The Return to Hogwarts

"I've already given the instructions, darling, there won't be any problems."

Lucius, who had been frozen like a statue, awoke from his stupor. He gave a soft hum in response to his wife, but his gaze remained fixed on the letter.

In front of her husband, Narcissa was not the haughty woman she usually was in public. After closing the study door, she walked around the desk to Lucius's side, placing her pale, slender fingers on his shoulder. Seemingly realizing that his unease had infected his wife, Lucius finally looked away, withdrew his hand from the table, and gently patted Narcissa's palm.

The servants in the manor could never have imagined that what would unsettle their esteemed and dignified patriarch and mistress was merely a letter of inquiry.

Time seemed to stand still in the study. Neither the Malfoys spoke, but they comforted each other with their eyes.

After a long while, Lucius removed his hand from his wife's. He slowly pulled open the drawer and, under Narcissa's puzzled gaze, took out a silver spoon. A lifelike peacock was engraved on the end of the spoon. Narcissa recognized it immediately; it was from the kitchen. What puzzled her was why her husband would hide a spoon in the drawer.

"When you eat later, keep this spoon next to you. If anything unexpected happens, grab it immediately."

Lucius, his face slightly pale, moved his dry lips as he spoke to Narcissa.

"Is this a door key?"

Narcissa's long, narrow eyebrows furrowed instantly.

"You think—"

“Just in case, Narcissa.”

Lucius interrupted his wife and firmly placed the spoon into Narcissa's palm.

The Malfoys had already discussed the purpose of Amostella Blaine's visit on their way back. They certainly didn't think that Blaine's visit was really about Draco's studies at Hogwarts, but neither of them had any idea what his true purpose was.

The most likely explanation is still their underhanded tactics during the Quidditch World Cup. Although Blaine said that night that he would forgive the Malfoy family, no one can say for sure whether Blaine will change his mind.

To this day, Lucius Malfoy still hasn't figured out where Amosta Blaine got the information that he was behind it. He had suspected Cacus Foley and the bounty hunters who received the job offers, but the employment contracts they signed hadn't had any problems, which meant that it was highly unlikely that anyone who knew the inside story was the leaker.

This wasn't the only thing that Lucius Malfoy was terrified about.

Although the Ministry of Magic claimed that the witch associated with Professor Amostella Blaine and the group of masked wizards were in cahoots, the Malfoys knew it was a lie. The woman was not someone they had hired. What terrified them most was that after Amostella Blaine defeated Vitia Creona, she also defeated the dark wizard whose true form was never seen.

When the dark wizard was defeated by Blaine, the Malfoys, who were watching from the crowd, clearly sensed the change in the Dark Mark.

Lucius and Narcissa did not discuss what this change meant afterward, but they both knew very well what it meant.

Everyone knows that the Dark Lord isn't completely gone, but it's generally accepted that his magic was destroyed by Harry Potter. Almost everyone believes the Dark Lord is history, except for Dumbledore.

Malfoy had always scoffed at Dumbledore's arguments until his first meeting with Blaine at the Leaky Cauldron, which stirred up a deep-seated fear within him. For over a year afterward, Lucius Malfoy tried to convince himself that his worries were unfounded and mere idle speculation. But the appearance of that indescribable dark wizard on the night of the Quidditch final made all his self-consolation a joke.

When Malfoy was young, he and his wife were loyal Death Eaters. Back then, they were willing to follow the Dark Lord to overthrow the now-disgraced wizarding world for a phantom, unattainable dream. But now, things are different. He carries the weight of his family and Draco's future on his shoulders.

It seemed that he was facing a dead end.

If, as Amosta Blaine claims, he damaged a treasure of vital importance to the Dark Lord, then the Malfoy family will not be forgiven when the Dark Lord returns to the wizarding world and gathers his old followers. The Dark Lord has never been a magnanimous person, a fact that Malfoy knows very well.

On the other hand, he and Dumbledore were mortal enemies, and Blaine was also very cold towards the Malfoy family. If it weren't for Amostella Blaine's slight affection for Draco, Lucius would know that he really needed to make arrangements for his future at this moment when a storm was brewing.

“Brain would never lay a hand on the Malfoys, my dear. Fudge and Dumbledore would never allow him to do so—”

Narcissa didn't think that deeply; her worries were always about the Quidditch Cup. Narcissa gently comforted her husband.

Tap-tap--

Just then, the door to the study creaked open, and a servant informed the Malfoys that Mr. Amostall Blaine had suddenly appeared outside the manor gates and asked if they should welcome him in.

"I'll go greet them myself--"

Lucius jumped up from his chair and said instinctively.

"I'll go with you, darling."

Narcissa held her husband's hand.

"No matter what happens, we'll go together."

Chapter 543 A Real Joke

2023-10-19

The sun was still struggling above the horizon, trying its best to provide life-giving light and heat to the creatures on earth.

The waiter ran off, and a towering subway gate still kept Amosta out of the manor. However, he didn't care. He simply turned around with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face, looking at the large, flat lawn and river outside the manor, as well as the golden farmland in the distance.

Fox perched on Amosta's shoulder, seemingly interested in the white peacocks strolling in the gardens of the estate. It lowered its head and gazed at Amosta with its clear, ruby-like eyes.

"Oh, no--"

Amosta was enjoying the countryside scenery, but he seemed to already know what Fox was interested in, and he said in a light voice,

“We haven’t received permission, Fox. It’s impolite to break into someone’s home.”

Fox rolled its beautiful eyes upward, revealing a sliver of white in a very human-like way to express how it felt after hearing those words.

