Harry Potter: The Rise Of Malfoy

Chapter 71

The long-awaited Saturday had arrived, the day of the Quidditch final, which would ultimately decide the House Cup champion for the semester.

Soren chose not to attend.

Instead, he occupied himself in the lab of his suitcase space, finalizing the brew of Baruffio's Brain Elixir. Ever since his return from Sardinia with the unique snake egg gifted by sister Giordana, he had meticulously gathered all the necessary ingredients.

Before he dove into potion-making, Soren took a sip of Felix Felicis to ensure a successful process. With precision, he mixed dragon claw powder, bouncing mushroom, and frog brain into the potion, carefully regulating the simmering heat.

Thanks to the Felix Felicis, his instinct sharpened, allowing him to gauge the exact moments for adding each component. When the potion released a subtle aroma, he introduced the unique snake egg, transforming the mixture into a thick green liquid.

He extracted one-tenth of this green potion, placed it in a test tube, and diluted it significantly with pure water, lightening its color instantly.

Soren then administered the diluted Baruffio's Brain Elixir to Silver Tooth, who reacted with exuberance, bouncing eagerly. After observing Silver Tooth for half an hour without any negative effects, Soren drank a full third of the undiluted potion in one swift motion.

As he swallowed, a lightness engulfed his mind, making his thoughts clearer and more energetic than ever.

Inhaling deeply, he experienced a sensation beyond mere mental clarity; his brain was adeptly identifying answers to problems with remarkable ease.

Soren settled into an armchair, closed his eyes, and linked his fingers, gearing up to contemplate various matters under the potion's influence. The Baruffio's Brain Elixir helped him refine his thoughts, and upon reopening his eyes, he quickly took out a pen to jot down his insights in his notebook.

Afterward, he attempted to focus on casting the Patronus Charm and realized he could sustain it nearly double the time compared to before. His magical prowess now rivaled that of an advanced student, and the duration of his Patronus surpassed that of Harry and his peers in the original series. With his enhanced mental strength, Soren also achieved a more precise control over his magical discharge, significantly minimizing waste and equating his Patronus duration to that of experienced wizards.

Upon returning to the Great Hall, he coincidentally witnessed the jubilant Slytherins and the crestfallen Gryffindors.

Draco, beaming with pride, boasted loudly about his accomplishments, reveling in his triumph.

The strategies Soren had provided to Draco had indeed proven effective; Slytherin maintained a tight formation from the game's outset, focusing solely on blocking Gryffindor from scoring—Gryffindor fell behind by two hundred points, leaving Harry to merely hinder Draco early on. However, Draco had dramatically improved; his rigorous training paid off, and with the stellar performance of the Firebolt, he deftly caught the Golden Snitch, despite Harry's attempts to thwart him.

With Slytherin clinching the Quidditch Cup, the ecstasy lingered for at least a week, and Draco's popularity surged.

The girls began to notice how Daphne and Meredith closely guarded Soren, leading them to realize that Draco was not far behind Soren in terms of family background and looks. It was as if they were sharks sensing blood, circling Draco relentlessly, causing Pansy to visibly sulk and start protecting Draco as well.

Even the weather appeared to be celebrating; as June approached, the days turned clear and sunny, enticing everyone to enjoy chilled pumpkin juice on the field while playing Gobstones or watching the giant squid lazily glide across the lake.

Speaking of the giant squid, Soren had encountered one during his previous life in the Caribbean.

He could affirm it wasn't the same species as their Muggle counterparts. The gentle, intelligent nature of the giant squid could possibly be attributed to wizard taming, but it didn't alter the fact that deep-sea giant squids were saltwater creatures. They couldn't survive in the lighting, water pressure, or salinity of the Black Lake, let alone consume bread thrown by students.

Yet, despite his extensive searches through the grand Hogwarts library and his family's vast collection, Soren had never stumbled upon any mention of a "magical giant squid." This sparked a bold thought in his mind. Could it be...

But the students had other matters to attend to; final exams loomed ahead. Instead of leisurely basking in the outdoor sun, they were confined to the castle, resisting the allure of the summer breeze while forcing themselves to study diligently.

Soren never fretted about exams—they felt like mere formalities. Regardless of the results, they held little significance in the face of the chaotic times ahead.

Additionally, his abilities made earning Galleons effortless. With a stroke of luck, preserving the Malfoy family would suffice for a lifetime of extravagance.

So while others bemoaned their study sessions, Soren slipped into the Forbidden Forest in search of rare ingredients.

As he ventured into the forest's edge, he was taken aback by an unexpected sight.

Under a towering tree, Sirius Black was slumped against the trunk, unconscious. He bore significant injuries; his clothes were tattered, and dried blood marred his skin. A deep, fist-sized bruise dented his partially exposed chest.

After a moment's consideration, Soren retrieved an emergency potion from his pocket, pouring it into Sirius's mouth. After a brief period, Sirius's eyes shot open in surprise.

"Ugh..." He seemed startled, attempting to push himself up, but his injuries halted him. Sirius groaned in pain and collapsed back to the cold ground.

