When Lewis emerged from the bathroom feeling refreshed, he was surprised to find Hermione Granger quietly waiting outside his room.
"Hermione, what are you…"
Lewis looked at the two small bottles she was holding tightly in her hands, his eyes filled with confusion.
"I saw a massage manual at Zhang Qiu's place called Modern General Theory of True Qi Massage. I ordered a copy myself, too. I've been practicing on my pillow for quite a while now."
Hermione's expression was serious, and there was a hint of determination in her voice.
"I thought I might be able to help relieve some of your fatigue."
A warm feeling spread through Lewis's heart.
He opened the door and walked inside somewhat stiffly.
Hermione followed closely behind.
"Take off your clothes and lie down on your stomach."
Hermione gently raised her chin, motioning for Lewis to expose his back.
"Lie… lie down?"
Lewis froze.
His mind instantly recalled that previous occasion with Zhang Qiu, and his face involuntarily turned bright red.
Well, well, little girl. I didn't realize you'd grown up this much.
"Stop dawdling. Hurry up!"
Hermione placed the bottles on the bed and clasped her hands behind her back.
With anticipation in his heart, Lewis obediently lay down on the blankets.
Both of his ears had turned bright red.
Just then, Lewis's entire body shuddered.
He felt something cool, smooth, and slippery spreading downward along his spine.
Lewis could not help letting out a soft groan.
The sound gradually grew louder until, in the end, he could no longer control himself and cried out.
At that exact moment, however, a knock sounded at the door, interrupting Hermione's movements.
"Lewis, Lucius Malfoy is here. He says he wants to see you."
Luna's voice came from outside the door.
The frown that had been tightly drawn across Lewis's face instantly relaxed.
He sprang off the bed and hurriedly opened the door.
Watching Lewis's reaction, Hermione looked rather pleased with herself.
"I don't mean to boast, but my massage technique really is quite good. Look, Lewis's already looking much more energetic."
Luna glanced at the bottles, and a rare look of interest appeared on her face.
"Hermione, could you massage me too? I was pretty tired yesterday from watching you all cook."
The moment she heard this, Hermione, who had still been eager for more, immediately became enthusiastic.
She pushed Luna toward the bed and had her lie down.
A moment later, Hermione asked with a satisfied smile, "How does it feel? Very comfortable, right?"
"I think you should try your massage technique on Onyxia."
Luna's expression was somewhat distorted, and cold sweat trickled down her face from her forehead to her chin.
"Of course, after she returns to her original form."
The final sentence was spoken so quietly that Hermione did not hear it.
Miss Know-It-All increased the pressure of her massage.
"Then say goodbye to those sore muscles."
Luna nodded.
But what came out of her mouth was:
"Goodbye, muscles!"
Lewis took the opportunity to escape the room.
As he walked down the corridor, he repeatedly tried various twisting and stretching exercises, attempting to…
By the time he was about to reach the hall, he had forcibly restored his usual calm expression, as though nothing had happened.
Yet the excitement and anticipation in his heart continued spreading throughout his body like that cool massage cream along his spine.
He could not forget it.
"Mr. Malfoy, welcome."
Lewis stepped forward, his tone polite but distant.
Lucius Malfoy maintained his usual elegance as well. He nodded at Lewis, concealing every trace of the embarrassment he had suffered the previous night.
He took a deep breath, hiding the fear in his heart and doing his best to maintain a calm exterior.
Lewis smiled slightly and led Lucius into the study inside the tent.
The moment Lucius entered the room, Gianna rose to greet him.
"Welcome, Lucius. Thank you for the assistance you provided to the Ministry of Magic."
She gave him a slight bow.
The respect in her tone, however, did not reach her eyes.
"It was what I should have done, Madam Proudmoore."
Lucius also bowed slightly in return.
There was a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"However, it was not for the Ministry of Magic. It was for Mr. Green…"
"Of course, it was also for you, Madam."
Gianna smiled lightly.
"Doing something for little brother Lewis is the same as doing something for me. There is no difference."
Her words were casual, but they were filled with the intimacy of her relationship with Lewis.
"Lewis has already told me everything that happened last night. In any case, without your help, we would not have been able to achieve such a clean victory."
Hearing this, Lucius immediately asked cautiously, "In other words, my 'pledge of allegiance' has met your requirements, Madam Proudmoore?"
His voice was filled with anticipation and unease.
"That's right, Lucius. You can understand it that way."
Gianna nodded and gestured for Lucius to sit down.
