Harry Potter: The Rise Of Malfoy

Chapter 73

The emergence of this organization filled Soren with a deep sense of unease.

He sensed that the world of Harry Potter was slowly straying from its original path. The shadow of the dragon might just be the tip of the iceberg; soon, he feared, more concealed forces and undercurrents would reveal themselves.

After a moment of reflection, he dismissed the thought; after all, he was still a student, and in the face of any major crisis, Dumbledore would undoubtedly step in to manage it!

Having gathered the necessary information, Soren made some plans with Peter Pettigrew before casting a spell to rouse him.

When Peter awakened, he was oblivious to the hypnosis he had undergone but no longer looked down on the seemingly youthful boy in front of him. His demeanor shifted to one of respect as he said, "Master Malfoy, I have now established myself as your most loyal servant. What do you require of me?"

Soren replied, "I don't need you to remain at my side. Instead, I want you to head to the forests of Albania and seek out the remnants of your former master's soul, then swear your loyalty to him once more."

The mention of the Dark Lord sent Peter Pettigrew into a fit of terror; his voice quaked as he questioned, "Master, you can't expect me to spy on him, can you? He has the ability to see into people's hearts; I simply can't…"

Soren stared at him intently, making Peter feel exposed as if all his secrets were in the open. Soren recognized that Peter was making excuses; he was capable of mental shielding, having successfully deceived Dumbledore in the Order of the Phoenix while informing Voldemort. Although the precautions taken by James and others played a part, Peter certainly possessed the capability to keep secrets from Dumbledore. At the very least, Dumbledore couldn't conclusively determine that he was a traitor through Legilimency; he merely had suspicions regarding Peter's behavior.

However, Soren had no intention of dwelling on this with Peter.

"Don't fret," Soren reassured him. "All you need to do is go back and follow his orders. I'm not asking you to collect information for me. Trust me, the Dark Lord's return is inevitable. As the first to find and aid him during his downfall, you will gain unexpected rewards. I have my plans; there's no need for you to worry about this."

Peter's eyes darted nervously as he weighed his options. Finally, he agreed, "Alright, I promise you, Master. If a chance arises, I will repay your kindness."

Accepting the blood replenishing potion and the magic restoring potion from Soren, Peter felt his strength returning and Disapparated from the Forbidden Forest.

Soren was confident that Peter would locate Voldemort. With the vast forest at his disposal, Peter could summon the aid of rodents, just as he had in the original tale when he discovered Voldemort's remnants. It was through his assistance that Voldemort rescued Barty Crouch Jr., pushing forward the plot of the fourth year.

Soren had also placed a unique tracking spell on Peter using the house-elf Dobby, ensuring that whenever Soren desired, Dobby could transport him to Peter's location. Additionally, Soren had enhanced Peter's potion; should Voldemort resurrect using Peter's blood and flesh as per the storyline, it would certainly take him by surprise.

This line of thought made Soren smile with satisfaction at his clever strategies.

Following this incident, exam week commenced.

During the Transfiguration exam, where students were required to transform a teapot into a turtle, Soren's performance spoke for itself; Professor McGonagall's approval was evident, indicating he likely received full marks. Meredith faced a slight mishap as her turtle turned out somewhat like a sea turtle, while Daphne forgot to add claws to hers.

The Charms exam revolved around the Cheering Charm. Having been informed beforehand, Soren had trained the Slytherin snakes thoroughly, ensuring all of them achieved full marks.

The next morning, Hagrid oversaw the magical creatures protection exam, which focused on caring for a Flobberworm; students simply needed to keep their Flobberworm alive for an hour to pass. This was an incredibly easy task, leading to great joy among the students, none of whom acknowledged that aside from the initial Hippogriff lesson and the subsequent salamander class, they had learned very little throughout the semester. Soren couldn't help but shake his head internally; if they hadn't gained any real knowledge, what was the point of excelling in the exam?

In the afternoon, the Potions exam arrived, a moment for Slytherin to shine. With the topic being the Confusing Potion, the little snakes submitted their completed potions a full half hour before the exam concluded. Other than Goyle, who inadvertently added too much water and ended up with a rather thin potion, the remaining snakes achieved resounding success, likely securing full marks.

At midnight, the Astronomy exam took place in the highest tower, followed by History of Magic and Herbology exams on Wednesday.

The final exam of Defense Against the Dark Arts took place on Thursday morning. Professor Lupin introduced an outdoor exam similar to an obstacle course, requiring students to navigate through a pond filled with Grindylows, traverse holes scattered with red caps, cross a swamp while disregarding misleading directions from a Hinkypunk, and finally confront a Boggart by crawling into an old trunk.

Soren, Daphne, Meredith, and Draco all scored full marks. While the other snakes performed excellently in earlier portions, they struggled with the Boggart challenge—Pansy ran out screaming after seeing her transformed self, and Blaise fainted at the sight of a fierce Hippogriff.

The last exam was Alchemy, where Soren successfully repaired a damaged Golden Snitch, earning the only full score in the class. Professor Bock had already indicated that Soren should find time to visit his office to learn how to mend the Vanishing Cabinet.

