Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures - H.P.S.T Chapter 1664: Ravenclaw Territory

“You look more like a Malfoy than I do now,” Lucius said slickly.

“Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, but I’m different from you. I believe I still have principles and bottom lines,” Evan replied.

“The cage of the self-proclaimed righteous!” Lucius said dismissively. “Dumbledore’s nonsense again — worthless scraps. He’s influenced you far too deeply, Mason. Those things bind you; they make you hypocritical. Trust me, if you abandon them, you will achieve far greater things and more power. Your background may be unfortunate, but you truly are a rare magical talent. With the support of the Malfoy family, you will find success.”

“Success? You’re not suggesting you’d support me running for Minister for Magic, are you, Mr. Malfoy?” Evan asked with a smile. “That’s not funny at all; it actually surprises me. I never thought that a pure-blood Wizarding family would be so open-minded and tolerant, willing to support a Muggle-born wizard.”

“It’s not blood that matters, but this, Mason!” Lucius lifted his right hand and tapped lightly on his own temple. “The reason the Malfoy family has survived to this day is because we only cooperate with intelligent people. Only intelligent people can create a win-win situation together. Unfortunately, there are far too many fools in this world, which makes our choices limited. You can seriously consider my proposal. If the opportunity ripens, perhaps we can have a deeper cooperation.”

“If your cooperation is contingent on me abandoning my principles and bottom line, then I can only apologize,” said Evan. “In truth, I think Professor Dumbledore’s ideals are quite good and worth sticking to.”

“That’s a pity. From our earlier conversation, I thought you were a clever one.”

“We have different understandings of cleverness, and you seem to have a deep misunderstanding of me, Mr. Malfoy. That’s not good,” said Evan solemnly. “I’ve been here for quite some time, yet our conversation hasn’t made any substantial progress. You’re testing my patience; it’s a foolish attempt, not at all like a Malfoy. Before my patience runs out, I’ll repeat myself, and I hope this is the last time, you need to understand that I am not seeking any sort of cooperation with you. The reason we’re having this conversation is because we have a common goal. It’s because of your past foolishness that the Malfoys happen to be standing on the same side as us — for now. That’s why I’m here today, nothing more.”

A moment of silence followed, and Lucius’s face paled again.

He began to speak again, his voice sounding more genuine.

“Alright, for that damn common purpose. Tell me, if I grant your request, what can you offer the Malfoys?”

“Only one promise,” said Evan.

“What promise?” Lucius asked, frowning. He didn’t like the way Evan talked.

He’d been led by the nose by this boy, something he found intolerable.

“To the best of our ability, we can protect Draco’s safety.”

“Only that?!” Lucius pressed, somewhat disgruntled.

What did “to the best of our ability” mean? Shouldn’t it be to do everything in our power?

“That’s already enough. We may not fear death, but only by staying alive can there be hope,” said Evan.

“Staying alive is what matters most… but I don’t understand — when you say ‘to the best of our ability’…”

“What you need is not an empty promise, Mr. Malfoy. This isn’t a competition over who’s better at lying,” Evan countered. “If I told you that no matter what happened, I could always protect Draco, keep him alive and safe from death — would you consider such a promise realistic?”   

“If I pay the price, I should receive something equal to the risk,” said Lucius slowly, his expression twisting with strain — so much so that the distortion made him look almost feral. “Mason, you more than anyone should understand what it means to betray the Dark Lord.”

“That is something you need to think clearly about,” Evan replied, his tone steady.

Lucius shook his head, seemingly rejecting something, his attitude completely different from the coaxing tone he had used to persuade Evan earlier.

“You’ve been stranded in this manor, Mr. Malfoy. You’ve failed to grasp many things about the current situation — and about the Malfoy family’s position. I suggest you think carefully. When the Dark Lord gives Draco another suicide mission, what is he supposed to do? And in the final battle — what will you do? Or when the Dark Lord completes that Dark magic — the one meant to kill all living things — what will you do then?”

“The Dark Lord’s magic…” Lucius seemed to collapse in an instant. He stared blankly at the ceiling and murmured, “What… what is that magic?”

“That, too, is something you need to figure out—and then tell me,” Evan said, shaking his head.

“I don’t know much. He doesn’t trust anyone, and it’s difficult for us to uncover any of his secrets.”

“I know that!” said Evan. “I don’t expect much from you, but at least tell me where Harry might be?”

“I don’t know. We’ve always wanted to catch Harry Potter, but he…”

“He was just in your house, brought here by Dobby. You’ve never taken house-elf magic seriously, so of course you know nothing,” said Evan impatiently. “He went to your secret chamber — the one where Wormtail is. Now you should understand.”

“That’s where the Weasley boy is being held.”

“You mean Ron? He’s under the Dark Lord’s control?” Evan asked. “They’re both no longer there.”

“It couldn’t have been Apparition. The entire manor is under control, except for the Dark Lord’s own magic,” said Lucius, noticing Dobby hiding behind Evan. “Of course, the magic of that lowly traitor behind you can also bypass it. That oversight is on us. But aside from the traitor at your back, no house-elf would dare take someone away without being ordered to. Hmph, I’m guessing it was a Portkey. My information was that Weasley was supposed to leave today. I thought someone would come to pick him up, but now it seems the Dark Lord definitely left him a Portkey.”

“Where will that Portkey take Harry and Ron?”

“I don’t know. Nobody knows what the Dark Lord intends for that Weasley boy, just as almost nobody ever knows what he truly intends,” said Lucius. “But let me guess, there’s a good chance they’ve gone to the Dark Witch. They’re excavating the remains of the Veil of Death at that site.”

“That place is…”

“The place where the Ministry of Magic first discovered the Veil of Death, once part of the Ravenclaw family’s lands. A barren region now,” said Lucius, leaning forward. “It’s said to have been a beautiful lake a thousand years ago, but it’s long since dried up. These days, we’re more used to calling it the Land of Death.”

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