The Malfoys arrived faster than Amosta had anticipated. Dressed in impeccable attire, the couple practically jogged from the villa. They immediately spotted Amosta Blaine and the striking large bird perched on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting, Professor Blaine—"

When they were still more than sixty feet from the great iron gate, Lucius Malfoy spoke in a slightly breathless voice. He waved his hand, and the manor's great iron gate slowly opened without making a sound, unlike the dilapidated iron gate of Hogwarts.

As he got closer, Lucius Malfoy recognized that the large bird perched on Blaine's shoulder was Dumbledore's phoenix.

Could it be that Dumbledore had something to do with Blaine's visit?

The thought flashed through Lucius's mind, but he quickly dismissed it, realizing there was no point in dwelling on it now.

Amostella reluctantly withdrew his gaze from the pleasant scenery. He slowly turned around and looked expressionlessly at the Malfoys, whose foreheads were beaded with sweat. Then, the spoon in Draco's mother's hand caught his attention. After glancing at it twice, his eyebrows twitched slightly.

“This is my wife, Narcissa. You have already met her, Professor Blaine—”

Seeing Amosta Blaine's gaze sweep over them, Lucius and Narcissa, who had momentarily forgotten to hide the spoon, turned pale. Lucius quickly tried to cover it up.

"She was just setting things up in the restaurant."

Amostella, who had been silent until now, finally showed a faint smile. He nodded slightly to Narcissa Malfoy and, suddenly becoming very taciturn, said...

"Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Malfoy—"

It wasn't until Amosta Blaine began to speak that the Malfoys felt a little lighter. Lucius hurriedly invited Amosta into the manor and led him to the villa.

"etc--"

As they passed a fork in the road, Amosta suddenly stopped. He looked at the Malfoys, whose faces had turned deathly pale, and gave them a reassuring smile.

"Before the dinner begins, I'd like to take Fox for a walk in the garden—"

Amostah glanced at Fox, who was craning his neck and looking around, and said with a smile,

"As you know, this phoenix spends most of its time in Dumbledore's office and doesn't have many opportunities to go out for a stroll—"

"Oh, of course, no problem. You're welcome to visit anytime—"

Despite being the owner of the manor, Lucius Malfoy acted like a guest in front of Amosta. He spoke cautiously, then glanced discreetly at his wife Narcissa and gave her a meaningful look. Although Narcissa understood her husband's hint, she showed reluctance.

"If you have something to attend to, Mrs. Malfoy, then go ahead, I don't mind—"

Amosta smiled gently.

To be honest, Lucius Malfoy would have preferred Amosta to arrive at his house looking aggressive; his current debonair demeanor only fueled his dread. However, regardless, Lucius was eager to keep his wife away from Blaine, and he glared at Narcissa before forcing her away from them.

His subtle actions were undoubtedly noticed by Blaine. Faced with Amosta Blaine's meaningful gaze, Lucius's lips moved, but he didn't know what to say.

Lucius Malfoy had spent years dealing with wizards in the upper echelons of the European wizarding world. He knew how to please greedy politicians and how to gain the favor of renowned wizards. He even had the audacity to plot Albus Dumbledore's departure from Hogwarts. But in front of Amostella Blaine, all these skills seemed to vanish suddenly. The only thing he could do was obey orders.

Perhaps it's because this young man might possess the power to defeat the Dark Lord, and unlike Albus Dumbledore, he isn't made hypocritical by so many rules and regulations.

Lucius Malfoy thought with a slightly bitter expression.

After receiving Amosta's permission, Fox chirped merrily, spread its wings, and left Amosta's shoulder. It excitedly pounced on the peacocks that were pecking at food on the lawn. The peacocks, which were originally graceful, froze in place as if they had seen a terrifying creature when Fox approached.

"Do you think I came here just to raze Malfoy Manor to the ground?"

The two strolled along the stone path that divided the flowerbeds and lawns. Amosta tilted his head slightly and asked in a teasing tone.

You wouldn't do that—

Lucius Malfoy broke out in a cold sweat. He seemed to have inherited the true nature of a house-elf, his body tense and his back slightly hunched, his demeanor unusually respectful.

“A wizard as great as you would not break his promise.”

Amosta gave Lucius Malfoy a deep look and shook his head slightly.

It must be said that Lucius Malfoy is indeed a clever man, smooth enough, and flexible enough. The respect he showed me seemed entirely genuine, not due to any other factor. No wonder even a madman as intractable as Voldemort trusted Lucius just as much; otherwise, he wouldn't have entrusted Lucius with the safekeeping of his Horcruxes.

Lucius had expected his probing to elicit a response from Amosta Blaine, but to his surprise, Amosta neither revealed his true purpose for visiting nor expressed any new ideas about the Malfoy family, and simply continued walking forward on his own.

Amosta seemed to be truly admiring the scenery, his gaze focused on the well-arranged landscape of the estate. To get a better look, he even walked onto a gentle slope protruding from the ground on the lawn, his eyes scanning and observing the layout of the surroundings.

"What would you like to know, Professor Blaine? I can answer your questions."

Lucius Malfoy finally couldn't contain his curiosity and asked in a low voice.

"I'm observing the layout and topography of this manor—"

With his hands behind his back, Amosta faced the cool evening breeze, but what he said sent a chill down Lucius Malfoy's spine.

"If Voldemort were to use this place as his base someday—oh, don't rush to disagree, Lucius—I mean, if that were to actually happen, and I were to send men to attack Malfoy Manor, what would be the best course of action?"

Chapter 544 Lucius's Request

2023-10-19