The Return to Hogwarts

After weighing the pros and cons, Malfoy refused.

“Like I said before, I don’t have any connections there besides Foley. My advice is still to ask Foley. Of course, if you’re worried about him leaking information, you might as well visit Cacus Foley’s family first. You’ve always been good at doing that, haven’t you?”

It's easy to refuse a request from a decent person, but you can't just dismiss a madman like Graybuck with a simple "I'm sorry, I can't help you."

"Kakus Foley's family, you don't need to remind me, old friend, we've considered it—"

Greyback made a growling sound, the kind of growling a wolfhound makes when it feels threatened.

"But in the end we decided to give up. Foley is quite popular there. If we really went after him, we would find it impossible to move an inch. The wizarding world doesn't accept werewolves. We can't afford to lose that place. Besides, he's a very cunning guy, and his family is very cautious too. I can tell."

Under Malfoy's suddenly wary gaze, Graybury, clearly displeased, stood up.

"You don't want to help, do you? You don't want to help us, your old friends in such a pitiful situation."

With Voldemort already out of power and the future uncertain, no wizard with a sound mind would want to have anything to do with you anymore.

Malfoy, his face ashen, was pondering what reason to use to refuse when Greyback suddenly let out a mournful howl, but did not transform.

Just as Malfoy was still in a daze, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from the floor above the study, followed by two familiar screams of terror that made Lucius Malfoy's expression change drastically.

"How dare you threaten my family, Graybury!"

Malfoy swiftly drew the hidden wand from his scepter and jabbed it into the smug werewolf's eye.

"If Narcissa and Draco suffer even the slightest harm, I swear on the honor of the Malfoy family, I will make everything in Britain and everything related to wolves and dogs disappear completely!"

Malfoy roared angrily.

"A werewolf's request is not so easily refused, old friend. Do you think I would be foolish enough to barge into the famous Malfoy Manor alone to ask for your help?"

Feeling emboldened, Graybury ignored the wand that was about to touch his eyelashes and grinned maliciously.

"What on earth are you going to do!"

Malfoy's voice trembled slightly as he pointed his wand at Greyback's eyes. With a flick of his wrist and a utterance of the spell, he could end Greyback's life, but he dared not, for he knew that if he did, Narcissa and Draco's lives would likely be in grave danger!

Graybury did not answer the question, but instead pulled the silver hand back into his cloak and fumbled around for a moment before pulling out a wolf's paw.

The paw emitted a pungent stench, and its entire body was black and cracked, indicating that it had been scorched by a fire.

boom!

Under Malfoy's bewildered and terrified gaze, Greyback grinned, revealing a maniacal smile.

“In the underworld, you have to pay someone for your help, and you know we're all a bunch of poor guys who can't come up with many Galleons. So, I'm offering my most precious possession as payment. I hope you'll keep it safe—”

Malfoy was certain that even on the day he learned of the Dark Lord's downfall, his expression wouldn't be as grim as it was now.

Graybury glanced greedily at the jeweled peacock painting on the wall a couple more times, then turned and walked toward the door.

"If we don't hear from you for too long, old friend, we will come to visit again."

clang-

A chilling voice came from behind the door. Lucius Malfoy slowly lowered his wand and slumped into a soft chair.

Chapter 142 Method

Before Lucius Malfoy could even vent his vulnerability, the hurried and frantic footsteps on the floor made him jump up from his chair again. Before leaving, he glanced at the charred claw on the table that made him want to vomit, his cheeks twitched violently a few times, and then he waved his wand and threw the claw into the drawer.

"Honey!"

Narcissa, dressed in a silk nightgown and wand in hand, rushed down the stairs. Behind her, the terrifyingly pale Draco, trembling, gripped the handrail and followed.

"Two people called out, 'Father,'"

Cold sweat soaked Draco's blond hair, and his light gray eyes were filled with terror.

"I was sleeping when I suddenly felt someone pressing down on me. They were wearing a black cloak. One person covered my mouth, and the other had claws growing from their hand and pointing at my eyes!"

Draco's description sent shivers down Narcissa's spine. At that moment, it was difficult to tell whether her expression was one of lingering fear or utter rage.

"My situation is similar. It's them, isn't it?"

“Draco—” Lucius interrupted his wife, his face ashen, his hoarse voice filled with extreme repression, “Go upstairs and bring your blankets down. You’ll rest in my study tonight. Go now!”

Draco paused for a moment, then showed a reluctant expression. He knew his parents were discussing an important topic, and he wanted to join in. However, his father's stern instructions left him no choice but to reluctantly turn around and go upstairs to get his bedding.

Narcissa escorted Draco into the study before turning back to a small room thirty feet away.

"What exactly happened, darling!" Narcissa asked impatiently as soon as she entered the room. "What are those werewolves trying to do!"

"Greyborough showed up at the door with a few werewolves—"

When only his closest wife was present, Lucius no longer needed to hide his exhaustion. He slumped back in his chair, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples.

"Greyborough wants me to help him find out the whereabouts of an enemy."

As a couple bound by shared joys and sorrows, Lucius knew most of what Narcissa knew as well, and Narcissa quickly guessed it without much thought.

"Is it that golden viper that caused them several major losses?"

Before her husband could give a definite answer, Narcissa angrily said...