With exams concluded, three weeks remained until the semester's end, and students joyfully discussed their summer plans.

Harry, however, felt discontent after his exams. He had developed a fondness for Professor Lupin, who announced his resignation due to Snape exposing his werewolf nature.

This situation placed considerable pressure on Dumbledore from the school board. Numerous angry letters flooded into Dumbledore and the board from students' parents, and the Daily Prophet could not ignore the scandal, having to cover it in their reports.

Barnabas Cuffe, the editor of the newspaper, skillfully distanced Fudge from the situation, opting not to mention that Lupin's appointment had been sanctioned by the Ministry of Magic.

Moreover, Dumbledore's previous choices in hiring professors, such as Quirrell and Lockhart, came under intense scrutiny. The public initiated calls for the Ministry to reform the hiring process to ensure greater transparency and fairness, insisting that the headmaster should no longer have unilateral authority in professor appointments but should instead be subject to third-party evaluations.

Amidst this turmoil, Mr. Gareth Greengrass, a board member, stepped forward, volunteering to spearhead a "Faculty Hiring Committee" to review the headmaster's selections for professors moving forward.

To guarantee fairness, this committee would include two head professors, two board members, two parents, and two student representatives, ensuring a diverse range of viewpoints would be heard.

After a lengthy deliberation, the committee members were established. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape served as the two head professors, Gareth and Mrs. Selwyn from the Selwyn family represented the board, while Lucius Malfoy and Amelia Bones were selected as the parent representatives.

Of course, the student representative was Soren Malfoy. Though still quite young, his rising reputation and formidable skills had earned him respect among many young witches and wizards. Most of the committee members were at least somewhat familiar with Soren, with the exception of Mrs. Selwyn, making his appointment well-received.

The other student representative was Ron Weasley. While his nomination surprised many, it was far from surprising given the political implications behind Ron's appointment.

Soren speculated that the candidate initially favored by Dumbledore's faction was meant to be Hermione Granger. With her impressive academic record and skills, she would have been a strong choice, but her lack of a magical family background worked against her.

In contrast, Ron presented a solid alternative. Given his close friendship with Hermione, he could consult her on various matters. Moreover, coming from one of the oldest pure-blood families and being close to Harry, who possessed the aura of the savior, made him a favorable candidate.

It was clear that the Malfoy family emerged as significant beneficiaries from this upheaval. Not only had Lucius re-entered Hogwarts' power dynamics, but the inclusion of two Malfoy family members in the committee seemed almost effortless under Soren's prominent presence.

At the same time, Harry learned the full truth about Sirius's situation from Professor Lupin, discovering that Sirius was actually his godfather. This revelation deepened Harry's frustration as he felt he had finally located the only family member he had left, yet Sirius remained a wanted criminal without having cleared his name. Consequently, Harry was still unable to escape the Dursleys, whom he despised, to live with Sirius.

Interestingly, Ron found Lupin's revelation even more difficult to process than Harry did.

"What did you say? Scabbers is Peter Pettigrew?" he exclaimed. "No, that can't be right!" Although Sirius assured him he would get a new pet in compensation, Ron's attachment to Scabbers lingered heavily on with him.

Another source of concern for Harry was the Divination exam, during which the unreliable Professor Trelawney made what seemed like a genuine prophecy: "The Dark Lord lies alone, friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained for twelve years. Tonight, before midnight... this servant will break free of his chains and set out to join his master. The Dark Lord will rise again, stronger and more fearsome than ever…"

Harry became increasingly worried about this prophecy, but when he discussed it with Ron and Hermione, they brushed off Trelawney's abilities and dismissed the prophecy.

Just when Harry thought things couldn't worsen, harsh realities struck him hard.

While looking to retrieve his Invisibility Cloak from the one-eyed witch statue on the fourth floor, Harry was dismayed to find that the cloak had mysteriously disappeared!

The cloak was vital for Harry, as he was unable to perform the Disillusionment Charm, and it was the only relic left to him by his father, holding deep personal significance. Losing it plunged Harry into a deep funk.

The sole bit of good news for Harry was that he and Ron passed all their classes, even if some were only marked as a "pass." Additionally, he regained the Marauder's Map, which had previously been confiscated by Lupin. The map held significant value for Harry, symbolizing the legacy of his father and best friend at Hogwarts.

During the semester, Hermione's performance noticeably declined; she ended up in fourth place, overtaken by Meredith and Moray.

Everyone attributed her drop in grades to her overwhelming coursework, noting the challenge of taking on twelve elective classes. However, only she knew the true reason—right before exams, she desperately yearned for a word of encouragement from the boy she liked or at least for him to acknowledge her, but her hopes went unanswered…

She could not recall how many times she had silently cried during the night; she just knew she wasn't this saddened since the onset of her feelings…

Yet Hermione remained resilient. As she looked at her report card, instead of sinking into despair, her fighting spirit was reignited. She resolved to let go of everything and reclaim responsibility for her own path.

Rethinking her choices during the final exams, she ultimately decided to drop Divination and Muggle Studies, aiming for a more manageable schedule next semester. However, this choice meant she had to return the Time-Turner to Professor McGonagall.

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