In the Harry Potter Without Harry Potter

Chapter 376: Lucius' Invitation

Jon certainly had no resistance to the matter of meeting with Malfoy father and son.

Even if Lucius truly turned out to be a man who loved and cared for his family, Jon still didn't feel half-good about such a person.

Since when was defending kinship a basis for whitewashing? Wasn't that supposed to be a normal thing to do as a human being?

And besides that, what had the Malfoy family done?

The Malfoy family, with their self-proclaimed nobility of blood, had an undisguised contempt for muggle wizards even before the rise of Voldemort.

Also, after Voldemort's rise to power, there was actually no hint of so-called loyalty to their so-called lord, just a desire to be a mere parasite, using the name of bloodline supremacy to suck the blood out of other wizards for their own family's benefit.

When he had taken charge of the Auror's office, he had commanded his men to hunt down and kill the Order of the Phoenix members, Hogwarts wagon, and other free and wanted muggle wizards; and he had even tortured a number of them to death by his own hand, so Kingsley and Moody hated him with a passion.

Now Lucius wanted to seek cooperation from him, which is certainly possible, but if he wanted to use this cooperation in exchange for not getting himself liquidated in the future, it is undoubtedly impossible to do so.

On this point not only did Jon not have the power to make his own decision and promise, but even Dumbledore himself did not.

The blood that had been shed, and the people who had died could not come back, so those who should pay must pay, no one could be exempt.

Of course, there was no need to bring this point to light when meeting with the Malfoys now, and at least they still have a chance to redeem their sins; perhaps Lucius' fate would not change in the future, but Draco is still young and has not yet had the time to do that much evil, then if Lucius wants to give up the dark side, then that part of the credit could well be inherited by his most precious son.

After sending Dobby off to reply to his master that he would be on time for the appointment, Jon was in no mood to spend the evening outside blowing off steam and turned back into the wagon and walked straight into Dumbledore's office.

"Malfoy father and son have decided to meet up with me."

Jon said as he opened the door.

Dumbledore looked up from the pile of parchment on his desk and took off his glasses a little wearily.

"He had that house elf come to meet you again?"

"Yes. The meeting is on the last day of the month, and the meeting place is at the Hog's Head Inn."

"The Hog's Head Inn?"

Apparently, Dumbledore was surprised by the place as well, but then his smile returned.

"Ah, that's right, if you want to find a place in Hogsmeade that is suitable for a private meeting, then the Hog's Head Inn is indeed the best place. There are only two Inns in that whole wizarding village, the Three Broomsticks is like Diagon Alley, crowded and lively, only suitable for bright and honourable dealings, while the Hog's Head is like Knockturn Alley, eerie and messy, suitable for some shady dealings."

Jon had a feeling that Dumbledore's analogy was not quite pure, it gave the impression that he was teasing his goofy brother.

"Are you going to meet with them, Professor?"

Dumbledore shook his head.

"I'm sure Lucius didn't intend to hide his meeting with you from me, but he must not be happy to see me on that occasion either. Since he is simply inviting you, you should go to the appointment on your own; but I will ask Percival to assist and look after you."

"So how should I negotiate with him then?"

Jon needed to let Dumbledore set the tone for himself, he certainly couldn't decide the matter of Malfoys alone, nor could he just make any promises in private.

Dumbledore thought for a moment and then spoke.

"If he has expressed any intention of keeping in touch with us privately and giving us information about Riddle's side in exchange for the future safety of his own family, you can be honest."

"Don't we need to win him over?"

"There is no need for that, Lucius thinks he is smart, but in fact, his little bit of cleverness is obvious to many, and that is why Riddle has given him the position of Head of Auror's office in name only. He doesn't have access to the real core of Riddle's people, and we could get all the information he could pass on to us through your teacher, so he's nowhere near as important as he thinks he is, and whether or not we could win him over is completely irrelevant."

Jon nodded while Dumbledore went on to say.

"If he is only seeking you out for something concerning his son, in other words, Draco Malfoy, then it is entirely up to you to decide on this subject. He will certainly have to make a sufficiently impressive offer if he wants to ask you to ensure his son's safety, and you can weigh that offer for yourself if it is acceptable."

There was little doubt in Jon's mind about this.

He was actually curious as to what kind of offer Lucius could really make to him if he really just wanted his help in keeping Draco safe for the rest of the tournament.

Time flew by and the last day of November arrived in a flash.

Jon didn't stay in the wagon early in that morning, he went straight to Aberforth's Hog's Head Inn.

Aberforth brought Jon a sausage and omelette with a cup of milk and asked disgruntledly.

"Why did you set up the meeting point at my place? Are you carrying out an operation to capture the Malfoy father and son?"

"I wasn't the one who decided on the place, it was Lucius Malfoy himself."

Jon was quite satisfied with Aberforth's omelette, at least it was much better than eating George's omelette on the wagon.

At Jon's words, a sarcastic smile appeared on Aberforth's grubby, goatee-bearded face.

"Then this Auror Office head is really stupid."

"That would actually prove you're hiding well enough, wouldn't it? No one would ever expect this sort of underground black market in Hogsmeade to be connected to Professor Dumbledore."

Aberforth grimaced.

"Because this place wasn't actually intended to have anything to do with him in the first place, it was that old shameless prick himself who unilaterally commandeered it!"

Jon shrugged, not bothering to comment much on the strange bond between the two Dumbledore brothers.

Whether it was Lucius' active arrangement or a coincidence, the visitors to the Hog's Head Inn were sparse today, and Jon sat in a corner in a robe that made his face not visible, reading a book on charms in boredom the whole time without being disturbed by anyone.

Just as it was about to get dark, two men, one large and one small, dressed in black robes, with their faces concealed in hoods, pushed open the door of the Hog's Head Inn.

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