Malfoy found Shawn's flashy entrance strangely familiar.
If not for the wrong color, he might have thought Dumbledore had come storming in.
More importantly, he had a Dark Lord in his house whose presence he could hardly explain, which left him feeling inexplicably guilty.
Malfoy hurriedly shook those stray thoughts from his head and bowed slightly.
"Hello, Mr. Black."
"Mm."
Shawn gave a slight nod. In truth, he desperately wanted to squirm a little to ease the dizziness in his head.
Purple Shadow was far too rough when bringing someone along through Apparition. The journey had been anything but comfortable, and anyone without Shawn's high affinity for the lightning element would probably have been fried.
Before Lucius could say anything else, Shawn strode toward the manor. He really did not want the man to notice his discomfort. He had an image of effortless mastery to maintain.
Lucius paused, then sighed inwardly at how thoroughly Shawn made himself at home.
He followed Shawn toward the separate garden pavilion.
Bathed in moonlight, Shawn strolled along, casually taking in his surroundings.
The Malfoy family certainly knew how to indulge themselves. When he had visited last winter, everything had been covered in snow, so there had been little to see.
Now that early summer had arrived, even in the darkness, he could make out the gardens overflowing with flowers, every corner designed with unique care.
Well, no wonder Dark Lords always picked this place for their headquarters.
Without needing Lucius to lead the way, Shawn followed the guidance of the soul shackles straight to the white pavilion and climbed the stairs as though he knew the place by heart.
The upstairs study was simple and clean, its curved bookshelves neatly lined with magical books collected from various sources.
There was not a single dark