A Certain Magical Hogwarts

A group of people marched toward Malfoy Manor in a large formation.

The wrought iron gates stood in their way, but no one stopped. Instead, they Apparated straight through them as though the black gates didn't exist.

The yew hedges muffled their footsteps, making them sound muted.

A rustling noise suddenly came from somewhere to the right. A wizard instantly drew his wand and raised it over his companion's head.

This wizard had a strikingly peculiar appearance: his hair was gray, and his two eyes were completely different. One was black, while the other was a vivid, bright blue.

Arthur Weasley raised a hand to reassure him, "Alastor, relax. It's just a white peacock."

Mad-Eye Moody's magical eye spun in its socket, confirming that it was indeed just a peacock and not a wizard in disguise. He then lowered his wand and stuffed it back into his cloak.

"That Malfoy, always so flamboyant," Mad-Eye grumbled, "Peacocks… just like their family's vain personality."

He added crudely, "I wonder if roasted white peacock tastes any good."

Arthur sighed, already regretting bringing Mad-Eye along.

Their group consisted of four people.

In addition to Arthur, the head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, there was Perkins, an elderly wizard and Arthur's colleague and subordinate. Perkins, with his soft, thinning gray hair, was nearing retirement.

Besides them, there were members of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol, a division responsible for general law enforcement.

Finally, there was Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, an Auror nearing retirement, rounding out this four-person strike team.

At the end of the straight path, there was a grand mansion.

Crunching over the gravel road, they approached the front door. Just as they were about to knock, the door opened.

Lucius Malfoy stepped out, immediately focusing on Arthur, who was at the front.

He glared at Arthur and said haughtily, "What brings you here?"

"A Ministry raid," Arthur replied with a smug smile.

"A Ministry inspection… Even so, shouldn't you notify me before coming to my house?" Lucius's expression darkened as he recalled the Muggle Protection Act.

He had been worried about this, and now they had come knocking.

"This is private property. Your uninvited arrival gives me every right to take defensive measures," Lucius threatened.

"Go ahead!" Mad-Eye challenged, drawing his wand. He limped toward Lucius, each step of his right foot landing with a loud thunk, thunk.

"Try attacking an Auror. Let's see whose spell is faster!"

A deadly silence enveloped the scene. No one dared to move, except for Mad-Eye, whose face was twisted with menace. 

His normal eye fixed on Lucius while his magical eye swirled, scanning for threats in all directions.

It was as if he expected an attack to come from any angle at any moment.

"Mad-Eye… you're here too?" Lucius faltered, taking two steps back, "This is just a routine check for Dark artifacts. Why would an Auror be involved?"

Lucius wasn't wrong. The raid was led by Arthur's department and intended to check for Dark artifacts. 

Arthur had brought members of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol, whose responsibilities were akin to those of Muggle police.

Aurors, on the other hand, dealt with high-risk or specialized magical crimes.

Mad-Eye's presence was a bit of an overreaction; it was like having the FBI kick down your door while you were having tea, yelling, "Open the door!"

Anyone would be nervous in such a situation!

Especially since Mad-Eye wasn't just any Auror. He was notorious for his ferocious methods and had personally killed several… Death Eaters.

Arthur gently pulled Mad-Eye back and said in as calm a tone as he could muster, "Lucius, who comes for the inspection is none of your concern.

"This is a joint operation authorized by Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement!

"Everything is perfectly legal and proper. Now, step aside!"

Arthur waved a piece of parchment in the air.

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement, one of the Ministry's seven main divisions, oversaw all legal and judicial matters. 

It was the Ministry's largest department, encompassing sub-departments like the Misuse of Magic Office, the Auror Office, and Arthur's own Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.

Lucius's face twisted into a grimace. Amelia Bones, a staunch ally of Dumbledore, was someone he'd always wanted to get rid of.

But Lucius didn't budge. He remained blocking the door.

"What's the matter? Afraid to let us in?" Mad-Eye sneered, "Scared my magical eye will find your master's little secrets?"

"What are you implying?!" Lucius retreated another two steps, his voice laced with guilt, "I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean, Moody."

Lucius tried to sound dismissive, as though he didn't care about Mad-Eye's words. But his clenched fists betrayed his unease.

Avoiding Mad-Eye's gaze, Lucius turned to Arthur, whose receding hairline was becoming more noticeable.

