As the room was filled with focused gazes, Draco slowly straightened his back, his expression showing no sign of panic, but rather a touch of just the right amount of humility.
He explained, "That was indeed a little trick recorded in a family heirloom."
"The manuscript is made of a rather special material, consisting of oriental silk fibers mixed with magically tanned animal hides. It is extremely tough and resistant to water and fire."
"What is engraved on it is not ordinary Ancient Runes, but symbols woven from geometric lines. It is completely different from the Runes system we usually use. It focuses on the trajectory of magical power flow, rather than fixed spell syllables."
Upon hearing this, Professor Flitwick's eyes suddenly lit up, and he leaned forward even further.
"What's the specific principle behind it? The hand gestures and magical manipulation you used when casting the spell were completely different from standard spells. What secrets were hidden in that Ω-shaped trajectory?"
Professor Flitwick's tone was filled with barely suppressed urgency.
"Professor, you have a keen eye." Draco nodded slightly.
"It's not a standard spell; it doesn't require incantation. It relies entirely on hand gestures combined with breathing rhythm to harmonize the frequency of its own magical power."
"Ghosts like Peeves have extremely unstable magical forms."
"What I did was simply use specific gestures to create a temporary, misaligned resonance field around myself, causing its magic to interfere with the resonance field."
To put it bluntly, it makes it feel uncomfortable all over, as if it's being pricked by countless tiny needles, and it can only try to avoid them.
"Resonance field?"
Professor Flitwick repeated it softly, a look of sudden realization flashing in his eyes, before he frowned again.
"This method is interesting! But this kind of operation requires extremely high precision in the spellcaster's control of magic power, and also requires instantaneous capture of the target's magic power frequency. In actual combat, I'm afraid it won't be of much value, right?"
"The professor is absolutely right."
Draco nodded frankly, then said in a helpless tone,
"Grandfather also said that this technique is only theoretically ingenious. It may be able to deal with weak spirits like Peeves, but it would be completely ineffective against real evil spirits or powerful dark Magical Creatures."
"Today's events were purely due to the rush of things. The Peeves went too far, and I only resorted to this method in a moment of desperation."
After Draco finished speaking, Professor Snape, standing in the shadows, grew increasingly grim.
Those unfathomable eyes were filled with undisguised mockery and suspicion.
Draco's explanation was simply too "perfect".
It's so perfect that there's not a single logical flaw; it's as perfect as a meticulously crafted academic paper.
Snape's gaze subtly shifted to Dumbledore.
He wanted to see how this usually shrewd and insightful old principal would judge this almost flawless explanation.
Like Snape, Professor McGonagall's brow was furrowed deeply.
While her understanding of the principles of spells may not be as profound as Professor Flitwick's, her years of teaching experience have honed her keen insight into the ways of the world.
Can a simple trick with "little practical value" and "extremely unstable" really subdue Peeves instantly?
She remained skeptical.
Hermione stood to the side, her brain working like a high-speed gear, rapidly processing every word Draco had said.
His explanation sounded extremely professional, even citing some concepts she had never seen in any classic texts.
But it was precisely this extraordinary "professionalism" and "self-consistency" that made her doubts grow even stronger.
This is a completely fabricated lie!
He skillfully avoided all the most crucial questions.
Where is that so-called Eastern manuscript now?
How did his grandfather Abraxas, obtain this manuscript?
What exactly is this "special constitution" he's referring to?
Countless questions surged in her mind, and she almost wanted to ask them on the spot.
But when she met Dumbledore's calm, unwavering eyes, and Professor McGonagall's stern glance, she ultimately swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Harry and Ron stood in the corner, completely confused.
The "resonance field" and "magical frequency" that Draco spoke of were like a foreign language to them.
The two looked at each other and saw confusion in each other's eyes.
They found Draco's words truly intimidating, even Professor Flitwick nodded in agreement.
Dumbledore tapped the desk lightly, the crisp sound breaking the brief silence in the office.
He turned his gaze to Professor Flitwick and asked gently, " Filius, from a purely theoretical perspective, is Mr. Malfoy's claim feasible?"
Professor Flitwick pondered for a moment, nodded, and then shook his head.
"Principal, that makes sense in principle."
"Using misaligned resonance to interfere with spirits is an uncommon method, but it's not entirely without merit. It could indeed be effective against beings with loose magical power like Peeves."
"However... this technique is too rare. I have consulted countless spellbooks and have never seen anything like it."
