At this time, Char was still in the small greenhouse waiting for a reply from the Malfoy family. But soon, there was a noise in the sky outside. He looked up and suddenly discovered that it was a carriage flying in the sky. The cart was pulled by a skinny, magical animal with a dragon-headed horse's body and huge bat wings. His heart skipped a beat. He remembered the name of this magical animal: Thestral. A magical animal that can only be seen by those who have witnessed death with their own eyes. In front of this carriage, there were four of them pulling it, so the speed was extremely fast.
In the blink of an eye, it had landed in front of him from the sky. The Malfoy family crest, engraved on the carriage, also appeared in his sight. Then, Lucius and Draco hurried out. He said to Char in a graceful manner, "Young Mr. Sprout, I hope I didn't keep you waiting."
Char raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Malfoy? I would have thought an owl would have arrived first. Or a house-elf, who could have just Apparated me."
Lucius smiled and shook his head repeatedly. "No, no, no. That's very rude. We're inviting important guests, so how can we let a stinky and lowly house-elf come? Such etiquette is necessary. Please get in the carriage, Mr. Sprout. Malfoy Manor will be splendid with your arrival."
Char sighed inwardly. To be honest, having a house-elf Apparate him would have actually been more efficient. But since Lucius had done this, then let's go there by the Thestral carriage. Immediately, he was also preparing to board it at Lucius's invitation. Lucius pointed at a place in the carriage attentively. "There's a ladder here. It's easy to get up there."
But the next moment, something happened that neither he nor Lucius had expected. Char simply moved closer to the Thestral. The four creatures turned their heads and looked at him. Then, they actually slowly bent their knees and lowered their bodies, stretching out their dragon-like necks to put him on the carriage. Draco had not witnessed death himself and couldn't see the Thestrals. All he could see at this moment was that the carriage had inexplicably lowered a few degrees. And Lucius watched this scene, with shock flickering in his pupils.
The reason was very simple. Only those who have witnessed death can see Thestrals. This legend was known to everyone. But only a very few people knew that there was a second half to it: only those who were qualified to transcend death could make a Thestral bend its knees and bow its head. Lucius had thought the legend was just a ridiculous rumor, until he had followed Voldemort all those years ago and had once seen him riding in a Thestral carriage. They had actually bent the knee to Voldemort. The scene had caused an uproar at the time. Thinking that the person he was following was a wizard who was qualified to transcend death, even the weakest and most humble Death Eaters couldn't help but puff out their chests with pride. But no one had expected that things would turn out like that.
Then, Lucius looked at Char's expression. There was also a hint of awe. He had previously speculated that he might be even more terrifying than Voldemort had been back then. After all, he was so scheming and cunning. And now, his guess had been confirmed. Was this the next Dark Lord? He was indeed so terrifying. Fortunately, the Malfoy family had contacted him in advance.
After a while, when he had calmed down, Lucius finally got on the carriage. The Thestrals then spread their wings, which resembled giant bats, pulling the carriage and flying quickly towards Malfoy Manor. About half an hour later, the carriage seemed to have passed through an invisible barrier. The next second, a vast and magnificent manor appeared in front of Char. The original novel repeatedly described the splendor of it, but now, seeing it with his own eyes, he was still quite shocked. Peacocks, Thestrals, and the like were just ordinary things. Various things that were considered treasures in the Muggle world were used like stones here. There was even a path inlaid with gems and mother-of-pearl that extended from the entrance of the manor to the reception hall. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. No wonder the Malfoy family was so inconsistent. Voldemort hadn't bothered with them too much. Whether it was to engage in political activities or to directly recruit troops, the Malfoys were a money bag. It saved him so much trouble.
But Char only admired the scene in the manor for a moment, then said to Lucius, "Mr. Malfoy, time is of the essence. Let's just skip all the red tape. How about we start with those dark magic items?"
Hearing what he said, Lucius couldn't help but be deeply moved. Just now, he had been secretly observing his expression. It turned out that he didn't seem to be interested in their wealth. This trip had really been made specifically to help them deal with the items. Compared to Voldemort, this little boy might become the future Dark Lord, but he was much more generous. If he had to follow one, Lucius really thought so. It was better to support a dark lord who ruled with kindness.
