I'm the King of Curry at Hogwarts

Chapter 102 Grand Cross of the Order of the Knight

Louis knew that Lucius was most likely referring to Ron's father, Arthur Weasley.

In the original story, the two even got into a fight at Flourish and Blotts, which was quite a disgrace.

However, some speculate that Lucius only wanted to take advantage of the chaos to plant something on the Weasleys, which is why he resorted to this drastic measure.

"This is a distorted world where honest people are bullied." Louis took a sip of moonberry juice. "It's so unfair that honest people like Uncle Lucius have to be treated like this."

He has always been adept at distorting the truth; he has honed this skill to perfection, and he can lie without batting an eye.

Louis, in his moral vacuum, redefines the honest man.

Lucius instantly felt as if he had met a kindred spirit, and he sighed repeatedly, "Alas, the world is going to the dogs, and people's hearts are no longer what they used to be. There are fewer and fewer kind-hearted people like Your Highness."

Honest and straightforward Lucius redefines the concept of a kind person.

"It's a pity that I'm not strong enough right now to speak up for you, Uncle Lucius," Louis sighed, seemingly with a genuine sincerity in his voice.

Only he himself knows the exact amount.

"I wonder what Your Highness thinks of... well, of the mysterious man?" After beating around the bush for a while, Lucius finally revealed the question he most wanted to ask.

He wanted to make a basic judgment based on Louis's view of Voldemort.

"To be honest, I don't know the Black Demon's true demands." Louis crossed his arms and smiled meaningfully. "I've heard about his coercive methods. In fact, I've always believed that instead of using violence to coerce others into submission, it's better to seek a common interest for everyone, so that others can unite around that interest and work together sincerely."

"And what about you, Uncle Lucius? Do you understand his true intentions? And why did those pure-blood families initially gather around him?" Louis asked rhetorically.

"He—" Lucius ultimately didn't dare utter Voldemort's codename, or even the name of the mysterious figure, and could only use "he" instead: "He deceived those pure-blood families; he gave them empty promises, but failed to deliver..."

At this point, Lucius paused noticeably. Judging from his uncertain expression, Louis realized he was recalling some unpleasant memory.

"Pure-blood families were merely tools he used to rise to power. Once he truly rose to prominence, he discarded them like worn-out shoes. In contrast, he preferred to believe in half-blood wizards and those on the fringes of the magical world, such as werewolves and giants..."

Louis chuckled and added, "Dumbledore once told me that, in fact, in Voldemort's mind, only he himself is qualified to be above everyone else." He saw Lucius's pupils contract and considerately corrected himself, "In the mind of the Mystic, only he himself is qualified to be above everyone else."

"He was adept at and enjoyed twisting all relationships. He was well aware of the Death Eaters' fear and awe of him, yet he described these relationships as those of friends and family, the wizarding world's fear as respect for authority, and his subordinates' negligence as disloyalty. He liked to mock everyone's different weaknesses, and sometimes even made self-deprecating remarks."

"But he never learned anything from his mistakes. Perhaps the only lesson humans learn from their mistakes is that they never learn anything from them, and even the Mysterious Man is no exception to that." Louis shrugged and said in a joking tone.

Lucius was stunned for a long time before finally sighing, "Dumbledore understood him, what a pity."

He only said half of what he wanted to say before stopping.

Perhaps it was regret that Dumbledore couldn't stop his madness, or perhaps it was regret for being blind to follow him back then.

"He's just a madman; his pursuit of immortality has warped his mind." Louis tapped his glass and continued, "Pure-blood wizards are naturally noble, but that nobility is not easy to maintain. You, who have always tried your best to preserve the Malfoy family, should understand this deeply."

"For us, there is no reason to put Muggles and Muggle wizards on the opposite side. As I said to Draco, it is better to let them create value for people like us than to isolate ourselves from Muggles and Muggle wizards."

