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chapter 167 part 2
The other small tabloids were another story. There was precedent for a Minister for Magic being forced out of office, and a student attacking a Ministry official was a juicy story. It could make them money and boost sales, so this matter would probably be hard to cover up.
'By that logic, the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic are taking a huge loss.'
While thinking about the Board of Governors' gossip, William watched Professor McGonagall handle the situation.
He had no experience dealing with such a major incident, so this was a good chance to learn a thing or two—although the Minister for Magic probably wouldn't have another accident like this, there was still the Undersecretary, right?
But Professor McGonagall's way of handling it was to not handle it at all. After she went to the center of the pitch, she quickly separated the two students who were fighting to the death. Then, after instructing the Ministry of Magic staff who had come with her to help the Minister up, she handed the situation over to him.
And that Minister for Magic, known as Minister Fudge, gave a slightly awkward smile to those behind him and acted as if nothing had happened. He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, striking a very magnanimous pose for the people from The Daily Prophet to take photos.
"Learned something, I've learned something..."
William muttered to himself. By now, the Minister had finished posing. After casting a spell on himself, his voice began to echo across the entire Quidditch pitch.
"A spirited and youthful blow—" The Minister for Magic spread his hands, his face composed, as if he weren't the one who had just been lying on the ground. "Honestly, I absolutely love Hogwarts. The very air here reminds me of my years as a student."
"Here, I must thank the fine young lads and outstanding girls from Gryffindor and Slytherin..."
The Minister for Magic began his long-winded speech, but William was already pulling a small notebook from his bag.
"William?"
Adams noticed William's action and asked curiously.
"It's nothing. I feel like I've gained some new inspiration, a completely new kind."
William quickly jotted notes in his notebook.
Ever since getting out of Azkaban, the professors and students he had met at this school were all rather straightforward. This was the first time he'd encountered someone like the Minister for Magic, who could instantly treat an embarrassing moment as if it were nothing.
Compared to Professor Lockhart, this Minister for Magic was much smoother and more skilled in the art of conversation.
To be precise, Professor Lockhart wasn't always so popular, whereas this Minister, while he might not be wildly adored by any single group, would be accepted by the majority.
Perhaps this could be applied to his theories on being a professor—or more.
William scribbled down his jumbled thoughts, then chuckled in spite of himself. 'Have I reached a higher level of thinking because I've forced my way into the circle of professors? Or am I just making a fuss over nothing?'
'I'll save this for later. The prerequisite for interacting with new students is surviving this year,' William casually closed the notebook and looked around. Minister Fudge's speech was actually quite charismatic; hardly any of the students were zoning out.
"Adams, how do you think this will be handled in the end?"
William pointed at the Minister and then at the Board of Governors, asking casually.
"How else? They'll send over a political donation. The Malfoy family is loaded, otherwise, they wouldn't have escaped trial back in the day."
Adams wasn't very interested in the speech. He glanced at the surrounding students and responded in a low voice.
"Escaped trial?"
"Of course. The whole wizarding world knew about it back then."
"The whole wizarding world knew? Are you talking about Death Eaters?"
This piece of information had been bothering William for days, and he immediately made the connection.
"Of course not," Adams said, wagging his finger. "It seems my knowledge of magical history is much more solid than yours, William."
"Abraxas Malfoy (Note), the old Malfoy, he was a formidable figure. Of course, it's not recorded in the books," Adams said with an air of mystery. "It's said he organized a large-scale cursing event that successfully rendered the Minister for Magic at the time incapable of handling his duties, ultimately forcing him to resign."
"Now that was a remarkable move, William. Many people know about it, but in the end, old Malfoy was never convicted."
William was filled with awe—he now understood what the Malfoy family on the Board of Governors truly represented.
Though still a far cry from a psychopathic gunman, it was enough to show who called the shots in the wizarding world.
"That was all just rumor, after all," Singeade chimed in, joining the gossip. "The trial a dozen years ago was a genuine case of buying their way out of guilt. It's a fact that the Malfoy family possesses a pile of top-tier alchemical products related to Dark Magic. Everyone in the circle knows about it, but so what? They were still acquitted."
"Isn't that the truth? Most of the pure-bloods who were arrested back then got out with a simple lie. Unless it was impossible to cover up, they'd all claim they were under the Imperius Curse, make a deal, and then get released."
Adams shook his head and secretly pointed toward the Slytherin stands. "If it weren't for the Mysterious Person being rooted out back then, at least a third of the people in there would be Death Eaters by family inheritance."
