"Harry Potter- Ravenclaw"Chapter 189: The Side Effects of Baruffio's Brain Elixir
"So, Wyzett is orchestrating some grand scheme… and even I've been left in the dark."
Dumbledore burst into laughter, so heartily that tears glimmered at the corners of his eyes.
But the true owner of this memory—Dobby—was at that very moment slumped by the study door, trembling and wide-eyed with terror.
Tears sparkled in his eyes as well, but his were born of pure fear. He was utterly petrified by the thought of Voldemort's return.
…
The memory shifted. After Lucius left, Dobby slipped into the empty study, moving with the cautious stealth of someone who knew the price of being caught.
He tiptoed around the room, searching for something with anxious urgency.
After a long moment, he found it—a notebook bound in dragon hide, the name "Abraxas Malfoy" embossed on its cover in faded gold.
Snape watched Dobby leaf through the book, his tone edged with irony. "Spying on your master's secrets… In the Malfoy family, that's a death sentence for a house-elf."
Dumbledore sighed, voice gentle. "To have done so much for Harry… Dobby is, perhaps, the most extraordinary house-elf I've ever known."
Snape let out a cold snort. "Passing out every time he sees Wyzett—I'll grant you, that's certainly unique."
As Dobby turned the pages, both wizards took in the notebook's contents.
It all became clear—why Lucius would mistake Wyzett for Voldemort reborn.
Dobby, having seen the evidence himself, came to the same conclusion. The notebook confirmed his worst fears: Wyzett must be the Dark Lord returned.
No wonder Dobby was so terrified—every time he encountered Wyzett, he fainted on the spot.
…
Snape could, to some extent, understand Lucius's reasoning.
After all, the Dark Mark had truly burned again, and Lucius's feelings toward the Dark Lord were… complicated.
In his youth, he'd revered Voldemort—following the wishes of his father, Abraxas Malfoy, just like every other Death Eater.
But as the war dragged on and Voldemort's true nature grew ever more apparent, that reverence curdled into fear.
It was that very terror that made Lucius one of the first to defect after the Dark Lord's fall—betraying his old master, giving up fellow Death Eaters' names, and wriggling out of trial.
Once things began to settle and the Malfoy fortunes started to rise again, anxiety crept in anew.
For a long time, Lucius couldn't sleep or think straight. He relied on Dreamless Sleep Potion and Baruffio's Brain Elixir just to keep expanding the family's influence.
When those potions lost their effect, he had to beg Snape for help to break his dependence on the elixir.
Still, side effects were inevitable…
As Snape once put it, "Too many potions, and your brain starts growing herbs."
So when the Dark Mark flared, his nerves stretched to the breaking point, and the aftereffects of Baruffio's Brain Elixir took hold, Lucius tumbled into paranoia—
He had Draco approach Wyzett, hoping to curry favor and beg the Dark Lord's forgiveness.
…
Of course, Snape could sympathize with some of Lucius's anxieties, but other actions were beyond comprehension.
What baffled Snape most was that Lucius dared to challenge Dumbledore directly—
Even leveraging his position as a school governor to scheme behind the scenes, plotting to oust Dumbledore as headmaster.
Take, for example, that fairy tale—The Fountain of Fair Fortune.
According to Lucius, the story distorted the relationship between wizards and Muggles, threatened the purity of wizarding blood, and would bring harm to the magical world.
He was terrified of Voldemort, yet somehow unafraid of "the only man Voldemort ever feared"—even daring to oppose him.
All things considered, Snape could only conclude: connecting Wyzett and Voldemort was exactly the sort of leap Lucius would make.
But it wasn't just Lucius—some of Dumbledore's choices left Snape equally perplexed.
The "greatest wizard of our age," who ended the wizarding war, was willing to pen a lengthy letter to Lucius over a children's fairy tale.
From Snape's perspective, there were countless ways to settle such matters, but Dumbledore always seemed to choose the most tedious, least intimidating path.
Almost as if he were bound by some magical contract—forced to act in a particular way.
But what kind of magical contract could wield such power? Snape simply couldn't imagine.
…
"The Dark Mark is more convincing than any rumor…" Dumbledore mused, a faint smile on his lips. "And there have been whispers—Voldemort wandering the forests of Albania."
"His influence lingers still. Why else would wizards cling to euphemisms? I suspect… Mr. Malfoy has lived in fear for years…"
"Perhaps so afraid he can't sleep at night… Especially now, with the Dark Mark burning again—his fear of Voldemort must be at its peak."
Watching Dumbledore's expression, Snape frowned. "What are you planning to do with Lucius?"
Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Perhaps… it's time to bring Mr. Malfoy over to our side?"
Snape raised an eyebrow. "Through Wyzett?"
"Letting Wyzett nudge things along…" Dumbledore nodded. "For Mr. Malfoy, isn't this the path he's always wanted? Everything working out in his favor…"
"In the end, for the more… adaptable pure-blood families, profit is the real pursuit. That 'liquid beneath the skin'—it's just a slogan."
"Yes… adaptable indeed." For once, Snape agreed.
The moment word of Voldemort's fall spread, Lucius had rushed to the Ministry, claiming he'd been under the Imperius Curse. That was adaptability.
"Voldemort will return… that much is certain now," Dumbledore said quietly. "And when Lucius rejoins the Death Eaters, what do you think he'll face?"
"While the other pure-blood families were licking their wounds, the Malfoy fortune kept growing…"
"Rather than let that wealth fuel Voldemort's next rise, perhaps it's time to put it to better use…"
"Severus, you know all too well what kind of man Voldemort truly is…"
"And our young Draco Malfoy—when Voldemort returns, he may well suffer for his father's choices…"
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