Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 38: You Will Regret This
Draco Malfoy POV
"Draco, I will be going to Hogwarts to become a professor," said Lucius Malfoy.
"Really, Father?" Draco smiled, clearly thrilled by the news.
"Yes, I will be the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor," Lucius confirmed.
That was the last conversation Draco had with his father before Draco departed for Hogwarts.
"Let's find Harry Potter," said Draco to his goons Crabbe and Goyle.
It had become an annual tradition for a Malfoy to seek out and annoy Harry, and Draco wasn't entirely sure why, but he felt an obsession with proving that Harry Potter wasn't as great as everyone thought.
"Here you are," Draco said smugly as he opened the cabin door.
His haughty gaze scanned Harry like a predator eyeing its prey—until his eyes landed on someone unexpected. Sitting beside Harry was someone who had never traveled with him before: Dudley Dursley. The sight of Dudley brought back unpleasant memories for Draco. He still remembered the humiliation he suffered at Dudley's hands the previous year. Since then, Draco had never dared to confront him directly. Even though this Dudley looked significantly different—slimmer, taller, and more confident—Draco still felt the sting of his previous encounter.
"You..." Draco pointed at Dudley, his voice shaky. But before he could say more, Ron interrupted.
"Looks like Draco Malfoy's scared of Dudley," Ron said with a smirk.
"Who said I'm scared of him?" Malfoy huffed angrily, trying to hide his fear. Even though he was terrified of Dudley, he couldn't show any weakness in front of Ron.
"So, why are you here this time?" Harry asked, amused at Draco's obvious discomfort.
"I warned you before, Harry Potter, to choose the right side, but you've chosen wrong," Draco replied vaguely, avoiding specifics since Susan Bones was present, and her aunt was the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. Draco couldn't risk exposing his father's involvement with the Death Eaters in front of her.
"You seem very confident," Dudley said suddenly, speaking for the first time.
Malfoy's bravado faltered slightly at Dudley's words, but he quickly retorted, "Don't you dare, Dursley! My father's going to be a professor at Hogwarts this year."
The train cabin fell silent as everyone processed Draco's words. Then, realization struck.
"What?"
"Hahaha, my father will make sure you regret ever coming to this school," Malfoy sneered.
"What professor will he be, Malfoy?" Dudley asked, his curiosity piqued.
"He's going to be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor," Draco declared with a grin.
"Hahahaha," Dudley laughed, "Didn't you know that position is cursed by the Dark Lord? He put a spell on it ages ago, and that's why something terrible happens every year. Aren't you worried your father might lose his mind, get killed by a giant spider, or—worse—end up in Azkaban?"
Draco's smug grin faltered, and he turned pale. He recalled hearing rumors from older students about the curse on the Defence Against the Dark Arts position. Many previous professors had suffered strange accidents. Now, the thought of his father facing the same fate filled him with dread.
"You'll regret this!" Draco spat before storming off with Crabbe and Goyle close behind.
Dudley calmly shut the door, then turned back to the others.
"Hahaha, I hope something happens to them," Ron joked, clearly enjoying Malfoy's discomfort.
"Don't wish ill on others, Ron," Dudley said, "But before you get too excited, remember—Lucius Malfoy is a Death Eater. Would the Dark Lord still curse the position if his own follower held it?"
Ron's laughter died down, replaced by a frown of dissatisfaction.
"What kind of spell curses the position?" Susan asked.
"I don't know exactly," Dudley replied. "But the curse makes every professor lose something important. I've heard there was one professor who seemed to avoid anything bad, but on the last day of the school year, he got lost inside Hogwarts and wasn't found for a week. By the time they found him, he had died of hunger."
"What? Seriously?" gasped Harry.
"Yeah. The curse targets the professor, and if they're clean, it attacks them directly. Remember what happened to Professor Lupin? On the last day, his secret came out—he was exposed as a werewolf," Dudley added.
The others fell into uneasy silence, pondering Dudley's words.
Dudley had watched the movie and read the novel about Draco Malfoy's eventual reversal from darkness to helping Harry Potter. For someone unfamiliar with fanfiction, it might seem natural to make Malfoy a part of Dumbledore army.
However, Dudley had also read a version where Malfoy was highly favored by the Dark Lord. In that story, Malfoy became truly arrogant, and the Malfoy family grew even more cruel toward Muggle-borns, torturing and even killing them.
In this particular version, Malfoy only turned good because his family was looked down upon by many Death Eaters.
But as for book five, Dudley knew this was the year Malfoy's arrogance would reach new heights, with the Dark Lord back on his side. Only later would Draco's arrogance be toned down, as Lucius Malfoy would eventually be sent to prison.
---Lucius Malfoy POV---
It was true, just as Dudley had said—the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor was cursed. Knowing he had been chosen for the role, Lucius Malfoy gathered the courage to ask the Dark Lord something important.
"My Lord, I will gladly take the position, but I have heard that no wizard has been able to hold that post for more than a year because of the curse you placed on it," Malfoy began cautiously. "Even Dumbledore couldn't dispel it."
"Are you suggesting this is some kind of punishment?" Voldemort's voice turned cold, his anger clearly directed at Lucius. "That I deliberately sent you there to die?"
"No, my Lord, I did not mean that," Lucius hurried to clarify. "I simply beg you to lift the curse while I serve in the position."
"Hmmm, very well," Voldemort replied after a pause. But he had no intention of fully lifting the curse. He wanted Lucius to taste despair, even if just a little. The curse would remain, though its effects would be lessened.
"I cannot fully lift it, only weaken it," Voldemort added. "But rest assured, the curse will not claim your family."
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