Dumbledore frowned. "Even Severus isn't enough?"
"The professor certainly matters a great deal to me, but that incident matters even more to you. Trust me, if you don't want to regret this later, you'd better think about what else you can offer to make up the difference-a friendly hint: that incident caused you tremendous pain back then!"
What exactly had Lucius come to Hogwarts to do?
At the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, Harry's thoughts were in turmoil, and he could not settle down.
But he dared not look toward Lucius Malfoy again. The unfamiliar pure-blood wizard beside him was far too alert. Earlier, Harry had only stared for a few seconds before the man noticed. Now he did not even dare let his gaze sweep across that area.
Draco must know something. Should I find a chance to talk to him? No, he already took a huge risk warning me-
Harry's thoughts raced as he focused all his attention on the staff table, watching every movement there out of the corner of his eye.
This forced him to keep turning his head to the left.
Neville, who sat on Harry's left with his back likewise angled toward the staff table, hesitated several times, starting to speak and then stopping. Finally, his face crumpled. "H-Harry, is there something strange on my face?"
"Huh?" "You keep turning to look at me. Merlin, has someone played a prank on my face? Tell me, Harry. I-I can take it!"
After finally reassuring Neville that there was nothing on his face and explaining that he kept turning because his eyes were bothering him, Harry no longer dared look around. He returned his attention to the table.
The students around him were all discussing the foreign delegations, their voices brimming with curiosity.
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