You Should Be Glad You Didn't Have the Talent to Be a Villain

Malfoy was silent for a moment, then looked around and stammered, "There's something I want to talk to you about in private…"

"Yes!" Ivan waved the young wizards back to their spell practice, and left the Room of Requirement alone with Malfoy.

As they walked along the empty corridors of the castle, Malfoy saw that no one was around, so he said hesitantly, "The Dark Lord is trying to kill you…"

"Yes, I know!" Yvonne raised her eyebrows, unsurprised.

He had previously used Legilimency to read Malfoy's memory, so Ivan quickly stopped and turned to Malfoy.

"You were the one Voldemort chose to attack, weren't you, Malfoy?"

Draco Malfoy's pupils contracted and he stared at Ivan in shock, unable to comprehend how Ivan knew. He had not acted on the Dark Lord's instructions, so there was no possibility of him revealing himself.

Could there be a mole among the Death Eaters?

Malfoy became flustered, and to avoid misunderstanding, he quickly explained.

"The Dark Lord told me to find a way to assassinate you, but I didn't, and Snape… Professor Snape was sent by the Dark Lord to keep an eye on me, so I had to send you something every once in a while to show that I was working… I told him to put sweets in the package to put you off guard, to prepare you for later poisoning…"

Malfoy blurted out everything he could and should not have said, but Ivan's face remained the same, as if he had known all along.

"Relax, I didn't mean to doubt you…" Ivan continued, soothing Malfoy's agitation. "But did you come to me tonight just to give me the news?"

Malfoy hesitated for a moment before speaking. "It was my father who wanted to see you … the first two times he sent you a message, it was a sign of our good faith …"

Malfoy looked uncomfortable at this; in fact, Lucius had instructed Malfoy to please Ivan Harris at all costs.

However, Malfoy could not bring himself to go against his "enemy" who had been at war with him for over four years, so he resorted to sending gifts and intelligence…

"Oh? Lucius wants to see me?"

Ivan was finally surprised and tried to probe Malfoy's mind, only to find that Malfoy did not know why Lucius wanted to see him either.

However, it was easy to guess what this traitor was thinking. He must have thought that Voldemort had lost and was hiding in the safe house like a stray dog. It seemed that he was going to die sooner or later, so he decisively chose to rebel…

Ivan composed himself and went on.

"So you betrayed Voldemort on Lucius's orders? What about yourself? As I recall, you would have loved to have been a glorious Death Eater…"

Ivan's tone was slightly sarcastic, and Malfoy's face turned red.

"I thought … I thought being a Death Eater meant I could …"

"So you can bully Muggles and restore the glory of pure-blood supremacy?" Ivan finished the sentence for Malfoy coldly, then continued with a sneer.

"But apparently you were wrong, and you found out that Death Eaters are a bunch of madmen, that Voldemort is cruel to Muggles and worse to his own people, and that in his eyes you are nothing more than the humblest of servants and lackeys!

He forced you to kill me, and you didn't dare, couldn't, so you were afraid? Afraid that if you didn't get the job done, he would torture and kill you and your family?"

Ivan looked at Malfoy with a gaze as sharp as a carving knife.

Draco Malfoy opened his mouth to retort, but decided against it.

Because Ivan was right, he did think so before, and even thought it would be cool to be a Death Eater.

It was not until that day, when he saw his father Lucius being tortured by the Dark Lord with the Cruciatus Curse for making a mistake, that his fantasy collapsed…

The Dark Lord's reign was not heaven, but a bottomless hell.

The Death Eater's actions are no more playful than usual. He either kills or is killed. There is no third option…

"So you have too much on your mind and not the talent to be a villain, Malfoy…" Ivan said with a mixture of sarcasm and emotion.

Draco Malfoy was silent and downcast, his perception of Lucius's subservience to Lord Voldemort nearly shattered, and he understood that pure-blood glory was nothing.

Noticing Draco Malfoy's frustration, Ivan shook his head and gave up on trying to hit him.

"Didn't you say your father wanted to see me? Malfoy? I'll give him a chance to inform Lucius to come to Hogwarts tomorrow night… I'll be waiting for him in the drawing room on the first floor, at one o'clock sharp!"

"Out of date…"

… .

Late Saturday night at Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy waited anxiously in the Entrance Hall, glancing around the castle for fear of being caught by Filch.

At ten minutes past midnight, a black-robed figure entered the hall.

Draco gave a slow sigh of relief and hurried to meet him. The figure reached up and removed his hood. It was Lucius Malfoy.

Lucius patted Draco on the shoulder and said appreciatively, "I got your letter, Draco. You did well this time. Now take me to Ivan Hals."

Draco nodded and hurried Lucius to the first-floor drawing room.

On the way, Lucius asked questions about everything that had happened at Hogwarts since the beginning of the school year, especially everything to do with Ivan.

These were desperate times, and in case the envelopes were intercepted, they did not dare to say too much in their letters, so Lucius only had a general idea.

All he knew was that Draco had managed to fool Snape by sending him a parcel in which he had hidden some notes containing information, thus gaining his trust.

Lucius, however, was not happy with the way that Drakola had managed to win over Ivan Hals. How petty of him! From beginning to end, it had only cost him a few dozen Galleons, much to his disappointment.

"If you don't know what Hals likes, you can start with his friends and give them presents…the little devils will always be easier to deal with, like new brooms and gift toys," Lucius suggested.

Draco did not reply with a scowl.

'Friend? Which friend?'

Harry Potter the Nasty? Weasley the Red? He'd be too ashamed to give presents anyway…