分卷阅读56（1 / 2）

“Yes, Diddy, I’m fine. Diddy, can you get me to the north tower?”

Diddy began to shiver. “Master doesn’t want to go there. There’s a big snake up there. It eats House Elves sir! Diddy doesn’t want to see Master Draco hurt.”

“My father’s up there, Diddy. Can you get me up there or not?”

Diddy nodded sadly and snapped her fingers. The kitchen disappeared and the hallway of the north tower appeared around them.

“Diddy, I need you to do one more thing for me.”

“What is it, Master Draco?” Diddy whispered.

“I need you to go back to your normal duties and act as if nothing is wrong.” He turned his back to her.

“But—”

“Do it Diddy.”

There was a small popping sound and Diddy disappeared from behind Draco. Keeping to the shadows of the hall, Draco silently thanked his third great-grandfather for wanting to redo the entire house in the gothic style. He’d only been able to talk his wife into redoing the towers because she never went up there and would never have to see it. But as Draco pressed back into the shadows caused by an obsidian gargoyle and a Death Eater passed by on her way to the stairs, missing him completely, Draco made a resolution to redo the whole house in that style.

But there weren’t many places that one could hide someone in the north tower, Draco had to admit. There was only an old owlery up here and a hardly used platform for stargazing.

He continued his way down the hall and towards the stairs up to the owlery. There were no sounds echoing down from the top of the curved staircase, so he began to slowly climb them.

“There’s no sign of Mr. Malfoy anywhere in Hogsmead,” Professor McGonagall said wearily. “I believe we must act as if he really has left Hogwarts.”

“There is something much worse going on, Minerva,” Dumbledore said gravely. “I’ve just gotten word from the Ministry. Azkaban has been attacked by Dementors. I believe it is safe to assume that any Death Eaters who were in Azkaban have been released.”

“Do you…Albus, do you think the Malfoys have something to do with this?” McGonagall asked suspiciously.

“No, Minerva, I do not think they do. I do, however, think that someone wants us to think that.”

There was a loud banging sound on the door and the sound of two frightened voices from outside the office shouting, “Professor Dumbledore! Harry’s disappeared!”

Almost as if on cue, a figure dressed in black stepped from the fireplace in the Headmaster’s office. Snape paused slightly at the shouting before wincing and turning back to the Headmaster. “He’s calling, Albus. And I’ve noticed that a few other Slytherins are missing, not just Draco Malfoy.”