The Investiture Ceremony

July 7th.

In the magical world, this is a special day. Bridget Winlock, a famous 13th-century Arithmancy, discovered that the number 7 actually possesses magical properties.

This day is also a memorable one for the Britain wizarding world. Breaking with tradition, Wizengamot decided to award a 14-year-old boy the Order of Merlin, Third Class. This boy will become the youngest knight in history, a legend, and will be recorded in history like the "Boy Who Lived".

Inside the magnificent hall, neatly dressed wizards moved about the tables, their manners impeccable, like upper-class celebrities in Muggle society.

This is the Great Hall of Wizengamot, and all those present are members of Wizengamot. The so-called Order of Merlin is actually just a name, given to commemorate Merlin's contributions. Since the establishment of the Ministry of Magic, Wizengamot has been responsible for awarding medals in the name of the Order of Merlin.

Skylar wore the Supreme Robe, which activated a captivating aura. The robes subtly shimmered with a dark green luster, giving him an air of mystery and allure.

Skylar first greeted Amelia, Rufus Scrimgeour, and Tiberius McLaggen. After a conversation, his interpersonal skills were recognized by the three. Amelia even introduced him to Barty Crouch, the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Crouch was a very serious-looking old man with short, gray hair, an unnaturally straight middle part, and a thin, toothbrush-like mustache.

Skylar naturally knew this man; he was a shrewd and ambitious man who unfortunately got himself into trouble because of his own son, otherwise the position of Minister for Magic would have been his for the taking.

The Crouch Family was marked with a star on Skylar's list; Skylar had already investigated their entire lineage.

Since his son Barty Crouch Jr.. went to prison, he is now the only remaining direct descendant of the Crouch Family.

(Note: In the original book, after Barty Crouch Jr..'s death, Dumbledore said that the ancient family had died out. However, according to the Black family tree, Barty Crouch Sr.. actually had two older sisters. The author set up that both sisters had married and changed their surnames, so they belonged to a collateral branch of the family.)

Skylar could see that the sharpness in Barty Crouch Sr.'s eyes had faded. Beneath his polished and neat exterior, his former ambition had been completely worn away. Skylar couldn't help but sigh inwardly, lamenting that this man, once a formidable figure, had been utterly crushed by a single blow.

Barty Crouch Sr. still had quite a few followers, Department of International Magical Cooperation he controlled, if managed properly, could wield considerable power; it was just that he himself was disheartened. Of course, Skylar still seized the opportunity to talk to him, trying to leave an impression, at least to make him remember his name. After all, he couldn't even remember his own assistant's name anymore...

After exchanging a few words and leaving an impression on each other, they parted ways.

Next, Dumbledore, dressed in a striking purple robe, and Minister for Magic Connelly Fudge arrived. Fudge was rather short and slightly overweight, with a friendly smile always on his face, but Skylar didn't see much of a smile in his eyes.

"This is a hypocritical and cunning man," Skylar thought to himself.

Skylar suddenly realized something: today he seemed to have an exceptional ability to see clearly and observe meticulously. When talking to each person, every move and change in their eyes was automatically absorbed into Skylar's mind, allowing him to analyze how much sincerity and how much embellishment were in their words. It seemed that Aquila hadn't been lying; Ravenclaw's ultimate Divine Insight of Amaterasu, was indeed extraordinary.

"Oh, Skylar, my good boy, do you remember Uncle Connor? Your father Lucius and I have been good friends for many years!" Fudge greeted Skylar warmly.

It is true that Fudge and Lucius have a close personal relationship, but in fact, Fudge has never visited Malfoy Manor, and this is the first time he has met Skylar.

When Arthur Weasley arrived at the Malfoy Manor with a search warrant, where were you to stand up for your so-called longtime friend? Skylar sneered inwardly.

