Lucius stared at Tris in shock and fury, scarcely able to believe that anyone dared say such things to his face.
He was not the only one. Most of the others present also looked alarmed.
Apart from the youngest two, Ron and Ginny, whose reactions were less pronounced, everyone in the Weasley family wore a complicated expression. The plump shop owner and her two assistants looked frightened as well.
"Merlin's beard." Hagrid covered his mouth, staring at Tris in disbelief.
Although Tris had not spoken Voldemort's name outright, even referring to him like this in public made everyone uneasy.
"You... what nonsense are you talking about?" Lucius's pale face flushed red as he glared at Tris.
"Mr. Malfoy," Tris said, smiling at Lucius, "why are you so worked up? Did I hit a nerve?"
"What would a child like you know?" Lucius had only panicked for a moment before regaining his composure and turning to Arthur beside him.
"Arthur, is this how you've raised your children?"
Arthur opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Tris cut in. "What's wrong, Mr. Malfoy? Why won't you answer my question? Weren't you once very close to the Dark Lord?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. This is slander!" Lucius glared viciously at Tris.
"Oh? Is that so?" Tris's gaze fell on Lucius's hands. Despite the summer heat, Lucius was wearing a pair of fine silk gloves.
"Then, Mr. Malfoy, would you let us see your wrist?"
Lucius's expression, which had just relaxed, changed drastically again. He instinctively tucked his left hand behind his back.
As a former follower of Voldemort, whether he had shirked his duties or not, he bore the Dark Mark on the inside of his left forearm.
Although the Dark Mark had faded considerably after Voldemort's downfall and loss of power, it was still clearly visible.
That was why he always wore gloves.
Quite a few people in the wizarding world knew about it, but because of the Malfoy family's status, very few mentioned it. Lucius had never expected a child to bring it up in public today.
"I... why should I? I don't have to prove anything to you. Who do you think you are?" Lucius's breathing grew rapid.
This was a subject he absolutely could not discuss.
Even though Voldemort had been gone for ten years, and his Dark Mark had faded considerably, it had never disappeared.
Every Death Eater knew that Voldemort, that terrifying Dark Lord, was not truly dead!
"He's rattled. Look, he's rattled." Tris chuckled, pointing at Lucius as he spoke to Ron, who stood beside him looking utterly stunned. "I hit a nerve, and now he won't answer."
That simple taunt, paired with his infuriating grin, completely shattered Lucius's composure.
How many years had it been since anyone had dared treat him like this?
At that moment, Lucius forgot his earlier contempt for his own son's foolish behavior and reached out to grab Tris's clothes.
But he had barely stepped in front of Tris, and his hand had not even touched him, before he was lifted off the ground.
Hagrid hoisted Lucius by the collar as easily as if he were a little chick. "Lucius, what do you think you're doing? Going to attack a child?"
"Hagrid, you stupid, filthy creature! Put me down! Don't touch me with your dirty hands!" Lucius was livid.
Being held up like this by Hagrid, right in front of Arthur, whom he despised and looked down on most, made him feel utterly humiliated.
Not to mention the assistants from Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions standing nearby.
He could scarcely imagine how quickly this incident would spread, or how many people would hear about it.
Although the busiest period for young witches and wizards shopping in Diagon Alley had already passed, plenty of people still came. The thought made Lucius's head ache.
Hagrid did not care about Lucius's insults. With a casual toss, he sent Lucius stumbling several paces away. Lucius staggered twice before barely managing to steady himself.
"Dad!" Draco was terrified.
Normally, he could swagger around and act as though he owned the world mainly because his father backed him up. Almost everyone who visited their home bowed and scraped before his father.
They were unfailingly polite to Draco as well.
That had made him believe his father was the most powerful person in the world, and that he was too, by extension. The Malfoy family stood above everyone else.
But everything that happened today had nearly shattered his view of the world.
First, a child had argued his father out of his usual composure. Then a hairy man had picked him up and thrown him aside.
Seeing Draco's panicked face only made Lucius angrier. He shook out his robes, brushing Draco's hand away, and said coldly, "We're leaving!"
He did not want to stay here any longer. Nothing good could come of discussing his past as a Death Eater.
After all, he knew perfectly well how much it had cost him to escape punishment back then. Others might not know, but Arthur certainly did. If he were to reveal it in public...
As Lucius was about to reach the door, Tris still refused to let him off. "Hey, Mr. Malfoy, leaving already? Won't you tell us how you were all controlled by the Imperius Curse?"
Lucius nearly stumbled again. He turned to glare viciously at Tris, then quickened his pace.
Back then, many Death Eaters had refused to plead guilty, claiming that they had been controlled by the Imperius Curse when accused of their crimes.
