Mysterious Journey
Chapter 637 Father and Son (Large Chapter!)
Number 4, Privet Drive, in Harry's bedroom.
"Yeah, Professor Dumbledore told me."
Harry nodded, squatting down to throw the scattered crumpled paper balls one by one into the trash can.
"I originally thought... you might not be having such a good time at your aunt and uncle's house, and I'm your parents' designated guardian... just in case something happened to them... you know what I mean... I mean..."
Sirius Black looked at Harry, saying somewhat vaguely.
"If you want a... different home... or even just a temporary change of scenery..."
He didn't have much confidence in this idea to begin with, and after arriving at the Dursleys' house today and seeing the birthday dinner they had prepared for Harry, Sirius's certainty plummeted to a level that could no longer be described as pessimistic.
However, he didn't notice that with his words, Harry's movements instantly stopped.
A change of... home? A different home?
Harry's heart began to swell.
"Well, of course, the Black family's old house is very old and much dirtier than this place..."
Sirius Black touched his nose, saying softly in a slightly hoarse voice.
"But if you come to live there, I can probably help you clean up a few rooms that are a little bigger than this one. Of course, if you want to live with your aunt and uncle, I can understand that too. I just feel that I—"
"Of course! When can I go there?"
Harry answered quickly without hesitation, no matter how much the Dursleys changed, they still didn't like him.
Black quickly turned to look at him, a look of incredulous surprise on his face.
"You're willing?" he asked, "Really? But..."
"Yes, I really am!" Harry said, "To be honest, even though Uncle Vernon has been nicer to me lately, they still don't like magic. As long as I'm a wizard, they'll worry about waking up one day to find out they've turned into a beetle."
Black finally breathed a sigh of relief, a genuine smile blooming on his thin face for the first time.
"Tonight, if your aunt and uncle don't object, you can come back with me tonight."
"Don't be silly, after tonight they'll want to send me to the train station immediately tomorrow."
…
Meanwhile, in England, Wiltshire.
Malfoy Manor, at the ornate wrought-iron gates at the end of the garden.
"Malfoy, I know you must have hidden a lot of forbidden Dark Arts objects in your house. You'd better confess honestly, otherwise, if I catch you with evidence, you've seen what happened to the Lestranges..."
"Perhaps, wait until you get the Ministry's search warrant. Weasley, Malfoy Manor isn't your ramshackle house. A single decoration inside is probably worth a year of your hard work. I don't trust you to rummage around in there."
Lucius Malfoy stood at the door, saying coldly.
In front of him, Arthur Weasley and William Perkins were scribbling in a small notebook.
Due to the Ministry of Magic's seizure of the Lestrange family vault some time ago, a large number of high-risk Dark Arts items were discovered. After Albus Dumbledore's judgment, most of them were forbidden items from the Voldemort era.
More importantly, this search and seizure process gave the financially strapped and awkwardly positioned Ministry of Magic a taste of sweetness.
Therefore, in recent months, the Ministry of Magic has stepped up its search for forbidden items. Any forbidden items found by the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office or the Auror Office would be subject to a fine of a certain amount.
The joint reform of Hogwarts and Gringotts' Galleons, on the one hand, stabilized the turbulent economic situation of the magical world.
But on the other hand, the change of old and new currencies was undoubtedly a huge blow to the gray income that once existed in the entire magical world. Lacking a source of political donations, the Ministry of Magic had to find new sources of income.
Lucius Malfoy could clearly feel that Cornelius Fudge's eyes when he looked at him were completely different from the past. Compared with the respect that he used to build with money, there was now more of—
"A bunch of greedy bastards!"
In the living room of Malfoy Manor, Lucius swept his cane forcefully across the table.
The delicate white ceramic tea set was swept onto the ground, making a crisp sound, and pieces of debris were scattered all over the floor.
"Lucius, didn't you say that Fudge promised not to bother us? Clean it up."
Narcissa Malfoy, or rather, Mrs. Malfoy, frowned slightly and gently snapped her fingers.
The next moment, a house-elf with bandages wrapped around its fingers appeared in front of her, carefully cleaning up the ceramic fragments on the ground, its round, bulging eyes occasionally secretly observing its angry master out of the corner of its eye.
"That's right, Cornelius Fudge did make that promise, after all, the name Malfoy still has some prestige. But there are a lot of busybodies in the Ministry, especially that sloppy idiot Arthur Weasley. The matter of coming to Malfoy Manor to investigate Dark Arts objects this time must have been instigated by him behind the scenes—"
Lucius Malfoy said hatefully, his face extremely gloomy.
"After a while, I will go to Borgin and Burkes to deal with the things. As for the diary that the Dark Lord gave me, I will of course find a way to sell it as soon as possible—Dumbledore and Weasley, they interfere in too many things and have offended a lot of people."
"That diary? How are you going to... Dear, is there something wrong?"
Narcissa Malfoy looked at her husband with some unease. She was about to ask for some details, but suddenly stopped and turned her head to look at the corridor beside the living room, instantly changing her face to a gentle and doting expression.
"Draco?"
Lucius also turned his head instantly and looked in the direction of his wife's gaze, frowning slightly.
"Didn't I tell you to stay in your room for a while? Your mother and I have some things to discuss."
"I want to go out, Dad. Uh, to see a friend..."
"Go out?" Lucius narrowed his eyes. "Where to?"
Draco Malfoy hesitated for a moment, tentatively saying softly.
"Harry's house, that Harry Potter, you know, he's also pure-blood..."
"Oh? Is that the one who never replies to your letters, the famous Harry Potter? What kind of friend wouldn't send you back even one reply. Draco, I don't want to interfere too much in your social life, but you must know that people are different."
