Draco Malfoy stared, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, frozen in place as he watched what was happening—like he'd just witnessed the most unbelievable thing in the world.
Wait—what are you doing?!
Hey—!
That was Harry Potter. Not long ago, he'd just defeated Voldemort. How could you dare stop him?
After Harry defeated Voldemort, Draco had clenched his teeth, lowered his head, and chosen to submit—becoming one of Harry's "lenders."
After that, Harry didn't tell him what he needed to do. He simply gave him a miraculous lending system and told him that when the time came, he'd have Draco handle a few tasks.
Only then did Draco realize that Harry had quietly created something this incredible.
That's right—whether it was lending magic or the lending system itself, even in the wizarding world it was astonishingly rare.
Later, when Draco used the magic he'd borrowed from Harry to cast spells and discovered the power jumped dramatically, he practically bloomed with joy. He was even more convinced—more sincerely impressed—by Harry.
But one worry kept gnawing at him:
Would his father blame him for following Harry?
After all, the Malfoy family had always been Voldemort's loyal followers.
And now, with his father suddenly stepping in to block Harry, Draco wasn't only afraid his connection to Harry would be noticed—he was terrified Harry and Lucius would clash… and that it would turn violent.
Because Draco didn't believe his father could possibly be Harry's opponent, even if Lucius was decades older.
Damn it—what do I do?
Draco panicked.
The moment Lucius Malfoy stopped Harry, every pair of eyes turned toward him.
Behind Harry, Hermione and Ginny's eyes were openly hostile.
Hermione's was simple: she hated Malfoy, so of course she hated Malfoy's father.
As for Ginny—she'd grown up hearing the family stories. The Weasleys and the Malfoys had a long, bitter history, and their relationship had never been anything but oil and fire.
So even though she was young, Ginny instinctively felt disgust and wariness toward Lucius, her gaze sharp with suspicion.
Harry's reaction, however, was completely different.
Even with Lucius blocking his path, Harry didn't show the slightest anger. If anything, he looked curious—no disgust at all.
That calm composure made Lucius's heart tighten, his eyes trembling faintly.
Power could come from talent and make someone terrifyingly strong—but temperament and charisma were different things entirely.
The reason Lucius had once followed Voldemort was because he'd been drawn in by Voldemort's charisma.
And the reason he'd stopped Harry now was to confirm something.
When Draco returned home this time, Lucius suddenly realized Draco's spellwork had improved by a huge margin—so much that it didn't even lose to a third-year's.
Lucius knew his son's character well. Draco had decent talent, yes, but he was not the sort of prodigy his current performance suggested.
On top of that, during the time he'd been home, Draco kept bringing up the name Harry Potter.
Lucius immediately suspected Draco's sudden growth had something to do with that savior.
Unlike Draco, Lucius was more mature and knew more. He knew Voldemort wasn't dead—only hiding, and capable of returning at any moment.
So choosing a side right now mattered. It was life or death for the Malfoys.
Should the Malfoys follow Voldemort, or follow the savior?
At first, Lucius naturally leaned toward Voldemort—Voldemort's odds looked better.
Besides, the Malfoys and the Potters had been enemies for years. Becoming close to Harry Potter should've been nearly impossible.
But now it was different.
Harry had defeated Voldemort a second time.
And Draco's relationship with Harry seemed to be improving—so much so that Draco had effectively become Harry's subordinate, completely won over.
So for the Malfoy family's interests—and survival—Lucius needed to seize the chance to speak with Harry and see whether he was truly worth following.
Under everyone's tense, breath-held stares, Lucius showed not a shred of hostility.
Instead, to Draco's "I must be hallucinating" horror, Lucius straightened with elegant poise, dipped into a slight bow, and wore a warm smile Draco had never seen on his father's face.
"Hello, Harry. I'm Draco's father—Lucius Malfoy. It's an honor to meet you."
Draco looked like his jaw might hit the ground. Hermione and Ginny were just as stunned, staring as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
How could Lucius Malfoy be this gentle with Harry?
Weren't they enemies?
Facing Lucius's polite smile, Harry returned it. He shook Lucius's hand, and they shared an easy, cordial look.
"Hello. Harry Potter. I'm Malfoy's friend. Things may have been unpleasant at first when we were at school, but we've already made up."
Hermione: "???"
What?
Since when?!
Watching the one big and one not-so-big "adults" chat happily, smiling like old acquaintances, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco all felt a strange mix of emotions.
For the first time, they truly understood just how grimy the adult world could be.
