The declining Malfoy family

Lucius calmly set his knife and fork aside.

"Dobby, fetch me another set of cutlery, please," he requested.

"Of course, Master Malfoy," Dobby, who was serving the dishes, responded promptly.

Once the house-elf brought the new cutlery, Lucius asked with a slightly trembling voice, "So, have you made any progress?"

His emotions were complex at this moment.

Once one of the most loyal servants, well, maybe not that loyal, but certainly one of the most trusted underlings of the Dark Lord.

Yet Lucius found himself unsure how to face the prospect of the Dark Lord's possible return.

On one hand, he eagerly anticipated it, hoping for Voldemort's resurgence to lead the Death Eaters once more in conquering the magical world, thus restoring the Malfoy family's former glory.

On the other hand, he felt a twinge of fear.

Twelve years ago, it was his betrayal of the Dark Lord's trust that allowed him to escape judgment.

And more critically, he recently passed off something of significant importance entrusted to him by Voldemort as a mere nuisance, giving it to the Weasley family's youngest daughter.

If Voldemort returned, Lucius knew he would likely be the first to face punishment.

Thus, his inner turmoil was profound.

Watching Lucius's conflicted expression, Tewell joked, "Progress? Oh, there's been plenty."

"I've mastered Dumbledore's signature Transfiguration, even managing to integrate powerful magic into it."

"And as for magic, the Headmaster showed me a thing or two, including the Ancient Fire of Fawkes, which can burn continuously unless intentionally extinguished."

"He's also quite adept at some classroom tricks, through clever designs, he can make—"

"I mean, regarding Voldemort," Lucius interjected suddenly.

Narcissa and Draco both halted their utensils, staring at him with widened eyes.

"Apologies," Lucius acknowledged his rudeness, but he still desired an answer to his question. "But you must admit, Voldemort's matters are... more pressing."

Observing this, Tewell dropped his teasing smile, displaying a serious expression for the first time in this setting.

"Dumbledore believes that Voldemort has not truly perished, rather, he's been seeking a chance to return."

"Meaning—"

"Meaning, he will return to the magical realm sooner or later, be it now or in a decade. But return he shall!"

Lucius remained stoic, though his hands gripped the cutlery tightly.

The precious silverware yielded slightly under his pressure, leaving deep imprints on his palms.

"If my memory serves me right, Mr. Malfoy claimed to have been under the Imperius Curse during the trial at the Wizengamot in Azkaban?"

Tewell stared directly into Lucius's shifting eyes. "But it remains to be seen, once Voldemort returns, what he will do about this revelation."

Lucius's eyes flickered, then he chuckled.

"Well, that's something you'd have to ask Voldemort himself."

Tewell also chuckled, raising his wine glass in a toast.

"That's indeed beyond our knowledge for now," he said after taking a sip, looking surprised at the taste of the wine, "It's from the Muggle side, but quite good."

At this, Lucius smirked, adopting the same demeanor as Draco usually did.

"I do maintain some connections with the Muggle aristocracy, after all. There are quite a few antiques from their side in the house."

"Though not as marvelous as magical artifacts, they're said to be quite valuable even among Muggles."

In fact, most of the non-magical items in the house were acquired from Muggle aristocrats, dating back several centuries.

A thousand centuries ago, the Malfoy ancestors arrived in England, drawing immense wealth and power from the surrounding Muggles, including this magnificent estate.

To preserve this past splendor, he had to specially arrange a grand room.

Every item in this room was more precious than all the Weasleys' possessions combined, he thought smugly.

Tewell set down his wine glass with envy.

"Uncle Lucius truly lives up to his reputation. I've heard that the Malfoy family accumulated mountains of wealth from the Muggles centuries ago.

Our family, on the other hand, can't even come close. We're practically living hand-to-mouth in the wizarding world."

Lucius's sense of pride immediately faded, his expression darkening.

Living hand-to-mouth was indeed the current state of the Malfoy family.

He had thought that with Voldemort's rise, they could accumulate a considerable fortune for the family. But before their glory could even begin, Voldemort was defeated by a mere infant.

Not only did they fail to profit, but they also lost a significant amount in trying to clear their names.

Now, the Malfoy family was in such decline that even the Ministry dared to come searching their estate!

If it were twenty years ago, even the Minister of Magic would have shown respect towards him!

Unfortunately, the family's accumulated wealth was now less than a third of what it once was, especially the Muggle antiques from three hundred years ago, which were now unsellable. Unless...!!!!

"Unless,"

Tewell tempted, as if reading Lucius's mind, "we can earn money again from the Muggle world."

Lucius was startled, quickly checking his mind for any signs of intrusion, but found none.

He looked at Tewell with suspicion. "Would the International Confederation of Wizards allow you to do that?"

"Then let them disallow it."

"How could they—"

Suddenly, Dobby appeared before them, trembling. "Master, the people from the Ministry are here again."

"Damn it!" Lucius slammed down his cutlery in annoyance.

"Them again?" Narcissa frowned.

"Who else could it be? This is the third search this month!" Lucius took a deep breath before forcing a relaxed smile onto his face.

"Bring them in, Dobby." Then, he turned to Tewell. "I apologize for you having to witness this."

"I understand,"

Tewell reluctantly tore his gaze away from the dessert Dobby made as he followed the Malfoy party to the door.

Before long, a group of people strode in briskly.

The leader was none other than the current Minister of Magic, Cornelius Oswald Fudge.

But Tewell's attention was on the woman behind him, Cynthia.

Half a year had passed, and she was still wearing the same dark red coat, but the innocence had long faded from her face.

Stepping in high heels, her movements were swift and decisive.

Among the group, she was even more commanding than the sneering Malfoy behind her.

Her eyes scanned the four people standing at the door before she turned to exchange pleasantries with Fudge and Lucius.

"Oh, let me introduce you," Fudge stepped aside slightly, revealing Cynthia's figure. "This is Cynthia Vasica, Bartie Crouch's trusted assistant at the International Magical Cooperation Bureau."

"The International Magical Cooperation Bureau?" Lucius frowned deeply. "What brings you to my house?"

Cynthia approached expressionlessly, her voice cool.

"We've been investigating a shipment of Dark artifacts that entered the country recently. We've heard that Malfoy Manor has quite a collection, so we decided to pay a visit."

Lucius chuckled coldly, appraising her with a glance.

"It's quite a stretch, coming up with so many titles just for a search of my house. What about Weasley? What's his excuse?"

"Because we have evidence that you've been hiding a lot of shady stuff in your house!" Mr. Weasley, standing at the end of the line, exclaimed loudly.

"We all know there's nothing in your house, Lucius. This is just a routine check, and we'll leave once it's done," Fudge said somewhat awkwardly.

On one hand was the Ministry's job, and on the other hand was the Ministry's benefactor; neither side wanted any delays.

Lucius coldly scrutinized the group from the Ministry before stepping aside to open the door before Fudge could speak again.

However, this exposed Tewell to everyone's view.

"Who's this?" Fudge said in surprise.

"Tewell Fawley," Tewell said, extending his hand in a friendly gesture, "from the Fawley family."

"Oh, right," Fudge shook his hand, realization dawning, "Hector Fawley was yours?"

"My grandfather."

"Well, your grandfather's accomplishments, um, were greatly admired by me," he hesitated.

Tewell and Fudge didn't chat for long; after all, they had official business to attend to, and Tewell was a guest of the Malfoy family.

So, Tewell left the estate with a meaningful glance at Lucius, leaving behind Draco's reluctant gaze.