Chapter 326: The Mirror by the Study Door
As he walked further in, Dudley passed finely crafted statues and ancient suits of armour. If he had not known he was inside Malfoy Manor, he might have thought he had wandered into a magical museum.
The deeper he went, the clearer his understanding of the word luxury became.
Every piece of furniture he saw was made from rare and expensive materials. Marble fireplaces, mirrors framed with gold, enormous crystal chandeliers... the Malfoys had spared no expense in displaying their wealth.
"Justiciar, where would you like to look first?" Dobby asked.
"Lucius's study," Dudley said.
One of his main objectives tonight was the Emperor card. Compared to that, even Voldemort's Horcruxes could wait.
"Very well. Please follow me," Dobby said.
He led Dudley towards the study.
They moved along a long corridor. In a place like this, Dudley deliberately kept his pace slow. He scanned constantly with Spirit Vision for any magical traces nearby and relied on his danger sense to catch any details that might otherwise be missed.
As a Beyonder on the Justiciar Pathway, the more familiar he became with an environment, the better his instincts worked within it. That familiarity would not only help him find what he wanted but also raise his combat effectiveness on this ground.
Lucius's banquet was expected to last several hours. There was no need for Dudley to rush.
After more than ten minutes, Dobby finally brought him to a stop outside Lucius's study.
Dudley frowned slightly.
Set into the wall beside the study door was an old-fashioned mirror with a silver frame.
"What is that mirror for?" Dudley asked cautiously.
In both the strange Beyonder world and this magical one, mirrors had never given him a good feeling. Their appearance always carried an ominous edge. This one's location was peculiar as well. Why place a mirror here, outside the study?
"Dobby does not know what the mirror is for," the elf said, scratching his head. "It has been here since Dobby first came to the Manor."
He was clearly stumped by the question.
When you grow so used to a place that your eyes start to slide past its details, even the oddest things can blend in and feel natural.
Dudley stood directly before the mirror and studied his reflection carefully.
Nothing in the image was twisted. His reflection did not grin strangely back at him. Everything appeared normal.
"Let us go into the study," Dudley said.
"Yes, Justiciar."
Dobby walked the few metres to the door.
"The master has placed many spells here. Dobby can break some of them, but the rest will require you, Justiciar," he said.
"Fine," Dudley said with a nod.
Dobby knew his master very well, and he knew almost every enchantment Lucius had laid. Apart from those designed specifically to ward off house-elves, he quickly disabled nearly all the rest.
Having an inside man really is a blessing, Dudley thought, watching him work with a faint smile.
Without Dobby, Dudley could have broken the wards himself, but it would likely have taken at least an hour. That was far from ideal.
Once Dobby had done everything he could, he stepped respectfully aside.
Dudley moved up to the doorway and inspected the wood and surrounding stonework in detail.
Through Spirit Vision, he could clearly see the remnants of spells etched into the door and wall. Some of them he could identify at a glance. Others he could only pick apart slowly by following basic magical principles and testing interpretations.
After a while, he took the Mirror of Erised from his pocket dimension and drew out Slytherin's notebook, then began testing counterspells one by one.
With the aid of that powerful magical artefact, his trial and error went far more smoothly. Before long, he had confirmed the effects of several of the embedded spells and found suitable counters for each.
Once everything was prepared, Dudley began to chant softly in Hermes.
One after another, dispelling and counter-charms flowed from his lips. The magic woven into the door weakened and fell away, or else sank into temporary dormancy.
About fifteen minutes later, he had neutralised all of them.
It had not been easy.
Forcing wards apart with brute power was the simplest route, but that would have blown his cover instantly. Finding the true counterspells required extensive experimentation and a deep grasp of magical theory, and even then, errors were common.
Dudley had only managed it in a single run because Slytherin's notes and the Mirror of Erised had given him so much room to experiment safely until he located the correct answers.
"Alohomora."
He spoke the final charm, and the study door swung open.
Dudley lifted his left hand and pushed, stepping inside.
The room was large and luxuriously appointed. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined the walls, filled with volumes on magic. Many were so old that even Hogwarts's library might not have copies. This was what it meant to be an ancient pure-blood family.
He let his gaze roam across the study, but did not move hastily.
Dobby had mentioned how furious Lucius had been when Draco tried to sneak in here. He had not only locked Draco up but also dismissed a host of servants, all to keep the study's secrets from leaking.
That made Dudley certain there were more wards beyond those on the door.
Sure enough, after a thorough inspection, he found several magical traps scattered through the room.
These, however, were different. Most were binding or restraining spells, with no obvious lethal curses among them.
"Probably in case Draco tried to come back again," Dudley muttered.
For all his anger, Lucius would not go so far as to obliterate his own son or other family members. He would want to leave some margin for error.
Dudley spent some time dismantling the wards, then slowly approached Lucius's desk.
The moment he reached it, his attention was drawn to a particular book. More precisely, to the bookmark or card tucked inside it.
It was a Tarot card. One of the Major Arcana.
The Emperor.
"A Desecrated Card?" Dudley's eyes narrowed. He picked it up with his left hand and studied it closely.
Suddenly, his gaze went very deep.
After a long moment, he turned his head towards Dobby.
"Dobby. Since when have I been using my left hand?"