207: Chapter 207 No Reply

"Exactly how many birds have you provoked?" The door knocker tossed the letter from the Malfoy Family onto the desk, its iron ring clattering loudly. "A tropical owl also flew over to the White Peacock's side, but it was chased off by a House-elf with a spatula."

The envelope bore the silver and green wax seal of the Malfoy Family, the seal cut very thinly.

Draco's handwriting was messier than usual; he had only written one line at the beginning: "Allen, have you received any strange mail?"

The family crest finished checking the surface spells. "The letter passed through the outer inspections of Malfoy Manor. Lucius did not open it himself, but at least two House-elves touched the seal."

The door knocker snorted, "The House-elves of the Malfoy Family are all more diligent than their master."

Allen opened the letter.

Draco had written very briefly: the manor intercepted a lost tropical bird early in the morning; it had no letter on its leg, its feathers were wet, and it looked as though someone had diverted its course at the last minute.

Lucius had asked three times where the bird came from, and then asked Draco if he had received any letters from Potter Manor recently.

"He's panicked." The door knocker rattled its iron ring loudly. "If a bird belonging to Sirius Black ended up at the Malfoy Family, it would be a wonder if Lucius could sleep at all."

After Peter had his hearing restored, he pressed himself against the other side of the cage. "Sirius Black is sending a mass message. He doesn't know where I am, so he's trying everyone who might know. Harry, Weasley, Malfoy, even Nott."

"He is eliminating wrong answers." Allen placed Draco's letter next to the glass pane. "The Malfoy Family receiving an empty bird means someone diverted its path, or Black's attempt to test the route was intercepted."

The family crest delivered a second letter. Nott's Black-feathered owl perched outside the window, hooted once, and flew away.

The surface layer was a book list, while the hidden layer was pressed into the gaps of the fibers; the opening was even more ruthless.

Black didn't know who had Peter, but he had ruled out Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic. He was investigating the student connection.

The door knocker cursed under its breath, "A mad dog learning to screen a list is much more terrifying than a mad dog biting at the door."

The hidden layer from Nott continued: Last night, three non-local owls made a short stop at the old post office in Hogsmeade; the shopkeeper complained that they smelled too strongly of sea salt. One letter was sent to London, one flew toward Wiltshire, and another turned back halfway.

If the deduction was correct, Black was using multiple short letters to force the person hiding him to reveal themselves.

Peter shrieked immediately, "Did you hear that? He's forcing you to show yourself! If you don't reply, he'll narrow down the range!"

"Perfect." Allen flattened Nott's letter. "Silence itself is an answer."

Peter's voice stuck in his throat. The door knocker also paused for a beat. "Are you using yourself as a target?"

"Replying would leave a magical trail. Destroying the letter would cause the observers to record an anomaly. Shooting down the bird would attract the Ministry of Magic." Allen wrote down the points one by one. "Silence will only confirm to Black that someone received the letter and chose to keep their mouth shut."

"And then he'll get even crazier." The door knocker added.

"Crazy people make mistakes." Allen circled Black's name. "He has a target now, but no evidence, no allies, and his range of activity is limited. Letting him waste his energy on guesswork is better than letting him crash into Potter Manor."

Peter gripped the bars. "You don't understand him at all! Sirius Black would throw away his brain for James; he would charge into fire, he would bite everyone he suspects!"

"You understand him very well." Allen looked toward the cage. "That's why you've been hiding for twelve years."

Peter shut his mouth abruptly. The tip of the Void's tail pressed down, and the cage lowered another inch.

The door knocker laughed until its iron ring rattled wildly. "A mouse being scared by a dog is quite educational."

Allen began his reply to Draco. The surface layer only said: There are many summer assignments, and the strange owl didn't leave anything behind. If the manor encounters any more tropical birds, just let the House-elves handle it.

The hidden layer was concealed in the spacing between letters, readable only if Draco used the old White Peacock code. Don't mention the mouse. Don't mention Scabbers. Don't mention what Black asked in front of Lucius; suppress even the thought of it.

The door knocker clicked its tongue after reading it. "Thoughts can be dug out by Legilimency. Can the little peacock hold up?"

"Lucius wouldn't casually use Legilimency on his own son." Allen sealed the letter. "He prefers to question until the other person panics on their own."

"It's a tradition of the Malfoy Family: put on a face first, then apply pressure." The door knocker commented. "It saves magic."

Allen's reply to Nott was even shorter. Continue to monitor the old post office in Hogsmeade and the owlery, record the number of tropical birds, their flight directions, and the recipient families. Do not make contact with the original birds, do not bribe the shopkeeper, and do not ask about Black.

Nott added one more item: If anyone replies, record any shift changes, departures, fireplace calls, or unusual purchases by House-elves within two hours of receiving the letter.

The family crest reported, "The external observer noticed the second owl but did not intervene. A detection spell lasted seven seconds in the empty house opposite, targeting the location of the letters on the desk."

The door knocker said sarcastically, "They are anxious to see what you're writing. Should we copy a Snape essay for them to poison their eyes?"

Allen spread out a Snape essay on the outermost layer, with the title: Known Types of Soul Protection Mechanisms. A phantom figure leaned over the desk, writing half a page and deliberately leaving the words "Patronus Charm", "Blood Protection", and "Amulet" visible to those outside the window.

Peter stared at the page. "You hid Black's letter; will the people outside think you're writing the Professor's assignment?"

"The outside needs to see something explainable." Allen sealed Black's letter into the third thin wall. "The more mundane the explanation, the more willing they are to let it go for now."

The door knocker hummed, "A normal student writing a paper on soul protection during summer break? Snape is a bad influence."

There was one more sentence at the end of Nott's letter. His father's old catalog mentioned that when Black was young, he didn't like using owls; he preferred to break in personally. Using letters now meant someone had stopped him, or there was a living creature beside him who could persuade him.

"Crookshanks." Allen wrote the name down. "A Kneazle hybrid can identify Peter and could help Black with routes. Lupin might have persuaded him too."

Peter gritted his teeth. "If Remus were involved, he would have come to find Dumbledore first."

"It might not be convenient for him after his resignation." Allen pressed Lupin's name next to Black's. "He needs evidence too."

The door knocker suddenly whispered, "So everyone is missing the same thing."

Allen looked up; in the mist of the Portable Space, the cage shrank behind the Void.

Peter's breathing became erratic immediately.

"A living Peter." The door knocker finished for him. "How lively; a single mouse is worth more than a ticket to the Quidditch World Cup."

Allen gave the three replies to different owls at fifteen-minute intervals, each taking a different route. The family crest recorded the shifting gazes of the external observers: when the first flew out, the person in the empty house opposite followed; when the second flew out, the Witch at the street corner changed her umbrella; when the third flew out, there was a brief flash of light on the roof.

"Diversion successful." The family crest projected the route map. "They cannot watch everything at once."

The door knocker lowered its voice, "What about the Black dog?"

"Don't feed him." Allen closed the window. "Let him starve."

Peter shuddered. "You will regret this."

Allen closed the file. "Perhaps. But the person who regrets it first will be the one to write the second letter."