Draco felt as though he were winking at a blind man.
He sat in the prefects' compartment, his gaze fixed on Lynn from the moment Lynn entered. With his eyes, he pleaded for help, displayed his helplessness, and desperately tried to convey a single message:
Ask me what's wrong. Hurry!
Lynn, however, merely put on an eye mask and leaned back against his seat, his breathing soon becoming as steady as though he had genuinely fallen asleep.
Draco steeled himself, gritted his teeth, and decided to make one final attempt.
"Cough! Cough, cough!"
Only then did Lynn finally realize that something was wrong.
Malfoy appeared to be coughing solely to attract his attention.
"Do you need something?"
Draco's reaction was far more intense than Lynn had expected. He lurched forward, nearly springing out of his chair, before hastily forcing himself back into his seat.
His eyes repeatedly darted toward the compartment door.
It seemed the matter was extremely serious.
Draco did not even dare to speak.
Lynn immediately rose and headed outside.
Seeing this, Draco hurried after him.
Thank goodness! Lynn finally understood my plea for help!
Hermione and Padma looked up at them simultaneously, then lowered their heads and resumed their work.
Ron's gaze followed their retreating backs for several seconds, his brow furrowing slightly. Remembering what Lynn had said about Malfoy, he suspected Draco might be plotting something against him and hurriedly prepared to follow.
His hand had only just touched the back of his chair, and he had not even managed to stand, when another hand reached out and firmly pressed down on his arm.
"Where are you going?"
Ron looked at Hermione as though the answer were obvious. His tone carried such certainty that the question itself seemed unnecessary.
"Lynn said all that about Malfoy, so Malfoy must be planning something against him. I have to go help."
Hermione stared at him in silence for two seconds.
"Do you think Malfoy can beat Lynn in a fight?"
Ron froze.
His mind raced through a brief comparison, placing Draco Malfoy and Lynn side by side...
Ron abruptly shuddered and dropped back into his seat as though he had never intended to chase after them in the first place.
Hermione withdrew her hand and resumed reading.
"You're right," Ron said, his voice slightly weak. "He certainly doesn't need my help."
After a brief pause, he added, "I'm staying here because I trust him, not because I'm a coward."
Hermione turned a page of her book without responding.
...
At the front of the train, Lynn entered an empty compartment.
The compartment was ordinarily reserved for prefects, but it was currently deserted. It was far more spacious than the regular passenger compartments, with a long table covered by a deep-red tablecloth standing in the center. Several armchairs were arranged on either side, white lace doilies draped over their backs.
Lynn sat beside the window, turned sideways, and looked at Draco, who had followed him inside.
"Speak," Lynn said calmly. "What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into that requires my help?"
He had expected Draco to immediately begin pouring out his grievances.
To his surprise, Draco frantically shook his head.
He shook it so violently that Lynn almost thought his head might fly off his neck.
Lynn stared at him in confusion.
What was going on?
Draco had called him out here, yet he did not dare to speak. Then why had he brought him along? Did he simply want someone to accompany him on a walk?
"Is it about your studies?" Lynn asked tentatively.
Malfoy nodded.
He nodded with tremendous force, but Lynn immediately sensed that something was wrong. If this were merely about his studies, Draco would never have gone to such lengths to seek him out.
"Is it about the food?"
Malfoy continued nodding, even faster than before, as though desperately declaring, Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly it!
Lynn believed him even less.
If there were a problem with the food, Draco should find a house-elf. Why would he come to Lynn?
"Is it about Lord Voldemort?"
Draco immediately switched back to shaking his head frantically.
Lynn's gaze sharpened.
He drew his wand and aimed its tip at Draco's forehead.
The movement was so fast that Draco saw only a shadow flash before his eyes. A moment later, he felt an icy sensation seep into his brow.
"Legilimency!"
Silvery-white light shot from the tip of Lynn's wand and vanished into Draco's temple.
Draco's body abruptly stiffened. His eyes turned vacant, his pupils lost focus, and his entire body became like an empty shell from which the soul had been removed.
Lynn closed his eyes.
Draco's memories flowed from his mind like a river, pouring directly into Lynn's consciousness.
They were complex and varied, resembling countless intertwined threads—some bright, some dim, some clear, and others blurred beyond recognition.
Lynn had no time to examine irrelevant details. He rapidly filtered through them, skipping over Draco's daily life at Hogwarts, his warm moments with his family, and his arguments with his classmates.
He had only one target.
Lord Voldemort.
With Draco offering no resistance, Lynn easily found his recent memories concerning the Dark Lord.
It had been a bright afternoon.
In the gardens of Malfoy Manor, sunlight filtered through the neatly trimmed hedges and cast patches of golden light across the lawn.
Draco Malfoy sat inside a garden gazebo, an exquisite silver tea set arranged before him. The teapot contained his favorite Earl Grey tea, while a plate of desserts rested beside his cup.
He leaned leisurely against his chair with his legs crossed, reading an issue of Quidditch Weekly opened to Viktor Krum's interview.
