"So you're saying my sister is completely out of her mind right now, but it's because she's been serving the Dark Lord that she's become this way, so she's been kept at his side?" Fred summarized with a furrowed brow.
Draco considered this carefully. "More or less. He gave orders for your sister to remain at Malfoy Manor. Fifi is looking after her—I don't know the specifics. She always stays in her room, and when she's not there, she follows behind Nagini. I don't dare get too close."
"Who's Nagini?"
Fred caught an unfamiliar name in Draco's explanation.
"A snake—the Dark Lord's snake. It..." Draco's eyes filled with panic again. "It eats people!"
Fred leaped to his feet anxiously, clutching his wand and drawing a sharp breath. "Can I go to your house now?"
Draco's gaze darted nervously as he tugged at his collar. "I need to ask my father... I mean, my mother."
Seeing Fred's hopeful expression fixed on him, he could only add, "I'll ask right now."
The fireplaces at Malfoy Manor had long been sealed by Narcissa to prevent Ministry raids and eavesdropping.
Draco'sApparition lessons wouldn't begin until next year's end—he needed alternative transportation.
"I'll return as quickly as possible. Don't panic."
With that, Draco gathered the reports and materials case, hurrying away.
While waiting, Fred collected several newspapers from the shop's entrance chair.
For a moment, disorientation washed over him.
He remembered the memory Lys had shown him—those obituaries and attacks from her recollections now overlapped with today's headlines.
Thinking Draco might be delayed, Fred first visited the reading room, disabled the protective wards, and retrieved Gabeng.
Those fleeting glimpses from Lys's memories, the dismissive mentions in others' conversations—none compared to what he'd witnessed during his journey here, or the terror in Draco's eyes.
Surveying the desolate streets, the wariness and panic in people's faces, holding his sister's serpent companion, Fred felt his fear diminish.
Meanwhile, after hearing Draco's request, Narcissa developed a headache.
From her understanding, Starlys's devotion to family rivaled her and Lucius's dedication to their bloodline.
Moreover, her mind worked more directly. When she could afford the price and chose to pay it, she'd even dare challenge the Dark Lord's intentions.
She still remembered Lucius describing how Starlys had killed that werewolf Fenrir Greyback.
She worried that if something happened to Freedom Lamb, the consequences might be...
Narcissa glanced upward at Starlys's room, from which came sounds of pacing and thrashing.
Looking at her son, who feared returning home, Narcissa patted his shoulder. "Explain the situation clearly. If he still wants to come, let him. Just be careful not to encounter the Dark Lord when you return."
Perhaps companionship from someone his age would help little Dragon. Moreover, Starlys's condition seemed to be deteriorating—she truly needed more appropriate care.
With this thought, Narcissa straightened her spine and gazed toward the blank portrait at the staircase.
Draco noted his mother's exhausted expression and silently departed again.
When Fred entered Malfoy Manor, shock overwhelmed him. The estate that in his memories had always radiated noble grandeur now appeared so...
Desolate.
A fountain bearing obvious repair scars, the greenhouse damaged and shrouded in creeping vines, the Malfoy mansion no longer blazing with light but emanating oppressive gloom—even the white peacocks had retreated to the hedgerows, burrowing into low shrubs.
Fred, wearing a hood that concealed his eyes and nose, tugged Draco's sleeve. He looked up at his friend, who'd grown visibly tense after passing through the gates.
"Should I pay respects to Uncle Lucius first?"
Draco shook his head. "Father isn't here. He... Mother said you can go straight to your sister."
In the drawing room sat a wizard apparently reading parchment. Seeing their approach, he quickly stuffed the document inside his robes.
Baring yellowed teeth, the wizard smiled maliciously. "Well, well—if it isn't our precious little Malfoy lordling! Give my regards to your father rotting and stinking in prison! Hahaha!"
The vicious mockery drained color from Draco's face. He forced himself to lift his chin, refusing to appear weak.
But his response fell flat: "My father will return soon!"
Fred glanced at the wizard and followed Draco silently.
The man eyed Fred's diminutive stature and abnormally hunched shoulders, preparing another taunt.
But when an obviously venomous serpent wearing a gaudy collar emerged from the small hunchback's hood, extending its forked tongue as if tasting the air, he fell silent.
After the Ministry battle, the Dark Lord's return had been officially announced, and he'd begun gathering forces.
