Family Meeting

Summer vacation in July.

The sweltering summer heat can easily make people feel lazy.

Lucius was very pleased with his two brothers' performance last semester. Skylar was a given, and Draco —his grades had improved considerably, and he had become a hero in the Slytherin Quidditch Team. Severus had even said that Draco would be the next Quidditch captain! It's worth noting that the Quidditch captain is usually chosen from students in grades 5 through 7, so Draco's achievements were something the whole family could be proud of.

So this summer, Lucius was much more lenient with his two sons. As for Narcissa? She still doted on her sons no matter what they were like.

Knowing he would be shouldering the heavy responsibility of captaincy, Draco spent most of the summer practicing Quidditch with Graham Montague and Cassius Warrington and discussing new tactics.

In the upcoming new school term, Marcus Flint and two bit- Beater will graduate, and the team will need to recruit three new players. In the original story, captain Montague brings Delian Pursey back to the team to replace Marcus as the Chaser, and then brings in Goyle and Crabbe to fill the two Beater positions.

However, the ambitious Draco didn't think so. He believed that relying too much on size and the brutal style of play that involved fouls was not in line with his noble persona as captain, especially when the entire team was equipped with high-level brooms.

He had his eye on Frank Urquhart and Steven Vaisey, who were a year younger than him. Although they looked thin and unremarkable, they had amazing arm strength and were suitable to be trained as Beater.

(Note: Urquhart and Vaisey are characters from the original book; the author simply gave them names. Urquhart became captain in 1996, and when he shook hands with Harry, he squeezed Harry's hand so hard it hurt, indicating he was very strong.)

At other times, he would hide in his room, acting mysteriously, not letting anyone know what he was tinkering with.

Skylar had known all along that he was secretly corresponding with Pansy, but he chose not to expose it. Skylar was happy about his brother and Pansy's relationship. Pansy had indeed become much more restrained since the last semester, which was not only reflected in her personality, but also in her appearance, which began to exude a ladylike and elegant temperament.

Montague and Warrington actually wanted to befriend Skylar. Their backgrounds weren't noble, and their families couldn't help them advance in society. Attaching themselves to the powerful House of Malfoy was clearly a good option. However, Skylar rarely appeared in the common room, and his whereabouts were almost impossible to track. Draco, also Quidditch player, naturally became the person they wanted to associate with.

Fortunately, Draco's performance was equally impressive, and he's rumored to have been internally selected as the next captain. While his reputation might not rival Skylar's, he's certainly a prominent figure at Hogwarts. If you include Pansy, Goyle, and Crabbe, Draco already has five followers, making him a formidable core group. (Author: Just not very good-looking)

Skylar was very busy this summer.

He made a trip to Gringotts on the first day of summer vacation.

Using Sirius Black's vault code, he entered Vault 711 openly. Although Sirius Black had been expelled from the House of Black, his vault still contained piles of Galleon that looked like a small mountain, an inheritance left to him by his uncle Alphard Black.

According to the ledger records, there were nearly 20,000 Galleon in it, which explains why he could so generously give Harry a Firebolt. Moreover, even with Sirius Black's extravagance, when Harry inherited his estate after his death, the original book described his vault as containing "a large sum of gold."

Gringotts may have very strict defenses against trespassing, robbery, or theft, but its administrative procedures for identity verification and illegal withdrawals are quite lax. In the original story, Sirius Black, a wanted criminal, only needed a letter (with a coded message) to get the Firebolt seller to come to his vault and withdraw Galleon, which was simply unbelievable to Skylar.

But this is for the best.

All the Galleon in Vault 711 belonged to Skylar! At this time, Sirius Black was still a wanted criminal, so he had no way to check his own vault.

This also illustrates the low intelligence of Voldemort, Quirrell, and their ilk. When faced with Gringotts' defenses, they only knew how to use magic and brute force to break through, showing absolutely no ability to adapt...

