Protecting

By the time Abraxas understood, it was already too late. To prevent Tom, who had already become Voldemort, from transferring his growing distrust onto the Malfoy family, he had no choice but to hand over the family headship to his immature son and then began a life of seclusion that no one could fathom.

After a few months of boredom, he started traveling.

Abraxas knew that his father had been very keen on befriending and collaborating with foreign pure-blood families in his earlier years, even expanding Muggle industries in various Central European countries. He had also heard that Europe was not peaceful during the years his father was building the family business, but the descriptions from others and his father's downplaying of it couldn't make him realize what that "unpeaceful" state was like.

It wasn't until he had traveled through those countries, lived among them, and experienced day and night the fear of Muggle-born wizards, as well as the bizarre worship some pure-blood wizards held, that he realized how intelligent and bold his father had been—making a fortune from war right under Grindelwald's nose! And doing business with Muggles!

—How did Father manage to restrain himself to just making money!

He immediately felt that it was perfectly normal for his father to look down on him and Tom, who had always wanted to do great things.

As for Cyberlina Sekerei, she was the kind of person even a father who only wanted to make money would say, "If it were her, I would follow." Therefore, Abraxas's perception of Cyberlina was not limited to the Ministry of Magic's records that only documented her immense magical power.

He certainly wouldn't listen to what Oberth said about his dealings with Cyberlina—Abraxas bet his father's portrait was not telling the whole truth! He simply didn't believe their transactions were just for simple potions and alchemy ingredients.

But this did not stop him from writing about his half-understood transactions in a letter a few months ago.

"Professor Sekri," Abraxas interrupted Oberth and Cyberlina's conversation, speaking weakly. "Father was right, we are indeed declining, especially me... I made the wrong choice for the Malfoy family... and I also made Luke make the wrong choice."

Lucius looked sharply towards the bed curtains—he had always known his father wasn't entirely loyal to the Dark Lord, but this was the first time he had so plainly expressed his regret.

"Abra..." Oberth let out a sigh. "It was mainly my fault for not stopping you."

Cyberlina, holding a cup of hot black tea that had appeared on the small table beside her, blew on it gently before placing it on her lap. She smiled as she watched the three of them—grandfather, father, and son—acting as if they were in a play. When the room fell silent, she asked with a smile, "Would you three like a little more time to chat alone?"

Abraxas and Lucius didn't react much, but Oberth suddenly paused before quickly saying, "No, no need, Professor Sekri. I just wanted to say—they do lack experience. If you choose to fulfill the agreement from back then, then you will need to take on more responsibility."

Cyberlina chuckled softly, "No need to be nervous, Oberth. If I had decided not to fulfill that agreement to look after the Malfoy family, you wouldn't be seeing me today."

"So, have you made your decision now?" Oberth inquired.

"Oberth, I know you're worried I'll think the Malfoy family isn't what it used to be and won't protect you as before. But you've forgotten something—" Cyberlina lowered her eyes, looking at the exquisite teacup in her hand, a smile playing on her lips. "The current British wizarding world is one where all the younger generation has declined. Your grandson... is quite alright."

Lucius: "..."

He'd just take it as a genuine compliment.

"So, you choose to fulfill the agreement." Oberth had already gotten his answer from Cyberlina's tone.

"Mm," Cyberlina smiled and took a sip of her black tea. "Actually, there's no need for you all to be so nervous. After all, there are no external dangers right now, so I don't need to protect you."

"One must always prepare for the unexpected," Abraxas said, his tone noticeably more relaxed.

"Prepare for what?" Cyberlina raised her eyes. Through the thick bed curtains, Abraxas felt as if he could sense her gaze. "Are you talking about Riddle?"

"More than just—" Abraxas shifted his body, trying to avoid the gaze that seemed to land on him somehow. "Luke!"

"Yes." Lucius stepped forward, approaching Cyberlina's chair, and handed her a rolled-up piece of parchment.