Seizing the moment, Soren cast a hypnosis spell on him. Sirius's mind was in a fragile state, making it easier for Soren to induce a deep, restorative sleep.

With patience, Soren coaxed information regarding the attack from Sirius.

Why didn't he employ Legilimency? While both Legilimency and hypnosis can extract secrets from a person's consciousness, Legilimency directly invades the mind to steal memories. Its convenience lies in speed, but it leaves traces and confuses the subject's memories. Consequently, adept Legilimens typically master the Obliviate spell to erase any lingering sensations of intrusion.

Hypnosis, though more elaborate and slower, requires continuous verbal and physical cues to gently lull the subject into deep sleep and encourage them to reveal desired information. This process, while drawn-out, leaves no indication, leading the subject to feel they merely napped.

The assailant turned out to be Peter Pettigrew!

"Peter Pettigrew?" Soren furrowed his brow.

Pettigrew was notorious for his cowardice; it seemed implausible he could confront Sirius—he had a history of fleeing. Even after deceiving everyone in the past, he was still seen retreating. How could such a cowardly figure launch an attack on someone he had consistently envied like Sirius?

Moreover, given Pettigrew's limitations, even a sneak attack would unlikely leave Sirius in such dire condition.

Pushing aside these thoughts, Soren maintained the hypnosis spell to extract additional secrets: the location of the Black family's hidden chamber and the vault password for Sirius's Gringotts account. Once he acquired all necessary information, he concluded the spell, allowing Sirius to drift back into a deep sleep, completely unaware of their encounter.

After some contemplation, Soren resolved to share part of the situation with Dumbledore.

Undoubtedly, the issue with Peter Pettigrew had escalated beyond his control. Sirius, a formidable Auror, even in a weakened state, was not easily defeated—wounding him to this extent suggested significant trouble.

"I'm not Harry, nor do I possess the protagonist's aura for protection. Defeating a Basilisk, dueling Dementors, and overcoming a werewolf is merely leveraging my knowledge of both myself and my adversaries. Confronting the unknown strength of Peter Pettigrew, who diverged from the original narrative, would be akin to courting disaster if I proceeded recklessly."

Soren tucked the unconscious Sirius into the suitcase space and hastened to Dumbledore's office.

Although the entrance to the headmaster's sanctuary required a password, Soren was aware that every portrait and statue within the castle acted as Dumbledore's eyes and ears, leaving little to evade his notice. Dumbledore would surely be aware someone was seeking him.

As anticipated, after a short wait, the gargoyle statue reacted to an unseen signal and moved aside, revealing the entrance. Recognizing this as Dumbledore's invitation, Soren stepped onto the staircase.

Inside Dumbledore's office, Soren extracted Sirius from the suitcase space, informing the headmaster that he had discovered the unconscious fugitive in the Forbidden Forest and brought him for Dumbledore to address.

Dumbledore gazed curiously at Soren's suitcase, then at the unconscious Sirius, softly remarking, "Soren, you truly astonish me as a student."

Soren didn't dwell on the implication of Dumbledore's words, quickly asserting, "Headmaster, capturing Black isn't my accomplishment; I merely stumbled upon him. I believe the circumstances surrounding Black are more complex than they appear. Shouldn't we investigate who caused such serious harm to him?"

Dumbledore cast a healing spell, one Soren had never witnessed before, and Sirius's injuries began to heal visibly.

When Sirius regained consciousness and saw Dumbledore, he refrained from acting recklessly, recounting his wrongful imprisonment, his escape via his Animagus form, and how he sought revenge on Pettigrew, only to be ambushed and grievously wounded in the Forbidden Forest.

Dumbledore seemed largely unfazed; he had long speculated about the incident twelve years prior and that Pettigrew was indeed alive. The only missing piece was realizing Pettigrew was Ron's rat, Scabbers. Now, armed with this insight, he could piece the truths together.

Dumbledore quickly summoned Professor Lupin. The professor readily accepted the unfolding situation, particularly as he had recently suffered the effects of the Wolfsbane Potion—an occurrence which could be attributed to Pettigrew.

While the remaining matters could be left to the adults, and Soren intended to depart politely, Dumbledore requested that he remain.

Dumbledore's gaze held a sharp interest as he inquired, "Soren, what are your thoughts on this issue?"

Soren was momentarily taken aback, then replied, "What can I think, Professor? If you believe Mr. Black is innocent, we simply need to find Scabbers for a confrontation, and the truth will surface, clearing Mr. Black's name."

Dumbledore pressed further, "You have so many insightful ideas; can you assist us in devising a way to find Scabbers?"

Soren thought carefully for a moment before responding, "Scabbers is small and skilled at burrowing, making him difficult to locate. Our optimal strategy is to use bait to draw him out. Scabbers must be aware that Mr. Black is alive; if we reveal traces of Mr. Black's severe injuries and use that as bait, Scabbers will likely reveal himself once again."

After a thorough discussion, they began to formulate their plans.

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