Malfoy Manor had always carried an air of quiet superiority.
It wasn't loud like some of the more arrogant pureblood estates, nor overly dark like the homes of families who indulged too deeply in the forbidden. No… the Malfoys embodied something far more refined.
Elegance.
Power, restrained and polished into something presentable.
As I walked beside Abraxas Malfoy through the grand halls, I could feel the subtle shift in the atmosphere compared to my last visit.
Alive.
Not tense with fear.
Not shadowed by death.
Alive.
That alone made this visit… different.
"You've recovered well," I said calmly, my voice echoing slightly against the marble walls.
Abraxas gave a small, knowing smile.
"I had the best healer in the world," he replied smoothly.
A faint smirk touched my lips.
"Flattery is unnecessary."
"Truth rarely is."
We walked in silence for a moment longer before he pushed open a set of ornate doors.
Inside—
Two children.
The first stood near the window.
Blonde hair already immaculate despite his young age. Sharp grey eyes—observant, calculating. Even now, there was a presence about him. A quiet pride.
Lucius Malfoy.
You could already see what he would become.
Powerful.
Influential.
Dangerous in the way only truly intelligent men could be.
The second…
Sat at a small table, flipping through a book far too advanced for her age.
She looked up the moment we entered.
And her eyes—
Interesting.
Bright. Curious. Sharp in a different way than her brother's.
Cassandra Malfoy.
A deviation from the original timeline.
My creation.
A subtle consequence of the potion I had distributed.
Two heirs instead of one.
Already… I could see the difference that would make.
"Children," Abraxas said, his tone softening slightly, "this is Lord Tom."
Lucius straightened immediately, giving a small, practiced bow.
"My Lord."
Polished.
Trained.
Expected.
Cassandra, however, tilted her head slightly, studying me with open curiosity.
"You're the one who saved Father," she said.
Not a question.
A statement.
I looked at her for a moment.
Then nodded once.
"Yes."
She didn't bow.
Interesting.
Instead—
"Thank you," she said simply.
No fear.
No excessive formality.
Just… sincerity.
Abraxas looked mildly surprised.
I wasn't.
I stepped further into the room, my gaze shifting between the two of them.
"Tell me," I said, my tone calm but carrying weight, "what do you wish to become?"
Lucius answered immediately.
"Powerful."
Of course he did.
I allowed a small approving nod.
"And you understand what that requires?"
"Yes," he said. "Knowledge. Discipline. Alliances."
Good.
Very good.
I turned to Cassandra.
"And you?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she closed her book slowly.
"I want to understand magic," she said.
Not power.
Not status.
Understanding.
My smile deepened slightly.
"That," I said quietly, "is a far more dangerous goal."
She smiled faintly in return.
"I thought you might say that."
I flicked my wand lightly.
Two notebooks appeared in the air before settling gently into my hands.
Simple on the outside.
But far from ordinary.
I handed one to Lucius.
The other to Cassandra.
"These," I said, "are copies of my notes."
Both children stilled.
Even Abraxas's expression sharpened slightly.
"They contain foundations," I continued. "Magic theory. Combat principles. Basic alchemy. Elements of mind magic."
Lucius held the notebook carefully, almost reverently.
Cassandra opened hers immediately.
Of course she did.
"There are enchantments placed upon them," I added. "They will adapt as you grow. Reveal more as you understand more."
Lucius looked up.
"And if we don't?"
"Then they remain useless to you."
His grip tightened slightly.
Good.
Motivation.
Cassandra, meanwhile, had already flipped through several pages.
Her eyes moved quickly.
Absorbing.
Processing.
Then she paused.
"This… isn't normal magic," she said.
A statement.
Again.
I looked at her.
"No," I said. "It isn't."
She looked up at me, something sharper in her gaze now.
"I like it."
I smiled.
I turned slightly, addressing both of them now.
"The world you will grow into," I said calmly, "will not be the same as the one your parents knew."
Abraxas remained silent behind me.
Listening.
Understanding.
"There will be war," I continued. "Change. Opportunity."
Lucius's expression hardened slightly.
Cassandra's eyes lit up.
Two very different reactions.
Both useful.
"If you are strong," I said, "you will rise."
"If you are weak…"
I let the sentence hang.
It didn't need finishing.
Lucius nodded slowly.
"I understand."
Cassandra closed her notebook.
"I'll make sure I'm not weak."
I believed her.
As I turned to leave, Abraxas followed closely behind.
"You're investing in them early," he said quietly.
"Yes."
"They'll be loyal."
I paused briefly.
Then glanced back toward the room.
Lucius already reading.
Cassandra already questioning.
"Not just loyal," I said softly.
"Dangerous."
As we stepped out into the halls once more, one thought lingered clearly in my mind.
The next generation…
Would be far greater than the last.
Because I would make them that way.