activa-t Chapter 204 School Board Member Lucius
Chapter 204 School Board Member Lucius
Chapter 204 School Board Member Lucius
Lynch knocked on the oak door of the principal's office, and after receiving permission, went up the automatically rotating staircase.
Inside the office, various exquisite silver instruments hummed softly on the table, emitting wisps of smoke. On the walls, the portraits of past principals seemed to be dozing in their respective frames, but upon closer inspection, one could discreetly observe several pairs of eyes peering through half-closed eyelids at the newcomer.
Dumbledore sat behind his large desk, his gaze behind his half-moon spectacles as wise and peaceful as ever, as if he could see into the deepest secrets of people's hearts.
To Lynch's slight surprise, the principal was not the only person in the office.
Lucius Malfoy was also seated upright in a high-backed armchair to the side.
He was still dressed in a black velvet robe, impeccably tailored and spotless. He held his signature serpent-headed cane tightly in his left hand, the end of the cane lightly touching the carpet, the emerald at the top of the cane gleaming with a cold, hard luster in the firelight.
However, unlike his usual slightly arrogant and relaxed demeanor, Lucius sat rather upright today, his face showing a pallor that was difficult to completely conceal. Even when Lynch walked in, he subconsciously adjusted the way he held his cane, revealing a hint of restraint.
"Good afternoon, Professor Lynch," Dumbledore greeted him gently.
"Good afternoon, Headmaster Dumbledore."
Lynch nodded in response, then turned his gaze to Lucius, giving him a perfectly polite, slightly aloof smile that was neither overly enthusiastic nor impolite. "We meet again, Mr. Malfoy."
Almost reflexively, Lucius immediately stood up from the armchair, his movements even seeming a bit too hasty, quite unlike his usual languid elegance.
He nodded slightly, his grey-blue eyes trying to maintain composure, but his tone carried an unusual, somewhat deliberate respect, even a hint of ingratiation: "Good afternoon, Professor Lynch. I hope I haven't taken up your precious time."
Dumbledore gave Lucius a deep look, then explained in his characteristic slow, humming tone, "Mr. Malfoy has come today as a member of the Board of Trustees to inquire about the recent situation at the school, especially regarding the disturbing attack. I think it is most appropriate for you, as the professor primarily responsible for handling this matter, to explain the details to Mr. Malfoy, so I'm sorry to trouble you to make this trip."
Lynch nodded slightly and took two steps forward. "Mr. Malfoy, what specific details would you like to know? Are you starting from the beginning, or do you already have some understanding and would like me to explain certain specific aspects?"
Even as he extended the invitation, Lucius remained tense and uneasy.
His visit this time was merely a trivial pretext for fulfilling his duties as a school board member.
The real driving force was the figure of the hangman, wearing an ebony bird-beak mask, as if he had stepped out of the deepest nightmare into reality.
Since that "visit" to his bedroom that night, he hadn't had a single night of true rest. The expensive silk mattresses brought not comfort, but rather torment, like lying on pins and needles. Every flicker of shadow, every howl of the night wind, would startle him awake, drenched in cold sweat.
Narcissa was very worried about this.
Although the injury to his right arm, which had been instantly twisted and dislocated by an invisible force, had been repaired by the top healers of St. Mungo's with spells and potions, a phantom pain that went deep into his bones, like a permanent burn to his nerve endings, would often strike without warning.
The stinging pain was like a silent warning, constantly reminding him of the extreme fear he felt that night and how insignificant he was compared to the other person.
Therefore, he was restless and kept thinking about how to get rid of this sword hanging over his head.
Finally, he thought of a way to "redeem himself" and salvage some of his reputation—the reason the hangman had approached him was because of the attack at Hogwarts, and through some terrible means, he had somehow managed to find out that it was related to the dangerous diary belonging to the Dark Lord that he had discarded.
So, if he could "actively" get involved and help the school "solve" the problem he indirectly caused, demonstrating his "value" and "repentance," perhaps he could prove his worth as Lucius Malfoy to the hangman!
This is the fundamental reason why he is at Hogwarts today.
As his thoughts raced, Lucius subconsciously and very slightly touched his seemingly unharmed right elbow with his left hand. The movement was subtle and quick, almost imperceptible, but the fleeting expression of pain and lingering fear on his face did not completely escape Dumbledore's sharp blue eyes.
Lynch, however, seemed oblivious to the little incident. He said "thank you" to Lucius and then calmly sat down.
Then she began to narrate the whole incident in a clear and organized manner: from the horrifying blood-written warning on the wall when Mrs. Norris was petrified, to how she finally determined through various clues that the monster was the Basilisk left in the Chamber of Secrets by Salazar-Slytherin, and the most crucial link was the discovery of how Ginny Weasley, a first-year student, was bewitched and controlled by a seemingly ordinary black diary, unknowingly becoming the key to opening the Chamber of Secrets and releasing the Basilisk.
When Lynch casually mentioned that "a black-covered diary" was the beginning of all this chaos and fear, Lucius's fingers on the snake-headed cane tightened sharply.
really!
He almost immediately screamed in his mind that he had confirmed one of his previous guesses: this Lin Qi was definitely one of the Hangman's men, and very likely a core member!
Because the phrases he used to describe the cause of the incident, such as "a black-covered diary," were exactly the same as those he used when he confessed to the hangman that night in extreme fear!
This could not possibly be a coincidence; the executioner must have relayed the information he had extracted from him to Lynch verbatim.
It seems this person holds a very important position with the executioner. I must be careful and never show any dissatisfaction or contempt. I must show enough respect, and perhaps this attitude can indirectly convey this to the executioner!
So, during the listening session, Lucius displayed unprecedented focus. His grey-blue eyes were fixed on Lynch, and he nodded slightly from time to time in response to the narration, as if trying to understand every detail. His posture was even more humble than when he was facing the Minister of Magic.
After Lynch ended his narration with "The diary is currently missing. We have increased security and notified students to be more vigilant," a brief silence fell over the principal's office, broken only by the sound of Fox gently preening his feathers on the perch.