This is not surprising at all. Skylar had already noticed that most wizards had this common problem—they were not stupid, but they relied too much on magic to solve problems and were completely ignorant of problem-solving skills such as logic, analysis, and strategy.

[Received 20,000 Galleon!]

Skylar felt no guilt about stealing from the Black Vault. In his view, the money originally belonged to the House of Black, and it was better to keep it for himself than for it to fall into the hands of Harry, an outsider. After all, he still had a quarter of Black blood in his veins.

Last semester, Skylar made a considerable amount of money selling products from the Forbidden Forest. He also received a substantial share of the profits from the publishing house and the Broomstick Company. Now, his net worth is approaching 30,000 Galleon, making him a wealthy man in the wizarding world. He truly embodies youth, charm, and wealth.

Skylar never thought he had too much money.

As for the Philosopher's Stone? Skylar did indeed possess the magic of turning lead into gold, but he had no intention of using it.

First of all, gold is not very valuable in the Wizarding World. After all, it is not difficult for a wizard to get gold from Muggle. Galleon is not actually pure gold, but a magical metal made by smelting it with the unique metal forging techniques of Goblin.

There are three known magical metals: Black Gold, Mithril, Red Copper.

Among them, Black Gold is the most well-known, and its properties make it hard and difficult to melt. Galleon and the "Indestructible Helmet" given to the Giant in the original story were made of Black Gold. Mithril is highly malleable and was used to forge Silver Sickle and the "Sword of Gryffindor". The lightest Red Copper was used to forge Knut and Firebolt.

In his previous life Skylar had often complained about the bug in the exchange rate Galleon and pounds in the original books. The value of wizarding currency was lower than that of pure gold in the 1990s. Muggle parents could simply exchange pounds for Galleon, then take the Galleon to Muggle goldsmith to exchange them back for pounds at the gold exchange rate, and so on... Skylar had even heard of examples in well-known fan fiction that used the exchange rate to try to disrupt Gringotts' financial system.

In this life, he finally understood that Galleon were not made of pure gold. The Goblin added other magical materials during the forging process, which not only prevented counterfeiting but also made the coins indestructible and insoluble, like the "indestructible helmet." Of course, gold, as the main material for minting coins, still had considerable value.

Another reason Skylar didn't want to use the Philosopher's Stone was that he didn't want to reveal his secret of possessing Sorcerer's Stone —a large influx of gold into the market could easily attract the attention of the Ministry of Magic and other interested parties, something Skylar was trying to avoid.

With such a large sum of money, he certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to just leave it unused. He planned to invest it.

He had his eye on a company called "Cultivated Fungus Trade," which was a herbal trading company specializing in cultivating magical mushrooms and also engaged in international trade of herbs.

(Note: This company's name comes from the fifth book in the original work. It appears in various job brochures that the young wizards receive during job counseling. The People's Publishing House translates it as "Fungi Cultivation Industry," but it is actually a company, not an industry.)

Skylar couldn't handle this on his own, so one morning, while the whole family was having breakfast at the table, he told Lucius about his idea.

Lucius frowned. This wasn't some small, handcrafted workshop like Ellerby and Spudmore Broom Company. This was an international company, and it was worth a fortune, possibly tens of thousands. Besides, Skylar had proposed a full acquisition, not a partnership.

He couldn't help but ask, "Skylar, I know you've worked very hard for the family these past few years, and your performance hasn't disappointed me. But aren't you being a bit too hasty? The family isn't short of money, and you're still so young. Knowing how to invest is a good thing, but being greedy and reckless is another matter."

Skylar had guessed that things wouldn't be so easy. After thinking about it, he realized it was time to tell his parents part of the truth.

"Father, now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore, the Dark Lord is about to return."

Lucius's pupils contracted slightly, and his hand trembled slightly below the stage; Narcissa covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes filled with panic; Draco's mouth gaped open, and he even knocked over a glass full of milk without realizing it.

