Chapter 35: Chapter 35 - Shock in the Magical World
The next morning, the Ministry of Magic made a startling announcement.
"Squibs can become wizards."
Worldwide newspapers:
Daily Prophet: "Truth or fiction? The Ministry of Magic claims a Hogwarts student has created magic that can cure Squibs and turn them into wizards?"
The Quibbler: "Ministry of Magic news – Fudge's attempt to divert attention from something more shocking?"
Wizarding World News: "Will the world have more wizards!?"
The Quidditch Weekly: "Has Angus Buchanan's dream finally come true?"
Spellbound: "Are there handsome Squibs among them?"
And so on.
The entire magical world trembled. Letters flooded the Ministry of Magic from every continent, Squibs gathered at the entrance of the English Ministry of Magic. There were so many of them that each Auror on duty had to cast the Obliviate spell at least 100 times a day...
Soon, news came from the Ministry of Magic - "Asmodeus Noren Morningstar, the inventor of the Squib treatment method, will hold a press conference tomorrow at the Black Lake in Hogwarts. For conference passes, contact the Magical Law Enforcement Department of the Ministry of Magic of England."
It is said that someone in the Ministry of Magic quietly shed tears, then angrily resigned from their job, considering the number of applications to attend the conference...
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Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire
"Damn it!" Lucius cursed, throwing the latest issue of the Daily Prophet to the ground.
He nervously paced not because Squibs could become wizards; in fact, it benefited him, as the Malfoy family also had Squibs. His unease stemmed from Dumbledore not bothering to coordinate this conference with the Board of Governors, of which he was now the chairman.
Previously, any event held at the castle required Dumbledore to inform the Board of Governors. However, this time, Dumbledore practically ignored them. You see, though Death Eaters fear Dumbledore, they fear not the Dumbledore who is the headmaster, but the one who fought against Voldemort. After the Dark Lord's fall, Dumbledore restrained himself and followed the rules set by the Ministry of Magic and the same Board of Governors. But lately, Dumbledore had clearly changed; he started meddling in Ministry affairs and actively participated in Wizengamot sessions. This scared the former Death Eaters.
This attitude towards the Board of Governors made Malfoy realize that Dumbledore had altered his methods, and it remained uncertain whether he could be manipulated through pure-blood influence within the Ministry of Magic.
"I should check this myself..." Lucius muttered, wrote a letter, handed it to his owl, and, donning his coat, Apparated to Hogwarts.
After some time, a group of pure-blood wizards arrived at Dumbledore's office.
The Hogwarts governors, led by Lucius Malfoy, collectively prepared to protest Dumbledore's behavior, allowing Asmodeus to hold a conference at Hogwarts without their permission.
They should restrain Dumbledore before he starts ignoring the laws of the Ministry of Magic. What if he begins pursuing them outside the Ministry's jurisdiction? That's something they cannot tolerate!
After Lucius Malfoy and others entered the headmaster's office, they were stunned to see Grindelwald there. However, they paid little attention, knowing that Grindelwald was free because of Dumbledore's guardianship. Ignoring Grindelwald, Lucius directly questioned Dumbledore behind the director's desk.
"Dumbledore! I think you owe us an explanation!" Lucius Malfoy spoke first.
Dumbledore looked at the threatening pure-blood members of the family, smiled, and said, "What happened?"
Upon hearing Dumbledore's words, Lucius smirked, "Enough joking, Dumbledore, we appointed you as the director! We have no objections to the conference, but you ignored the Board of Governors! If you can't give us a satisfactory answer, we might impose a ban on inappropriate activities at Hogwarts!"
Dumbledore remained silent, sitting and smiling. However, Grindelwald took the wand lying on the table and slammed it against the floor.
Having lost his previous wand to his old lover, Grindelwald decided to align himself with the new wizards and ordered a coal-black combat staff made of obsidian, with dark blue crystals embedded at the staff's tip.
The faint blue Fiendfire enveloped the principal's office.
Grindelwald provocatively stated, "Oh? What explanation do you need from us?" His magic instilled fear in everyone from the pure-blood family, as he unleashed the advanced Fiercefire Curse without an incantation. Lucius and the others turned pale instantly.
Feeling the heat of Fiendfire, Goyle asked tremblingly, "Dumbledore! Grindelwald! What do you think you are doing?"
Grindelwald, mocking, looked at the terrified Lucius and said, "Are you still wizards? Grab your wands! If you can win, Dumbledore and I will listen to you!"
Lucius and the others were even more frightened. What kind of twisted joke was this? Engage in a duel with Dumbledore? Their masters dared not, especially considering Grindelwald was on par with Dumbledore in power.
Just when Lucius and others were at a loss, Dumbledore stood up and patted Grindelwald on the shoulder. Grindelwald understood Dumbledore's signal and waved his staff to extinguish Fiendfire.
Lucius and the others breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Dumbledore was still the restrained old man. However, Dumbledore's sharp gaze halted Lucius as he declared, "Grindelwald means what I mean! Times are different now. Either raise your wands or get the hell out of Hogwarts!"
