"Dumbledore…"
Lucius struggled to hold up his stomach that looked ready to burst. His face turned pale for a moment, then deep resentment rose in his eyes.
"Then I must begin with what happened on the night of the World Cup final… Dumbledore, you'll never guess who I ran into…"
His expression twisted slightly as he spoke: "Barty Crouch Jr. — you must remember that man — he's still alive! It was he who cast this curse on me."
Dumbledore did not seem surprised, but he leaned forward slightly, showing a look of interest.
Lucius gripped his left arm tightly, his knuckles turned white, and he said in a voice sharp:
"I never expected that You-Know-Who, who even abandoned that madwoman Bellatrix, would instead keep Barty by his side, and even… even actually intended to hand his place over to him!"
This time, Dumbledore was truly startled. He raised his brows, and a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes.
It wasn't that he suspected Lucius Malfoy was lying, but rather that the man before him must have been misinformed —
How could someone like Voldemort possibly prepare an heir? Even at the very last second of his life, he would cling tightly to power and never let go.
But Lucius Malfoy was utterly convinced of his conclusion. In these past months after being transfigured, aside from struggling to survive, the only thing left for him to do was think.
That night — Barty's expression, his tone, the spells he used — replayed over and over again in Lucius's mind. The images grew sharper, and with them, his thoughts deeper.
He even rolled up his sleeve, pointed to the Dark Mark on his arm and began recounting from more than a year ago:
"At that time, the Dark Mark was growing clearer and clearer. All of us noticed it… Everyone thought it meant You-Know-Who was coming back."
"To test it — and also… also to show our loyalty when he returned — we decided to stir up some trouble at the World Cup campsite."
Seeing Dumbledore's face suddenly grow cold, Lucius hurried to add:
"The forest incident and the mascots going berserk, that wasn't us. We never went that far. At most, we just wanted to grab a few Muggles… that was all…"
But under the headmaster's icy, disgusted gaze, Lucius abandoned his explanation, and quickly sped through the rest of his account — being hunted by Sirius, seeing Sirius turn into a squirrel, and then being struck himself with the transfiguration curse.
Then he moved on to the conclusions he had drawn during this time.
"You don't understand, Dumbledore!"
Lucius Malfoy couldn't help but stand and pace the office, and a sickly flush spread across his pale face.
"The method that turned countless trees in the forest into cursed beings, the way those leprechauns and Veelas were driven mad, and forcing me into the form of a toad… Such magic — that Crouch brat never had that kind of skill before! It must have been You-Know-Who himself who taught him those techniques!"
Dumbledore sat in his chair with his fingers steepled and an unmoving gaze behind his half-moon spectacles. Only the occasional flicker in his eyes revealed that he was thinking.
On his perch, Fawkes, who had been sleeping, awoke and rustled his tail feathers uneasily.
"Dumbledore, did Snape ever tell you that at that time, the Dark Mark on our arms suddenly grew very faint? Fainter even than when…"
He choked, his Adam's apple bobbing for a while, but in the end, he couldn't muster the courage to utter Voldemort's name.
"Fainter… fainter than when that man lost power last time!"
At that time, because of Harry Potter, the whole world believed that Voldemort was already dead — yet even then, the Dark Mark had never faded to such an extent.
"At first I thought… thought it was because of the transfiguration curse. But later… I don't know how long after… one day, the Dark Mark suddenly became clear again! It even began to burn!"
Lucius's pupils shrank sharply. He sat down, panted heavily and stared at the teacup trembling on the desk, as though some terrible answer lay hidden within it.
Dumbledore had already learned of this change from Snape, even down to the exact time. He also knew that although the mark burned, it had not yet reached the level of a direct summons from the Dark Lord.
Snape believed it meant that the Dark Lord was once again rapidly regaining his strength.
As for why it was "once again"… and why the mark had previously grown dim…
The Potions Master was completely in the dark. He even feared that perhaps Voldemort already suspected him, that he had been pushed out from the inner circle of the Death Eaters.
Perhaps, the next time the Dark Lord summoned him, Apparating to his side would mean walking straight into an execution ground prepared by the Death Eaters themselves.
Over such speculations, Dumbledore and the Potions Master had argued more than once.
And now, from Lucius Malfoy's mouth, Dumbledore heard another explanation—
"This must be the inheritance! Complete, utter inheritance!"
Malfoy stared at the Dark Mark on his arm, and its color darkened once more. His eyes were filled with a tangle of emotions: loathing, resentment, jealousy, suspicion…
He closed his eyes for a moment to steady himself, then went on:
"He taught Barty Crouch Jr. powerful magic that only he himself could wield, and gave him the authority to punish me at will. Even that golden ring that nearly locked me down — it was crafted by his very own hand…"
The muscles in his face twitched slightly, and there was the faint sound of teeth grinding.
"Hard as it is to believe, He gave Barty Crouch Jr. control over the Death Eaters, and entrusted him with everything… everything to inherit!"
"Thinking back, there were signs of this all along. Back then, Barty Crouch Jr. treated him as though he were his own father, and the Dark Lord… I mean, You-Know-Who… he was unusually close to Barty, trusted him, even called him 'my child.'"
—What once seemed mere words of manipulation to win loyalty… could it have been real all along?
"Dumbledore, you must have heard — Grindelwald groomed an heir for himself… Perhaps inspired by that, he began considering Barty Crouch Jr. as his own heir… After all, his condition may be far worse than anyone imagines!"
The corner of Dumbledore's eye twitched slightly. Without a word, he pushed the teacup a little closer to Malfoy.
"Thank you…"
Such a small gesture, yet it shattered the mask of composure Malfoy had been forcing upon himself. His eyes reddened as he lifted the cup and took a sip.
The hot chocolate slid down his throat, bringing warmth and sweetness.
Lucius Malfoy made up his mind, raised his head, and said:
"I have one more secret to tell you, Dumbledore — do you know about Hufflepuff's golden cup?"
--------------------------------
🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!!
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!
Early access to the following translations:-
⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- 200+ Chapters
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters
⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
[email protected]/Lightreaper457
--------------------------------