A Glimpse of the Whole Picture

Inside the Coiling Dragon Dungeon.

Trelawyn Selwyn stood calmly in front of Skylar. Although his body was Scabbers blood and wounds, it could not conceal the unique aura of authority that emanated from him.

At this moment, the qualities of leadership, such as composure, perseverance, confidence, and decisiveness, returned to Selwyn.

He said in a deep voice, "Master, I'm sorry to have troubled you so much. Now that I'm back, I will prove that you absolutely did not misjudge me!"

Skylar gave a calm smile and said, "Welcome back, Selwyn. You know I've always believed in you—do you still remember our ideals?"

Selwyn calm and collected face showed a slight tremor, a barely perceptible fervor flashing in his eyes. He said, "Of course I remember—to build a world of universal harmony, to eliminate slavery and hatred, to allow wizards of different bloodlines and origins to coexist peacefully, to treat intelligent species kindly, to ensure that the racial talents of all species are used effectively, and to pursue together a perfect ideal state..."

"Yes, you remember correctly." Skylar's smile faded. "You should also know that this is almost an impossible task. We will face countless enemies and obstacles, both overt and covert."

Selwyn smiled, his face radiating composure, and said loudly, "It's precisely because it's so difficult that our efforts are worthwhile!"

"Very well. Among the Pure-blood patriarchs, excluding my father Lucius, I now have four on my side: you, Yaxley, Greengrass, and Crouch. What are your thoughts?"

"Forgive my bluntness, but although Lucius is your father, he is not suited to participate in reforms of this magnitude. While he is cunning, he is also hesitant and always plans his escape route before anything is accomplished, lacking the decisiveness to burn his bridges..."

"Hmm," Skylar smiled, not taking it to heart, "Go on."

"Yaxley is ruthless and decisive, and possesses considerable cunning, but his style tends to be direct and brutal, lacking in shrewdness and flexibility..."

"Greengrass himself is not particularly interested in power; he is a pleasure-seeking man with the shrewdness of a businessman but lacking ruthlessness. Although he possesses a certain level of intelligence, we shouldn't expect him to resort to any underhanded schemes or cruel methods."

"Crouch's shrewdness, cunning, and strategy are no less than mine, but I'm not sure if he still possesses the ambition and drive he once had..."

Skylar clapped lightly and praised, "I agree with most of what you said. My plan is to have Yaxley eliminate dissidents in the Ministry of Magic. Given his ruthless nature, he is the most suitable candidate."

"As for Greengrass, he's in charge of expanding our influence in the business world, using money and generosity to slowly erode our economic lifeline."

"As for Crouch and you, you will serve as my right and left arms, sharing everything with me. When I am not around, if any problems arise, the two of you will discuss and resolve them."

In fact, among Skylar's trusted core allies was another Pure-blood patriarch, Theodore Nott's father, Theodore Nott Sr..

However, despite Theodore being about the same age as himself, Nott Sr. was actually a late-life father. He was over seventy years old and could be considered to be in his twilight years. In terms of energy, adaptability, and physical fitness, he was not as good as he used to be. Even his magical abilities might be affected and decline to some extent. Therefore, Skylar did not consider him for his team.

"Yes, Master. Thank you for your trust. Selwyn will live up to your expectations," Selwyn said, his voice tinged with excitement.

"Very good, but before that, I need more strength—after all, before we can begin the so-called reform of the new world, we must first face the enemies before us..." Skylar said.

"I understand what you mean, Master," Selwyn said in a deep voice. "I will write a letter as soon as possible to inform the vassal families under my House of Selwyn to switch their allegiance to you as quickly as possible. I originally had three vassal families. The Wankanda Family had already pledged allegiance to you earlier. The only remaining families are the House of Bletchley, whose power is declining, and the House of Lestrange, which is now only composed of the old, weak, and disabled."

Skylar nodded. Under his careful arrangement, the House of Bletchley had indeed weakened in recent years. The patriarch, Mr. Bletchley Family, was originally the director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but this year he was marginalized by the center of power. He was demoted to the Centaur Liaison Office of the Department for the Control of Fantastic Beasts for making a trivial mistake. This was practically a sinecure at the bottom of the Ministry of Magic, only slightly higher than the pitiful maintenance department.

However, once Mr. Bletchley Family had sworn allegiance to him, it wouldn't have been difficult for Skylar to promote him back.

Well, the Department for the Control of Fantastic Beasts is divided into three major divisions: Beasts, Otherworlders, and Spirits. The heads of the first two divisions are already his own people, Skylar also wants to bring the remaining Spirit Division under his control, but he has been struggling to find a suitable candidate. Now it is just right to hand it over to the Bletchley Family.

As for Lestrange, forget about him; he's completely unreliable—aside from his two brothers still in prison, the entire family can't find a single decent person.

"Your subordinate understands the importance of Master continuing to improve his strength. The House of Selwyn possesses over five hundred books, almost all of which are rare and unique editions long since extinct on the market. Coupled with the secret magic passed down through generations of the House of Selwyn, I believe it will definitely be of assistance to Master's strength... The family also has two large boxes full of Dark Arts treasures and rare alchemical products in its collection, all of which will be sorted and delivered by the House Elf as soon as possible."

"Very good, these are indeed what I urgently need. If they can help my strength, rest assured, I will never forget your contribution," Skylar said seriously.

"This subordinate dares not claim credit; my only wish is to do everything in my power to contribute my humble efforts to Master's great cause." After saying this, Selwyn paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and then continued, "This subordinate has other important matters to report to Master..."

"Yes, just say it. There's no need for so much formality in front of me," Skylar said.

"Yes," Selwyn said, "In fact, after the House of Lestrange faced near annihilation during the Quidditch World Cup, my men have already used their power to seize all of the House of Lestrange's wealth, properties, and collections through force and robbery, including the ancestral mansion that was the residence of the House of Lestrange's direct descendants..."

"You mean..." Upon hearing this, Skylar immediately understood what this meant, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Yes, the House of Lestrange's library and magical artifacts are all in my possession, and I will hand them all over to my master without missing a single item." Selwyn's tone suddenly changed, and he continued, "Unfortunately..."

"What's a pity?" Skylar frowned slightly.

"First, the books and collectibles I seized from the House of Lestrange's library and Chamber of Secrets seem incomplete. I estimate that only about half of the complete collection is available. Undeterred, I conducted repeated searches of the ancestral home over the following months, leaving no stone unturned, but still found nothing. I suspect that the Lestrange made preparations before their imprisonment and likely moved another portion of the books, collectibles, and secret magic to another location for safekeeping."

"Secondly, my first suspicion is the Gringotts vault, the House of Lestrange's private vault. Unfortunately, only Mr. and Mrs. Lestrange possess the key and the password. No matter how I try to probe, I cannot extract any information from the few remaining family members."

Skylar slammed his fist into the palm of his hand.

Ha, Selwyn was wrong. No, Selwyn's guess was mostly correct. For example, one of Bellatrix's most prized possessions— the Hufflepuff's Cup entrusted to her by Voldemort —was indeed kept in the House of Lestrange's vault at Gringotts.

But--

Those so-called books and secret magic were actually passed down from Aunt Bellatrix to her grandmother, Druella Black, and then inherited by her as an estate after her beloved grandmother passed away.

No wonder I felt the House of Lestrange's secret magic wasn't complete; the other half was right here!

It came to me without any effort at all.

It seems that I will soon be able to get a full glimpse of the complete secret magic of the House of Lestrange.