But that excuse could only fool people once enough money had changed hands.
Tris had been in this world for eleven years now, and had learned quite a bit about those events from his parents and various newspapers.
The investigation into the Death Eaters should originally have been much stricter, but a deeply embarrassing scandal had broken out. Barty Crouch, the former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement who had presided over the Death Eaters' trials, was exposed as having a son who was a Death Eater himself.
At the time, Barty Crouch had been a strong contender for Minister for Magic. After that scandal, not only had he lost any chance of becoming Minister, but he had also lost his powerful position in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
He had now been assigned to the Department of International Magical Cooperation, which was, most of the time, a thoroughly neglected department with little influence or opportunity for profit. Calling it exile would hardly have been an exaggeration.
The ensuing series of internal power struggles and organizational upheavals within the Ministry of Magic had also considerably weakened the investigations and prosecutions of the Death Eaters.
Otherwise, a claim like being controlled by the Imperius Curse would have been all too easy to verify.
A simple bottle of Veritaserum could have exposed everything.
Watching Lucius leave in a panic, Arthur smacked his lips, then turned to his youngest son. "Tris, how do you know so much?"
"Is it that much?" Tris shrugged. "Dad, you've complained plenty at home about Lucius Malfoy using his wealth to influence the Ministry of Magic."
"Have... have I?" Arthur looked a little embarrassed and turned toward his other children.
Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George all nodded, confirming that he certainly had.
The other three merely nodded without much further reaction, but Percy watched his little brother with interest.
Arthur had indeed talked quite a bit about the Malfoy family at home, and Percy knew almost everything Tris had mentioned today. But laying it all out so clearly and arguing Lucius into a panicked retreat was no easy feat.
At least, Percy did not think he could have organized his points so clearly on the spur of the moment.
This little brother of mine...
Perhaps he has the makings of an adviser?
If he helped me plan things, could I follow the three steps in that book I just saw: Prefect, Head Boy, Minister for Magic?
At that thought, Percy's breathing grew slightly heavier.
Tris had no idea that his third-oldest brother was thinking about such things at a time like this. His gaze had already fallen on Hagrid and Harry, who were watching him with equal curiosity.
He turned to Hagrid first. "You must be the Hagrid Fred and George mentioned, right? The Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts? I've heard you're someone Dumbledore trusts very much?"
The first part did little for Hagrid, but that last sentence was exactly what he wanted to hear.
Almost instantly, Hagrid grinned from ear to ear. "Heh, Dumbledore does trust me a lot. Arthur, is this another son of yours? I like this lad."
"Yes... this is my youngest son, Tris." Arthur nodded with a smile.
Tris had already turned toward Harry and extended his hand. "Hello, I'm Tris Weasley."
Harry felt rather confused.
He did not understand what Tris had meant, or why that unpleasant father and son had left just like that. Still, the fact that Tris had talked them into leaving made Harry like him a little.
And now, with Tris smiling brightly and offering him a hand, Harry liked him even more.
Truth be told, Harry had not particularly wanted to shake any more hands today-he had already shaken so many at the Leaky Cauldron. But when Tris held out his hand, Harry still eagerly reached out. "Hello, I'm Harry Potter."
"It's wonderful to meet you, Harry. May I call you that?" Tris looked delighted and enthusiastic.
"Of course." Harry nodded at once.
Tris's hand was a little rough, but warm and comfortable to hold, certainly much nicer than the hands like old tree bark he had shaken at the Leaky Cauldron.
That made Harry like him even more.
"Harry, well, you've probably heard this plenty of times already, but I still have to say it. I'm so happy to meet you." Tris smiled, wearing exactly the expression one would expect from a Weasley child meeting Harry.
"Um... actually, I don't really know what happened," Harry said, looking a little embarrassed.
"What? You don't know?" Ron, who had spent ages opening his mouth without finding a chance to join in, finally seized his opportunity. "How can that be? Harry, don't you know you're really, really famous in the wizarding world?"
Harry had already realized that he was famous, but he still did not quite understand why.
Hagrid had told him a little, but not clearly enough for Harry to understand exactly what had happened.
"I grew up with my aunt and uncle. Until yesterday, I didn't even know there really were wizards in this world," Harry said.
"How could that..." Ron looked troubled, as though something had occurred to him and he found it difficult to accept.
Harry looked at Ron, hesitated, then ventured, "I don't think I know your name yet?"
As soon as they had learned that the boy before them was Harry, Arthur and Molly had sent Ron to fetch Tris and Percy.
As a result, everyone else had exchanged names with Harry, but Ron had not.
"This is my twin brother, Ron Weasley," Tris said with a smile.
A huge question mark seemed to appear over Harry's head.
He looked at Ron, then at Tris.
"T... twins?"