"Of course! Of course I recognize it."
Lucius Malfoy's emotions were conflicted. There was a time when owning this diary was an honor—a supreme belief, a symbol of status and identity. But on that night over a decade ago, when the Dark Lord vanished, the diary became a hot potato. It was evidence of being a Death Eater, an evil Horcrux, a pit of darkness.
Lucius had thought countless times about discarding the diary. Yet, knowing its capabilities, he never dared. All he could do was seal it away in a hidden chamber within Malfoy Manor—out of reach, out of temptation.
Then came the night when the Weasleys raided him nine times in a row. Lucius panicked again, and his thoughts involuntarily turned to the diary. Only that diary could drive the Weasleys to such madness. Although they never found anything, always nitpicking irrelevant items, Lucius knew full well what their true target was.
Tom Riddle's diary—the Horcrux of Voldemort.
After that night ended, Lucius reopened the long-sealed chamber and took out the diary, intending to find the right time to get rid of it.
Then, by some twist of fate, he ran into the Weasley family again in Diagon Alley. Ha! What better trash bin than them?
Taking advantage of mocking their need to buy second-hand books, Lucius discreetly slipped the diary among them.
Everything should have gone perfectly. It could have been the perfect revenge against the Weasleys.
But then Regulus Black appeared—and everything changed.
Lucius found his brother-in-law incredibly strange. How did he know about the diary? How did he know Lucius would bring it that day? When he saw Regulus chatting and laughing with the Weasleys, Lucius finally understood.
It was all a setup. Everything had been orchestrated just to get him to bring out the diary. That's why the Weasleys had been raiding Malfoy Manor like madmen.
But by the time Lucius realized it, it was too late. The diary had disappeared into Regulus Black's hands—forever. That's when Lucius understood: this man now held a permanent hold over him.
"Regulus Black, do you even know what you're doing?"
Lucius remembered shouting that in a moment of panic. But Regulus had waved it off with an excuse about looking for old books.
He also remembered that Regulus had subtly hinted he could remove the Dark Mark from his arm.
"This is the Dark Lord's diary from his youth—and also his Horcrux."
Only the Malfoy couple and Regulus Black were present. Since the diary was now on the table, there was nothing left to hide.
"So, Lucius—please confirm it."
Regulus gestured for Lucius to pick up the diary.
Lucius didn't understand what Regulus was playing at, but the Horcrux had little effect on him. He wasn't afraid of being manipulated or possessed. As he picked it up, something felt strange—gone was the abyssal darkness and devilish venom he once sensed. What remained was merely dense dark magic, devoid of those mad, obsessive thoughts and memories.
It was still the same Horcrux—only now it lacked a personality.
This realization astonished Lucius. How could this be? No one had ever managed to reforge another person's Horcrux.
Though he couldn't see the item's attributes directly, he could feel the changes:
For example—he felt his bloodline was nobler! His charm seemed enhanced! His skill with the three Unforgivable Curses felt instinctive!
Most notably, he felt he could now better interact with other noble families, uncover their secrets, and even lead Death Eaters, gaining their loyalty and recognition.
Item: Tom Riddle's Diary [Horcrux]Required Level: 7+7 Noble Bloodline+7 Charm Increase+7 Imperius Curse Effect [3-piece set]+7 Cruciatus Curse Effect [5-piece set]+7 Monster Resurrection Effect [7-piece set]+77% Extra Gold Dropped from Monsters+77% Higher Chance of Acquiring Magical Equipment
Additional Favor and Secrets from Nobles
Additional Loyalty and Recognition from Death Eaters
Lucius was overwhelmed by this flood of sensations—confidence and arrogance, pride and conceit. These words may differ by only a letter in Chinese, but this Horcrux actually enabled someone to leap across that conceptual boundary. At this moment, Lucius felt himself to be arrogantly self-important. Even the way he looked at Regulus Black changed—it was as if he were looking at an insect.
Why was this happening? Just a moment ago, he hadn't felt this way about Regulus Black.
Lucius suddenly realized—it was all because of the diary in his hands.
Terrified, he quickly threw the diary back onto the table. This version of the diary was even more powerful than before—it had almost managed to take control of him. If there had been even the slightest trace of the creator's personality left inside, Lucius would no longer be himself; he would have become someone entirely different.
"How could this be?"
At this moment, Lucius could no longer maintain his usual composure, staring at Regulus Black with a face full of fear.
Narcissa had witnessed Lucius's entire transformation. That aura of superiority—of standing above all others—had appeared in an instant, only to vanish just as quickly. And the source of all this was Lucius's contact with the diary.
"Stay calm, Lucius. Only someone with a calm heart can truly wield the power inside this diary."
Regulus Black picked up the diary himself, but did not exude the same overwhelming aura that Lucius had. Even so, the enhancement of his charm was still very apparent.
There was one thing Regulus didn't say aloud: the stronger one's desire, the more easily they are controlled by a Horcrux.
At present, the Horcrux set still lacked Nagini. As for the Deathly Hallows, the Elder Wand was still missing. And he still wanted Godric Gryffindor's sword.
But there were too many things going on right now—far too much that needed to be processed. And with the timing not yet right, the rest would have to wait.
"This Horcrux has already been modified by me. After eliminating the personality of the Dark Lord within, only the Horcrux itself remains."
Regulus Black placed the diary back into the system. Holding it out in the open would only make the Malfoy couple nervous.
But what he said next made the couple's eyes light up—Horcruxes could be modified?
"The reason I'm showing you this is to make you understand: the mark Voldemort left behind—I can erase it. The only question is whether you're willing. After all, without the Dark Mark, if Voldemort returns, the Malfoy family will be seen as traitors."
Regulus Black rolled up his sleeves. Both of his arms were smooth and pale, not a trace of a tattoo to be seen.
Lucius had known that Regulus Black once joined the Death Eaters. Most of Slytherin in those years had taken the mark—for a shared goal. Those passionate young men had started a revolution. But none of them saw clearly what kind of man their leader truly was. Once they realized his selfishness and brutality, it was too late—no one who joined could leave.
Just like Sirius Black once said in the original story, being a Death Eater wasn't a job you could resign from. You either served until you died, or you just died.
"I need to think about this."
It wasn't just Lucius who bore the Dark Mark—Narcissa had one too. If they removed the mark now, and Voldemort did return, the reckoning would be inevitable.
"Very well! You have plenty of time to consider it. Why don't we discuss the handover of the docks over dinner?"
Regulus Black didn't press the issue. The Malfoy family was wealthy and powerful—it wouldn't be easy to move or conceal everything. That would take a lot of advance preparation.
And forget the idea of running off alone—would they just leave all their assets behind for the enemy?
Still, since Regulus Black had raised the issue, he would surely help when the time came. Lucius had many plans—all he needed was time.
"Of course! Let's talk over dinner. Today we have a fruit platter prepared by Narcissa herself. The rest of the dishes were made by the house-elves. Dobby! Set the table in the dining room at once."
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