The hissing from those scarlet eyes was utterly chilling. It not only made Lucius tremble even more violently, but also left him utterly afraid to meet that gaze.
It felt as though all strength had been drained from his body, yet the burning Dark Mark on his arm forced him to remain conscious.
"Lucius—" The owner of those scarlet eyes spoke, his voice like rusty iron scraping against frozen eardrums, piercing deep into the listener's brain.
"You are late, Lucius—"
Lucius's entire body stiffened, every nerve seeming to be nailed in place by icy spikes.
He struggled to open his mouth, but his throat could not produce even a single sound.
"I can smell the sour stench of fear, Lucius."
The tall woman, Bellatrix, sneered. "Lucius, the Master heard that you could not even deal with a Mudblood. He is very angry now."
Her long, skeletal fingers gently stroked her sister Narcissa's bloodless, deathly pale face. "Go on. Beg for the Master's forgiveness."
Lucius used every ounce of strength to crawl forward, never daring to look into those scarlet eyes.
Draco, sheltered behind Narcissa, watched his dad crawl into the corridor like a dog, and felt as though he had fallen into an ice cellar.
He could clearly feel something crawling over his skin. The sensation was strangely familiar—an instinctive fear.
As Lucius's figure vanished into the darkness, something deep inside him began to shatter piece by piece.
"Draco—" Bellatrix's long, skeletal fingers reached toward him. "Come here. Come, let me have a good look at you."
Narcissa grabbed her hand, trembling uncontrollably. "Bella, congratulations on regaining your freedom. You must be tired. Let me take you to rest."
Bellatrix revealed an exceptionally chilling smile. "All right, Cissy. The last time we met seemed to have been in Azkaban, didn't