A father and son's late-night talk, and Weiznan's past

Will's face twitched a few times. You're telling me this thing is called the Wizard's Eye?

Although he thought the test was completely unnecessary, he still used the golden "Wizard's Eye" under everyone's expectant gazes. At the same time, he activated his real Wizard's Eye and saw the intricate, densely packed magical patterns covering the alchemical creation. The complex flows of magic made him dizzy, forcing him to deactivate his Wizard's Eye.

I made this myself? My future alchemy skills reached this level?

Blood from Will's fingertip seeped into the pupil of the Wizard's Eye. The little golden sphere turned silver-gray, looking just like Will's own eyes.

Roy and Victor's faces visibly lit up with excitement.

Will's heart sank. These two aren't going to attack me, are they?

No. If I managed to complete the time loop, nothing should happen to me here.

"Wonderful, Will, wonderful! That vault is yours from now on!" Roy pulled out a key and pressed it into Will's hand. It looked much like Harry's key to the Potter Family vault.

"A vault? What vault?" Will still hadn't caught up. The old man's opening offer is an entire vault? Is he trying to buy me off?

"The Lestrange family vault. Or, more precisely, Rodolphus and the others' vault."

Will understood at once. His future self had gone back into the past and somehow acquired the Lestrange Vault from the original story. Now that vault belonged to him. In other words, one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, Hufflepuff's Cup, was now his.

No wonder I told them the vault was dangerous.

So did my future self go back for the Horcrux? Probably not. That was likely just something I did along the way. Did I run into some kind of trouble? Not very likely.

Was it for some specific purpose? That's more likely. And what exactly did I do to make Roy remember me so fondly even now?

Will spent the rest of the meal puzzling over it. He could see that Roy seemed relieved, but he had no idea what had actually happened. It was an unpleasant feeling.

That night, Will tossed and turned in bed. Too much had happened over the past two days. First, he had gotten several hundred thousand pounds out of his "father," and then he had acquired the Lestrange family's vault, complete with one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.

It all felt strangely unreal.

"Forget it. If history has taken this course, that means I succeeded, or at least partly succeeded. Right now, I need to focus on grinding experience. Strength is the foundation of everything."

Besides, if I'd known I had a vault like that, why the hell would I have bothered contacting the Howard family?

Will had yet to learn that certain points in fate were like nails driven into the river of destiny.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Lestrange family's castle.

Victor was talking to Roy beside the fireplace. Roy reclined lazily in a rocking chair, looking utterly at ease.

"Father, is that matter really over?"

"Yes, it's over. The favors we owed, the promises we made—they're all behind us now. Look at Will. He's so much like his ancestor. He's at Hogwarts, under Dumbledore's protection. One day, he'll become someone just as great." Roy spoke contentedly, as though a weight had been lifted from his mind.

"He really never appeared again? Could even a wizard that powerful die? Will there really be another catastrophe in the future, just as he said?"

"Don't be foolish, Victor. A wizard like Lord Weiznan wouldn't die so easily. Besides, he's so much younger than Dumbledore. For all we know, he's somewhere out in the world pursuing his 'truth' right now." Roy seemed to hold Weiznan in the highest regard. "Since this boy is his descendant, no matter what happens, all we need to do is invest in him, and the Lestrange family will endure. Never mind some future catastrophe—even if the Dark Lord returns, we should be safe."

Victor fell silent for a moment. "Little Veya seems very fond of Will."

Little Veya was Sylvia's nickname.

"Don't interfere too much in the children's affairs. Will means Little Veya no harm. Let them be."

Victor gave a wry chuckle. "But Will doesn't seem to be having a peaceful time at Hogwarts, either. He clashed with children from quite a few old pure-blood families as soon as he enrolled, and before long, he'd injured several of them. A lot of pure-bloods are very unhappy with him. Two school governors have even demanded his expulsion."

Roy picked up the cup beside him and took a sip. "So what? Those fools think he's a Muggle-born with no backing. But what's the reality? If Lord Weiznan intervened, those so-called pure-blood families would probably be wiped out in no time. Don't forget, the Lestrange family we have today was merely something Lord Weiznan salvaged from a sinking ship. Yet how many wizards today would dare say the Lestrange family isn't powerful?

"As for the school? Dumbledore has Hogwarts firmly in his grasp. What use are those school governors? They can do nothing but provide money. If Dumbledore didn't have to spend so much of his own funds on the Order of the Phoenix, his word alone could rule Hogwarts."

Seeing Victor's troubled expression, Roy smiled. "Don't forget how the Lestrange family survived. From the very beginning until now, our branch has been supported by Lord Weiznan alone. Even importing magical materials was something Lord Weiznan told my father to do. Sometimes, securing one powerful patron can keep a family prosperous for generations."

The old man clearly understood how to keep a family going. Everything he was doing now was meant to bring Will onto their side.

The night deepened. The Lestrange father and son had finished their conversation, and Lestrange Manor gradually fell silent.

From the distant valley came the occasional howl of a wolf—