Hogwarts: Starting as a Serpent Demon

Dinner time.

The entire Malfoy Manor was illuminated by magic, and the gold and silver tableware looked exceptionally magnificent under the candlelight.

Outside the castle, all sorts of magical creatures from the circus were putting on a great show.

Inside the castle, enchanted musical instruments are playing songs automatically.

The adults of the pure-blood families chatted in twos and threes at the banquet.

The children's attention was mostly drawn to the circus performances outside.

Witt was clearly not interested in circus performances.

He furtively observed the people who had come to the banquet from a corner: Barty Crouch, Scrimgeour, and even Fudge was there.

He is talking to Lucius.

Lucius looked unwell because Fudge had clearly rejected him, but what Lucius didn't notice was that although Fudge refused on the surface, there was a hint of interest in his eyes.

Witt estimated that the seizure of dark magic items was probably suggested by Dumbledore in a letter to Fudge.

Fudge in 1992 was clearly not as obedient as he was in 1991, but he still followed Dumbledore's advice.

However, this operation was met with resistance from many pure-blood families.

Even if they hadn't sided with Voldemort, how could a family with such a long and distinguished history be completely free of any dark magic items?

There will be some, more or less.

Your Ministry of Magic confiscated dark magic items, so to avoid trouble, I had no choice but to sell them off cheaply, resulting in a huge loss of money for no reason. No one would be happy about that.

Furthermore, Voldemort has been dead for ten years.

Ten years have passed, and now you're saying he's been resurrected? Who would believe that?

Fudge encountered great resistance and faced opposition from many people when he followed Dumbledore's advice this time.

Some of these things can affect the area under his buttocks.

Having been corrupted by power, Fudge naturally began to doubt Dumbledore's intentions and worry that he might have regretted his decision.

This overture to Lucius is a very clear signal, a signal of a change of stance.

However, Dumbledore's power was too great, and Fudge did not dare to make a decision for the time being.

That's why he came to Lucius's banquet, rejecting Lucius while simultaneously making a gesture of goodwill towards him.

Chapter 77 Three Minutes to Make Lucius My Best Friend

The banquet ended; it was ostensibly a banquet for Witte, but Witte ended up feeling like an outsider.

Lucius was actively banding together for mutual support, Draco was watching the circus performance outside, and only Witte was doing nothing, yawning idly.

After the banquet finally ended and everyone left, Witt quickly called out to Lucius and whispered something.

“Mr. Lucius, I have something to show you.”

Lucius's eyes lit up, and he wondered if it was the magic of the seamless expansion box from earlier.

Kids just can't stay calm.

That's how they compromised.

Lucius followed along with great anticipation and was led by Witt to the room in their house where the Pensieve was kept.

Witt pulled out a silvery-white memory and slowly tossed it into the Pensieve.

The location of this room was something Witt asked Draco about. Most old wizarding families would have a Pensieve, which was considered standard equipment.

Seeing Witte make a gesture of invitation, Lucius buried his head in the hole with some skepticism.

The next second he looked up in horror.

"He's still alive, he's really still alive." Lucius's face was ashen, and he was trembling uncontrollably.

"Mr. Lucius, please finish reading."

Although seeing Voldemort's terrifying snake face at first glance was a bit frightening, Witt still felt that Lucius's reaction was excessive.

This is just a memory, not Voldemort himself, so what's there to be afraid of?

Upon hearing Witt's words, Lucius realized that this was just a memory, and Voldemort himself was not here.

Even so, he still felt a phantom pain in the Death Eater mark on his arm, as if Voldemort were calling to him.

"No, take it away."

Lucius had no desire to watch it a second time; his face was filled with resistance.

“Sir,” Witt said coldly, closing the door behind him with magic, “running away is useless. Whether you like it or not, he’s there. Voldemort is actively seeking resurrection. Guess how he’ll deal with his traitorous subordinates after he’s resurrected.”

"No, don't say that name, I think, I think it's fine."

For British wizards, the name Voldemort was a source of terror. In the tavern, even passersby who had no connection with Voldemort were terrified at the mere mention of his name, let alone Lucius, who had actually betrayed Voldemort.

The Lucius of today is no longer the shrewd man he once was, nor the elegant aristocrat he once was; everything about him has been defeated by the fear that seeps into his very bones.

