Malfoy Estate.
Lucius and Narcissa, dressed formally, were waiting quietly at the door with Draco.
As an elegant figure clad in magnificent wizard robes slowly appeared, Draco, like a wild horse unleashed, waved his arms and galloped toward him.
"Argus, over here!"
"Slow down! Don't fall!"
Argus shook his head helplessly and followed Draco to Lucius and Narcissa.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr. Malfoy."
"Mr. Grindelwald, it's been a long time." Lucius bowed slightly, his eyes unconsciously glancing behind Argus.
His eyes held a hint of inquiry.
"I wonder about Ms. Rosier..."
"Aunt Vinda has some things to attend to and is not available to visit at the moment," Argus said with a slightly apologetic smile.
"I only came to see Draco as a classmate, so I Apparated here alone. I hope Mr. Malfoy won't mind."
"It's nothing. The Acolytes have been developing rapidly recently, Ms. Rosier…" Lucius was about to reply when he suddenly realized something.
He exchanged a glance with Narcissa, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Apparition!
A little wizard who was not even in second grade yet could use Apparition!
He kept glancing at Argus with his eyes, his heart growing increasingly horrified.
Lucius's strength was naturally far inferior to the Professor's.
Even compared to elite Aurors like Moody, he was still a step below.
But ability did not equate to vision!
As the patriarch of the Malfoy family, his vision and intellect far surpassed those of ordinary wizards!
Argus was well aware of the importance of the Acolytes.
Given the inherent dangers of Apparition, Vinda would not have allowed Argus to use it so freely unless he was a master of it!
The distance from Acolytes Manor to Malfoy Manor typically required an adult wizard to Apparate at least four to five times.
Moving to Malfoy Manor would probably make one's legs weak.
But Argus showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever!
How could he not be shocked!
Narcissa quickly noticed that her husband was acting strangely and quietly tugged at his sleeve.
She gave Argus an apologetic smile.
"Mr. Grindelwald, Malfoy Manor welcomes you."
"Please come in!"
Lucius snapped out of his reverie and quickly stepped aside to invite Argus in.
Argus bowed politely and followed Lucius and Narcissa into the top-tier mansion in the wizarding world.
...
They made their way to the living room.
A generous spread of fruits and snacks was laid out on the table.
The colorful arrangement, though not cluttered at all, clearly showed the owner's careful preparation.
Before he could even sit down, Draco stuffed a huge pile of snacks into Argus's arms.
"Argus, this is my favorite chocolate!"
"Try it!"
"And this...this one!"
Argus looked at him with a half-smile.
"Are you giving me so many things to shut me up beforehand and prevent me from checking your homework?"
Draco's smile froze, and he looked at Argus pleadingly.
"Have you forgotten what you promised me before the holiday?"
"Go and bring me your homework first, let me take a look."
Argus refused to back down, leaving Draco with no choice but to walk dejectedly toward his room.
He kept looking back, hoping that Argus would change his mind.
Unfortunately, he was disappointed.
Argus's goal was never his homework.
Homework was just an excuse; he wanted to talk about what he had discussed with Lucius, and it was best not to let Draco know.
Lucius realized this and therefore did not leave.
Narcissa, being quite sensible, went upstairs with Draco to help him with his homework.
"Mr. Malfoy, I'll make my story short."
"I have received information that the Ministry of Magic is launching a major operation targeting items used in Dark Arts."
"A major operation?"
"That's right." Argus nodded. "Soon, there will be a large-scale investigation, including the pure-blood families, all of whom will be subject to the investigation."
"I hope the Malfoy family can prepare early."
Lucius fell into deep thought.
He did not doubt that Argus was lying to him; after all, such a matter, which could have far-reaching consequences, was not something to be joked about lightly.
There were two things that really made him think: one was what to do with the family's Dark Arts items.
The Malfoy family's collection, accumulated over many years, contained a considerable number of Dark Arts items, making it no easy task to dispose of them in a short period of time.
Secondly, there was the hidden message conveyed by Argus's words.
The Malfoy family had deep roots in Britain and even had enough connections within the Ministry of Magic.
Even so, he had not gotten any relevant information!
Clearly, the secrecy surrounding this operation was far beyond the reach of ordinary people!
To have access to such secrets and to spread them regardless of the risks!
It seemed that the Acolytes' power was far more complex than he had imagined.
Looking at the calm, blue-eyed boy in front of him, he even had the illusion that he was looking at Voldemort.
Back when he had first met Argus, the other man had not even had a place to stay.
In just six months, it had become a behemoth hidden in the British wizarding world!
His methods were far superior even to Voldemort's!
Lucius really did not know if it had been right or wrong for his son to associate with him!
Argus had already guessed what Lucius was thinking and took the initiative to ask.
"If the Malfoy family has any items that are inconvenient to dispose of, they can give them to the Acolytes."
"Dealing with these things is not difficult for the Acolytes."
"No need to trouble Mr. Grindelwald." Lucius shook his head to refuse.
"Malfoy is capable of handling this."
Snap!
A soft sound suddenly came from the table.
Immediately afterward, a ragged house-elf appeared before Argus, carrying a large pile of parchment.
Lucius was furious when he saw it.
"Didn't you see I was talking to Mr. Grindelwald?! Who let you come here?!"
"Get out of my way!"
The scolded house-elf looked aggrieved: "Dobby... Dobby was sent by the young master to deliver homework to Mr. Grindelwald..."
Dobby did not know his master was talking...
Dobby?
He was an anomaly among house-elves, the only house-elf who yearned for freedom.
Argus became interested and looked at him with great interest.
Dobby's reaction just now showed that he was different from ordinary house-elves.
When house-elves encountered this situation, they usually apologized and punished themselves in a state of deep fear.
Unlike Dobby, who dared to argue back!
However, Argus had no intention of helping.
This world was a dog-eat-dog world, and the defeated should be prepared to face the consequences of defeat.
Argus was not a saint; what did it matter to him whether Dobby lived or died!
Perhaps misunderstanding Argus's gaze, Lucius grew even angrier.
He took out his wand and gave Dobby a severe beating!
Argus was not in the mood for this. After taking Draco's homework, he had Lucius leave a message for Draco.
He told Draco to continue studying, then turned and left.
No one noticed that he had a single platinum blonde hair in his hand…
...
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