Dumbledore, no longer bound by worries of longevity, thanks to magical rings, confidently asserted he could live at least another 35 years, even without the elixir of life. Voldemort was dead, and a prophecy revealed resolution to all his regrets. The prophecy shown by Grindelwald about Asmodeus was something Dumbledore couldn't stop, giving him no reason to restrain himself.
The Board of Governors turned pale, realizing the Lion was no longer in the cage. Despite their unwillingness, Lucius and the others had no choice but to leave Hogwarts in despair.
"Dumbledore has lost his restraint!" Lucius exclaimed angrily at home.
Narcissa tried to calm him down, saying, "Lucius, calm down first."
After recounting the events at Hogwarts, Lucius calmed down a bit. Narcissa, concerned for their son Draco, asked about his safety.
"Dumbledore won't harm students, and Hogwarts is the safest place for Draco in the current situation. He'll be fine," Lucius reassured.
Narcissa sighed in relief, but the worry about their future lingered.
With Voldemort gone, they were no longer protected. The recent disappearance of Lucius's Dark Mark indicated Voldemort's fall. While this seemed like good news, Dumbledore might now turn his attention towards them. Lucius was uncertain about what awaited him in the future.
In reality, until the pure-blood family opposes Asmodeus when he decides to announce about Muggles, both Asmodeus and Dumbledore will remain indifferent to them. Asmodeus doesn't believe the Malfoys will object to his actions, especially considering the family's past closeness with Muggles.
The surname Malfoy originates from Old French, meaning "treachery." Like many other forebears of noble English families, the wizard Armand Malfoy arrived in Britain with William the Conqueror during the Norman invasion. Providing magical services to William I, who became the King of England, Malfoy acquired the best parcel of land in Wiltshire, seized from local landlords, where his descendants have lived to this day.
Their cunning ancestor, Armand, embodied many qualities that distinguish the Malfoy family to this day. Malfoys have always had a reputation, hinted at by their not-so-flattering name, as unscrupulous individuals seeking seductive power and wealth wherever they could find it. Despite their passion for pure-blood status and firm belief in wizarding superiority, the Malfoys did not hesitate to flatter and curry favor with Muggles when necessary. Consequently, they became one of the wealthiest wizarding families in Britain. Rumors suggest that over the centuries, the family successfully dealt with Muggle currency and assets. Expanding their land holdings in Wiltshire, annexing the lands of Muggle neighbors, and ingratiating themselves with royal authority, they added Muggle treasures and artworks to their ever-expanding collection.
Historically, the Malfoys maintained a sharp distinction between poor Muggles and those with wealth and power. Before the introduction of the Statute of Secrecy in 1692, the Malfoy family mingled in noble Muggle circles. They opposed this law, fearing a loss of their pleasant societal sphere. While subsequent generations vehemently deny this fact, some magical historians claim that the first Lucius Malfoy was a suitor to Queen Elizabeth I, although his attempts at marriage were unsuccessful. Nevertheless, some believe that Elizabeth I's subsequent resistance to marriage arose due to a Malfoy curse.
Driven by the self-preservation that dictated the Malfoys' actions over centuries, after the enactment of the Statute of Secrecy, the family severed all ties with Muggles. They believed that continued protests would lead to alienation from the newly established Ministry of Magic. The Malfoys, making a sharp turn, actively supported the Statute more fervently than its initial advocates, even denying any past interactions or marriages with Muggles.
The immense wealth of the Malfoys ensured significant influence in the Ministry for several generations, although no Malfoy sought the role of Minister for Magic. The family is often said to be absent from the scene of incidents, although their fingerprints might be on any wand involved in a crime. Independently wealthy and unburdened by the need to earn a living, they preferred the role of power-brokers, concentrating real power in their hands, letting others undertake the greater, thankless work and bear the responsibility for failures. They financed many election campaigns for their privileged candidates, involving underhanded tactics to deal with opposition.
The Malfoys treated all Muggles who couldn't offer them wealth or power with genuine disdain. For most of their supporting wizards, this led to the doctrine of pure-blood supremacy, seemingly the most suitable source of unhindered power in the early decades of the twentieth century. With the introduction of the Statute of Secrecy, no Malfoy entered into marriage with Muggles or Muggle-borns. However, the family avoided the somewhat perilous practice of intermarrying with a small circle of pure-blood wizards, as such unions were considered weakened and imbalanced. Notably, there were a few half-blood branches regularly appearing in the Malfoy family tree.
Considering all of the above, Asmodeus and his party do not believe that the Malfoys will oppose the repeal of the Statute of Secrecy and the transformation of Muggles into wizards. Actually, if the Malfoys are given a broader field of action, they would gladly embrace it.
Honestly, if one were to unveil the plan to Lucius about ushering Muggles into the realm of magic, the Malfoys, as representatives of an ancient pure-blood lineage, would anticipate being granted a prominent role in this new order of things. Ah, how wrong they are going to be…
The situation is exactly the opposite with families like Lestrange, Nott, Carrow, etc., even though the heads of these families are in Azkaban, each pure-blood family has numerous side branches that still follow their orders. Asmodeus already has a solution to deal with the remnants of the Death Eaters.
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