Edward and Audrey apparated into a small snow-covered grove, a few hundred meters away from Malfoy Manor.
As soon as they landed, a small tent appeared out of thin air, and Dumbledore stepped out, ducking his head.
Since they had no idea what kind of trick Lucius might be playing, they had, of course, come fully prepared for this dinner. Dumbledore had stayed here the entire time, ready to act at a moment's notice.
Over at Hogwarts, Fawkes the phoenix was standing guard, ready to apparate over in an instant should anything go awry—just in case the Death Eaters tried to sneak in while they were gone.
But after all that fuss, to end up with such a result...it was frankly quite unexpected.
"Do you think Lucius was telling the truth?"
Edward frowned slightly and added, "Even though everything—Legilimency, the Imperius Curse, even divination—all confirmed what Lucius said, I still feel like something about this…"
"...is abrupt," Dumbledore finished, his eyes sharp with focus.
"Yes! That's it—abrupt."
Edward clapped his hands in agreement. "Whether Lucius is trying to hedge his bets or break away from Voldemort, he had countless better options…"
"Exactly. You and Audrey are close to me, yes—but just how close, the outside world doesn't really know. And no offence, but you're still just students. Isn't he worried you might mess things up or accidentally leak something?"
At that moment, Susie suddenly spoke up. "What if...that person wanted you two to hear all that?"
"Hmm?"
Edward paused, puzzled. "Why would he?"
"I don't know."
She shook her head. "But just now, I noticed something about him—his fear, his anger, his shock...none of it seemed real. It felt like he was acting."
Lilith widened her eyes: How did Miss Lilith not see that just now?
Audrey looked at her wide-eyed. I was just about to say that! My own dog beat me to the punch!
"How did you notice that, Susie?" Lilith asked.
Susie hesitated. "Maybe...maybe it takes a spectator's perspective to see things others can't?"
Oh no, Susie, you don't need to make excuses. You're just a natural-born Saint of the Spectators!
No wonder Edward keeps calling you the "Dog Almighty" and whatnot!
I'm sorry—I've brought shame to the Humanity's Beyonders again.
In Dumbledore's blue eyes, a thoughtful gleam emerged.
"Now that I think about it, for Lucius to suddenly turn his back on Voldemort and pledge allegiance to me…Even though he gave several reasons, none of them really hold up under scrutiny."
"Because siding with Voldemort—even in the worst-case scenario where he's defeated in battle—you're just thrown into Azkaban. But Lucius has already claimed the Imperius defence once to get out. He'd definitely be counting on getting away again."
"But to betray Voldemort—that's a death sentence. I know Lucius. He's more afraid of dying than anyone."
Then, a note of surprise entered his voice.
"Unless Lucius believes that Voldemort can't kill him. Either he's overly confident in his strength—which we can rule out—or...he's found a new backer."
Edward blinked in disbelief. "But—no flattery intended, Professor—who in the wizarding world could possibly be a stronger backer than you or Voldemort?"
Dumbledore didn't respond with false humility. He simply nodded, glancing toward the distant silhouette of Malfoy Manor.
"So...what secret is Lucius really hiding?"
"…I'm going back to check right now!"
Edward made the decision instantly. He shoved Lilith into Audrey's arms and pulled out his Invisibility Cloak, draping it over himself.
"Be careful."
"Got it!"
The cloak's [Concealment] ability activated, and Edward vanished without a sound.
Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Alright, Audrey. Come inside now. It's far too cold out here."
"Okay, Professor."
——
Inside Malfoy Manor, house-elf Dobby was glumly cleaning the dining table. Looking at the barely touched food, he'd tried several times to smash his head on the table out of frustration—but didn't dare damage the furniture and risk angering his master.
Edward silently passed through the drawing room and reached Lucius's study. Inside, Lucius gripped his wand, his face dark, muttering angrily to himself. From the fragments Edward caught, it was clear Lucius was still fuming about the humiliation he'd suffered tonight—vowing to return it tenfold in the future.
He moved through the wall to the next room, where Narcissa was gently speaking to Draco.
"Don't worry, Draco. What happened just now was just a misunderstanding."
"But they were too much!" Draco said bitterly. "We invited them in good faith. Why would they treat Father like that?"
Narcissa stroked his hair. "Alright, this isn't something you should worry about. Go to bed now."
His mother's calm attitude made Draco uneasy. Ever since he was little, the Malfoy family had always been the ones doing the bullying—not the other way around. What happened tonight was something he simply couldn't wrap his head around.
"Is it because of Audrey's family background?" he whispered. "Is her background so powerful that we can't afford to offend her?"
"You don't understand, dear. What you need to do now is sleep."
She kissed his forehead gently, then turned and left the room—heading straight back to the study, where she resumed softly consoling her husband.
Everything…seemed normal.
So normal, it actually felt a little off to Edward.
For starters, when he made a full circuit of the manor, he realized something peculiar: despite the immense size of the estate, there wasn't a single servant—not one—besides the house-elf Dobby.
Which meant Dobby had to cook, clean, tidy rooms, and take care of countless chores all by himself.
