Lucius looked a little confused.

From Arthur’s words, it sounded like Arthur knew the neighbor next door.

But Lucius couldn’t remember being acquainted with any Muggle neighbors.

Could it be someone from the wizarding world?

A name suddenly popped into his mind—

Draco’s godfather.

"Don’t tell me... Snape lives next door?" Lucius asked.

Arthur nodded.

Lucius couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

That cunning man...

He had quietly secured such a safe residence long ago.

Originally, Lucius had planned that if Arthur’s neighbor refused to rent the house, he could simply use a little magic to "borrow" the property.

But if the neighbor was Snape, that plan clearly wouldn’t work.

Now he could only visit Snape personally and ask whether his family could stay there temporarily.

If that failed, he would have to settle for a house further away from Arthur’s home.

Still—

Given their friendship, it probably wouldn’t be a problem.

Then Lucius suddenly thought of something.

Draco!

His son came to Arthur’s house all the time.

There was no way Draco didn’t know Snape lived next door.

Yet Draco had never mentioned it.

Clearly his son needed a serious talking-to.

At that moment, Draco—who was in the backyard talking to Hydra—suddenly shivered and sneezed.

Hydra asked with concern,

"What... happened?"

Draco shook his head.

"Nothing."

He had briefly felt a strange sense of danger.

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

Back inside the house.

After learning Snape lived next door, Lucius said his farewells to Arthur.

He planned to visit his old friend and discuss the possibility of staying at Snape’s home.

Once Lucius left, Hermione walked out of the house.

"Finished writing the letter?" Arthur asked. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Hermione nodded.

"Yes."

"I also asked Dumbledore why the Ministry of Magic hasn’t taken action yet."

Arthur nodded approvingly.

Hermione had understood exactly what he was thinking.

It had already been half a month since Arthur gave Harry the tracking disk for Bellatrix.

Yet during all that time—

There had been no response.

The Ministry had been as quiet as still water.

Arthur couldn’t help wondering what exactly Dumbledore was doing.

That night, the Malfoy family temporarily moved into Snape’s house.

Arthur had contributed to this outcome—

Though somewhat unwillingly.

Apparently Lucius and Snape had discussed something privately.

Soon afterward, Snape came to Arthur’s door.

Using the excuse that Arthur had revealed his address without permission, Snape demanded compensation.

Specifically—

Arthur had to expand Snape’s house using the Extension Charm.

After all, a single house accommodating two families was a bit crowded.

For Arthur, that task was trivial.

Besides, Leah had announced that to celebrate the Malfoys’ arrival, she would cook a grand dinner that evening.

Arthur simply accepted the meal as his payment.

With a wave of magic, Snape’s house became more than twice its original size.

The Malfoy family moved into two guest rooms.

By the time dinner arrived, three families had gathered together:

The Malfoys

The Snape family

Arthur’s entire household

The table was lively and full.

Thanks to magic—and Arthur’s house-elves helping in the kitchen—Leah prepared a meal for more than a dozen people without much effort.

Just as everyone was enjoying dinner—

They heard a doorbell from Arthur’s house next door.

It wasn’t that the bell was particularly loud.

But everyone present was a wizard, and their senses were sharper than normal humans.

Arthur released a strand of mental perception to check who the visitor was.

A moment later—

He saw the figure at the door.

Albus Dumbledore.

Arthur stood up and walked toward Snape’s front door.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore rang Arthur’s doorbell again.

Suddenly he heard a door open nearby.

Turning his head, he saw Arthur stepping out of the neighboring house.

Dumbledore pointed toward Arthur’s door.

"If I remember correctly, your house is supposed to be that one."

Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Am I not allowed to visit my neighbors and maintain friendly relations?"

Dumbledore chuckled.

"Of course you are."

"Should I come back later?"

Arriving unannounced was technically rude.

If Arthur wanted him to wait, Dumbledore wouldn’t object.

Arthur waved dismissively.

"No need. Come inside if you have something to say."

Dumbledore glanced at the house.

"Discussing wizarding matters in your neighbor’s home... are you sure that’s appropriate?"

Arthur replied calmly,

"Don’t worry."

"Everyone inside is someone you know."

With that, Arthur walked back into the house.

Dumbledore followed curiously.

He wondered which acquaintances Arthur meant.

As soon as he stepped inside, Dumbledore noticed the Extension Charm applied to the house.

But he ignored it.

Even as the Minister for Magic, he knew many wizards privately used such charms.

And now wasn’t the time to worry about minor rule-breaking.

When he entered the living room, he saw more than a dozen people gathered around the dinner table.

Looking around, Dumbledore quickly recognized the house’s owner.

On the wall hung a wedding photo of Snape and Lily.

Most people present already knew Dumbledore.

Even the Granger parents had seen his face in wizarding newspapers.

So Arthur didn’t bother introducing him.

Dumbledore smiled politely.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen."

Then he turned toward Snape.

"Severus, when did you move?"

"And why didn’t you tell me?"

Arthur raised his eyebrows slightly.

He hadn’t expected Snape to keep his address so secret.

Even Dumbledore didn’t know it.

Snape answered coldly:

"I fail to see why that information was necessary for you to know."

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