Standing in the empty prison corridor, Draco felt gusts of cold wind blowing around him, as if countless restless souls were sobbing and wailing in the dark.
He could even imagine how, just a few months ago, this place had still been packed with prisoners transferred here after the Dementors rebelled and Azkaban fell.
But after Link pushed through the Ministry of Magic reforms, every prisoner here had been executed overnight.
That was how it had become so clean and empty now.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
Rhythmic footsteps suddenly echoed out from the darkness ahead.
The abrupt sound made Draco, whose nerves were already stretched to the limit, grab Narcissa in terror, nearly screaming on the spot.
"Oh, don't panic! That's the prison guard!"
Mario shouted into the darkness, "Old Rick, you scared our guests!"
"If I were you, I wouldn't bring outsiders down here. This isn't a place just anyone should visit."
A white-haired old man with a limp slowly emerged from the darkness. As he spoke, his eyes swept over Snape, Draco, and the others.
"Come on now, Old Rick, I'm doing this for your sake," Mario said with a grin.
"They're here to pick up that Malfoy fellow. Hand him over, and your prisoner count drops to zero. Then you can finally rest for a while and wait comfortably for Azkaban to be rebuilt, right?"
"You're rebuilding Azkaban?" Draco stammered. "But... but the Dementors are all already..."
"The young master said we can't just keep killing forever. Once things stabilize, we'll eventually need a prison like Azkaban again, something independent from the Ministry. It solves a lot of problems. Besides, Dementors aren't absolutely necessary. We already have..."
Before Mario could finish, Old Rick interrupted him.
"Shut up, Mario! You're talking too much!"
"What's the big deal?" Mario said dismissively, pointing at Snape. "See him? That's the young master's professor. He's one of us!"
"Heh."
Old Rick sneered coldly.
"I don't feel like wasting words with you people. Lucius Malfoy, was it? Hehehehe."
With that, Old Rick turned and limped back into the darkness.
Under Mario's lead, Snape and the others followed after him.
The group walked through the empty prison corridors for nearly fifteen minutes before finally stopping in front of a cell deep underground.
Compared to the other cells outside, this one was far more sealed off. Most of it seemed buried within the rock wall itself, with only a single iron door with a small window standing before them.
Through the narrow barred window, they could vaguely make out the interior.
Surprisingly, it was also incredibly clean. There were practically no signs of human habitation at all, nor was there any trace of Lucius.
Just as everyone was starting to wonder, Old Rick set the torch in his hand onto a nearby bracket and unlocked the iron door before walking inside.
He kicked at something on the floor, and a moment later, miserable screams rang out from within the cell.
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I'll tell you anything! I'll tell you anything! I still have intelligence I haven't confessed yet! If you kill me, Lord Link Flamel will kill you instead... don't kill me!"
Amid the shrill cries, a gaunt figure suddenly emerged from underground.
This was not an exaggeration.
It was the literal truth.
Because there really was a pit in the cell floor, about half a meter deep, and that figure had been hiding inside it the entire time.
Tears streamed down Narcissa's face.
Even though the voice sounded strange and warped, she still recognized it.
That was her husband.
"Lucius! Stop this and come out!"
Even Snape frowned as he spoke.
His voice was not particularly loud, but inside the cramped cell, it sounded almost thunderous.
Lucius let out a shriek and frantically looked around for Snape.
Then, the moment he saw Snape, Narcissa, and Draco all standing at the cell entrance, he sprang out of the pit like a released spring, crawling toward Snape on all fours. His skeletal hands clamped tightly around Snape's leg as he burst into pitiful sobs.
"You actually came! Severus! You really came to save me? They told me... they told me you begged the honorable Lord Link Flamel for mercy on my behalf. I didn't dare believe it, but it turned out to be true after all! Wuwuwu!"
Snape reached down to help him up, but Lucius seemed incapable of sensing anything around him now. His grip tightened painfully around Snape's leg.