Cyberlina smiled at Lucius, then gestured to the teacup she held in both hands. Lucius immediately understood, and with an apologetic look, he released the parchment and raised his wand—the parchment unfurled before Cyberlina.

The parchment was not small, but the content was only a few sentences, stating that the Rosier family in France and the Habsburg family in Germany—two families with very little contact—had suddenly begun frequenting each other socially.

The message was dated November 5th, the day after she had cleared Hagrid's name.

Cyberlina laughed, "This news, it couldn't have been found when you were investigating me before, could it?"

Although it was a question, her tone was almost certain.

Lucius nodded stiffly, then said, "So you know what they are planning."

"No," Cyberlina answered without hesitation, then added with a smile, "Did you find anything out? Oh, do you know that although the current branch of the Habsburg family in Germany is quite large, their main family branch is still in Austria."

Lucius actually didn't know this. He subconsciously turned to look at the bed curtains—realizing his father couldn't receive his gaze, he turned back to his grandfather's portrait.

"I did hear about it years ago," Oberth said, receiving his grandson's gaze. "But I haven't heard anything since and just took it as a rumor."

"Well, now I can tell you definitively, it's not a rumor," Cyberlina said, seeming to be in good spirits as she slowly picked up her teacup and took a sip. "So, can you answer me, what have you found out?"

"It was uncertain at first, but hearing you say that—" Lucius put away the parchment. "We're sure that the one imprisoned in Nurmengard has made a move."

Lucius didn't have much of an impression of Grindelwald. However, after more than a month of receiving news from Central Europe, his father and grandfather had constantly filled his ears with information, causing him to place Grindelwald in a very high position in his mind, even reducing his fear of the Dark Lord's return.

"So, in the past two months, you haven't found out anything detailed."

Lucius paused, then slowly nodded. Seeing that neither his father nor grandfather intended to speak, he braced himself under Cyberlina's smiling gaze and asked, "Excuse me, Ms. Sekerei... do you think he is planning to leave Nurmengard?"

Cyberlina raised her eyebrows in surprise, then shifted her gaze from Lucius to Oberth's portrait.

"Oberth, did you tell these two children nothing?"

"No, Professor Sekri," Oberth smiled. "That was also part of the agreement, wasn't it?"

"Oh, that's true..." Cyberlina placed the teacup back on the small table beside her. "Alright, gentlemen Malfoy, I can guarantee that before my life ends, I will protect the Malfoy family—just as I did back then."

"Thank you, Professor Sekri," Abraxas's voice regained some strength.

Oberth's portrait leaned forward slightly.

Lucius also bowed respectfully, but his mind began to race—she didn't seem to answer whether Grindelwald would actually leave Nurmengard! And that agreement... what exactly did the Malfoy family give in return? And for her entire life?!

But honestly, Lucius felt a bit more at ease. At least the Malfoy family now had a backer—

"Oh, right, Lucius," Cyberlina stood up. Just as she was about to leave the room, she suddenly asked Lucius, who opened the door for her, "Are there any other Dark Magic artifacts in Malfoy Manor similar to the diary you threw into Hogwarts?"

Lucius felt a chill run down his spine.

"Th-there shouldn't be," Lucius's voice lowered instinctively as he stared at the two probing gazes from his elders behind him. "At that time, the Dark Lord—the Mysterious One, only gave me that one."

"Do you know anyone else who might have it?"

Lucius thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I don't think so—perhaps Bella would."

"Bella?"

As Cyberlina asked the question, she walked out of the room. Lucius immediately followed her, closing the door quickly and silently behind them. He let out a sigh of relief—thankfully, his father and grandfather were temporarily confined to their rooms.

—Then he saw Cyberlina's slightly teasing gaze.

Lucius cupped his hand to his mouth, covering a light cough. As if nothing had happened, he walked on, explaining to Cyberlina, "Bellatrix Lestrange, née Black… my wife's sister."

"Black, huh…" Cyberlina nodded.

"She's the Dark— no, the Myst— "

"It's fine, you can call him whatever you like."

