allendalepharm Chapter 257 The Smoke of War Is About to Rise
Chapter 257 The Smoke of War Is About to Rise
Chapter 257 The Smoke of War Is About to Rise
Lockhart needed a plot of land to grow white sage, and the very next day, this plot of land appeared before him.
Lockhart had no classes this morning, and Umbridge, the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Magic, visited Hogwarts and approached him.
With a list in hand.
"Let me choose?" Lockhart blinked, looking at the densely packed contents of the list, which was none other than the Yaxley family's asset list.
"Wasn't the Ministry of Magic just helping me get the oak grove that Corban Axley had promised me back from the Axley family?"
Unlike the Black family, which was wiped out with only one member remaining, the Yaxley family still had other members, and several branches that were doing well in various parts of Europe.
Lockhart wasn't particularly greedy for money, and he wouldn't think that just because Coban Yaxley had offended him, he would pack up and take away all of the other party's family's assets.
Such an approach would only cause all pure-blood families and even other wizards to develop a deep-seated resentment and fear towards him.
Yes, the strong fear nothing.
But Lockhart doesn't care about these things. If he did, he would have just stolen them. But the items on the list are clearly not enough to tempt him.
With the right skills, everything will fall into place naturally. His magical journey has only just begun; there's no rush.
"The Mysterious Man!" Even as he spoke of the Mysterious Man, Umbridge looked around warily before lowering his voice and saying, "Dumbledore has labeled him a wizarding traitor and a wizarding spy. There's evidence that he was the one who broke Cobban out of prison. If the Yaxley family wants to get out of this mess, they'll have to give us something!"
She gestured to the list in Lockhart's hand, a fawning smile on her face. "According to the rules, I should let Dumbledore choose first, but I think you should take a look first."
Lockhart's expression turned strange.
He naturally wouldn't turn down someone's offer of help; it wouldn't be good to disappoint them. He shook out the list and looked down to examine it carefully.
The list is long.
Lockhart felt that the Yaxley family had not just given up something, but rather handed over their entire fortune.
This pure-blooded family, which has survived for so long and is still thriving, is incredibly wealthy.
It's unknown how much each generation has sacrificed for this.
Lockhart even saw something on the list that should belong to the Black family: the Pensieve used by Phineas Nigellus Black.
Phineas was Sirius's great-great-grandfather and served as the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Who knows what precious memories might be preserved inside the Pensieve used by such an important figure?
Because of their highly private nature, the Pensieve is typically buried with its user after death. It is usually protected by various terrifying curses and dark magic. In the wizarding world, it's rare to hear of anyone robbing graves to steal one; powerful dark magic spells are no joke.
Just like the dark magic curse Voldemort cast on his ancestral Gauntlet ring, even Dumbledore couldn't resist it.
Furthermore, the fact that this meditation basin was openly collected by the Yaxley family means it absolutely could not have been obtained through tomb raiding.
Such a meditation basin must contain very valuable information, which is specially preserved to retain important information as family wealth.
"You can choose two things," Umbridge explained softly. "Everyone gets something; it's a long-standing rule in pure-blood families. This is to protect those who benefit, and also to ensure that those who give up their benefits receive the promised fulfillment."
Now that everyone has taken it, everyone has to accept the complete separation between the Yaxley family and the Coban family.
We must not cause any more trouble for the Yaxley family because of our formal training.
Unless people discover that the Yaxley family is still helping Coban, that's a different story.
This is a tacit understanding among pure-blood families, a solution that has been recognized by everyone over hundreds of years of development.
Umbridge whispered that, in addition to Lockhart, Dumbledore and Grindelwald could each choose two portions, and Fudge could also choose two portions but had to share a portion of the profits with the others, who would then divide the profits among themselves.
She also specifically told Lockhart not to choose the Galleons and Silver Sickles that he had his eye on at first glance, as well as some gems.
They said this was for the last few people to drink the soup.
