"Yes..."
Draco's eyes involuntarily began to twitch, everything in the room challenged the boy's fragile nerves, whether it was William sitting at the head of the dining table, or his mother, who seemed terrified upon seeing him enter, or...
"Didn't I tell you to go straight to your room?"
Lucius Malfoy skillfully got up from the ground, not even bothering to dust off his wrinkled knees. He bowed deeply, giving William a flattering smile, "Sir... This is my child, Draco Malfoy—being an only child, he's spoiled, so he has no sense of propriety—"
The man emphasized the word "only child," as if to underline Draco's importance to them.
William had insisted they change the term of address because being called "Master" always made him feel like he was part of a secret society... As for Kneeling, it was simply because William had expressed some displeasure, making Lucius almost collapse to his knees—
"Don't be like that to the child—"
William put down his knife and fork, looking at the boy standing at the door with a completely bewildered expression. He smiled, squinting his eyes, "Come here."
The boy, whose brain seemed to have stalled, hesitated for a moment, instinctively turning his head to look at his mother, who was sitting on the other side of the dining table. Seeing her nod imperceptibly, Draco finally began to slowly inch towards the dining table—
"Hurry up!"
Lucius squeezed out the words through his teeth.
As Draco stopped quickly in front of him, William smiled and raised his hand. Under the watchful, fearful eyes of the other two, he gently patted the boy's head with a soft, grandfatherly affection, like an old man from a neighboring village.
"Draco, right."
William's voice was gentle, but each syllable he uttered made the boy's shoulders rhythmically shrug downwards, "I remember, you seem to get along rather well with Harry Potter?"
William began to ramble, though he certainly knew there was deep animosity between the two of them.
And just as William thought, Draco first whimpered as if he was struggling, and then, under his father's gaze, nodded full of shame, feeling somewhat 'insulted' by being grouped with someone like Harry Potter?
Draco's mind was utterly muddled, unable to consider, for instance, how William could not know about his relationship with Harry Potter.
Yet what little thought he had left couldn't even fathom why William would be at the dining table in his house.
Could it be that he is the "dangerous individual" his father mentioned in the letter?
The boy couldn't even begin to imagine William's identity, never having seen his father so... obsequious while interacting with someone, not even when the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, visited their home multiple times; thanks to their wealth, Fudge was always the one compromising.
But today...
Lucius hadn't straightened his waist since he first bent down—
The boy couldn't guess William's identity, nor did he dare look to his mother for any hints, instinctively telling him not to—though he didn't know where this intuition came from. At the moment, he felt as if he was facing an elder who might say, "I carried you when you were a baby," opening his mouth but not knowing what to say.
And just as Draco was baffled, Lucius, having heard the words, couldn't help but furrow his brows, though his head remained deeply bowed, his expression unfathomable.
The air seemed to stagnate at this moment; everyone waiting for William's next words—"Good, well then, since your father just told you, you can return to your own room now." William shook his head, stopping himself from saying more; certain words only needed a hint.
He had just noticed Lucius's expression, and it seemed this man understood.
Though his words were gentle, William didn't really offer the Malfoys a choice. The boy turned and left the dining room almost immediately, and as the door closed—"thud," Lucius instinctively knelt again.
"Continue."
William took up his knife and fork again, leisurely cutting up the steak on his plate.
"I—I, sir, please give me another half a month—"
Malfoy's expression was somewhat strained, but after a moment's hesitation, he seized the opportunity to promise something urgently.
"I'll give you two months—"
William shook his head, calmly extending the time.
"No, Master, no need for that long—"
Hearing that William planned to extend the time, Lucius's face turned fearful. He hurriedly crawled forward on his knees, trying to express urgency and not even having time to correct his title, lowering his head to kiss William's shoes, while still hurriedly assuring, "Just half a month, you can rest assured—"
"Get lost."
William chose to directly plant his shoe in Lucius's face, kicking him half a meter back, exhibiting a look of disgust, "I said, I'm giving you two months, which means two months—let them realize the seriousness of the situation."
He placed down the knife and fork, the steak on his plate having been finished; today the Malfoy family's food wasn't as salty as the last time he visited.
"August 24th, noon."
William lightly tapped the table, giving a final ultimatum, "The location will be here; I hope no one will be absent then—" William furrowed his brows, but then he relaxed, smiling while shaking his head, the curve of his lips making Lucius shiver a bit.
Yes, William hadn't come to Malfoy Manor just for a meal today, he had a plan—
They say that the most loyal Death Eaters are now remaining in Azkaban, and those left out here are merely fence-sitters buying their freedom, so he's decided to gather these brothers together, to "weed out" for Voldemort properly.
Surely, the Dark Lord would appreciate it, no?
…
Casually pondering, William grabbed his suitcase and walked out of the fireplace glowing with green flames, adjusting his coat stained with ash. William walked under the orange lights of London Port, spotting the colossal cruise ship festooned with colored lights.
"Boss—"
Mundungus Fletcher, who had been standing at the docks in the sea breeze all afternoon, emerged from the shadows. Presently, he bore his own face; having disguised himself as Derek's assistant, for the taste of Polyjuice Potion truly wasn't pleasant to endure consistently—
"…Is everything ready?"
Looking at the cruise ship before him, William nodded in satisfaction.
"Of course, all the arrangements have been made. Let me take you there—"
Mundungus nodded repeatedly, promptly extending his hand to take William's suitcase, only to have it declined with a head shake.
"I recall, isn't there a Werewolf named Remus Lupin?"
William inquired.