Kapitel 106: Lucius, Your Master Is Back
Terry walked into the common room, looked around, and soon found his target.
"Ethan, Malfoy is looking for you outside."
Ethan, who was chatting with Penelope, looked up at him.
"Do you know what it's about?"
It had been more than two months since the start of school, and Ethan and Draco Malfoy had barely interacted.
What does he suddenly want with me?
"I don't know. When I was coming back to the common room, Malfoy caught up with me and said he wanted to meet you. He's waiting outside now."
"Alright, I got it."
There wasn't much to do at the moment, so I could go see him. Even if Draco was up to something, he'd only dare mess with Harry.
Seeing that Ethan wasn't planning to leave immediately, Terry added:
"Ethan, you left early, so you don't know what happened. When Harry Potter fell earlier, he only broke his hand, but after Lockhart's treatment, Harry didn't even have a bone left."
Though he had been worried about the Chamber of Secrets lately, Terry still didn't miss out on the latest gossip.
He was a staunch anti-Lockhart supporter. After the first Defence Against the Dark Arts class, he spread Lockhart's embarrassing moments all over Ravenclaw.
Since then, he had witnessed several of Lockhart's failures firsthand. Terry just couldn't understand what Lockhart was thinking. He had been embarrassed countless times but still kept trying to show off. Didn't he have any better tricks up his sleeve?
By now, Terry had become the unofficial leader of the anti-Lockhart camp.
"I saw Lockhart go to Harry, so I know how it ended. By the way, how are the professors?"
At that time, Ethan had felt sorry for Harry. No wonder Harry fell for Lockhart's tricks. Luckily, the injury wasn't to his head, or Lockhart might have accidentally killed him with a botched healing spell.
"The professors?"
"Several professors hurried to the southwest corner of the Quidditch field and then came back, but they didn't look happy."
Terry had only glanced at them and didn't pay much attention.
After all, Lockhart's failure was the main attraction, and there would be more gossip to come later.
Returning empty-handed meant the professors still hadn't caught Dobby.
It seemed the professors had gotten rusty after so many years without facing a real challenge!
Otherwise, they would have stopped Dobby from Disapparating in the first place.
But just how skilled was Dobby compared to other house-elves?
He was able to go to Malfoy Manor, rescue a group of people from Death Eaters, and ultimately die from a dagger throw. How could he not defend himself?
With these thoughts in mind, Ethan left the Ravenclaw common room. Draco Malfoy was pacing by the door, looking impatient.
"Malfoy, what do you want?"
"My father wants to see you. He's at Hogwarts right now. Do you have time?"
Draco looked at Ethan with a bitter expression. He had just come off the field and was now tasked by his father to invite Ethan.
Today really wasn't his day. It was all Harry's fault.
If he hadn't been so focused on Harry, he wouldn't have missed the golden snitch right above him.
Not only did he embarrass himself in front of his father, but his teammates also blamed him for missing the snitch, which gave Harry the opportunity. Slytherin ended up losing the match, despite having more points than Gryffindor before the snitch was caught.
"Alright, take me there."
Ethan thought for a moment and agreed.
The Malfoy family had invited him several times before. Last school year, Draco had personally invited him, and there had been several invitations over the summer. He hadn't had the time then.
But now, since they were at Hogwarts, it seemed sincere.
"I'll take you there now!"
Draco led the way, worried that Ethan might change his mind.
They walked all the way to the third floor of Hogwarts and stopped in front of an office. The plaque on the door frame read "Hogwarts School Governor's Office."
The plaque gleamed with gold, likely a display of the School Governors' status.
Although the School Governors of Hogwarts have no direct presence in the plot, they still wield some power. At the very least, they can interfere with Hogwarts' operations and even dismiss the headmaster. Dumbledore was dismissed, though he was eventually reinstated, and Lucius himself was driven out.
But this still demonstrates the power of the School Governors. After all, they are the key figures providing financial support behind the scenes.
Opening the office door, Ethan walked in directly. Malfoy stood at the door, not daring to come in at all.
A wizard with light golden hair, cold gray-blue eyes, and a pale pointed face was already sitting on the sofa in the reception room. He was rubbing a wand decorated with a snake head in his hand.
He fit the image of a wizarding noble perfectly.
"Mr. Adrian, this is our first meeting. I came here specifically to get to know you."
Lucius Malfoy put away his usual arrogance. He knew when to be arrogant and when to be deferential.
A person who has the potential to grow into someone like Dumbledore or Voldemort could not be underestimated.
Besides, the Vole family had already placed their bet early. Draco mentioned that they had even lost their daughter in the process.
Now they were promoting Ethan Adrian everywhere, even applying for him to receive the Merlin Second Class Badge at Christmas.
The Vole family's willingness to pay such a high price proved the extraordinary nature of this small network.
If you enter the market too late, you might not even get a sip of the soup.
The last time Lucius placed the wrong bet, it cost his family dearly. Whether they could recover depended on this gamble.
"I should have come to meet Mr. Malfoy earlier. I should have paid you a visit, but I didn't have time recently."
Lucius gave Ethan face, so Ethan couldn't show any displeasure.
"This is a small gift I brought this time."
