The crushing sensation of Apparition was more intense than Regulus had expected.
Orion's magic steadily enveloped him, as though he were speeding through a narrow rubber tube. His internal organs were briefly squeezed before everything suddenly opened up again the next second.
When his feet touched the ground, the Malfoy family castle already stood before him.
Moonlight spilled over the ivory-white stone walls, giving them a cold sheen. The spires thrust straight into the night sky, while the garden beyond the walls had been trimmed with meticulous precision. Magic Lanterns lit up one after another along both sides of the path.
The castle gates stood open, and two neatly dressed House-elves bowed in greeting, the Malfoy family crest embroidered on their collars.
The air was filled with the mingled scents of champagne, roasted chestnuts, and magical spices. String music drifted from afar, low and melodious, perfectly suited to a Pure-blood family banquet.
"Quite a few people came." Orion adjusted his pitch-black robes, his fingertips brushing the family brooch on his chest. "Stay with me. Speak less and observe more."
Regulus nodded, his gaze sweeping over the guest list at the entrance, where the surnames of various families had been embroidered in gold thread.
Lestrange, Carrow, Nott, Yaxley, Cuthbert, Travers, Goyle, Crabbe...
They were all families among the Sacred Twenty-Eight whose loyalties leaned toward Voldemort, along with representatives from several neutral Pure-blood families who had clearly come to assess the situation.
As they entered the main hall, the marble floor had been polished until it shone like a mirror, reflecting the Magic Reliefs on the colonnades lining both sides.
The reliefs depicted generations of Malfoy Patriarchs forming contracts with magical creatures such as Dragons and Griffins, their edges gilded in gold.
The furniture in the hall was all crafted from dark