Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 750 The Sun Shines Brightly

Wizards drinking at the Leaky Cauldron often say: You will never see a member of the Malfoy family at a crime scene, even if the wand used in the crime is covered with their fingerprints.

Lucius Malfoy thought the statement was illogical; they wouldn't leave behind a wand covered in fingerprints. If the Aurors investigating the case were clever enough, they might be able to find Gallon covered in fingerprints on the murderer's body or in his home.

But what does that prove?

Most Galleons in England ended up in the Malfoy family’s coffers, and most Ministry of Magic officials possess Galleons covered in Malfoy’s fingerprints.

Since his ancestor Armand Malfoy came to England and gained the trust of King William I, Malfoy used the land granted by the king to establish a manor in Wiltshire. Malfoy's descendants have lived there for ten centuries, and Malfoy's wealth has continued to influence the wizards of this land.

For a long time, the Malfoy family straddled the Muggle and wizarding worlds. They peddled the concept of pure-blood supremacy to pure-blood wizards and showcased the mysteries of magic to Muggles. By influencing the powerful on both sides, they continuously amassed wealth and power, constantly acquiring surrounding Muggle lands, expanding their vast estates, and successfully dabbling in Muggle currency and assets, becoming one of the wealthiest wizarding families in England. A hereditary title was within reach; one Malfoy even nearly married Elizabeth I, although the marriage ultimately failed.

During the consultation phase of the preliminary draft of the Secrecy Law, the Malfoy family expressed strong opposition, given that their family tree contains many mixed-race individuals, including a Squib who achieved remarkable success in Muggle society.

However, in 1692, the Law of Secrecy of the International Confederation of Wizards was successfully passed. They quickly severed all ties with the Muggle elites and openly embraced the idea of ​​pure-blood supremacy.

From then on, the Malfoy family began to use their wealth to exert influence over the newly established British Ministry of Magic from the shadows. The Malfoys had no interest in the ministerial position; they preferred to play the role of the true manipulators of power behind the throne, a role that allowed them to avoid the consequences of wrong decisions.

Although no Malfoy ever served as a minister, the Malfoy family was deeply involved in almost every ministerial election, funding candidates close to the Malfoys, spending money to suppress opponents, and spreading rumors to defame other candidates—these were just the most common tactics.

The Malfoy family's influence has been demonstrated on several occasions.

The earliest instance can be traced back to the time of the Wizarding Council, the predecessor of the Ministry of Magic. In the 14th century, Nicholas Malfoy used the plague as a pretext to kill many of his Muggle tenants who angered him and successfully escaped trial by the Wizarding Council.

More recently, in the late 18th century, Septimius Malfoy brought his family’s influence to its peak. He successfully manipulated the minister election and issued many policies through the Ministry of Magic that were in line with the family’s interests, to the point that many wizards believed that the minister at the time, Anxis Osbott, was just a puppet of Malfoy.

The most recent instance was thirty years ago, when Abraxas Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy's father, was suspected of plotting to murder then-Secretary Nobi Leach, causing the first Muggle-born Secretary to resign due to illness.

Lucius lived through the Malfoy family's most glorious era, when even the so-called Minister of Magic was just a tool they manipulated. Following his father's teachings, he entered Hogwarts with the belief of expanding the family's wealth and power, successfully joined Slytherin, and soon became a key figure among the Death Eaters.

In the late 70s and early 1980s, he used his family wealth and connections to help Voldemort, while also using Voldemort's growing power to amass even more wealth. In the summer of 80, he also welcomed his own child...

Everything went so smoothly it felt like a dream, a dream fueled by Felix Felicis. Lucius believed he would rival or even surpass the Malfoy ancestors on the family tree, making future generations proud of the Malfoy name.

Within a year, her dream shattered.

Voldemort's unexpected downfall brought about a dramatic change in the wizarding world. Lucius was forced to face scrutiny and purges from the Ministry of Magic. He quickly used the Malfoy family's influence to clear his name using the Imperius Curse as a pretext, thus avoiding charges and imprisonment.

Having failed in his gamble on Voldemort, Lucius bribed officials to escape trial, resulting in the loss of his family's wealth. Worse still, Dumbledore set his sights on the Malfoy family, making it impossible for Lucius to continue manipulating ministerial elections. The high-ranking officials who came to power at that time were all hostile to the Death Eaters and unwilling to make deals with the Malfoy family. Lucius was forced to go into hiding, gradually fading from the center of power.

