Harry Potter: Glory Bows to Me

The castle seemed exceptionally quiet at night, with only the occasional whispering of figures in the paintings coming from deep in the corridor.

Deep in an abandoned corridor——

Draco stood there, his back straight, his blue-gray eyes as calm as a lake, but if you look closely, his trembling fingers hidden in his sleeves still reveal his inner anxiety.

In the darkness, a figure slowly emerged.

Antonin Dolohov is a dark wizard and one of the Death Eaters.

His face was hidden under the hood, and his voice was low and cold: "Malfoy, have you not found the Gaunt emblem yet?"

Draco's expression didn't change at all. He took a deep breath, suppressed the tension in his heart, and said calmly, "I'm looking for it... Hogwarts is very big, it's not that easy to find."

The man in black robe chuckled, with a hint of dangerous sarcasm in his smile: "You are lying to me, Malfoy, do you think I don't know what you have been doing these days?"

He walked forward, feeling a sense of oppression.

"The Dark Lord won't wait patiently for too long." Dolohov's voice was as low as the breath of a venomous snake, with a chilling coldness. "You know, the Dark Mark is more than just a symbol... It can bring pain, but also loyalty."

The moment the words fell, Draco's arm trembled suddenly.

The Dark Mark seemed to be pulled by some invisible force, and a burning pain suddenly shot up from under the skin, like a flame burning in the flesh.

He clenched his teeth and made no sound, but cold sweat was already oozing from his forehead.

"You are smart and know how to be patient." Dolohov's voice was slightly mocking. "But you'd better understand - if you continue to delay, it won't just be you."

He paused, and his tone deliberately slowed down, with a hint of creepy cruelty.

"Your mother may also... feel this pain."

Draco's head snapped up, his pupils constricted.

In the darkness, his heartbeat was beating against his chest like a drum, but he knew he couldn't reveal the slightest flaw.

The Gaunt coat of arms? Of course he had found it.

In fact, it lay quietly on his chest, carefully hung by a delicate silver chain, hidden under the inner layer of his school robes.

He had found it in the basement of Malfoy Manor.

He had known for a long time that this thing was no longer in Hogwarts - it was discovered by a Slytherin student on campus, sold secretly, and changed hands several times before finally being sold to his father, Lucius.

The Gaunt coat of arms, a seemingly ordinary family emblem full of ancient magic, symbolizes the pure-blooded heritage of the Gaunt family - and is also one of the relics that Voldemort most wants to retrieve.

But he couldn't hand it over.

At least, not now.

He forced himself to calm down, and despite the pain, he still maintained an indifferent expression: "I understand... I will speed up."

Antonin narrowed his eyes, as if to gauge his credibility.

The atmosphere was tense for a moment. After a moment, the man in black robe took a step back, glanced at him coldly, and whispered, "I hope you understand that you don't have much time."

Before he finished speaking, his figure seemed to be swallowed by the darkness and disappeared silently at the end of the corridor.

Draco stood frozen in place, his fingertips tightly clenched around his collar, his face pale.

He felt the coldness of the Gaunt emblem on his chest soaking through his shirt, as if reminding him -

He was standing on the edge of a cliff, and if he was not careful, he would be crushed to pieces.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly turned around, hiding all his emotions, and walked into the depths of the Hogwarts corridor as if nothing had happened.

The lights in the castle gradually went out, the corridor was quiet and dark, and the figures in the murals had dozed off, occasionally turning over and uttering low mumblings in their sleep.

The fireplace in the Slytherin common room was still burning and the flames were still dancing.

Amanta sat on the sofa by the window, her eyes fixed on the pages of the book in her hands, but she never turned the pages.

She is waiting for someone.

Unconsciously, Draco had been coming home late at night more and more frequently.

What concerned her even more was that every time he came back, his face was extremely pale, his expression was painful, and there seemed to be faint burn marks on his arms, but he was never willing to explain, and even deliberately avoided her when she approached.

And he...was determined not to let her and Harry interfere in these matters.

She frowned slightly, her fingertips tapping the pages unconsciously, and the uneasiness in her heart gradually grew.

There were footsteps outside the door.

Amanta looked up sharply, her eyes falling on the door - sure enough, it was Draco.

His platinum hair was slightly messy, his face was faintly tired and pale, his steps were heavier than usual, and his right hand was tightly clasped around his left arm, as if he was hiding something.

Amanta stood up and walked over.

"Where have you been?"

Draco paused slightly, his eyes dodged subconsciously, and his tone was vague: "Just... taking a walk outside."

Amanta's eyes fell on his clenched arms, and her eyes darkened slightly.

"Really?" She slowly moved closer and grabbed his wrist, "Let me see."

Draco froze for a moment and subconsciously tried to break free, but Amanta's strength was more determined than he imagined.

She stared at him coldly, without any sign of compromise.

Silence spread between the two.

After a moment, Draco finally gave up struggling and slowly loosened his hand.

His sleeves were pulled down, revealing a red and swollen burn to the air, and Amanta immediately let go.

The Dark Mark... was glowing a faint, burning dark red.

Amanta's heart sank.

"Draco, what is going on?"

Draco pursed his lips, his face stiff: "Nothing."

"Don't lie to me." Amanta's eyes were sharp as she spoke word by word. "The Dark Mark won't break out for no reason. Is that person... threatening you again?"

Draco's breathing hitched slightly, and his eyes wavered for a moment.

"Amanta...don't worry about this matter." His voice was low and hoarse, even with a hint of pleading.

"Don't worry about it?" Amanta sneered, "Do you think I will ignore this?"

"You don't understand!" Draco suddenly looked up, his tone revealing an emotion that was difficult to suppress, "This is not something you can solve!"

Amanta stared at him, her mouth slightly tightened.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense and depressing.

"...What are you going to do? What do you know about the Gaunt coat of arms?" she said slowly.

Draco looked away, his Adam's apple rolled, and he finally whispered, "I...I found the Gaunt emblem a long time ago."

Amanta's pupils shrank slightly.

"Have you found the emblem a long time ago?" She lowered her voice very low.

Draco was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly: "Yes, but I can't hand it over..."

Amanta took a deep breath, and countless questions suddenly arose in her mind.

She originally thought that Draco was just being pressured, but she didn't expect that he had actually found what Voldemort wanted and had been hiding it from everyone.

How much is he still hiding?

Her heart tightened slightly and her lips were pursed into a straight line.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" she asked in a low voice.

Draco raised his eyes, his gaze struggling, his voice slightly hoarse: "Because... I don't want you to be implicated."

Amanta was stunned for a moment.

This sentence eased her anger a little.

Is he...protecting her?

But he didn't understand... they were companions and comrades-in-arms. If he kept hiding things like this, it would only make the distance between them grow farther and farther.

The atmosphere was silent for a long, long time.

Finally, Draco took a step back, lowered his eyelids, and whispered, "Don't mention it again in the future."

"Draco..." Amanta frowned. She wanted to ask something else, but she stopped suddenly when the words came to her lips.

She noticed something unusual.

Draco was avoiding her gaze.

What he was hiding was not only the torture of the Dark Mark... there seemed to be something else. What was it that prevented him from handing over the Gaunt crest or telling his parents?

I can't even tell her...

She suddenly remembered Julius' words -

"Who is more important to Draco, family or you?"

She had never doubted Draco's loyalty, but now... she wasn't sure.

What if one day he had to choose between her and his family?

She lowered her eyes, feeling uneasy again.