Owl Court Club activity room.
"He's not right." Harry looked at the Snape card Ron had played, then casually drew an Umbridge card. "He saw me, but he... went easy on me. That's not like him."
Umbridge's appearance made Ron hold his breath. "He? Who?"
"Malfoy."
Ron gave an "Oh," frowning as he stared at the cards in his hand.
Sure enough, no matter who it was, even Snape, anyone standing beside Umbridge instantly looked far more pleasing to the eye.
"Ron? Are you even listening to me?"
"Sorry, Harry." Ron tentatively played a Golden Cauldron card, increasing his Snape's strength by 2 points. "You were talking about Malfoy? What happened to him?"
Harry helplessly laid his cards facedown on the table. "Didn't you notice how strange this morning's match was? Half the Slytherin players were listless, especially Malfoy. He didn't provoke us, didn't resort to every trick he could to interfere with us, and after the match, he ignored his captain's complaints and went back to the castle alone."
Ron hesitated. "Maybe he finally realized he's a complete waste of space? That's a good thing, Harry. We won't have to worry about him stabbing us in the back anymore."
Harry shook his head. "No, it's not that."
The scene of running into the Malfoys in Diagon Alley before school began surfaced in his mind.
Lucius had worn an unprecedentedly gloomy, cautious expression. Narcissa had clutched her son's arm tightly, while Draco had looked even paler than he did now. Like a startled rabbit, he had glanced at Harry before quickly looking away.
Draco—or rather, the Malfoy family—must have encountered something.
Harry's eyes widened abruptly, and he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Ron, Professor Dumbledore injured him. Do you think he went back to Malfoy Manor to recover?"
Ron's