152: Chapter 152 Draco's Letter

"My father locked the study door for two hours."

Draco's letter began with an irrepressible agitation; the ink was so heavy it tore through the parchment in two places. He was clearly stopping and starting as he wrote, the letters fluctuating in size, with a smudge of Black ink at the end.

Allen sat by the study window, the street map projected by the family crest hovering beside the desk. The watchers from the Order of the Phoenix had changed shifts four times, always keeping a safe distance from the iron gate, like a pack of disciplined hounds.

He unfolded the second page.

"He used flames to communicate, and Mother made me go back to my room. I heard a few names in the hallway: Black, Fudge, the Board of Governors, and Azkaban. My father sounded very annoyed; he said that Black leaving prison alive would make a certain group of people sleep uneasily."

Allen circled the phrase "sleep uneasily."

This was the real Lucius.

Fearing that Black would kill someone was only the surface. What the pure-blood circle truly feared was Black returning with old debts from twelve years ago.

The entrance to the Portable Space was open. The Void coiled beside the ebony box, its tail tip holding the silence spell on Peter's cage. Upon hearing "Black," Peter pulled his knees up and buried his face in his arms.

Allen gave him two seconds.

Peter looked up, his voice squeezing out: "Of course Lucius is afraid! They're all afraid! Black was considered the biggest traitor back then, and many people used that incident to clean their own names. As long as he speaks up, everyone who defected to the Master back then, or pretended to be under the Imperius Curse, will have it all dragged out again!"

"And what about Malfoy?"

Peter's lips trembled: "Lucius will say he was forced; he always says that. He has money, he has connections, and he has his wife's family. He will survive."

The silencing spell fell back into place.

Allen added half a line beside Draco's letter: Lucius is worried about Black exposing old debts, not just a simple security issue.

The family crest reported in a low voice: "There are traces of a second reading within the wax seal of the letter from the Malfoy Family. It was opened by an adult Wizard before being sent."

"Lucius read it."

"High probability."

Allen pulled out a piece of parchment for his reply but did not write immediately.

Draco was currently caught in the middle. Lucius wanted to cut off his connection with Allen, yet feared something would happen to his son at Hogwarts. After the Chamber of Secrets incident, the prestige of the Malfoy Family had peeled away a layer, and Lucius would be even more inclined to control Draco.

At a time like this, pulling Draco hard would only make Lucius act faster.

"Go along with him."

Allen wrote the first sentence: Your father closing the door to talk shows that he understands the trouble brought by Black's prison break is far greater than what the newspapers have written.

The second sentence: Record the names, don't judge, don't pry. Especially names related to twelve years ago.

The third sentence: If he mentions Potter, just assume he is worried about Harry. If he mentions what Black might say, just record the specific phrasing.

Writing this, Allen stopped, changed the two words "exact wording" to "specific phrasing."

If Draco recorded the exact wording, he would give himself away. Recording the specific phrasing would make him look like a son who was annoyed by his father's lecturing.

The family crest asked: "Should we remind him to pay attention to Narcissa?"

Allen thought for a moment and added a sentence at the end: Your mother knows more about the Black family than your father. If she tells you not to ask, don't ask.

The letter was folded, and the wax seal was pressed down.

Outside the window, the watcher at the street corner changed positions. The person by the telephone booth was replaced by a short, stout Wizard holding a Muggle newspaper upside down.

"The new one isn't familiar with Muggle disguises."

The family crest recorded: "Subject number four, height five feet six inches, weak magic, Hogwarts mud on the soles of his boots."

Allen didn't even look out the window.

"The Order of the Phoenix is filling in temporarily."

"Should I deliver the reply to Draco?"

"Wait until he sees it."

The old house owl flew off its perch, deliberately pausing by the window before diving out through the owl chute.

The short, stout Wizard at the corner indeed looked up, the upside-down Muggle newspaper not being turned for a long time.

Inside the Portable Space, Peter's face pressed against the cage, watching the owl fly away. He opened his mouth in silent pleading.

Allen ignored him.

In the afternoon, Nott's letter arrived. The parchment was very thin, with a list of old books written on the surface, while the real content was hidden within the fibers. Allen used spatial displacement to sweep it open, and the true content emerged.

After Black's prison break, the Nott family received two greetings from old friends. One from the Flint family, and one from the Adrian Pucey family. Both families were asking if the old trial records from Azkaban could still be checked. Father's study was locked, and the old mailbox was moved. Additionally, someone in the house mentioned Remus Lupin, though vaguely.

