A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

"laugh!"

A figure suddenly appeared, wearing a hood and a precious fur cloak.

Felix glanced at the stranger. “Lucius, your cane is really beautiful.”

Lucius lowered his hood, his pale blond hair appearing silver-grey in the night. He exhaled a cold breath, met Felix's eyes, and suddenly shivered, letting out a muffled groan.

"Seizing thoughts and ideas?" he said angrily.

"Relax, I'm not usually this rough, but since you're seeking cooperation with me, I have to test your abilities first... that's the foundation of all cooperation."

Lucius frowned.

He realized something was amiss. Before this—no, to be precise, before the Quidditch World Cup—his attitude towards Felix had been neither close nor distant. Aside from his attempt, on behalf of several pure-blood families, to bring a rising star into their ranks at the funeral of Sirius's brother, Regulus Black, he had made no other move.

Unfortunately, that attempt was unsuccessful.

But Felix later subtly expressed a willingness to cooperate, a style of speech he was very familiar with at the funeral. In his imagination, Felix was preparing to enter politics and join the Ministry of Magic. Of course, he wouldn't care about ordinary positions, so it could only be Fudge's place.

To become Minister for Magic, one inevitably needs the support of certain families. And Draco Malfoy can influence the attitudes of a large number of people.

But this wasn't the only possibility. Because, without anyone knowing when, Felix's influence had become quite profound. Lucius, with his shrewd and calculating gaze, stared at Felix, and he had a vague feeling that Felix was imitating someone.

Dumbledore!

They all achieved remarkable results in their arts, possessed equally high levels of skill, shared a preference for Muggles, and even—they all became professors at Hogwarts.

The only difference is that Felix also started a company, which was managed by the werewolf.

How could Lucius not know who Lupin was? A first-generation member of the Order of the Phoenix, someone Felix employed Dumbledore—what does that mean?

He carefully considered the meaning behind Felix's words, breaking out in a sweat in the cold wind. After thinking for a long time, he finally spoke tactfully: "Shouldn't you be the one rebelling, Mr. Hyp? It's you who's seeking cooperation with the Malfoy family—"

“Is that so,” Felix said softly. “It seems you don’t realize how dangerous your situation is, not the terrible things you did at the Quidditch World Cup, though I’d ​​love to curse you… I’m reminding you, the diary.”

Lucius Malfoy's face turned deathly pale.

“Mr. Haip, I don’t understand what you mean.”

“There are some things I won’t reveal, after all, they involve your son and my life, and in this respect, we are of the same mind,” Felix said. “But I need you to know where the danger lies, so that you won’t be unaware of the consequences when things turn out the way they do.”

“The Chamber of Secrets has nothing to do with the Malfoys, and even less to do with Draco,” Lucius gritted his teeth. “Besides, that man is already dead!”

Felix gave him a deep look. "Just think of it that way, but that won't stop you from pondering it when you're free. So, let me tell you a story, about a clever little wizard, well, who just happens to have hair like yours..."

“…And so, he defeated the Dark Lord’s relic—the diary that contained his precious memories.” Felix didn’t mention the Horcrux, but Lucius’s face was now completely bloodless. “And I, as a professor at the school, recognized this dark magic artifact and destroyed it without hesitation, thus protecting all the students, especially the Muggle-born students.”

"A glorious victory, and what about you, Lucius?"

Chapter 390 Mark

Lucius Malfoy's expression was solemn, a chilling wind seemingly freezing his throat. He looked as if he were using a great deal of effort to open his tightly closed lips. He said blankly, "Very brave... Della... I mean the little wizard."

Felix scrutinized his face.

The wind picked up again, and the dark shadows of the trees swayed in the clearing between the two men. After a moment of silence, Lucius said softly, "I know a little something; the Malfoy family is always well-informed..."

"...About a few months ago, during summer vacation...one late night, the Black Magic Mark on my arm suddenly awoke from its slumber, something that hadn't happened in over a decade...some people were terrified, and they came to me to confide in me about it, and I...comforted them."

Felix watched Lucius with interest. So, he already knew about Voldemort's unusual behavior? He must have been living in fear for a long time... Was the Quidditch World Cup just a collective outpouring of anger from those Death Eaters who lied about being cursed with the Imperius Curse to escape punishment?

So, when Lucius extended an olive branch, he readily accepted it.