"Keep your voice down, Adams. You're a professor. You can't say things like that in public! What if a student hears you?"
Singeade shoved him hard, ending the topic.
"William, you be careful too. Don't be like this idiot and say whatever you want, whenever you want. Try not to bring up topics related to Death Eaters in public. A lot of Death Eaters escaped back then, most of them from Slytherin. It's best not to talk about this in front of anyone from that House—you should know, most of the Board of Governors are from Slytherin."
William suddenly felt he could understand Professor Snape's bad temper. On Professor McGonagall's side, a bunch of Gryffindors causing trouble at most was one thing, but that group of young masters in Slytherin sounded like a real handful...
'If he didn't wear a gloomy face all day, he probably couldn't even keep the students in line,' William thought as he looked at the Slytherin students, suddenly recalling the phrase he'd just heard: Death Eaters by family inheritance.
'Family inheritance—if it can be passed down to the next generation, what about the previous one?'
'Could the previous generation of the Malfoy family also have been connected to the Dark Lord? Providing resources for his development, supporting him with money, or perhaps, they were followers from the very first generation?'
'And that so-called cursing of the Minister for Magic—did the Malfoy family really have that ability, or was the one who acted the Dark Lord himself back then?'
Such questions began to swirl in William's mind. He resolved to make the Malfoy family his next target of investigation.
Note: Abraxas Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's grandfather. His most famous act was being suspected of plotting the premature departure of the Muggle-born Minister for Magic, Nobby Leach, in 1968, and succeeding.
His dates of birth and death are unknown, but from available information, his son Lucius Malfoy was born in 1954.
Voldemort attended Hogwarts from 1938 to 1945. During this time, he recruited his first Death Eaters.
Considering the time gap for graduation, marriage, and having children, Abraxas Malfoy was likely a first-generation Death Eater. The 1968 case of the Muggle-born Minister for Magic being cursed was also likely carried out by Voldemort himself.
Your humble general, Malfoy, is willing to go through fire and water for the Dark Lord for generations to come...
PS: Ah, I can finally rest early, gather some material, and find some inspiration. If I don't recharge, I'll get stuck again... so that's all for today.
(end of chapter)
The other small tabloids were another story. There was precedent for a Minister for Magic being forced out of office, and a student attacking a Ministry official was a juicy story. It could make them money and boost sales, so this matter would probably be hard to cover up.
'By that logic, the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic are taking a huge loss.'
While thinking about the Board of Governors' gossip, William watched Professor McGonagall handle the situation.
He had no experience dealing with such a major incident, so this was a good chance to learn a thing or two—although the Minister for Magic probably wouldn't have another accident like this, there was still the Undersecretary, right?
But Professor McGonagall's way of handling it was to not handle it at all. After she went to the center of the pitch, she quickly separated the two students who were fighting to the death. Then, after instructing the Ministry of Magic staff who had come with her to help the Minister up, she handed the situation over to him.
And that Minister for Magic, known as Minister Fudge, gave a slightly awkward smile to those behind him and acted as if nothing had happened. He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, striking a very magnanimous pose for the people from The Daily Prophet to take photos.
"Learned something, I've learned something..."
William muttered to himself. By now, the Minister had finished posing. After casting a spell on himself, his voice began to echo across the entire Quidditch pitch.
"A spirited and youthful blow—" The Minister for Magic spread his hands, his face composed, as if he weren't the one who had just been lying on the ground. "Honestly, I absolutely love Hogwarts. The very air here reminds me of my years as a student."
"Here, I must thank the fine young lads and outstanding girls from Gryffindor and Slytherin..."
The Minister for Magic began his long-winded speech, but William was already pulling a small notebook from his bag.
"William?"
Adams noticed William's action and asked curiously.
"It's nothing. I feel like I've gained some new inspiration, a completely new kind."
William quickly jotted notes in his notebook.
Ever since getting out of Azkaban, the professors and students he had met at this school were all rather straightforward. This was the first time he'd encountered someone like the Minister for Magic, who could instantly treat an embarrassing moment as if it were nothing.
Compared to Professor Lockhart, this Minister for Magic was much smoother and more skilled in the art of conversation.
To be precise, Professor Lockhart wasn't always so popular, whereas this Minister, while he might not be wildly adored by any single group, would be accepted by the majority.
Perhaps this could be applied to his theories on being a professor—or more.
