Harry nodded, squatting on the ground and throwing the scattered paper balls into the trash can one by one.
"Originally, I thought... you might not have a good life at your aunt and uncle's house, and I am the guardian designated by your parents... just in case anything happens to them... you know what I mean... I mean
…”
Sirius Black glanced at Harry and spoke vaguely.
"If you want a...different home...or even a temporary place to live for a change..."
He didn't have much confidence in this to begin with, but after arriving at the Dursley's house today and seeing the birthday dinner they prepared for Harry, Sirius' confidence dropped to a point that could no longer be described as pessimistic.
.
However, he didn't notice that following his voice, Harry's movements stopped instantly.
Change...a home? A different home?
Harry's heart began to swell.
"Well, of course, the Black family's old mansion is very old and much dirtier than here..."
Sirius Black touched his nose and said softly with a hoarse voice.
"But if you come to live here, I can probably help you pack up a few rooms that are slightly larger than here. Of course, if you want to live with your aunt and uncle, I can understand. I just think that I"
"Of course! How can I go to your place?"
Harry quickly replied without hesitation that no matter how the Dursleys changed, they still didn't like him.
Blake quickly turned around and looked at him, with an expression of unbelievable surprise on his face.
"Are you willing?" he asked, "Really? But..."
"Yes, I really want to!" Harry said, "To be honest, although Uncle Vernon has been nicer to me recently, they still don't like magic. As long as I am a wizard, they will worry about whether one day
When you wake up, you will turn into a scarab beetle.”
Blake finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a real smile broke out on his thin face for the first time.
"Tonight, if your aunt and uncle don't object, you can go back with me tonight."
"Don't be stupid, after tonight they are eager to take me to the train station tomorrow."
…
Meanwhile, England, Wiltshire.
Malfoy Manor, located at the exquisite wrought iron gate at the end of the garden.
"Malfoy, I know you must have a lot of prohibited dark magic items hidden in your home. You'd better tell me honestly, otherwise if I catch the evidence, you will have seen the fate of the Lestrange family..."
"Perhaps, wait until you get permission from the ministry to search. Weasley, Malfoy Manor is not your shabby house. Any decoration in it may be worth your hard work for a year. I don't trust you in it.
Feel free to touch it."
Lucius Malfoy stood at the door and said coldly.
In front of him, Arthur Weasley and William Perkins were writing and drawing in a small notebook.
As the Ministry of Magic confiscated the Lestrange family's vault some time ago and discovered a large number of high-risk dark magic props, Albus Dumbledore judged that most of them were prohibited items from the Voldemort era.
What's more important is that this inspection process brought benefits to the Ministry of Magic, which was strapped for funds and in an embarrassing position.
Therefore, in recent months, the Ministry of Magic has stepped up its inspection of prohibited items. Anyone found prohibited by the Misuse of Muggle Items Office or the Auror Office will be fined a certain amount.
The joint reforms of Hogwarts and Gringotts' Gold Galleons have stabilized the turbulent economic situation in the wizarding world on the one hand.
But on the other hand, the replacement of old and new currencies is undoubtedly a huge blow to the gray income that once existed in the entire magical world. The Ministry of Magic, which lacks a source of political gifts, has to find new income directions.
Lucius Malfoy could clearly feel that Cornelius Fudge's eyes were completely different every time he saw him. Compared with the respect he had gained with money in the past, he now had more respect.
"A bunch of greedy guys!"
In the living room of Malfoy Manor, Lucius swept his cane vigorously across the table.
The exquisite white ceramic tea set was swept to the ground, making a crisp sound, and the fragments were scattered all over the floor.
"Lucius, didn't you say before that Fudge promised not to disturb us? Clean it up."
Narcissa Malfoy, also known as Mrs. Malfoy, frowned and lightly snapped her fingers.
The next moment, a house elf with its fingers covered with bandages appeared in front of her, carefully cleaning up the ceramic shards on the ground, and its big round eyes secretly observed the angry master with the corner of his eye from time to time.
"Yes, Cornelius Fudge did promise that. After all, the name Malfoy still has a bit of prestige. But there are a lot of nosy people in the ministry, especially that sloppy idiot Arthur Weasley.
This time I came to Malfoy Manor to investigate the dark magic props, he must have been behind it."
Lucius Malfoy said bitterly, his face extremely gloomy.
"After a while, I will go to old Borgin to deal with the things. As for the diary given by the Dark Lord, of course I will also find a way to get rid of Dumbledore and Weasley as soon as possible. They have too many things in their hands.
But it offended a lot of people."
"That diary? What are you going to do... Honey, what's the matter?"
Narcissa Malfoy looked at her husband with some uneasiness, and was about to ask for some details when she suddenly stopped talking and turned to look at the corridor next to the living room. A gentle and doting expression suddenly appeared on her face.
"Draco?"
Lucius also turned his head instantly, followed his wife's gaze, and frowned slightly.
"Didn't I ask you to stay in your room for a while? Your mother and I still have some things to discuss."
"I want to go out, Dad. Well, to see a friend..."
"Go out?" Lucius narrowed his eyes, "Where to go?"
Draco Malfoy hesitated and whispered tentatively.
"The Harry family is the Harry Potter. You know, he is also a pure-blood..."
"Oh? That's the famous Harry Potter who never replies to your letters? What kind of friend would never reply to you even a single letter. Draco, I don't want to interfere too much in your social life, but you
You have to know that people are different.”
A trace of amusement flashed across Lucius Malfoy's face, and his voice was 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 keep in touch with him during the summer vacation. Today is his birthday, and I want to go
Ask clearly."
