When the energy-rest potion was about to pletely lose its effect, Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, hurriedly arrived.

  "What oh happened?" Lucius Malfoy furrowed his brows tightly, his eyes filled with distress.

  He wao approach the bed, but Sopped him. "Dumbledore is examining Draco."

  At this moment, Draco, lying on the bed, looked gaunt, a stark trast to a few ho when he was lively and teasing Hoare and Harry.

  Lucius only then noticed Hoare standing nearby. The two exged slight nods, aowledging each other.

  Hoare had previously coordinated with the board of governarding the potion, and Lucius Malfoy was the main tact, so they were somewhat familiar with each other.

  When Lucius first learhat the potion's ior was an eleven-year-old, his initial rea was that Dumbledore had finally gone mad.

  But soon, he was won over by the potion's effects, or rather, the allure of money was irresistible.

  "Mr. Malfoy, hello." Hoare approached Lucius, greeting him politely.

  Lucius was somewhat surprised that Hreeted him.

  "Did you lose a diary?" Hoare inquired.

  Seeing Draco's dition, Hoare felt a surge of anger.

  Because Draco was around him day and night, he could noti time.

  But what if it had been Ginny?

  The girls' dormitory was separate from the boys', and even if she had four brothers in the same house, they might not notiything wrong with Ginny in time.

  Hoare remembered that in the inal world, it was Draco's father, Lucius, who slipped the diary into Ginny's books.

  Although it wasn't this Lucius who framed Ginny, Hoare couldn't be sure that this Lucius wouldn't have the same idea. He couldn't risk Ginny's life.

  Number 3 must die.

  If Lucius wa back, Hoare would enter Malfoy Manor during the winter holidays to eliminate Number 3.

  As for whether other Voldemort followers would seek revenge on the Malfoys, that was none of Hoare Weasley's .

  If Lucius didn't want it back, Hoare wouldn't mind using the diary as a bargaining chip with the Malfoys, handing it over to Dumbledore to resolve.

  Hoare was determio pletely sever ties with Number 3.

  He noticed Lucius swallowing nervously. "Do you know where it is?"

  "Do you still ?" Hoare didn't answer directly.

  Lucius was about to speak when his face suddenly ged dramatically, turning ashen as he sidered a possibility. "Draco—Draco, is it because of the diary?"

  "Mr. Malfoy, what diary?" Dumbledore had finished examining Drad had enclosed him within a protective magic array around the bed.

  This magic array essentially isoted the person inside, making it impossible to enter or exit, including their life force.

  Uhe person inside voluntarily deactivated it.

  The magic array was extremely advanced. Dumbledore, after all, was over 150 years old. He appeared as usual, but his forehead was covered i.

  Madam Pomfrey handed him a handkerchief, which Dumbledore used to wipe his brow as he overheard Hoare speaking with Lucius.

  Dumbledore's ears were exceptionally sharp, catg every word clearly.

  He deliberately asked, also probing.

  Lucius rushed to the bedside, but the magic array prevented him from closely examining Draco's dition.

  "The magic array is only a temporary solution; Draco 't live in it forever." Dumbledore approached Lucius, his anxious expression. "So our only option is to find out what's draining the child's life ford elimi pletely."

  Seeing Lucius's for Draco, Dumbledore removed his gsses and wiped them.

  "I don't know what that diary is," Lucius finally spoke after a long silence.

  "That person gave it to me, told me to keep it safe." Lucius's expression was on the verge of colpse. "I clearly cast a spell on it. How did Draco get it? How did he py with it? What's inside—"

  "It's what's draining the child's life force," Dumbledore could see it at a gnce.

  Seeing that the diary crisis was resolved, Hoare, being just a child, decided to leave the heavy thinking and work to the adults.

  He o go back to sleep.

  Hoare yawned and reached into his ste bag, intending to hand the diary to Dumbledore.

  But...

  Hoare quickly took off his robe, searg every pocket on his body.

  No, no, no...

  "Henry, what's wrong?"

  Hoare's otion naturally caught Dumbledore's attention. It was the first time he saw such fusion on Henry's face.

  "The diary... is missing?"

  Hoare distinctly remembered it being on him; the ste bag was kept close.

  To be safe, he only kept the diary inside, not daring to put anything else in it.

  "What!?"

  "Is your brain full of slugs?"

  "Child, think carefully, did you put it somewhere?"

  Hhe questions, his mind rag as he repyed the past few days at maximum speed, not missing a siail.

  Every moment fshed through Hoare's mind, from Slytherin losing points to spotting an ant on the road.

  Hoare's daily routine was very stable. Without Quidditch practice, his days were fixed, assisting with potion-making and visiting the Room of Requirement...!?

  Gee and Fred!

  Hoare suddenly remembered that the evening before st, he had a heated argument with the twins in the Room of Requirement over the effects of a prank potion.

  They thought Hoare's design was too malicious, beyond the scope of a prank.

  As they left, both of them bumped into Hoare hard.

  He nearly fell.

  Hoare thought for a moment; those two were the most suspicious.

  'Damn! The brother-trapping duo!' Hoare jumped up, ign the questions from behind, and sprinted out.

  He hoped everything was still in time, that they hadn't used the diary out of curiosity.

  Otherwise, Hoare's fists would be ready!

  This was Hoare's sed time at the entrao the Gryffindor on room. "Fat Lady, could you please call Gee Weasley and Fred Weasley for me? Thank you."

  Hoare politely addressed the portrait guarding Gryffindor.

  "Oh, hahaha, what a polite child you are, truly a Slytherin," the Fat Lady was delighted, turning her head as if to look inside.

  Then, Hoare heard a loud shout.

  "Who, who, who's looking for us?"

  "Fat Lady, we're ing out, stop shouting."

  Gee and Fred, in their pajamas, ran out c their ears.

  "What do you want with us?"

  "Are you here to apologize?"

  Hoare, with a dark expression and a murderous aura, gred at them. "Where's my ste bag?"

  Gee and Fred exged gnces, instinctively hugging each other and taking a step back. They turo Hoare, about to speak, but Hoare cut them off.

  "I suggest you think carefully before you speak!" Hoare nearly growled through ched teeth.

  "Gee, Fred! Ron's fainted!"

  Hoare looked towards the voice, seeing Harry anxiously supp an unscious Ron at the door.

  "Ron!"

  "Ron!"

  "Ron!"

  0Niffler0