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Chapter 1126: Malfoy's Worries
🕑 Added 2024-05-27 14:00:05 +0000 UTCHarry had long known that Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater and had said this more than once.
Probably only a fool like Fudge wouldn’t believe it and would even send him to Hogwarts.
Doing so was inherently dangerous, but Harry never thought that Lucius Malfoy would kidnap him out of school.
Something similar to last year happened again, and because of the involvement of the Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore's departure, there was a loophole in Hogwarts' magical defenses. At least back then, Barty Crouch Jr. would never have been able to take Harry away so easily through the Floo Network.
Hogwarts was not that safe without Dumbledore.
Harry's heart was beating rapidly and his head was in turmoil. Although he was in the Ministry of Magic, he didn't know what to do.
What could he do against a dozen or possibly more heavily armed Death Eaters?
Even though he still had his wand, he probably couldn't do anything.
Fortunately, the other side didn't seem to intend to harm him but rather wanted to take him to the Department of Mysteries to retrieve some weapon...
Harry closed his eyes tightly and pretended to be unconscious, wanting to hear what they had to say.
In the current situation, relying on others to rescue him seemed to be the only way out. He didn't know how long it had been since he was taken away from Hogwarts, but as long as he held on, the school and the Order of the Phoenix would definitely find something unusual.
Ron, for instance, would realize something was off when he went to bed and found that Harry hadn't returned.
Then he would go to find Professor McGonagall.
It would only take a few minutes for them to find out where he was from that fireplace.
Or, Harry could find a way to make some noise and trigger the alarm inside the Ministry of Magic...
The footsteps were getting closer, and Harry tried to keep his breathing steady so as not to let them notice anything amiss.
"It doesn't matter how much the boy suffers, as long as he can get that thing. We're moving too slowly now, Rookwood. When can we get into that room?" the woman asked in a hoarse and harsh voice.
"It's not quite the same as when I worked here. The Department of Mysteries has a few more complex magic," Rookwood explained.
"I don't care about that. I just want to know how long it will take to break those damn spells."
"It takes a long time to break through without being discovered by the Ministry of Magic, but it is very simple to break through directly. It only takes a few minutes."
"Then just break in directly. After getting that thing, we'll Disapparate immediately," the woman said. "Lucius, you should have taken Potter down there directly just now, instead of keeping him here.
"Easy to say, Bellatrix, You heard it too, we still have a few spells to deal with," Lucius replied softly. "Don't forget, Dumbledore knows we are coming here. He may have left magic there. Taking Potter there could easily lead to accidents. In fact, I'm already a bit uneasy. Tonight's operation has gone too smoothly..."
"Coward!" Bellatrix sneered. “The Dark Lord is always prescient; Dumbledore can't stop him."
“True, but being cautious never hurts,” said Lucius.
Taking matters into his own hands was not his style. The risks involved were very high, and he preferred orchestrating schemes from behind the scenes.
Regardless of success or failure, he could always retreat unscathed.
Call him cunning or careful, but this was the way the Malfoy family behaved.
But everything that happened tonight was abnormal, which made Lucius feel very uncomfortable.
Originally, according to their previous plan, after gradually taking control of Hogwarts and cracking all the defensive magic of the Department of Mysteries, they would lure Harry Potter there to take down the prophecy ball. They would lie in wait and reap the benefits.
To do this, it would take at least two months of preparation.
But since returning from Norway, Voldemort seemed to be becoming more and more impatient.
He seemed unwilling to influence the boy through his dreams, which he had previously claimed he could do.
Lucius Malfoy didn't know why he didn't do this. In short, after receiving information from the Black family's house-elf, Voldemort couldn't wait to start taking action tonight and was unwilling to wait a day longer.
He even directly ordered Lucius to take Potter out of Hogwarts at the risk of being exposed.
Why was Voldemort in such a hurry?
And what was the strange statue he had been carrying around since the death of Nagini?
Both these issues made Lucius uneasy. There were changes he did not understand.
He couldn't help but think deeply. Compared with fifteen years ago, Voldemort had changed a lot now.
Although equally scary, Lucius clearly felt that he was going crazy.
Perhaps this long period of hiding had an impact on him, and he became more and more unstable, much like the madwoman beside him.
Lucius was very familiar with Bellatrix, having known her since childhood, but she was no longer the woman he remembered. Her long stint in Azkaban had turned her into a monstrous being, devoid of all humanity, leaving only a terrifying side.
Facing the current Bellatrix, if he had a choice, Lucius would stay as far away from her as possible.
Just because he wanted to change the status quo of the Wizarding World and restore pure-blood glory did not mean that he was willing to cooperate with a group of dangerous lunatics.
Especially after Evan Mason's previous warning, Lucius realized he might have made a huge mistake.
That diary was not simple, it might be...
Malfoy didn't dare to say that word, afraid to let Voldemort know that he already knew the secret.
Based on his understanding of Voldemort, if the latter knew about this, he would definitely not spare the Malfoy family.
Looking at Potter tied to the pillar, Lucius felt he should consider his future—betrayal or escape...
Neither were good options, but they were better than staying and awaiting destruction.
Alternatively, Lucius still had a hint of fantasy in his heart that, for the sake of the old times, the Dark Lord might forgive his mistakes.
"Harry Potter," said Bellatrix in a skeptical voice. "Is this the boy?"
"That's right!"
"Why hasn't he woken up yet?"
“He's under a Stunning Spell. I'll wake him up now..."
"Let me do it!" Bellatrix raised her wand, “Crucio!"
The next second, excruciating pain coursed through him. He writhed and gasped, forcing himself not to scream.
"Baby, you woke up with a fright!" Bellatrix let out a disgusting laugh. She raised her wand to interrupt the magic, looked at Harry who opened his eyes, and said disgustingly in a baby-like voice, "How do you feel? I just want to give you a little taste!"
"Who are you?" Harry opened his eyes, and in front of him was a row of Death Eaters wearing hoods.
Underneath the hoods, he could only see dark shadows.
Harry couldn't tell which one was Lucius Malfoy or which one was Bellatrix.
They all looked the same—scary.