Lucius hesitated, then continued, "She's arguably the Dark Lord's most loyal servant; she's obsessed with him. She once told Cissy—my wife—in confidence that the Dark Lord was finally starting to pay attention to her. When my wife asked why she thought that, she wouldn't say, but the next day she secretly went to Gringotts."

"So, the item is in the Black family vault?"

"No, she was already married by then." Lucius shook his head. "I suspect if it were to be hidden, it would be in the Lestrange vault. After all, the Lestranges are also very loyal to the Dark Lord."

"But his biggest vault isn't exactly loyal," Cyberlina teased.

Lucius was speechless, then, while carefully choosing his words, he drawled, "Since you've known my grandfather for many years, you should understand—we Malfoys have always been good at self-preservation—and we always pursue what's better."

A smile played on Lucius's lips as he gazed sincerely at Cyberlina, his gray eyes filled with admiration and longing.

Cyberlina blinked, her eyes sparkling with amusement. With a hint of helplessness in her movements, she patted Lucius's shoulder. "Good boy, I'm not interested in those things. There's no need to play these games with me."

The smile on Lucius's lips froze.

"Ask your grandfather more often how to say the right thing to the right person," Cyberlina retracted her arm, but the amusement in her tone didn't lessen. "And go ask Severus for some tips on Occlumency—I remember you two are friends, and you both followed Riddle… how can your Occlumency skills be so different?"

By this point, the two had reached the third floor. A turn of the staircase would lead to the ballroom on the second floor, and the sounds of conversation and music could already be heard from within.

So, Cyberlina took out her wand and transformed her clothes into a high-necked, dark green evening gown. Her hat and scarf became a fluffy shawl, and her long black hair was styled up, with a few curls framing her ears.

"Master, please go first?" Cyberlina smiled, tucking her wand inside her shawl and hooking it onto her forearm. She smiled at Lucius.

After Cyberlina's transformation, Lucius had snapped out of the daze caused by her words. He pursed his lips, tidied his clothes, and then gestured for Cyberlina to go ahead on the staircase. "Guest, please go first."

Although the Malfoy family hadn't announced Cyberlina's attendance at the Christmas banquet, Draco had invited her from the corridor. Therefore, it wasn't a secret to the students at the school, which also meant—it wasn't a secret to their parents.

So, almost all the invitations sent out that night were accepted—in previous years, due to overlapping dates with other family banquets, not everyone would attend.

Looking at the nearly full ballroom before them, Lucius was also somewhat surprised.

"Luke." Narcissa, who was in charge of greeting guests, walked over. After bowing to Cyberlina, she whispered in Lucius's ear, "There are also some uninvited guests."

Hearing this, Cyberlina followed Narcissa's implied gaze—she saw Fudge, wearing a striped suit and a top hat, and a… no, a short, neckless witch in a pink outfit.

"Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister." Lucius explained with keen observation, then gave a subtle smile to the two uninvited guests who had already noticed them. "Fudge's loyal subordinate."

"Terrible taste," Narcissa added softly.

Cyberlina chuckled, looking around at Narcissa with admiration. She praised, "Lady Malfoy, you are truly beautiful, with excellent taste—both in your attire and in the decoration of this ballroom."

Narcissa's smile became more genuine, and she began to praise Cyberlina as well. After a few minutes of friendly and enthusiastic conversation, they began exchanging gifts.

Lucius: "...?" Was this the same Cyberlina as before?

Fudge noticed Cyberlina and Lucius entering the ballroom almost at the same time, and his thoughts began to stir again. He wanted to go up and chat, but just as he was a few steps away, he was blocked by the sudden appearance of Bostede.

"Professor Sekri!" Bostede, usually stern, broke into a smile, which shocked both Lucius and Flint, who was following behind him.

"Oh, Alison." Cyberlina took Bostede's outstretched hand, exclaiming slightly, "You look truly beautiful today."

Lucius suspected she complimented everyone she met.

…No, why was she so critical of him, but not even his grandfather and father received such treatment?