"Heh, if I were you, I'd just let him hold on," Old Rick sneered. "He's in a state of overwhelming ecstasy right now. If you force him apart immediately, he might just die on the spot instead."
Snape's movement froze.
He stopped trying to pry Lucius off him and instead raised his wand, illuminating it with Lumos as he began examining Lucius.
And only after checking him did Snape finally realize that the once impeccably groomed Lucius now had platinum blond hair that had completely turned deathly white, dry and brittle like straw. His body was covered in bruises, his clothes in tatters.
But the worst condition by far was his hands.
Those pampered hands, once so smooth they did not even have a single callus, now had fingers whose tips were stripped down to exposed bone.
The moment Narcissa and Draco saw that, they completely lost control. They rushed forward and threw themselves around Lucius, crying miserably.
Meanwhile, Snape turned toward Old Rick with a cold expression.
"You can't blame me for that," Old Rick said indifferently, spitting on the ground. "Most of those injuries were self-inflicted. Especially the hands. He wore them down digging that pit himself."
'What complete bullshit!'
Snape cursed inwardly.
But he also knew there was no benefit in arguing with a prison guard right now. He could only suppress his anger and say politely,
"In any case, surviving and getting out alive is already fortunate enough. Naturally, we won't blame you."
"Hypocrite."
Old Rick muttered, then pulled out a scroll of parchment and began reading solemnly, "We now announce the final judgment for Lucius Malfoy!"
"Lucius Malfoy, male, born 1954, guilty of endangering public safety through dangerous means and causing severe consequences."
"Originally sentenced to death, with immediate execution."
"However, after investigation by the Auror Office of the British Ministry of Magic, it has been determined that prisoner Lucius Malfoy demonstrated genuine remorse during imprisonment and rendered major meritorious service, meeting the conditions for sentence reduction."
"This application has now been jointly approved by Barty Crouch, current Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and current Ministry Council Member Link Flamel."
"The sentence is hereby changed to death with a ten-year reprieve, and permanent deprivation of political rights!"
Snap!
The parchment scroll was shut heavily.
Old Rick said expressionlessly, "Now get the hell out."
With that, he limped deeper into the darkness of the prison.
Draco and Narcissa both looked completely bewildered. They clearly had not understood what the sentence actually meant, so they instinctively turned toward Mario.
Unfortunately, Mario obviously did not understand much about it either and could only helplessly shake his head.
In the end, Snape sighed and explained, "A ten-year suspended death sentence combined with permanent deprivation of political rights means that for the rest of his life, Lucius will basically have to live in Britain like a rat."
"He won't be able to do anything anymore, nor will he be able to influence Britain in any way. And if he dares make even the slightest mistake again, the only thing waiting for him will be death."
"So..." Narcissa said nervously, "as long as he doesn't commit any more crimes, he won't die?"
Snape nodded.
Only then did Narcissa finally let out a sigh of relief.
To her, simply being able to continue living peacefully together as a family was already more than enough.
As for everything else, she no longer dared hope for it.
After resting briefly, the group began heading back out.
Throughout the journey, Lucius still seemed mentally unstable.
It was as though he had forgotten Narcissa and Draco existed. His entire world revolved only around Snape.
Every step Snape took, Lucius followed closely behind. Whenever he encountered Ministry personnel, he immediately hid behind Snape.
It was obvious his courage had long since been shattered.
Only after Mario escorted them out of the Ministry and back to Malfoy Manor, and after Snape gave Lucius some preliminary treatment, did the familiar surroundings finally allow Lucius to regain his senses.
And what followed was another round of even more miserable sobbing.
Watching the Malfoy family embracing each other and crying together, Snape drew in a deep breath.
Lucius's injuries were far more severe than he had expected.
Even with potions and healing magic, permanent damage had still been left behind.
Snape's initial estimate was that even Lucius's lifespan had probably been affected.
That left an unpleasant bitterness in his chest.