"If we could break the Wizarding Secrecy Act, think about it—our country's wizarding world has at most tens of thousands of wizards, but there are tens of millions of Muggles... Just imagine how much wealth we could extract from these Muggles? Although pounds can't circulate in the wizarding world, we can buy goods from Muggles."

A glint suddenly flashed in Lucius's eyes; he firmly grasped the word "wealth."

No one ever thinks they have too little money, really. If someone like me brags that they're not interested in money, that's nonsense. If they were truly uninterested in money, they would have retired to the mountains long ago.

Louis saw the glint in Lucius's eyes and deliberately sighed, "However, this plan is too far ahead, and it's not something I, who currently has no foothold in the magical world, can consider."

He deliberately emphasized the word "without any foundation".

"Your Highness, what do you need me to do? You..." Lucius gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind: "Just tell me."

Seeing that Lucius had finally taken the bait, Louis said with a smile, "I happen to have some small business I'd like to do with you, but... I just don't know if you can put aside your prejudice against Squibs."

"Your Highness, please give your orders. For Your Highness's great cause, even if it means keeping these Squibs around... I have no problem!" Lucius said through gritted teeth, his sincerity undeniable.

He knew that Louis wouldn't let him keep Squibs; he was just saying that to show his attitude.

"Oh... how could that be, Uncle Lucius?" Louis said with satisfaction, "It doesn't require you to go to such lengths, it just requires your presence."

"Please speak, Your Highness," Lucius said, showing interest at the opportune moment.

"Take this moonberry juice, for example. I plan to promote it throughout the entire wizarding world." Louis paused, then continued, "From producing the containers to bottling, we need manpower... Why don't we start with the Squibs and provide them with jobs?"

"Louis, why do we have to do this? Wouldn't it be more efficient to have the house-elves do it?" Draco asked, puzzled.

Louis stopped Lucius from scolding him. He looked at Draco and said softly, "Let me tell you a story about something that happened in my mother's hometown."

So Louis told him the story of Feng Nuanke and Lord Mengchang in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

After hearing the story, Draco was clearly entertained, but Lucius and Narcissa both showed thoughtful expressions.

"Draco, what do you think your family needs most? Is it money? Or status?" Louis began to ask.

"Uh, um... I shouldn't lack any." Draco said with a hint of pride after a moment's thought, his family background being something he always relied on.

"Excuse my bluntness, but Uncle Lucius was once controlled by Voldemort... I mean, the Imperius Curse, and forced to join the Death Eaters." Louis patted Draco's hand. "Whether it was voluntary or forced, it's an indelible stain."

"And now, you are also facing the same problem that Lord Mengchang encountered in the story. What the Lord's family lacked in the story was the hearts of the people. What he gave out was kindness and righteousness, and what he bought back was the hearts of the people and his reputation."

"This is the problem the Malfoy family is facing now. There is a great opportunity right in front of them: to provide jobs for Squibs and desperate wizards, but in reality, to give them a way to survive."

Louis chuckled softly, "Uncle Lucius is a recognized platinum aristocrat. For such a noble person to lend a helping hand to a desperate Squirrel, do you think they wouldn't be grateful and moved?"

"Admittedly, Squibs have little power, but here's the problem: which Squib isn't a wizard's child? Which wizard can guarantee their child won't be a Squib? People who have experienced magic don't want to live in the Muggle world. Why don't we give them a chance to live openly and honestly in the wizarding world?"

Draco said, as if struck by a realization, "Louis, you mean... gaining prestige this way? But... well, you know, many people are prejudiced against our family. Won't they use that to attack the Malfoys?"

"No, not at all," Louis said firmly. "Anyone who dares to object will be drowned in the spittle of all the wizarding world... That's what makes this different from a conspiracy, Draco, this is an open strategy."

"Everyone knows you're trying to win people over, but nobody knows how to deal with it. Perhaps... we can call it political correctness."

"The Malfoy family is willing to contribute its meager strength to you," Lucius stepped in at the opportune moment to set the tone.

