Picking up from where we left off, Fawkes delivered not only the blank permission slip promised by Mr. Dumbledore, but also a reply from Lucius Malfoy.
Mr. Dumbledore knew about this—that was obvious. Since he had the time to write that sentence on the envelope, there was no reason for him not to open it and see what was inside—especially when he saw the flamboyant name of Lucius Malfoy on the front, sprinkled with shimmering gold dust. Hector found it hard to believe that, given Mr. Dumbledore's sense of responsibility, he could have restrained his curiosity upon seeing that his correspondent was the head of the Malfoy family, and resisted opening the envelope to read the contents.
Now, the first question Hector needed to consider was this:
How much did Mr. Dumbledore actually know?
Chapter 97