The Dragon King Bloodline of Hogwarts

Chapter 16 The Malfoys' Friendship

Viserys didn't immediately sheath his sword. He glanced at Draco for two seconds, then flicked his wrist, and the Valyrian steel dagger slid cleanly back into its sheath. The sound of metal going into its sheath was particularly crisp in the quiet private room. "Close the door."

Draco's Adam's apple bobbed. Without looking at Daphne, he turned to Crabbe and Goyle and ordered, "Go find a box up ahead." The two exchanged glances but didn't dare ask any questions, and dragged their feet away. Draco closed the door and sat down next to Viserys, his body slightly turned towards Viserys, but not too close, and remained silent for two seconds.

"The goblins were very persistent about Gringotts at first," he began, speaking as if it were a matter that had already been resolved. "My father spoke with the Ministry of Magic, and the Division of Law Enforcement suspended the investigation. The Malfoy family has already paid for the repairs to the Bronze Gate, so the goblins won't pursue it further, and the Ministry of Magic won't speak to you before you enroll."

He paused for a moment, then added, "You don't owe the Malfoys anything. He just felt that a freshman being targeted by both the goblins and the Ministry of Magic shouldn't be interrogated before even enrolling."

Viserys looked at Draco, tapping his fingers lightly on his knee. Draco's words were direct, without preamble or pleasantries, going straight to "What did my father do?" Unlike Daphne, who had chosen the safest angle, guiding the conversation slowly, Draco had simply placed the stakes on the table, saying, "You don't owe anything." One was reducing the perceived threat, the other was establishing a debt, but not with a demanding tone, but with the tone of "It's a small matter."

"What did your father do all this for?" Viserys began, his voice flat. "What did he want from me?"

Draco leaned back in his chair. "He wants to make sure you don't get into any unnecessary trouble before you officially step into the magical world. The Malfoy family doesn't need you to repay anything; he just thinks that a freshman being targeted by both the goblins and the Ministry of Magic—"

"I asked him what he wanted, not you."

Draco opened his mouth, about to reply, when Daphne's voice came from the other end, "Of course he knows what you want." She turned to Viserys, the red in her grey eyes still lingering, but her tone had regained its composure, "Draco, what do you think he wants?"

Draco's jaw tightened for a moment, but he didn't turn to Daphne, continuing to Viserys, "After the Gringotts incident got out, the entire pureblood circle is recalculating. You know what that means? You rode a dragon out of the vault, and neither Mystic nor the priests stopped you. Some people care about which side you take."

Daphne gave a soft hum and didn't interrupt.

"Grindelwald." Draco finally turned to her, his tone cold, as if he'd just noticed her presence. "What brings you to the Targaryens? You've been crying; did the talks not go well?"

"What's it to you?" Daphne's voice was indifferent.

"You did your homework on the platform, and I waited outside." Draco leaned back in his chair, his tone shifting from indifference to assessment. "Then I came in, and he had a knife to your throat. You were crying. This doesn't look like a deal has been struck."

“He wasn’t killing me,” Daphne said. “He was just confirming who I was.”

"Are you sure he knows who you are?"

“He knows.” Daphne’s gray eyes never left Draco’s face. “He knows I have a sister who’s dying. I came to him because I bet he had something that could save her, and I bet he was right.” She paused. “When you walked in, he had a knife to my throat. Now he’s put the knife away. Do you think this means the deal fell through, or that the deal is none of your business?”

Draco sneered. "You bet he has the antidote? How many years has your family been searching for it? And suddenly you find it in him? Greengrass, you did your homework before you came. You investigated what kind of person my father is. You did a good job."

"Likewise, how long did you wait outside the private room?" Daphne's voice was sharp and confrontational.

There was a momentary pause in the air. Draco didn't deny it immediately; a fleeting, unnatural look crossed his face.

"I saw you walking this way from the platform. You were already on the platform, but you waited until the Targaryen came out from the other side of the wall before you went to where he was going." Draco spoke faster than usual, but he emphasized every word. "You calculated the time and direction. This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment conversation. You did your homework, so I did mine. I let him walk a few steps to give him some space to work on your homework."

"You stood outside and listened," Daphne said, her voice tinged with undisguised contempt. "You did nothing, just sat outside waiting for him to finish dealing with me. You have no idea what I found in France, and you don't care. You came here just to tell him that your father helped him suppress the Ministry of Magic, that you have leverage, but from the moment you walked in until now, you haven't uttered a single word of your own."

“This is not a deal,” Draco said, raising his voice a beat. “My father helped him; this is my family’s sincerity. I’m not here to sell information, nor do I want to argue with you.”

"Sincerity belongs to your father, not you. You sit here delivering a message on behalf of your father. But I came here myself, on behalf of myself. I told him why I came. Did you tell him?"

Draco didn't answer. He looked at Daphne, his jaw clenched and stiff, then turned to Viserys, as if hoping he would say something.

Viserys stood up, took the dagger from his waist, and tucked it into a more convenient spot inside his robe. The sound of metal sheathing made their conversation pause for a moment.

"Your father helped me," he said, his voice low but each word steady. "I need to know the conditions, not now. Make your father wait until winter break. I will talk to him personally then."

Draco opened his mouth to answer, but Viserys raised his hand to stop him, and then he turned to Daphne.

"I need to see your sister's symptoms with my own eyes, not tomorrow, not next month. I need time to verify what I have, and you also need time to convince me. Before winter break, I will give you a preliminary assessment: whether it can be treated, and what conditions are required. If I give you an answer by winter break, then you can decide whether or not to bring your sister to see me."

Daphne's lips moved as if she wanted to say thank you, but when he asked, "Can it be cured? What conditions are required?" she understood that this wasn't a promise, but a timeframe. She took a deep breath, looked up, and asked, "So what should I do during this time?"

"Didn't you say your family could find old French archives? Go find what Castoria left behind. She lived in France for decades; it's impossible that she only left behind a fragment."

Daphne nodded, her movements subtle but quick.

“Then,” Viserys sat down again, back to the window, facing the two of them, “you can continue arguing, but make yourselves clear in front of me. You,” he looked at Draco, “are you representing your father, or yourself? You,” he looked at Daphne, “have you come to me for your sister, or for the Greengrass family? Answer those two questions first.”

Just as Draco and Daphne fell silent, the door to the private room was opened.

Hermione stood in the doorway, holding an empty toad cage in her arms. Her gaze first swept over the three people in the box—Draco leaned back in his chair, Daphne's eyes were still red, and Viserys' left hand rested on the hilt of a dagger. Then her gaze fell on Viserys.

"...The toad," she said, speaking faster than usual, "Navi's toad is missing, and I'm looking for it for him."

She didn't say "What are you doing?" nor did she ask Daphne why she was crying. Her eyes lingered on Viserys's face for a moment, then she took a half step back.

"It's not here. I'll keep looking."

Just as she was about to leave, Viserys stood up.

"Toads like dark, damp places, you can look for them in the bathroom," his voice was much softer than before, "I'll come find you later."

Hermione looked at him, nodded, and stepped out, the door closing softly behind her.

The private room fell silent for a moment.

"...The way you spoke to her," Daphne began, the redness still lingering in her grey eyes, but a slight smile playing on her lips, "was completely different from how you spoke to us."

Draco, unusually, didn't respond; he simply looked at Viserys, as if waiting for an explanation.

Viserys offered no explanation. He sat back down, his left hand resting on the hilt of his dagger, and waited.

The train continued north, the Scottish wilderness flashing past the window; Hogwarts was almost there.