Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

Escaping Voldemort!

People had tried before, but without exception, every Death Eater who betrayed him and ran was met with a miserable end.

The most recent example was Igor Karkaroff. And in terms of cunning, he was no less than any Malfoy.

Karkaroff was no honest wizard, yet he too was ultimately killed, just like all the others.

Lucius would never choose to escape unless absolutely necessary; he wasn’t stupid. But for Draco’s sake and for the continuation of the entire family, he was now seriously considering the possibility of this option. And that thought alone was terrifying.

Once they fled, the centuries of influence and prestige the Malfoys had built would be reduced to almost nothing.

But at least, they would be alive…

Except Lucius wasn’t even sure they could escape Voldemort and those ever-present hunters who served him.

If they were caught, the consequences would be unthinkable…

Trying to banish this insane idea from his mind, Lucius stared at the exquisite emerald set in the opposite wall, his mind going blank.

Slowly, his thoughts began to drift again.

They wandered far.

He recalled his childhood, the lessons his mother drilled into him — the wizarding etiquette and traditions enforced to the point of cruelty.

Then he remembered his bleak, colorless year in Azkaban.

And then his thoughts turned to Voldemort’s recent actions.

He couldn’t understand many of Voldemort’s current behaviors; the resurrected Dark Lord was far more brutal and terrifying than before.

Even if the Malfoys had not lost his trust, this was never the outcome Lucius had envisioned.

A man who had died once had returned to life, and what he brought to the Wizarding world was not a new order, but madness and destruction.

Perhaps the rumors outside were true. Perhaps Voldemort was no longer among the living.

Perhaps that was why he was so powerful, so ruthless, so horrifying — because he was an undead creature.

Without emotion, he could only bring death and calamity.

Lucius couldn’t help but shudder. This thought was too absurd; perhaps he should consider a different approach.

If neither standing firm nor fleeing would save them, wouldn’t regaining Voldemort’s trust be the best option left?

But what more could he or his family possibly offer to the Dark Lord?

He had broken into the Ministry, ruining his reputation, and landed himself in Azkaban.

His son had even taken on the task of killing Dumbledore.

And despite all that, the Malfoys still had not regained Voldemort’s trust.

What more could they give?!

Capturing Harry Potter and offering him over to the Dark Lord was, for Lucius, initially seen as a last resort.

However, after trying to understand Voldemort’s recent actions, he wasn’t sure if it was truly a good idea.

As long as gold and wealth remained, whoever became the new ruler would need the Malfoy family’s support.

But what if this ruler was a madman, wanting not power but destruction?!

What exactly did the Dark Lord want now? What was he trying to achieve?

Immediately, Lucius began to consider his potential allies, or those he could still use.

Without question, Severus Snape was the most dependable person left to him.

But that wouldn’t solve the problem.

As for the others… one figure after another flashed before Lucius’s eyes, and he categorized them.

In the soft glow of the emerald, he thought he saw that boy.

After Dumbledore’s death, that boy perhaps represented a completely new choice…

It wasn’t about passively waiting, running away, or seeking that unattainable trust; it was a completely new choice.

Evan Mason!

Lucius had several brief conversations with him before, and had quietly gathered extensive information on him. From what he had learned, at the very least, the boy clearly knew far more than he should. Perhaps Dumbledore had told him; but that wasn’t important.

What mattered was what Evan Mason could offer Malfoy.

Just as he was about to delve deeper into this possibility, Lucius suddenly blinked hard, his expression turning to shock.

With a sharp, explosive sound, he saw a figure appear out of thin air before him.

Was it an illusion?

He saw Evan Mason actually appear, right in front of him.

It was an illusion… no, it was Apparition!

When he noticed Dobby, the house-elf beside Evan, Lucius understood everything. He jumped up from his chair to grab his wand, but before he could touch it, a bright red light flew towards him, and he quickly withdrew his hand.

Lucius’s cane-wand flew from his grasp, spun three times in the air, and landed neatly in Evan’s hand.

“Good evening, Mr. Malfoy. A pleasure to see you again,” said Evan softly.

“Evan Mason…”

“Ah, I’m delighted you still remember me. We haven’t met often in recent years, after all.” Evan twirled the wand between his fingers. “Judging from the startled look on your face, you’re clearly not prepared for a long chat, so let’s get straight to the point. Where’s Harry?”

“You mean Harry Potter…” Lucius drawled.

His mind, frozen for a heartbeat, began turning again.

“Oh, yes, it seems you’re not aware of this at all,” said Evan, shaking his head.

“Hmph, we have already captured Harry Potter. The Dark Lord —”

“That’s not a clever lie, Mr. Malfoy. You’re probably completely unaware of what’s happening in your own manor.” Evan paused. “From what I’ve seen, you’ve probably lost control of your manor, just as the Malfoy family’s influence and prestige are slipping rapidly through your fingers…”

“Lost control?! You think you’re so clever, Mason? You think you can come and go as you please with a filthy house-elf traitor?! You think you’ve seized the upper hand?!” Lucius said quietly, though his voice trembled with fury as he glared at the elf. “How naive.”

Dobby clung tightly to the hem of Evan’s robes, cowering behind him in terror.

“Oh, I think so, Mr. Malfoy. I believe I’ve already taken control of the situation — at least for the moment. Not only are you unaware of what’s going on, but I doubt you’re even capable of casting a spell right now,” said Evan, giving Lucius’s serpent-headed cane a little shake. “Your wand is with me, isn’t it?”

“It seems you do hold the advantage. So what do you plan to do with me?” Lucius replied lazily, casually shifting to the right side of the table.

“First of all, you need to stop, Mr. Malfoy. Otherwise, we definitely won’t be having this pleasant conversation. And you’d best keep your left hand away from that statue — before I cast a spell,” said Evan. “No tricks. That’s the only way this conversation can continue.”

Lucius Malfoy froze, glaring angrily at Evan, seemingly furious at his demands.