Protection

By the time Abraxas understood what was happening, it was already too late. To keep Tom, who had become Voldemort, from transferring his growing distrust of him onto the Malfoy family, he could only hand the position of family head to his still-immature son, then begin a secluded life where no one could find him.

After growing bored a few months later, he began traveling.

Abraxas knew that in his younger years, his father had been extremely enthusiastic about befriending and cooperating with foreign pure-blood families, while also expanding into Muggle industries in several other Central European countries. He had also heard that Europe had been far from peaceful during the years his father was developing the family business. However, other people's descriptions and his father's understated accounts had never allowed him to understand what that "lack of peace" truly looked like.

Only after he had traveled through those countries and lived among them, experiencing day and night the fear of Muggle-born wizards and the unsettling worship shown by some pure-blood wizards, did he realize how clever and daring his father had been—making a fortune from war right under Grindelwald's nose! And doing business with Muggles, too!

How had Father managed to be satisfied with merely making money?

He immediately felt that it was perfectly normal for his father to have looked down on him and Tom, who had once been determined to accomplish great things.

As for Cyberlina Sekerei, she was someone even his single-mindedly money-making father had once said, "If it were her, I would follow her." Therefore, Abraxas's understanding of Cyberlina did not stop at the Ministry of Magic's records, which only described her powerful magic.

Nor would he listen to Oberth's accounts of the deals he had made with Cyberlina. Abraxas would bet that his father's portrait had absolutely not told the truth! He did not believe that the two of them had only traded potions and alchemical materials.

But that did not stop him from writing about the deals he only half understood in a letter a few months ago.

"Professor Sekri." Abraxas interrupted Oberth and Cyberlina's conversation and spoke weakly. "Father was right. We really are gradually declining, especially me... I made the wrong choice for the Malfoy family... and I also led Luke to make the wrong choice."

Lucius abruptly looked toward the bed curtains. He had always known that his father was not wholeheartedly loyal to the Dark Lord, but this was the first time he had heard him express his regret so openly.

"Ab..." Oberth let out a sigh. "A large part of the blame is also mine for failing to stop you."

Cyberlina held the steaming red tea that had been placed on the small table beside her. She gently blew on it, then rested the cup on her lap, smiling as she watched the grandfather and grandsons who seemed to be performing a play. When the room fell silent, she asked with a beaming smile, "Do you need me to give the three of you some more private time to talk?"

Abraxas and Lucius showed no particular reaction, but Oberth suddenly froze before hurriedly saying, "No, no need, Professor Sekri. I only meant to say—they really do lack experience. If you choose to fulfill the agreement from back then, you will have to trouble yourself a little more."

Cyberlina gave a soft laugh. "There's no need to be nervous, Oberth. If I had decided not to fulfill that agreement to watch over the Malfoy family, you wouldn't be seeing me today."

"Then have you made your decision now?" Oberth asked.

"Oberth, I know you're worried that I might think the Malfoy family is no longer what it used to be and stop protecting you as I did before. But you've forgotten one thing..." Cyberlina lowered her eyes to the exquisite teacup in her hands, the corners of her lips curling upward. "In the British wizarding world today, all the younger generations are far worse than before. Your grandson... is fairly decent."

Lucius: "..."

Let's just assume she was genuinely praising me.

"In other words, you've chosen to fulfill the agreement." Oberth had already obtained his answer from Cyberlina's tone.

"Mm." Cyberlina smiled and took a sip of tea. "Actually, you don't need to be so nervous. There's no external danger at present, after all, and I don't need to protect you from anything."

"One had to prepare for every possibility." Abraxas spoke, his tone noticeably more relaxed.

"Every possibility of what?" Cyberlina raised her eyes. Through the thick bed curtains, Abraxas seemed to feel her gaze. "Are you talking about Riddle?"

"Not just him..." Abraxas shifted slightly, attempting to avoid the inexplicable gaze that had somehow landed on him. "Luke!"

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

Cyberlina smiled at Lucius and gestured toward the teacup held in both her hands. Lucius immediately understood. He released the rolled parchment apologetically and raised his wand. The parchment unfurled before Cyberlina.

The parchment was fairly large, but its contents consisted of only a few lines. They stated that the Rosier family in France and the Habsburg family in Germany—two families that rarely interacted—had suddenly begun socializing with each other frequently.

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

Cyberlina laughed. "Could this information have come from your earlier investigation into me?"

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

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

"I don't." Cyberlina answered without hesitation, then smiled brightly at Lucius. "Have you found anything? Oh, I don't know whether you're aware of this, but although the Habsburg family's German branch is fairly large at present, their main branch is still in Austria."

Lucius truly had not known that. He instinctively turned toward the bed curtains, then remembered that his father could not receive his gaze and turned toward his grandfather's portrait instead.

"I did hear something about it years ago." Oberth spoke after receiving his grandson's look. "But I never heard anything afterward, so I assumed it was merely a rumor."

"Then I can tell you clearly now that it isn't a rumor." Cyberlina seemed to be in an excellent mood as she slowly lifted her teacup and took a sip. "So, can you answer me now? What exactly have you found?"

"We weren't certain before, but after hearing what you said..." Lucius put away the parchment. "We're certain that the person imprisoned in Nurmengard has made a move."

Lucius actually had little understanding of Grindelwald. However, during the more than month he had spent receiving news from Central Europe, his father and grandfather had relentlessly filled his ears with information about him. As a result, Grindelwald had taken an extremely high position in his mind, and even his fear of the Dark Lord's return had lessened considerably.

"So during these nearly two months, you haven't found out anything specific."

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, "May I ask, Ms. Sekerei... do you think that person is going to leave Nurmengard?"

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

"Oberth, you didn't tell these two children anything at all?"

"No, Professor Sekri." Oberth's lips curved upward. "That was also part of the agreement, wasn't it?"

"Oh, I suppose it was..." Cyberlina placed her teacup back on the small table beside her. "All right, Mr. Malfoys. 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 held considerably more strength.

Oberth leaned forward slightly within the portrait.

Lucius also bowed respectfully, but inwardly began muttering frantically. She didn't answer whether Grindelwald would leave Nurmengard! And that agreement... what exactly did the Malfoy family give up? And she said for the rest of her life?!

But truthfully, Lucius did feel more at ease. At least the Malfoy family now had another backer—

"Oh, right, Lucius." Cyberlina rose. Just before leaving the room, she suddenly asked Lucius, who was opening the door for her, "Are there any dark magical objects in Malfoy Manor similar to that diary you threw into Hogwarts?"

Lucius felt his back turn cold in an instant.

"There, there shouldn't be any more." With the probing gazes of the two elders behind him fixed on his back, Lucius's voice instinctively became quieter. "At the time, the Dark Lord—The Dark Lord—gave me only that one."

"Then do you know who else might have one?"

Lucius thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know. It should—" He paused. "Perhaps Bella has one."

"Bella?"

Cyberlina stepped out of the room with a puzzled sound. Lucius immediately followed and quickly, silently closed the door behind her, then let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, his father and grandfather could not leave the room for the time being.

Then he saw the teasing look in Cyberlina's eyes.

Lucius curled his hand near his mouth and concealed two soft coughs, then continued walking as though nothing had happened while explaining to Cyberlina, "Bellatrix Lestrange. Her maiden name was Black... my wife's sister."

"Black..." Cyberlina nodded.

"She's the Dark—no, The Dark—"

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

Lucius hesitated, then continued, "She could be called The Dark Lord's most loyal servant. She was obsessed with him. She once secretly told Cissy—my wife—that The Dark Lord had finally begun turning his attention toward her. My wife asked why she thought that, but she said nothing. The next day, however, she secretly went to Gringotts."

"So the object is in the Black family vault?"

"No, she was already married by then." Lucius shook his head. "If she really wanted to hide it, I would guess it was in the Lestrange family vault. After all, the Lestranges are also extremely loyal to The Dark Lord."

"But his largest vault belongs to someone who isn't very loyal." Cyberlina teased him.

Lucius was rendered speechless. After considering his wording, he drawled, "Since you've known my grandfather for so many years, you should understand—we Malfoys have always been skilled at protecting ourselves, and we've always pursued better things."

A smile touched the corners of Lucius's lips as he gazed at Cyberlina sincerely, his gray eyes filled with admiration and longing.

Cyberlina blinked, then the amusement in her eyes deepened. With a touch of helplessness, she patted Lucius on the shoulder. "Good child, I'm not interested in those things. There's no need to play these little games in front of me."

The smile on Lucius's lips stiffened.

"Ask your grandfather more about how to say different things to different people." Cyberlina withdrew her arm, but the amusement in her voice remained. "And ask Severus for some advice on Occlumency, too. If I remember correctly, you're friends, and you both followed Riddle once... How did your levels of Occlumency end up so different?"

The two of them had reached the third floor. One turn down the stairs would bring them to the banquet hall on the second floor, and they could already hear voices and music coming from inside.

Cyberlina thus drew her wand and transformed her clothes into a high-collared dark-green evening gown. Her hat and scarf became a still-fluffy shawl, while her black hair was pinned up, with several curled strands hanging beside her ears.

"Shall the host go first?" Cyberlina smiled, slipped her wand inside the shawl, and looped it over her forearm as she smiled at Lucius.

After Cyberlina's series of movements, Lucius had recovered from the daze caused by the meaning behind her earlier words. He pressed his lips together, straightened his clothes, and stepped aside at the top of the stairs. "Guests first."

Although the Malfoy family had not announced Cyberlina's attendance at the Christmas banquet, Draco had invited her openly from the corridor. Therefore, it was no secret to the students at school, which also meant it was no secret to their parents.

As a result, nearly all the invitations sent out that evening had been accepted. In previous years, several families would inevitably hold banquets on the same date, so not everyone would attend.

Lucius was somewhat surprised when he saw the nearly full banquet hall before him.

"Luke." Narcissa, who was responsible for receiving the guests, came over. She first bowed to Cyberlina, then whispered into Lucius's ear, "There are also some uninvited guests."

Following Narcissa's implied gaze, Cyberlina looked over and saw Fudge in a striped formal suit and a tall hat, along with a short, neckless witch in pink.

"Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister." Lucius explained with great tact, then gave the two uninvited guests, who had already looked over, an unobtrusive smile. "Fudge's loyal subordinate."

"Terrible taste," Narcissa added quietly.

Cyberlina laughed. With admiration in her eyes, she looked Narcissa over and praised her. "Mrs. Malfoy, you're absolutely beautiful, and your taste is superb—both in your clothes and in the decoration of this banquet hall."

Narcissa's smile became more sincere, and she began praising Cyberlina in return. After exchanging a few friendly, enthusiastic remarks, the two had already begun giving each other jewelry.

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

Fudge noticed Cyberlina and Lucius entering the banquet hall almost at the same time. His thoughts began racing again, and he wanted to approach them, but when he was still several steps away, Bostede suddenly appeared and blocked his path.

"Professor Sekri!" The usually stern Bostede revealed a smile, astonishing Lucius and Flint, who was following behind her.

"Oh, Allison." Cyberlina took the hand Bostede extended and exclaimed softly, "You look wonderful today."

Lucius suspected that she praised everyone like this.

...No, then why was it always this wasn't good and that wasn't good whenever she spoke to me? Even my grandfather and father had never received such treatment.