Lucius forced himself to remain calm, but his expression wasn't too bad. "And how did you find out?"

"Last semester, Death Eaters appeared at school. It was Peter Pettigrew. He was the one who framed Black back then. Black went to Hogwarts to seek revenge on him, but in the end, he escaped. Only Dumbledore, Black, Lupin, and Potter knew about this, but I overheard it through some means. What's really serious is that Harry also received a Prophecy Prophecy says Pettigrew will go to find the Dark Lord and help him make a comeback. Do you understand what that means?"

Narcissa interjected, "It's just a Prophecy... Maybe the old man with the white beard is mistaken? You know, most so-called Seer are frauds."

"That's not necessarily true. What if—" Skylar smiled slightly, answering confidently, "That the Seer Prophecy the Dark Lord's defeat and Potter's rise?"

At this point, Lucius and Narcissa fell silent. The couple knew perfectly well that Voldemort was not dead; the Dark Mark on Lucius's arm clearly indicated this.

"Wait a minute!" Draco interrupted loudly. "I don't understand. Isn't the Dark Lord's return a good thing? It's a perfect opportunity to cleanse those Mudblood who have insulted the wizarding bloodline once again! Wouldn't that allow our Pure-blood families to return to the pinnacle of power?"

Skylar stared intently at Draco: "Believe me, brother, most people, whether in this family or in other Pure-blood families, do not want the Dark Lord to return."

Draco had idolized the Dark Lord since childhood and fantasized about the days when Pure-blood families ruled over Muggle and Half-blood wizards. Skylar's words at this moment undoubtedly pierced his heart.

"Impossible! You're talking nonsense! Dad, Mom, tell me, is what my brother said true?" Draco's eyes flashed with panic. He felt his heart pounding wildly, and after saying those few words, he had to catch his breath and recover.

Lucius's expression was very complicated; in fact, his mind was a complete mess.

He knew Skylar was right. He wasn't particularly happy about the Dark Lord's return. Last time, under the Dark Lord's leadership, the Pure-blood families were severely weakened. The Lestrange, Black, and Rosier Family were almost wiped out. If he hadn't been smart enough, the small House of Malfoy would probably have become history as well.

He forced himself to clear his mind and looked at Draco with pity. "Draco, things aren't as simple as you think."

"The Pure-blood families initially chose to support the Dark Lord simply because he could help us establish a wizarding world Pure-blood Supremacy Dark Lord. However, the Dark Lord's actions were too extreme, and his excessive killing only provoked more resistance... Think about it, we only needed a deterrent to keep those Mudblood and half -Half-blood from rebelling, but the Dark Lord left them no way out, so naturally they had no choice but to fight to the death..."

"Ultimately, the Dark Lord's fundamental goal is different from that of most Pure-blood families! The Dark Lord wants to completely purge all Muggle blood so that his name can forever dominate the wizarding world... while our goal is to establish a system of Pure-blood Supremacy, making Half-blood and Muggle-born wizard our vassals, not to exterminate them."

Narcissa walked over and gently embraced Draco, whispering, "Child, you're too young. These things shouldn't be your burdens..."

Skylar said, "Mother, please stop treating us like children. Let's not even talk about the distant past. After the Dark Lord fell, our House of Malfoy, along with Avery, Nott, Carrow, and others, all chose to betray him. Not only did we sever all ties with the Death Eaters and live comfortably, but we didn't even try to find the Dark Lord or help him. Do you think the Dark Lord would view us Pure-blood families?"

Upon hearing this, Lucius's heart skipped a beat, and he seemed to suddenly snap out of his daze. A shrewd glint flashed in his eyes as he thought to himself, "I've been blinded by my own involvement. My son chose this moment to tell me all this, clearly he came prepared. Instead of worrying and agonizing over it, why don't I just ask my son what solutions he has?"

Thinking of this, his gaze towards Skylar became meaningful. "So— Skylar, what do you think the House of Malfoy should do?"