The night was damp and heavy, rain tapping softly against polished boots as the four figures stood before your door.

Draco shifted, glancing at his father. "Who are we waiting for?"

Lucius didn’t answer right away, eyes fixed on the door. "Someone valuable. Someone the Dark Lord has left alone—until now."

Narcissa spoke quietly, her voice sharp as glass. "They don’t take sides easily. But their talents are... inconvenient to leave unused."

Bellatrix chuckled under her breath, rocking on her heels like a child waiting for a game to begin. "They’ll say yes," she hissed. "They always do, in the end."

Lucius raised his cane and knocked — once, twice, clean and precise.