diving Acromantula!

The green light in the spider's eight compound eyes shifted subtly in midair. It seemed to sense the danger and tried to jam its legs into the wall to halt itself.

But unfortunately, it had put too much force into its earlier leap. In its panic, it had no way to resist the immense inertia of its massive body. At the critical moment, it raised its two huge black pincers in front of itself, hoping to lessen the damage.

Splash!

A rain of black sprayed through the air. The spider's body, split cleanly in two down the middle, crashed heavily onto the floor. Green organs, intestines, and bodily fluids spilled everywhere in a messy heap.

Standing behind the milky-white shield Amosta had conjured, Malfoy stared blankly at the spider that had become two separate halves. The gradually weakening click-click sounds from its two huge black pincers sounded in his ears like the dying wails and accusations of a creature on the verge of death. His legs began trembling uncontrollably.

"My apologies, Mr. Malfoy. I made quite a mess of your dormitory, but don't worry. I'll clean it up for you in a moment."

Amosta dispelled the magical shield and apologized. He walked over to the spider's corpse, ignoring the hatred still burning in its emerald compound eyes, and used his fingers to prod at its mouthparts as though searching for something. After a while, he looked disappointed.

"I forgot again. I've already collected its venom... It seems that a lack of food and exercise causes an Acromantula's venom to recover very slowly."

Malfoy's body jerked violently. He shifted his gaze to Amosta, who looked as though he were merely complaining that he had eaten too many biscuits at afternoon tea and therefore had no appetite for dinner. For the first time, Malfoy truly understood what fear was—and what true power was!

"What was that spell?" Malfoy knew his voice was trembling, but he could not control it.

"What?" Amosta had not heard clearly for a moment. He looked up in surprise.

"The spell you just used—the one that killed that beast... that spider."

"Oh!" Amosta lowered his head again and continued searching for any valuable organs. "I haven't named it, Mr. Malfoy. If you'd like, I can give you the naming rights... Hah!"

Amosta rose to his feet in disappointment and walked over to the stone casket. Rather than taking it out immediately, however, he rummaged through the spatial bag he carried with him. A few seconds later, he took out a glass vial containing dark green potion.

Sizzle!

The seemingly ordinary stone casket gave off a plume of foul-smelling white smoke the moment it came into contact with the potion, as though it were scorching hot and had instantly evaporated it.

Noticing Malfoy's body shudder violently again, Amosta kindly explained, "I put a Tracking Charm and a highly poisonous potion on the box. If anyone touches it carelessly, they'll be in serious trouble."

It was already coated in highly poisonous potion, so was there really any need for a Tracking Charm?

Malfoy thought so, but he did not dare ask aloud.

"All right!"

Amosta picked up the stone casket, his tone becoming lighter. He glanced around at the wreckage and gave his wand a forceful wave.

The collapsed bed and the cabinet smashed into splinters leapt back into place piece by piece. Scattered personal belongings returned to their original forms in midair. Feathers flew back into the cushions and bedding, damaged books repaired themselves and jumped neatly back to their original places, and the magical lamps on the ceiling began to emit a faint glow once more. The green blood splattered across the Wizard Robe and sweater turned into wriggling little liquid figures, twisting their hips as they stuffed themselves back into the Acromantula's belly.

Amosta waved his wand again, and the spider's corpse turned into a wisp of smoke and vanished. In the blink of an eye, the dormitory was once again neat and comfortable.

"Well then, thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Malfoy."

Amosta tucked the casket beneath his arm and said cheerfully, "I trust you won't mind keeping today's events a secret, will you?"

Malfoy's expression was stiff as he nodded mechanically. "I'll keep it secret for you... Mr. Breen."

"Thank you!" Amosta nodded politely in thanks, then turned and left without another word.

Draco Malfoy stood motionless beside his bed, staring blankly at his familiar dormitory. Nothing remained to show what had just happened. It all seemed like a dream.

It was not until ten minutes later that something suddenly occurred to him. Color swiftly returned to his deathly pale cheeks, and he bolted from the dormitory. In a few strides, he crossed the spiral staircase and entered the Common Room. Amosta had already left, and the room remained empty. Malfoy ran to the table by the fireplace, where the half-written letter still lay quietly on the tabletop. He snatched it up, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the fireplace.

Amid the rising flames, Malfoy pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment from his bag and bent over the table to write furiously once more...

Night fell. Amosta stood outside a classroom on the third floor that had not been used for many years. Professor McGonagall had arranged this room as his office, and it would also serve as his bedroom during his time working at Hogwarts.

The House-elves had cleaned the place until it was spotless. A pleasant musky scent filled the air, with not the slightest trace of rot or decay.

The room's furnishings were simple. More than half the space was completely empty, with nothing placed there. Only near the innermost wall were there a bed, a desk, a bookshelf, and a wardrobe. Considering that the bitter cold would last another two or three months, the elves had thoughtfully installed a fireplace as well.

Amosta casually shut the door behind him and entered the warmly lit room. Several carved windows directly opposite looked out toward Hagrid's hut and the Forbidden Forest, and the Quidditch pitch was barely visible as well.

The candlestick on the desk gave off a steady glow. Amosta walked over and took out his quill, ink, and other writing supplies, arranging them neatly. He then placed a photograph of himself and Grandma Felena in the upper-right corner of the desk. Amosta looked much younger in the picture; it had been taken at the photography studio across from the orphanage during the summer holiday after his fourth year, before the start of his fifth year.

Neither of them had imagined at the time that it would be their last photograph together.