"Why don't they go to Kakus Foley? He knows the wizards of that place better than we do!"

After Lucius briefly recounted his conversation with Graybury to Narcissa, Narcissa immediately trembled with anger.

"He actually dared to threaten you!"

Narcissa's arm, which was holding the wand, trembled in mid-air.

"Does he think we're easy to mess with? A bunch of filthy, stinking bastards, how dare they threaten you and the Malfoy family into my son's bedroom! I swear I'll wipe them out!"

Lucius's eyes were terrifyingly sinister as he stared intently at the wand in his hand, offering no response to his wife's fury.

"--I don't care how much it costs, my dear. Go to the Ministry of Magic, go to Fudge. As long as he's willing to order the Aurors to hunt down all the werewolves in Britain, we'll agree to any number of Galleons he asks for. And the Underworld, we can also post commissions there. A thousand Galleons for a werewolf's corpse. I want every last one of these scum!"

Narcissa paced back and forth in the room, gritting her teeth in hatred.

"Moody and Scrimgeour have been searching for Graybury for over a decade, but they haven't even gotten a glimpse of him."

Lucius's voice was still hoarse, "These guys are more cunning than sewer rats. The Ministry of Magic doesn't have the ability to wipe them all out, and besides,"

Lucius looked at Narcissa, catching his breath.

"We all know this will invite endless retribution. That's what we did when we were under the Dark Lord's control. We would capture the rebels and their families, torture them with the most powerful Crucifixion Curse, and finally end them with the Killing Curse. Greyback won't use the Killing Curse on us; he has far more agonizing methods. It's precisely because of this 'talent' that the Dark Lord is willing to take them in."

Narcissa fell silent. Her hysterical anger stemmed from her fear of the outcome her husband had described.

The silence lasted a long time. Narcissa sat down next to Lucius, and neither of them spoke.

"Would you like to help me with this?"

After a long silence, Narcissa finally spoke, her voice filled with intense resentment.

"The Auror Office has been secretly investigating the identities of wizards active in the underworld, and they do have some information. I'll go to Fudge and request to see the list."

Lucius Malfoy looked up at the magic lamp on the ceiling. Although he had given his solution, his tone was weak. Clearly, he knew that the chances of getting a result were almost nil.

In fact, what Lucius just said to Greyback wasn't exactly a lie. Since the Dark Lord's downfall, in order to sever ties with him, he had tried his best to cut off all contact except through necessary channels. He even rarely had direct contact with Karkus Foley, who was also born into a pure-blood family.

Although the light was soft, after looking at it for a while, Malfoy's eyes felt extremely sore. He closed his eyes again and rubbed them, trying his best to eliminate the bizarre and surreal light and shadow in front of him.

But suddenly, a figure that left a deep impression on Malfoy and filled him with immense fear emerged from the blurry light, causing Malfoy's body to freeze abruptly.

Amosta Blaine!

Last Christmas, this person suddenly appeared in the vision of Malfoy, who was still a Hogwarts school board member, and forcefully intervened in the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets attack that occurred at the school. In just over three months, he completely brought an end to the conspiracy that Malfoy had painstakingly planned.

This person gained the support of the majority of the board members through Kakus's connections.

He has little reputation, but his strength is terrifying. He appears gentle and mild-mannered, but his methods are ruthless. In addition, he has some connection with Kakus. Malfoy is certain of this.

Amosta Blaine is also a wizard who spends most of his time in the underworld.

"He seems to have a good impression of Draco. Perhaps I can use this person to inquire about 'Golden Viper'?"

Lucius hesitated, but then, remembering their 'pleasant' encounter at the Leaky Cauldron, Malfoy dismissed the idea. He hoped Draco could get closer to this man, but he himself, unless there was no other way, absolutely did not want to deal with him again!

Chapter 143 Meet again

Amosta is unaware that a silent conspiracy orchestrated by Graybury is closing in on him; of course, if he did know, he would probably be delighted.

Because of his trip to Avalon Island, his strength had improved considerably. In order to better integrate his suddenly increased magic power with himself, he found a quiet hotel in the suburbs of London and rested for a few days. Once his body had adapted to everything, he packed his bags and returned to the magical world.

The moment Amosta stepped into the Leaky Cauldron, his brow furrowed slightly as his gaze swept over the somewhat dark hall, now dressed as a wizard.

As the gateway between the Muggle and Wizarding worlds, the Leaky Cauldron should be bustling with activity during the summer holidays, filled with the aroma of food and drinks. However, this is not actually the case.

At first glance, the dirty, dimly lit bar was deserted, with hardly anyone in sight. Only in an inconspicuous seat near the wall were a few guys, completely covered up, puffing on long pipes. Amosta glanced at them casually, without showing any emotion, but a sense of unease arose in his heart.

Amosta, who was already considered an 'old man' in the underground world, easily noticed the 'stench' of that place on this group of people.

Amosta didn't find anything wrong with the group's presence at the Leaky Cauldron. What puzzled him was that while he was casually glancing at them out of the corner of his eye, they were also looking at him, and their gazes were undisguised and blatantly probing.

This, however, seems a bit off.

Wizards who operate in the underworld all know a 'basic common sense': don't be too curious. If you're not determined to deal with someone, then you'd better not fixate on one person, otherwise, you're very likely to cause some unnecessary misunderstandings.