Chapter 6 — I'll Listen to You, Lady Malfoy
Inside Dumbledore's office, Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape wore expressions of observation, frustration, and despair respectively as they stared into the Pensieve.
Through the two students' memories, the three had roughly understood what had happened. The problem was that the punishment could range from minor to severe. Nearly getting themselves killed was grounds for expulsion at Hogwarts. However, given Lucius Malfoy's special status as a member of the school board—and Dumbledore's plans regarding Harry—it was impossible to impose such a harsh penalty.
If they merely assigned detention, it would fail to deter others from copying them. One misstep, and the rule forbidding first-years from using brooms might become meaningless.
Between detention and expulsion lay house point deductions—a punishment that relied on peer pressure to keep students in line. But that method was useless against two types of people: those whose grades were so excellent that they could easily earn the points back, and those who simply didn't care if their house lost points.
"Though it's probably impossible, I'll ask anyway—can house points go into the negatives?" Snape looked at the Slytherin hourglass, which had already dropped to zero. Thanks to Harry's tendency to solve bullying incidents with brute force, there were no more points left for Slytherin to deduct.
"An excellent idea. I'll look into whether it's possible for the hourglasses to display negative sand," Dumbledore replied seriously. Clearly, in the wizarding world, physics and mathematics were somewhat mystical concepts.
"Are we not considering expelling them?" McGonagall frowned at the two gentlemen who seemed reluctant to escalate the matter. "If it were merely riding brooms without permission, that would be one thing. But they were gambling with their lives. Even if Lucius holds influence, he has no right to interfere with Hogwarts' disciplinary decisions. As for Potter…"
She looked at the two men in confusion. "Do you have some special plans for him? I can't help but feel you're both unusually lenient."
"Minerva, you do love a joke. I might be, but Severus showing favoritism toward Harry? He'd probably seize any excuse to expel James's son, considering James was—"
"Cough, cough, cough—" Snape interrupted loudly. "Apologies. I've caught a slight cold."
Ignoring McGonagall's eye roll, Snape continued, "I neither favor nor target any particular student. My punishments are always fair and strict."
He gestured at the empty Slytherin hourglass. "Plainly visible."
"In any case, let's hear what they have to say. I imagine they've stood outside long enough," Dumbledore said. With a flick of his wand, the office doors swung open automatically. A somewhat timid Harry and Malfoy stood outside, looking at the three professors.
"Come in. We'd like to hear your perspective."
The moment they entered, Harry stepped in front of Malfoy and bowed deeply to the three teachers.
"I'm very sorry! It was my fault for being too reckless and causing everyone so much worry. Please punish me alone—there's no need to punish Malfoy for playing with me!"
At Harry's declaration, the three professors exchanged glances.
"That's an interesting version of events. What do you two think?" Dumbledore asked his colleagues, looking thoroughly entertained.
"Ah—" McGonagall sighed. Though she was troubled, part of that sigh likely stemmed from the fact that such a straightforward child was not in her own house. "Admirable courage, Potter."
Snape, meanwhile, didn't even look at Harry. Every time he saw the boy, he felt irritated. But the real reason was that he no longer wished to read the utterly guileless thoughts in Harry's mind. Accidentally breaking through the boy's mental defenses every time felt like an insult to his own intelligence.
"Harry…" Malfoy tugged at his sleeve and whispered in his ear, "That basin over there is called a Pensieve. It allows people to view memories. Remember when those silver threads were drawn from our heads earlier? Those were our memories. You can't fool them like this."
"Huh? They can see the memories?" Harry looked at her in alarm.
"They can see the memories from that time period. You can't deceive them at all," Malfoy replied seriously.
But after hearing that, Harry seemed relieved instead.
"Phew… that's a relief. So the time I accidentally knocked over that suit of armor and broke the statue wasn't discovered, right?"
Malfoy stared at him in shock. This idiot had caused trouble she didn't even know about.
"Was it you who damaged the Gryffindor statue?" McGonagall looked at Harry in disbelief.
The Gryffindor statue—one of the statues of the four founders—was usually just part of the scenery, unnoticed by most. But one day, armor pieces were found scattered beside it, and its head had been severed by a sword from the fallen armor. For a time, it became a Hogwarts legend—the tale of the Gryffindor statue rising at midnight to duel an unnamed suit of armor, only to be defeated.
