Among wizarding noble families, the Malfoys were an exceptionally wealthy Pure-blood family, and the old ancestral residence they had built and passed down for generations stood in the countryside of Wiltshire, England.
It was known as Malfoy Manor.
Unlike the skyscrapers and luxury villas of the muggle world, what Malfoy Manor gave Hermione was a visual shock far beyond anything she had imagined from books or from Pansy's descriptions.
If she had to describe what she was seeing in simple terms, then there was only one way to put it. This was something that could only exist in the wizarding world.
Pansy, who had long since lost count of how many times she had come here, looked at Hermione with a smug, superior smile.
"Do not tell me you are so stunned you forgot how to speak, Granger."
"This mist..."
Hermione frowned.
She ignored Pansy completely. Her curiosity about the mist was so strong that she had no interest in responding to Pansy's petty jab, and instead focused all her attention on the fog that had suddenly appeared before them.
"What strange fog. I have never seen fog this thick that does not disperse. Wait... could this actually be magic?"
Hermione lived in London, the so-called city of fog, so a sight like this was hardly unfamiliar to her. But gradually, she began to notice that something was wrong.
"What is that?!"
At that moment, Hermione saw Kreacher and Dobby seemingly manipulating the fog.
Hearing Hermione's startled cry, Pansy, for some reason looking rather proud of herself, walked over with her hands on her hips and stood beside her.
"That is right. This is magical mist set up to stop enemies from invading. Apparently, this is magic that belongs to Malfoy Manor itself, and Dobby and the others are removing it now."
"Removing it? Magical mist? So it does more than just block people's vision?"
From just those few words from Pansy, Hermione immediately caught the important part.
This mist was not naturally formed, and it was dangerous as well.
Hearing the discussion between Hermione and Pansy, Draco tilted his head slightly and offered an explanation.
"Let me think. Muggle-Repelling, Disillusionment, Muffliato, and various other jinxes I do not really know much about."
"Draco, you just said even you do not know what jinxes are in there? How many are there?"
Even though Draco had not explained exactly what those jinxes were, Hermione still swallowed hard and instinctively edged a little closer to him, as if that alone would make her feel safer.
It was a good thing she had not impulsively rushed in by herself because of Pansy's earlier remarks. Otherwise, she would have had to personally find out what kind of jinxes were hidden there, including the ones even Draco did not know clearly.
"Though that would only matter if the Fidelius Charm failed. Only then would anyone have the chance to see what this magical mist can do."
That was right.
If you were not the Secret Keeper of Malfoy Manor, you probably would not even be able to see the mist, much less witness anyone trespassing into it, because you would not be able to enter this place in the first place.
"I really do not think we need that kind of opportunity."
"Is this some new kind of curse that is popular lately?"
"Do not talk nonsense, you idiot."
At Draco's so-called opportunity, the girls beside him all twitched at the corners of their mouths in perfect unison. Even Dobby's eyes widened in horror, as though Malfoy Manor were about to be exposed to the whole world the very next second.
After all, this was no joke, especially at a time like this, when the Dark Lord wanted to find the Malfoys and they would have lost the protection of magic.
...
While Kreacher and Dobby worked together to remove the magical mist, Hermione took advantage of the waiting time to ask Draco the question on her mind. It was also a chance to learn more about him.
"Do you really have to go through all this every time?" Hermione glanced at the time and could not help growing curious about it.
If they had to do this every single time, then it was far too inconvenient.
"Of course not. If things outside had not really become this unstable lately, even I would not have seen this magic in action more than a few times. You should know that keeping this kind of magic running is not easy either."
"I see... yes, if coming home required all this every time, that really would be a hassle."
Watching the mist before her gradually disappear into the air, Hermione could not help marveling at the wondrous sight. Even Pansy and Astoria fell quiet as they watched it.
As expected of the Malfoys, ranked first among the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
Such a powerful, layered, and complicated piece of magic was not something an ordinary family could possess, nor would they have the means to keep it functioning.
As Kreacher and Dobby lowered their hands, the sunlight that had been blocked finally spilled back over the land.
And the instant the mist cleared from before their eyes, the girls' eyes lit up, because what came into view at once was a beautiful garden clearly designed with great care, an elegant fountain, and white peacocks strolling about freely.
These white peacocks did not seem afraid of people at all. The moment they noticed Draco and the others, they even looked at the group with open curiosity.
After taking a few steps closer, Hermione could not help wondering what breed they were, because she had never seen peacocks with white feathers before.
Even so, the most striking sight was still the exquisite wrought-iron gate. Engraved with the Malfoy family crest, it felt like something that separated two different worlds.
"It is even more luxurious than I imagined."
Tilting her head back to look at the wrought-iron gate, Hermione unconsciously pressed her lips together.
Ancient.
Heavy.
It was as if she could see the long history of Draco's family in that gate, as well as the frightening wealth and foundation they possessed, far beyond that of ordinary wizards.
Someone lacking confidence would probably feel ashamed of themselves standing before this gate.
Catching sight of how natural and at ease Pansy and Astoria looked from the corner of her eye, Hermione subtly straightened her back and seriously studied the gate before her once more.
While Hermione was still thinking all this, Dobby stepped forward first and pushed open the gate, while he and Kreacher took their places on either side of it.
As the gates slowly opened, Dobby's and Kreacher's distinct voices rang out together.
"Welcome home, Young Master."
"Welcome home, Young Master."
It was as if they had gone through special training. Not only were their bows identical, even their expressions and tones were almost the same, and the timing was perfectly matched as well.
You could almost say that if their voices had not been so different, it would have sounded like a single line spoken by one person.
Hermione could not help suspecting that this had to be the result of thousands upon thousands of rehearsals.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on P@treon.
Also, join as a free member to read free advanced chapters.
[Upto 50 chapters ahead for now]
[email protected]/BlurryDream