When Draco and the others emerged from the cave and landed on the damp bathroom floor, they found Myrtle staring at them with wide eyes.
But her first words were neither concern nor relief.
"You're still alive..."
"..."
The disappointed tone in her voice, directed at Draco, even made the already irritable Snape pause. After realizing what she meant, he turned to his godson with a strange look.
Draco had no desire to figure out what that look implied, so he simply pretended not to notice.
Since Draco didn't respond, it was Hermione who took offense at Myrtle's words.
"I don't think there's any need to sound so disappointed."
"Oh... well, I was just thinking, if Draco had died, he'd be welcome to share this bathroom with me."
"Draco doesn't need that!"
Hermione bristled at the suggestion.
Fortunately, the awkward atmosphere didn't last long before Snape, his face dark, broke it.
"Go to the infirmary first. I need to inform his family about Weasley's condition. As for the rest of you... follow me."
As he walked, Draco glanced one last time at the underground passage.
The Chamber of Secrets of Slytherin...
...
The Headmaster's Office was located on the eighth floor of Hogwarts.
Perhaps to emphasize the importance of the Headmaster, it was set at the highest point in the castle, aside from the towers.
It was worth noting that the Gryffindor common room was also on this floor...
After sending Ron Weasley to the infirmary, Snape led Draco and the others here.
Climbing the spiraling staircase to the top, they arrived before a gleaming oak door with a brass knocker shaped like a creature with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. Behind that door lay the Headmaster's Office.
Though he had been at Hogwarts for nearly two terms, this was Draco's first time seeing it.
"Is that... a gargoyle?"
More than the thought of facing Dumbledore, Draco's attention was caught by the statue at the door. Gargoyles, used for guarding entrances and protecting sacred places, were not uncommon in the wizarding world. And just like the entrances to the House common rooms, one apparently needed a password to pass through.
Before going inside, however, Snape seemed to have something to say to him.
"Wait here for a while. I've already notified Minerva. As for you, Mr. Malfoy—come with me."
Under Harry Potter's suspicious stare and Hermione's worried gaze, Draco followed Snape to a spot out of earshot...
Looking through the window at the Gryffindor Tower so close at hand, Snape's voice was sharp with disapproval.
"You shouldn't have been there. I thought you were smarter than the rest of those wizards."
"So you did know something, godfather. Or rather, this was all—"
"Listen! Stop trying to figure things out. It isn't your place. Don't be like those foolish Gryffindors, always so curious. I won't answer any of your questions!"
"But sir—"
"Everyone has secrets. But without power, those secrets mean nothing."
Snape cut Draco off coldly, his voice dropping lower.
"Remember this: never meet Dumbledore's eyes. If you sense anything wrong, close yours immediately."
The warning stunned Draco, and he realized this meeting would be anything but simple.
Snape's words brought one spell to mind.
Legilimens...
...
The magic of the Mending Charm and Lockhart's formidable control over Fiendfyre meant Snape couldn't gather much information from the scene, unless he resorted to forcing Draco.
That is, Legilimens...
Legilimens is a powerful spell that allows a wizard to read another's emotions and memories.
As long as the caster is close to the target, or the target is unguarded, relaxed, or vulnerable, the spell can be performed with a high chance of success.
But true masters of Legilimens can slip into your mind without you realizing it, and the most skilled won't even let their target sense a thing.
Although the study and teaching of this spell are under strict legal control, it is hard to imagine that using a charm to invade someone's mind without consent is not considered a crime.
Even Veritaserum has been classified by the Ministry of Magic as a dangerous magical substance...
In short.
Both as Draco's professor and as his godfather, even with his mastery of Legilimens—and the likelihood that he could succeed without being detected—Snape still chose not to use it to uncover what had happened.
But knowing Dumbledore all too well, Snape did not hesitate to warn Draco that Dumbledore might attempt it.
If another wizard who idolized Dumbledore had heard such words, they would have thought Snape was being absurd, even fearmongering.
Just as Snape was cautioning Draco, Professor McGonagall arrived with Mrs. Weasley and Ron Weasley, who looked pale and weak...
"You saved him! You saved him! How did you manage it?"
"That's what we'd all like to know."
McGonagall's voice carried a trace of weariness, likely from being asked the same question countless times on the way here.
But it seemed Mrs. Weasley was directing her gratitude to the wrong person...
"No, it wasn't Mr. Potter. If Mr. Malfoy hadn't told Miss Granger to notify Severus, things might not have turned out so well."
"By Merlin's beard, thank you. I don't know how to express my gratitude, Mr. Malfoy—and of course you as well, dear Hermione."
Draco first glanced at Hermione, who was grinning foolishly at his side, before turning to Mrs. Weasley, who was clutching his hand and sobbing uncontrollably.
Although his father and the Weasley family had a poor relationship, it was clear that she bore no grudge against the younger generation. Draco had to admit, such a trait was hard to dislike in a witch.
Still, he didn't feel he had done much. True, he had warned Norberta not to trample Ron Weasley, but that had nothing to do with concern for him...
After the moment of gratitude, Professor McGonagall spoke at the right time.
"Now then, let's discuss the full account in the headmaster's office. Dumbledore must be eager to hear it."
With the correct password spoken, the gargoyle in front of them leapt aside, and the wall behind split open, revealing a spiral staircase slowly rising upward.
This was the path to the office of the headmasters of Hogwarts...