Winter break is here.

It seemed that in the blink of an eye, the castle became empty. Harry woke up from his sleep, not hearing Neville's snoring, only to remember that most of the students had left on the Hogwarts Express yesterday.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up, and it took a few seconds before he was fully conscious. Suddenly, there was a tuk tuk sound, and he hurriedly put on his glasses, and saw a snow-white owl standing by the window, and the sound of its beak tapping on the glass was made.

Hedwig...... Harry perked up and immediately got up and opened the window. The owl almost jumped on his hand and raised one leg reservedly. Harry untied the letter from his lap and grabbed a handful of nachos for Hedwig before he sat down and began to read.

The letter was written by Sirius. He said he missed Harry and asked if Harry was starting to look up to Hermione. He was quick to explain that he was just joking, and that Harry might be able to get more "O's" than he and Jaime combined if he worked hard.

“…… Personally, I think it's a bit difficult to surpass Moon Face in terms of test scores. But Moon Face says he believes in you. ”

This is the end of the letter. The sign is a big dog with unkempt hair and grinning teeth. Harry took the parchment and rummaged through it, eventually deciding that it should be a smile, as his drawing skills might be similar to Sirius's.

He looked out the window at the bright snow and read the short letter again. There is not a single word in it that says Christmas...... I wonder if Lupin will have a holiday with Sirius...... It's definitely more lively in the Burrow, if Mrs. Weasley is willing to invite Sirius......

Harry lowered his eyes to the letter for the third time. Dumbledore's words echoed in his ears the other day, coupled with Andrew's tone that seemed unconcerned...... His eyes tingled slightly.

Harry knew the past that he had never known before, Sirius Black thought that this was Harry's right, he was about to be sixteen years old, and he had the right to know the truth of what happened back then--- Sirius did not betray Jaime at all, how could he betray his best friend--- Harry's parents were killed, of course the Dark Lord was the biggest murderer, but the betrayal of another person was even more shameful!

Learning is for exams, exams are for being an Auror, but there are always things in the world that are more important than test scores, or even more important than being an Auror – especially something that only he can do.

Harry made up his mind. He pulled open the top drawer of the bedside table and pulled out the contents one by one, and thrust them into the pocket where the Traceless Expansion Charm had been cast. Last night, the three of them had a battle meeting, and Hermione ended up leaving all the maps and other materials. According to the original schedule, they want to further refine the plan today, but ......

I'm sorry, Harry said to his two best friends in his heart, glancing at the other side. Ron's bed curtain was closed, vaguely catching long breaths. He relieved himself a little, quickly packed himself up, jumped back into bed, drew the curtains, and turned the portrait at the foot of the bed upside down.

“…… How to ......" The villain was awakened, sleepy-eyed.

Harry hurriedly gestured quietly. "Show me the way. He said in the softest of voices.

According to Hermione's traffic guidelines, they would need to take a car from Hogsmeade to London, and from then there to Muggle traffic to Wiltshire. This is a relatively good solution, but it can take a lot of time. Harry figured that Ron and Hermione would find him out of the castle by noon at the latest, and he didn't want to see the shadow of Malfoy Manor by then.

The quickest way to do this was for him to apparate from Hogsmeade to the vicinity of Privet Road – yes, Surrey was closer to Wiltshire than London – and then from the nearest station.

The only problem was that he hadn't tried this long distance since he learned to apparition.

As he walked through the secret passage, Harry pondered the question. The difference in time between the two methods was quite large, and given the fact that he had been roaming the Little Whinging area and was familiar with the terrain, he decided to take the plunge.

Purpose, determination, and calm......

Halimer recited the three words as he was engrossed in the wildest place near Privet Road. He has to go there, he has to go there......

He spread his arms and spun in place, feeling his body become nothing. He seemed to float up, and the next second he hit the ground again, and his calf was cold and bumped into something soft.

"-Meow!"

A shrill cat meow rang out. Harry looked intently and saw a gray-haired wildcat scurrying away from him. He hurriedly ducked into the cluttered bushes on the side, while cautiously looking around—the long-abandoned swings, the scattered merry-go-rounds, the closed doors and windows of the houses in the distance......

He succeeded, and there was no one around.