Sherlin didn't have much affection for Fudge. He was a man who wanted to play both sides, the pure-bloods and the pro-Muggle faction. It was impossible for him to be completely unaware of Arthur's actions. The most likely scenario was that he first let the whole operation run free, as a way of giving Dumbledore face, and then pretended to intervene to prevent the operation from seriously damaging the pure-bloods and to gain their favor.

That's quite a good balance move!

Unfortunately, this isn't the ancient imperial era anymore. Without personal strength, it's all for naught against someone like Voldemort who doesn't play by the rules.

A smile spread across Skylar's face. "Uncle Kang, hello! I've often heard my father mention you. I 'Skylar sure you put in a lot of effort to help me achieve this honor! Skylar 'd like to thank you in advance."

"Not at all, it's only right. Forget about my relationship with your father; just the honor you've brought to the Britain wizarding world makes this award well-deserved. Your uncle is merely going along with it." Fudge smiled. "By the way, how's business at the Miraculous Alchymia? If there's anything you need from your uncle, don't hesitate to ask, don't be shy!"

"Thanks to Uncle's help, business is pretty good. I've earned some pocket money, and at least I don't have to put up with my father's attitude when asking him for money anymore, haha." Skylar joked.

"Hehe," Fudge chuckled awkwardly along with Skylar, "Skylar, Uncle has something else I'd like to ask you for a favor?"

Sure enough, the main topic arrived. Skylar sneered inwardly, but maintained a smile on his face. "Uncle, please speak freely; Skylar will do his best."

"You know, last year there was a serious criminal who Azkaban, that madman Black. God knows how he did it. A whole year has passed, and the Ministry of Magic hasn't even caught a glimpse of him, let alone caught him. I have to say, Black is a real troublesome character. The problem now is that the uninformed public thinks the Ministry of Magic is incompetent, so they're somewhat dissatisfied with Uncle..."

Skylar wore an indignant expression. "Ah, how could they do this? Uncle is the Minister for Magic; he can't possibly arrest such a dangerous person himself, can he?"

"Yes, but the public won't think that way..."

Skylar's expression immediately turned to doubt. "Then, what can Skylar do for Uncle?"

"It's like this," Fudge said quickly, "The Ministry of Magic desperately needs some good news to boost morale, so, Uncle hopes you can make some outstanding achievements as soon as possible, and then, and then, let Uncle know, and Uncle will have the Ministry of Magic extend another invitation to you to Wizengamot the Wizengamot candidate seat..."

Then he changed the subject, "Even if you don't have any big, dazzling achievements, it doesn't matter. Do you know how high your reputation is in the public eye right now? You're almost on par with 'The Boy Who Lived.' People believe you're a future star, even the next Dumbledore— " Fudge quickly glanced to his left and right. At this moment, Dumbledore had already walked a little further away and was chatting enthusiastically with his old friends Gersdale Marchbanks, Tiberius Ogden, Dogie.

"Your name itself is already a positive symbol, and I can't help but think—" Fudge lowered his voice and said, "Perhaps you could cooperate with the Ministry of Magic to give the public confidence?"

Wait, this dialogue sounds familiar. Isn't this the conversation between Scrimgeour and Harry two years later? How is it happening to me?

Skylar said slowly, "Uncle Kang, what does 'cooperating with the Ministry of Magic's mean?"

"Oh, it's not troublesome at all, I assure you. For example, if you can visit the Ministry of Magic from time to time, it will give people a favorable impression. While you're there, you can chat with Scrimgeour and learn about the daily work of Auror... or talk to Senior Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge, assuming you aspire to work for the Ministry of Magic in the future... or if you're more interested in business, you can also get in touch with people from the Magical Equipment Control Bureau or the International Trade Standards Association... all of these will be beneficial to you."

(Note: The Magical Equipment Control Bureau is from the Daily Prophet, under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and is responsible for overseeing the safety of all magical items within the territory. Only magical items that have obtained the department's certification seal can be sold publicly within the territory; the author has added the function of registering patents to it without authorization.)

