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The next day, as the sky just began to show a sliver of dawn and the morning light had not yet fully dispelled the chill of the night, Lynn—who had barely slept a wink due to anger—was already standing before the imposing gates of Malfoy Manor.
The Malfoy family's drawing room remained as luxurious as ever, with even the color scheme exuding an air of nobility.
Lynn sat opposite Lucius Malfoy, who had been 'invited' out of bed and still seemed a bit dazed.
The latter wore an elegant morning robe, his hair impeccably styled, but the weariness in his eyes was impossible to hide.
A House-elf silently brought two steaming cups of black tea, then quickly disappeared behind the wall hung with heavy tapestries.
For a moment, the only sound in the vast drawing room was the faint crackling of wood in the fireplace, the atmosphere quiet and somewhat awkward.
Lynn scratched his head, watching Lucius struggle to stay awake while trying to suppress a yawn, and thought his visit might indeed have been a bit too early.
He cleared his throat, beginning to broach the topic with just the right amount of apology in his tone:
"Well... Mr. Malfoy, I'm truly sorry for disturbing you so early. You don't seem well-rested; perhaps you should return to your room and get a bit more sleep? I could come back later."
Upon hearing this, Lucius's eyelids twitched. Come back later? Then I got up for nothing.
He grabbed a small vial of Potion from the side table, specially brewed to refresh and clear the mind, which the House-elf had just delivered, uncorked it, and downed it in one gulp.
As the liquid slid down his throat, Lucius Malfoy's body stiffened abruptly, then he uncontrollably shuddered violently.
A strange odor, reminiscent of a mix of old socks and Bubotuber pus, shot from his stomach straight to the top of his head, nearly making him lose his composure.
He fought back the urge to gag, glancing at the bottom of the empty vial in his hand, where a line of small text was engraved: "Specially Brewed · Awakening Draught · Master Potioneer Severus Snape."
Lucius's cheek muscles twitched fiercely. He discreetly placed the empty Potion vial back on the table.
Fortunately, despite the memorable taste, the efficacy of Snape's Potion was beyond doubt.
A cool sensation swiftly swept through his brain, dispelling the last traces of grogginess and sharpening his thoughts, even making him a bit too alert.
He picked up his teacup again, taking an elegant sip as his face resumed its usual smile:
"You flatter me, Mr. Lynn. It's rare for you to visit Malfoy Manor. As your business partner and the host here, how could I consider it a disturbance? The Malfoy family always welcomes friends at any time."
Lynn nodded, thinking to himself, since you put it that way, I won't hold back.
"That's wonderful, Mr. Malfoy. Actually, this presumptuous visit is because I have a matter to trouble you with; perhaps you could provide some clues."
With that, Lynn pulled out his Magic Phone from his pocket and swiped his finger across the screen to light it up.
Without further explanation, he directly pulled up a video and slid the phone across the table to Lucius Malfoy.
The screen began playing automatically:
A hunched figure in a hooded robe was inside a shop, waving a wand to spray flames and wantonly destroying everything... Finally, a clear close-up—the inner left forearm, bearing a menacing Dark Mark.
Lucius Malfoy's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly the moment he saw the mark.
The smile on his face didn't vanish, but it seemed to freeze slightly, becoming more cautious. He watched very carefully, even replaying a certain segment once.
After watching, he fell silent.
His mind worked efficiently: What does this mean? Coming directly to show me a video of a Death Eater attacking his shop? Suspecting that I, Lucius Malfoy, ordered it?
No, impossible. He should realize I have no motive at all to sabotage our mutually beneficial business now.
But... he did recognize the person in the footage, even an 'old acquaintance,' so to speak.
He looked up at Lynn, his tone carrying just the right amount of puzzlement: "Mr. Lynn, this is...?"
"Mr. Malfoy, my question might be a bit presumptuous, but you... well, after all, had that 'special period' in your past.
"I thought you might be more familiar with some faces among Lord Voldemort's followers back then? I just wanted to confirm with you—do you recognize this audacious fellow in the video? Or do you have any impression at all?"
Old Malfoy thought to himself, you are indeed very presumptuous, extremely presumptuous! Bringing up 'you were a Death Eater' so openly is really something.
He quickly organized his words internally, but on the surface, he showed a slightly pained and helpless expression:
"Mr. Lynn, you jest. That was a regrettable period in my life. I, and many other unfortunate souls like me, were controlled by the powerful Imperius Curse at the time, forced against our will to commit those... terrible acts against our true intentions. The Ministry of Magic has already made a fair judgment."
Lynn fell silent for a moment, starting to consider whether to take direct action.
In this brief silence, Lucius Malfoy suddenly felt an inexplicable chill run up his spine.
In a flash, Lucius Malfoy made the most correct decision of his life.
The pained expression on his face faded, replaced by one of effortful recollection.
"However..." he slowly began, breaking the silence, "the build, movement habits, and especially that... well, style of action of the person in the footage you provided, Mr. Lynn, do seem somewhat familiar to me."
He extended a finger, pointing at the figure on the screen showing the Dark Mark.
"If I recall correctly—of course, this is merely a hazy impression I might have glimpsed during my controlled state—
"These two people resemble members of the Carrow family.
"Amycus Carrow and his sister, Alecto Carrow... and so on... they were fervent followers of 'that one' back then, and their methods were... quite radical."
Hey~ what a coincidence. After old Malfoy finished speaking, the chill on his back instantly vanished.
He immediately added, "It's said... just a rumor... that someone last saw them in the Cairngorms."
Lynn nodded in satisfaction. "The Carrow siblings... Amycus and Alecto. Good, Mr. Malfoy, thank you very much for the valuable information. This is very helpful to me."
He stood up, putting his Magic Phone back into his pocket with swift, decisive movements.
"Sorry for disturbing your rest so early. Since we have a lead, I won't delay any longer. I'll visit again when there's a chance."
With that, he prepared to leave.
"Mr. Lynn, please wait."
Lucius Malfoy's voice came from behind him. "It's rare for you to visit, and it's already light out now. Draco has made great progress in his cooking recently.
"Why not stay and let me play the host and have you try it? Even the House-elves have been raving about it."
Lynn, already at the door, stopped abruptly, his mind involuntarily recalling the scene from his last visit:
The fish heads, eyes wide open, poking out from the pastry crust, gazing up at the diner... the image was too beautiful to dwell on.
"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Malfoy!" Lynn said without turning back. "I suddenly remembered there's an urgent matter at the shop that needs handling! I must return immediately! Next time! Definitely next time!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, and without waiting for Lucius to say more, he dashed out.