Narcissa didn't respond, as if she hadn't heard anything.
Just then, a joyful shout came from not far away:
"Lucius! Long time no see, when did you arrive?"
The two paused slightly in their steps away from the school and turned their heads to see a group of Ministry of Magic officials, accompanied by Professor McGonagall, emerging from the castle.
Lucius Malfoy adjusted his expression and walked over.
"I just spoke with Dumbledore about some school matters," he said.
The man laughed heartily, "No wonder the Headmaster suddenly left earlier... You really should have come sooner, Lucius! Look at that amazing mirror!"
Lucius Malfoy: ...
Thanks for the invitation, but I've already seen it. The picture was too clear, and the experience was terrible.
But of course, others couldn't understand his current feelings.
Another person immediately raised their voice and said, "Marchioni! You greedy fox! When are you going to start selling the Streaming Mirror?"
Marchioni maintained his smile and said, "Please wait a little longer; our mirrors still need to go through several rounds of testing... But I can guarantee that once the new product meets the qualified standards, I will personally deliver one to each of you as soon as possible."
"Remember your words!" another person said. "I must be among the first to buy one!"
"Of course, of course."
Marchioni made repeated assurances, and Lucius, unlike his usual self who would have used the opportunity to socialize with the officials, remained silent and left with the group.
Narcissa walked at the edge of the group, almost as if she were invisible, watching Marchioni, who was surrounded by everyone and whose face seemed to glow.
This is the merchant who has been collaborating with Wade Grey.
The Book of Friends, produced by his magic workshop, has already sold worldwide...
Magic Pet and the Softlight Necklace are also very popular, bringing him immeasurable wealth.
But they can't compare to an invention like the Book of Friends, which directly changed people's daily habits.
And all of this was brought to him by Wade Grey...
Now there's also the Streaming Mirror.
Suddenly, Narcissa felt a gaze. She turned her head and met Professor McGonagall's eyes.
She had also been a student at Hogwarts before, studying Transfiguration under Professor McGonagall for seven years.
Even when the Mysterious One's influence became increasingly rampant, the school felt like a paradise.
But after graduation, they were naturally on opposing sides.
A moment later, both calmly looked away, as if this brief eye contact was just a coincidence.
Once they were outside the range of the Castle Protection Spells, everyone Apparated away.
Lucius was about to do the same when he suddenly remembered something. His expression twisted, and he finally said to his wife, "You go home first. I need to go to Gringotts."
"Gringotts?" Narcissa nodded. "The compensation for the Crabbe family should indeed be sent earlier."
"Not just that," Lucius said. "Also the 6,000 Galleons for Wade Grey—I bought that set of mirrors he had."
Narcissa paused, then realized and agreed, "You're very thoughtful... That footage can't get out."
"That's what I thought too," Lucius said. "For Draco's future reputation, even 6,000 Galleons is worth it."
The two Apparated separately.
Lucius Malfoy arrived at Gringotts, found the Goblin he usually dealt with, and signed to transfer the two sums of money.
After coming out, he felt dejected and went to a pub for a couple of drinks to slightly relieve his negative emotions before returning to Malfoy Manor.
By then, the sky was already turning a deep twilight blue.
The exquisite garden surrounded the castle, and a white peacock pacing by the fountain saw its master, ruffled its tail, and slowly fanned its display.
Lucius walked past it. As soon as he entered, two House-elves greeted him, carefully putting away Lucius's hat, cane, coat, and other items.
By the wall was a battered House-elf, wrapped in layers of bandages, timidly huddled in the corner, standing on tiptoes to polish a gilded mirror.
Upon seeing Lucius, the House-elf seemed a bit scared, but after a moment of hesitation, it ran over to pour tea for its master.
Lucius saw that its ears looked as if they had just been scalded and knew it had punished itself again. He immediately frowned and asked coldly, "Dobby, what have you done now?"
The other two House-elves immediately lowered their heads and quickly disappeared with the coat and other items.
Dobby trembled, bowing its head and whispering, "Dobby... Dobby accidentally spilled candle wax on the carpet... But Dobby has cleaned it up."
But Lucius had no patience for its explanation—he had been holding in a belly full of anger all day with nowhere to vent it.
He raised a hand, and the whip on the wall flew nimbly into his grasp.
Lucius cracked it once, then swung it with force—
*CRACK!*
Along with the sound of the whip, the House-elf's screams also reached upstairs. Narcissa put down her newspaper, shaking her head with a sigh of resignation.
As a House-elf, Dobby was undoubtedly capable, even more so than the other elves in the house.
However, he always had strange ideas rattling around in his head, making him quite disobedient. He even told the other elves stories about the Savior, Harry Potter, and spoke of his yearning for freedom.
Narcissa had never encountered such an odd House-elf before.
Even Kreacher, in her former home, despite despising Sirius, never yearned for "freedom."
Fortunately, the other elves hadn't been corrupted by Dobby's peculiarities. They promptly reported Dobby's rebellious remarks to their master, stating—
"This elf is broken, he is a disgrace among House-elves! Please cast him out, Master!"
Such a capable servant wouldn't simply be cast out.
But from then on, Dobby was beaten more frequently. After being injured, he would occasionally make mistakes, and then punish himself with cruel methods.
In the Malfoys' eyes, Dobby was simply asking for trouble.
Seeing the House-elf tidying up her room also trembling, Narcissa comforted him, "Don't worry, you haven't done anything wrong. Lucius won't hit you."
The House-elf immediately replied happily, "You are too kind, Master! Dobby is a bad elf, he deserves to be beaten into sense!"
He offered his mistress a grateful and joyful smile.
Downstairs, after an unknown amount of time, Lucius finally tired of the beating and felt his pocket was a bit heavy today.
He pulled out a box for a Streaming Mirror he had bought from Wade—he had completely forgotten about it.
Lucius naturally had no interest in rewatching the video of his son foolishly causing him to lose 26,000 Galleons.
He carelessly tossed it to Dobby like trash, instructing,
"Put this away! Put it somewhere I'll never see it again!"
Dobby caught the box, cradled it, and was about to head to the basement when an incredulous expression spread across his face.
Some invisible shackles seemed to have suddenly been released.
Lucius, next to him, didn't notice his servant's abnormality. He expressionlessly ordered dinner, then returned to his study for a temporary rest.
Only then did Dobby tremble, slowly opening the box.
Inside were two palm-sized mirrors, stacked together.
Dobby felt something was off and extended a long, thin finger to pry at the bottom of the mirrors.
The dark black velvet cloth was pulled away, revealing what was hidden beneath.
A pale yellow baby sock.
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