Then, having calmed the random thoughts in his mind, Lucius hurriedly took him to a collection room. There were several large boxes there, and there was no doubt that the air was filled with dense negative magic particles. These boxes were filled with dark magic items. No wonder Lucius had been so anxious. After all, these things were really difficult to deal with. Even if they were lost casually, it would be easy for the Aurors to find him. If he were unlucky, it might be dug out by Muggles, and that would be an even bigger sequel. It would be treated as a violation of international confidentiality laws. And to deal with these items would take quite a bit of effort. With a little carelessness, there was a high possibility of being harmed by the dark magic attached to them. But for Char, with the special guardian tree seed on hand, even the power in the temple on the island of Delos could be resisted. When it came to ordinary dark magic items, it was not a problem at all. After all, it was a seed that had been affected by the mythical Patronus Charm. It was incomparable.
Now, Lucius was still asking if he needed any tools or potions to assist him. The Malfoys would do their best to provide them, but he shook his head, signaling for Lucius and the others to go out and leave this place to him. Lucius quickly lowered his head. He knew that Char might use some means that could not be revealed. He quickly pulled Draco out of the room with a look of awe. And after they had left, he waved his wand again, carefully checking the room. He hadn't forgotten that in Malfoy Manor, there was a house-elf named Dobby who had secretly betrayed them. Regarding the Malfoys and Dobby, he didn't feel like commenting, but he didn't want his methods to be seen by an untrustworthy house-elf. After repeated inspections, making sure there was nothing hidden in the room and no gaps for eavesdropping or peeping, he then nodded slightly.
Immediately, he then took out the guardian tree seed. And the moment it was taken out, the scent of dark magic that had originally filled the air was immediately swept away. The dull and gloomy air seemed to become fresh. He opened the boxes again. All kinds of strange dark magic items inside were revealed. The Malfoys had good taste. He didn't collect human hands, eyeballs, nails, etc. Most of them were things like clocks, jewelry, tea sets, and various notes with dark magic attached. And after seeing these things, his eyes lit up. This was different from what he had seen in the Room of Requirement before. The grade was much higher. After all, anything that the Malfoys would like to collect was naturally not an ordinary item. Besides, after so many years, the family had maintained them well. The dark magic on these items had not faded with the passage of time. It was even getting stronger. Each one was a treasure.
Once these boxes were opened, the dark magic power, which was much more intense than before, gushed out like a fountain. But the seed of the guardian tree was like the natural enemy of dark magic. No matter how strong it was, it was difficult to go beyond it. Instead, in the process of constantly destroying dark magic, he could see the three bonus lusters shimmering on the seed finally beginning to change at a speed visible to the naked eye. The luster representing the legendary level did not change much, but the diamond-level clear light was constantly dissipating. Instead, there was an epic purple light that was still slowly expanding. This also meant that the level of this seed was slowly moving from diamond to epic. His heart was also filled with excitement. Epic and diamond, though not as far apart as myth and legend, unless it was an ability like ancient magic, otherwise, no matter how powerful a diamond-level ability was, it could never be compared with an epic-level one.
But after the excitement, he looked at the boxes of items that were being purified and frowned. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the dark magic in these boxes would be destroyed. That wasn't enough. Immediately, he quickly walked out of the room. Lucius had been waiting outside, feeling uneasy. Seeing him come out so quickly, his heart skipped a beat. Could it be that even Char was helpless against so many dark magic items? If so, that would be really troublesome. But a moment later, something he said really confused him. "Almost done. Anything else?"
Lucius opened his mouth. "Ah?" Then he realized. "Have. Besides, there are three or four more boxes of items like this. There are also some dangerous items that need to be kept separately, about ten or so."
Hearing this, his eyes lit up slightly. "Bring them all here. I'll take care of it together." Immediately, he returned to the room. Lucius looked at his back. He gulped, being able to handle so many items in one go. Judging from his tone, it seemed as easy as chopping melons and vegetables. It was conceivable how far his attainments in dark magic had reached. This was only his first year. And he was different from Dumbledore and Grindelwald back then. Those two legendary geniuses had been exposed to magic before entering Hogwarts. But before receiving his notice, he had lived in the Muggle world, with no chance of any contact with magic. If only he were given more time to grow, it was hard to imagine how far he could go.
