Chapter 293
Before them stood a tavern with elegant decorations.
The outer walls were covered in creeping ivy vines. Emerald-green leaves stretched upward toward the sunlight.
The entrance was an aged but spotless oak door.
Transparent windows stood on both sides, allowing people to vaguely glimpse several small square tables inside, where a few customers quietly drank.
The tavern had no signboard.
Perhaps the owner simply felt a name was unnecessary.
The moment they pushed open the wooden door, the light outside was swallowed by the dim interior.
The walls were built from black marble, and several old-fashioned torches hung upon them.
Their faint flames flickered softly, giving the tavern an atmosphere steeped in age and mystery.
But the most astonishing thing was not the décor.
It was the tavern owner himself.
A centaur.
His powerful lower body moved swiftly through the room while his muscular human arms carried trays effortlessly.
Apparently, he also served as the bartender.
He moved quickly between the curved oak counter and the tables.
"Two bottles of rum!"
A customer shouted casually, and the centaur immediately trotted over.
"France really is quite liberal in this regard," Malfoy remarked while sitting down, quietly observing the centaur owner.
"Of course."
Hibiscus proudly lifted her chin.
"All intelligent beings deserve respect. There's no such thing as superiority or inferiority."
"Perhaps."
Malfoy shook his head slightly, unconvinced.
"What would the two of you like?"
At that moment, the centaur owner arrived beside their table.
The beige linen tablecloth before them was still empty.
"Two ordinary glasses of wine," Malfoy replied with a nod.
French wine was naturally famous.
As for truly luxurious magical wine—
The wizarding world and Muggle world certainly did not share the same brands.
Besides, Malfoy himself had little interest in such things.
Luxury items existed largely to flaunt status.
Most of the time, they merely served as symbols of social class.
"Yes, sir."
The centaur nodded politely.
At that moment—
A woman pushed open the tavern door and walked inside.
The dim torchlight reflected against her striking violet hair, giving her an air of mystery.
The vivid color instantly attracted countless gazes.
Several drunken men even whistled openly.
Although her appearance itself was rather ordinary, her beautiful hair alone was enough to draw attention.
"You really are haunting me."
Malfoy frowned briefly before quickly relaxing again.
Because he did not see Lupin anywhere nearby.
Apparently, this female Auror was not currently in pursuit mode.
Her eyes were unfocused, and faint traces of tears lingered at the corners.
She looked exactly like a heartbroken woman seeking alcohol to drown her sorrow.
Malfoy preferred believing this was merely coincidence.
And in truth—
It really was.
After being shaken off earlier, Lupin had already abandoned the pursuit.
After all, his suspicions had never been supported by concrete evidence.
Being discovered and countered by the other party was not particularly strange.
Moreover, Lupin was quite confident in Malfoy's ability to escape tracking.
"Is she pretty? I don't think so."
Hibiscus looked dissatisfied as she glanced between Malfoy and Tonks.
"This is the Auror's partner. She's probably trying to avoid suspicion," Malfoy explained calmly.
"Then what do we do?" Hibiscus lowered her voice nervously and quickly stopped looking toward Tonks.
"Pretend nothing happened."
"This should just be coincidence."
Malfoy spoke softly while lifting his wine glass and taking a sip.
Excessive alcohol impaired judgment.
But moderate drinking was harmless.
"Miss, may I have the honor of buying you a drink?"
A man quietly approached Tonks and flirtatiously placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Oh, I'm sorry—"
"Get lost."
Tonks replied coldly.
Her hair instantly shifted into a deep black color.
The square table beside her began trembling violently.
A wine glass suddenly leapt into the air, splashing alcohol directly across the man's face.
The man furiously reached for his wand—
But Tonks was faster.
"Expelliarmus!"
A brilliant flash exploded within the dark tavern.
The man was violently blasted against the wall before sliding limply to the floor, completely unable to resist.
"Harrison Harriman. Englishman."
"Previously used a charm spell on a female Muggle in Britain."
"After being discovered, he attacked Aurors, resisted arrest, and fled overseas."
"He recently resurfaced in France."
"At the request of the French Ministry of Magic, we are here to arrest him."
Tonks spoke coldly.
The man's face instantly turned pale with despair.
"Alright. I misjudged."
Malfoy shrugged.
Tilting his head toward Hibiscus, he said quietly,
"She's here on official business. It has nothing to do with us."
Then he silently added in his mind:
Excellent acting.
The sky gradually darkened.
The brilliant sunset disappeared beneath the horizon.
Night fell.
Unlike the colorful neon lights of Muggle cities, every shop in the bazaar hung small lantern-like magical lights outside their entrances, each emitting different colors.
The street vendors also began closing their stalls one after another.
The tavern owner glanced between the two of them thoughtfully.
"How many rooms?"
"One room."
Hibiscus' beautiful blue eyes widened instantly.
Disbelief filled her face.
A faint blush rapidly spread across her cheeks.
"Don't misunderstand."
Malfoy spoke calmly.
"This is a single room reserved for me."
"You want to go home and take a look, don't you?"
Hibiscus froze briefly.
Then surprise replaced her earlier embarrassment.
"Can I?"
she asked cautiously, though excitement already filled her voice.
"Of course."
Malfoy shrugged casually.
"You've seemed distracted lately. That would become troublesome for future operations."
"I don't need a constantly distracted assistant."
"Honestly, if you decide to return completely, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad outcome either."
"Of course not!"
Hibiscus hurriedly denied it.
"I won't let them discover me."
"I just want to go home and take a look."
"How about this? I'll meet you back here tomorrow."
For her—
This was a rare opportunity.