The Auror swiftly and professionally cleaned up the scene, handcuffed Young Rookwood, and escorted him back to the Ministry of Magic for trial.
Before leaving, Young Rookwood. took one last look at Draco, who was surrounded by the crowd, his eyes filled with helplessness.
After confirming that Harry had stabilized under Madam Pomfrey's treatment, Sirius finally calmed down a bit.
After hastily wiping the sweat from his face and the tears that had somehow fallen, he approached Draco.
"... Draco," Sirius said solemnly, "Thank you, thank you for saving Harry. If it weren't for you... I..." He choked up and couldn't finish his sentence.
Draco told him not to worry about it, Sirius nodded before going back to look after Harry, not wanting to disturb the father and son.
After confirming that his son was safe and sound, Lucius relaxed. He straightened his robes, which were slightly disheveled from rushing there, and resumed his usual demeanor.
But the pride and smugness between his brows were impossible to hide.
"Well done, Draco! I knew the Malfoy family heir would never disappoint!"
"Not only did they rescue Potter, but..." Lucius deliberately lowered his voice, "... they got rid of that troublesome ' Dark Lord '? Truly... once and for all."
Upon hearing this, Draco's lips curled up, he glanced around, then leaned closer to Lucius and whispered quickly:
"Keep your voice down, Laodeng. We've only dealt with it temporarily, not completely. That guy... isn't quite dead yet!"
"What?!" Lucius's smug expression froze instantly, his pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively gripped the snake-headed staff.
He suddenly looked at Draco, his eyes filled with surprise and a hint of barely perceptible fear. "Not quite dead?"
Draco didn't answer directly, but instead, using the cover of his robe sleeves, quickly waved the jar containing the fragment of Voldemort's soul in front of Lucius.
The faint, dark red light inside the jar was, in Lucius's eyes, no less than the most terrifying nightmare.
Lucius's face paled instantly.
He had personally experienced the terror of Voldemort at his peak and knew all too well how troublesome and immortal this villain was.
Seeing his Laodeng looking so frightened, Draco felt a strange sense of satisfaction at having pulled off a prank.
"What... what are you keeping this thing for?!" Lucius whispered, his voice filled with fear and lingering apprehension. "Get rid of it right now! What if..."
"Don't worry, Laodeng!" Draco carefully put the jar away again. "To completely eliminate this problem, we need to do one last thing. Once that's done, this thing will be useless!"
Lucius's tense nerves relaxed slightly.
Since Draco said that, he must have a plan.
He regained his usual shrewdness. "What do you need? The family will provide full support, and you must... as soon as possible."
"I will." Draco nodded, then, as if remembering something, reminded him in a slightly teasing tone.
" Laodeng, now is not the time to worry about that."
"A massive prison break has just occurred in Azkaban, and that idiot Fudge's prestige has plummeted. This is the perfect opportunity to oust Fudge and seize the ministerial seat."
"Why don't you hurry back to the Ministry of Magic and finish what needs to be done while the iron is hot? Don't let someone else reap the rewards."
Upon hearing this, Lucius's eyes flashed with a sharp light!
yes!
I was so preoccupied with worrying about my son and Voldemort's mess that I almost forgot about the most important political struggle!
The situation is now extremely favorable; it is the perfect time for Lucius Malfoy to seize power and establish his dominance!
Draco's words were like Enlightenment...
"You're right!" Lucius perked up, patted Draco on the shoulder, and his tone regained its composure and ambition. "You and Dumbledore are fine here. I'll handle things at home and with the Ministry of Magic. Narcissa, let's go."
By this time, Narcissa had calmed down and gently hugged Hermione again, saying softly, " Hermione, my dear, thank you so much for being with Draco this time."
" Draco protected me." Hermione blushed.
"You two support each other. Alright, Auntie's going now," Narcissa said with a smile, and Hermione nodded.
Lucius and Narcissa greeted Dumbledore and the others again before turning away hastily. They needed to return to the Ministry of Magic immediately to take control of the situation and turn the "negative impact" of this crisis into maximum political capital.
After watching his parents leave, Draco walked over to Dumbledore had been quietly observing everything.
Taking advantage of the moment when the two figures passed each other and everyone's attention was focused on Harry, he quickly stuffed the jar into Dumbledore's wide sleeve.
" Old Dumbledore," Draco lowered his voice, "This time... make sure you keep it safe, don't lose it again!"
Feeling a weight in his sleeve, Dumbledore understood what it was, a barely perceptible hint of embarrassment flashing in his eyes.
After tucking his sleeves in to make sure the jar wouldn't fall out, Dumbledore responded in a very low voice, equally helpless.
"Ah... about this... I must admit, there were some... unexpected oversights in the last safekeeping."
"Actually, I put it together with the Philosopher's Stone in one of the safest places I could find at Hogwarts."
"But clearly, some people have knowledge about how to bypass those safeguards that we don't yet fully understand."
Dumbledore did not shirk responsibility, but his words implied that the matter was not a simple mistake.
Draco remained noncommittal, instead asking:
"Then, what about Horcrux?"
" Old Dumbledore, you haven't been idle all these years, have you? Have you disposed of all those things Voldemort made?"
This question made Dumbledore's expression even more complicated. He remained silent for a few seconds, then looked into the void.
Not all. There's... one left.
Dumbledore shook his head.
really...
Draco knew it.
"It's a ring, isn't it?" Draco said.
"I can roughly guess why you didn't destroy it."
Dumbledore sighed and said:
"Reason told me I had to destroy it, but emotionally... I confess, I hesitated. I overestimated my willpower and underestimated the power of the temptation. I made... a mistake that old people often make."
"So, you mean...?"
Dumbledore looked at Draco.
"Give it to me, Old Dumbledore." Draco held out his hand. "It's best if I handle it, and I already have some ideas about Harry's situation."
Dumbledore at Draco.
After a moment of silence, as if making a final decision, Dumbledore finally nodded slowly.
He didn't say much, but simply took out a small box that exuded an ominous aura from a very hidden pocket inside his robe and handed it to Draco.
"Be careful, Draco." Dumbledore's voice returned to its usual gentle tone, but with a touch more seriousness. "Destroying Horcrux is inherently dangerous, and if any assistance is needed, Hogwarts and I are ready at any time."
Draco nodded, took the box, and could sense the cold, evil aura of the Horcrux within, as well as another, more subtle power of the Deathly Hallows.
After carefully putting the box away, he said, "Don't worry, Old Dumbledore, this time, I will put an end to all of this."