The main house of Malfoy Manor was decked out in extravagant luxury. The furniture looked expensive at a glance, the marble fireplace flickered with warm light, and gilded mirrors reflected the opulence. The grand entrance hall stretched wide, its walls adorned with various portraits, while the stone floor tiles were almost entirely covered by lavish carpets.
And this family had just one son, Draco. It wasn't hard to imagine how spoiled he must be.
Raising kids was indeed a complicated project. Raising magical creatures seemed much easier—take Norbert, for example. Tell it to breathe red fire, and it wouldn't dare mix in any other colors.
But Cohn hadn't come here to swap parenting tips. His real goal was to seize the chance to sneak off to Azkaban.
First, to visit some relatives. Second, to ask Bellatrix about the proof needed to access the vault.
Hufflepuff's cup was stashed in the Lestrange family vault, and Voldemort's diary from his school days was right here in Malfoy Manor. This one trip could net him two Horcruxes.
So when Lucius suggested Draco show Cohn around, Cohn flat-out refused.
That left just Lucius and Cohn alone in the Malfoy Manor study.
"Let's skip the formalities and get to business," Cohn said. "I'm in a hurry to get to Azkaban."
Lucius and Narcissa's soul strength was only at twenty—average wizard level. Easy to handle.
"Azkaban?" Lucius frowned.
Wasn't this moving a bit too fast? Freeing people from Azkaban in his first year?
What on earth had the Burke family cooked up?!
But Lucius quickly realized he shouldn't meddle—just like you didn't question the Dark Lord's thoughts when serving under him.
"You called me here for a reason, right? Something to say or ask? I doubt Draco's little offense warrants this many apologies," Cohn said bluntly. "Besides, you do have something that could help me—or rather, help Voldemort."
The moment Cohn said Voldemort's name, Lucius's face went pale.
"That curse doesn't work anymore. He told me himself," Cohn explained. "It only reveals your location when he's alive. Right now, he's just a wandering spirit."
"Originally, I just wanted to invite you here as a guest," Lucius said, choosing his words with extreme care, "but after Draco came back from summer break… we heard some things…"
"Voldemort did want to steal the Philosopher's Stone, and he temporarily allied with me," Cohn confirmed.
Lucius's breathing quickened.
"Is the Dark Lord coming back?"
"He failed. Didn't Draco tell you?" Cohn said, sounding a bit disappointed. "I even helped him so much, and still… ugh."
"To be honest, he's kind of a wimp. I got him the Philosopher's Stone, and per the original plan, he was supposed to hit me with an Avada Kedavra, then take it for himself. Plan complete—he'd get his shot at revival, and I'd stay safely on Dumbledore's good side, playing the good guy."
Cohn was thoroughly unimpressed with Voldemort.
That was something you could survive and still "safely play the good guy" after?
Then again, considering the rumors about the Burke family's dark magic experiments involving Dementors, maybe it… made sense?
"So the Dark Lord…" Lucius no longer dared to see Cohn as just some kid with powerful magic. Teaming up with the Dark Lord and deliberately using death to dodge suspicion? No "child" could pull that off.
"Dumbledore showed up, didn't even do anything, and Voldemort got scared and bolted," Cohn explained. "The Philosopher's Stone wasn't much use to me anyway—I can't die. After he ran off, I didn't feel like giving it back, so I just swallowed it."
Lucius really wanted to call Cohn's bluff, but his sources as a Hogwarts governor confirmed it was true.
Nicolas Flamel had indeed visited Hogwarts, and Cohn hadn't died under the Killing Curse. Plus, the Philosopher's Stone could only grant immortality or create gold—it couldn't revive the dead.
And then there was the news that Flamel planned to leave this world. What could make someone who'd lived over six hundred years thanks to the Stone just up and die?
The answer was obvious: Cohn had swallowed the Stone, and Flamel couldn't get it back.
"But he's a valuable partner. His influence in the wizarding world is useful to me," Cohn went on. "Since the Philosopher's Stone route didn't pan out, we're looking for other options. This trip just got a new goal added to it."
"If there's anything the Malfoy family can do to help, we'll spare no effort…" Lucius agreed immediately. This wasn't just about cozying up to Cohn anymore—it tied into the Dark Lord's plans.
The Dark Lord had once said he'd gone further down the path to immortality than anyone.
If he was dead-set on returning, with Cohn as his terrifying ally, that day might not be far off.
The oppressive weight of memories pressed on Lucius's nerves constantly. After Voldemort's fall, he'd done plenty that could be called "betrayal." And Voldemort's way of dealing with traitors… Lucius shivered.
To protect the Malfoy family, he had to pick a side—now.
"Two things," Cohn said. "One's the diary. Voldemort said he left it with you for safekeeping."
"It's here! Of course it's here. I've kept it safe…" Lucius said nervously, glancing at Cohn. Just a while back, he'd been planning to use it to frame Arthur Weasley, who'd been sniffing around the Malfoys.
Good thing he hadn't acted yet… or he'd be toast.
"And the other thing," Cohn continued, fully aware of Lucius's original scheme. Better to devour the diary before it caused trouble and avoid any complications.
That should buy him a peaceful year at school, right?
Still, Cohn had a nagging feeling—things never went as planned. The more you craved a quiet life, the more chaos life threw at you.
"A golden cup in the Lestrange vault," Cohn said. "Voldemort needs both these things to come back, so he asked me to fetch them."
"The diary's here with you—that's easy enough. The cup's a bit trickier."
"Last time, Quirrell and Voldemort got caught trying to steal the Stone from Gringotts. Now the goblins are on high alert, so the quick routes are out."
"And the only two Lestranges left are locked up in Azkaban, so they can't step in," Cohn said slowly. "That's why I'm heading to Azkaban next—to get the proof to open the vault from Bellatrix or Rodolphus. You'll help me retrieve the cup."
"Don't worry, I'll tell Voldemort afterward. You'll get credit for this—he'll definitely forgive your past betrayals," Cohn said in a reassuring, "trust me" tone.