Until Voldemort resurrected, the nightmare began.

"..."

The tarmac shimmered with magical light, and emerald flames burned silently on the water's surface. Whether it was the tenacious moss growing from the cracks in the ground or the water ants swarming in the rain, anything touched by the flames withered instantly. However, for the adult wizard, neither the randomly scattered spells nor the ominous flames spreading everywhere were aimed at him.

Lucius, who was pampered and privileged, had only average grades in school. After graduating, although he joined the Death Eaters, he almost never fought anyone directly and was completely unskilled in magical duels. Only after Voldemort's downfall did he think about improving his strength. He hoarded a batch of cursed items and books of dark magic, but he didn't learn them when he was young and energetic. In middle age, his physical and mental strength were failing, and he procrastinated for more than ten years without learning anything.

A few years ago, it was seized during a Ministry of Magic crackdown and then resold to Borgin Burke.

While adept at assessing situations and plotting schemes, Lucius was no match for a trainee Auror in a direct wand duel. He suspected that the Malfoy family simply lacked this talent. As a chaotic battle was about to erupt, and the other Death Eaters charged forward, he immediately distanced himself from the central battlefield and, avoiding everyone's gaze, quietly circled around to the terminal exit.

Lukewood shared the same thought. After fighting Scrimgeour for a few minutes, the battlefield was shrouded in mist, and the ghostly flames interfered with his vision. The slightly lame minister quickly lost sight of his target and got entangled in fighting with other Death Eaters.

Lucius, fearing an encounter with an Auror, cautiously made his way forward. The Muggle airport was very well-equipped; there were route maps at almost every corner, with arrows pointing to exits—simple and clear. Lukewood, however, moved even faster, nimbly navigating the corridors and skirting the marble pillars…

A few minutes later, the two Death Eaters met at the corner of the corridor. It was fate that they met; both were intelligent men, and the exit was already in sight. Escaping would allow them to get rid of Voldemort and the Aurors' pursuit...

Lukewood remained silent, and Lucius quietly looked away. The two gripped their wands tightly and jogged toward the exit.

Just as the two were gradually increasing their speed, a clear female voice was heard:

"The slide is so-so."

"【The Shapeshifting Slate】"

Two spells struck in quick succession, catching the two Death Eaters off guard. The corridor beneath their feet suddenly transformed into a smooth ramp. They were too fast to stop in time and were immediately propelled by inertia, sliding across the ramp and rolling twice on the ground before crashing into the stone slab that had become the glass door on the opposite side. Their limbs were spread out, their heads lolled to the side, and their eyes closed.

Lucius heard footsteps around him, about the size of an Auror squad, and gave up struggling. He began to think about how to get acquitted if he were to be tried in the Magical Congress of America... Lucius's thoughts were interrupted when a familiar voice rang out next.

Loren and Hermione looked down at the Death Eater lying on the ground. Perhaps due to long-term intermarriage within the pure-blood circle, the Malfoy family's genes were relatively homogeneous, with overly distinctive physical features, especially their platinum blonde hair and somewhat similar facial features.

The Auror squad of the Magical Congress of the United States of America confiscated the two men's wands and were about to tie them up and detain them when Loren raised his hand to stop them: "This one doesn't need to be detained; he's one of ours."

Pickley hesitated slightly, tilted his head and thought for a moment, then suddenly felt that many things made sense. He signaled the others to take Lukwood away, leaving the spy who had infiltrated the Death Eaters behind.

"No wonder you had such intelligence on the Death Eaters, no wonder you were able to set up ambushes and track their hideouts. I thought only old Crabbe knew. You British wizards are really..."

There's probably some misunderstanding here, but it's not convenient to explain.

Loren paused for a moment, then calmly said, "It was all Dumbledore's plan."

Upon hearing this, Pickley and Nancy were taken aback, gaining a new understanding of the kind and approachable principal from the other school.

Hermione glanced at him furtively. The valiant witch had just used two spells to take down two Death Eaters, and her gaze was now somewhat complicated.

The sound of shattering glass came from the direction of the helipad. The sounds of fierce fighting suddenly became much clearer. Every now and then, you could hear the witch's screams and Moody shouting for alert. The floor beneath your feet was trembling slightly.