Hey~
Lockhart really wanted this seemingly large amount of currency.
He quickly scanned the contents, his gaze finally settling on one of the options: a farm on the North American Great Plains that was encircled by magic.
Newt's son owns such a farm.
The climate there is perfect for growing magical herbs.
Umbridge panicked upon seeing Lockhart's choice, even more so than Lockhart himself. "I checked beforehand. This farm wasn't developed by the Yaxley family. Aside from the concealment magic, there's nothing inside!"
Isn't this wonderful? Lockhart was increasingly pleased with the place.
Umbridge opened her mouth, then closed it again, quietly awaiting Lockhart's choice.
The list was overflowing with all sorts of things, including a whole nest of wetland werewolves.
The Wetland Werewolf has nothing to do with werewolves; it is a dog-headed humanoid monster with powerful attack capabilities, and its main habitat is Louisiana in the United States.
Its two main features are that it has extremely powerful perception and that its hair can be used to make wand cores, which also enhance the spellcasting effect of its perception.
There's even a magical creature with a 5X danger level: the long-horned water snake.
The long-horned water snake also originates from North America. A portion of the long horn on its forehead can be shaved off and used as the core of a wand. Most importantly, it has a gem on its forehead, which is said to grant wizards the ability to become invisible and fly.
One of the four houses of the American magic school, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is named after the long-horned water serpent.
"Unfortunately, there's no longer a gem on its forehead," Umbridge said in a low voice, observing Lockhart's gaze.
Lockhart raised an eyebrow and looked at Umbridge. "It's not on the list."
Umbridge smiled ingratiatingly, "I used some connections to get this information from someone in the Yaxley family who knew the situation."
The goal was clear: to take advantage of the situation and make a good sale.
only--
Lockhart examined the list carefully and finally spotted the key point: "A large portion of it is related to North America?"
This is really interesting.
Could it be that they were scared off by Dumbledore, which is why they quickly abandoned the interests of this place?
Umbridge explained with a meaningful look, "Because it's in the Wizarding Council's interest."
S
This time it was Lockhart's turn to be stunned. "The Wizarding Council?"
Umbridge glanced warily at the tallest spire in the Hogwarts castle complex before explaining in a low voice, "Have you ever wondered why most of the Twenty-Eight Holy Pure-Blood Families are located in British wizarding territory?"
Lockhart hadn't really thought about that carefully.
He frowned in thought, muttering, "I know that the influence of the Twenty-Eight Sacred Races extends throughout Europe and now deeply affects the International Federation of Wizards. They are aligned with the Wizarding Council—"
"They were part of the Wizarding Council, then known as the Holy Families!" Umbridge recounted. "Specifically, it was the era before the International Wizarding Federation, the era of the 'British Alliance Wizarding Council.' This powerful wizarding council ruled almost half the world, and the wizarding families within the council extended their reach to Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, Oceania, and even a wizarding tribe in the Arctic."
"During the era of the International Wizarding Union, power was forcibly redistributed, with the Ministry of Magic of each country divided according to the power of Muggles, thus completely severing this vast network."
"Over the past few centuries, only twenty-eight families have managed to maintain their influence."
Umbridge smirked smugly. "Looks like there aren't many left now."
Lockhart found her expression somewhat amusing. "You don't seem to like these pure-blood families?"
"How could anyone like that!" Umbridge looked like she was itching with hatred. "They've never treated us like human beings. The better ones are treated like slaves, like house-elves, and the worse ones are treated worse than dogs. You haven't seen it, even Fudge, the Minister of Magic, has to fawn over someone like Arthur Weasley. Not to mention the others."
Lockhart raised an eyebrow, carefully recalling the bigwigs in the Ministry of Magic, and said in surprise, "So, Fudge doesn't wield much power in the Ministry of Magic?"
Even Arthur, who held a sinecure, was besieged and forced to kneel. I can only imagine how embarrassed Fudge must feel in private when facing Old Barty.
