"Bang!"
The sound of the door closing wasn't actually loud, but Draco still flinched involuntarily.
He dared not look up into his father's eyes.
His mother was left outside the door, as was the professor.
A slightly cold hand placed on his shoulder felt the child's body tense up, causing Lucius to soften just a little.
"You know what I'm going to say, Draco."
He spoke with a deep voice.
"Yes."
Draco lowered his head: "I'm sorry, I know I was wrong."
"Where did you go wrong?" Lucius asked.
Draco's eyes were fixed on the floor, stiffly repeating what the professor and the school nurse had told him several times—
"The Entrail-Expelling Curse is a very dangerous magic, I shouldn't have used it on my fellow student... Even though Vincent is annoying, I didn't want him to end up like this..."
"Wrong, Draco."
Lucius lightly patted his shoulder twice and said:
"Your biggest mistake is learning a magic you don't fully understand—"
Draco's expression showed some resistance.
He knew that before his father entered school, he had learned quite a few Dark Magic Spells, taught by his grandfather personally.
Even when Draco himself started school, Lucius had taught him some "little tricks for self-defense."
Then he heard his father say:
"—You only saw the harm it caused to Vincent, but did you ever think about what if this spell was cast on yourself?"
The boy raised his head in fear and blurted out instinctively, "Can it work on the wizard himself?"
"Of course."
Lucius said calmly: "There was a wizard from the Avery Family whose intestines were blocked, and he wanted to take a shortcut and solve the problem with the Entrail-Expelling Curse, but ended up emptying half his stomach."
Thinking about Vincent's miserable state, Draco shivered fiercely.
"So, do you understand why your mother and I were so worried when we received Severus's message... worried that it was you who got into trouble." Lucius said.
For some strange amusement, Snape's message was ambiguous, intentionally misleading them to believe Draco was the one in trouble.
At that time, Lucius was so angry he could murder, already planning in his mind how to use the power of the twelve school governors to oust the incompetent headmaster Dumbledore.
But when he arrived at the school and bumped into Crabbe, after almost getting into a fight, he understood the whole story.
The aura of Lucius Malfoy dissipated like a deflated balloon, as he began to calmly think about how to mitigate the impact of this incident.
Facing his clearly trembling son, Lucius ultimately did not punish him harshly as he had initially intended, but instead gently warned Draco of the worst consequences, repeatedly emphasizing—
Not to recklessly learn dangerous magic, even the most ordinary ones. In history, there are quite a few wizards who have killed themselves with their own magic.
This time, the matter can be resolved (26,000 Galleons), but you must be careful in the future, don't be impulsive again, spend more time on study or Quidditch.
You're a Slytherin student; like a snake... Snakes are carnivorous creatures that move in the shadows; exposing yourself to the sunlight is the most dangerous time.
Don't worry about Vincent retaliating after returning to school, your dad will always be your support.
And when dealing with conflicts with classmates, don't retaliate directly; you can handle it like this...
Lucius imparted much of his experience.
And in this process, Severus Snape's name was repeatedly mentioned as an example, making Draco know that his terrifying head of house once also had a youthful experience of being targeted and bullied by classmates, making him occasionally laugh aloud.
Forty minutes later, Lucius held his son's shoulder and walked out of the empty classroom.
Snape was surprised to see Draco's mouth even showing a slightly relaxed smile, his cheeks flushed, not at all like someone who had just been reprimanded.
He raised an eyebrow, glancing at Malfoy Senior.
—Was this really the Lucius Malfoy he knew?
Seeing Snape's expressionless face, the hint of mockery and even slight contempt that Draco had just developed in his heart disappeared instantly.
He realized the tall man before him was not the pathetic figure in the story (Lucius only shared the bullied part about Snape), but a mature, powerful, and rather ill-tempered head of house.
Draco's smile immediately faded.
He watched as his parents exchanged pleasantries with the head of house, their address familiar yet their attitude distant.
As they left, Lucius said, "Then I'll leave Draco's confinement to you, Severus."
Draco looked shocked at the father who had just been guiding him.
"No problem." Professor Snape curled up the corners of his mouth into a malicious smile: "It's just that I have a lot of Magic Potion Materials to process."
Like bat wings, beetle eyes, cockroach antennae, etc...
Draco's face turned pale once more.
He wished so much that his father would take him away together!
But Draco didn't know; just as they left the castle, Lucius's face sank.
Narcissa silently walked to his side and asked, "How is it?"
"He didn't say."
Lucius said with a grim face: "Draco is unwilling... or unable to tell me who taught him that spell. They might have signed some kind of Magic Contract."
When Draco claimed he learned the magic from home, Lucius knew he was lying, but in front of everyone, he didn't expose his son's lie.
In reality, there are many dangerous Dark Magic Books in the Malfoy Family, some of which are hazardous even just being near them; how could Lucius let Draco access them lightly?
The truly dangerous books are hidden in places Draco cannot reach.
The ones in the study, though many record Dark Magic, are not too dangerous, nor do they lack corresponding warning examples.
What Draco can see, at most, is just the name of the spell, "Entrail-Expelling Curse."
Lucius initially thought Draco had sneaked into Hogwarts Library's restricted section; this ancient castle has too many secrets, it wouldn't be surprising to find an unauthorized Magic Note there.
But when Draco denied it, Lucius realized the matter was more complicated than he thought.
"Then..." Narcissa frowned and said, "How on earth did he..."
"Leave it to Dumbledore for now! Even if someone has played some petty tricks before, there's not much in this school that escapes his eyes... not even the Dark Lord..."
Lucius suddenly realized he'd said something he shouldn't have and immediately shut his mouth.