harco

5

Several days passed, and Draco grew weaker with each passing day. Everyone was deeply concerned about his deteriorating condition, and eventually, Madam Pomfrey had to move him to the hospital wing permanently. Draco's condition had become critical, and it seemed he had lost much of his strength and energy.

On a cloudy morning, a small house-elf entered the hospital wing carrying a message. The elf approached Madam Pomfrey, who was monitoring Draco's condition, and handed her the letter. The letter was sealed with a strange seal she had never seen before.

She opened the letter and began reading it with a trembling voice: "If you want to save Draco Malfoy's life, or rather the school and its students, you must deliver his sister to me. I know you are unaware of her existence, but she is alive and hidden somewhere. If she does not reach me within three days, Draco will lose his life, and I will declare a war that I assure you, you will lose. The choice is yours."

Pomfrey was shocked by the contents of the letter, and fear gripped her. No one knew Draco had a sister, and the big question now was: how could they find this girl? Did Draco himself know of her existence?

Pomfrey quickly went to McGonagall, handed her the letter, and McGonagall took it from her swiftly. She read its contents, her face pale and eyes wide with worry. After a moment of tense silence, McGonagall tried to identify the seal but to no avail. She then looked up at Pomfrey and said in a low but firm voice, "It seems we are facing a challenge we did not expect. We must act quickly."

McGonagall immediately went to the staff room where Harry, Hermione, and Ron were trying to investigate Draco's condition. She entered the room with a stern face and looked at them with seriousness. She placed the letter on the table in front of them and said, "We need to discuss this now."

Harry, Hermione, and Ron read the letter carefully, shocked by the horrifying truth. Ron, filled with concern, said, "How are we supposed to find his sister? If no one knew she existed, she must be hidden in a way that we can't easily reach."

Hermione added, thinking aloud, "We need to remember everything we know about the Malfoy family. Are there any stories or references to family members we’ve never heard of before? Maybe we can find something in the school's archives or by searching through Draco's belongings."

Harry spoke resolutely, "We need to start immediately. We won't let anything happen to Draco or the school because of these threats. I'll start by searching the archives, and maybe we can contact some old acquaintances who might have information."

Hermione slowly moved towards Harry and spoke, "Since when have you cared so much about him? I mean, he was always a bit evil and a bully, especially to *us*." There was clear tension on Harry's face as he stammered, "It's not like I care about him; it’s just that the whole school is in danger." Hermione gave him a skeptical nod, but they didn't dwell on it, especially in such a situation.

McGonagall stood up, took a deep breath, and said, "I’ll search any old documents or records related to the Malfoy family. There might be something we can use."

Seconds after she spoke, Blaise Zabini entered the room, out of breath and looking anxious. He paused for a moment to catch his breath, then said in a shaky voice, "I overheard part of your conversation... Is it true that Draco has a sister?"

McGonagall looked at him seriously and nodded, saying, "Yes, it appears so. We received a letter threatening Draco's life and the entire school, demanding the surrender of his unknown sister. Do you have any information that could help us?"

Blaise slowly shook his head as if trying to process what he had just heard. "I’ve never heard of any sister before, but... Draco was always secretive about certain aspects of his family life. I don't know if this is important, but years ago, I overheard him talking to his mother in a cryptic way about a 'family secret' that no one should know. I thought it was about him, especially since his mother's expressions were very serious."