Lucius paused for a moment, then placed his cane on the table.
"Mr. Grindelwald, what do you think of the prophecy about the Dark Lord?"
"The one about Harry and Voldemort?"
"Yes."
Hearing Lucius's cautious response, Argus shook his head and chuckled.
Prophecy? Whose prophecy can compare to his father's?
Having the same prophetic eye, Argus had always scorned such ethereal matters.
Instead of betting on something uncertain, it was better to take control of everything yourself!
He picked up his wand and waved it, and the water in the teapot seemed to be heated by something.
It made a gurgling sound.
It boiled over in just a few seconds.
The seemingly casual scene caused Lucius's pupils to shrink slightly.
Silent spellcasting!
Even something as simple as heating a teapot was not something an ordinary wizard could do!
One needed to be extremely familiar with this spell, and at the same time, one's own magical skill had to be at a very high level.
Even most Aurors couldn't accomplish it!
Lucius thought he had a high enough understanding of Argus's talent, but he had underestimated him.
"I have a question for you, Mr. Malfoy."
Lucius straightened his posture and said respectfully, "Please speak, Mr. Grindelwald."
"Tell me, is the water in this teapot hot or cold?"
"Water from the teapot?" Lucius was momentarily confused about what Argus meant.
The water was still bubbling; you could tell it was hot without even looking!
Is there anything to argue about?
He was about to speak when he heard Argus snap his fingers.
The kettle, which had just been steaming hot, suddenly went cold.
"The future has always been in the hands of the strong."
"Only the weak rely on baseless prophecies."
"Isn't that so?"
Lucius met Argus's confident gaze and unconsciously looked away.
Yes, if they really relied on prophecy for everything, what was the point of all their years of hard work?
After years of trials and tribulations, the Malfoy family had finally become one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Had it been through some kind of prophecy?
No!
The reason Draco Malfoy had been able to crawl out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood time and time again was because of his control over the situation on all sides and his keen sense of smell that was far beyond that of ordinary people!
And now, the moment to decide Malfoy's fate had arrived once again!
He raised his eyes, his gaze more serious than any Argus had ever seen before.
"Mr. Grindelwald, I would like to make a deal with you."
"Or rather, a promise from you."
"What promise?"
"If, and I mean if, one day in the future, the Malfoy family faces annihilation, I hope you can intervene and save Draco. In return, the Malfoy family's books and connections will all be open to you!"
Argus's expression turned serious.
He sighed inwardly.
As expected of a Malfoy, he had foreseen the possible changes that might occur in the future so early on.
Placing bets on various factions in advance!
Based on Lucius's intelligence, he should have known about Draco's relationship with Harry.
Narcissa and he had long been labeled as Death Eaters, and they had placed Draco in their own hands and Dumbledore's.
In the future, whichever side won, the continuation of the Malfoy family would be guaranteed.
Indeed, none of the pure-blood families that had survived to this day were simple!
"Mr. Malfoy, you should know about my relationship with Draco."
"If something happens to him someday, I can't possibly..."
"It's different!" Lucius interrupted Argus.
"I know Draco; he's a bit... straightforward."
"What I want in return is a promise to save him at all costs!"
"Just once!"
"After this once, any further problems that arise with the child will be none of your concern, and Malfoy will have no complaints!"
"Okay, I agree."
Argus's straightforward answer almost caught Lucius off guard.
He had been prepared for Argus to make an exorbitant demand, but to his surprise, the other party did not even ask.
"Mr. Grindelwald, you…you…"
"You want to ask me why I agreed so quickly?"
Argus had anticipated this, and his gaze turned toward the gate.
He spoke softly.
"Some things cannot be measured by profit."
He stood up, a polite smile returning to his face.
"I reckon Draco has probably bought most of his things."
"Mr. Malfoy, shall we go together?"
Lucius rose and bowed.
"As you wish!"
...
Flourish and Blotts Bookstore.
Gilderoy Lockhart had finished his book signing, and several reporters from The Daily Prophet were taking pictures of him.
A standard eight-tooth smile.
The moment he turned to face the camera, Harry's eyes lit up.
"No way, Harry Potter?!"
His words instantly drew everyone's attention to Harry.
Harry was covered in soot and looked extremely disheveled, constantly trying to dodge into the crowd.
Ron, however, seemed oblivious to Harry's embarrassment and forcefully shoved Harry to the front of the group.
"Hurry, Harry! Mr. Lockhart is a famous adventurer!"
"Go take a picture with him!"
His voice was loud and clear, as if he could not wait for everyone to know that he was Harry's best friend.
"Get out of the way, Weasley!"
Draco pushed Ron away in displeasure.
"Whether Harry wants to take pictures or not is his own choice. He's just an adventurer. Only you would take him seriously!"
"Shut up, Malfoy!" Ron's cheeks were flushed, clearly angered by Draco's words.
"Did I say something wrong? You're just using Harry as a tool to show off!"
"Draco, don't be angry; it's just a picture. It's okay."
Harry was grateful for Draco's help, but he did not want to put his two good friends in a difficult position.
He reluctantly approached Lockhart.
Lockhart's expression softened when he saw Harry approaching.
Draco's words were indeed harsh, but the Malfoy family was not one he could afford to offend.
He could only swallow his pride and bear it.
Fortunately, this savior was sensible enough.
As the surrounding spotlights came on, the clicking of cameras filled the air.
Ron's expression grew increasingly smug.
So what if you had known Harry a long time ago?
Was not he still more inclined to side with me?
Otherwise, why would he listen to me and take a photo with Lockhart?
Seeing Ron's provocative gaze, Draco could no longer hold back and threw a punch!
The two of them instantly started fighting!
Harry immediately tried to stop them, but Lockhart was holding him tightly while taking pictures, giving him no chance to escape.
In his anxiety, all he could do was shout.
"Stop! Stop it now!"
"Stop fighting!"
At that moment, the Weasleys were taking Ginny to buy various items needed for the start of school, completely unaware of what was happening here.
Just then, the bookstore doors opened.
Lucius followed Argus into the bookstore.
As soon as he entered the door, he saw his son and Ron fighting fiercely.
He looked down at Argus, his face burning with embarrassment.
"Draco! Stop right there!"
Lucius stepped forward, grabbed Draco, and was about to leave.
Ron, who had suffered a loss, was not about to give up and continued to punch and kick Draco relentlessly.
Lucius was already seething with anger, and seeing Ron's tactless behavior only made him more irritable.
With a forceful flick of his sleeve, he sent him flying to the side.
The bookstore door opened again the next second.
The Weasleys had just opened the door when they were confronted by Ron being thrown into the air.
Ron felt more confident when he saw his parents.
Pointing at Lucius, he tearfully complained.
"Dad! He hit me!"