"Regulus Black, do you even know what you're doing?"
Of course, Lucius Malfoy knew exactly what he had just done—and what he had lost.
Tom Riddle's diary. Voldemort's Horcrux. As the Death Eater closest to the Dark Lord, Lucius Malfoy had been entrusted with the honor of safeguarding one of his Horcruxes. Naturally, the Dark Lord never explicitly stated that it was a Horcrux—he merely said it was a dark magic artifact that the Malfoy family should keep safe. But Lucius had verified for himself that the object was, indeed, a Horcrux.
Originally, Lucius didn't care much about the diary stored in the Chamber. But after Arthur Weasley's nine surprise inspections of Malfoy Manor last night, flipping the entire estate upside down, Lucius had been forced to explain away many of his family's inherited dark artifacts. Yet Arthur Weasley hadn't confiscated anything—he just kept coming back again and again.
Why? What exactly was Arthur Weasley looking for?
Paranoia consumed Lucius Malfoy as the answer finally hit him—and it left him in a cold sweat.
Voldemort's Horcrux. The Dark Lord's diary.
Once morning came and it was clear Arthur wouldn't return again, Lucius immediately decided to dispose of the diary. It had to be done in a way that severed any connection to him—and ideally, it would even hurt his enemies in the process.
As he pondered which political rival to frame, fate handed him a golden opportunity at Flourish and Blotts: the entire Weasley family, conveniently gathered.
And they were buying loads of second-hand books! Ha! A gift from the heavens.
Feigning nonchalance, Lucius mocked the children while discreetly slipping the diary into Ginny's stack of used books—completely unnoticed.
Perfect. Lucius Malfoy was already planning to celebrate with a drink when he got home.
But when Regulus Black plucked the diary from that pile of old books, the whole plan suddenly turned into a bad joke.
"What am I doing?" Regulus Black said, feigning ignorance of Lucius's question. "I've been searching for a very specific book—one of a kind in the entire world. And I just happened to spot it."
Lucius Malfoy didn't even know how to defend himself. Regulus hadn't said anything outright. Was he supposed to confess on his own?
Unthinkable. If the Ministry used a spell to verify the diary's origin and it traced back to him, the Malfoy family's identity as Death Eaters would be exposed. Their ties to the Dark Lord would be permanently etched into the family record.
Should he draw his wand now, kill Regulus, and take the diary back? No—this was Diagon Alley. Impossible. Besides, he had no idea where Regulus had hidden it. One moment the diary was in his hands, and the next—it was gone.
Lucius had never felt so overwhelmed. Fear, embarrassment, pain, guilt, and regret—all surged through him.
Regulus Black, usually cold and aloof, gave a mischievous smile.
"Lucius, regarding the Black family's assets, I believe some are in your possession." Regulus stepped closer. "You know I'm determined to restore the Black name. Right now, it's just me. But if my foolish older brother were to return and discover the family assets had been sealed, transferred, or divided up, he'd laugh at me—the rightful heir. If you're willing to help me, you'll earn the Black family's friendship."
Lucius immediately understood—Regulus was here to negotiate. But did he actually know what the diary was? Maybe not. Perhaps he had only sensed something suspicious and confirmed it was important. And now, he dared to use that as leverage.
"Oh? And how exactly do you want me to help you?"
Lucius discreetly wiped the cold sweat from his brow. Let's see what Regulus Black demands.
"As I recall, the Black family owned a small dock. It's currently under your management, isn't it?"
Regulus went straight for the biggest piece of Black family property in Lucius's name.
"Oh, that dock," Lucius said. "Yes, it exists. It's a bit small—only fits one ship—but even so, it brings in a nice profit each year. So why should I return it to you? Or are you planning to make me an offer?"
Being threatened in public—right in front of the Weasleys—Lucius couldn't possibly back down without a fight.
You want your Black family property? Fine. Buy it back.
"Clearly, Lucius, you don't understand what those assets represent. To you, they're just profit. But to the Black family, they are history. If you're looking for some sort of return, perhaps I can help you… dispose of something unclean."
Regulus's words seemed to hint at the diary he had just obtained. Then suddenly, he grabbed Lucius's left forearm.
"That's impossible. No one can do that."
Lucius Malfoy's expression shifted again. Was the other party bluffing him? Yes, he must be bluffing.
What Regulus Black and Lucius Malfoy were referring to was actually the Dark Mark.
The Dark Mark was Voldemort's personal symbol. Whenever he or his Death Eaters killed someone, they would leave the Dark Mark above the corpse or house.
At first glance, the Dark Mark resembled an enormous skull, composed of countless star-like emerald green particles, with a massive serpent slithering out of the skull's mouth like a tongue. After appearing, it would rise higher and higher into the sky, glowing with a luminous green mist. Against the pitch-black night sky, it looked like a newly formed constellation.
The Dark Mark was also branded onto the left forearm of every Death Eater as a mark of identification.
Whenever Voldemort grew stronger or appeared nearby, the mark on the Death Eaters' arms would burn painfully, becoming more vivid and turning red. If Voldemort pressed down on the Dark Mark on a Death Eater's arm, he could summon the others. At that moment, they would need to Apparate immediately to his side and await orders. Similarly, if a Death Eater touched the mark on their own arm, Voldemort could sense the summoning and Apparate to them.
No one had ever succeeded in removing the Dark Mark. If they could, those Death Eaters who escaped punishment wouldn't have claimed they were under a spell—they would have simply removed the mark from their arm.
"Ah~! Let's not talk about that now. Mutual trust takes time. Once a few things are cleared up, you'll naturally know whether my sincerity is real or not. So, do you have time in the next few days? The school term is about to start, and I'll be busy running around," Regulus Black said.
Regulus wanted to finalize the transfer of the dock property as soon as possible. Of course, Lucius Malfoy might try to stall, but by then, returning the property alone wouldn't be enough to get him off the hook.
Mmm… it felt great to have something on someone else!
"Dad! Why do I feel like the assistant professor and Lucius are in on something together?"
Ron was still annoyed about being mocked for looking like he had a dumb face, so now everything irritated him. Seeing Regulus Black and Lucius Malfoy talking in hushed tones made him even more upset—especially with Draco Malfoy blocking their path and not letting them get close. That was just plain infuriating!
So, even though Ron directed the question at Arthur Weasley, everyone present heard it loud and clear.
"Who gave you permission to call my father by name like that?!"
Draco instantly locked his eyes on Ron and questioned him sharply. In Draco's mind, his father Lucius's image was sacred and not to be desecrated.
"You should trust your assistant professor, Ron."
Arthur Weasley patted his son's shoulder, expressing his stance. Who knows what Regulus Black had said to him before—his trust level was through the roof now.
"If you don't trust Professor Black, you'll have a hard time passing your exams. You won't believe a word he teaches."
Hermione, without hesitation, added fuel to the fire to defend her beloved.
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