Hawk, ever the obsequious lackey, snapped his fingers. Several pouches flew out from the workshop and landed in Harry's hands.
"These are the remaining materials. Only two pints of the basilisk venom were used," Hawk said with a sycophantic smile. "I've also ground the leftover basilisk bones for you."
"And here is the detailed breakdown of your expenses…"
Harry glanced briefly at the items before stowing them away. With a wave of his wand, a few Galleons flew out and landed in Hawk's hand.
"I'll take the sword now," Harry said softly, and Hawk smiled as he saw him off.
The moment Harry was gone, Hawk's smile vanished. He turned and glared at Ragnok, his voice sharp and commanding: "Don't stop now. It's not your break time yet. Get back to work!"
"Mr. Potter is under threat."
"The armor must be finished as soon as possible!"
If Hawk had a small whip, he would've cracked it at Ragnok the moment he even thought of slacking.
Harry returned to Flitwick's house.
"You're back already?" Flitwick was still halfway through breakfast, poring over the Daily Prophet in hopes of finding something useful.
"How long does it take to pick up a sword?" Harry shook his head. "Professor, can you get in touch with the Malfoys?"
Flitwick froze for a moment. "Of course, but why would you want to contact them?"
Realization dawned on him. "You think Black is hiding at Malfoy Manor?"
Harry nodded.
"The Ministry visits the Malfoy Manor every two or three days," Flitwick grumbled. "If he's hiding there, they'd have found him by now."
Harry replied calmly, "The most dangerous place is often the safest."
"If he could escape from Azkaban, there's a chance he has a way to evade the Ministry's inspections too."
"And Black could only get news of his master from the Malfoys."
He waved his wand, summoning parchment and a quill, which began writing a polite letter.
Hedwig, albeit reluctantly, took the letter and flew off.
Malfoy Manor
The so-called "high society" Malfoy family had grown increasingly desolate of late. To fend off the Ministry officials who visited every few days, Lucius had been forced to spend a fortune.
But those greedy officials latched onto every weakness like leeches, refusing to let go.
To make matters worse, Sirius Black's successful prison break had only added insult to injury, piling more problems onto the already troubled Malfoy household.
Lucius was at his wit's end.
Seated in his courtyard, he pondered which Ministry official he should bribe next to smooth things over.
Suddenly, an owl flew in, dropped a letter on his face, and quickly flew off.
Smack!
Lucius gritted his teeth. Ever since trouble befell the Malfoy family, even an owl dared to disrespect him.
He picked up the letter and, noticing the sender's name, froze.
"Harry Potter."
Could it be that Potter?
His face darkened instantly.
Carefully, he opened the letter. It contained no curses or enchantments, just content that was far from what he had anticipated.
There was no scolding; the handwriting was neat, showing no hint of anger.
The language was polite enough.
But the content...
Two hours later, as Lucius was still figuring out how to handle the so-called "Savior," a house-elf appeared behind him with a timid voice:
"Master, there are two wizards at the manor gate."
"One is Professor Flitwick of Hogwarts."
"The other is Mr. Potter."
Lucius looked up in surprise toward the manor gate. They arrived so soon?
Did those two hours include the time it took for the owl to deliver the letter?
At the Manor Gate
Harry's face had turned slightly green. He looked at Flitwick and said, "Professor, that was Apparition?"
"How did it feel?" Flitwick asked with a smile.
Harry shook his head. "It's slightly better than the Knight Bus. And by slightly, I mean just barely." He held up his hand, thumb and forefinger pinched to show the tiniest gap.
The Knight Bus was half a day of torment.
Apparition condensed that torment into a single moment.
It was like choosing between chocolate-flavored filth and filth-flavored chocolate.
Apparently, teleportation wasn't pleasant in any world.
"You'll get used to it," Flitwick said, patting Harry's leg in a reassuring manner. "When I first learned this spell, I felt just as uncomfortable."
"But it's incredibly useful."
They chatted idly as the gates of the manor opened.
Lucius Malfoy, dressed in a leaf-green suit, walked out with a practiced, insincere smile.
"Professor Flitwick, it's been a long time."
"And the renowned Mr. Potter," he greeted. "I've been looking forward to meeting you."
Harry cut him off. "Hopefully at my funeral?"
Lucius froze, then forced out a dry laugh, sounding a bit guilty. "Why would I? You're still so young…"
"Yes, and I'll be even harder to deal with as I grow," Harry said, staring straight at him without a shred of politeness.
Lucius clenched his teeth. "I thought you came as a serious guest, Mr. Potter."
"I came for two reasons," Harry said bluntly.
"First, the Malfoy family owes the Potter family patent fees. It's time to pay up."
Lucius's face stiffened as he stared at Harry, taking a deep breath.
"Are you planning to default?" Harry took a step forward. Though shorter than Lucius by a head, his confidence forced Lucius to feel small. "The Ministry would be delighted to hear about that, wouldn't they?"
"They'd have yet another reason to investigate."
Lucius felt cornered. "Of course, I haven't forgotten."
"But you were so young before. As your relative, I thought the Malfoy family could safeguard it for a while."
"With relatives like you, who'd rather attend my funeral, I'm truly honored," Harry sneered. "Can I take the money with me today?"
Lucius's face stiffened again. "I'll deliver it before the school term starts."
Harry nodded. "Aha, so you were 'safeguarding' it? Yet you still need time to gather the money for your 'safekeeping'?"
He emphasized the word "safeguard" both times.
Lucius inhaled deeply, his jaw clenched, cheeks puffing with suppressed frustration. "What's the second matter, Mr. Potter?"
"Where is Sirius Black?" Harry pulled out his wand.
Lucius narrowed his eyes. "You're not the first to ask me that."
"And my answer is the same: I don't know."
"Is that so? I don't believe you," Harry said, shaking his head.
Lucius sneered. "The Ministry doesn't believe me either. They've already searched my house three times this week. They'd dismantle every floorboard if they could."
"Fine, then let's talk about the third matter," Harry said, not lowering his wand.
"Third?" Lucius froze, surprised. "You said there were only two."
"I just thought of it," Harry said expressionlessly. "What? Not welcoming?"
Lucius gritted his teeth and nodded with difficulty. "Of course, you're welcome."
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Powerstones?
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