July 31st, Sunny.
Harry spent the whole day doing chores because a wealthy builder and his wife were coming to the Dursleys' house for dinner that evening, and Uncle Vernon hoped they would place a large order.
People's joys and sorrows are not shared, so when Harry saw Cohen carrying a suitcase and leaving with Edward, he only found it noisy.
Cohen, however, didn't see it that way. After secretly slipping Harry his birthday present over the fence, he could finally start making some moves behind Edward and Rose's back.
This transit point was a park temporarily used by the Ministry of Magic, protected by a Muggle-blocking charm so that the "Ball-Out Bird Touring Group" could gather there.
"It really is a proper tour group?"
Cohen was somewhat surprised. There were even quite a few classmates there, such as the Patil sisters, who were in the same year as Cohen; Mandy Brocklehurst from Ravenclaw; Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff…
Besides them, there were a bunch of classmates he wasn't very familiar with; Cohen never remembered too many names.
"Do you have a crush on any girls?"
Edward asked, leaning close to Cohen's ear.
"I just turned twelve," Cohen stiffly reminded him. "Where did you learn this 'marriage-pressuring' stuff?"
"Dating and marriage are two different things. Dating a few early on helps me gain experience," Edward said confidently. "Otherwise, how do you think I managed to win over your mother?"
"Do you really have to say that with such pride?"
"Besides, dating without the intention of marriage is just playing around," Cohen retorted. "I have my own plans..."
Dating? Edward might as well just tell him who upset him, and then let Cohen go and murder his whole family...
The outcome is the same anyway.
Cohen hasn't found a way to suppress the liquid curse yet, or rather, there might be no way at all except for changing bodies.
Because Cohen's current body is a hodgepodge of various dark creatures, and apart from touching it not being fatal, nothing inside is something a normal person can touch.
But Edward clearly misunderstood Cohen's meaning; he thought Cohen's "having his own plans" meant that he was already in talks—very promising.
Edward didn't stay there long. After paying the fee and letting Cohen in, Edward drove away.
Before leaving, Edward slipped Cohen a necklace, saying that if he encountered any urgent trouble, he should crush it. The synchronization charm inside was connected to the vase in the living room, so they could find Cohen immediately if they found the vase broken.
How nice, is this what it feels like to be loved?
Cohen felt his Dementor soul warm.
"Malfoy." Cohen found his pale classmate in the crowd, who trembled when Cohen called out to him.
Cohen figured Lucius should have told Draco the general situation by now, to prevent Draco from offending him again and causing serious consequences.
However, this warning was a bit over the top. Draco was just a twelve-year-old kid; suddenly hearing that his classmate was a Dementor who could eat people's happiness and souls, and that he had even had a falling out with this classmate…
just daring to appear before Cohen was already a huge sacrifice.
"Ah—Cohen, Cohen," Malfoy replied, avoiding eye contact. "My dad said—the door key is a blue empty medicine bottle…"
"You don't need to be so scared—I'm not crazy, I don't just suck people's souls."
Cohen felt the need to explain, but the more he explained, the more frightened Malfoy became.
Carrying his suitcase, Cohen followed Malfoy to a tent set up on the edge of the assembly area. It was empty, except for some piled-up flyers and an old wooden table in the corner. Not long after, a tall, thin middle-aged man carrying a cloth bag walked in.
"Is everyone here?" the man asked Malfoy. "Just him?"
"Yes," Malfoy nodded.
The man emptied the contents of the bag onto the table in the tent, took out a watch from his pocket, and glanced at it.
"Ten more minutes. Keep track of the time. I have to go take care of some other things at the other end. Is that alright?"
With that, the tall, thin man hurriedly left.
Malfoy was about to say something to lighten the mood when the man returned.
He looked at Cohen suspiciously and asked,
"You know this trip is to Malfoy Manor, right?"
Malfoy looked at Cohen with alarm, trying to convey something with his eyes.
Most likely, this man had a change of heart and thought there was some kind of human trafficking involved—after all, it was indeed quite suspicious that the Malfoy family would go to such lengths to get a mere wizard to Malfoy Manor.
"Yes, we agreed," Cohen replied.
Malfoy breathed a sigh of relief.
"I already told you, I've almost forgotten about how you offended me before. Don't be so scared; it makes me look like a bad person," Cohen said earnestly. "Especially at school, don't ruin my positive image because of your cowardice. You know what it's like when your plans are ruined, right?"
"I, I know…"
Malfoy nodded frantically.
Ten
minutes later, Malfoy and Cohen precisely timed their fingers towards the medicine bottle. After a flash of blue light, a spinning, twisting sensation filled Cohen's surroundings. It was as if a hook had caught Cohen's navel, lifting him off the ground and propelling him rapidly towards something.
Moments later, he and Malfoy landed.
Cohen, familiar with the feeling of flight, at least landed steadily, while Malfoy, less experienced, swayed dizzily and almost fell.
Cohen was now at the entrance to Malfoy Manor.
It was a huge lord's manor, surrounded by meticulously designed gardens. A white marble fountain stood in the center of the path leading to the main house, and several white peacocks roamed the surrounding lawns.
Compared to the ruins of Burke Manor, the Malfoy estate felt more like an ancient stronghold.
Passing through the smoky steel gates and cobblestone path, the silent Malfoy led Cohen to his front door.
Lucius and Narcissa were already waiting.
Malfoy scurried behind Narcissa as if fleeing for his life, while Lucius gave Malfoy an extremely stern look—a gesture clearly meant for Cohen. It
was all about social niceties!
"Cohen, thank you for taking the time to visit Malfoy Manor. We've often heard Draco mention you—please come in and have a seat," Lucius politely invited Cohen.
"Dobby! Prepare refreshments for our guest."
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