"You now have the qualifications to cooperate with us."
"Lucius, what exactly do you want from us?"
Gianna asked.
Her beautiful brown eyes were as clear as a lake, yet unfathomably deep, as though they could see straight through a person's heart.
The moment Lucius met her gaze, it felt as though an electric current had passed through him.
He immediately looked away.
Before those eyes, his diplomatic rhetoric and hypocritical disguises suddenly seemed pale and powerless.
He could not even bring himself to speak.
He suddenly realized that Lewis was not the only powerful person among them.
Gianna's strength had far exceeded anything he had imagined as well.
No wonder.
She had risen to power in the first place through her achievements in capturing dark wizards.
Lucius hesitated for a long while before finally making up his mind and revealing his true thoughts.
"I need your guarantee of safety."
His voice was weak and trembling, completely lacking his usual composure and calmness.
"Madam Proudmoore, because of my negligence, the Dark Lord lost one of his Horcruxes. It has kept me awake at night. I'm worried about the safety of my family…"
By the time he reached this point, Lucius's voice had already begun to choke.
He placed both hands on the table, his body trembling involuntarily.
"Last night, I betrayed them again and helped you wipe out a portion of his forces."
He breathed rapidly, terror filling his eyes.
"You know what he is capable of. Once he learns that I betrayed him, the Malfoy family will be finished…"
At this point, Lucius could no longer maintain the dignity he had painstakingly preserved as a member of one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families.
Tears slid down his pale face.
"I don't care what happens to me. But Narcissa and Draco… they are innocent."
"They shouldn't have to suffer such a disaster because of me…"
After saying everything, Lucius Malfoy lowered his head.
Tears fell onto the cold back of his hand.
"I'm sorry. I've lost my composure."
He choked out the apology, his entire body still trembling uncontrollably.
For the first time, before this powerful woman, Lucius felt his own weakness and insignificance.
Gianna casually made a gesture.
A transparent magical hand appeared in the air and poured Lucius a glass of redcurrant rum.
The moment Lucius accepted the glass, his expression trembled almost imperceptibly.
He downed half the drink in one go, then let out a deep sigh and placed the glass down.
He raised his head and looked at Gianna.
His voice was filled with pleading and determination.
"Madam Proudmoore, I know that my cooperation last night is nowhere near enough to make up for my past mistakes. But please, for the sake of my complete cooperation last night, help me. Save the Malfoy family."
The liquor seemed to have given him courage.
As he pleaded, he gestured with his hands.
"What do you want me to do? Just tell me. I can do anything for you. Anything!"
"You can take whatever you want from the Malfoy family's wealth. I only ask that you protect my family when the crucial moment comes. Even if it is only Narcissa and Draco."
"I know you have the ability to do so."
Gianna stared deeply at Lucius.
She saw fear in his eyes.
But she also saw determination.
Perhaps approving of his devotion to his family, she nodded and extended a hand, signaling him to calm down and sit back in his chair.
Lucius took a deep breath and obediently sat down again.
Gianna began stating her conditions.
"Lucius, you used to be a Hogwarts governor. You must have had deep connections with the other pure-blood families."
Gianna naturally knew how long the Malfoy family had occupied the position of Hogwarts governor.
She also knew exactly how Lucius had lost that position.
Lucius nodded.
Although he was no longer a governor, his connections remained.
He looked at Gianna with confusion, trying to guess her true intentions.
"I don't need your wealth."
Gianna slowly shook her head.
She stood up and looked sharply at Lucius.
"What I need is your network among the darker corners of the wizarding world and the pure-blood families."
"I want you to act as an intermediary and help us gain their support so that our policies can be implemented smoothly."
Lucius hesitated.
This demand was far more difficult than he had expected.
He had originally intended to offer some money and properties.
But now, Gianna wanted him to offer his connections and influence.
Seeing Lucius hesitate, Gianna smiled.
She returned to her seat, her tone filled with unquestionable determination.
"Is there a problem?"
Lucius looked at Gianna's unconcerned expression, then turned toward Lewis.
But Lewis merely waved his hand, indicating that Gianna's intentions were his own.
Lucius finally realized that he had no way out.
He took a deep breath, then firmly shook his head.
"No problem, Madam Proudmoore. I will do everything I can to serve you."
"Very good."
Gianna nodded.
"Then, to demonstrate your sincerity, I want you to obtain some shares in Hogwarts for Miss Prestor first."
