Two Strategies

"There's another point, and a very important one at that, we can't just look at our own reasons," Augusta continued. "The decline of the Pure-Blood Enlightenment Faction is certainly due to our own reasons, but I think it's even more inseparable from that rising star of the House of Malfoy."

"Yes," Gerlsta's tone was unreadable. Although she was Pure-Blood Enlightenment Faction, she received expensive Christmas gifts from Lucius Malfoy every year, as well as invitations to visit Malfoy Manor and attend the Christmas dinner, but she always declined.

"That Skylar Malfoy has practically stolen the spotlight in the Great Britain wizarding world, making Dumbledore appear increasingly weak—if this ebb and flow continues, sitting idly by and waiting for our demise is not a solution. I think we should discuss the main topic of tonight's meeting—"

"Should we continue to bet on Dumbledore?" Gerlsta's eyes shone brightly as she finally asked this pointed question.

A moment of silence fell over the scene.

After a long pause, Augusta slowly spoke, "I agree. We absolutely cannot sit idly by and wait to be defeated, but—" She paused before continuing, "It's too early to say whether to abandon our support for Dumbledore. Dumbledore incredibly shrewd; he has been scheming in the wizarding world for many years. He cannot be easily defeated. I'm certain he still has a backup plan."

"You're right," Muriel said. "We should have faith in Dumbledore."

Gerlsta carefully chose her words, saying, "Dumbledore's power is undeniable, but you also need to take into account the changes that have occurred among the Pure-Blood Extremist Faction this month."

"Oh, have they changed in some way recently that I'm unaware of?" Augusta asked in a low voice, looking surprised.

"The Pure-Blood Extremist Faction have suffered heavy losses in the past year, including the Lestrange, Rowle, and Shafiq families, not to mention the recent news of the House of Avery's annihilation. On the surface, they seem to be as weakened as we are, but in reality—" Gerlsta said slowly and solemnly, "The remaining families have become even stronger after absorbing their resources, and under Skylar's leadership, these families are subtly uniting around him, forming a formidable and cohesive force."

Then, as if afraid the two wouldn't understand her meaning, she hurriedly added, "As far as I know, Burke and Parkinson were originally long-time loyal allies of the House of Malfoy, and now, Selwyn, Yaxley, Nott, and Carrow all seem to be showing signs of aligning themselves with the House of Malfoy."

"Among the Pure-Blood Extremist Faction still existing in Great Britain, there should only be one Travers Family left, who no longer follow the House of Malfoy's lead." After saying this, Gerlsta looked at the two with a hint of expectation, only to find that they were just dumbfounded. At that moment, a sense of disappointment and loneliness rose in her heart.

"If what you say is true," Muriel said with difficulty, "Then the House of Malfoy is truly terrifying..."

Augusta frowned and said in a deep voice, "We cannot back down before the battle even begins. We old bones might still be of some use, but if we give up now, then our Pure-Blood Enlightenment Faction will have even less hope."

"So what should we do?"

Augusta pondered for a moment, then slammed his dragon-headed cane on the floor and said, "We now have two strategies, and we can do both simultaneously—"

"First, we need to win over the Pure-Blood Neutral Faction, and not just the Sacred Twenty-Eight —not to mention the ancient traditional noble families like Abbott, Macmillan, Fawley, Slughorn, in my opinion, the Diggory family and Smith family should also be included in our recruitment efforts."

"What about the Bones family? Aren't we going to contact them?" Muriel asked.

"Since the Bones were almost entirely wiped out in the last Wizarding War, Amelia has developed a rift with us, and I think it won't be easy to recruit her," Augusta said. "As for the other Pure-Blood Neutral Faction families, such as the Greengrass Family and Bulstrode families, they have also shown a tendency to side with the House of Malfoy in the past few years, and it's probably too late to recruit them."

"Okay, I agree with your first strategy," Muriel said, raising her hand.

"I second that as well," Gerlsta said, raising her hand with a serious expression.

A mysterious magical power enveloped the three of them, as if witnessing some of their vows.

"So, the first strategic direction is settled. We'll discuss the specific details later," Augusta said in a deep voice. "Secondly, our Pure-Blood Enlightenment Faction families aren't just limited to the main family's power. With the main family showing signs of exhaustion, I feel it's necessary to elevate the power of the branch families and involve them as well."

"Well..." Muriel pondered for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "I agree too."

"Alright, then I second that too," Gerlsta said.

That mysterious power from before has descended upon this place once again.

"Let me start by telling you about my situation," Muriel began. "The Weasley family has always been large and prosperous. Arthur has two brothers. A few years ago, Bilius passed away due to illness, but the alcoholic Stan Weasley is still alive. His eldest son, Gawain Weasley, is a current Unspeakable and the highest-ranking official in charge of the Death Chamber. He has considerable influence within the Department of Mysteries."

The other two nodded. The employees of the Department of Mysteries were dedicated to studying mysterious powers and could master some magic unknown to the outside world. They were very useful talents.

"As for the Prewett family, Molly actually has a Squib cousin who works as an accountant for Muggle, but his daughter, Malfalda Prewett, is a genuine wizard. I heard she was once a Slytherin Prefect, and after graduating, she joined the Auror, where she gained Umbridge's favor and became one of her confidantes." Muriel sneered, "Although she hasn't been Auror for long, her extraordinary talent has even left Scrimgeour helpless against her unruly nature."