"Harry's side is at a disadvantage."

Pickley snapped out of his daze and turned to Loren: "We received word that we won't interfere in your fight, so what about you and Headmaster Dumbledore? Why aren't you making a move?"

Loren turned his gaze to the center of the battlefield and said softly, "We are waiting for the right moment."

"At what time?"

"The timing of Harry's death."

……

The eerie green flames that had been spreading out gradually dimmed, a sign that the caster was focused on the enemy and had no time to attend to anything else. A brilliant light shone in the center of the helipad, and the intense glow of the spell illuminated Harry and Voldemort.

The two cast long shadows behind them, their faces cold and their eyes firm and sharp.

Harry stared directly into those scarlet eyes, then at the point where the red and green lights met. The scene was undeniably beautiful, like the dazzling aurora borealis on television, the night sky in a light rain, the nemesis's spell shining brilliantly, and even Voldemort across from him seemed more pleasing to the eye—his pale skin, his ordinary-looking wand, and the approaching Killing Curse. The whole scene indicated that death was imminent.

Harry had thought he would be resolute and calm, but with death looming, he couldn't help but feel nervous. The raindrops falling on him grew colder, the deathly green light became more and more blinding, and his fear intensified. Fortunately, he only started to panic at this moment and didn't do anything shameful.

As Harry thought this, he saw the mouth opposite him grin with a cold smile.

A flash of green light, and everything disappeared.

"Harry!"

Sirius instinctively shouted out. Although he had already received the news in the cabin and was somewhat prepared, seeing Harry's figure slowly fall down, he still silently shed tears. More than a decade later, he still could not calmly accept death, even if it was a fake death.

Voldemort, immersed in joy and delight, withdrew his magic, letting the raindrops wash over him; the cool touch was comforting. He looked down at Harry's body not far away and softly read aloud:

"One of them must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live; only one can survive..."

Suddenly, he stopped, a strange palpitation gripping his heart, his pores standing on end, his skin wrinkling like snake scales.

Voldemort turned and paced, looking around with a strange sense of unease. He saw the wizards retreating, whether they were the Death Eater servants, the disgusting Aurors, or the vermin of the Order of the Phoenix. Several Aurors were in a panic as they dragged the unconscious Death Eaters, and the lame Scrimgeour and the crippled Mad-Eye Moody were helping each other away.

What are they afraid of? What are they avoiding?

The instant he looked away, flames suddenly erupted from the flat ground not far away, vanishing in a flash, along with Harry's body.

In a daze, the drizzle seemed to stop, the cool raindrops disappeared, and the surrounding vision brightened. Voldemort seemed not to notice this, but he vaguely remembered this palpitation, which was somewhat familiar. He had experienced it before, just four months ago at Easter.

The Dark Lord, who had killed his nemesis, suddenly opened his eyes wide, his pupils contracted sharply, and he revealed a look of terror.

The entire sky was obscured by the blazing firelight, as if the midday sun of midsummer were blazing overhead. The drizzle did not stop, but was evaporated by the high temperature as soon as it fell. The edge of the blazing sun was adorned with a rainbow halo, and the view was scalded with dark blue holes.

The temperature in the entire area continued to rise, the rainwater flowing on the ground dried up quickly, and even the fog disappeared.

All the wizards retreated in terror. It was impossible for anyone to stand under that blazing sun. The asphalt on the tarmac had melted and gradually flowed and covered the area. The shattered glass of the terminal building had melted into a lava-like liquid, as if a scene from hell had unfolded on earth.

Voldemort's robes had been dried out by the heat, and the high temperature caused air convection that created howling winds, making his robes flutter and threatening to ignite. Voldemort's magical power surged continuously from his body, shielding him from the heat, like fallen wheat seedlings resisting some kind of great force of heaven and earth.

"I have already killed my nemesis; I will never... be defeated by the same curse again!"

A maniacal smile spread across Voldemort's face. Without considering how to Apparate, he raised his wand and pointed the tip at the blazing sun in the sky, or rather, at Loren.

Just as the two spells were about to be cast, Voldemort vaguely heard a rough but familiar voice coming from behind him, and he caught a glimpse of the person out of the corner of his eye.

A burly, imposing figure, his skin cracked and bleeding from the intense heat, threatening to burst into flames, charged forward like a bear—it was his lowly servant.

Old Crabbe.

(End of this chapter)