"I object to this raid! Everyone knows Moody gets paranoid if he doesn't find seven people plotting his murder before dinner."

Lucius loudly protested, "He's overly suspicious, and this is my private residence. What if he loses control—"

"What do you mean, suspicious?!" Mad-Eye roared, "It's my job to deal with Dark wizards. Don't forget that!"

"Alastor!" Arthur interrupted, "Stop arguing with him. He's stalling. He's probably already sent a message to the Ministry through the Floo Network."

Lucius shot Arthur a furious glare.

Without further ado, the four entered the manor, ignoring Lucius's protests.

Lucius stood by, his expression dark.

Fifteen minutes later, Dolores Umbridge arrived with a cease-and-desist order from Cornelius Fudge.

Arthur's team had only managed to search the front hall, uncovering a few contraband items. They hadn't had the chance to inspect the rest of the house.

After the Ministry officials left, Lucius hurried to his study.

Draco was gone, and the coffee-stained rug had been cleaned.

"What should we do?" Narcissa asked worriedly, "Should we move everything to the vault?"

"Dark artifacts? To the vault?" Lucius considered before responding, "We'll sell them off in Knockturn Alley in batches."

"Darling, what do you think of this situation?" Narcissa asked, "How dare Weasley raid our house without the Minister's approval?"

"There's no way Fudge didn't know!" Lucius snapped, "He knew and pretended not to. He waited for me to write to him!

"Then he timed it perfectly, waiting a few minutes before sending Umbridge over.

"That way, he could allow Weasley to find a few things, throw them a bone, and yet not let them dig too deep, preserving my dignity.

"Finally, he's signaling me to donate more Galleons to curry his favor.

"Fudge is playing us both perfectly by using our conflict for his own benefit!"

Exhausted, Lucius stood up. "Fine. I'll gather some illegal items and sell them to Borgin and Burkes in a few days.

"That miserly old man will be thrilled!"

Lucius turned abruptly, heading to a distant wall adorned with an eight-foot portrait of William the Conqueror.

With a flick of his wand, the painting swung open like a door, revealing the entrance to a hidden passageway.

He stepped inside and, after about two minutes, reached a smaller room filled with assorted items.

Some were valuable magical artifacts, but most were Dark artifacts.

The truly priceless items, of course, were stored safely in Gringotts.

Lucius rummaged through the shelves, tossing a roll of parchment and several shrunken heads into a box.

He soon reached the end of the shelf, where a thick, dust-covered diary lay.

Lucius picked it up.

The faded date on the cover indicated it was fifty years old.

Opening it, he found only one name written on the first page, in smeared ink: Tom Riddle.

This diary was the most pressing item Lucius needed to deal with because it had been given to him by Voldemort himself!

Once a symbol of honor, it was now a dangerous liability.

If the Weasleys had found it, it would have been enough to earn him a one-way ticket to Azkaban, where he could spend his days alongside his charming sister-in-law, Bellatrix.

Lucius flipped through the diary quickly. It was completely blank.

Given that it was a gift from the Dark Lord, it undoubtedly had a special purpose.

But despite many attempts, Lucius had never discovered its secrets.

In fact, he had once asked his father, Abraxas Malfoy, about it.

The diary was from fifty years ago, a time when his father had been at Hogwarts and should have known something.

But Abraxas had only told him that the diary might open the Chamber of Secrets to purge Muggle-born students from Hogwarts.

Beyond that, his father refused to elaborate, treating the name Tom Riddle as taboo.

Wait…

If this diary was so dangerous, why not secretly slip it to one of the Weasley children?

Imagine the scandal! Arthur Weasley, the champion of the Muggle Protection Act, would have a child attacking Muggle-born students at Hogwarts.

Arthur's reputation would be ruined, and he might even lose his ability to push through his legislation, buying Lucius more time.

If enough people died, it could also lead to Dumbledore's removal from Hogwarts.

Most importantly, it would dispose of this dangerous evidence.

A perfect threefold scheme! Lucius admired his own cleverness.

Even if none of it worked, there was no real risk to him.

After all, Riddle…what kind of name was that? It sounded like a Mudblood's surname. Could his diary really open the Chamber of Secrets?

Rely on Riddle?

Ha!

A boy who kept a diary?

No respectable person would ever keep a diary!

If Riddle were here, Lucius would gladly insult him to his face:

"Pathetic!"

join my patreon for 115+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/HyppoTL