The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 583: Trist Bakery

The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office is one of the least valued departments in the Ministry of Magic. As a result, this office is notoriously shabby, small and shabby, without even a window.

The Malfoy family has probably never lived in a place like this in their entire lives. Even Slytherin's lake view room is much better than this.

The filing cabinets and desks in the office had been removed, replaced by a small table, three chairs, and a single bed. Draco Malfoy was lying on the bed, holding today's Daily Prophet in his hand.

After touching the portkey at the manor that night, the Malfoys were teleported to the Ministry of Magic and met their son Draco in the interrogation room. They then learned why the Ministry of Magic raided Malfoy Manor.

From Draco's perspective, this was his best choice. He didn't have to face the Dark Lord's wrath, and he could save his parents. Narcissa hugged her son and cried bitterly. The only thing this mother cared about was that her family could be safe.

After leaving the manor, betrayal of the Dark Lord was a foregone conclusion. Lucius also became much more sober and no longer fantasized about being pardoned by the Dark Lord.

But Lucius' emotions were inevitably a little complicated. After all, the land where his ancestors had lived for generations was destroyed by war, and his family of three were about to become prisoners. The changes in life were truly unpredictable.

Since that night, the family of three was temporarily placed in this small office, with the couple living in the cubicle and Draco living in the outer room. Compared with the luxurious Malfoy Manor, this condition was indeed a bit difficult, but it was much better than the cell in Azkaban.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Draco sat up from the bed, and the Malfoys also walked out of the innermost cubicle of the office.

This was the Ministry of Magic, so Ada had no reason to be polite. She pulled out a chair and sat down. The Malfoys sat opposite her, and Draco had to stand.

"As agreed, I rescued your parents." Ada said, "You should know what to do next."

Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy turned to look at their son, with questions and concerns on their faces.

Draco opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but didn't know how to respond. His pale and thin face turned red, and in the end he just said thank you in a voice as soft as a mosquito.

Ada didn't care about this "thank you". She rescued the Malfoys not for a superficial thanks.

Lucius had followed Voldemort for many years, and Voldemort even gave him a diary, one of his Horcruxes. Ada thought she might be able to learn something about Voldemort's past from Lucius.

If you want to find the whereabouts of the Horcrux, analyzing Voldemort's past is an essential step. For example -

In 1943, Tom Riddle, who was still in school, found Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets and released the basilisk inside. His actions led to the death of Myrtle and Hogwarts was almost closed because of this.

In order to continue staying in school, Tom pinned the blame of the murder on Rubeus Hagrid and Aragog, and he left a diary, sealing his sixteen-year-old self in it.

Then, Tom Riddle went to the Gaunt house to solve the mystery of his life. He used Morfin's wand to kill his father's family and took away Salazar Slytherin's ring. This time, Morfin Gaunt took the blame for the murder.

After graduating from Hogwarts, Tom Riddle wanted to stay at the school as a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but the then headmaster Armando Dippet rejected his application on the grounds that he was "not old enough".

Tom Riddle unexpectedly rejected the invitation of the Ministry of Magic after leaving school and chose Borgin and Burke. During this period, he met Hepzibah Smith and saw the Hufflepuff gold cup and Slytherin locket.

In order to possess these two treasures, Tom poisoned Hepzibah and made the house-elf Hokey the scapegoat.

The diary, the ring, and the gold cup, these three Horcruxes were all destroyed, and the whereabouts of the locket were unknown. These were all the clues Ada had about the Horcruxes, but this information alone was far from enough.

If Ada wants to defeat Voldemort, she needs to collect more information.

For example, where did Tom Riddle go and what did he do during the period between leaving Hogwarts and joining Borgin and Burke? Another example is where did he go and what did he do during the period between leaving Borgin and Burke and publicly using the name "Voldemort"?
Moreover, Ada started collecting information too late, and missed many people who were contemporaries of Tom Riddle, so she could only focus on the Death Eaters. After all, the Death Eaters were the group that had followed Voldemort the longest, so perhaps there would be some unexpected gains.

Maybe the locket is now hidden in the home of a Death Eater, or in the vault under Gringotts, just like the diary in Lucius Malfoy's hand and the golden cup in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault.

In the cramped office, Draco was unable to express his thanks, so Narcissa said it for him.

"Thank you, Miss Drizzt!" Narcissa said sincerely, without the arrogance she had in the World Cup box.

"No need, it's just an exchange of interests, and you thanked me too early." Ada said, "Everyone is responsible for his own actions, don't you think, Mr. Malfoy?"

The Malfoys had similar facial shapes, both pale and thin. As Ada finished speaking, Lucius's already haggard complexion became even worse.

"Yes, I will atone for what I did in the past." Lucius' eyes dimmed. He had expected this day.

Then, Lucius said in a pleading tone: "It's just that my wife and children are innocent. They were just coerced by the Dark Lord... the Dark Lord. They are not..."

Ada raised her hand to interrupt Lucius. She didn't want to argue whether Draco and his mother were innocent. This was not what she was interested in.

Strictly speaking, Narcissa was not a Death Eater, and she didn't even have a Dark Mark on her arm. As for Draco, he did have a Dark Mark on his arm, so it was okay to say that he was a Death Eater, and he did hurt Katie Bell.

Apart from that, Draco is a little mean, a little cocky, and... a little annoying, and does not meet the standards of a Death Eater at all.

"Lucius, Lucius, please forgive me for calling you that."

Ada said slowly: "I just said that I saved you two out of exchange of interests. Draco told me everything he knew, so I reunited your family. Now, what can you tell me?"

Leniency to those who confess, severity to those who resist. As long as Lucius Malfur cooperates, Ada doesn't mind saying a few good words for him during the trial.

If Lucius provides enough information and it's accurate enough, then Azkaban's luxury room is negotiable! The accommodation conditions are definitely better than the Office of the Prohibition of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts!

Narcissa excitedly took Lucius' arm, and Lucius patted his wife gently. He asked, "What do you want to know?"

The Malfoy family was known for being dangerous and cunning, but Lucius had no intention of playing tricks at the moment. He just wanted to know what Ada was more interested in so that he could prescribe the right remedy.

Judging from the current situation, even if Lucius could return to Voldemort, the Dark Lord would not let him go. Since he could not go back, and his family had fallen into Ada's hands, he might as well behave himself and strive for leniency. Who knows, he might even be valued by Ada!

Betrayal has never been a big deal to the Malfoy family; it only matters whether it's worth it.

"I like your attitude now." Ada said, "Cooperating with me is making up for your sins. Lucius, you don't want to leave your wife and children, right?"

Drizzt's Bakery officially opened. The pie that Ada had drawn was big enough so there was no need to worry about Lucius Malfoy not wanting to eat it.

Update



(End of this chapter)