In the windowless underground hall, Lucius Malfoy, dressed in a dark green robe, walked down the corridor with Draco in a black suit at his side. Father and son entered the venue and, under the staff's guidance, took seats in the front row of the observers' section.
A gray-green metal insignia gleamed dimly on the solid wooden armrests beside their seats. A faint, muted light flickered across it: two Fire Dragons and several venomous snakes coiled around the letter "M," dark and crystalline.
The Malfoy family insignia also marked their seats. The International Wizarding Congress welcomed all wizards and magical creatures to observe, but only in the unimportant seats at the back. To some extent, the front-row seats were symbols of status and wealth.
Lucius's hair was somewhat grizzled, and his back was no longer as straight as it had once been, carrying a slight curve instead. If he had once maintained his posture for the sake of dignity and elegance, now he pursued comfort without sacrificing courtesy, revealing a hint of age.
The seats in front and behind gradually filled with observing wizards. Some were familiar faces: the back rows held the Pure-blood Families that had survived the turmoil, while the front rows held newly risen mixed-blood elites, retired Ministry of Magic officials, members of Merlin's Knights...
Others were unfamiliar, their identities discernible only from the Insignias embedded in the armrests on either side: the Board of Governors of France's Beauxbatons, scholars from the Egyptian Alchemy Research Center, pure-blood wizards from other regions...
There were also acquaintances from his memories whom he would likely never see again.
Draco's hair was combed immaculately, platinum blond with a yellowish tinge. Gold-thread patterns were subtly embroidered into the cuffs of his tailored suit. His hands were clasped together, fingers interlocked, as he