It was a good start, and Harry was cheering himself up. He straightened out his Muggle clothes and walked in the direction of the station.

It was the first time he was happy to be back on the privet road.

Before the sun rose, Narcissa Malfoy got up. Like many adolescent boys, Draco Malfoy has grown tall and thin in the past two years, and mothers always feel that their precious son should be nourished. Now that school is on vacation, it is giving her a great opportunity to show her skills.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Narcissa Malfoy has to cook herself. Although the Malfoys had lost their house-elves in the early years, they immediately hired a few other men to take care of the garden, lawn, and diet.

At this moment, Mrs. Malfoy was supervising several maids making fresh milk fudge. It's easy to do, but it's not Malfoy's style if it's too simple.

"Keep stirring! Be sure to keep stirring for fifteen minutes, first five times clockwise, then five times counterclockwise!"

"Pay careful attention to the moisture when boiling sugar - not too brittle, not too soft, Xiaolong doesn't like it!"

A well-dressed Draco Malfoy passed by just in time to see his mother standing a step outside the kitchen door giving orders. "Good morning, Mom. He said, drowsy in his voice, "Are you making gummies?"

"Yes. Lady Malfoy turned her head and looked at him lovingly, "Why don't you sleep a little longer on vacation, little dragon?"

"Dad said he had something to tell me. Draco replied, asking, "When can we have breakfast?"

Mrs. Malfoy's face darkened from the previous sentence, and in an instant it turned bright again. "It will be fine soon," she assured, "and you will be able to eat it when you are done." ”

Draco yawned slightly, missing the subtle change in his mother's expression. "That's good," he muttered, "but I don't know how long we're going to talk." ”

"If it's too late, I'll send it to you myself. Mrs. Malfoy asked affirmatively, "Are you in your father's study?"

"Hmm. Draco was satisfied, and raised his leg to leave. At that moment, he caught a glimpse of the yew hedge shaking in the distance. "The rat is still there, Mom?"

Lady Malfoy immediately looked extremely disgusted. "It should be, but I hope he's not in our house. It's horrible, and I always like to drill into dark and dirty places...... If I saw him at the table, I would be so sick that I couldn't eat a bite. ”

"Luckily, Dad never intended to treat him like that. Draco agreed, "Then I'll go first, Mom." ”

Outside the manor, Harry was quickly slumping.

He had just walked around the yew hedge when he noticed that the Malfoy house was very large—a lawn driveway in the front, a garden fountain in the back, and a few white peacocks pacing.

Seriously, white peacock?

Harry sneered, he finally knew where Malfoy's swaggering nature came from. He had tried to climb over the wall, but he was always bouncing off, let alone climbing up, much like the anti-intrusion spell recorded in Hermione's notebook. There was no effective countermeasure written later, so he could only try to use a long branch to break through the hedge, trying to see more clearly-

The mansion is very decent, with the carved doors closed and only a few window panes gleaming.

Harry soon realized that the light was due to a lamp inside. He couldn't help but look there, hoping to find any clues. At first, there was nothing, but after a while, a tall figure with faint outline appeared in a nearby half-open window, with blonde hair.

That's certainly not Wormtail...... Harry's heart sank, and he realized that it was most likely Draco Malfoy, after all, Lucius Malfoy's long hair was too conspicuous to be mistaken. But he was still staring—

What if Draco Malfoy was talking to Wormtail?

However, this conjecture was not confirmed, as Draco Malfoy quickly walked away. Harry was a little discouraged, could he only rely on the narrow field of vision between the branches and leaves to find a mouse?

Harry began rummaging wildly in his pockets. The first thing he touched was the broomstick: if he was caught riding a firebolt, he would probably lose himself to prison before Wormtail, followed by a few thick books, which might have a solution to the anti-intrusion charm, but unfortunately he couldn't read them all at once, a portrait frame, but the portrait passage was opened by the magic of the Room of Requirement, and a few strings, which were useless......

Wait a minute?

Harry suddenly realized that the flesh-colored string he was about to throw aside was not the actual rope, but the telescopic ear.

It was researched by Fred and George to eavesdrop on the Order of the Phoenix meeting, but it had long since lost its usefulness, as Mrs. Weasley always remembered to cast an anti-disturbance charm on the conference room door. Later, the twin brothers made a lot of money with it, but he doubted that Malfoy, who was above the top, would take the Weasleys seriously.

