75 Chapter 75 "Long Way Ahead"
Skyler recognized that his goal was achieved, as Lucius, the family's backbone, seemed receptive to his words. He posed a question, "Father, what do you think is the biggest reason for the Dark Lord's failure?"
Skyler's rapid thoughts left Lucius uncertain about his intentions. Hesitating, Lucius suggested, "Too extreme? Too crazy?"
Shaking his head, Skyler clarified, "The Dark Lord only wants to rule by force and conquer people's hearts with terror. The difference between him and Dumbledore is that despite having similar power, Dumbledore chooses to act within the rules. The Dark Lord's actions are based on momentary joy and anger, without rules, so—"
"Except for a few diehard loyalists like Aunt Bella, Lestrange, etc., the Death Eaters seem to have a strong presence, but the Dark Lord actually doesn't have many true loyal followers. Once he is dead, the Death Eaters will talk. No one is willing to inherit his will and continue to fight. Even when he's known to be alive, no one is willing to seek him out and help him come back."
Seeing Lucius unable to deny it, Skyler paused and raised his tone, "I think that as a powerful pure-blood family, we don't need to follow a mixed-blood wizard—"
Lucius and Narcissa remained silent, acknowledging that Voldemort was of mixed blood.
Draco, however, was shocked, his face expressing disbelief.
"In my opinion, the Dark Lord is merely using the banner of pure-blood supremacy to leverage pure-blood forces for his dominance. The first war he initiated didn't benefit the pure-blood family; instead, it nearly consigned us to history. The glory of the family can no longer be entrusted to this loser."
Skyler continued, "Actually, it's not just our belief; other pure-blood families likely share similar sentiments. If we can unite the power of pure-blood families, then—even if the Dark Lord returns, he becomes a figurehead. What significant achievements can he accomplish?"
Lucius began to grasp Skyler's intention, "You mean... we want to unite with other pure-blood families?"
Skyler's eyes gleamed with a sharp intensity, his voice turning cold, "Those who can unite, unite; those who needed to be conquered, conquer; the rest, destroy! Only one voice is needed in the pure-blood family."
Lucius, taken aback, inhaled deeply.
He never expected his grown-up son to harbor such depths.
This felt like the unfolding of a three-generation legacy of cunning.
Casting a glance at Draco, Lucius sighed inwardly.
Over time, he had favored Draco as the future head of the house, given his temperament resembling Lucius himself.
A secret family ritual had confirmed Draco as the first heir to the Patriarch, with Skyler as the second.
Present circumstances hinted at a potential struggle for dominance between the two brothers.
Lucius, well aware of the corrupting influence of power, acknowledged the difficulty of ensuring their relationship remained steadfast as they grew.
The family ritual, shrouded in profound magic, left Lucius perplexed, unable to reverse or alter its course.
Lucius's expression betrayed a complexity of thoughts, but Skyler remained oblivious to the inner turmoil.
Unfazed, he continued, "This is a long-term goal. In the short term, we must swiftly raise the Malfoy family's banner. Strengthening our influence in politics, academia, and education will establish us as a benchmark worth following and trusting. Therefore, my immediate priority is to invest in an artificially cultivated mushroom trading company."
Still reeling from the impactful family conversation, Draco finally spoke up, "Wait a minute! Are you underestimating the current power of the Dark Lord? If he returns and we refuse to surrender, won't he just kill us directly?"
Skyler grinned reassuringly, "Don't worry; this isn't our concern. Let Dumbledore and Potter handle it. When the Dark Lord returns, others will naturally take the lead in dealing with him. Dumbledore, I know, is more concerned than us..."
Persistent in his beliefs, Draco tried to voice his thoughts, "But..."
Interrupting Draco firmly, Skyler pressed on, "Brother, consider this: since the Malfoy family arrived in Great Britain in 1066, why have we thrived in the British wizarding world for over 900 years? Is it solely due to pure blood?"
Draco, raising an eyebrow, replied confidently, "Isn't it? Pure blood grants us nobility, identity, status, and symbol!"
With a sigh, Skyler acknowledged Draco's perspective, realizing that his brother's upbringing was largely the responsibility of Lucius and Narcissa.
He gently retorted, "Unfortunately, brother, I must tell you, on this matter, you are mistaken."
Skyler's eyes gleamed with confidence, "Throughout Malfoy's long history, intermarriage with Muggle nobles has been common. Many of our properties and titles come from the Muggle world. Lucius I, our 16th-century ancestor, even held titles and nobility in the Muggle world. There has never been a notion that Malfoy relied solely on pure blood."
(Note: Lucius I's story is from Pottermore, where he cursed Queen Elizabeth I for rejecting his proposal, leading her to hate marriage after that.)
Noticing Lucius and Narcissa's reluctant expressions, Skyler continued, "Remember the wisdom of our ancestors. One of them said, 'Never put all your eggs in the same basket.' This principle has been the key to the Malfoy family's survival. While supporting the pure-blood theory might have served us well in the past, we've overlooked our ancestral teachings. Now—"
"The pure-blood theory is outdated. Open your eyes and see how many pure-blood families still exist—Gaunt is gone; Abbot no longer insists on pure blood; Black, Crouch, and Shafiq exist in name only. Now, the world of mixed blood has expanded, and people's acceptance of Muggles has grown. Cases of intermarriage between wizards and Muggles are increasing. Even in Hogwarts, this year, mixed-blood and Muggle wizards outnumber pure-blood wizards."