"No, don't even think about this."
Lucius Malfoy shook his head unmoved.
Draco obviously does not give up so easily. After a year of studying at Hogwarts, he is no longer the child who listened to his father in everything. Elena said that most of the precious things in this world are
You need to take the initiative to fight for all things, rather than passively waiting for others' permission or arrangements.
"Why? What if he gets into trouble? Besides..."
"There are many reasons, one of the simplest reasons is that he lives in a Muggle neighborhood. It is a joke for a Malfoy family member to visit friends in a neighborhood full of Muggles, even if he is Potter who survived.
, that’s not possible either.”
"But……"
"That's enough! There's nothing to discuss about this!"
Lucius Malfoy frowned, waved his hands vigorously, and said in a tone of voice that could not be criticized.
"Draco, now, go back to your room."
Facing his father's stern look, Draco Malfoy's courage that he finally mustered up quickly faded away, and his mother, who had always doted on him before, remained silent and showed no intention of speaking for him.
"But……"
"No! Go back!"
"All right……"
Draco Malfoy stood there stunned for a few seconds, then left the living room dejectedly.
Watching her son's figure disappear at the end of the corridor, and after a while, making sure that he was really not eavesdropping outside, Narcissa Malfoy turned her head to look at her husband, and whispered pointedly.
"Draco has changed a lot since he came back from school. You can't always treat him like a child."
"Hmph, he was influenced by that Muggle orphan named Elena! I don't want him to become a joke to the pure-blood family."
Lucius Malfoy snorted and shook his head, a trace of displeasure flashed across his face.
As one of the members of the Hogwarts board of directors, Lucius Malfoy is very aware of what happened at Hogwarts this year, but in his opinion, this is probably Albus Dumbledore's deliberate attempt to promote marrow wizards.
Just arranging a performance.
She is just a stupid little first-year witch who was born in a Muggle orphanage and has no father or mother.
Without the secret manipulation and arrangements of Hogwarts Principal Dumbledore, it would have been impossible to stir up so much trouble in the school, let alone affect the entire four houses. But any smart wizard can see this.
point.
Maybe Dumbledore can really cultivate a new successor in the future, but before the overt and covert struggle between Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic has fully unfolded, Lucius Malfoy does not intend to actively participate in this muddy water.
Among them. And the most important thing is that because he once joined the Death Eaters, he did not have much good impression in Dumbledore's eyes.
During this period of time, Arthur Weasley unscrupulously searched for Dark Demonic items, and afterwards he had no intention of settling old scores.
At this time, if the Malfoy family was the first to send out a signal of defection, for example, by asking their son to go to a Muggle-inhabited area to "visit friends," it is difficult to guarantee how other families who supported Voldemort behind the scenes would react.
The public trial of Peter Pettigrew at Hogwarts some time ago not only prompted the Ministry of Magic's search work these days, but more importantly, it conveyed a message that frightened Lucius and a group of former Death Eaters.
The signal indicates that the Dark Lord is probably not dead, but is hiding somewhere in the magical world, secretly accumulating strength and ready to make a comeback at any time.
Therefore, the enchanted notebook that the Dark Lord personally gave to the Malfoy family for safekeeping became particularly hot to handle.
Regarding the mysterious diary, the Dark Lord didn't explain much when he gave it to them for safekeeping.
The only thing Lucius Malfoy knew was that the mysterious magic of the Salazar Slytherin family had been cast on the diary. As long as it was sent to Hogwarts, the legendary Slytherin could be opened.
Letling's Chamber.
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, Draco's words just now provided an idea for what Lucius had been troubled about.
So today is Harry Potter’s birthday?
"Perhaps, we should indeed give Mr. Harry Potter a gift in Draco's name."
Lucius Malfoy tapped his fingers on the table thoughtfully.
"Narcissa, you said...if people find out that the 'Boy Who Lived' opened the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts to cleanse those Mudbloods with impure blood, what impact will it have on Dumbledore and the group he maintains?
Woolen cloth?"
Dobby, the house elf who was wiping the floor, trembled all over, and his big bat-like ears couldn't help but twitch.
Mr. Harry Potter...wait, what does this feel...?!
"Master, master, there is danger there, young master!"
At this moment, Dobby suddenly raised his head and looked at a location in Malfoy Manor with horrified eyes.
As a house elf, he felt the magical fluctuations coming from at least four or five of his kind.
…
at the same time.
Draco Malfoy's bedroom.
Five house elves stood beside Malfoy's bed, bowing respectfully. Their uniforms with the Hogwarts school emblem were shining in the sunlight coming in from the window. The leader was Burley, the house elf.
"Dear Mr. Malfoy, the chef has received your request. Are you ready?"
"Well, hurry up! Otherwise my dad might find out. I also have a house elf at home."
"Don't worry, there are five of us. In fact, the chef originally thought there would be a battle... Judging from the current situation, it is undoubtedly the best. So, let me confirm again, what is your destination?
"
Draco Malfoy clutched the unfinished letter on the table, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice.
"No. 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. No matter what, I must go and ask him personally!"
"As you wish. Hogwarts Chubby Chicken Express, we will be happy to serve you."
Burleigh, the house elf, bowed respectfully again and answered with great proficiency.
Then, it stretched out its left hand to hold Draco, raised its other hand and lightly snapped its fingers.
Snapped!
Another two-in-one chapter!
Elena, please show me your feelings, oh, oh, oh, oh~ (click me to show my feelings!)