Malfoy Manor now frequently hosted dangerous characters with peculiar habits. Exercising caution, the wizard chose silence.
Draco led Fred up the spiral staircase to Lys's room. Even through the door, Fred could hear his sister's hoarse voice muttering.
When the summoned house-elf unlocked the restraining magic, Fred squeezed through the gap carrying Gabeng.
Removing his hood, he inhaled—along with the air came strange fishy odors and the smell of moldy bread.
"Frey, why are you here? How did Gabeng get so fat again so quickly?" Lys turned with a confused expression.
"Coco, did Mother say I could go out?" Her thoughts jumped rapidly. Immediately she asked the cowering house-elf: "Is it acceptable now? The moon has vanished—it's safe now, isn't it?"
She moved toward the door, talking to herself, causing Fifi to clutch her ear tips and shriek:
"Mistress ordered guest stay in room! Fifi dare not stop guest! Fifi frightened of terrible guest! Fifi is worthless elf!"
This earned Draco's nervous command: "Silence, Fifi!"
Fred observed the chaos while inhaling deeply. Before Lys could exit, he grasped her hand.
Her skin felt ice-cold.
She looked down at Fred.
The constantly shifting images those exposed brains from the Department of Mysteries had forced into Lys's mind finally slowed somewhat.
"Frey, why are you here?" She quickly seized Fred's satchel, emptying its contents.
Fred didn't resist, only turned to thank them earnestly before closing the door.
He shut out the nervous Draco and the whimpering house-elf.
Placing Gabeng on the bed, Fred raised his wand, confirming no magical items remained in the room. The only magical mirror lay shattered, emitting strange moans. Only then did he help Lys open the potion bottles, pouring them into her mouth.
"Fred..." Hearing his formal name from his sister's lips, Fred confirmed she'd recovered somewhat.
After all, Lys never used his nickname before outsiders.
"Yes, I'm here."
"How did you come?"
"Cerebold's gone completely bald and you still haven't replied to letters. You haven't collected your medicine either. We're all worried. But you know Father can't venture out carelessly—if he reveals his true form during the full moon or causes trouble, we couldn't resolve it. Mother's magic barely surpasses mine, and she's careless. That medicine is sensitive—you said absolutely no one else could know. So I came to check and deliver your medicine. Don't worry, even Lulu doesn't..."
Though Lys had asked, she couldn't absorb Fred's lengthy explanation.
She demanded: "Cast a spell on me. The incantation is Obliviate. Be gentle. I feel like four brains are fighting for control of my body. I can't endure much longer—I'm exhausted."
But despite Lys's request, Fred didn't dare cast spells carelessly.
Combat was manageable—damage determined victory.
But precision magic like this, performed by him, carried excessive risk.
He hesitated. "May I practice first?"
Lys didn't answer. She knelt on the carpet, and the sudden appearance of someone trustworthy made her relax completely. Lowering her head against Fred's shoulder, she fell asleep.
Fred struggled considerably to move and carry Lys to bed.
Waving his wand, Fred tidied the room, clearing broken mirror fragments and vanishing moldy food from corners.
Since potion had spilled on Lys's hair, to prevent anyone discovering what medicine she'd consumed, he used Aguamenti to wash her hair.
Though after drying, improper magic left Lys's hair puffy and disheveled—making her head appear two or three times larger, with water stains on the bed—it did ease Fred's tension slightly.
After organizing his satchel and tucking Lys in properly, he left the room and locked the door.
Summoning the timid house-elf, Fred said helplessly: "Fifi, please bring raw meat strips and eggs to my sister's room for Gabeng. If you prefer not entering, leave them inside the doorway. Also, I need to find Draco."
He then met Narcissa, who had Draco escort him to the dungeons' innermost cell for spell practice.
There languished an unfortunate Dark Wizard who'd disobeyed the Dark Lord's orders, beginning killings prematurely to attract attention, instead exposing the Dark Lord's plans.
His failed operation had earned extensive mockery from the Order of the Phoenix. After the Dark Lord nearly killed him, he'd been completely forgotten. He'd been imprisoned here roughly a month.
Draco felt afraid. Watching his friend experiment with magic on the prisoner, he felt like he was seeing him for the first time.
The dungeon's moaning intensified his disgust and terror. He told Fred he'd wait outside and departed.
The sound of suffering echoed through stone corridors as Fred began his grim practice, preparing for the delicate magic his sister desperately needed.
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