Not a single Pure-blood family's money was clean, but the Burke family's was the dirtiest.
This saying was common in the Wizarding World, and it was enough to show just how unpopular the Burke family was.
In fact, even among the Pure-blood families, they weren't particularly well-liked.
A large part of the reason was how they helped struggling Pure-blood families: by lending them money at exorbitant interest.
Unless they were truly desperate, no Pure-blood family wanted to deal with them.
Because these Vampires never showed any mercy when it came to Galleons.
So when the gaunt, bespectacled Mr. Burke walked in, Voldemort gave him no warm welcome.
"Great Dark Lord, please forgive—"
"Smack."
Voldemort tapped his wand against the floor, cutting him off.
Forgive?
That wasn't a word Voldemort liked to hear. It meant someone had wronged him.
And wrongdoing called for punishment, not forgiveness.
"State your purpose. Don't tell me things that have already been decided."
Voldemort adjusted his monocle with a cold expression. "And don't mention that person's name."
"Y-yes, Dark Lord."
Mr. Burke stood there, gaunt and wringing his hands, as he spoke cautiously. "Dark Lord, may I ask if members of my family can join the Death Eaters?"
"Join the Death Eaters?" Voldemort asked in surprise. "Do you want to charge interest on loans within the organization?"
"Ha."
Before the embarrassed Mr. Burke could respond, Lucius let out a brief laugh from the shadowy corner.
His voice was full of contempt for the Burke family.
Perhaps the Burke family had enough money to rival the Malfoy family, but when it came to connections and reputation, they were far behind.
The difference was mainly because the Malfoy family's wealth came largely from a keen eye and decisive choices.
They hardly ever resorted to dirty tactics.
And although