"Yes."
The word escaped Malfoy's lips almost as a reflex, utterly devoid of the calculated arrogance he usually employed. It was a simple, stark affirmation, spoken without hesitation.
Lucius Malfoy, standing beside his son, stiffened. A muscle in his jaw twitched. He had not anticipated such immediate, unthinking compliance. Snape, positioned just behind Lucius, registered the admission with a slight, almost imperceptible frown. When Dudley had mentioned Harry's mother, a flicker of something unreadable—perhaps pain, perhaps old resentment—had crossed Snape's face. Dudley, with his enhanced perception, did not miss it.
It seems my initial guess was correct, Dudley mused inwardly. Snape likely harbored feelings for Harry's mother, my Aunt Lily.
"Did you insult me by calling me a Mudblood?" Dudley's voice cut through the silence, calm and precise.
Malfoy's gaze darted around, his mind clearly struggling to keep pace with the relentless, unyielding rhythm of Dudley's questioning. Yet, his mouth, operating with a horrifying autonomy, obediently answered, "Yes."
The single word ripped through Lucius's carefully constructed composure. "Draco! What are you saying?!" he roared, his voice cracking with disbelief and rising panic.
Draco flinched at his father's furious outburst, but he still seemed trapped in a haze, unable to comprehend the full implication of his admissions. The questions were too direct, the authority behind them too compelling. He had simply answered what was true, unaware of the trap closing around him.
"Lucius, listen to them," Dumbledore interjected, his voice calm, but his gaze, when it met Lucius's, was sharp and unwavering.
Lucius opened his mouth to protest further, but under the weight of Dumbledore's steady gaze, the words died in his throat. He swallowed hard, his face a pale mask of forced composure.
Seeing his advantage, Dudley pressed on, his voice gaining a subtle, unshakeable resonance. "Malfoy, did you say that Harry would follow the same path as his parents? Equally reckless?"
This time, Malfoy didn't answer immediately. His brow furrowed in a visible effort to resist the compulsion to think and to form a different reply. A beat stretched into a tense silence.
Then, reluctantly, he nodded. "Yes."
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Dudley's lips. He glanced at the others in the room—Harry, Ron, McGonagall, Snape, and Lucius.
"Harry's parents were killed because they resisted Lord Voldemort," Dudley articulated, each word a hammer blow. "Which means you believe Harry following the same path as his parents is a bad thing?" He didn't wait for an answer, pressing harder. "Moreover, do you believe resisting Lord Voldemort is wrong?" His voice dropped, imbued with a chilling certainty. "Or perhaps… your family has been on Lord Voldemort's side from the very beginning."
The silence that descended upon the office was absolute, thick with unspoken accusations. No one had expected Dudley to leap to such a conclusion, to make such a direct, devastating connection. Malfoy himself seemed utterly dumbfounded, staring blankly ahead.
"Yes," he whispered, a phantom echo of the word.
"DRACO!" Lucius's roar ripped through the air, his face contorted into a mask of pure, unadulterated horror.
"Ah! No! I mean, I mean…" Malfoy stammered, falling into a complete, disoriented panic. Sweat beaded on his forehead, glistening under the magical light. He couldn't articulate anything, trapped by the terrifying authority of Dudley's questioning. The pressure was immense, compelling him to speak the truth, even against his will.
"Mr. Malfoy," Dudley said, his voice cold, devoid of any warmth, "I am done asking. If your family is on Lord Voldemort's side, then all of this… it makes perfect sense." He turned his gaze to Lucius, his eyes boring into the older wizard's. "After all, it was Harry who stopped Lord Voldemort. He destroyed the Dark Lord you believed in."
He paused, letting the implication hang heavy in the air. "It is only natural for you to seek revenge on Harry." His voice hardened further. "And along with that, you even resented me and wanted to get rid of me." His gaze swept over McGonagall, Harry, and Ron, drawing them into the accusation. "My poor aunt's family died at the hands of the Dark Lord. And now, they are being persecuted by your family, even in death." Dudley shook his head slowly. "This magical world, it is truly disappointing."
"You… you…" Lucius spluttered, utterly blindsided by the devastating turn the interrogation had taken. He had never imagined this brat, this common Muggle-born, could connect a schoolyard brawl to his family's dark past and the specter of the Dark Lord.
"So that's it," Professor McGonagall murmured, her eyes fixed on Lucius and Draco, a dawning, terrible understanding in her gaze. "I was wondering why Malfoy was targeting Harry, but now that Dudley has said it… I understand."
"No!" Lucius cried, a desperate edge to his voice. "It's not like that! Listen to me! Our family has absolutely nothing to do with the Dark Lord!" He was visibly panicked. His family had followed Voldemort, but he had managed to switch sides just in time, leveraging connections at the Ministry to escape justice. Now, this child, Dudley, was dragging it all back into the light. This was no longer a children's fight. This was an accusation of being a Dark Lord sympathizer, of openly persecuting Harry Potter for revenge. The accusation was too grave, and his family's past was too tainted to withstand scrutiny.
"I didn't! I'm not!" Draco cried, his voice high-pitched and frantic. "I just couldn't stand Harry and wanted to deal with him! It has nothing to do with the Dark Lord!"
"I see," Dudley said, his voice laced with mock understanding. "So, you wanted to persecute Harry simply to avenge the Dark Lord. Is that correct?"
"I… no…!" Malfoy was nearly in tears, his composure utterly shattered. No one had ever questioned him like this. The cold, unyielding logic of Dudley's questions, stripped of all emotional appeal, left him nowhere to hide, nothing to refute.
"Professor Dumbledore," Dudley said, turning his gaze, "you see, they are persecuting me and Harry simply to avenge the Dark Lord."
Dumbledore's profound, inscrutable gaze shifted from Dudley to Lucius.
"Albus, it's not like that!" Lucius cried, a flush spreading across his pale cheeks. "Don't listen to this child's nonsense!" He turned desperately to Snape, hoping for an ally, but Snape remained impassive, his expression unreadable, his gaze fixed on some distant point. Ever since Malfoy had admitted to wishing death upon Harry's mother, Snape had abandoned any pretense of support for the Malfoy cause.
"Lucius," Dumbledore said, his voice now solemn and unyielding, "are you truly targeting Harry and Dudley for the Dark Lord?"
"No! Of course not! We just… just…" Lucius almost blurted out that they just wanted to get rid of Harry, but he couldn't say it. He searched frantically for a way out. "Perhaps we can discuss this matter from the beginning again? I think…" He couldn't let Dudley continue. If these accusations, however baseless, reached the public, his reputation would be in tatters.
"By the way, Professor Dumbledore," Dudley said, cutting off Lucius's attempt to derail the conversation. "Do you still remember the incident at Gringotts?"
Dumbledore inclined his head slightly, his gaze returning to Dudley, a flicker of deep interest in his eyes. The others in the room exchanged thoughtful glances, their minds racing to recall the events Dudley was referring to. The Gringotts incident—Harry and Dudley attacked, almost killed.
"Harry and I almost died at Gringotts," Dudley continued, his voice resonating with a chilling implication. "Is it possible that this was not a coincidence, but rather someone intentionally wanted to kill Harry there?" He raised his gaze, fixing it on Lucius and Draco. "If I'm not mistaken," he added, his voice dropping to a low, accusatory tone, "I seem to have seen Mr. Malfoy at Gringotts that day. You were there, right?"
(End of Chapter)
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