Chapter 130: Not Knowing How to Be Happy
Draco slowly walked out from the staircase, followed by the astonished Malfoy couple.
"My apologies," Gines said awkwardly, "I was rude."
"It's alright, our family's table is quite sturdy," Lucius smiled indifferently and said calmly, "Is there something Mr. Ginesneeds to come here in person for?"
Draco had already spoken to them after Aaron left, explaining the whole situation and Aaron's upcoming arrangements.
The Malfoy couple immediately decided to cooperate with their son and play their part well, hoping to build a good relationship with the Gaius heir.
What surprised Draco, however, was that his parents didn't show much aversion to Aaron choosing the Weasley family as his second refuge; instead, they somewhat admired his foresight.
"Originally, there was something, but now..." Gineshelplessly put away Aaron's note, "Now there isn't."
"You seem a bit confused, is there anything Malfoy can do to help you?"
Gines hesitated for a moment, then looked at Draco, "You and the Young Master are good friends. Do you know he ran away from home?"
"Huh?" Draco feigned a blank expression, "I didn't know!"
Aaron didn't say anything; I always thought he was just coming to play with me.
Wait, do you mean Aaron ran away from home?
"Something like that! We've been looking for him all day."
"This is a serious matter!" Lucius frowned slightly, his expression changing a bit, "Mr. Gines, we truly want to help you, but Aaron left after breakfast, so he's been gone for at least three hours now."
Gines nodded regretfully; he hadn't placed his hopes on this family either.
"I apologize for disturbing you all, but could you tell me any place names or even people's names the Young Master mentioned today?"
The three exchanged glances, and after their eyes met, they shook their heads in unison.
"None? That makes things a bit difficult."
Gines looked troubled; the clue had been lost again.
They had just managed to pinpoint his location, only to arrive a step too late. What was worse was that Aaron might not go to a classmate's house again, which meant their search area had expanded once more, making it even harder to find him within two days.
"Then which direction did the Young Master go when he left?"
"This..." Draco scratched his head awkwardly, "I saw him to the door and didn't go any further. There's only one main road outside our house."
Gines' mouth twitched; that answer was a bit abstract!
He didn't explicitly say he didn't know, but he made Aaron's departure direction potentially anywhere, subtly adding a bit of pressure on him.
"Alright! Before I leave, I want to thank you all again for taking care of my Young Master.
While it might just be a child's prank, the Gaius Family will remember this favor," Gines said with a forced smile, "I still need to find my Young Master, so I'll take my leave now."
After speaking, Gines turned and left. He needed to hurry back and discuss a plan with Anna, trying to determine Aaron's hiding place before school started.
"Draco, go see the guest out," Lucius quickly nudged his son's arm, wanting him to leave a good impression on Gines.
But no sooner had he spoken than he saw Gines take out a broomstick. The moment he flew into the sky, his body became transparent, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from their sight.
"No need now, right!" Draco chuckled.
Lucius ignored his son and looked at Narcissa, a hint of surprise in his eyes, "It turns out I still underestimated the depth of this family's background."
Narcissa also looked serious, but seeing her son, she felt a little relieved.
"At least Draco and Aaron have a good relationship; that's a good thing."
"Indeed."
"What are you talking about?" Draco asked, puzzled.
"Draco, are you sure he's a butler?"
"Absolutely sure, Aaron told me."
"This butler is not simple at all!" Lucius exclaimed, "The Disillusionment Charm he cast just now was perfect. Your mother and I watched him turn invisible, but we couldn't feel his presence at all.
To be able to do that means his strength is above ours, perhaps even far beyond us."
"It's not that exaggerated, is it!" Draco doubted, "Gines looks at most thirty. I can accept his strength being similar to yours or a little stronger, but far exceeding you, isn't that..."
"Son, we're not lying to you," Narcissa explained seriously, "He didn't hide anything when he cast the spell; he intentionally let us see it.
Your father and I are both Archmages. For us to feel completely outmatched, he must be at least a Grand Magister."
"And he might not be an early-stage Grand Magister," Luciusadded, "Or rather, he's not one of those Wizards who look good but are useless; his real combat power is definitely stronger than others at the same level."
Hearing this, Draco's eyes widened in shock, and his mouth hung open.
He was a Pure-blood among Pure-bloods, with a deeper understanding of the Magical World than ordinary Wizards.
In today's Magical World, Archmages are elites; most Wizards are stuck at this bottleneck their entire lives, unable to advance.
As for Grand Magisters, they are incredibly rare; each one is a famous figure in the Magical World, respected wherever they go.
And Grand Magisters all have one common characteristic: they are old, almost all past fifty, and it's not uncommon for them to be over a hundred or even several hundred years old.
But what does a thirty-something Grand Magister mean? They can no longer be described as merely talented; this is an absolute genius!
"In my memory, the only ones who could reach Grand Magister at that age, besides the Principal of Hogwarts, are... You-Know-Who," Lucius said with emotion, "They are universally recognized in the Magical World as beings capable of breaking through to Saint Magister."
Gulp!
Draco couldn't help but swallow, a strained smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
A butler who could grow to be a Saint Magister—that sounded a bit absurd when spoken aloud.
"Does Aaron know his butler is this powerful?"
"How would I know?" Lucius spread his hands, "If Ginesdidn't want Aaron to know, he would certainly be kept in the dark.
However, Aaron's parents should know Gines' strength, otherwise, they wouldn't so confidently entrust Aaron's life to him."
"Heh heh! This must be taking one's blessings for granted, right!" Draco said with a hint of envy.
"Draco," Narcissa glared at him sternly, "You must keep this a secret; don't let Aaron know."
"Exactly," Lucius said, "Gines just said that the Gaius Familywould remember this favor, but then he also demonstrated his strength.
The implication is that if we have trouble in the future, we can seek his help, but only within the capabilities of a Grand Magister. This is a favor of moderate importance."
Draco nodded. He was well aware of how important a Grand Magister's favor was... Aaron rode on Abey's back for over an hour, only approaching his destination around noon.
Devon, Ottery St Catchpole.
Aaron looked at the green fields and trees below, searching carefully for a while before he found a crooked building at least four stories high outside the village.
"This should be The Burrow."
Aaron murmured, because only this strange building nearby showed signs of magic, likely a Muggle-Repelling Charm, preventing Muggles from noticing its presence.
Abey growled as it descended, transforming to the size of a normal cat on a patch of grass and changing into its own clothes, covering its wings and ears.
Aaron also straightened his clothes; after all, it was his first time visiting, and this family was entirely Gryffindor. His Slytherin identity made him somewhat nervous.
With his backpack on and petting his dragon, Aaron walked towards The Burrow.
As he got closer, he truly understood what Draco meant by "exceptionally poor."
The Burrow looked like several small houses cobbled together with magic, crooked and lopsided, held in place by a few central pillars, with several smoking chimneys on top.
There was a garden, but the number of weeds was probably greater than the flowers, and it also contained many harmful garden creatures, like gnomes.
There was a small pond, but just by listening to the sound, it was clear that the number of frogs exceeded the fish; it was practically a frog pond.
Closer inspection revealed a pigsty made of stones, with several white pigs inside, and also many free-range chickens.
"Phew!"
Aaron looked at the sign stuck in front of the house with the large characters 'The Burrow' written on it, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, confirming he hadn't come to the wrong place.
The Weasley family, like the Malfoy family, had distinct characteristics: one was incredibly poor, the other incredibly rich.
They stood out like a sore thumb; you could spot them in a cluster of houses at a glance.