Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

The glass on the surface of the cabinet wasn’t purely transparent — thousands of animal motifs, each different in form, had been drawn onto it using some special technique.

The lines were shallow, semi-transparent, almost the same color as the glass itself, making them difficult to spot without close inspection.

If Evan were here, he would tell Harry it was an alchemical artifact!

Only one of these patterns was a switch to activate a mechanism; using the wrong method or selecting the wrong pattern would trigger either a spell or an alarm.

And then the Malfoys would know someone had broken in.

Harry lit his wand again and examined the cabinet closely, but there were simply too many animals on the glass, in all sorts of shapes and forms. His eyes were blurry, and he couldn’t find the peacock Dobby had told him about. In fact, he couldn’t even distinguish whether some of the bird-shaped patterns were peacocks or other creatures.

They weren’t drawn vividly or concretely; rather, they were somewhat abstract.

He wasn’t sure; perhaps he could try tapping them with his wand.

“Don’t you understand, Cissy? The Dark Lord is furious. He’s definitely holding a grudge. Bellatrix can’t help us either. Look at her now. She lost something important to the Dark Lord. In short, she’s finished. We have to figure something out ourselves, or we might be the next ones to die. Yes, there’s no other choice. We have to find a way.” A man’s languid voice drifted down the corridor to the right.

Harry froze instantly. He knew that voice all too well; it was Lucius Malfoy’s.

They were very close now, just outside the hall.

Harry panicked. Now was not the time to look for a peacock. He had to find a place to hide. He glanced back. There was no time to run back to the corridor he had just entered through. Almost without hesitation, Harry slipped behind a large gilded mirror at the other end of the fireplace.

There was some space between the mirror and the wall. As long as no one deliberately came over to peer behind it, he shouldn’t be discovered.

He had barely squeezed himself in when the Malfoys stepped into the hall. Harry held his breath, unsure if he had been fast enough, because Draco Malfoy was staring intently in the direction of the mirror, as if he had noticed something, perhaps even catching a glimpse of his own fleeting image. He should have brought the Invisibility Cloak with him; Harry had to admit he’d been too excited to hear Dobby could Apparate him to Malfoy Manor, and this operation had been somewhat unprepared.

Through the narrow gap, Harry could see the figure slightly taller than he was, his face a pale and pointed blur beneath white-blond hair.

Harry hesitated to look at him, afraid Malfoy would notice.

However, Draco only glanced at the mirror for a moment and didn’t come over, seemingly unaware of Harry’s presence.

“Lucius, don’t say that in front of the child!” Narcissa said coldly, standing behind Draco.

“Draco isn’t a child anymore. The situation is already dire. If this continues, the Dark Lord might kill us first.”

“Why would he kill us? We support him.”

“Didn’t you see the massacre last night? Which of the people he killed were not his supporters?!” Lucius retorted, pausing for a moment. “The situation is — I’ve messed up some important things. Sending Draco to kill Dumbledore was the Dark Lord’s way of punishing me.”

“But I completed the task!” said Draco. “Although Snape snatched it from me in the end and stole my credit.”

“Draco, you should thank Severus! You have no idea what killing Dumbledore truly means.”

“But…”

“Draco, do you remember our conversation that night?” Lucius asked sternly.

Draco mumbled a few words and fell silent.

“Anyway, with Dumbledore gone, the Dark Lord is no longer restrained. Knowing him as I do, he won’t forgive us easily,” Lucius continued, pausing for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, or perhaps muttering to himself. “No, he definitely won’t forgive us.”

“If we capture Evan Mason and Harry Potter and hand them over to the Dark Lord, everything will be forgiven,” said Narcissa. “Bellatrix told me that. We have no other choice now. Perhaps that Weasley boy down there knows where the two boys are! Even if he doesn’t, we can use him to lure them out. That Weasley boy is their friend; they certainly won’t stand idly by.”

Harry perked up his ears. They had mentioned Ron, who was indeed imprisoned here.

“Perhaps,” Lucius seemed uninterested in Narcissa’s plan.

“Lucius, what are you thinking? Speak up, there’s no one else here!” Narcissa said, clearly dissatisfied with Lucius’s attitude. “You disagree with Bella’s plan? You don’t seem to want to capture those two boys. Do you have other plans? Are you trying to keep this a secret from me and Draco?”

“Alright, Cissy … it’s only a thought,” said Lucius slowly. “The Malfoy family has survived for a thousand years, not because of anyone’s favor, but because of ourselves. Supporting the Dark Lord’s rise — restoring pure-blood honor — was my father’s generation’s vision, but they could never have predicted what things would become. In truth, the Dark Lord is carrying out some dreadful Dark magic. I don’t know exactly what it is, but if he completes it… if he completes it, things will turn very grim indeed. I fear what we stand to lose will far exceed anything we might gain!”

“What are you saying? Lucius, you… you don’t mean to…”

“Don’t overthink it, Cissy. I’ve always supported the Dark Lord, always have,” said Lucius in a low voice. “But we’re not like Bellatrix and those fanatical Death Eaters. The Malfoys must think for themselves — just as we did on that night twenty years ago.”

A silence fell. Harry peeked through the crack and saw Lucius and Narcissa looking at one another, as though exchanging a silent conversation.

But he quickly drew his head back, because Draco Malfoy seemed to have taken an interest in the mirror and was walking straight toward it.

After a long moment, Narcissa finally asked, “What should we do now?”

“Do what Death Eaters are meant to do,” Lucius replied. “Draco, there will be many changes at Hogwarts this term. Don’t involve yourself too enthusiastically. Just do what the other Slytherin students do. And if you run into trouble, go to Snape. He’s the Headmaster of Hogwarts now.”

“I don’t trust him at all!” Draco complained, moving closer to the mirror.

Harry could feel Draco’s breath; the two were now only two steps apart, separated only by the mirror.

“Severus is trustworthy!” said Lucius firmly, leaving no room for argument. “He helped you last term!”