Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 214 Unexpected Situations

Thea no longer had time to ponder whether Dumbledore had figured out a way to fool Umbridge, because she had already solved the problem at its root:

She left Hogwarts!

And it wasn't just her; Draco left too!

Even as Draco stumbled and staggered through the dark passageway, he still couldn't figure out what they were up to!

Although he knew nothing about it, he wisely kept quiet.

"Oh!"

Draco, caught off guard, immediately tripped and fell hard. Luckily, Thea used a spell to cushion his fall, otherwise he would definitely have had a bruise.

"Get up quickly!" Thea quickly helped Draco up and brushed the dust off his robe.

"I'm fine,"

Draco's face was contorted in pain, but he didn't suggest taking a break.

Seeing how understanding Draco was, Thea felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry... I can't think of any other good ideas..."

"It's alright, it's alright!"

Draco immediately stopped Thea from blaming herself and pulled her forward to prove that he was alright.

Where are we going? Hogsmeade?

"...No, we want to...go back."

The narrow passage fell silent again after Thea spoke.

“Oh,” Draco broke the silence, “perfect timing, I miss my parents too.”

Draco spoke lightly, without a trace of doubt, as if returning home was something he was used to.

Thea pursed her lips, but ultimately said nothing.

When the two arrived at the end of the secret passage, Draco discovered that the screaming shack, which should have been empty, was now occupied by a man in black robes.

“Young Master, Master sent me to meet you.” Barty Crouch Jr. removed his hood and bowed slightly to Thea. “I have other tasks to complete here…”

“It’s okay, we can get there ourselves.” Thea nodded.

Because of Voldemort's orders, the two exchanged a few words and then Thea took Draco out the door.

"Rocket crossbow, here we come!"

Thea summoned two fire bolts to Draco's incredulous gaze. "Come on up! We need to get back to Riddle Manor before dawn."

“…Thea…” Draco said with difficulty.

"Hmm?" Thea asked, puzzled.

"...It's December now...and it's still evening..."

Draco managed to utter those words with a last glimmer of hope, but Thea still didn't change her mind.

"We have no other choice but to use fire crossbows to both conceal our movements and reach our destination quickly."

Thea’s tone was calm, but Draco could hear the undeniable authority in it.

"Alright! Let's use the fire bolts!" Draco immediately changed his stance.

Feeling the cold wind slapping against his face, Draco swallowed hard. At worst, it was just another life!

With a strange sense of melancholy, Draco mounted his broom, at least he had a warming spell...

------

"Follow me!"

"We need to fly higher!"

"Cheer up, Draco!"

Under Thea's supervision, Draco managed to get through the flight.

Seeing the undisguised seriousness on Thea's face, Draco felt an even heavier weight on his heart. He still didn't know what had happened.

He was jolted awake from his sleep by the burning sensation of his communication bracelet, then hastily threw on a few clothes, traversed the secret passage, and finally began his flight…

The destination is... Riddle's old house.

The headquarters of "that person".

Thinking about this, Draco's heart couldn't help but race.

He's a coward; he's known that since he was a child.

When faced with danger, his first reaction is to run away rather than fight; cowardice dominates his entire being.

But what about later?

After discovering his father is a Death Eater, and after Thea inexplicably becomes the Dark Lord's successor, can he still escape?

Looking at Draco's somber expression, Thea's heart grew heavier. She truly hadn't expected Voldemort to be in such a hurry for her to step forward...

Does he really see me as his successor?

Thea shook her head, immediately dismissing the idea.

Then, she looked intently at the building not far away. "Draco, we're almost there."

"Great, it's finally over..." Draco's murmurs drifted on the wind to Thea's ears.

End?

Thea smiled silently; this was clearly just the beginning.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

At dawn, Thea and Draco arrived at Riddle's old house at the same time.

They were greeted by McNeil, who was surprised to see them arrive on flying broomsticks. Even though he was a man of many experiences, he didn't say anything.

"The master is waiting for you on the second floor."

McNeil bowed humbly to Thea and presented her with a brand-new coat.

“Thank you,” Thea nodded slightly, her attitude polite but not obsequious. “Could you please take Malfoy to see his parents? Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” McNeil said, turning his gaze to the almost frozen Draco with disdain. “Let’s go, kid!”

Draco didn't mind and obediently followed behind her. Midway, he couldn't help but turn around and glance at Thea as she walked up the stairs.

The heavy coat covered Thea like a large net, and Draco couldn't see her expression because of the distance.

"Hurry up and catch up!" McNeil urged impatiently.

Draco immediately turned around and jogged to catch up with McNeil.

------

Unlike the packed room I saw last time, this time the conference room was unusually empty, with Voldemort and no one else in sight.

"Father."

Thea slowly approached the black-robed man leaning against the window.

Seemingly interrupted by Thea's voice, Voldemort turned around impatiently, his anger extinguished the moment he saw Thea's excessively pale face.

He frowned. "Dumbledore attacked you?"

Voldemort never hesitated to assume the worst about Dumbledore, but who knew what kind of vile schemes were hidden beneath that benevolent exterior!

“No,” Thea said bluntly, “I just rode the rocket crossbow all night and I’m a little cold.”

Voldemort was speechless for a moment.

I always felt that his daughter wasn't very bright...

I didn't ask her to come over so soon!

Voldemort, completely oblivious, shifted the blame onto Thea.

"Well... you go back and rest for a bit, and remember to come to the meeting tomorrow morning!"

In the end, Voldemort showed a pitiful amount of mercy and decided to let Thea rest for a while.

Thea agreed and was about to leave when Voldemort asked another question.

"By the way, why did you bring that Malfoy kid along?"

Thea remained calm, turned around and looked up to meet Voldemort's gaze, saying, "The excuse I used was that Aunt Narcissa was sick, and Draco and I were worried about her, so we ran away from Hogwarts."

"Unless otherwise agreed, our leave slips are now in Professor Snape's hands."

Voldemort looked at the girl standing straight in front of him, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. As expected of his daughter, she was so thorough in everything she did!