"No—" Harry immediately denied it, then guiltily looked away. "I just… accidentally tripped… and pushed it… and it just happened to… break…"
"What should we do, Professor McGonagall…" Snape had completely given up trying to understand and tossed the problem to her.
"These two are your students, Professor Snape." McGonagall pressed her temples, fighting off a headache. "I will respect your decision completely. The statue has already been repaired, after all."
"I suggest they spend every weekend this term doing detention labor…" Snape looked at Harry, fighting the urge to smack him. "Whether it proves effective as punishment is secondary. At least it will reduce the damage he causes to the school."
"That's acceptable. At the very least, they'll be under supervision by other professors," McGonagall nodded. Then she addressed the two students. "This is special consideration. Your punishment has been reduced from expulsion to performing detention every weekend until the Christmas holidays. Do you understand?"
"So that means…" Harry raised his fingers, beginning to count.
"Until Christmas. A little over two months—about ten times," Malfoy whispered in his ear.
"I still think it's too light…" Snape muttered, turning his face away. Though he had no fondness for cruelty, at this moment he found himself oddly nostalgic for medieval torture devices.
McGonagall ignored him and continued, "This weekend, you'll report to Madam Hooch. Every Friday, you'll receive an owl informing you which professor you'll assist the following weekend. Any questions?"
"'No!'" the two answered loudly. Compared to expulsion, ten detentions sounded merciful beyond belief.
"You may leave. Return to your dormitories."
---
On the way back, Malfoy called out to Harry.
"That was pretty impressive just now."
"It was nothing—" Harry shyly rubbed his nose.
Malfoy suddenly punched him square on the bridge of it. Blood spurted out immediately, splattering onto his hand.
"Episkey." She tapped her wand against his nose. Harry felt a cool sensation, followed by warmth, as the injured bone mended instantly.
"It still hurts…" Though healed, the pain lingered. Harry looked at her with watery eyes.
"Stop showing off for no reason, alright? My father donates so much to Hogwarts every year he could fund another Hogwarts entirely. They wouldn't dare expel me. Luckily, the headmaster and the heads of houses are reasonable. But what if they had just gone along with it, blamed everything on you, and expelled you to keep me out of trouble?"
"But…" Harry covered his nose, tears brimming at the corners of his eyes.
"No 'buts.' Listen carefully—use your brain and really listen," Malfoy said, tapping Harry's temple with her wand. "From now on, you're not allowed to do anything like this without my permission, understand? Learn the school rules properly, and before you break them, ask me if it's safe, got it?"
"I just thought it wouldn't matter if I went back anyway. It's just going back to being a Muggle. I've been a Muggle for eleven years—I'm used to it. But Malfoy can't think that way, can she?" Harry, as a Slytherin student, had at least some awareness of wizards connected to Slytherin bloodlines. They looked down on those who couldn't use magic.
Malfoy glanced at him, then checked her watch. "It's still early. Come with me for a walk."
"Alright." Harry followed her. The lights were out, and the portraits were asleep. He knew it was past curfew, but if Malfoy said it was still early, then it was still early.
---
Malfoy led Harry to the Astronomy Tower at the very top of Hogwarts. The castle was exceptionally quiet at night, and the secluded tower was even more silent, as if everything had fallen asleep—except for the stars, the moonlight, and the two of them beneath it.
Malfoy sat by the window. Moonlight spilled over her pale golden hair, creating a shimmer of silver and gold. If there were such a thing as elves in this world, they would surely look like Malfoy.
But the figure in front of Harry looked exhausted. She hugged her knees and leaned against the window, letting herself relax fully only where no one could see her, revealing her vulnerable, even fearful, true self.
"Huff…" Gone was the usual proud, princess-like Malfoy demeanor. She looked, for all intents and purposes, like an eleven-year-old child, small and defenseless, much like Harry himself. Harry had only seen her like this once before—at the Sorting Ceremony. Perhaps since that day, he had never been able to take his eyes off her.
"I really… hate this…"
"Hm?" Harry looked at her, puzzled.
"Are you really not afraid of being expelled? I am. Everything I have now comes from the Malfoy name. If I got expelled for my own mistakes, my father might not even let me through the front door. I'd have nothing. I was so scared at the time that the thought even crossed my mind… if I couldn't manage it, I could let you take the blame."