Taking a deep breath, Lucius looked at Draco, reminding him again. "Draco, we must maintain a good relationship with Mr. Sprout. One day, the survival of our family may depend on him. Do you understand?" After Draco nodded repeatedly, he then hurriedly sent the items into the room one by one like an assembly line. No matter what he sent in, for the seed, all were treated equally. Direct purification. But those "defective products" packed in the box obviously could not provide too much growth to the seed. It won by numbers. But those treasures collected and kept separately really gave him a big surprise. There were several treasures that had powerful dark magic powers attached to them, almost as good as a box full of items. Their level was obviously much higher, and they had a significant effect on improving the level of the seed.
Not long after, in his sight, he saw the three kinds of reward luster flowing on the seed quietly change. The legendary-level light grew slightly, but the change was not significant. But only a small part of the diamond's light remained at this time. The epic purple light occupied an absolutely dominant position. And with one or two more dark magic treasures, this seed should be able to completely upgrade to the epic level. For a while, he also showed a satisfied look. This time, coming to the Malfoy family, the harvest was really not small. If he had gone somewhere else, he probably wouldn't have been able to get items of this quantity and quality. The improvement of the seed would also have been a long way off.
Then, he left the room again and said to Lucius, who was anxiously waiting outside, "Those that were sent in before have all been processed. Are there any more dark magic items?"
Lucius heard this and breathed a sigh of relief at first. The items collected by their family... that was basically it. If Char had dealt with it all, then when the Ministry came to inspect, he shouldn't have to worry. Immediately following, another idea popped into his mind. He thought of something that the Dark Lord had once left him. He hadn't dared to touch that thing for all these years. Even the room where it was kept was completely locked, and he had never entered it, afraid of being discovered. After all, that was the reason he had used to escape from Azkaban. He was under the Imperius Curse. He hadn't really wanted to follow the Dark Lord and do those things. Thanks to such excuses and some connections, he had been able to avoid imprisonment that year. But what if the reward given to him by the Dark Lord was discovered? That would be the end of the sequel. No one could let him go. As for finding a way to destroy that thing, he didn't dare to try. Who knew if the dark magic had left any strange magic on it, or what if the Dark Lord returned? He had reappeared at Hogwarts this year. Dumbledore hadn't killed him again; he would definitely come back. If he were discovered then, he would probably suffer unimaginable torture. Therefore, that thing had become a thorn in his side.
And today, seeing Char's profound attainments in dark magic, and this future Dark Lord a foregone conclusion, his heartbeat suddenly began to accelerate violently. Could he help him solve this problem? So after hesitating for a long time, he gritted his teeth and motioned for him to follow. He led him down the corridor to a room deep inside the mansion. At the same time, he lowered his voice. "Young Mr. Sprout, there is also a unique, powerful dark magic item that hides a huge secret. It comes from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
Char suddenly stopped. What he had said, of course he knew. Voldemort's Horcrux—Tom Riddle's diary. This thing... let's not talk about whether the guardian tree seed could be obtained. Even if it could, it played a very important role in the original plot. The first Horcrux to appear in Dumbledore's vision, confirming his suspicions. The relationship between Voldemort and Tom Riddle was also revealed. By the way, the diary had also manipulated Ginny to enter the Chamber of Secrets and release the Basilisk, which might have led to the marriage between Harry and Ginny. And most importantly, it had let Gryffindor's sword absorb the blood of the Basilisk, becoming the key item that could continuously destroy the Horcruxes in the future. This thing was like a whirlpool. He didn't want to get involved. Therefore, even if he knew that if he could get this diary, the seed could not only be completely upgraded to the epic level, but even reaching the legendary level was not impossible, he still gave up decisively. There was not even a trace of luck. "Mr. Malfoy, I think it's best if we don't meet this thing." He decisively refused.
