The Black Family's Stance Has Nothing to Do with Me

"When dealing with You-Know-Who, only the living can discuss interests; ensuring the survival of the family is the top priority."

Lucius wasted no time on the food and continued to elaborate on the frustrating facts:

"And to be honest, following the You-Know-Who back then was risky and the rewards weren't guaranteed—after all, the You-Know-Who was very generous when he was generous, and no one could change his mind when he wasn't."

Shaking his head, Lucius realized he seemed to have gone a little off-topic:

"Going back to the time we followed You-Know-Who, it was a high-risk choice, but since we were forced into it, sticking with it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If You-Know-Who ultimately wins, the Malfoy family could indeed benefit greatly."

Manus continued to look at Lucius, whose behavior contradicted what he was saying, so a turning point was imminent.

"However, we see no hope of the You-Know-Who winning right now; at least in the short term, it's unlikely he will."

"Oh? You guys don't think much of him? The Death Eaters are quite formidable now, even the Ministry of Magic is no match for them."

Manus felt that, putting himself aside, the You-Know-Who wasn't in such a desperate situation as Lucius described, was he?

"The You-Know-Who didn't win any of his battles against Dumbledore. Although he didn't lose either, what's the point of beating anyone else if he can't beat Dumbledore?"

Lucius sighed:

"As long as the You-Know-Who can't win, continuing to follow him will yield no ultimate reward; the risks and investments remain high. That's why I, on behalf of the Malfoy family, chose you. As for Narcissa..."

Lucius turned to look at Narcissa, who extended her hand to him, a hint of tenderness in his eyes. Narcissa returned the gesture with a smile, grasped Lucius's hand, and then looked at Manus.

"I am now Narcissa Malfoy, and the Black Family's stance is irrelevant to me."

Hmm, was the cut so decisive and clean?

However, it's understandable that Narcissa felt no affection for the Black Family to their way of raising daughters. Even if they shared the same stance, Bellatrix reportedly had a cold relationship with the rest of the Black Family.

Manus nodded, accepting Lucius's explanation. He could tell it was all true, except—

"You still haven't explained why you chose the Wizard Sage Party. Even if everyone knows the Ministry of Magic is incompetent, why didn't you choose Dumbledore, whom you claim prevented the You-Know-Who from succeeding?"

It's important to understand that compared to Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, who had already managed to contain the Death Eaters, the Wizard Sage Party was merely a student association that hadn't even left Hogwarts —if we disregard the fact that Dumbledore also a member of the Wizard Sage Party.

But even Manus himself didn't take this to heart and wouldn't include Dumbledore in the powers he could use.

Not to mention Lucius, who had no idea about it at all.

"Choose Dumbledore?"

Lucius showed a hint of repulsion:

"Dumbledore isn't the kind of guy who would be so magnanimous as to accept his enemies. Even if he agreed to accept the Malfoy family Malfoy family, they might have to pay a greater price than if they followed You-Know-Who. You may not know much about Dumbledore's past, but my father's judgment of others is usually accurate."

Manus believed this; based on what he knew and what he had experienced, Old Malfoy was excellent at both knowing people and knowing himself.

The only time he failed was probably because he realized Voldemort's true colors too late, but there was a reason for that.

Voldemort's acting skills were also exceptional; even Slughorn, who was equally shrewd, was fooled back then.

Even Dumbledore, who harbored subjective suspicions about Voldemort, was Voldemort's professor back then but never found any real evidence of his evil deeds, and Voldemort killed more than just one or two people during his student days.

Besides trusting Old Malfoy, another reason Manus agreed with Old Malfoy's judgment was that he had heard Dumbledore recount Dumbledore his youth.

Although Dumbledore, as the narrator, inevitably embellished his own image and unconsciously made excuses for himself.

However, Manus was still able to see from many details that Dumbledore was not a morally perfect saint at least back then. For example, his initial attraction to Grindelwald was not just based on their physical appearances, but also on their shared ideals.

And the matter of his sister's death, which Dumbledore recounted twice but remained vague about.

It could even be said that Dumbledore back then was only one step away from becoming Grindelwald today.

So Manus didn't say anything about Old Malfoy's assessment of Dumbledore, but instead asked:

"Even so, you shouldn't have chosen the Wizard Sage Party, an option that shouldn't even have appeared in the analysis of the situation, unless... So what is your father's opinion of me and the Wizard Sage Party?"

Lucius moved his lips.

Well, this is probably even more of a taboo subject, isn't it?

But Manus had already asked the question, and he couldn't very well say it was a secret, let alone lie or conceal it.

His father had warned him not to think he could fool Manus by lying, and even highly suspected that Manus had Legilimency or even Occlumency, even though a young Wizard of this age should theoretically not have learned either of them.

"My father said that you are different from the Black man and the You-Know-Who; you are someone who, barring any unforeseen circumstances, is destined for success."

"Oh?"

Manus blinked:

"What exactly did they say?"

"That's the specific explanation, but there's one more thing: he said you know what you want to do, what you can do, and you have the ability to do it, so as long as nothing unexpected happens, you can accomplish what you want to do."

Lucius's expression was somewhat subtle when he said this, as he was imitating Abraxas Malfoy's expression at the time, while also unable to suppress a hint of his own complex emotions.

Because of the tone and attitude with which his father said those words, it was as if he wished Manus were a member of the Malfoy family.

Well, he also really hoped that Manus would be a member of the Malfoy family, but unfortunately, these things can't be forced. He's the only male heir in the Malfoy family this generation, so a marriage alliance is impossible.

The next generation is something to consider; I wonder if he and Narcissa will have a son or a daughter...

Manus glanced at Lucius, who seemed to be drifting off into thought for some reason, and a question silently popped into his mind.

The topic they're discussing right now must be quite serious, right?