Allen circled the name Lupin separately.

"Remus."

Peter looked up abruptly. The silencing spell was still in place, so he could only bang his forehead against the cage.

The Void's tail tip whipped against the outer wall of the cage. Peter stopped immediately.

Allen gave him five seconds.

"Don't let Remus see me!" Peter's voice almost cracked. "He is calmer than Black. Black would rush up and bite me to death, but Remus would finish asking his questions first, then make my death logical."

"Will he go to Hogwarts?"

"I don't know! He's poor, no one employs a Werewolf, but Dumbledore will use him. Dumbledore likes to give jobs to people who have nowhere else to go."

The silence spell fell.

Allen wrote on Nott's letter: Remus Lupin, keep an eye on him. Likely to enter Hogwarts.

This thread was more troublesome than originally thought.

With Black out of prison, Dementors entering the school, and if Dumbledore hired Lupin as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Hogwarts would simultaneously contain Harry, Black's target Peter, Black's old friend Remus, Dementors, and Snape.

Allen raised his hand and pressed his temples.

"Stuffing them all into the school."

The family crest reminded: "You will also be returning to school in September."

"That's why I need to hide Peter at a depth where the Dementors can't smell him before September."

The Void's tail coiled around the cage and dragged it a foot in the opposite direction of the ebony box. Peter was dragged until his face was pressed against the wall of the space, his eyes full of terror.

Allen stood up and entered the Portable Space.

The boundaries of the 215-square-meter space were stable, the gold patterns on the north side held down by seven layers of anchor points. The cracked pocket watch was quiet, and the three thin walls outside the ebony box glimmered with faint light. The diary pages, Basilisk materials, and Unicorn blood were sealed in separate zones, with Peter's cage furthest from these items.

"Dementors feed on emotions and the surface of the soul."

Allen lined up three knuts outside the cage, speaking in a low voice, as if to himself.

"Peter's fear is too heavy. If Dementors can really smell guilt and fear through space, he is like a beacon."

Peter shook his head desperately, unable to make a sound.

Allen did not lift the silencing spell.

"First layer, spatial silence. Second layer, emotional feedback loop. Third layer, shell disguise on the outer wall of the cage."

The blackthorn wand tapped down, and the knuts adhered to the outer wall of the cage. Peter's panting was immediately dampened, and even the sound of his palms hitting the wall of the space grew thinner.

The Void raised its head, silver eyes staring at the cage. Its tail tip wrote a curved symbol on the ground, then erased it.

"Still not enough?"

The Void's tail pointed to Peter's chest.

Allen glanced at Peter.

"The source of the fear is still there."

Tears rolled down Peter's face instantly.

Allen raised his wand, and a thin wall of space rose from the inside of the cage, forming a second transparent shell an inch away from Peter's body. Peter looked like he had been packed into an even smaller box, his shoulders tensed, his face pale.

"Don't die. If you die, your value is halved."

The silencing spell loosened for an instant.

Peter squeezed out from between his teeth: "I am definitely useful, I can tell you about Lucius, about Bella, about the Crouch family..."

"Keep it."

The silencing spell closed.

The edge of the space shook slightly. A dull pain shot through Allen's temples, and sleepiness crept up from the marrow of his bones.

He exited the Portable Space, returned to the desk, and finished writing the reply to Nott.

The content was very short: Don't touch the old mailbox. Only record the list, especially Remus, Black, Peter, Potter, and Crouch. If your father locks the study, it means the direction is correct. Don't force the door; the door remembers people.

He added a sentence at the end: In your second year, you learned to watch the water; in your third year, learn to watch the silence.

When night fell, Draco's second letter arrived faster than expected.

This time, the handwriting was even messier.

Father scolded me just now because I asked Mother about the Black family. Mother's expression was terrible; she only said that Black was her cousin and forbade me from mentioning him at home. After hearing this, Father called me to the study and said that if Black enters Hogwarts, all students must follow the Professors' arrangements, especially not to follow your arrangements.

There was a sentence at the end of the letter that was pressed very deeply with ink.

What is he most worried about Black saying?

After reading it, Allen pressed his fingertips against the edge of the letter.

The Void poked its head out from the Portable Space.

Allen's reply only had three lines.

First, stop asking.

Second, what your father fears most is not who Black kills.

Third, he fears Black speaking while alive.