Winning Draco's trust had been easier than Cyrus had imagined. Cyrus knew he probably had Lucius to thank for that. Draco still idolized his father, so if Lucius had told him the Diary could help him open the Chamber of Secrets, he would naturally believe it without question.
As Cyrus spoke with Draco, he also learned how the whole thing had unfolded.
Back then, Cyrus had taken on Draco's appearance and found the Malfoy family's owl. The owl had failed to recognize that the Malfoy before it was not the real Malfoy, and had flown off with the letter to Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire.
Worried that Lucius Malfoy might refuse to obey his orders, Cyrus had made a pointed suggestion in the letter that Draco's fate was already in his hands, telling Lucius to cooperate and get Dumbledore removed from the school.
As a result, when Lucius and Narcissa received the letter from their "son," they immediately panicked. A misunderstanding ensued.
The story went back to the days around Christmas.
Wiltshire, Malfoy Manor.
"It's Christmas already. Surely they ought to leave us alone by now!" Narcissa looked thoroughly displeased. The expression spoiled her natural beauty, making her look rather unapproachable.
But she could hardly be blamed. The Ministry of Magic had been giving them trouble all year, trying to uncover the Dark Magic objects hidden by the Malfoy family. Although Lucius had secretly disposed of the most troublesome batch, the Malfoy family had hardly spent all those years in the wizarding world being model citizens. Unless they stripped the entire manor bare, there was no getting rid of everything.
Then there was her darling son. It was only because of the constant searches that Lucius had decided Draco should spend Christmas at school that year. Narcissa was naturally unhappy at being unable to see her beloved boy during his precious holiday.
"I've already put pressure on the Daily Prophet and the Ministry of Magic. Fortunately, Arthur Weasley has an idiot for a son, and then there's that Harry Potter-"
With Weasley targeting him, Lucius certainly wasn't going to sit back and take it.
Arthur Weasley, is it?
If you make trouble for me, I'll make sure you suffer too!
In fact, he had already made his move during the summer holidays. He had remembered a diary Voldemort had entrusted to him years ago. The Diary looked like something from the Muggle world. If that man hadn't left it in his care, he would have thrown it out as rubbish long ago.
Lucius recalled that he had apparently even asked the Dark Lord back then why he wanted him to keep a notebook from the Muggle world.
The Dark Lord's answer had been that the Diary was the key to opening the Chamber of Secrets.
Had the Dark Lord still been alive, Lucius would never have dared to give the Diary away, even on pain of death. But now, he had been gone for eleven years. In that case, why not use the Diary to cause the Weasley family a little trouble?
He hadn't let the subsequent Flying Ford Anglia incident pass, either. Not only had he contacted the newspaper to blow the matter up, but he had also bribed several Ministry officials with whom he was on good terms, dragging Arthur Weasley into the controversy.
Now, at last, those infuriating, endless searches had stopped.
"Do you think you ought to go to Hogwarts and bring Draco home?" Narcissa asked worriedly. "In his last letter, Draco said there had already been an attack at the school. I'm afraid the Chamber of Secrets really has been opened. I'm worried he might be in danger if he stays there."
Lucius considered it for a moment, then shook his head. "The victim was only a Mudblood. Draco won't be in any danger. Besides, I've already written to tell him to keep a low profile. He knows very little about this affair. There won't be a problem."
It wasn't that they couldn't make a special trip to bring Draco home, but he would one day become the head of the Malfoy family. He shouldn't be so precious.
As the two of them talked,
they spotted a shape flying toward them through the sky. It was none other than the owl they had bought for Draco.
"Didn't Draco send us a letter just a few days ago?" Narcissa eagerly took the letter from the owl and opened it. Seconds later, her already pale face turned even whiter. She covered her mouth in terror, looking as though she might collapse.
"What's wrong?"
A sudden sense of foreboding gripped Lucius. He hurriedly took the letter and began to read:
My dear servant, Lucius Malfoy:
I am truly disappointed, Lucius. Have you forgotten my power simply because I vanished from the public eye for a while? Otherwise, how could you dare to give away what I entrusted to your care? I imagine you thought the Dark Lord was dead, defeated by a baby who couldn't even walk, just as so many people claim, and were eager to sever your ties with me?
"-" Lucius had only read the first paragraph when his breathing grew shallow. He began to tremble uncontrollably, slowly murmuring, "He's back... he's back..."
Then, terrified, he read on.
I must admit that my current condition is not particularly good, but killing a few people would still be child's play.
Now, I need you to carry out a task to make amends for your mistake. Nothing too difficult-all you need to do is get Dumbledore removed from the school!
Also, have a merry Christmas.
The brief letter left both Lucius and Narcissa deathly pale.
"Is it really him? It can't be him!" Narcissa said in terror. "He's been gone for eleven years. How could he possibly return?" She refused to accept that her son was now in danger.
But Lucius knew perfectly well that, apart from Voldemort and himself, no one else knew about the Diary.
"There's still a chance-a chance to make amends!" He immediately pulled himself out of his terror. Lucius understood Voldemort's nature. If he performed his task well enough, he might escape punishment, and Draco would be safe.
"The Chamber of Secrets has already been opened. If Dumbledore can't find the culprit, I can use my authority as a school governor to force him out of Hogwarts!" Lucius already had a plan, but he still needed some leverage to persuade the other school governors.
"The number of victims has to increase! How could a single Mudblood be enough? Draco must be the one to do this. The Dark Lord isn't dead. Only then will he commend Draco!"
"Dobby!"
"I'm here, Master..."
A house-elf covered in injuries appeared before Lucius. He looked up at Lucius Malfoy with a fearful, uncertain gaze.
Lucius couldn't be bothered to wonder why Dobby had so many fresh injuries. There was only one thing he wanted to do now: complete the Dark Lord's task and keep Draco out of danger.
"Dobby, I want you to go to Hogwarts, find Ginny Weasley, steal a black diary from her, and deliver it to Draco. Then give him this letter." Lucius wrote another letter.
Before you continue