"Severus, thank you so much!" Lucius suddenly broke free from the embrace of his wife and son and looked at Snape with reddened eyes.
"If you hadn't persuaded the honorable Lord Link Flamel, I definitely would have died this time! I'm willing to..."
Snape raised a hand, cutting him off. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Lucius, there may still be hidden injuries on your body that I failed to detect."
"So tell me where these injuries came from. How exactly did they torture you? It will help me discover any remaining damage."
The moment those words were spoken, the tears Narcissa and Draco had only just managed to stop began flowing again.
Their eyes fell onto Lucius's bandaged hands. In their minds, Lucius must have suffered unimaginably horrific torture.
Lucius himself seemed to recall something utterly terrifying. His whole body trembled in a daze.
"That truly was... truly was horrific torture!" Lucius said shakily. "They... they wouldn't let me sleep!"
Narcissa, '?'
Draco, '?'
"You're saying the torture they used on you was simply not letting you sleep?"
Snape shook his head in disbelief.
Draco, meanwhile, became even more agitated. He rushed forward, supporting Lucius as he said, "Father, you don't need to be afraid anymore. This place is safe. They can't hurt you here. You can tell us the truth!"
"But I am telling the truth."
"But this... this makes no sense at all! You're covered in injuries!"
"You mean these injuries? I caused all of these myself."
"How is that possible?"
"There's nothing impossible about it. This is sleep deprivation," Snape said calmly.
"I remember now. The Dark Lord used similar punishments in the past on certain important prisoners. The method involves using constant bright lights, noise, ice water, and similar tactics to prevent the prisoner from sleeping."
"Usually, by the third day, the victim's mind collapses."
"Lucius, if I'm not mistaken, that was also when they started feeding you Veritaserum or directly using Legilimency on you, wasn't it?"
By now Lucius had curled into himself, trembling nonstop.
When he heard Snape call his name, he only nodded frantically.
"...Sigh."
Snape sighed.
"Then it makes sense. Sleep deprivation, mental collapse, combined with Legilimency and Veritaserum... that kind of psychological torment directly drives people toward self-harm as a form of relief."
"Listen, Lucius. Your condition isn't suitable for going outside anymore."
"Stay quietly in Malfoy Manor and recover."
"The damage done to your mind can only gradually heal this way."
Hearing that, Narcissa let out a sigh of relief and nodded decisively.
She also did not want Lucius going outside anymore. Snape's suggestion matched her wishes perfectly.
But Draco suddenly gathered his courage and said, "Then shouldn't we leave Britain immediately? After all, Britain is Link Flamel's territory. As long as he's here, we'll never be able to..."
"Shut up, Draco!"
Narcissa's furious shout cut him off.
"Have you forgotten that your father is forbidden from leaving Britain? Are you trying to get your father killed?"
Draco looked utterly wronged and protested unwillingly,
"But... but Link Flamel might still retaliate against us."
"Who do you think Link Flamel is? Do you think he'd stoop to releasing your father only to take revenge afterward? Besides, your father was released because Professor Snape pleaded for him."
"With Professor Snape here, how could Lord Link Flamel possibly do something like that? Saying such things is an insult to Professor Snape's trustworthiness!"
Narcissa spoke with a twisted expression.
But Snape noticed that although she was speaking to Draco, her gaze kept drifting toward him.
He gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
Narcissa was forcing him into a position with her words.
If Link really did retaliate against the Malfoys later, then it would become Snape betraying the Malfoy family's trust.
Narcissa truly was an intelligent woman.
At that moment, Lucius, who had been curled up silently in the corner, suddenly stood up.
At a speed ordinary people could hardly comprehend, he rushed in front of Draco and slammed a punch straight into his face.
"How dare you... how dare you directly speak the honorable Lord Link Flamel's name? You have to use honorifics, understand? You have to use honorifics..." Lucius muttered endlessly, his face overflowing with madness.