Lys first visited the now-empty house to check on it. There were traces of animals having entered, but all the magical protections remained fully operational—no human had been there. Lys trembled as she tended the garden plants with her wand tip, then departed.
Cautiously finding her hidden refuge, Lys couldn't resist first glancing at the surrounding bird nests.
Good—Cerebold was still obedient.
After a moment, she entered the house with relief.
When Lys finally sat on the sofa clutching her potion bottle, she exhaled deeply.
She asked Fri why he wanted to attend Hogwarts.
After learning that Freedom's "withdrawal" from Durmstrang was actually expulsion, Lys's mind felt waterlogged, packed to bursting.
She couldn't understand why everything was converging now.
But after learning the reason, Lys sighed again.
It wasn't that problems were piling up—current events had detonated previously concealed prejudices and hidden dangers.
When she'd first arrived in Germany, though nobody had seen the Dark Mark on Lys's arm, everyone tacitly understood her identity.
Previously, children from several families had ganged up against Fri, but he'd managed well enough since Lys and everything she represented were still intact then.
Now they privately mocked that his sister had gone to Britain as some madman's lapdog, which explained why she hadn't returned to Durmstrang to continue teaching.
They ridiculed how the Rahm family had even lost their own business to outsiders.
Discovering Fri's repeated concessions, they escalated to increasingly vile methods and magic.
If Fri didn't want permanent consequences, he had to retaliate.
He'd promised Lys he'd protect himself.
The accumulated curse damage exploded across those students.
Strange magical fluctuations and Dark Magic residue would remain permanently on the ringleader—he might lose his wizard status entirely.
The others weren't faring much better either.
The consequences were too severe.
The former deputy headmaster, now headmaster, couldn't protect Freedom.
That the injured heirs' families weren't pursuing Fri was already the result of Karkaroff's mediation.
But Freedom was currently experiencing rapid magical development.
Without guidance, his magical future would be bleak. He didn't even possess Lys's enormous magical reserves.
He told Lys he wanted to attend Hogwarts.
Lys's first instinct was sending him to Ilvermorny or Beauxbatons, but language posed major obstacles.
Due to his upbringing, Fri's linguistic system remained chaotic—when casting spells, some incantations emerged in English while their counters required German...
She studied Fri before her, repeatedly checking her pocket watch. "Fri, are you certain?"
"Sis, I'm not sure. I don't know if I can protect myself properly, whether I'll be unable to help you."
"I received Draco's letters, Lulu's letters, but none from you. I miss you terribly, Sis."
"Yet I've still caused you such enormous trouble."
Fri licked his lips, gazing up at Lys. He'd grown rapidly this year but remained much shorter than his sister.
Lys glanced at Senna, who stood with arms crossed irritably, and Noah, who appeared hesitant. "Do you consent?"
Senna pursed her lips: "I... perhaps not. Can you handle it?" The little madwoman's burden needn't be so great—she herself had never attended school yet passed several N.E.W.T. exams...
Noah looked at Lys and shook his head almost imperceptibly.
He didn't know Lys's current circumstances, but understood Fri's presence would become an inescapable vulnerability for this child.
Lys drew a breath, checking her watch again. Something made her feel anxious.
"I'll return again soon. You know my situation—I worry Fri will suffer because of me. Consider it further."
The next instant, Lys clutched her left arm, face draining white.
Her worst fear realized... the Dark Lord was summoning!
She wouldn't arrive in time!
The three behind her watched Lys depart frantically, expressions showing helplessness, powerlessness, or sorrow.
Fri turned and lifted a thick tome, sighing. Its title read clearly: "Magic to Help Control Your Temper."
Occlumency and bizarre suggestions flickered again into Fri's view.
Having contributed nothing to this family, he'd only added more risk...
Fri glanced at the potion bottles on the table and shot upright.
Sis had forgotten her medicine!!
Senna, aware of this, looked deeply displeased. The little madwoman's first action upon entering had been reaching for her medicine chest and draining half a bottle of Stabilizing Draught—she'd appeared in terrible condition.
The remaining half-bottle had been carelessly stuffed into her satchel, while these potions retrieved from elsewhere were forgotten on the table after their conversation...
Fri tried pursuing her, but Lys had vanished too quickly—he caught not even a shadow.
Meanwhile, Lys used her utmost speed returning to Britain. When she materialized behind Lucius, her chaotic magic and labored breathing made Lucius frown.
"My lord approaches. Tonight is crucial." Lys nodded acknowledgment, then attempted retreating aside but Lucius pulled her back.
She heard Lucius grind out through clenched teeth: "Follow me."
Lys wanted to grind back "I don't want to," but seeing Lucius's slightly agitated expression, she merely stepped back two paces without moving to the crowd's rear.
Just as Lucius attempted explaining something to Bellatrix, the Dark Lord's voice emerged from the crowd's back—
"Remove your mask, my dear Lucius. Soon, yes, I believe very soon, I shall lead you to proclaim loudly once more—we have returned!"
"Go, retrieve what the Dark Lord requires, and I shall bestow unimaginable rewards..."
Lys kept her head lowered, watching the Dark Lord's robes flutter cheerfully past, listening to his distant low laughter as she continued following Lucius, asking what they were to do now.
Lucius instead questioned why Lys had arrived so late. "My lord values tonight's operation immensely. Should it fail—did you see my face?"
Lys looked puzzled. What about his face?
"Didn't... didn't drink Polyjuice Potion?"
"Tomorrow it'll be on wanted posters!"
Lys licked her lips. The mania suppressed by Soul-Stabilizing Draught showed signs of resurging.
An operation important enough for the Dark Lord to threaten abandoning Malfoy family connections to ensure Lucius wouldn't waver?
"That prophecy orb can only be retrieved by someone connected to it, according to magical law. It concerns the Dark Lord and Potter. Tonight's mission: guard the prophecy orb, and when Potter grasps it, we seize it."
Lys nodded, asking: "Why doesn't the Dark Lord retrieve it himself? Haven't we already secured entry? And isn't Hogwarts still in session?"
Lucius ignored Lys. He wondered too, but dared he ask?!
Reaching their destination through passages left by the previously Imperius-controlled employee, he led those who'd concealed their appearances through the door Lys recognized.
Lys shrugged, licked her lips again, and followed.
She had to keep pace—this wretched Department of Mysteries had acquired some function in recent years where doors spun randomly upon opening and closing, making it impossible to identify which door you'd entered or exited. Worse still, there were countless doors here.
Simultaneously, she covered her face, realizing the Dark Lord had named only Lucius—not everyone. Even MacNair had masked himself.
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