"The Dark Mark on the arm?" Felix asked. "I remember it only appeared above the victims' houses, as a symbol of Death Eater evil?"

Lucius shuddered. Meeting those calm blue eyes, he couldn't help but recall the events of the Quidditch World Cup. This was the man before him, who had outmaneuvered hundreds of wizards with overwhelming force… His magic seemed limitless, piercing through the chest of someone beside him across vast distances… Every time he woke from a nightmare, he would wonder: what if the owner of those blue eyes was looking for him?

His posture became increasingly humble, and his body seemed to shrink.

He whispered, “It’s a secret. The Dark Lord marks his loyal followers as a means of contacting them… and those followers will also receive special treatment from the Dark Lord, being granted the privilege of summoning him.”

Felix nodded; that made sense now. In the magical world, there are few ways to maintain constant communication, mainly because wizards are incredibly mobile; Apparition and Floo Powder solve most distance-related problems.

But with the outbreak of war, wizards' need for instant communication and intelligence gathering increased dramatically, and each side employed different methods. As far as he knew, the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic always acted collectively, striving to gain an advantage in localized areas; the Order of the Phoenix used Patronuses to transmit messages; as for the Death Eaters, he had previously been unclear about…

So it was marked with the Black Magic?

"So, every Death Eater has a brand on their arm?"

“Not at all… it’s those ‘loyal’ believers,” Lucius emphasized, repeating what he had just said.

How should I understand the word 'loyalty'?

“…The Dark Lord only cares about useful people.” Lucius lowered his head uneasily, obscuring his rapidly moving gray eyes. “Those who are highly skilled, have high status, are wealthy, or possess special abilities…like Severus Snape.”

He quickly looked up and saw Felix staring at him expressionlessly, so he quickly lowered his head again.

“Severus?” Felix repeated slowly.

"Yes...yes, he displayed extraordinary talent in potions during his school years, far surpassing me and any member of the Potions Club at the time. The Dark Lord valued his talent and didn't always involve him in operations, but rather provided him with precious potions from the rear...Later, when Slughorn retired, Hogwarts urgently needed a Potions professor, so the Dark Lord arranged for him to enter the school to monitor Dumbledore's every move."

Felix nodded slightly. He knew about this; Dumbledore had vouched for Severus after the war, confirming that he was his mole. But now the question was, which came first, the Death Eaters or the Order of the Phoenix?

His intuition told him that there was an amazing secret hidden here.

When did Severus join the Death Eaters?

"At a gathering before graduation, the Dark Lord personally summoned him."

After a long silence, Felix spoke up: "We've gone off-topic. Aside from that time, has the Black Mark ever shown any other anomalies?"

"Several times... there was an intermittent burning sensation..."

“Hmm,” Felix said, “like a bad signal on a Muggle appliance?”

Lucius paused for a moment and said, "You're right, Mr. Hyp." He knew what Muggle electrical appliances were and what a bad signal meant.

"Well, there's one more thing. Let me see what the Dark Mark on your arm looks like..."

Lucius jerked his head up. Throughout the previous conversation, he had avoided mentioning Death Eaters and associating himself with the word. But now he had to make a choice.

"Lucius...?"

After a moment's hesitation, he shakily lifted his sleeve. On the inside of his left forearm was a light red, birthmark-like pattern. It was so blurry that its exact shape was impossible to discern. In any other context, it would easily be mistaken for an early symptom of pox.

Felix repeatedly compared the information in his mind and finally recognized a familiar shape from some of the unique shapes.

“Normally… in the era when the Dark Lord reigned, it was crimson, like blood. After the Dark Lord disappeared, the mark faded, but now the faded mark is becoming more prominent again. We've even suspected that he's preparing for his return…”

Lucius turned his head away and said.

"So, you've decided to choose one side?" Felix asked, smiling at him.

Lucius's thin lips moved, but he didn't speak.

"Just kidding. Of course you can play both sides and bet on both—just like you always do. Nobody can predict the future, but Lucius, I'm not like Voldemort. I value certain people enough, and I hope we can reach an agreement on that."

“Perhaps a single message from you could save the life of someone I know. I look forward to it and express my respect to you in advance.” Felix straightened up and said in a cold tone, “Keep these words in mind, and the thunder won’t fall on you.”

“If that day ever comes, and the Dark Lord returns…” Lucius said with difficulty under immense pressure, “of course, of course I would… I would…”

"Willing to what?"

"...to contribute to the cause of justice, Mr. Hyp."

Felix smiled with satisfaction: "On the bright side, maybe he'll never come back, and you've just made an empty promise."

“Oh, by the way,” his tone lightened again, “I saw a broker walk into Malfoy Manor. Does he work for the Malfoy family? I’m quite interested in that… It seems you have your own set of rules, without adding any extra, unnecessary magic…”

……

The clouds obscured the moon. Lucius Malfoy stood silently, his mind filled with the image of Felix Heap disappearing without a trace, just like he had done at the Quidditch World Cup, without any warning.

He let out a long sigh of relief. Today's events had been terrifying, and even with some promises, he didn't feel any safer—the thought of causing trouble right under the Dark Lord's nose sent shivers down his spine. No one knew the Dark Lord's terror better than him. Fortunately, he only needed to reveal some insignificant information, he used that as a reason to convince himself.

At this moment, he hoped more than anyone else that the Dark Lord's return plan would fail, but a man like him would never place his future on a vague 'hope'.

As long as he handles things carefully, he has secured a ticket to the future.

Regardless of who wins or loses!

After a long pause, he muttered a curse under his breath. He'd write to Draco as soon as he got back, asking him to come home for Christmas. It was time to teach him a lesson; all he did was fuss with that Potter guy at school, and he always lost…

Chapter 391 Spell Countermeasures and Coordination

The following weekend, the six warriors reunited.

Felix led them on a stroll along the Black Lake, its waters shimmering in the warm sunlight. Several mermaids, carrying forks, peeked out from between the seaweed, their ugly faces peeking out.

"What did you find?"

Felix's words were like a switch, and Hermione immediately started muttering to herself.

"I did some research, and Hagrid's dragon-raising books are completely useless. 'The Dragon Lover' does describe how to trim a dragon's nails with magic, but they recommend buying oversized nail clippers they make themselves instead of using magic... and how to treat festering skin... The book does mention bribing them with two large barrels of fine wine, but I think that would only make their flames burn even more fiercely..."

"Harry's Disarming Charm was useless; those dragon scales were too tough. At best, it only managed to knock off two scales before the enraged dragon breathed out blue flames—"

Harry tugged at her sleeve, and she blinked belatedly. "Well, to sum it up, we think a few spells might work—Eye-Brain Charm, Apparition, Golden Flame, Illumination… but we're not sure if Apparition will work in the final location."

"Another issue is how to deal with fire dragons falling from the sky. I've discovered that even without considering the flames, their swooping down is extremely terrifying..."

She sighed, "It's just too difficult to defeat a fire dragon."

After she finished speaking, she noticed that Cedric, Roger Davis, Collins Foley, and Professor Hyp were all looking at her at the same time, which puzzled Hermione. Had she said something wrong?

Felix asked curiously, "Miss Granger, what made you decide to defeat a dragon?"

Hermione instinctively looked at Harry.

Harry scratched his head. "Isn't that right? Mr. Bagman said it would be very difficult, and we—mainly Hermione—read in the book that in one competition a chicken-bodied, snake-tailed monster went on an uncontrollable rampage, and all three headmasters were injured... Based on that, ours will definitely be more difficult than this."

Roger Davis was startled. "It can't be true, can it?"

Felix shook his head slightly: "That's highly unlikely. Just to give you a little hint, the Ministry of Magic only selects female dragons that are incubating eggs at the dragon farms. It's possible that you'll be able to get the dragon eggs under the protection of a fire dragon."

The six people lowered their heads, pondering how to deal with the situation.

"...Of course, it depends on the specific competition format. It's always good to be more prepared."

"Felix said. Finally, they came to a huge willow tree, and he gestured for them to sit down. "So, let's put the fire dragon aside for now and talk about the counterplay and synergy of spells."

"Back in your first year of dueling class, Professor Flitwick demonstrated the combinations of spells, and you may have tried them out. Let me first explain the relationships of spell counters—"

"Generally speaking, if we want to remove the effect of a spell, especially a malevolent one, using a recognized antidote is the most convenient method. For example, concealment spells and revelation spells, stun spells and revival spells, locking spells and unlocking spells, banishment spells and summoning spells, etc..."