"It doesn't have to be much. Just enough to make Katrana one of the Hogwarts governors."
Gianna stated this condition calmly, as though she were discussing something completely insignificant.
"I understand, Madam Proudmoore. I will do everything I can to complete this task. The Malfoy family will be at your service."
With that, Lucius bowed deeply to Gianna.
Then he turned and left.
His back looked firm and resolute, as though he had made some kind of final decision.
{TFC}Chapter 282: The Newspapers and the Reaction
By the time Lewis and the others returned to the tent, the sky was already beginning to brighten.
After receiving the notification that everything was over, Hermione, Zhang Qiu, and Luna returned to the tent.
The moment she saw Lewis, Zhang Qiu was the first to rush over.
"Oh, thank goodness! Thank goodness!"
She threw her arms around Lewis's neck. The boy patted her back reassuringly, his expression a mixture of happiness and helplessness.
He could already feel everyone's eyes focused on him, and at least half of them were far from friendly.
"Ahem. Everyone's watching, you know!"
Lewis coughed awkwardly a few times and gently tried to push Zhang Qiu away.
He really did not want to start a Shura field under these circumstances.
Zhang Qiu also realized what she was doing.
The clever girl immediately released Lewis and then enthusiastically embraced everyone else in turn—Gianna, Tonks, and the others.
Especially Shirella, whose gaze had been the most hostile just moments ago. Zhang Qiu pulled the witch hunter tightly into her arms.
This enthusiasm transformed the displeasure on Shirella's face into helplessness.
With a potential crisis successfully defused, everyone entered the dining room.
The three girls placed plate after plate of sumptuous food on the dining table.
They had cooked all of it while waiting.
Lewis stared silently at the food on the table for a moment before hugging each of the three girls again.
"Sorry for making you worry."
The girls' eyes immediately reddened.
There was both worry and self-blame in their eyes.
While she had been hiding in the tower, she had been so worried that she could not sleep. Following Hermione's suggestion, she had simply kept cooking food over and over again.
When they could not participate in the battle, this was the only thing they could do.
Although nobody had much of an appetite after the battle, everyone still sat down together and enjoyed the sumptuous…
Breakfast?
"Why did you come back so late? I saw a lot of people leaving the campsite before dawn," Hermione asked curiously after finally putting her worries aside.
"This incident threw the Ministry of Magic into complete chaos, and they were desperately short of manpower. Even people who were on vacation were urgently recalled."
Tonks explained while chewing on a piece of buttered bread.
"We fought all night too, so we were given this time to rest."
"We planned this for so long. Everything should have achieved the results we expected."
Gianna made the announcement softly.
The moment she finished speaking, everyone's attention focused on her.
"Congratulations, Tonks. If everything goes smoothly, the authority of the Aurors will be greatly expanded in the future. The division between combat personnel and administrative personnel will also become much clearer."
Gianna looked at her most capable assistant, her eyes filled with trust and expectation.
"You will also gain command of the most elite combat force. In addition, you will be responsible for the equipment selection, training, and combat operations of all Aurors."
"Tell us quickly, Gianna. What exactly happened?"
Tonks could not help urging her.
"Your performance tonight, along with that of your subordinates, was extremely impressive. Scrimgeour took the initiative to express his willingness to cooperate with me."
"He has always wanted to lift the ban on lethal magic for Aurors, and that happens to align perfectly with our plans. I took the opportunity to demand an expansion of your authority."
"Although your position cannot be raised any further, your power can be expanded."
Gianna put down her utensils and patiently explained.
"However, Scrimgeour hesitated at first. He believed the conditions I proposed were too high and did not serve his interests."
"So I suggested expanding the scope of the Aurors' duties as an exchange. That would increase his authority while also satisfying our needs. In the end, he agreed."
"But what about Minister Fudge? Surely he wouldn't just sit back and watch you expand your authority so freely?"
Penelope asked.
She felt there was still a problem hidden somewhere in all of this.
As soon as she finished speaking, several owls flew through the tent window.
Thick newspapers were tied to their legs.
"Fudge is still somewhat hesitant about lifting the Aurors' ban on lethal magic. But once he sees this morning's newspapers, his attitude will change."
Onyxia announced this smugly.
She and Gianna had naturally taken Fudge into consideration.
Given Fudge's weak personality, their countermeasure was to bring public opinion into play.
And that was precisely the part Onyxia was responsible for.
Everyone immediately stopped eating and began looking through the morning newspapers.
