分卷阅读4（1 / 2）

“No. And only a Malfoy can open it, so they couldn’t even look for trial purposes.”

“Well that’s a stupid rule.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Some families store the bones of their ancestors in there.”

“What?”

“Read it in the Quibbler.”

Harry shook his head. “Let’s just go down to dinner.”

The two joined their fellow students in the Great Hall and Ron filled Hermione in on what his father had written to him. She didn’t say anything at first, but any reply she would have made was cut off by Dumbledore signaling for silence in the Great Hall.

“I have an important announcement to make. Hogwarts is going to be receiving a guest for a few months. I ask that you all be especially courteous to him during his stay here. He will be arriving later tonight. Now tuck in.”

As the food appeared as it did every night, Harry looked suspiciously at Dumbledore. A guest? Harry had a sinking suspicion he knew who that guest was, but he hoped he was wrong.

“Any guesses who that is?” Ron asked sarcastically.

“Obviously it’s Malfoy,” Hermione spoke quietly.

“Wonder why he didn’t just announce it,” Harry wondered.

“Can you imagine what that would have started?” Hermione asked. “I think he was smart not to announce it. Wait until the students’ parents are told that he’s innocent before telling the school.”

“That does make some sense,” Ron admitted.

“But does that mean Dumbledore believes Malfoy?” Harry asked. “I mean, Dumbledore was there. He saw Malfoy. How can he believe that Malfoy isn’t a Death Eater?”

“Maybe Malfoy’s a spy like Snape.” Hermione spoke low so that only Harry and Ron could hear.

“If he is, he’s sure a great actor,” Ron muttered darkly. Then, “You know something strange? Ferret hasn’t spoken about it once.”

“That is strange,” Harry murmured.

Through the pressure in his head, Draco felt his heart leap. So his father was coming to Hogwarts? Of course Dumbledore didn’t come out and say that, but it made sense after all. Fudge would want someone like Dumbledore to confirm that his father wasn’t a Death Eater…which in itself was really funny because Dumbledore knew that his father was a Death Eater. Then again, Dumbledore was the Headmaster of the school, so shouldn’t he have the characteristics of the school’s founders? He certainly was smart like Ravenclaw, and he was brave like Gryffindor. The number of Hufflepuff qualities in Dumbledore was startling…but Slytherin? Well, he just proved he had Slytherin qualities. Lying to the Minister of Magic. Well, Fudge was an idiot, so maybe that didn’t really count.