"You... you can't," Malfoy stammered, trying to stand but finding his legs trembling uncontrollably. His teeth chattered together, making a nervous clicking sound.
"Oh? And why not?" Dudley said, his finger tapping lightly on the conference table. Each tap sounded like a hammer blow to Malfoy's heart, making him shudder. Dudley held up his massive hand. "You know, you've crossed me, and you've done it a few times now, Mr. Draco. I don't think I ever told you I'm a nice person."
"The students outside know you took me," Malfoy said, a rare flash of cunning in his eyes. He grasped at it like a lifeline. "If you hurt me, the professors will know, and they'll expel you." The word "expel" seemed to give him new strength. His trembling stopped, his chattering teeth grew still, and he took a deep breath.
"Mr. Malfoy," Dudley said, his voice dropping dangerously low. "Are you threatening me?" The look in Dudley's eyes was enough to deflate Malfoy like a balloon, all the courage he'd just mustered vanishing into thin air. "What makes you think I care about being expelled?"
Did Dudley care about being expelled? Honestly, he did. He genuinely wanted to have a peaceful time at Hogwarts for a few years. But... who was Malfoy to think he could get him expelled? Just because he was probably part Viking? Or because his dad was a school governor?
In other places, having a father on the board might give you free reign. But Hogwarts wasn't a private school like those. The school governors didn't have that much power; they couldn't even decide what was for dinner. Dudley had checked. Just as the Sorting Hat had said, he was always well-prepared.
His words completely stumped Malfoy. With his limited brainpower, he couldn't grasp why a student wouldn't be afraid of expulsion. The trick to a good conversation was keeping the upper hand. The one who got flustered first, lost. This was **Dudley Dursley time.**
With Malfoy watching in terror, Dudley slowly said, "Wiltshire, England." It was the real location of Malfoy Manor.
"How... how do you know that?" Malfoy shrieked, his voice distorted by fear. Dudley could hear the frantic pounding of Malfoy's heart from where he stood.
Why did Dudley know Malfoy's address? Well, he could thank Lucius for that. The man was so arrogant and showy he never bothered to hide the location of his manor or put a Fidelius Charm on it. Most wizards in the country knew where it was, including his arch-rival, Arthur Weasley. The Ministry of Magic even conducted random checks there for dark artifacts. With Dudley's clever mind and his ability to analyze data, it wasn't hard for him to figure out the location.
But Draco didn't know that. He was completely shaken, and he'd never regretted anything more. After all, what could be more intimidating than "I'll be waiting at your front door"? For a student, nothing.
Dudley also had a fun fact about the Malfoy family from his recent research into wizarding history. According to their own records, their ancestor Armand Malfoy founded the family in the 11th century. That would make them nearly a thousand years old. It sounds impressive, right?
But the wizarding world didn't actually recognize this claim. According to official wizarding history, the Malfoy family first appeared in the 16th century, founded by Lucius Malfoy I. That's a six-hundred-year gap. Even more suspiciously, the family's own records from before the 16th century contained only two sentences: "In the 11th century, Armand Malfoy founded the family," and "In the 14th century, Nicolas Malfoy used the Black Death as a cover to 'get rid of' Muggle tenants and successfully escaped punishment from the Wizards' Council."
Beyond that... nothing. No other records. No proof. The Malfoys would just tell you not to ask. According to wizarding history, Hogwarts was founded in 990, Merlin became King Arthur's court wizard around 1100, and the Deathly Hallows appeared in 1200. Wow, so the Malfoys were around at the same time as Merlin and a century before the Deathly Hallows. If Armand Malfoy was born early enough, he might have even seen Hogwarts being built.
The Malfoy family history was quite the spectacle, just as flimsy as a Muggle fossil.
"Oh, I hear you have a beautiful white peacock, and portraits on the walls, a marble fireplace, gilded mirrors, and magnificent carpets," Dudley said, staring at Malfoy as he listed off details he had "collected" about the manor. It was as if he had been there himself.
As Dudley spoke, Malfoy felt like his heart was being squeezed in a tight fist. *How could he know? How does he know?* His gut told him that if Dudley was expelled, every word he said would come true.
Dudley had never actually been to Malfoy Manor, but he figured most wealthy people's houses were decorated like that.
"If I get expelled, what do you think will happen if I go to your house to have a chat?" Dudley asked. "I don't think your father, Mr. Lucius, can protect you every minute of every day. He's bound to be away sometime, right? For instance, this week? France is a lovely place."
Dudley's words came out slow, deliberate, and as he spoke, Malfoy's face grew paler and paler, like a sheet of paper. Malfoy was now a hundred percent convinced. His father was indeed in France this week.
Dudley had used the simplest words to tear down Malfoy's defenses piece by piece. The truth was, a man as arrogant and flamboyant as Lucius Malfoy liked to announce his whereabouts. The *Daily Prophet* had published an article about his trip to France. Malfoy didn't have a habit of reading the paper—most young wizards didn't—but Dudley did. After making a good bit of money from the wand business, he subscribed to the *Daily Prophet* and other wizarding publications. **Insight** was a key component to being a good wizard.
The important thing was, Malfoy believed him, didn't he?
Kids are so easy to fool.