(Note: The International Trade Standards Association is from the original work. It belongs to the Department of International Magical Cooperation and was the first department Percy joined at the Ministry of Magic. It is responsible for setting standards for the quality of imported and exported goods, such as the thickness of cauldrons and the classification of prohibited trade goods.)

After pondering for a while, Skylar realized that it wouldn't cost him anything. He would not only do Fudge a favor but also take the opportunity to build connections within the Ministry of Magic, so he readily agreed.

Throughout the conversation, Dumbledore stood nearby. Although he was socializing with different people, his deep gaze lingered on Skylar quite often, and he only revealed a thoughtful expression after Fudge left.

Dumbledore had very mixed feelings about Skylar, his student.

To be honest, in his eyes, Skylar could never become the next Voldemort. Although the young Tom Riddle was good at manipulating people, he was too superstitious about power and his style of doing things was straightforward, simple and brutal. Such a person might be able to disrupt the order and gain superficial rule by creating terror, but he could never conquer the hearts of the public.

He had seen Gellert Grindelwald's shadow in Skylar, but even Grindelwald, who had been entangled with him for half his life, had never given him such a troublesome feeling.

If he had to say, he only knew one person this terrible, and that person was someone he could only see in the mirror—himself, Albus Dumbledore.

Skylar is so much like his younger self—talented, thirsting for knowledge, obsessed with truth, possessing the same vision and ambition as Grindelwald, adept at understanding people's hearts like Riddle, and having the same charismatic personality that unites people as the two Dark Lords... However, his style of doing things is completely different from the two Dark Lords.

He had been observing Skylar for a long time. This student, despite having the power to overwhelm the opponent, chose to abide by the rules of the weak; he lacked the youthful exuberance of a young man, but possessed the shrewd restraint of an old fox; most importantly, his eyes. Even though Dumbledore couldn't bewitched by Skylar, that didn't prevent him from understanding Skylar's eyes, because those eyes were all too familiar to him...

Whenever he looked in the mirror, he would see this look in his eyes—an eye that was always full of strategic planning and complete control, like a puppeteer watching detachedly as each character acted like a puppet according to his script...

Several times, Dumbledore almost couldn't resist interfering with Skylar's actions. He was almost certain that Skylar would be the next White Lord —yes, the term White Lord was the most fitting.

Once he possesses power comparable to his own, he won't need to subdue people with force or rule with coercion. His very existence will be the biggest variable. Even if he does nothing, the world will not easily slip out of his control. Everything will be under his grasp. The Dark Lord may be able to conquer the world, but the White Lord can conquer people's hearts!

There was only one reason Dumbledore would back down: Voldemort, who was still alive. Although he had made various arrangements and left himself a backup plan, who knew what might happen? No matter how powerful he was, he was still just a mortal, and mistakes were inevitable. What if his plan ultimately failed?

In fact, Harry's growth was much slower than he had originally planned. In the first year, he had successfully built Harry's reputation by cheating on his way to gain points. In the second year, he had hoped that Harry could become the hero who killed the Basilisk.

He had specifically entrusted Fawkes and the Sorting Hat with this matter, and even waited under immense pressure for the Mandrake to mature, all with the aim of making Harry the key to uncovering the Basilisk's identity. However, at the last moment, Skylar suddenly appeared and took Harry's place as the hero.

(Note: Mandrake aren't only grown at Hogwarts. Dumbledore have bought mature Mandrake or even prepared antidotes from outside. He did this simply to prevent the victims from revealing the Basilisk's identity. If even Hermione could deduce it, how could Dumbledore not guess the Basilisk's identity? He knew Harry heard the strange noises behind the wall because he used Legilimency on Harry at that time.)

In Dumbledore's view, Skylar was a good insurance policy. If his planned Savior ultimately failed to deliver, then the task of dealing with Voldemort would have to be handed over to Skylar.

White Lord is better than Dark Lord, right?