Truly a ten-in-one, all-purpose house-elf.
Edward silently followed Dobby all the way to the kitchen. As soon as Dobby set down the dishes, he immediately turned and started banging his head against the wall.
"Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby! The food was so bad the master didn't eat a bite!"
"Useless Dobby! Awful Dobby! Shameful Dobby!"
He didn't stop until a lump began to form on his forehead. Sitting down beside the wall in a daze, Dobby suddenly pulled out the bronze Knut Edward had given him earlier and began examining it closely, muttering to himself, "That gentleman just now said thank you to Dobby…and even gave Dobby money. Truly, a…"
No one knew what he was reminded of, but suddenly—bang bang bang—he resumed slamming his head into the wall.
"Imperio."
Edward waved his wand and cast the Imperius Curse. Dobby immediately froze mid-motion, then slowly turned to him with a wide, vacant smile.
"Dobby, besides you and your masters, is there anyone else living in this manor?"
"No."
"Has anyone visited recently?"
"Yes," Dobby replied. "A few days ago, the master's friends came by and spoke with him in the study for a long time. But Dobby doesn't know what they talked about."
"What about other people?"
"There was also a man named Fudge. He was very mean and kicked Dobby once."
"Anyone else?"
Dobby shook his head. "No more."
"Do you know why your master isn't afraid of Voldemort's retaliation?"
A flicker of fear appeared on Dobby's face. "I don't know."
Edward thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you know if your master is afraid of Voldemort?"
Dobby hesitated, then nodded slowly. "It… seems like he's not."
So Lucius really did have some reason not to fear Voldemort's vengeance.
Edward continued asking questions around that topic, but unfortunately, Dobby didn't know anything else.
"Thank you, Dobby."
Dobby beamed. "This is what Dobby should do."
The next second, confusion flickered in Dobby's large eyes. He scratched his head. "Just now…what happened? It felt like someone was asking Dobby questions?" He looked around the kitchen. "But there's no one here. Dobby must've fallen asleep!"
He started banging his head again.
"Bad Dobby! Fell asleep while working! Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"
Edward circled the entire manor again, conducting several divinations along the way, but each one came up blank.
"…Should I try Madman to the Right?"
With that thought, he pulled out a divination crystal and concentrated. "Can I discover Lucius's true secret?"
The green crystal didn't move an inch—divination failed.
"Can I uncover the force backing Lucius?"
Still failed.
Tsk. No result at all. Can't even reverse it now.
He frowned and thought for a moment. "There is someone else in this manor besides myself, Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, and Dobby."
This time, the green crystal began slowly turning clockwise.
He quickly followed up: "Can I find the one who's hiding here?"
The green crystal suddenly reversed direction, spinning counterclockwise.
"Excellent! Activate Madman to the Right!"
In the next instant, the crystal resumed turning clockwise again—
(Green Crystal: Feeling very abused right now.)
Edward immediately started another round of searching around the manor. However, even after half an hour, he still found nothing.
"The Madman to the Right isn't working?"
That didn't make sense!
Uh…wait.
Didn't I just divine: Can I find the one who's hiding here?
Maybe...just maybe...I should've...added a time constraint?
In other words, I will find that person…but when is completely uncertain.
Dammit!
I'm going to cry from my own stupidity!
——
Back in the snowy grove, Edward had just taken off his Invisibility Cloak when Lilith dashed over. "Edward! You're back~!"
"Come inside, Edward," Audrey called, lifting the flap of the tent and waving from within.
From the outside, the little tent looked barely a meter square. But inside, it was much roomier—a cozy space where Dumbledore sat leaning against a fireplace, holding a newspaper and…reading it with Susie?
"Oh, I can hardly believe it. Just over a week ago, you didn't know a single word of English, and now you're nearly able to read the paper. Susie, you're smarter than most humans I know!"
Susie sat demurely beside him, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Oh, you're back, Edward. How did it go?"
"I can basically confirm that Lucius really has found himself a new backer. But as for who it is—no clues at all."
Dumbledore mulled it over for a moment. "In the short term, that may not be a bad thing. As for the long term…we can deal with it after the Death Eaters and goblins make their move."
He stood up and gave a yawn. "Alright, you've all worked hard tonight. Let's get some rest."
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he glanced over at Susie and added, "By the way, have you considered teaching Susie…" He paused, "and Lilith…magic?"
Both Edward and Audrey blinked. "Huh?"
"Cats and dogs who can use magic—doesn't that sound delightfully fun?"
Susie and Lilith's eyes lit up instantly, clearly eager to try.
"But…how would they even hold a wand?"
The two little ones immediately raised their paws and stared at them in confusion.
Dumbledore stroked his beard with a chuckle. "Leave it to me. I've always enjoyed a good challenge."
After a pause, he added, "Oh, right—Gellert contacted me. He said the things you asked his old subordinates to look for have all been delivered. You should go pick them up when you have time."
Only then did Edward remember that request. His heart stirred with anticipation.
The Zhu Xian Sword, huh?
If that thing turns out to be real, could it help me slay a Rank 8 Ancestor—ahem—I mean, stand a chance against the gods of that world?
———
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