Can You Just Say That Out Loud?

"Long time no see, Lucius, Narcissa."

Pushing open the door, Manus strode toward Lucius, with Narcissa beside him... probably to show he meant no harm.

In contrast, Manus was more surprised by the location chosen. At first, he thought it would be a place protected by Fidelius Charm, or some Malfoy family property.

Manus wouldn't be surprised if Voldemort and Death Eaters had laid a trap.

But this is actually a coffee shop... Although it looks nicely decorated and has rooms for private conversations, it's not run by Wizard, but a purely Muggle coffee shop.

This is indeed quite different from the Malfoy that Manus remembered.

"Long time no see, Manus."

Lucius, who had been staring at the menu, looked up when he heard the sound, and Narcissa beside him nodded to Manus.

"What a pity, I didn't see you at the Quidditch World Cup last time. We haven't seen each other since we graduated, have we?"

"Yes."

Manus pulled out a chair and sat down. Soon after, a waiter came over to ask what he would like to order.

Do you have Quirrell?

Manus glanced at the menu Lucius had pushed towards him; it mainly featured cakes and other side dishes, with instant coffee being the first item listed in the coffee category.

In terms of coffee, the two worlds have different names but do have similarities, although the variety of coffee in this world is somewhat limited.

Britain was slower in this regard; people there generally drank tea and alcohol, and coffee was a relatively new thing that had just been introduced, and even among Wizards, it was rarely consumed.

Instant coffee without any category name is the most common type of regular coffee in coffee shops.

(Although coffee is mentioned in descriptions within the Wizarding World during the Next Generation, no specific type of coffee is named; only distinctions like coffee and espresso are made. However, in * The Deathly Hallows *, when Harry, Meghan, and Harry escape to a Muggle café, Hermione orders a Quirrell, and lattes are also available.)

This indicates that the novel does categorize coffee; the coffee mentioned earlier is simply "coffee skin" without a specific variety.

Based on the few instances where coffee appears, compared to tea, coffee seems to be viewed more as a pure stimulant in the Wizarding World, without undergoing complex flavoring or selection.

"Um, sorry, we don't have Quirrell here. You can choose from the menu."

The waiter gave an awkward but polite smile.

"Then let's have foam coffee."

The coffee portion of a foamed coffee is also instant coffee, but it's topped with a layer of foamed milk, and you can also add a layer of chocolate chips. The milk and chocolate neutralize the bitterness of the coffee, adding a lingering aftertaste.

"We want the same."

Lucius and Narcissa quickly followed suit.

"Then let's add three more Black Forest cakes."

Manus added.

The café Lucius chose looked alright, but that was all it looked like; it didn't have any of those unique, signature desserts.

After ordering, Manus looked at Lucius, who seemed relieved. Now it was time to get down to business.

"You want to join Wizard Sage Party?"

Lucius was taken aback, not expecting Manus to be so... direct, getting straight to the point right away.

Manus was perfectly adept at social skills back in the Slug Club. But thinking about it, it makes sense; the Wizard Sage Party isn't the Slug Club, it's a place where ability reigns supreme.

After making a slight adjustment to his approach to the Wizard Sage Party, Lucius nodded and said:

"That's right, and we both want to join Wizard Sage Party."

"I'd like to know why you chose Wizard Sage Party?"

Manus revealed a more direct side than he would have said outright, tilting his head slightly as he looked at the two of them:

"Both the Malfoy family and Black Families are staunch supporters of the You-Know-Who. You two are neither rebels nor idealists, so why did you choose the Wizard Sage Party? The benefits and risks of this decision seem disproportionate to your costs and benefits."

Lucius froze, exchanging a glance with Narcissa.

They must have rehearsed today's dialogue before they came, but the current development of the dialogue has clearly exceeded any of the possible developments in the previous rehearsals.

Is it okay to just say this directly?

Shouldn't it be that everyone is outwardly friendly, then gradually probes each other's intentions and thoughts, eventually reaching a tacit understanding...?

Why are some people asking directly?

Aren't you afraid of us... Oh right, you're not afraid? Then it's alright.

"To be honest, I was prepared before I came that I would encounter a group of Death Eaters lurking in the shadows, or even the You-Know-Who himself..."

Upon hearing this, Lucius immediately stood up:

"How could I possibly do such a thing?!"

"That's exactly what I'm wondering about. Why didn't you do that?"

Lucius choked for a moment, wanting to say that of course he wouldn't do that, but thinking about the Malfoy family's reputation in Wizard circles, he couldn't bring himself to say it so confidently.

When it comes to pursuing profits, you can always trust Malfoy.

"Well, actually, the Malfoy family isn't such a fanatical supporter of Pure-bloodism, nor are they staunch followers of You-Know-Who. What the Malfoy family has always sought is a balance between profit and stability."

After some deliberation, Lucius reluctantly chose to tell the truth.

He doesn't have many options right now, and since he's already made his choice, there's no reason to back out at this juncture.

"To be honest, following Black You-Know-Who doesn't align with the Malfoy family's aspirations."

Manus raised his eyebrows slightly:

"But your actions don't seem to suggest that."

"Because by the time my father truly realized what kind of person the You-Know-Who was, it was too late. By then, the You-Know-Who had already set his sights on the Malfoy family, and my father, besides being his right-hand man, could only become a corpse under the You-Know-Who's Killing Curse..."

Lucius gave a wry smile, about to say something but suddenly stopped.

The waiter pushed open the door and came in, carrying a cart with three cups of coffee sprinkled with cocoa shavings and three slices of Black Forest cake.

After the waiter placed the food and left, Manus stirred his foamy coffee and then looked at Lucius:

"Even so, continuing your father's choice to follow the You-Know-Who is still more in your best interest, isn't it? Changing course will not only put your father in danger, but the Malfoy family will still be targeted by the You-Know-Who. What made you choose me?"