At Malfoy Manor, in a dimly lit room, Draco Malfoy sat curled up in a chair with his arms around his knees, staring blankly at the shattered mirror before him.
A few days ago, the Malfoy family had undergone earth-shaking changes.
Draco's father, Lucius, had not only failed in his plan to lead a raid on a Mudblood wedding, but had also foolishly led the others into a trap set by the Ministry of Magic. Many Dark Wizards who had answered his call were captured, and some had even lost their lives because of it.
Overnight, the Malfoy family's reputation had been utterly ruined. Lucius, who had always been Draco's role model, had become a failure in the eyes of countless Death Eaters. He and his mother had also become targets of the Death Eaters' hatred and scorn, because Lucius's foolishness had caused devastating losses among the Death Eaters and those who had trusted him.
Misfortune seemed to have latched onto the Malfoy family. Not long after the Ministry of Magic's great victory, a pair of Aurors visited Malfoy Manor and brought them a letter from home—and a fine of fifty thousand Galleons.
It was undoubtedly the most insane thing Draco had ever seen in his life.
That damned Scrimgeour had actually threatened them: if the Malfoy family refused to pay the enormous fine of fifty thousand Galleons, his father Lucius would not even get the chance to enter the courtroom.
Pay up, or die.
It was his father Lucius's handwriting. Draco would recognize it even in death. In the letter, Lucius had discreetly mentioned that two other wizards were receiving similar treatment. As for the other captured Death Eaters, they had all been killed for "resisting arrest."
Whether they had truly been killed for resisting arrest or not, they