After a round of friendly conversation, Harry and Lucius ended it with matching, knowingly polite smiles.
Lucius gave a small nod, warmth lingering in his eyes.
"Harry, if you ever have time, you must come by Malfoy Manor. Draco's mother, Narcissa, and I would be delighted to welcome you."
Harry's lips curled upward as he waved politely.
"If I get the chance, I'll pay a visit. Goodbye, Uncle Malfoy."
As they watched the Malfoy father and son vanish into the ink-thick darkness of Knockturn Alley, Hermione hesitated, then couldn't hold it back any longer.
"Harry, the Malfoys aren't good people. You can't trust them."
Ginny nodded so hard it looked like her neck might snap.
"Exactly! There isn't a single decent one in that family. Lucius used to be a Death Eater—he's done all kinds of evil. They're rotten!"
Harry neither argued nor agreed. He simply softened his voice and reassured them.
"Relax. I know what I'm doing. I won't trust them easily."
"Come on—we should hurry. It's getting dark. If we don't make it back to the Burrow before nightfall, Mrs. Weasley will be angry."
Ginny blinked like she'd just woken up. She glanced at the dimming sky and let out a cute little squeak.
"Ah! Let's go—fast! I really don't want Mom yelling at me!"
Harry chuckled and shook his head, leading Hermione and Ginny at a brisk pace toward the Leaky Cauldron.
Hermione and Ginny were right: the Malfoys weren't good people.
But since Voldemort had fallen and Lucius—an acknowledged Death Eater—still hadn't ended up in Azkaban, then even if he'd used money to grease a few palms, it also meant his crimes likely weren't the worst of the worst.
When it came time to reform the wizarding world, Harry would have to stand against the entire establishment. If he could buy the Malfoys with利益—simple self-interest—then he could cut down a lot of trouble.
In the adult world, interests and strength were what mattered.
Of course, Harry wouldn't say any of that to Hermione and Ginny. They were too young—better not to know.
Maybe by the time they were grown, the world would already look completely different.
The orange-red light of sunset fell like a thin veil over Harry, Hermione, and Ginny, outlining their young, lively silhouettes.
The three walked side by side toward the Leaky Cauldron. As their figures disappeared through the slightly shabby door, the last weak sunlight of the day finally faded away.
An old day, at last, was gone.
And a brand-new day was about to arrive.
…
Elsewhere, Draco kept sneaking glances at his father.
Just like Hermione and Ginny, he was still shaken by what he'd seen.
Because back at home, Lucius never bothered to hide his malice toward Harry—and he'd always insisted the Dark Lord was the true savior of pure-blood families.
So after Draco pledged himself to Harry and became one of Harry's lenders, he hadn't dared tell his father, afraid of being scolded into the ground.
But today, when they'd run into Harry by accident, the atmosphere between Lucius and Harry had been… absurdly harmonious.
To anyone who didn't know better, it looked like a warm conversation between an uncle and his nephew.
Lucius, of course, noticed his son's confusion. He smiled.
"What is it? You look troubled."
Draco finally couldn't hold it in.
"Father—weren't you far too nice to Harry? He isn't pure-blood. He's a half-blood wizard!"
"And aren't we supposed to favor the great Dark Lord?"
The moment he finished, Lucius's face turned serious. He lowered his gaze to Draco and spoke with heavy, deliberate patience.
"Draco, you need to understand: everything is about利益—benefit."
"When the Dark Lord can offer us enough value, we are his most loyal Death Eaters."
"And when Harry can offer us enough value, then we are the most righteous wizards."
"Even more than that—if 'pure-blood' can no longer bring us sufficient value, then we are not 'pure-blood wizards' at all. We are no different from any other wizard."
"Do you understand?"
Lucius's words left Draco completely stunned.
He'd always been proud of being pure-blood.
So to his father… even that could be discarded?
Draco fell silent, thinking. Slowly, he began to understand what his father meant.
But at that moment, Draco suddenly bumped into Lucius—because Lucius had stopped dead, staring forward.
Draco, curious, looked up the alley as well.
And his whole body went rigid.
Ahead in Knockturn Alley, as far as the eye could see, everything was drenched in a blinding red—blood everywhere.
Among the many corpses of wizards, a short figure stood there—about the height of a third- or fourth-year student—soaked head to toe, saturated in crimson.
Hearing the noise behind them, the figure turned and looked their way.
The instant Lucius met that gaze, his face changed drastically. He tried to flee.
But in the very next moment, the short figure broke apart into tiny motes of golden spirit-light…
…and slowly, quietly, faded away.
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