Cyrus first pondered Voldemort's plans. It wasn't hard to guess. That noseless man wanted nothing more than greater power and immortality, at the very least, resurrection.
As for how Voldemort intended to achieve that, Cyrus didn't have a clear idea.
He didn't dwell too long on Voldemort but instead turned his attention to Lucius, his gaze filled with concern. "Lucius, is Draco all right?"
At the mention of Draco, Lucius's voice choked, his lips trembling, and his eyes reddened. "Barty Crouch Jr. has control over him... Officially, he says it's to protect Draco and Narcissa, but in reality, he's just worried that I might truly switch my allegiance to you..."
The mention of his family shattered Lucius's earlier tough façade like a glass cup dropped onto the ground. He was left in pieces.
"Lucius, I had no idea you cared for your family this much?" Bellatrix remarked, somewhat surprised.
"That's my wife and son!" Lucius didn't even have the energy to get angry at her. He simply covered his face with his hands, weeping uncontrollably. If not for the cane he held for support, Cyrus wondered if he could even stay on his feet.
At that moment, Lucius was no longer the proud Malfoy but simply an ordinary father and husband.
"My lord... I beg you, if you can just offer some unimportant information, enough to guarantee their safety..."
Lucius fully realized the difficulty of being a fence-sitter. The invisible struggle between two enormous forces could utterly destroy him. By now, he no longer dared to hope for too much—just that Cyrus might show him some mercy and allow him to prove his worth to Barty Crouch Jr.
"You're being too formal, Lucius," Cyrus said, slowly walking over and placing a hand on Lucius's shoulder, offering him a handkerchief. "You work for me; how could I stand by and watch your family fall into danger? Not to mention, Draco is also my friend."
"My lord..."
"You'll write to Barty and tell him I don't trust you. Say that you want to bring Narcissa and Draco here, under my watchful eye. He won't refuse that," Cyrus said as he reached out to adjust Lucius's clothes, straightening his wrinkled collar.
Lucius was stunned.
He hadn't thought of such a solution.
Compared to having Narcissa and Draco stay with the madman Barty Crouch Jr., he definitely trusted Cyrus more.
"I'll do that—" Lucius finally breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to leave. However, after taking a few steps, he stopped, as if suddenly remembering something. Hesitating, he turned back and said, "My lord, Barty Crouch Jr. plans to put your name into the Goblet of Fire."
"As expected." Cyrus's expression didn't change.
In fact, even if Voldemort hadn't done it, Cyrus himself would have added his and a few others' names into the Goblet of Fire.
Cyrus waved his hand dismissively. "Go on, Lucius. Bring Draco and Narcissa back. Let Draco attend Ilvermorny next term."
Lucius thanked him profusely and left.
Bellatrix approached Cyrus, watching Lucius's departing figure with undisguised disgust. "That slippery fox, master. He will never be truly loyal."
She was referring to Lucius's delayed revelation about the Goblet of Fire. Such critical information wasn't something Lucius could have simply forgotten. The only explanation was that he hesitated—unsure whether to fully commit to Cyrus. When Cyrus offered to rescue Narcissa and Draco, Lucius's remaining defenses finally crumbled.
"Don't worry about it," Cyrus said softly. "The Malfoys are always like this. He can't cause much trouble, and if he tries, I can easily put a stop to it. Besides, he will never have access to real power."
Cyrus knew the Malfoy family's nature very well. As long as he provided enough benefit and ensured the safety of Narcissa and Draco, he wasn't concerned about Lucius's loyalty.
In fact, he didn't really care about the Malfoy family at all.
Now that Lucius had returned to his side, his only real use was occasionally relaying messages to Barty, sending out some misinformation. Even then, Cyrus had to be cautious about whether Barty would genuinely trust the information Lucius provided.
Rather than focus on such trivial matters, Cyrus preferred to let Lucius handle affairs with the wizarding bank, ideally expanding its influence to include North America.
"Alright, it's time for us to gather our champions," Cyrus said, stepping towards the school.
October.
The short summer had passed, and the weather was starting to cool.
On October 29th, the young witches and wizards in the castle gathered around the circular hall, their eyes filled with admiration and envy as they watched ten students dressed in burgundy and blue wizarding robes.
The chosen champions were both male and female, each exuding confidence and strength, looking as majestic as jaguars or thunderbirds—except for one person.
Draco Malfoy.
His platinum blonde hair made him stand out sharply among the group, but what stood out even more was his demeanor. He looked as helpless as a sheep lost in a pride of lions.
However, Draco was still happy, because this meant he could return to Hogwarts.
Draco wasn't entirely sure why Lucius had arranged for him to transfer schools. He only knew there had been some upheaval at home. Since Christmas break, things had felt off, and by March, his mother had written to inform him that Lucius had gone abroad and that he should be extra careful at school.
Later, during the summer, Draco noticed more and more Dark wizards appearing around his home.
If it weren't for the statues guarding Malfoy Manor, Draco would have doubted whether those people might storm in to attack him and Narcissa.
Soon after, his family hurried to America, and he transferred to Ilvermorny. To his shock, "Little Tom" had become the headmaster of the school.
Of course, by now, Draco knew Cyrus's true identity.
But unlike his father, Draco wasn't fearful. On the contrary, he saw his close relationship with Cyrus as a source of pride—something he could boast about. Especially knowing that Cyrus was also friends with Harry, yet here he was, a student of Cyrus, and Harry was stuck with that old Dumbledore!
Draco couldn't wait to brag about this to Harry.
Additionally, two of his friends were still at Hogwarts, and the sudden separation left Draco feeling a bit reluctant. This Triwizard Tournament was the perfect opportunity for him to return and properly say goodbye to them.
As he stood quietly among the crowd, the attention from so many eyes filled him with a mix of pride and unease.
He knew deep down that he wasn't cut out to be a champion, nor did he have the ability to shoulder such a heavy responsibility.
Fortunately, at that moment, the crowd parted, and Cyrus, dressed in a coat, walked out alongside Bellatrix. The other professors followed behind them, their gazes toward the selected champions filled with both pride and concern.
_________
12 Advance Chapters—Patreon.com/HornyFBI