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Malfoy’s mouth contorted involuntarily, as though he had tasted something very bitter.

“Now, about tonight,” Dumbledore went on, “I am a little puzzled about how it happened… you knew that I had left the school? But of course,” he answered his own question, “Rosmerta saw me leaving, she tipped you off using your ingenious coins, I’m sure…”

“That’s right,” said Malfoy. “But she said you were just going for a drink, you’d be back…”

“Well, I certainly did have a drink… and I came back… after a fashion,” mumbled Dumbledore. “So you decided to spring a trap for me?”

“We decided to put the Dark Mark over the Tower and get you to hurry up here, to see who’d been killed,” said Malfoy. “And it worked!”

“Well… yes and no…” said Dumbledore. “But am I to take it, then, that nobody has been murdered?”

“Someone’s dead,” said Malfoy and his voice seemed to go up an octave as he said it. “One of your people… I don’t know who, it was dark… I stepped over the body… I was supposed to be waiting up here when you got back, only your Phoenix lot got in the way…”

“Yes, they do that,” said Dumbledore.

There was a bang and shouts from below, louder than ever; it sounded as though people were fighting on the actual spiral staircase that led to where Dumbledore, Malfoy and Harry stood, and Harry’s heart thundered unheard in his invisible chest… someone was dead… Malfoy had stepped over the body… but who was it?

“There is little time, one way or another,” said Dumbledore. “So let us discuss your options, Draco.”

“My options!” said Malfoy loudly. “I’m standing here with a wand—I’m about to kill you—”

“My dear boy, let us have no more pretence about that. If you were going to kill me, you would have done it when you first Disarmed me, you would not have stopped for this pleasant chat about ways and means.”

“I haven’t got any options!” said Malfoy, and he was sud denly as white as Dumbledore. “I’ve got to do it! He’ll kill me! He’ll kill my whole family!”

“I appreciate the difficulty of your position,” said Dumbledore. “Why else do you think I have not confronted you before now? Because I knew that you would have been murdered if Lord Voldemort realised that I suspected you.”

Читайте також:

1. A hand had appeared amongst the flames, groping as though to catch hold of something; a stubby, short-fingered hand covered in ugly old-fashioned rings.
2. After glancing once at this portrait, Professor McGonagall made an odd movement as though steeling herself, then rounded the desk to look at Harry, her face taut and lined.
3. All three of them raised their wands again, but none of them struck: they were all gazing, open-mouthed, appalled, at what was happening to the man’s head.
4. And as he thought this, the scar on his forehead burned so badly that he clapped his hand to it.
5. And he looked eagerly around as though hoping to see a signpost.
6. And something vast, green, and glittering erupted from the patch of darkness Harry’s eyes had been struggling to penetrate; it flew up over the treetops and into the sky.
7. And when the creature spoke, it used Harry’s mouth, so that in his agony he felt his jaw move.
8. And with a regal wave, he waddled out of the shop, taking as little notice of Ron as though he had been a display of Cockroach Clusters.
9. Bathilda shuffled past them, pushing Hermione aside as though she had not seen her, and vanished into what seemed to be a sitting room.
10. Bellatrix still looked unhappy, though she appeared unsure how best to attack Snape next. Taking advantage of her silence, Snape turned to her sister.
11. Bellatrix’s mouth twisted as though she had taken an unpleasant dose of medicine.
12. Both Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon looked around instinctively, as though expecting to see someone other than Dudley squeezed between them.

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