After Kayson sent out the last gift via owl at the Owl Post, it was time for the agreed-upon home visit.
Since he had never been to Malfoy Manor before, Ender Teleportation couldn't find the location. Fortunately, the envelope Draco had given him earlier was a Portkey; he just needed to tear it to activate it.
With a ripping sound.
"Ugh, I still can't get used to this… Portkey feeling." Kayson rubbed his temples as he appeared at the gate of Malfoy Manor, where the Malfoy family of three stood before him.
Draco stood behind his parents and silently waved a hand at Kayson.
"Long time no see, Mr. Malfoy, and it's a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Mrs. Malfoy." Kayson shook hands with both of them before walking towards the Manor.
"Draco mentioned you're very skilled in architecture?" Lucius walked beside Kayson and suddenly asked.
"I'm not very good at this style. I'm more proficient in modern styles, which is why I've always wanted to renovate Hogwarts but haven't started yet. I plan to go back to Manchester for further study when I have time; maybe I can even contribute something to humanity and get a doctorate or something."
"Manchester… a Muggle university?"
Lucius asked suspiciously.
"Oh, I have to say I'm an honest person, so let's get straight to the point. But if you have nothing to say, I'm going to say… you've finally started this topic, and I happen to have a full draft in my mind, so if you want, we can shake hands here and go our separate ways." Kayson said frankly.
"Since I invited you, I wanted to hear the thoughts of one of the few insightful people in the magic world. Please, feel free." Lucius said.
Kayson nodded: "Thank you. Last semester, in 1992, the Basilisk crisis erupted at Hogwarts. We didn't intend for that notebook to have originated from that Manor… well, we all know it came from Malfoy Manor, but we don't care, and please don't take it to heart."
"At that time, to find out how the Basilisk came out, I read a lot about the early history of Hogwarts. Correspondingly, I also read about the history of the House of Malfoy when they first arrived in England."
Kayson pulled out a small silver flask from his pocket, took a sip to clear his throat: "I have no intention of digging into whether the House of Malfoy is truly 'pure-blood' or not, after all, the ancestors of the House of Malfoy were Wizards when they arrived in England."
"And this Manor was given to the House of Malfoy by Mr. Armand Malfoy, an ancestor of Malfoy, who served the king at the time, and the king bestowed this large piece of land upon the House of Malfoy. Forgive my wording, but we must respect history."
"Malfoy Manor has stood on this land for over ten centuries, correct?" Kayson looked at Lucius.
Lucius nodded: "That's right."
"Then there was Lucius I; he even pursued Elizabeth back then?"
"While that is true, I still don't understand what you're getting at?" Lucius asked, uncharacteristically.
"Because I'm curious, before the Statute of Secrecy, the House of Malfoy should have been considered the most Muggle-friendly Wizard family. Why, after the Statute of Secrecy was implemented, did they cut ties so quickly and rapidly develop a pure-blood worship?" Kayson asked a question that could be called naive.
"Because we are Wizards, Wizards are our kin. If we don't stand with our kin, should we choose to stand against them, and stand with Muggles? Only Muggles can stand with Muggles, unless you become a Squib." Lucius explained.
"That makes a lot of sense." Kayson agreed.
"And in fact, we cannot say we were Muggle-friendly, but rather profit-friendly. Muggles could bring profit to the House of Malfoy, and shouldn't the House of Malfoy, having acquired so much power and wealth, feel honored and proud?" Lucius continued.
"The honor does not belong to you; the honor belongs to the majority of people whose wealth was plundered by you." Kayson couldn't help but retort.
The group arrived at the Castle's main entrance, which opened automatically. They entered the drawing room, and after Lucius arranged the seating, he finally sat down: "To be honest, your words are too sharp. Let's change the subject."
"Is this the real reason you called me here?" Kayson asked.
"Yes, look at this." Lucius Malfoy pulled a torn envelope from his robes and placed it on the table.
Kayson picked it up, drew out the letter, and then his brow first furrowed, then smoothed out.
This was Karkaroff's letter. In it, Karkaroff asked Lucius how he had been doing lately, about the current situation in England, and the state of Hogwarts. Only at the end did he state the purpose of his letter.
Peter Pettigrew had reappeared and was trapped at Hogwarts. He wanted to "rescue" him and was recruiting teammates.
"Hm, I know about this." Kayson nodded and said.
"I have a bad feeling. For the past decade or so, it's never been like this year… former Death Eaters have become active again. First Sirius, then Peter Pettigrew and Karkaroff… and many other Death Eaters. They used to be rats living in the sewers, but this year they seem to have received some kind of signal, and they've all become active and are contacting each other."
After Lucius finished speaking, he saw Kayson's strange gaze, and he didn't shy away: "I know I am also a Death Eater, but that doesn't stop me from feeling that things have been unsettling lately. After all, compared to… You-Know-Who… I no longer have those grand ambitions. He… you didn't see him in his final moments; he had already lost his sanity then."
"Are you tired of your Death Eater identity?" Kayson asked.
Lucius nodded: "Since You-Know-Who first lost his sanity."
"Thank you for your trust. So your purpose in coming to me is… you don't know Dumbledore's thoughts right now? You're afraid Lord Voldemort will make a comeback, after all, I've seen him twice in the past two years…"
After Kayson finished speaking, Lucius and Draco didn't react much, but Narcissa's eyelids twitched violently twice.
"That's what I mean." Lucius nodded and said.
"Dumbledore doesn't hate the House of Malfoy; he doesn't even find you annoying, so you can confidently go and talk to him yourselves. I remember, Mr. Malfoy, you're still a school governor, aren't you?"
After Kayson finished speaking, Lucius breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that Lucius hadn't been unperturbed earlier; his expression had simply been so stiff that he couldn't move at all.
And now, Lucius finally received an answer that put him at ease, and he just let out a sigh of relief.
"Yes… Although Dumbledore has many minor flaws, he truly can be called benevolent." Kayson also commented.
"Mm…"
"Now then, let's address the issue of this letter." Kayson, unlike the now relaxed Lucius, picked up an unexpected bonus from this trip to Malfoy Manor: the letter from Karkaroff.
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