The next moment, the sky changed.
The brilliant sunlight was swallowed by dark clouds, which resembled an enormous black hand spreading across the sky above Malfoy Manor.
The garden darkened instantly.
Draco instinctively lowered his magazine and looked up.
Two masses of black mist descended from the sky one after the other, leaving long trails behind them as they plummeted toward the manor's main building.
They burst apart upon landing.
The spreading black mist swiftly condensed into two figures dressed in black robes.
Draco's pleasant mood instantly plunged to rock bottom.
The arrivals were none other than Lord Voldemort and his father, Lucius Malfoy.
Voldemort did not spare Draco so much as a glance as he followed Lucius into the manor.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Suddenly, Voldemort's furious roar echoed from inside.
Draco's heart skipped a beat.
Not long afterward, he was brought before the Dark Lord.
Voldemort sat upon the high-backed chair, while a bruised and battered Lucius stood behind him with his head lowered, utterly motionless.
Voldemort's hood had been pulled back, revealing his pale, serpentine face, almost entirely devoid of human features.
"So, you are Lucius's son?"
Voldemort's voice was hoarse and grating, like metal scraping against stone.
"I haven't seen you in many years. You've grown considerably."
Draco felt his legs weaken.
His throat tightened, his mouth went dry, and his entire body seemed to freeze. He could neither move nor speak.
His lips trembled twice before he finally managed to force out a few words.
"Y-Yes, Great Master."
Voldemort nodded before shifting his gaze from Draco to Lucius, who stood behind him.
"You may withdraw."
Lucius's body twitched slightly.
Then, keeping his head bowed, he turned and walked out of the hall, each step heavy and reluctant.
Only Voldemort and Draco remained.
The embers in the fireplace produced one final, faint crackle before dying out completely.
"Not bad," Voldemort said. "You are stronger than your father."
Draco had no idea how he was supposed to respond.
He felt as though he were trapped inside a nightmare from which he could not awaken. He wanted to pinch his thigh, bite his tongue, or do anything that might confirm whether he was dreaming, but he did not dare move.
He was afraid that if he moved, he might do something he should not.
Something like running away...
Or drawing his wand and pointing it at Voldemort's face.
"I have an important task to entrust to you."
Draco's mind had gone completely blank. He could only nod repeatedly in agreement.
"I want you to eliminate Dumbledore."
Draco's body froze.
"And Lynn."
In that instant, Draco felt his blood turn to ice.
Eliminate Dumbledore.
Eliminate Lynn.
One of those names belonged to the greatest wizard of the age.
As for the other...
It was best not to think about it.
Both were beings Draco could never hope to defeat in his lifetime.
No, saying that he could not defeat them was far too generous.
They simply did not exist in the same league.
However, Draco could not refuse.
He did not dare refuse.
"Y-Yes, Great Master."
Voldemort nodded in satisfaction.
He rose from his chair and raised his right hand. A wand slid from his sleeve, its tip touching the center of Draco's brow.
The instant it made contact, Draco felt as though his entire body no longer belonged to him.
An immense terror enveloped his heart and soul.
It felt as though an invisible hand had seized his heart and was squeezing it tighter...
And tighter...
And tighter.
"I will send someone to assist you," Voldemort said. "Do not attempt to betray me. I will know everything you say..."
His voice paused.
Then it vanished.
Draco suddenly discovered that he could breathe again.
He doubled over, bracing his hands against his knees as he desperately gasped for air.
Cold sweat covered his forehead, his back was completely soaked, and he looked as though he had just been dragged out of the water.
When he finally looked up, Voldemort was gone.
The hall fell silent.
Moments after the Dark Lord's departure, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded outside.
The doors were thrown open.
Lucius Malfoy rushed into the hall.
He seized Draco's arms, gripping them so tightly that his knuckles turned white and the veins stood out beneath his skin.
"Draco, how are you? Are you hurt?"
His frantic gaze swept over Draco from head to toe.
Draco said nothing.
He merely shook his head repeatedly.
"What did the Dark Lord do to you?" Lucius demanded, his voice rising with uncontrollable urgency. "Tell me, Draco!"
Draco continued shaking his head frantically.
"The Mas... Master's orders... I'm not allowed to tell anyone."
Lucius felt as though the sky had collapsed upon him.
His hands slipped from Draco's arms and fell limply to his sides.
A long time passed.
Then Lucius raised his hands once more and firmly grasped Draco's shoulders.
This time, his grip was even stronger.
He stared directly into Draco's eyes and enunciated each word with absolute clarity.
"Once school begins, go and find Lynn."
Draco's eyes widened.
"Did you hear me?" Lucius asked, his voice heavy. "Go to Lynn. Tell him everything."
His grip tightened.
"He will protect you."
---
Happy Reading. Be sure to leave a review!!!
Join my P@treon to receive extra updates daily and read up to 80+ chapters ahead.
P@treon: patreon.com/mrfanfiction140