A hint of mockery flashed across Lucius Malfoy's face, his voice full of sarcasm.
"That's his problem," Draco's face paled a little, but he still looked directly into his father's eyes. "I promised him that I would stay in touch with him during the summer vacation. Today is his birthday, and I want to ask him about it."
"No way, you can forget about that."
Lucius Malfoy shook his head unmoved.
Draco was obviously not so easy to give up. After a year of studying at Hogwarts, he was no longer the little child who listened to his father in everything. Aileen said that most of the precious things in this world need to be fought for proactively, rather than passively waiting for others to allow or arrange them.
"Why? What if he's in trouble? Besides..."
"There are many reasons, one of the simplest being that he lives in a Muggle neighborhood. For a member of the Malfoy family to visit a friend in a Muggle-filled neighborhood is simply a joke, even if he is the Boy Who Lived."
"But..."
"Enough! There's nothing to discuss about this!"
Lucius Malfoy frowned, waved his hand forcefully, and said in an uncompromising tone.
"Draco, now, go back to your room."
Faced with his father's stern expression, the courage that Draco Malfoy had managed to muster quickly faded away, and his mother, who had always doted on him, remained silent and showed no intention of helping him.
"But..."
"No! Go back!"
"Okay..."
Draco Malfoy stood there for a few seconds, dejectedly leaving the living room.
Watching his son's figure disappear at the end of the corridor, and after quite a while, making sure that he really wasn't eavesdropping outside, Narcissa Malfoy turned to look at her husband, saying softly in a meaningful tone.
"Draco has changed a lot since returning from school. You can't always treat him like a little child."
"Hmph, he's just been influenced by that Muggle orphan named Aileen! I don't want him to become a joke to the pure-blood families."
Lucius Malfoy snorted coldly, shook his head, and a hint of displeasure flashed across his face.
As a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors, Lucius Malfoy was well aware of what had happened at Hogwarts this year, but in his opinion, it was mostly a performance deliberately arranged by Albus Dumbledore to promote Muggle-born wizards.
Just a stupid first-year little witch from a Muggle orphanage, without parents.
If there was no secret manipulation and arrangement by Hogwarts Headmaster Dumbledore behind the scenes, it would have been absolutely impossible to stir up so much trouble in the school, let alone influence all four houses. Any slightly clever wizard could see that.
Perhaps Dumbledore could really cultivate a new successor in the future, but Lucius Malfoy did not intend to actively participate in this muddy water until the open and secret struggles between Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic had fully unfolded. And the most important thing was that, because he had once joined the Death Eaters, he didn't have much of a good impression in Dumbledore's eyes to begin with.
Arthur Weasley's unscrupulous search for Dark Arts objects during this time may have been a way to settle old scores.
At this time, if the Malfoy family was the first to send a signal of defection, such as letting their son go to a Muggle-populated area to "visit a friend," it would be difficult to guarantee what kind of reaction the other families who had supported Voldemort behind the scenes would have.
The public trial of Peter Pettigrew at Hogwarts some time ago not only prompted the Ministry of Magic's search and seizure efforts these days, but more importantly, it conveyed a signal that made Lucius and a group of former Death Eaters a little afraid—the Dark Lord may not have died, but was hiding somewhere in the magical world, secretly accumulating strength, ready to make a comeback at any time.
Therefore, that enchanted notebook that the Dark Lord personally entrusted to the Malfoy family for safekeeping had become extremely hot to handle.
Regarding that mysterious diary, the Dark Lord didn't explain too much when he entrusted it to them for safekeeping.
All Lucius Malfoy knew was that the diary had been enchanted with the mysterious magic of the Salazar Slytherin family. As long as it was sent to Hogwarts, it could open the legendary Chamber of Slytherin.
In other words, if you can't throw it away, it's best to find a way to quietly throw it back to Hogwarts.
However, what Draco said just now provided a line of thought for Lucius, who had been troubled by this matter.
So today is Harry Potter's birthday?
"Perhaps, we should indeed send Mr. Harry Potter a gift—in Draco's name."
Lucius Malfoy tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the table.
"Narcissa, what do you say... if people found out that the 'Boy Who Lived' had opened the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts, cleansing those impure-blooded mudbloods, how much of an impact would it have on Dumbledore and the group he maintains?"
Dobby, the house-elf who was wiping the floor, shuddered all over, and his bat-like ears couldn't help but twitch.
Mr. Harry Potter... wait, this feeling... what is it?!
"M-Master, there is danger at young master's location!"
Just then, Dobby suddenly raised his head, looking in horror at a location in Malfoy Manor.
As a house-elf, he sensed the magical fluctuations of at least four or five members of his own kind descending.
…
Meanwhile.
Draco Malfoy's bedroom.
Five house-elves stood beside Malfoy's bed, bowing respectfully, their uniforms printed with the Hogwarts crest shining brightly in the sunlight that was projected in through the window. Leading the way was the house-elf Burpy.
"Honorable Mr. Malfoy, the head chef has received your request. Are you ready?"
"Yeah, hurry up! Otherwise my dad might find out. My house also has a house-elf."
"Don't worry, there are five of us. In fact, the head chef originally thought there would be a battle... From the current situation, this is undoubtedly the best possible outcome. So, let me confirm again, your destination is?"
Draco Malfoy clenched the unfinished letter on the table, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice.
"—Surrey, Little Whinging, Number 4, Privet Drive. No matter what, I have to go and ask him in person!"
"As you wish. Hogwarts Round-Faced Fat Hen Express is happy to serve you."
The house-elf Burpy bowed respectfully again and answered very skillfully.
Then, he stretched out his left hand to hold Draco, and raised his other hand and snapped his fingers gently.
Pop!
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Another two-in-one chapter!
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