Draco looked up in terror, trembling all over.
"I…"
His lips quivered as if he wanted to say something, but after a moment, the words that came from his clenched teeth were still an attempt to defend himself.
"I didn't know… I didn't know this would happen to him… I just… I just wanted to embarrass him… I didn't know it would turn out this way…"
He spoke through sobs, and his voice was filled with panic.
Draco had seen people injured before—Slytherin's common room was no stranger to student brawls.
But seeing a broken arm or a cut was vastly different from the visceral impact of someone's internal organs suddenly spilling out of their body.
His mind was in chaos, and the image of Vincent collapsing replayed over and over before his eyes.
His excuse sounded absurd, but looking at Draco, pale and terrified out of his wits, even Crabbe Sr. knew he wasn't lying.
Indeed...
The Entrail-Expelling Curse, though an extremely dark and malevolent spell, could also be used by skilled healers as a treatment for severe constipation.
Fast and effective—except for the occasional side effect where intestines might come out along with the obstruction, it posed no issues.
Snape's face twisted into an expression of deep disgust that he could not hide.
Draco's thought process was embarrassingly transparent, like an open book for everyone to read:
Draco had merely intended to humiliate Vincent, who had offended him, by causing him to soil himself in public.
For a twelve-year-old boy, the psychological damage of defecating in front of others was enough to socially ruin him for the rest of his school life and possibly haunt him into his grave.
The problem, however, was that the Entrail-Expelling Curse could function as either a healing spell or a devastatingly harmful dark curse, depending entirely on the caster's intent and skill.
The precision required for such control was extraordinarily high, far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary second-year student.
To illustrate—
Even at St. Mungo's, which housed Britain's most talented healers, constipation was typically treated with a foul-tasting potion rather than risking the use of the Entrail-Expelling Curse.
The danger of this spell was abundantly clear.
Every wizard was taught that before learning any spell, they must first study numerous bloody failure cases as a warning to treat their magic responsibly.
Yet Draco, who had somehow learned the Entrail-Expelling Curse, appeared to have skipped this crucial step.
"Who taught you the Entrail-Expelling Curse?"
Dumbledore did not blame the terrified student but patiently explained the dangers of the Entrail-Expelling Curse before asking again.
Draco's expression stiffened.
He cast a quick glance at Dumbledore, his eyes darted to his father's straight-backed posture and Snape's grim face, and then he instinctively shuffled a little closer to his mother.
The ring on his finger suddenly felt uncomfortably hot.
Necromancers' Society…
Why didn't they warn me that the consequences would be this severe?
Draco bit his lip and forced himself to speak:
"No one… I… I read it in a book…"
Realizing that Dumbledore might be familiar with every book in the school, Draco quickly added a patch to his lie.
"It was… an old book from the Malfoy family…"
Lucius Malfoy closed his eyes briefly.
—This fool!
He cursed inwardly but didn't expose his son's lie.
No matter how clumsy Draco's excuse was, Lucius Malfoy had no choice but to help him maintain it.
"I believe you all understand… This was an unfortunate incident caused by a small dispute among children. The recklessness of youth often leads to disastrous outcomes, and instances of spells being misused are not uncommon."
Using an unnatural tone, he tried to downplay the situation as much as possible and then spoke sincerely:
"Of course, while Draco never intended to cause harm, the injury he inflicted upon Vincent is undeniable. I will provide adequate compensation."
Narcissa nodded silently. Draco noticed that her fingers felt ice-cold.
Dumbledore had been gazing deeply at Draco, making him avert his eyes in discomfort, as though he had the words "I'm lying" written on his face.
But once Lucius spoke, he subtly raised his hand and shielded his son, causing Dumbledore's gaze to shift to him instead.
The two locked eyes, and Lucius Malfoy's gray irises looked cold and unyielding.
After a moment, the two seemed to reach a mutual understanding. They simultaneously looked away and turned their attention to another person in the room.
"Will that suffice, Mr. Crabbe?"
Lucius asked politely, though his tone carried an unconscious air of superiority.
"I will cover all of Vincent's medical expenses. In addition, I can offer you..."
Lucius paused to consider Vincent's injuries and doubled the amount he had initially intended to propose.
"—20,000 Galleons."
Mr. Crabbe's lips tightened, and his expression wavered between fury and hesitation.
He had only one son, Vincent, whom he doted on excessively.
At that moment, Mr. Crabbe wanted to shout:
"Take your damned compensation and shove it! We don't need it! I just want to see that little brat sent to Azkaban!"
But the reality was—
They needed it.
The Crabbe family, despite their status as pure-blood nobility, had long since squandered their wealth. While they mocked the Weasleys for their poverty, they were not much better off themselves.
Maintaining the facade of "pure-blood nobility" was expensive, especially in recent years with the constant emergence of various luxury "necessities" that had nearly emptied Mr. Crabbe's pockets.
—And much of that was the fault of the quiet student sitting beside him.
For families like theirs, former followers of Voldemort, earning money was exceptionally difficult. Even if people didn't say anything outright, there was always a subtle ostracism.
Of course, officially, the Crabbes claimed, like the Malfoys, that they had been under the Imperius Curse and forced into doing terrible things.
But everyone knew the truth.
Thus, the Crabbe and Goyle families had to rely on the Malfoys to survive.
This was true for the fathers and now for their sons as well.
With the Malfoys' vast wealth, they could afford to live extravagantly for generations without earning a single Knut.
If the Crabbes lost Lucius Malfoy's support, they would be as poor as the Weasleys within six months.
After much hesitation, Mr. Crabbe finally gave the faintest, slowest nod.
He agreed to settle the matter privately with the Malfoys, though he felt humiliated and resentful.
Then he heard Dumbledore say:
"Draco Malfoy used his wand to attack a fellow student at school, resulting in severe consequences. Even if his intent was not malicious, he must still be punished."
The pale-faced Draco lifted his head and heard the headmaster declare in an uncompromising tone:
"Detention! Starting this afternoon and lasting until the end of his third-year final exams. During this time, Draco Malfoy must learn to respect his peers, use spells responsibly, and..."
Dumbledore looked down at Draco and said with a slightly cold expression:
"He must also prove to the school that, despite his wrongdoing, he is capable of change and does not yet deserve to have his wand confiscated and be expelled."
This meant that if Draco made another mistake during his detention, the school might combine the offenses and expel him outright.
Draco looked fearfully toward his father, but Lucius Malfoy showed no intention of intervening this time.
All Draco could do was nod slightly.
--------------------------------
🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!!
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!
Early access to the following translations:-
⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters
⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
[email protected]/Lightreaper457
--------------------------------