Draco raised a hand to clutch his bruised chest, gasping heavily. Blood oozed from a cut on his forehead, trickling down his pale cheeks.
His cold gaze stared fixedly at the screaming, struggling Professor Quirrell.
In the end, Draco clutched his chest, quickly scrambled up the stairs, and ran upward in a stumble.
The sound of chaotic footsteps echoed through the corridor.
The dormitory doors on both sides were already dark.
Many students must have been fast asleep for a long time.
Pushing open his dormitory door, Draco squeezed inside, glanced back at the pitch-black corridor, and finally shut the door.
The candles inside the dormitory were still burning.
Theodore was sitting on his bed reading a book.
Hearing the commotion, Theodore turned a page without raising his head. "I thought you couldn't find your way back to the dormitory."
Receiving no reply, Theodore looked up, and in the next second, stood straight up.
"Draco?"
"You..."
Theodore opened his mouth, but ultimately asked no further questions, walking over instead to steady Draco, whose body was trembling slightly.
After helping him to the bench, he went to fetch some water.
Draco leaned back against the chair, closing his eyes in exhaustion as Theodore used a damp cloth to wipe the blood from his face.
The quiet atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy.
Only the sound of Theodore repeatedly changing the water broke the silence.
Squatting on the floor with a deep frown, Theodore gently picked up Draco's blood-stained hand.
He looked up at Draco's pale face.
Then he lowered his head and began gently wiping the blood away.
"You won't tell anyone, will you, Theodore..."
Draco's voice was hoarse and entirely devoid of any threat.
Theodore's fingertips paused. He didn't answer, simply continuing to wipe away the blood in silence.
Tears welled up from the corners of his eyes. Draco sniffled, feeling an overwhelming sense of grievance. Right now, he desperately wanted his mom and dad; he wanted them to hold him, comfort him softly, and blow on his wounds.
Seeming to notice that Draco was crying, Theodore looked up.
He stood up, bent down, and wiped the tears from Draco's face with his hand, speaking softly, "Don't cry. Everything will be fine."
Draco buried his face in Theodore's arms and could no longer hold back his sobs.
"I didn't want to fight back! He forced me into it!"
His voice, choked with tears, sounded muffled.
Theodore was silent for a moment, then finally nodded. "Right. It's okay now."
He knew how badly Draco was hurt, and he knew that someone had cast the Cruciatus Curse—one of the Three Unforgivable Curses—on Draco.
To openly attack a Malfoy at Hogwarts—
And with intent to kill; there was definitely an unspeakable secret behind this.
"You need to have your wounds treated now."
After soothing Draco, Theodore began a comprehensive examination of his injuries.
Seeing the blood-matted and congealed hair at the back of Draco's head, Theodore reached out and touched it. A damp liquid stained his hand, and when he pulled it back, it was covered in blood.
He had to use something to part Draco's hair, quickly clean away the blood, apply healing potion, and wrap it in bandages.
During this process, Draco gradually relaxed.
"We need to go to the Hospital Wing tomorrow."
"You'll just say you fell down the stairs, even if that sounds incredible."
Theodore said after finishing the simple bandage job.
Receiving no reply, he let out a helpless sigh, as Draco had already fallen asleep.
He looked utterly exhausted.
Theodore had no choice but to pick Draco up, lay him on the bed, and remove his blood-stained outer robe and shirt. Then he bent down to take off his shoes, pulled up the quilt, and tucked him in.
Standing by the bedside,
he looked at the sleeping Draco, a flash of subtle concern passing through the depths of his eyes.
"Damn it!"
Theodore pulled the bed curtains closed, blew out the candles, and returned to his own bed to lie down.
As the first ray of sunlight illuminated the earth,
the sun revealed its true face.
Students woke up one after another to greet the new day.
On this day, the first-years also completely integrated into the life and routine of Hogwarts.
When everyone was dressed and seated in the Great Hall for breakfast, however, some were filled with anxiety.
"Why didn't Draco come down for breakfast?"
"I don't know!"
Harry looked at that empty seat, and his bad premonition grew stronger.
Ever since last night, an inexplicable panic had gripped his heart.
Ron was eating a large chicken leg and replied indistinctly, "You should swallow what's in your mouth before you speak!" Hermione said with a look of disgust.
"I suppose he overslept, missed the time, or got lost!" Neville guessed.
"I think something happened to him!"
Harry suddenly said, and the three of them immediately stopped eating, turning to look at him in unison.
"Something must have happened to Draco!" Harry looked into the eyes of the three and said earnestly.
The few of them exchanged glances, seeing shock, worry, and confusion at Harry's certainty in each other's eyes.
Hospital Wing.
"You really are too careless, child! Why on earth would you fall down such a tall flight of stairs?!"
Madam Pomfrey bustled about, producing various potions and carefully tending to his injuries.
"I was in too much of a rush," Draco offered a weak explanation.
"Don't tell me you fell on your hands like this! These are clearly scratch marks! Goodness gracious!"
When Madam Pomfrey finished her work, Draco's forehead and the back of his head were wrapped in thick bandages, and all ten fingers of his hands were carefully swathed in gauze without a single gap exposed.
"Honestly! Blown up yesterday, and now severely injured again today—I'm starting to suspect someone is playing a trick on you!" Madam Pomfrey muttered incessantly, though she knew better than to disturb a patient's rest.
Draco lay on the hospital bed with a dazed expression.
Seeing that there was no one around, he pulled back the sleeve of his right arm. There, a mysterious mark was visible.
[Trigger Quest: Accept Voldemort's recruitment (Completion Reward: One random memory awakening)]
"Vol..."
The moment he uttered the syllable, a dull ache pierced the depths of his brain.
Professor Quirrell was connected to Voldemort? Voldemort wasn't dead?
Countless questions flooded his mind, and remembering his narrow escape yesterday, Draco hesitated.
Yet in the end, he closed his eyes and began touching the seal, recalling memories of his past life.
The sharp stabbing pain merely twisted Draco's expression for a moment before he quickly retrieved the memories he sought.
"Why make me accept his recruitment?"
"Is this forcing me to walk the path of my past life all over again?"
Draco wore a puzzled look.
[I told you, rather than pledging allegiance to one side, it's better to weave between both factions. That way you can adapt to circumstances and have more exit routes. I won't harm you, Draco.]
[You are my contractor; if you die, I will vanish as well.]
[I am choosing a beneficial path for you. Please trust me... contractor.]
"Trust you... why shouldn't I trust you? I've trusted you from the very beginning. After all... my new life was given to me by you; without you, how could I have been reborn?"
"I just don't want my family to decline, I don't want my parents' lives threatened, I don't want... to be mocked."
"I can't lose them! Nor can I lose my status..."
[The one you trust most should be me, contractor.]
[We are one, inseparable.]
[Neither of us can afford to lose the other.]
[As long as you trust these choices, you will not face any threats! You only need to play the part of a naive, lively, yet clever Malfoy who puts interests above all else.]
[Please believe me.]
"Yes, I believe you!"