Chapter 237 - 237: Master

Words : 1849 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

In the original story, Lucius Malfoy switched allegiances twice—each time aligning himself with Voldemort, and each time escaping unscathed. He continued to hold his position as the head of the Malfoy family and retained control over a vast fortune. A man like that didn't seem the type to come up with such a foolish idea. Thinking of this, Edward asked again, "Mr. Malfoy, you still haven't answered my question. If Voldemort really is alive, what do you plan to do?" Lucius lifted his wineglass, his demeanour now composed. "What else can I do? Naturally, I will stand firmly on Dumbledore's side and support his election as Minister of Magic. I will fully oppose the Dark Lord." "Oh?" Edward pretended to be pleasantly surprised. "Professor Dumbledore will surely be pleased to hear that you've made such a decision—just like how you voted in favour of moving the election date forward the other day." "I was simply doing what I must," Lucius replied calmly. "If this were a time of peace, I would have gladly supported a fool like Fudge as Minister—someone the pure-blood families can control. But in the face of the Dark Lord's return, I believe Dumbledore's leadership might offer us more security." "That's why I invited you here today—for one final confirmation. This concerns not only the future of the Malfoy family in the coming years, but perhaps over the next decade. I must be cautious enough." Edward raised a brow in surprise. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time we've met, isn't it? And yet you're being so open with us?" Lucius smiled faintly. "You're going to tell Dumbledore everything we discussed tonight anyway. I'm simply using you as a messenger." Tch. If I hadn't used Legilimency on you earlier, I might've actually bought that crap. Still, it did seem that Lucius and the other Death Eaters were truly hesitant right now. A man like him placing bets on both sides was hardly a surprise. "Why not tell all this to Professor Dumbledore yourself?" Lucius drained his glass of deep red wine and replied, "At this stage, contacting Dumbledore too openly would be the same as announcing to the world that the Malfoys have betrayed the pure-blood cause. That would bring us enemies and attacks from all sides." As he spoke, he looked at Audrey again. "So, Miss Hall…are you absolutely certain? That the Dark Lord is still alive?" Audrey suddenly felt a force trying to invade her mind—and she reflexively launched a counterattack. Awe! Frenzy! Bang! Lucius was thrown back from the table, stumbling several steps before collapsing to the ground, twitching uncontrollably. Lilith and Susie sprang into action, flanking him from both sides. But before they could strike, the carpet beneath Lucius twisted into chains and bound him tightly. Edward walked to Audrey's side and asked in a low voice, "What happened, Audrey?" "He…he tried to use Legilimency on me just now!" Edward's expression turned cold as he pointed his wand at Lucius's head. "Mr. Malfoy, I expect an explanation." "No!" Narcissa rushed forward, shielding her husband with alarm. "This—this was a misunderstanding!" "I don't see how using Legilimency on someone else could ever be considered a misunderstanding." Sure, Edward had used Legilimency on Lucius earlier—but this was a double standard he was perfectly comfortable with. As long as no one caught him, it didn't count. Lucius, now recovering, sat up with Narcissa's help. His face was pale, his eyes still wide with lingering fear. That oppressive, ant-like feeling—as though some monstrous being had looked down upon him—was something he'd never even experienced from Voldemort. What kind of magic had that girl just used? He forced a thin smile. "As I said, the Dark Lord's survival concerns…whether I support Dumbledore. It affects the future of the Malfoy family. I had to be cautious—Legilimency was merely for confirmation." "Hmph, no wonder Professor Dumbledore holds you in such regard. I did underestimate you." Edward's tone was ice-cold. "So you're not even going to apologise?" Before Lucius could speak, Narcissa hastily said, "We're sorry. It was our fault. Please accept our apology." Edward was just about to reply when he caught a glimpse of Draco Malfoy peeking out from behind the doorframe in the distance—his face full of disbelief, his eyes wide with fear and horror. When he noticed Edward looking at him, Draco clenched his fists and glared back with reluctant defiance. "Edward," Audrey called softly as she walked over and tugged on his sleeve. "Mm." He gave a small nod, flicked his wand to close the door, and dragged over a chair, sitting down in front of the Malfoy couple. "Did Voldemort ever give you a diary?" Lucius froze, clearly caught off guard by the abrupt question. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded. "Yes. But I haven't seen it in a long time." "You remember what happened to Draco when he was Petrified?" Both husband and wife nodded immediately. "According to our investigation, Voldemort's diary may have been brought to Hogwarts by Draco, and it manipulated him into a series of actions that eventually led to the Chamber of Secrets incident—Draco nearly died because of it." Narcissa turned deathly pale in an instant. "Not only that, Voldemort even implanted false memories of murder in Draco's mind, hoping to use him to distract Professor Dumbledore. If we hadn't caught it in time, Draco would be under investigation by the Ministry right now—branded a Death Eater and shipped off to Azkaban." That last bit was seventy percent true and thirty percent fabrication—but for a protective mother, it was more than enough. "No! You can't do this!" Narcissa cried out in panic. "Draco…he doesn't know anything. He's innocent!" "Of course he is. But do you believe that a single vial of Veritaserum couldn't make him confess to everything he's supposedly done?" Lucius, however, had regained his composure. "What exactly are you trying to achieve by saying all this? Are you threatening us?" "I'm merely stating facts." Edward looked down at the two of them and enunciated each word clearly: "You Death Eaters—are you planning something?" "..." Lucius was silent for a long moment before nodding. "Yes." "What is it?" "An attack on Hogwarts." Narcissa's eyes widened in disbelief as she turned toward her husband. "When?" "It hasn't been decided yet. We're still waiting for orders…It's Barty Crouch Jr! He's not dead. He returned with the Dark Lord's command!" Edward's wand slashed through the air. "Imperio!" Narcissa gasped in terror, but before she could speak, Edward hit her with a Stupefy, sending her crumpling to the floor. "What's your real reason for inviting us here tonight?" Lucius's lips curved into a smile. "It's…" "To outwardly help other pure-blood families gather information about the Dark Lord," Edward signalled for him to continue, "but in truth, to deliberately pass on Barty Crouch Jr.'s plan to attack Hogwarts—through us—to Dumbledore." Edward raised an eyebrow. "Why would you do that?" "Because I don't believe attacking Hogwarts is a wise move. I don't want to be the Dark Lord's lapdog anymore. So I want to sabotage this operation—ideally, make sure it fails before it even begins." "Why not tell Dumbledore directly?" "He wouldn't believe me. Even if I let him use Legilimency, he'd suspect the memories were fabricated. Besides…I don't want to go from being Voldemort's dog to Dumbledore's." Edward and Audrey exchanged glances, clearly taken aback. They'd considered a thousand possibilities—but not this. Still, Edward flicked a coin and confirmed that Lucius was telling the truth. "Anything else? Any other plans or secret schemes?" "I hope to use this to strike a deal with Dumbledore, so the Malfoy family can not only survive the storm to come, but emerge stronger." "And?" "That's all." Edward asked more than a dozen follow-up questions, confirming the story from all angles. Nothing new came up. Only then did he awaken Narcissa and release Lucius from the Imperius Curse and the Transfiguration binding the chains. Lucius looked disoriented for a moment—then suddenly recoiled, drawing his wand and pointing it at Edward. "You used the Imperius Curse on me?!" "I did." His voice trembled with rage. "You…how dare you?!" "Isn't this the reason you invited us tonight?" "I..." Edward asked, "Once Barty tells you the date, you'll inform me—correct?" Lucius gritted his teeth, his wand hand shaking violently as he glared at Edward. "Sigh…if only you'd told me from the start this was a defection, we wouldn't have had to go through all this, would we?" Edward smiled apologetically. "Mr. Malfoy, I apologise. It was my mistake!" He raised a glass of juice. "This toast is to you. I hope you'll forgive me." "…" Then he looked at Narcissa. "Madam Malfoy, if you could help persuade your husband—after all, you wouldn't want to see…well, you know." Narcissa gently lowered Lucius's wand arm and softly took his hand. "Let it go, Lucius." "Hmph—" Lucius inhaled sharply, clenched his jaw, and lowered his head. "This dinner is over. You two…please leave." "Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Malfoy. Madam." Edward took Audrey's hand, waved at the two small companions. "Lilith, Susie." The two creatures rushed back, one leaping onto Edward's shoulder, the other sticking close to Audrey. Crack! With a sharp twist of space, the two humans, one cat, and one dog vanished. Leaving behind Lucius Malfoy, still seething with rage, while Narcissa tried to soothe him. "Damn it…those bastards…I'll—one day I'll…" Before he could finish the thought, Edward suddenly reappeared. "Oh, I almost forgot—about that Dark Mark over Hogwarts the other night. Was that your doing?" Lucius froze mid-rant. "…It was me. I had Draco do it. It was meant to get your attention. But since you all seemed to ignore it, I had no choice but to come speak with you directly tonight." Narcissa was stunned again. "Lucius, are you insane?! How—how could you do such a thing?!" Edward, too, was incredulous. "You had your own son do that? What if he had been caught and thrown into Azkaban?!" Lucius replied coldly, "I'm helping you fight the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. Draco would be credited, not punished." That logic…was really something else. With that, the two once again vanished into the air— Leaving behind Narcissa, angrily questioning her husband, and Lucius coldly refuting her. Clack, clack, clack. Suddenly, the crisp sound of footsteps echoed through the hall. A light figure appeared at the top of the staircase. In an instant, the Malfoy couple composed themselves and bowed toward the figure upstairs. "Master," they said in unison. "The task you assigned to us—we've completed it." ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.

Chapter 237 - 237: Master

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