Harry untied a few pairs of knotted telescopic ears and carefully placed one end on the edge of the hedge. He was ready for defeat, but the flesh-colored string only paused for a moment, and then quietly moved in.

That's a good sign.

Harry shoved the other end of his telescopic ear into his ear and quickly lay down, peering in through the narrow gap between the leaves and the ground. The flesh-colored rope snaked silently through the grass, and in a few moments it climbed up the outer wall of the mansion.

The woman's voice came over clearly, and Harry recognized it as Lady Malfoy, and couldn't help but be a little frustrated. Worm Tail is not there...... He listened quietly for a while, realizing that Mrs. Malfoy was preparing breakfast for the family, and that Malfoy's father and son should be in the study.

Just after the holiday, in the morning, the study ......

These were the words that struck a nerve at Harry. Deciding that the kitchen could not be more informative than the study, he retracted his telescopic ears and strode around the hedge.

Fortunately, only a few rooms were lit. The second time Harry let out his telescopic ear, two servants were arguing with their voices down, sounding like a problem with food delivery, and the third time, he was in the right place-

“…… Got it, Dad, I'm going to do a good job. ”

Harry immediately recognized Draco Malfoy's voice and hurriedly put on his cloak of invisibility. If the telescopic ears are discovered, he will be able to instantly apparition away.

"Good. Mr. Malfoy seemed satisfied. After a pause, he added, "One more thing, your mother doesn't really like the idea of social parties. But then again, she never wanted you to join the Death Eaters. ”

Draco didn't answer, but there was the subtle sound of some clothes rubbing.

"I don't want to force you on anything in this regard, however, the Malfoy surname is glory itself. Mr. Malfoy's tone was full of pride, "You're an adult, Draco." Sooner or later, the Malfoy family will be in your hands, and you must know what to do for the oldest and noblest pure-blood wizard family. ”

"Yes, Dad. Draco replied with little hesitation.

However, Harry had already set off a storm in his heart. What kind of party is going to be held at the Malfoy House?Death Eater's party? Is Mr. Malfoy implying that Malfoy Jr. is already a Death Eater? Coupled with Mrs. Malfoy's subtle attitude, are the guests at the Malfoy's dinner any other Death Eaters?

The voice began to come from the other end of the telescopic ear again, and he hurriedly gathered his mind and continued to eavesdrop.

“…… Your mom will still have everything you need for the party ready. "We have to make sure they get the impression that the Malfoys still have access to first-hand confidential news and that the Malfoys are still the Dark Lord's most relied upon." ”

Harry's heart pounded. Sure enough, it was a Death Eater meeting...... He was more focused.... But it seems that the Malfoys need to bluff to keep their precarious position for now, and the Andrew plan is fully in effect.

"Daddy, this ......" Draco tried to comment for the first time.

But Mr. Malfoy interrupted his son. "I know what you're trying to say, it's still not good. But if you think about it, can we throw in the towel like that, and don't you know that there are tangible benefits to following the Dark Lord?"

"I know very well. Draco's voice lowered, as if fearful, "He's powerful...... Very powerful...... But my classmates ....."

"Stronger than ever. Mr. Malfoy interrupted Draco again, with a mixture of annoyance, "It's harder to please than before." The Dark Lord has changed his style, or rather, more like your grandfather's style. He spoke at a slower pace as he fell into reminiscence, "I must say, it's a signal, a signal before the rise, Draco." Maybe others can't see this trend because they are too far away from the Demon King, but we are different, we are next to this rising black sun......"

Draco's question sounded hesitant. "Death Eaters...... Will it get bigger?"

"It's inevitable. Mr. Malfoy replied categorically, "Ghost Knights, to be exact." ”

…… Ghost Knights?

There was silence in the study for a moment, but Harry's head was still running. King Arthur's Knight of the Round Table, Harry had read in the history books, wizarding England certainly has a tradition of knighthood, but in the wizarding world, the title of "knight" is not a prominent title. But Harry noticed that there was a "ghost" phrase in front of the knight----- something about ghosts was indeed going on.

Phantom...... Is some form of black magic related?