"I've heard of Mafalda before. It seems she joined the Auror training program in the same year as that girl from the House of Black, but while the girl is still a junior Auror, Mafalda has already advanced to an elite Auror. She is indeed a rare and outstanding figure among the younger generation," said Gerlsta. She works at the Ministry of Magic and is an examiner, so she knows quite a bit about every outstanding young person in the Ministry of Magic.

Augusta nodded in satisfaction. "It seems that we Pure-Blood Enlightenment Faction still have quite a few young talents, it's just that in the past our focus has been too limited to the main family -- by the way, Muriel, I heard you have a young cousin?"

"Yes," Muriel said with pride, "My little cousin Lancelot Prewett is currently the chief surgeon at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. He and I are quite close, and if I just say the word, he would definitely be willing to join and support us."

"Very well, in that case, my Longbottom family cannot fall behind—" A shrewd glint flashed in Augusta's eyes as she said, "My late husband had a younger brother named Algie, who has been living abroad for the past few years, but he returns every year to visit relatives. Last year, he even brought back a Mimbulus mimbletonia from Assyria for Neville..."

"I remember they also have a son—Doug Longbottom, who is now an elite Auror in the International Confederation of Wizards's Department of Penitentiary Affairs. He is one of the most trusted right-hand men of the Director of the Department of Penitentiary Affairs—the same director who just led the team to visit Kohaug Great Britain. If nothing unexpected happens, he should join the Great Britain team searching for Grindelwald soon."

"I also have a talent to recommend: Milo Morn of the Morn family, the previous Hogwarts Head Boy. His seventh-year exam results were outstanding, especially in Potions," Gerlsta said. "I heard that he was originally slated to represent Hogwarts in the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship in France next month, but for some reason, it was suddenly replaced by Skylar Malfoy of the House of Malfoy."

"That's alright, that's good enough," Muriel said slowly, summarizing, "So, to summarize, our main operation consists of two parts—winning over the traditional neutrals, including Abbott, Macmillan, Fawley, Slughorn, Diggory, and Smith. And then—"

"Select the most outstanding individuals from the branch families and formally place them at the forefront of the Pure-Blood Enlightenment Faction —the currently confirmed candidates are Gawain Weasley, Mafalda Prewett, Lancelot Prewett, Doug Longbottom, and Milo Morn."

"Yes, I urge you all to work together with me," Augusta said in a deep voice. "Whether the Pure-Blood Enlightenment Faction can turn the tide and create the future depends on us old bones."

"Finally solved!" Skylar cheered.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, all in one look!

Just as the meeting of the three Pure-Blood Enlightenment Faction elders at the Longbottom Manor concluded, Skylar successfully broke the spell on the mirror.

Skylar's wand lightly touched the mirror's surface, and a blinding silver light exploded forth. Immediately afterward, the ancient mirror let out a mournful cry, cracking everywhere. With a final, crisp shattering sound, the mirror shattered into countless fragments that fell to the ground, emitting a faint blue light.

From the shattered light, a wisp of soul slowly coalesced, forming the image of Nalida Vokanova. She smiled at Skylar, her eyes filled with relief and gratitude. "Thank you, young wizard."

With a gentle wave of her hand, an ancient parchment book emerged from the fragments, radiating a faint golden light. Nalida presented it to Skylar: "This is Abatair; may it help you accomplish your desired goals."

Her figure was gradually enveloped in warm light, and her soul transformed into starlight and ascended away. Before departing, her voice echoed in the Chamber of Secrets: "May all your wishes come true!"

The Chamber of Secrets fell silent again, with broken shards of glass lying on the floor. Skylar looked down at the book "Abatair" in his hand, his eyes filled with determination and deep thought.

It was midnight, in the Headmaster's Office.

The noisy silverwares seemed to have fallen asleep, no longer emitting any sound. Several eerie Black Shadow were still wriggling back and forth on the ceiling, and no one could figure out what they were.

Seeing Skylar so comfortable and at ease in Durmstrang, Karkaroff thought to himself that he must be very satisfied with his meticulous arrangements. He settled comfortably into a recliner, sipping a glass of Ice Flower Vodka.

Karkaroff's enjoyment was quickly interrupted by a knock on the door. Karkaroff frowned deeply; he was extremely strict, and few dared to knock on his door at this hour.

Sure enough, it was Skylar who came in.

After successfully obtaining the Abatair, Skylar quickly perused it, confirming that it was the authentic copy and specifically the fifth volume of Abatair, "The Cursed Seal."

When he meticulously reviewed the entire treasure hunt afterward, he discovered many illogical coincidences. This feeling was hard to explain in words, as if... it wasn't that Skylar found the treasure, but rather that the treasure came to Skylar on its own.

He traveled to many places and asked many Ghost he encountered on the road, but found no trace of the Black Knight. The Ghost, who were not friendly to begin with, also coldly declined to answer Skylar's questions.

The truly bizarre part is yet to come.

Now, Skylar rushed to the Headmaster's Office and asked Karkaroff about the origins of the Black Knight. Karkaroff was taken aback at first, but finally stammered and replied that there was no such Ghost in Durmstrang!

[Abatair Volume 5 obtained!]