(Note: According to the author's statistics, of the "initial forty people" in Rowling's manuscript, 3 were of Muggle origin, 14 were of pure blood, 12 were of mixed blood, and 11 were of non-Muggle species, but the specifics are unknown. This data is unknown. The sample can represent all wizards born in the UK in 1979-80. It can be seen that the combination of Muggle wizards and mixed-blood wizards has become the backbone of the wizarding society.)
"It's not wrong to stand in the pure-blood camp and insist on pure-blood supremacy, but—shouldn't we also consider the other camp? Make plans for the future of the family?" Skyler declared loudly, even prompting no retort from Lucius.
After all, what Skyler presented was justified and well-founded.
In contrast to the illusory glory of the pure-blood concept, the Malfoy family prioritized practical interests, survival, and the continuity of the family.
Lucius responded lightly, "Okay! This topic ends here. Skyler, if you have any ideas, just let them out! Dad will support you, but Dad also wants to try to stick to his own ideas. Being a pure-blooded family isn't as unbearable as you think. Of course, we can hedge our bets, as you suggested. Muggles and half-blood wizards will be left to you."
Witnessing Lucius aligning with his perspective, Draco gained immediate confidence.
Standing up, he asserted, "Listen well, Skyler, I will prove to you that Father and I are right!"
And with that, the family meeting concluded.
Skyler returned to his bedroom and retrieved a locked folder from his suitcase.
Using a magic wand, he delicately pierced a small hole in his left index finger, allowing a bright red blood drop to emerge. He gently pressed the blood drop on the lock, and the folder opened with a snap.
The folder is intricately organized with layers of classifications.
Each category bears codewords such as the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Peru... Skyler's fingers rest on the United Kingdom classification label, and he pulls out a lengthy parchment. At the top of this parchment are the names of the ancient pure-blood families.
**Death Eaters Faction:**
- Black (crossed)
- Carlo (painting stars)
- Lestrange
- Avery
- Selwyn
- Yaxley
- Burke (tick)
- Rosier
- Rowle
- Travers
- Nott (tick)
——————
Neutral Faction:
- Flint
- Bulstrode (painting stars)
- Parkinson (tick)
- Fawley
- Shafiq (tick)
- McMillan
- Abbott
- Greengrass (tick)
- Crouch (painting stars)
- Ollivander
- Slughorn (painting stars)
——————
Order of The Phoenix Faction:
- Weasley (cross)
- Prewett (cross)
- Longbottom (cross)
- Shacklebolt (cross)
Seeing this, Skyler lets out a soft sigh. It seems there's still a long way to go. "Unfortunately, time doesn't wait for me!"
If everything unfolds according to the original book's plot, Voldemort will officially return at the end of this semester.
Although Malfoy Manor won't be immediately requisitioned as the Death Eaters' headquarters, it's certain they'll frequent the place.
In essence, it's no different from a headquarters.
Skyler carefully places the parchment back into the British classification section of the folder, his gaze shifting over the French classification section on the next layer, wearing a pensive expression.
In France, there's a belief in the existence of the 12 families of the Holy Blood, with the French branch of Lestrange having long been severed.
Currently, only 11 families remain. To be frank, they share many ties with the Malfoy family, considering that the first generation of the Malfoy family migrated from France to Great Britain alongside the Duke of Normandy.
(Note: The French pure-blood family is not fabricated by the author. It is extracted from the official Lestrange genealogy. Being pure-blood is a requirement to marry into the extremely pure-blooded Lestrange.)
With Lucius's guidance and support, Skyler spends 15,000 Galleons to acquire the artificial mushroom trading company.
The cultivation garden for magic mushrooms is entrusted to the family's children.
Skyler feels fortunate to be born into the Malfoy family, which has never lacked business and management talents.
Otherwise, managing this business would have required considerable effort.
Just look at Olivander – the big boss has to attend to the shop personally!
Even the Weasley twins in the original book had to craft every prank product themselves!
Skyler then leveraged Lucius's connections to approach the wizard merchant, Ali Bashir.
Due to legal restrictions, Bashir, a wizard merchant specializing in magic items, had been facing hurdles in introducing the magic flying carpet to the UK market.
Arthur Weasley consistently blocked its entry by citing the banned status of the magic flying carpet in the register as a Muggle craft.
Recognizing Bashir's expertise in international trade and his eagerness to generate profits, Skyler saw an opportunity.
The two parties swiftly struck a deal, formalizing their agreement through a series of binding magic contracts.
Bashir committed to assisting Skyler in importing various foreign magic herbs – shrunken figs from Abyssinia, snake wood from North America, biting cabbage from China, and Mibumibao from Assyria.
While these trades weren't inherently lucrative, the International Magic Trade Standards Association imposed significant taxes, and the sales network was confined to a few monopolistic chain pharmacies in the UK, limiting profitability.
However, Skyler, financially robust, overlooked the modest returns.
His primary objective was to establish a strong relationship with Bashir, anticipating the need for international trade expertise during future turbulent times.
With the remaining time, Skyler delved into the study of Ravenclaw's collection of books and research notes.
His comprehension of the blood curse-solving method discussed in these notes deepened significantly.
The method involved a highly intricate series of sealing curses capable of suppressing the power of the curse without harming the host.
Skyler found the approach highly feasible, with his magical proficiency sufficient to execute it successfully.
He meticulously analyzed, deconstructed, and even innovated upon Ravenclaw's theory, retaining each step in his memory.
He practiced the procedure multiple times until he felt entirely comfortable with it.
