It was none other than Lucius Malfoy, someone Lusa would rather not deal with.
“Good day, Mr. Malfoy.”
Lusa offered a polite greeting, a courteous but insincere smile gracing her face.
“Hello, Miss Riddle. I must say, I never expected to encounter you here.”
Lucius removed the gentleman’s hat from his head, smiling with an air of refined elegance. Though his smile was handsome, it did nothing to quell the warning drums beating in Lusa’s heart.
Lucius Malfoy—the cunning and shrewd Death Eater who had avoided Azkaban through silver-tongued persuasion and a portion of his wealth—was clearly a crafty old fox skilled at having multiple escape routes!
Dealing with such a seasoned and overly calculating individual was far from a pleasant experience.
“Indeed, what a coincidence. I won’t waste any more of your precious time, Mr. Malfoy. I’ll be on my way.”
Lusa gave a slight bow and made her escape. Ah, conversing with an old fox was exhausting. The handsome older gentleman wasn’t the least bit endearing—nowhere near as easy to handle as Draco.
Watching the young witch hurry away, a thoughtful expression crossed Lucius’s face. He approached the front desk and casually inquired, “Might I ask what business that young lady was here to conduct?”
“Oh, my apologies, esteemed Mr. Malfoy. That is client confidentiality and cannot be disclosed to a third party. I hope you understand our rules. That distinguished young lady likely would not wish for her personal information to be divulged.”
Becky offered an apologetic look to Lucius. Although the Malfoys were high-end clients of Gringotts—prestigious and wealthy—the bank’s regulations were not to be violated.
“Oh, I was merely asking out of curiosity.” Lucius’s expression turned cold, and he murmured softly, “Distinguished young lady?”
As the sole wizarding bank, Gringotts ostensibly adhered to the principle of “serving every wizard with equal enthusiasm, regardless of status.” Yet the Goblins had always been a snobbish, profit-driven lot.
Unless a client held significant status or was exceptionally wealthy, they would not warmly address them as “distinguished young lady” or “esteemed sir.”
So, what hidden cards did this Lusa Riddle hold that he was unaware of?
Based on his private, secret investigations, Lusa Riddle’s first eleven years had been those of an utterly ordinary orphan girl, with no visitors or adopters.
However, back when Lucius was among the Dark Lord’s most trusted subordinates, he had faintly caught wind of a rumor: it seemed the Dark Lord had a secret lover. Bellatrix, that madwoman, had been utterly consumed by hatred and jealousy over it, even wanting to hit the woman with an Avada Kedavra curse, but she could never uncover the person’s details.
That woman had disappeared seemingly while pregnant. Calculating the timing, her child would be about the same age as his Draco. Moreover, the surname “Riddle” was identical to the Dark Lord’s surname before he changed it. Lusa Riddle was very likely the Dark Lord’s illegitimate daughter.
This was one of the reasons he could tolerate Draco deepening his association with Lusa Riddle.
Riddle was intelligent, talented, highly vigilant, and seemed to possess some unknown secrets. Could she perhaps become another little Dark Lord in the future?
Lucius pondered silently. Recalling the stream of letters Draco had sent home—initially filled with frequent mentions of the savior Harry Potter and Quidditch matches, but later devoting more and more ink to Lusa Riddle—he couldn’t help but frown.
Things seemed to be spiraling out of control.
………..
The second semester of first year arrived as scheduled, and Lucius returned to Hogwarts Castle once more.
The young wizards hadn’t yet shaken off the lingering festive mood from Christmas, chattering excitedly about the deliciousness of turkey, the sweetness of pudding, and the incredible gifts they had received.
“Was the gift you gave me… serious?”
In the bustling, crowded hallway, Draco suddenly blocked Lucius’s path and said something that left the latter utterly baffled.
“Ah… I prepared it seriously.”
Lucius thought for a moment. The return gift she had given Draco was a bottle of high-end perfume, a blend of icy lemon and green apple—fresh and youthful, perfect for a handsome young man his age.
Though it couldn’t compare to the diamond-studded miniature brooch he had given her, it shouldn’t have been too shabby.
“What? Don’t you like it?” Lucius raised an eyebrow, watching his expression as if his tongue were stuck with chewing gum—odd and inexplicably shy.
She really couldn’t figure out the minds of teenage boys.
“…If that’s the case, then why…” pretend you’re not interested in me?
Draco pursed his lips, proudly lifting his dazzling platinum-blond head, seemingly regaining his usual confidence from Lucius’s response.
“What’s wrong…” Lucius was a bit confused. Could it be that the scent didn’t suit the young master’s taste?
Draco’s face flushed under Lucius’s gaze. He turned away, muttering under his breath, “…Even if you have a crush on me, there’s no need to send that… Amortentia, right?”
That thing looked downright improper, shady and underhanded. But considering Lucius’s hidden feelings for him, Draco decided not to criticize her romantic tactics.
What? Amortentia!
Lucius’s mind exploded with a “boom,” suddenly realizing something.
Hazy memories began to replay.
She vaguely remembered that the Malfoy family’s golden eagle owl had been the first messenger to visit the orphanage, flapping its wings against her bedroom window early in the morning.
Lucius, disturbed from her peaceful sleep, had rubbed her messy hair, placed the pre-prepared gift box on the square table, offered the owl some leftover biscuits from the day before, and written a reply while leaning over the table.
But the golden eagle owl hadn’t touched a single biscuit, seemingly annoyed by her neglect. It pecked at Lucius several times in a fit of temper, flapped its large wings, grabbed a small bottle nearby, and flew away.
Lucius had gone back to sleep…
As for what happened afterward, she had been too busy celebrating the holidays and eating roast chicken.
…….So, Lucius’s face twitched violently. That golden eagle owl, which had disliked her snacks, hadn’t taken the small green bottle she had originally prepared but had instead grabbed the most brilliantly colored small golden bottle and flown off!
Oh my goodness! Even though both were delicate little glass bottles, the difference was huge!
Her premium Amortentia had, by a twist of fate, been given to Draco as a Christmas return gift!
This was a huge misunderstanding! Lucius pressed her temples in agony.
If Lucius and Narcissa found out that their precious son had received a bottle of Amortentia as a gift, would they hit her with a Cruciatus Curse?
“……..Sorry, Draco, I’ll explain this to you… Your parents don’t know about the gift, do they?”
Lucius asked cautiously, unable to bear looking directly into Draco’s eyes.
She truly had no intention of seducing the young master with any ulterior motives!
In fact, she had nearly forgotten about that bottle of top-quality Amortentia, tucked away in some forgotten corner. The reason she dug it out was to find a way to sell it off for a few Galleons, rather than letting it gather dust.
Although she wasn’t short on money, who would ever complain about having too many Galleons?
Unexpectedly, this whole mess happened. Lucius really wanted to catch Malfoy’s golden eagle owl, pluck its feathers, and roast it.
Could that blond guy have done it on purpose?
Come on, it’s not a Niffler!