New chapter! Thanks for all the support!
x
After entering the room, Dudley did not stand on ceremony. He found a seat and sat down by himself.
Creak.
The sturdy solid-wood chair let out a series of groans and visibly warped.
At any other time, Lucius would have felt heartache over it. Now, however, he could not care about the chair. His gaze remained fixed on Dudley, unblinking, as though afraid he would miss even the smallest change in the boy's expression.
"What do you mean?"
"I think you should know better than I do."
Dudley shrugged, adjusted into a comfortable posture, and looked at Lucius with amusement.
"That man is not dead."
Lucius's heart trembled, but his mouth said, "I do not understand what you are talking about."
Dudley softly spoke the name.
Lucius's face went pale, but he continued arguing. "He is dead."
Voldemort being dead was the best outcome.
That was the common thought of Lucius and the former Death Eaters who had immediately changed sides after Voldemort's fall.
After all, no one liked traitors.
Not even their former employer.
"Do you truly believe that?" Dudley looked at Lucius mockingly. "Do not lie to yourself, Mr. Lucius."
"He summoned his most loyal and trustworthy follower. That follower found him. It will not be long before he returns."
"Perhaps a year. Perhaps immediately."
"Mr. Lucius, you were not summoned. That means he no longer trusts you."
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Lucius denied it aloud, but the strange feeling from the mark on his left arm forced his heart to believe.
It was true.
Thinking of the consequences of losing that man's trust, Lucius panicked completely and looked at Dudley in fear.
"Even if it is true, how could you know this? Unless you..."
'Are you also a Death Eater?'
Before the words could leave his mouth, Dudley's sneer cut him off.
"Use your head properly and you will know that is impossible."
"He and I are mortal enemies. There is no doubt about that."
If Dudley were a Death Eater, Harry would not have survived this long.
Lucius had only been frightened senseless by the sudden news. Once he calmed down, he knew that was impossible.
If that was not the case, then it meant someone near the Dark Lord belonged to Dudley.
Did that mean Potter, the boy who had defeated the Dark Lord, was truly a powerful Dark wizard?
Or was it Dursley?
"Mr. Lucius, let me show you something."
Dudley ignored his wild thoughts and took out a bucket filled with an unknown black liquid. It gave off an unpleasant, sharp smell.
"Do you know what this is?"
Dudley pointed at the bucket. Lucius leaned closer, took one look, and nearly fainted from the stench.
"It seems you cannot recognize it anymore."
"This is the diary you put into Ginny's cauldron. Do you know what it was?"
Lucius frowned.
Was it not simply a special Dark object?
"Do you know what a Horcrux is?"
Dudley did not answer directly and asked another question.
'Horcrux?'
Lucius shook his head.
Although he was a Dark wizard, his knowledge of advanced Dark Magic was not especially deep. Compared with studying magic, he was more interested in money and power.
"Through an evil ritual, part of the soul is split off and placed into an object. Do you know what that means?"
"It means that as long as the Horcrux remains intact, even if the body is destroyed, the person will not die. Given time, he can return."
As Dudley spoke, Lucius's gray eyes widened with growing terror.
He seemed to understand why that man had not died.
And he...
"Yes. You guessed correctly. A Horcrux. Your mistake destroyed his Horcrux. Do you think he will forgive you?"
At that moment, Lucius went cold from head to toe. His face turned as pale as paper, and his legs weakened. He collapsed to the floor.
If it had only been changing sides after Voldemort's fall, Lucius still had confidence that he could use his eloquence and pay a price to get through safely.
But if he had touched the key tool for that man's resurrection...
As one of Voldemort's earliest supporters, Lucius knew very well how that man behaved.
In truth, his reaction was already good. A certain school headmaster had wet himself after hearing that man had returned.
No one was unafraid of a madman.
Especially a madman who loved killing.
"Even if he does not kill you outright with Avada Kedavra, guess how he will treat you and your family when he no longer trusts you."
"You, your wife, and Draco will all be marked by him. The Malfoy family will never be able to rise again."
Lucius might not be a good person or a good wizard.
But at least he was a good husband and father.
"You have to help us. You have to help Draco!"
Lucius grabbed Dudley's trouser leg and pleaded.
"Even if you did not say it, I would. Draco is my friend."
The next day, Lucius hurriedly left the manor with his wife. The reason given was that some Malfoy family business needed attention. Malfoy Manor was left entirely in Draco's hands.
"Brother D, I had a strange dream last night."
That morning, Harry woke up and came out of his room yawning, repeatedly rubbing the scar on his forehead.
Dudley's heart moved. "What did you dream?"
Harry thought back. His expression was not pleasant.
"A huge snake, Peter Pettigrew, and a goblin with Voldemort's face."
"Wrinkled and noseless. Absolutely ugly."
Harry looked disgusted, as though he had remembered something revolting. Even the boiled egg at breakfast became less appetizing.
Dudley nodded to show he understood. Then, at the dining table, he said to the others:
"Starting today, we will learn a very useful magical skill."
"Occlumency."
"Everyone should try to master it during the holiday."
It was another advanced magical technique. The others were all eager to try.
Life at Malfoy Manor was extremely comfortable.
They ate well, slept well, and played well.
They stayed for nearly a month.
During that time, perhaps because Harry and Neville had both entered their growth phase, or perhaps because the food at Malfoy Manor was especially good, their height and weight rose quickly. Compared with Dudley, their builds were still minor, but muscle had begun to appear. They were faintly showing signs of moving in his direction.
Incidentally, even Ron seemed to have shot up.
Only Draco remained the same as before. No matter how much he ate, he did not grow.
Draco repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with his body.
"I was clearly first."
That shout of grievance was enough to make anyone who heard it feel sympathy.
But height was not something one could grow just because one wanted to.
"Brother D, help me."
Draco looked pitifully at Dudley, like an abandoned puppy. Hermione's eyelids twitched when she saw it.
From then on, Draco had to drink a potion three times more bitter than undiluted wormwood before bed every day.
x
x
x
If you're enjoying the story so far, consider supporting me on Patreon ❤️
You'll get weekly early access to chapters, along with some exclusive content:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheDevotedReader