"You really think I don't know what that diary was?"

Lucius laughed in fury.

Voldemort's memories were certainly frightening, but he had been dead for twelve years.

No matter how terrifying he had been while alive, a ghost who had been dead for twelve years wasn't enough to make the Malfoys become fools who paid an outrageous price.

The items on this list would cost far more than money.

They would require connections, resources, and family reserves. Their true value far exceeded one hundred thousand Galleons.

"You certainly know something, sir."

Vader remained calm.

"But I suspect that your knowledge isn't comprehensive enough. If you knew its true secret, you definitely wouldn't have casually slipped it into a girl's cauldron."

"You... What nonsense are you talking about?"

Lucius's eyes widened, and he almost cursed aloud.

But seeing that his son was still there, he reluctantly restrained his anger.

"I happened to be at Flourish and Blotts that day and saw something that others didn't."

Vader spoke half-truthfully.

"Fine! Let's say I'm talking nonsense."

"But, sir, I can tell you with absolute certainty that the diary wasn't merely a record of You-Know-Who's memories. It contained a much deeper secret."

"What?"

Draco stared at him in shock.

"What does this have to do with You-Know-Who?"

"Shut up."

Lucius glared fiercely at his son.

He and Narcissa had both been deeply involved with that man in the past, and the last thing they wanted was for their son to have anything to do with him.

"Go back to your room."

"But..."

"Go. Don't come out until I call you."

Lucius's tone was stern.

Draco couldn't withstand the pressure his father was giving off in that state. After giving Vader a look that seemed to say good luck, he reluctantly headed upstairs.

Once he was certain his son had left, Lucius stared directly into Vader's eyes.

"You can talk now."

"Mr. Malfoy."

Vader deliberately glanced at the list on the table.

"I wonder if the Malfoys can prepare the things I've requested."

"If your divination is truly worth that price."

Vader wasn't surprised.

"I need to confirm one more thing. How much do you know about that man's diary?"

Lucius hesitated for a moment.

"During the wizarding war before 1981, that man entrusted the diary to me for safekeeping."

"He only told me that the diary had been enchanted with a sophisticated form of magic. As for whether it contained any other secrets, I knew nothing."

"Obviously, although you kept it for more than a decade, you never realized how important it was. That's why you never treated it with much respect."

"It's only a diary. Even if it was a Dark artifact, how important could it possibly be?"

Lucius's expression became somewhat unnatural.

When he had slipped the diary into Ginny's cauldron at Flourish and Blotts, he had merely wanted to get back at Arthur.

The two families had disliked each other for years.

But he had never imagined that the diary could open the Chamber of Secrets.

If he had known that, he never would have dared to play such a dangerous game.

If Ginny Weasley had actually been killed, the Weasleys would have become sworn enemies of the Malfoys.

The Weasleys were poor, not weak.

They were still one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families, and their connections and accumulated influence weren't much inferior to those of the Malfoys.

"Actually, that diary was Voldemort's life."

Vader spoke mysteriously.

"Or rather, his second life."

Lucius's pupils contracted violently the moment he heard those words.

"You don't know this secret. That's also why I have the confidence to negotiate this deal with the Malfoys."

"What did you say?"

Lucius stared at him.

"Explain yourself."

"A Horcrux."

Vader looked at him calmly.

"I imagine the Malfoy family's library contains records concerning Horcruxes, doesn't it?"

Gulp.

"Wait here."

Lucius instinctively swallowed.

He immediately turned around and hurried toward the Malfoy family's library.

Vader remained completely composed in the drawing room, picking up his coffee and slowly taking a sip.

Nearly half an hour later, Lucius returned.

His face was pale, and beads of cold sweat covered his forehead.

Behind him was his equally frightened wife, Narcissa Malfoy.

Narcissa Malfoy had originally been Narcissa Black, the third daughter of the Black family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families.

She had long blonde hair and was tall and slender.

But at this moment, even the expression of this pure-blood aristocrat contained unmistakable fear.

"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, it looks like you've learned what a Horcrux is."

"Quite shocking, isn't it?"

"Terrifying."

Lucius took a deep breath, trying his best to remain calm.

But his heart continued pounding uncontrollably.

Although the information about Horcruxes had been buried deep within the library, finding it was still only a matter of using the right search spell.

After reading the records, the world had practically collapsed around the two of them.

They had nearly been scared to death.

Who could have imagined that the diary contained a fragment of the Dark Lord's soul?

If you'd told me it was this important, I wouldn't have handled it so casually!

Lucius screamed inwardly.

But the diary had already been destroyed.

No matter how much he regretted it, there was nothing he could do now.

They knew Voldemort too well.

If he truly returned one day, he would only blame the Malfoys for failing to protect his Horcrux.

He wouldn't listen to their explanations.

Other Death Eaters might be able to obtain temporary forgiveness by groveling before him, but punishment for the Malfoys would be unavoidable.

The only thing they could be grateful for was that they now knew the diary had been a Horcrux.

They still had time—and an opportunity—to repair the damage.

With some careful maneuvering, they might even be able to reduce the punishment they would eventually face.

"I think this information is worth far more than everything on the list I gave you."

Vader smiled.

"At least, that's certainly the case for the Malfoy family."

Lucius nodded without objecting.

If they could use those resources to secure the survival of the Malfoy family, they had made an incredible bargain.

"The things on your list will be prepared as soon as possible."

"The Diagon Alley shop and the alchemical materials aren't urgent. I'm planning to travel for a while, so they only need to be ready before I return to school."

"As for the alchemy and Potions books, however, I'll need those today."

"I don't need the originals. Copies will be sufficient."

"Of course. No problem."

Lucius immediately agreed.

At this point, he simply wanted to get Vader out of the house as quickly as possible so that he and Narcissa could discuss how to deal with the aftermath.

"How refreshing."

Vader couldn't help laughing.

"Since you've shown such sincerity, Mr. Malfoy, I'll give you another piece of advice."

"What advice?"

"The Dark Lord's current state is such that he can't sense that the diary has been destroyed."

Lucius's eyes widened.

"Also, the diary was a living object. As long as someone writes in it with the proper quill, they can communicate with the sixteen-year-old Voldemort."

A spark of hope immediately appeared in Lucius's eyes.

It was like a drowning man suddenly seeing a life ring.

If that was true, there was room to maneuver.

He could claim that it had been the diary's own decision.

Tom Riddle himself had wanted to return to Hogwarts.

Although Lucius hadn't understood what was happening, he had simply chosen to respect the will of Voldemort's creation.

As for the Horcrux...

What Horcrux?

The Malfoys had no idea what a Horcrux was.

"By the way, Mr. Malfoy."

Vader's expression became meaningful.

"You should be careful with your memories."

"Otherwise, no matter how well you repair the situation, it won't mean anything if your memories become a problem."