William scribbled down his jumbled thoughts, then chuckled in spite of himself. 'Have I reached a higher level of thinking because I've forced my way into the circle of professors? Or am I just making a fuss over nothing?'
'I'll save this for later. The prerequisite for interacting with new students is surviving this year,' William casually closed the notebook and looked around. Minister Fudge's speech was actually quite charismatic; hardly any of the students were zoning out.
"Adams, how do you think this will be handled in the end?"
William pointed at the Minister and then at the Board of Governors, asking casually.
"How else? They'll send over a political donation. The Malfoy family is loaded, otherwise, they wouldn't have escaped trial back in the day."
Adams wasn't very interested in the speech. He glanced at the surrounding students and responded in a low voice.
"Escaped trial?"
"Of course. The whole wizarding world knew about it back then."
"The whole wizarding world knew? Are you talking about Death Eaters?"
This piece of information had been bothering William for days, and he immediately made the connection.
"Of course not," Adams said, wagging his finger. "It seems my knowledge of magical history is much more solid than yours, William."
"Abraxas Malfoy (Note), the old Malfoy, he was a formidable figure. Of course, it's not recorded in the books," Adams said with an air of mystery. "It's said he organized a large-scale cursing event that successfully rendered the Minister for Magic at the time incapable of handling his duties, ultimately forcing him to resign."
"Now that was a remarkable move, William. Many people know about it, but in the end, old Malfoy was never convicted."
William was filled with awe—he now understood what the Malfoy family on the Board of Governors truly represented.
Though still a far cry from a psychopathic gunman, it was enough to show who called the shots in the wizarding world.
"That was all just rumor, after all," Singeade chimed in, joining the gossip. "The trial a dozen years ago was a genuine case of buying their way out of guilt. It's a fact that the Malfoy family possesses a pile of top-tier alchemical products related to Dark Magic. Everyone in the circle knows about it, but so what? They were still acquitted."
"Isn't that the truth? Most of the pure-bloods who were arrested back then got out with a simple lie. Unless it was impossible to cover up, they'd all claim they were under the Imperius Curse, make a deal, and then get released."
Adams shook his head and secretly pointed toward the Slytherin stands. "If it weren't for the Mysterious Person being rooted out back then, at least a third of the people in there would be Death Eaters by family inheritance."
"Keep your voice down, Adams. You're a professor. You can't say things like that in public! What if a student hears you?"
Singeade shoved him hard, ending the topic.
"William, you be careful too. Don't be like this idiot and say whatever you want, whenever you want. Try not to bring up topics related to Death Eaters in public. A lot of Death Eaters escaped back then, most of them from Slytherin. It's best not to talk about this in front of anyone from that House—you should know, most of the Board of Governors are from Slytherin."
William suddenly felt he could understand Professor Snape's bad temper. On Professor McGonagall's side, a bunch of Gryffindors causing trouble at most was one thing, but that group of young masters in Slytherin sounded like a real handful...
'If he didn't wear a gloomy face all day, he probably couldn't even keep the students in line,' William thought as he looked at the Slytherin students, suddenly recalling the phrase he'd just heard: Death Eaters by family inheritance.
'Family inheritance—if it can be passed down to the next generation, what about the previous one?'
'Could the previous generation of the Malfoy family also have been connected to the Dark Lord? Providing resources for his development, supporting him with money, or perhaps, they were followers from the very first generation?'
'And that so-called cursing of the Minister for Magic—did the Malfoy family really have that ability, or was the one who acted the Dark Lord himself back then?'
Such questions began to swirl in William's mind. He resolved to make the Malfoy family his next target of investigation.
Note: Abraxas Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's grandfather. His most famous act was being suspected of plotting the premature departure of the Muggle-born Minister for Magic, Nobby Leach, in 1968, and succeeding.
His dates of birth and death are unknown, but from available information, his son Lucius Malfoy was born in 1954.
Voldemort attended Hogwarts from 1938 to 1945. During this time, he recruited his first Death Eaters.
Considering the time gap for graduation, marriage, and having children, Abraxas Malfoy was likely a first-generation Death Eater. The 1968 case of the Muggle-born Minister for Magic being cursed was also likely carried out by Voldemort himself.
Your humble general, Malfoy, is willing to go through fire and water for the Dark Lord for generations to come...
PS: Ah, I can finally rest early, gather some material, and find some inspiration. If I don't recharge, I'll get stuck again... so that's all for today.
(end of chapter)
