Malfoy: Please, I'll Do Anything

Rhine's voice carried a convincing power.

At a loss, Harry almost instinctively obeyed Rhine and firmly shut the compartment door.

But immediately afterward, Harry began to regret it and feel uneasy.

Ron was tall and thin, but either Crabbe or Goyle was far sturdier than him.

Harry himself was even less able to take a beating. He was so skinny; although nimble, there was no room to dodge in such a cramped space once the compartment door was shut.

As for Rhine and Hermione, one was a Literary Giant and the other was a girl. Harry did not think either of them looked like a skilled fighter.

"Fine, looks like it's up to Ron and me."

"At worst, we'll get beaten up. I've taken plenty of beatings from Dudley anyway, and they don't look like they've trained in boxing like Dudley has."

Those thoughts flashed through Harry's mind.

He tried not to let any fear show in his eyes and fixed Malfoy and the others with a hard stare.

At that moment, a flicker of panic flashed through Malfoy's eyes as well.

What was with shutting the compartment door?

Were they really going to fight?

Fuck, I've never fought before. I just got my hair done today—what if they mess it up?

But Malfoy quickly came to his senses.

I have my generals Crabbe and Goyle. What do I have to fear?

A malicious expression appeared on his face.

"Crabbe, Goyle, get them!"

"Since that Muggle-born Mudblood dared to shut the compartment door, teach him a lesson."

The moment Malfoy uttered the slur "Mudblood," Ron's eyes went red, and he lunged forward to take a swing at Malfoy.

"I won't let you say such a filthy word, and I definitely won't let you insult my friends like that!"

Though Harry did not know what Mudblood meant, Ron's words made him realize that it must be an exceptionally vicious insult in the wizarding world. He rolled up his sleeves as well, fury churning in his eyes.

But just then, both Ron and Harry were caught by an unseen force. Before they knew what had happened, they were lightly set back down in their seats.

The next moment, Rhine stood up.

Harry and Ron then witnessed a sight they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

Rhine stretched out his hand and pressed it toward the tall, burly Crabbe and Goyle.

They tried to resist, but in an instant, both were slammed heavily to the floor. Their vision went black, and they stopped moving.

Malfoy froze for a moment, then instinctively waved his wand.

But his wand only spat out a spray of sparks before Rhine snatched it away and tossed it aside, leaving it useless.

Rhine pressed a hand against Malfoy's head and gave him a resounding slap. Half of Malfoy's face immediately swelled red at a visible rate.

After a burst of pain, Malfoy let out a shrill, furious cry.

"You dare hit me?"

"Do you know who I am?"

"My father is a member of the Hogwarts Board! I'll have him expel all of you!"

Hermione, Harry, and Ron all went pale at Malfoy's threat.

After all, they were only children. The school board carried enormous weight in their minds.

If they were expelled, they did not even know what they would do.

Rhine, however, revealed a strange smile.

"Your father is only one member of the board. He alone does not get to decide who is expelled."

"Besides, if you really want to make a big deal out of this, I'd be more than happy to oblige."

"You can take this to the Hogwarts Board and beg your father to find a way to expel us. We, on the other hand, will take it to the Ministry of Magic and the Daily Prophet, so the entire wizarding world knows what happened."

Malfoy was stunned, unable to understand what Rhine meant.

"What does this have to do with the Ministry of Magic or the Daily Prophet?"

Rhine grinned.

"Didn't you see the news about Diagon Alley and Gringotts?"

"The Ministry's Aurors are hunting like mad for the Dark Wizard responsible for the Gringotts Incident, while the Daily Prophet's reporters are like dogs chasing a bone. So many wizards across the wizarding world are eagerly waiting for the culprit to be caught."

"Now then, at a time like this, the heir to the Malfoy family—oh, right, that Malfoy family which once sided with the Dark Lord, then claimed they had been under the Imperius Curse to avoid prison—brings his lackeys to the compartment of two Muggle-born young wizards, a wizard from a pure-blood family with an unimpeachable record of opposing the Dark Lord, and the Savior."

"They shut the door, hurl insults, and attempt violence."

"Incidentally, Hermione and I were firsthand witnesses to the Gringotts Incident. Director Scrimgeour warmly praised us for having the potential to become Aurors."

"The clues we provided are important to the investigation into the Gringotts Incident. Now, Hermione and I both feel that your words reveal the Malfoy family's contempt for half-blood and Muggle-born wizards, as well as the possibility that you might launch an attack."

"Add to that the Malfoy family's history of siding with the Dark Lord, and the Gringotts Incident may very well be connected to your family!"

The color drained from Malfoy's face. He turned pale, and his lips trembled.

"You're talking nonsense."

Rhine said teasingly, "You know better than I do what your family has to do with Dark Magic and Dark Wizards."

"You'd better make sure your father really could not have done such a thing before you say that."

"But I'd wager your home still contains a great many Dark Magic items. Who knows? They might even be the tools used in the crime. Perhaps the Ministry of Magic could find some clues if they investigated."

"And then what would happen to your father? Would he be sent to prison? What was the wizarding prison called again?"

"It seemed to be—Azkaban?"

The name Azkaban utterly terrified Malfoy.

He truly was not sure whether his father had nothing to do with the Gringotts Incident.

The newspapers said it had been carried out by an immensely powerful Dark Wizard with pure-blood supremacist ideals. His father fit that description perfectly.

If his father really were arrested and sent to Azkaban...

Malfoy was still only a child. The mere thought of that possibility left him utterly panicked.

"No!"

He pressed his lips together, pleading filling his eyes.

"I apologize to you. Don't take this to the Ministry of Magic!"

"Please, as long as you don't do that, I'll do anything!"

Rhine smiled like a fox.

"Really?"

Draco Malfoy nodded frantically and begged, "Really. I won't tell my father. I'll pretend none of this ever happened. You can slap me again if you want, just don't tell the Ministry of Magic!"

Rhine took out a sheet of paper and casually wrote a line on it.

"No, no, no. I'm a very reasonable person."

"Here, sign your name on this paper, and I'll help you and your father keep this secret. I won't let him get sent to Azkaban."

Malfoy looked down at the parchment and saw a line of writing that made him dizzy.

"I solemnly swear: to support Albus Dumbledore, and..."

"The Dark Lord is a stinking pile of shit?!"