Gianna picked up one of the newspapers and quickly scanned the front page.
Tonks leaned over her shoulder curiously.
Lewis, meanwhile, unhurriedly flipped through the other newspapers, occasionally frowning as he took a sip of the milk tea Hermione had prepared.
There was no sugar in the milk tea, which Lewis found somewhat difficult to get used to.
"England Wins Glory! Lewis Green Named Best Chaser!"
"The World Cup Ends in Glory! England Crowned Champions!"
"Passion Runs High on the Pitch! Lewis and Shirella Share a Deep Kiss, Taking the Best Partnership Award!"
"Shocking! At This World Cup, the Golden Snitch Was Actually Caught by a Chaser…"
As Lewis flipped through the newspapers, he immediately caught sight of an astonishing headline.
He hurriedly turned his head, cleverly avoiding the embarrassment of spraying milk tea all over the newspaper.
"The Famous Seeker Viktor Krum's Romance Exposed—His Lover Is Actually a Man!?"
Zhang Qiu noticed Lewis's subtle reaction and curiously leaned over.
She had always been extremely interested in all kinds of gossip and romantic scandals.
The moment she saw the accompanying photograph, Zhang Qiu laughed so hard that she could barely stand.
She grabbed onto Lewis for support and almost collapsed against him.
Lewis could not help wondering whether she was doing it on purpose.
The photograph showed Krum tackling Ron, with their lips touching and Ron's eyes wide open.
The scene was repeatedly depicted throughout the newspaper, making it look as though Krum had forcibly kissed Ron.
"Isn't this the scene from the box? Which newspaper has such amazing connections that they actually managed to photograph this?"
Zhang Qiu was brimming with excitement and urged Lewis to keep turning the pages.
"It's The Quibbler. The special World Cup edition."
Lewis suddenly understood.
"It must have been Luna's work."
As if she had heard his thoughts, Luna raised her head.
Their eyes met.
Luna widened her pale-silver eyes and gave him a mischievous smile before shaking the small camera in her hand at Lewis.
"Sure enough, it was you."
Lewis nodded and continued reading.
Then he laughed again.
"Look at this one. 'Bulgarian Minister Beaten to His Knees—Was It Actually Minister Fudge Who…'"
In the photograph, the Bulgarian Minister wore an expression of complete disbelief, while Fudge was desperately suppressing a smile.
The moment she saw it, Zhang Qiu, who had just taken a sip of milk tea, immediately spat it out while laughing.
"This headline, this story… This is completely ridiculous! Who wrote this? Ah… it's her…"
"Rita Skeeter!"
Zhang Qiu flipped directly to the end of the article, where she saw the author's name.
"I got quite a lot of money for that," Luna added.
Seeing how interested Zhang Qiu was in scandals involving men and men, Lewis simply left The Quibbler to her and picked up another newspaper.
"Tonks, they mentioned you here."
Lewis suddenly spoke.
He raised the Daily Prophet in his hand, excitement flickering in his eyes.
"Where? Read it to me!"
Tonks asked impatiently, clearly very interested in her own news.
Lewis began reading aloud.
"Compared with the older generation of Aurors, the new generation has demonstrated an outstanding level of training and coordination. Their handling of public disorder was organized and efficient, while their ability to subdue rioters was remarkably swift."
"Even more noteworthy is the fact that the Aurors have now been released from the restrictions on lethal magic. Does this herald the beginning of a new norm? We will continue to monitor developments closely."
"Where's my name?"
Tonks looked somewhat anxious as her eyes searched all over the newspaper.
"I know you're in a hurry, but don't be in such a hurry."
Lewis patted her hand.
He continued reading.
"The training methods used by the older generation of Aurors have become outdated and are no longer suited to modern demands. Clearly, they should make way for the new generation and transition into logistical or administrative positions, where they can better make use of their remaining experience."
Lewis smiled at Tonks.
"Listen to that. This is your article."
He pointed to a photograph in the newspaper.
It showed an elite Auror with pink hair commanding a group of uniformly dressed trainee Aurors.
They were calmly and politely assisting civilians, presenting a striking contrast to their ruthless appearance during the battle.
"Look. Isn't that you?"
After saying this, Lewis handed the newspaper to Tonks.
He stood up and stretched, a trace of exhaustion appearing on his face.
He felt that he needed to freshen up.
After all, Lucius Malfoy would be arriving soon.
That was what they had agreed upon last night.
He could not afford to be lacking in etiquette.
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