After finishing their business discussion, the two began chatting casually.
They spoke of the Ministry of Magic, Gringotts, and the formidable Dark Lord.
"Does His Excellency the Earl have an interest in the Dark Lord?" Lucius Malfoy asked curiously.
"Not particularly," Dantes replied. "It's just that, following his disappearance, many people were thrown into Azkaban. In fact, what interests me more is Azkaban itself."
"Azkaban?" Lucius raised an eyebrow.
"Yes—Azkaban. It's known as the place from which escape is utterly impossible. I find myself wondering—has truly no one ever escaped from Azkaban in all these years? Is it truly impregnable? Why do I find that so hard to believe?"
Lucius Malfoy suddenly looked quite pleased, as if Azkaban's fearsome reputation was his own achievement.
"Azkaban is indeed impregnable! You must understand—it is guarded by Dementors, dreadful creatures. Once you encounter them, you'll realize that no one can escape their vigilance. Even someone as powerful as Dumbledore—if his wand were confiscated—would be trapped within Azkaban's walls!"
Dak Dantes stroked his chin and pondered silently for a moment.
"What if," he said slowly, "someone used a prison visit as a way to swap out a prisoner? What do you think the chances of success would be?"
Malfoy shook his head calmly.
"Who would be willing to switch places with a death-row inmate and suffer that kind of torment in their stead?"
Dantes chuckled.
"What if the person was already dying—or was coerced and tempted?"
Malfoy gave it a moment's thought and then nodded.
"That's not impossible. But Azkaban is tightly controlled by the Ministry of Magic. It's not easy to bribe someone within the Ministry."
Dantes leaned back on the sofa, gently tapping the armrest with his index finger, his expression unreadable.
"What if the Minister—or a high-ranking official in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement—wanted to do it themselves? Take Dana Avery, recently admitted to Hogwarts, as an example. Didn't he replace the Death Eater Gai Avery?"
Dantes' voice lowered, thoughtful.
"When was Gai imprisoned? Oh—1987. At that time, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was Barty Crouch. Do you suppose this matter could be connected to Mr. Crouch?"
Lucius Malfoy showed a subtle, unreadable expression.
Dantes continued with a slight smile.
"Oh, Mr. Malfoy, forgive me. I'm simply a man who likes to get to the bottom of things. We wizards, I believe, should always walk the path of truth. At the moment, we're merely speculating, just discussing hypotheses. No one is going to report this to the Ministry, right?"
Malfoy nodded cautiously.
Dantes pressed further.
"If you would, then—based on your understanding of Azkaban and Mr. Crouch—could you speak to the possibility of Mr. Crouch being involved in the Dana Avery incident?"
Lucius pondered for a moment, then answered slowly.
"I don't believe it's very likely that Barty Crouch was behind it. Though he was transferred to the Department of International Magical Cooperation due to his son's imprisonment, he is a very upright and incorruptible man."
Dantes asked, a curious gleam in his eyes:
"Then who would be the most likely candidate to be involved? I must admit—I find this topic fascinating!"
Malfoy shook his head.
"I wouldn't dare to guess."
Dantes sighed dramatically.
"I hate unresolved mysteries. They drive people like me—who long for answers—absolutely mad!"
He stood up, clearly agitated, and began pacing around the room.
"My herb garden has been thriving lately. Mr. Malfoy, if you can help me solve this riddle, I'll sell you potion ingredients at a ten percent discount!"
Malfoy laughed.
"You're serious? All this, just to prove that Azkaban isn't as secure as it claims to be? That discount might cost you a fortune over time."
Dantes smiled.
"There's an old Eastern proverb: 'If one hears the Way in the morning, one may die in the evening without regret.' If I can uncover the truth, I won't fear death—let alone lose a few Galleons. Galleons are the last thing I lack."
Malfoy nodded.
"All right, you've defeated me."
He picked up the teacup from the coffee table. A rich aroma rose from it—clearly fine tea—but the floating leaves made him uncomfortable. He took a small sip, discreetly covered his mouth, and spat the leaves silently into his palm.
"In my opinion, it's most likely Cornelius Fudge."
"Why him? Wasn't he just the Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes at the time? He had no authority over the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
Malfoy, growing excited by the prospect of future gains, took another sip of tea.
"You mustn't tell anyone I said this—"
"Of course," Dantes replied, "You can trust in my discretion."
"Yes, yes. You're a noble man," Malfoy murmured.
"Cornelius Fudge is incredibly greedy. Neither Barty Crouch nor then-Minister Millicent Bagnold were easily bribed. But Fudge—he'd be the ideal target for someone seeking to buy influence at the Ministry."
Malfoy allowed himself a smug grin. He and Fudge had engaged in quite a bit of power-for-money dealing over the past two years.
"But his position...?"
Malfoy chuckled.
"At the time, Fudge was eager to curry favor with Dumbledore. Dumbledore even offered him some advice and confidential information. As far as I know, it was Dumbledore who first told Fudge that Barty Crouch's son was a Death Eater."
Dantes clapped his hands together.
"So Cornelius Fudge might have used the knowledge of Crouch's son to threaten him!"
Malfoy smiled faintly but said nothing more, as if he hadn't uttered a single word.
Dantes exclaimed with admiration:
"Azkaban is indeed the world's most secure prison—but even the strongest fortress can be brought down from the inside!"
Malfoy eagerly offered praise:
"Your Excellency the Earl is truly insightful!"
Dantes swayed gently as he raised his teacup again.
"It's just so hard to believe that a respected Minister for Magic could do something so underhanded. How could that possibly be true?"
Malfoy chuckled.
"I'm not inventing stories. After Dana Avery was released, Fudge issued a gag order. The Ministry has kept this matter very hush-hush. Officially, it was to protect the reputation of the previous Minister—but I believe Fudge simply had a guilty conscience."
Then he added a warning:
"Please, Your Excellency—forget everything I've just said. This is crucial to my safety. After all, Fudge is still the current Minister."
Dantes elegantly raised his teacup, gently pushing aside the floating leaves with the lid, and took a graceful sip.
"What were we just talking about again? Ah, my memory—why can't I recall a thing?"
That evening, back in his dormitory, Dana sat on his bed, deep in thought, unable to calm himself.
The chance of Lucius Malfoy being involved in the incident back then seemed extremely low. Dana didn't believe anyone could act so flawlessly under the intense pressure of his aura.
So, the list of suspects within the Ministry of Magic had now grown from just Barty Crouch to two people.
Cornelius Fudge?
That possibility seemed increasingly likely.
Dana shook his head in frustration. No matter who it was, he intended to bring down the corrupt Ministry entirely. Whoever was guilty—he would catch them all in one stroke.
But then again—wouldn't that be too easy on them?
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
At least today had yielded a breakthrough. Sooner or later, he would uncover the enemies hiding within the Ministry of Magic.
Knock, knock, knock!
A knock came at the door.
"Who is it?"
"Dana, it's us!" came a familiar voice.
Dana waved his hand, and the door swung open automatically.
Standing outside were Fred and George, their arms full of bags brimming with food.
"Dana, I knew you'd lose track of time reading again," Fred teased.
George handed him a warm plate.
"Look—we got the house-elf to prepare a feast! Your favorite: roasted chicken wings!"
Dana laughed.
"Thank you so much—I'm starving!"
Starving? Hardly. He had just enjoyed a grand banquet at the Castle!
After all, the Castle's head chef now was a Chinese wizard chef personally recruited by ewoyn —exquisite food, cooked just for him.
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