Malfoy's icy eyes fixed on Harry, and then she buried her face in her arms.
"I wouldn't say I'm not afraid. I just thought that even if it went badly, it wouldn't be as bad as before. Maybe I could take the chance to give Dudley a good beating and then leave the Dursleys. Thinking that way, even if I got expelled, it wouldn't be hopeless," Harry said, suddenly remembering something that made him a little happy. "So… at that moment, we were thinking the same thing?"
"There's nothing to be proud of in that," Malfoy said, looking at Harry's innocent, clueless smile. She didn't even have the energy to be angry at him anymore.
"But doesn't that mean that if danger comes, we'd make choices that the other could accept?" Harry asked, confused. He didn't understand why Malfoy was angry—it didn't seem to hurt her.
"That's exactly why it's frustrating. I never thought that way. I might accidentally betray you, and that's why I hate it. I feel like, in both character and reason, I've already lost to you."
"Lost in character and reason?" Harry still didn't get it. Seeing his own baffled expression, Malfoy decided it was time to properly teach him.
"Have you heard of the Prisoner's Dilemma?" Malfoy asked—a term that even an eleven-year-old Muggle wouldn't know.
"Two people commit a crime together—let's say murder—and are caught. They're interrogated separately. If both stay silent, the police have no evidence, and they're both released. If both confess, they're both guilty and go to prison together. But if only one confesses, betraying the other, the confessor goes free while the silent one goes to jail.
"The theory assumes people act rationally in their self-interest, choosing what benefits them most. Under this dilemma, the result is that both end up in jail. Silence is best, but people can't be sure the other won't betray them, so they confess. There's no other choice."
Malfoy stepped closer, her blue eyes sharp as blades, piercing into Harry's heart. "In such a situation… would you still be willing to take the punishment for me? Even if I might betray you to save myself, even if I could send you to Azkaban for life… even if I were the one causing it all?"
Harry fell silent. He realized this wasn't just a hypothetical question. If their relationship stayed like this, there could really come a day when Malfoy would get him imprisoned for something unrelated.
"I see that you understand. Since you do, don't attempt these 'heroic' acts again—they make me dislike you," Malfoy said, leaving Harry behind and preparing to exit the tower.
"I'll stay silent," Harry said firmly from behind her. "Even if you do something that causes me to be interrogated, I'll remain silent. Even if you betray me, even if I end up in prison, I won't say a word. That way, at least you won't get locked up."
Malfoy stood at the tower doorway, staring at Harry in disbelief.
"Because… my brain isn't as good as yours…" Harry shyly touched his cheek. "I might not understand how to make choices that help everyone, but figuring out how to make the best outcome for you feels simpler."
"You… you didn't understand my point at all, did you…" Malfoy's face flushed red with frustration. She slammed the Astronomy Tower door shut and locked it with magic from the outside. "You're going to stare at the stars and think carefully about the meaning of my story, idiot!"
After closing the door, Malfoy leaned against it. Her heart raced so fast she felt Harry could hear it through the wood. She pressed her reddened face against her knees, powerless to do anything but sit there. "Ugh, every time I talk to him, I feel so annoying…"
"Malfoy, open the door! It's so cold out here!"
"No, you're just letting the cold wind calm your brain down," she said, taking deep breaths. She needed to tell Harry something now; she wasn't sure she could say it after going back to the dorm.
"Harry, are you still there?" Malfoy knocked on the door.
"I'm still here… so cold…"
"I'll stay silent too, if it's you," she said, feeling her face flush even more. She had to finish what she wanted to say.
"Really?"
"Only for you. This is a vow from Alice Malfoy to you alone. No matter the circumstances, I will never betray you. I trust you won't betray me either. I will never forget our conversation tonight. You better remember it too, and… don't tell anyone. Understand? This is our secret. If a third person finds out, the vow becomes void."
"I understand… I won't forget. Can you let me out now? It's really cold…" Harry's voice trembled. Clearly, the Astronomy Tower wasn't suitable for staying overnight.
But Malfoy still had no intention of letting him out. She took off her robe and slipped it through the crack under the door. "It feels cold with just your shirt on. The door will be unlocked in the morning. I'm going back to the dorm to sleep."
"Mm… it still smells like Malfoy…"
"Shut up!"