"This is our first collaboration, Uncle Lucius." Louis looked at him and said softly, "Since you're handling everything, let's split the profits 50/50... That way, I won't take a penny of my share, and Uncle Lucius can use that money to improve the lives of our employees."

Seeing the Malfoys' puzzled looks, Louis smiled and said, "I don't lack money, just like you. What I lack is status and prestige in the wizarding world."

"Since Your Highness is so generous, I can't be stingy either." Lucius gritted his teeth and hardened his heart: "I won't take a single penny of my share; I'll use it to increase employee benefits!"

For Lucius, who has always been known for his slickness, this was a very rare statement.

"Lucius!" Narcissa was getting anxious. Why was her husband so obsessed, working for someone else for free?

"Good! Uncle Lucius is indeed the person I've chosen." Louis felt relieved; it seemed that half of the first phase of the goal had been achieved.

Next, get ready to start working on the other half.

He picked up his wine glass and clinked it against Lucius's. After taking a sip of moonberry juice and savoring its fruity aroma, he looked at Lucius and said slowly, "Once the factory is built and everything is on track, from that day on, people will no longer call you Mr. Malfoy."

Lucius didn't understand what Louis meant at first, and he looked at Louis with a questioning gaze.

"Actually, Sir Lucius is more fitting for your status, isn't he?" Louis said, mimicking Old Dumbledore with a playful wink.

Lucius was stunned. After a long while, he asked in a hoarse voice, "Your Highness, you mean...?"

"GBE (the highest rank of the Order of the British Empire, the Knight Grand Cross, established in 1917)," Louis said casually, emphasizing each word.

For the Louis family, who controlled the political resources, awarding someone a GBE was as easy as drinking water.

Don't underestimate Louis just because he spends his days playing cards and fishing at home. In fact, his predecessor and the cabinet secretary before him worked under him for several years.

He was, after all, once an imperial marshal.

The reason for giving Lucius this benefit was that you can't expect someone to work for you for nothing. Adults are different from students; they are worldly and shrewd. With such people, ideals alone are useless; you also need to offer tangible benefits.

Louis simply couldn't bring himself to make a horse run without feeding it.

Lucius, who had remained relatively calm throughout the dinner, suddenly stood up. He stared intently at Louis, his voice barely audible.

"Your Highness! The Malfoy family will forever remain loyal to you!"

Lucius had longed for this day for far too long. Ever since his great-grandfather was stripped of his title, his family had not stopped dreaming of restoring the glory of the Malfoy family.

Even a mere honorary knighthood would be enough to drive Lucius mad.

This is the glory that generations have dreamed of!

Ironically, what others have dreamed of for generations, Louis could easily achieve with just a single sentence.

It's true what they say: some people are born as mules and horses, while others are born in Rome.

Some people are born to rule Rome.

Even Narcissa was shocked by Louis's words.

After all these years together, how could she not understand her husband's desires?

She still remembered the words her father-in-law had said to Lucius before he died of smallpox.

After promising Lucius all the benefits, Louis started painting a rosy picture: "Perhaps one day, Uncle Lucius and Aunt Narcissa might become... Baron and Baroness? Viscount and Viscountess? Or perhaps... Earl and Countess?"

He spoke a sentence, then paused, each word like a heavy hammer blow to Lucius and Narcissa's hearts.

Some might argue that people in the wizarding world don't care about Muggle titles.

Just take this as a joke and move on.

Don't forget, before the seventeenth century, the British Ministry of Magic was under the command of the royal family!

The wizard is a bit like the ancient Seres scholars. You see, he treats fame and fortune as nothing but fleeting clouds, but if you actually give him one, he'll kneel down faster than anyone else...

Nobility titles are not something that come easily; in England, they are something that many people dream of.

Especially now, in an era where the wizarding world generally adheres to the Wizarding Secrecy Act and has little contact with Muggles, wizards with titles are even rarer.

In reality, there's practically nothing at all.

I'll post this chapter first, more will follow later.

(End of this chapter)