Lucius couldn't argue with what Ethan said. Maybe he didn't have much time, but Lucius knew Ethan hadn't truly wanted to accept his family's invitation.
As far as Lucius knew, after returning from Nicolas Flamel, Ethan had visited the Vole family. There had still been several days left before school started. If he had wanted to visit Lucius, he would have, but he didn't.
"You're too kind!" Ethan said as he accepted the gift.
At first, he hadn't intended to accept it, but it was too tempting.
It was an ancient book titled Nibelungen, much larger than regular books, and its material resembled dragon skin. It was clearly a treasure from a pure-blood family.
The second item was a small pouch woven with gold thread. If Ethan guessed correctly, it was filled with gold galleons.
It was a straightforward and direct approach—using money to pave the way.
Ethan knew a bit about the Malfoy family. They had come to Britain with William the Conqueror and become nobles, obtaining a large piece of land in Wiltshire as a fief, land they still held today.
For a long time, the Malfoys maintained close ties with the British royal family, ensuring their prosperity.
By the early 18th century, the Malfoy family had reached their peak in the wizarding world. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were all-powerful. But by the 19th century, things began to decline.
Since the generation of Lucius's father, the Malfoy family had entered a period of decay, though even a weakened camel was still stronger than a horse.
"Mr. Adrian, if you have time later, perhaps you could offer Draco some guidance or assign him something to do."
What Lucius wanted most was for Draco to get close to Ethan. They were the same age, which made it even more fitting.
Lucius couldn't help but feel anger when he realized that Ethan and Draco were the same age. His son was so spoiled. While others worked hard to learn and improve, Draco only cared about Potter and Quidditch.
Today had been humiliating. Lucius had come to watch Draco's first Quidditch match, but it was a disaster. The attention had been focused on Potter, and Draco hadn't even realized the Golden Snitch was right above his head.
He had even donated seven Nimbus 2001 brooms for this. What a waste.
"That's no problem. The misunderstanding between Draco and me has been resolved, though he's still avoiding me."
When he becomes the Minister of Magic in the future, the support of pure-bloods will be crucial. Although it's a bit early, it wouldn't hurt to win over Malfoy.
"I'll let him know," Lucius said with a smile. If Draco could connect with Ethan, there would be opportunities for friendship.
"I've heard Mr. Malfoy was once a Death Eater?" Ethan abruptly changed the subject.
"There's no such thing. That's just a rumor spread by those who slander the Malfoy family."
Lucius immediately denied it.
This identity could not be acknowledged.
Lucius knew exactly where Ethan had heard it—most likely from one of the Weasley children. Only their family spread such talk.
"That's good to hear!" Ethan said. "Then, Mr. Malfoy, are you aware that Voldemort is back?"
Lucius's pupils suddenly dilated.
He knew Voldemort would return eventually, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
Voldemort had entrusted him with a Horcrux.
Lucius had kept the method for making Horcruxes stored away all these years, but now, with Voldemort's return, he was terrified.
And as a Death Eater who had escaped punishment ten years ago, he had also lost his Horcrux.
Voldemort would definitely suspect him upon his return.
At that point, Lucius would be forced to choose—continue down Voldemort's dark path, or attempt a redemption that might forever elude him. Neither option seemed good.
"Mr. Adrian, surely you're joking. Everyone knows Voldemort died ten years ago, and it was Harry Potter who defeated him. Everyone knows this."
Though internally panicking, Lucius tried to remain calm as he looked at Ethan.
"I destroyed the remnant of Voldemort's soul attached to Quirrell last semester. He claimed to be the Dark Lord and was after the Philosopher's Stone to resurrect himself. He mentioned something else?"
"Wh-what?" Lucius stammered in shock, pointing at Ethan, at a complete loss.
What was the connection between these two people? He realized Ethan was certain Voldemort had returned, and that only meant the enemy knew about Voldemort's soul fragments—something no one else should have been aware of.
"Don't worry," Ethan reassured him. "I'm not on Voldemort's side. I used a spell on Harry to thwart his plan to seize the Philosopher's Stone. He likely despises me now. I just want to know what he left with you and where it is."
Lucius took a deep breath and, realizing his position as a Death Eater was at risk, finally relented. He explained about the diary and how it ended up in Ronald's possession, though he withheld the full details, only claiming it was a dark magic artifact given to him for safekeeping.
Though Voldemort's resurrection timeline was unclear, Lucius knew he had to invest in Ethan while keeping an exit plan. Voldemort's Horcruxes were his greatest weakness, and while Ethan could learn about them, Lucius could not be the one to disclose too much.
Ethan had pieced together why Voldemort's Horcrux diary ended up with Ronald.
Fred and George had paid for Ginny's new school supplies—her textbooks, robes, and cauldron—but none of it had gone to Ronald.
Ronald still used old books, except for his new Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook.
When Lucius and Arthur had quarreled in Flourish and Blotts, Lucius had seized the opportunity to plant the diary in Ronald's old book, seeking revenge on Arthur. Placing it in a new book would have been too conspicuous.
Ethan realized that, due to his interference, the twins weren't struggling financially this time, which caused the diary to be with Ronald instead of Ginny.
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