This made Lucius stop. He looked a little pale. Like an ant on a hot pan, he said anxiously, "Young Mr. Sprout—"
He waved his hand and gave him a deep look. "I know Mr. Malfoy must have been troubled by this thing for a long time. But I think if it hasn't caused any harm over the years, then it's not a particularly dangerous type, and it's unlikely to be exposed during routine inspections by the Ministry. If you want to deal with it, the advice I can give you is: 'Find a way to get it to Hogwarts. Headmaster Dumbledore will definitely notice it. It's best to put it in a more conspicuous place.'"
Lucius's eyes widened instantly. There was a storm in his heart. He understood what Char meant. Did this mean that this thing contained the Dark Lord's great secret? If Dumbledore had noticed it, his weakness of never dying would have been discovered. That was why he had suggested to him that he send this thing to Hogwarts without anyone knowing. As for the more conspicuous position, it was of course next to the savior, Harry Potter. Everyone knew it. Dumbledore's eyes would definitely be on Harry at all times. Of course, it could not be sent directly to him. What if there was any harm? Dumbledore would probably not let him go. It would preferably be someone related to him. His mind immediately popped up the red-haired Weasley family whom he hated. "When school is about to start, the family always goes to buy second-hand textbooks. The diary is mixed in with them, so no one will find it." A plan had already formed in his mind. About to get rid of a big trouble, the light feeling suddenly made him feel relieved. He thanked Char repeatedly.
At the same time, he was worried about his refusal to deal with the diary. Not only did he not see it clearly, but instead, he became more awed. Deep. Unfathomable. This little guy is not only powerful in dark magic, but he is so scheming and cunning! And he had another feeling. That was, Char should know what the Dark Lord had left behind. Hiss... can't think too much. Can't think about it anymore! It's terrifying when you think about it. The Dark Lord, the White Lord, and the Demon Lord are fighting each other. Our little Malfoy family should just pretend that we know nothing.
Then, he no longer took him to the room where the diary was stored. Instead, he invited him to the family's private library. Without waiting for him to frown, Lucius had already seen it. He should need a lot of dark magic items. As for why, Char didn't say anything. He didn't want to ask. Just do this well. Lucius said immediately, "Young Mr. Sprout, I think the other pure-blood families are also troubled by this matter. I will contact them and buy all the dark magic items they have at a suitable price. I'll have to trouble you to help me deal with it. Before that, you can take a look at the collection of books in our family to see if there is anything worth your attention. I'm not bragging, but perhaps this library is far inferior to the Hogwarts Library, but some books and materials are only available here. I'll let you know once I've collected a batch of items."
He heard this and then nodded. He secretly thought that Lucius Malfoy was indeed very good at handling these matters. Asking him to go into battle and kill the enemy would be putting things in a difficult position for him, but handling logistics and connecting people was absolutely first-class. That being the case, he was actually quite curious about Lucius's confident library. He responded to his invitation and walked towards it. But he hadn't taken many steps.
In a nearby room, there was a faint sound of "dong dong dong." It seemed like someone was banging his head against the ground repeatedly. Lucius's face turned pale in an instant. He lowered his voice. "It's a house-elf from Malfoy Manor, Dobby. He's crazy and not honest at all. I hate him very much. He must have been cleaning a nearby room and heard what we just said." His face was full of determination. "Young Mr. Sprout, I'm going to finish him myself."
There was a strange look in Char's eyes. In the original novel, Dobby had overheard a conspiracy at the manor. That was why he had intercepted Harry Potter's letters at Privet Drive and cut him off from the wizarding world. He had also taken various actions to try to prevent him from going to Hogwarts. This was consistent with the original work. But Char thought about it. Let things happen as they should. For himself, not only was there no loss, but there were more benefits. So he waved his hand. "I'm not some devil. What I just said—there's nothing shameful about it. Just pretend you don't know anything about it. Let it be, Mr. Malfoy."
Lucius heard this, and the coldness that had flashed in his eyes slowly faded away. He continued to take him to the family's collection library. He came to a rather ancient door. He pricked his fingertip on the spiked door handle and squeezed out a drop of blood. The door then slowly opened. "Come in, Mr. Sprout. Only the most distinguished guests have the privilege of entering a pure-blood family library. And I can guarantee that our library is one of the best among all pure-blood families." As he said this, Char's gaze followed the open door, looking inside. The scene that came into view made him look a little surprised. "This is—a World Tree?!"