"The key is that all of this needs to be corroborated by that manuscript; without evidence, it's impossible to reach a conclusion."
Dumbledore, his gaze returning to Draco, his smile still gentle.
" Mr. Malfoy, in that case, where is that manuscript now? Could you please retrieve it for a look? Even just a few fragments would be helpful for Filius to study."
This statement was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples.
All eyes in the office once again focused on Draco.
Hermione instinctively held her breath, her eyes fixed on Draco, afraid of missing any subtle change in his expression.
Just as Draco remained silent, Professor Snape finally spoke, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Could this be a story you just made up? When did the young master of the Malfoy family learn to fabricate stories out of thin air?"
Draco remained unfazed.
He met everyone's gaze, and with just the right amount of melancholy and regret, he spoke.
The manuscript is long gone.
"When my grandfather was on his deathbed, he said that this inheritance involved some unknown secrets, and fearing that it might fall into the hands of someone with bad intentions and cause trouble, he destroyed it along with some other dangerous artifacts in the family."
"What I can say today is nothing more than some principles passed down orally from my grandfather, and that set of hand gestures for casting spells."
Draco's voice trailed off, and a brief silence fell over the office.
Hermione felt a surge of anger rush to her head, and she almost exploded on the spot.
The manuscript was destroyed? What a coincidence!
Why was it destroyed right before his death?
This is simply the most perfect and unverifiable excuse in the world!
She wanted nothing more than to stand up immediately and loudly question Draco.
But when her gaze fell upon Dumbledore's calm, expressionless face and Professor McGonagall's stern eyes...
She swallowed back all her questions in the end.
Professor Flitwick's face was also a mixture of extreme regret and deep apprehension.
His round eyes were filled with sorrow.
In the end, Flitwick could only let out a long sigh, lamenting, "Destroyed... destroyed along with other dangerous artifacts... alas! What a pity!"
"That's a precious manuscript that might contain entirely new magical concepts!"
Then, as if he had thought of something, his tone became more wary.
"But... Mr. Malfoy. Abraxas Malfoy... he... does have his reasons."
Clearly, the old professor was thinking of the late head of the Malfoy family, the less-than-honorable rumors surrounding him in the Wizarding World, and the enormous risks that might be hidden behind the "dangerous artifacts."
Scholars' intense curiosity about the unknown was ultimately outweighed by their vigilance against potential dangers.
The look in his eyes as he looked at Draco held a hint of regret.
It is a pity that such a unique magical heritage has been lost to the annals of history.
But Professor Snape, who knew the Malfoy family's background well, naturally didn't believe this explanation.
In his view, Draco's explanation was too smooth and too consistent with the premise of "a destroyed family legacy involving secrets".
Lucius destroyed things to cover up evidence of his crimes, he believed.
But would the extremely shrewd and relatively low-key Old Malfoy of Abraxas destroy a manuscript that might contain immense power for the sake of so-called "secrecy"?
Snape was highly skeptical of this.
Moreover, when Draco mentioned "what his grandfather taught him before he died."
The melancholy and awe in that tone always sounded like a deliberate performance to Snape.
His dark eyes were fixed on Draco, trying to find a flaw in his seemingly calm face.
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, and Ron whispered in Harry's ear, "Look at Snape's expression. He doesn't believe Malfoy's nonsense at all!"
Harry nodded silently, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
As the person in charge of this incident, Professor McGonagall frowned even more deeply after hearing these words.
The manuscript was destroyed, and there's no way to verify it now that the person is dead.
This makes her explanation of Draco neither verifiable nor falsifiable.
But " Draco's words, coupled with Abraxas Malfoy's identity as an ancient Pure-blood patriarch whose reputation isn't exactly spotless."
All of this casts a lingering, ominous shadow over the entire affair.
But Professor McGonagall was more concerned with the actual impact of this event.
She took a step forward and said in an unquestionable manner:
"Even so, Mr. Malfoy! Your unauthorized use of magic with unclear effects, questionable principles, and whose origin has been destroyed is an extremely reckless and irresponsible act!"
"Whether it's called ' Peeves Retreat ' or whatever, it caused a massive riot in the castle corridors—that's an undeniable fact!"
After Professor McGonagall finished speaking, the office fell silent once again.
All eyes, like rivers flowing into the sea, eventually converged on Dumbledore.
Everyone is waiting, waiting for his final verdict.