All that remained in him was fear.

The memory played again, and the illusory Voldemort rushed in. He saw Witt and called out to him.

“My child, my child, help your father stop Dumbledore.”

Was Witt really Voldemort's child?

Lucius instinctively wanted to raise his head, but his inner fear prevented him from disobeying Witte's orders.

The scene continues.

Lucius thought Witte would help Voldemort, but to his surprise, Witte slapped Voldemort instead and mocked him as a dog.

Others in the wizarding world didn't even dare to mention Voldemort's name, yet Witt dared to call Voldemort a dog to his face.

That's true, that's really true.

Lucius abruptly raised his head. He dared not look any further. Voldemort was the master of Legilimency, and if he knew that he had seen this memory, it would be too late.

Lucius looked as if he had lost his parents, and his legs immediately stopped shaking, because he needed to escape, and shaking legs could not make him run fast.

"gentlemen?"

Witt pointed his wand at Lucius and asked in a threatening tone, "Where do you want to go?"

"Witt...no, young master, I can't watch anymore, please let me go."

"Since you don't want to see it, I'll just tell you directly."

Ignoring the pleading look in Lucius's eyes, Witt continued, "Voldemort."

Lucius's face twitched, and his body instinctively hunched over.

“I almost forgot,” Witt said understandingly. “I can’t call him by his name directly. I’ll use a nickname for him instead. I think that will make you more comfortable.”

"Old dog, yes, that old dog tried to steal the Philosopher's Stone, but Dumbledore caught him red-handed and chased him all the way from the basement to the castle."

Lucius was initially relieved when he heard Witte say he would use a nickname, but he regretted it the next second. Witte's nickname for Voldemort was "Old Dog".

Shouldn't we normally use "mysterious person"? Do I have the right to use that title?

If Voldemort found out, he'd be killed, he definitely would be killed.

Lucius suddenly realized that Witt should just call Voldemort by his name and stop using the nickname, which he really disliked.

Witt didn't care what Lucius was thinking, and he continued, "That old dog knew that Dumbledore was chasing him, yet he had the nerve to ask me to stop Dumbledore."

"Sir, tell me, is this something a human being could do?"

Lucius: I don't know if a person can do it, but I know that if I keep listening, something bad is bound to happen.

“See? You think what he did was unfair.” Witt took Lucius’s silence as tacit agreement.

“In this situation, I definitely had to draw a clear line with that old dog, so I gave him a good talking-to and successfully won Dumbledore’s trust with firm words.”

What you mean by firm words is calling Voldemort an old dog?

Lucius had stopped thinking; he wished he could throw his brain away so he wouldn't have to ponder the meaning of Witte's words.

Witt said things that would get him killed.

“As you can see,” Witt said, spreading his hands helplessly, “I managed to survive Professor Dumbledore’s clutches, but at the same time, I completely offended that old dog.”

"I just happened to hear about your deeds. After that old dog fell from power, you immediately distanced yourself from him. Such decisiveness proves that we are on the same side."

Witte recounted the story with great emotion, but Lucius only wanted to escape.

Who wants to travel with you? Don't talk nonsense. We're not familiar with each other, you understand?

Witt waited a while, and seeing that Lucius remained silent, his face immediately turned cold. He threatened, "Sir, you've heard everything you should and shouldn't have heard. Shouldn't you give me an answer?"

"As fellow traitors to Voldemort, we should stick together for warmth."

“I need to think about it, think about it,” Lucius stammered.

"Then you'd better think it over carefully and give me an answer as soon as possible."

Witt said to himself, "I have an impatient nature. If I wait too long, I get anxious and my mind goes blank. I might say something I shouldn't."

"Voldemort killed his entire family to keep his past a secret. Do you think he would consider you closer to him than his own family if he knew you knew all this?"

"What do you mean, 'kill them all'?"

Upon hearing the secret that Voldemort had killed his entire family over the issue of his origins, Lucius instinctively asked about it.

He regretted asking the question as soon as he did.

Witt gave him no chance to regret it: "It's nothing really, it's just that his father is a Muggle and he himself is actually mixed race."

"You mean it's such a small matter, why kill your whole family?"

"Cold-blooded."

Lucius...

He wants to slap himself right now.

The news I heard today was more and more explosive than the last, so explosive that each one could kill him.