Fortunately, Fudge is not Peter Pettigrew, so he doesn't face the same despair as he did when facing Voldemort. Besides having Dumbledore as his backer, he is also quite capable himself.
Umbridge sighed and nodded. "It's so incredibly difficult for those of us who aren't pure-bloods."
"So you mean—the ancient pure-blood families' global network of interests was dismantled by the International Wizarding Federation through the Secrecy Act, so they turned their attention to the New World, which was practically a blank slate at the time?"
Lockhart stroked his chin thoughtfully, then suddenly his brow furrowed. "But I've heard that the first wizards to arrive in America were the originators of the Purifiers?"
Umbridge dared not answer such a question, but instead added, "The wizards who first came to America were also the originators of the Magical Congress. The Aurors were the ones who initially volunteered to become Aurors in order to fight against the so-called Purifiers."
Good guy.
Lockhart clicked his tongue, having gained a general understanding of the situation in North America.
He narrowed his eyes, as if thinking of something, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. He looked down at the list in his hand again and stood up casually.
Umbridge looked at him with some confusion. "You can choose one!"
Lockhart chuckled. "I'll choose the magic books and Galleons. Send them to my mansion in London!"
Galleon?
Umbridge hesitated for a moment before deciding to keep her mouth shut. If all else failed, she would have to find a way to exchange some Galleons from other factions through one of the options to fill the gap.
only--
She asked, somewhat puzzled, "Didn't you want that farm in North America?"
Lockhart laughed heartily. "Of course, I'm taking that farm!"
"Professor Lockhart!" Umbridge exclaimed. "I don't really recommend that you break the rules like this. You've already taken the lion's share by choosing two portions. Any more and everyone will have something to say."
"No!" Lockhart glanced back at her. "They won't have any objections."
"what?"
Umbridge said he didn't understand.
She was very puzzled, feeling that Lockhart had acted too greedily in this matter, even though he didn't usually seem like a greedy person.
She understood quickly.
Lockhart took the list to Dumbledore, and Grindelwald was also in the headmaster's office.
"What do you mean?" Dumbledore took the list and looked at it.
“Coban Yaxley!” Lockhart exclaimed excitedly. “If I were him, I would have handed these territories over to Voldemort. Of course, I reckon he’s smarter than me in this regard; that old bureaucrat knows it all too well. Where do you think he and Voldemort would be hiding if they were both in North America, or if they needed some manpower there?”
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharpening as he quickly scanned the list before handing it to Grindelwald beside him.
"Corban is the head of the Yaxley family, so of course he knows about his family's territory within the jurisdiction of the Magical Congress of America. He certainly doesn't think he'll be expelled from the family; he probably still thinks these places are still his." Lockhart rubbed his hands excitedly.
Old Fu, it seems we're really going to catch you this time.
Dumbledore looked thoughtfully at Grindelwald.
Grindelwald nodded. "There are reports that they are currently active in North America."
Umbridge was too terrified to move in the corner. She felt she shouldn't be in Dumbledore's office; she should be outside.
Is this something she can hear?
Involving four of the world's most powerful magic masters, the Order of the Phoenix, and the Death Eaters, this was undoubtedly a terrifying vortex for someone like her.
Given the major moves Dumbledore was about to make, she didn't even know if she would be able to leave the office after hearing the news.
I hope I won't be silenced.
Her mind was a jumble of thoughts as she silently prayed for what she considered the best solution—a forgetting spell—to be cast upon her.
until--
"Dolores?"
"Ah?" Umbridge trembled, raising his head in horror, only to find that Dumbledore and Grindelwald were nowhere to be seen in the room.
Lockhart glanced at the list in his hand. "The parts about North America all need to be reviewed by the International Confederation of Wizards. Go to the Ministry of Magic to coordinate this matter. Remember to bring me the two items I've selected first, understand?"
Umbridge still seemed flustered, absentmindedly taking the list. Yi habitually replied, "Okay, those magic books and Galleons."
Lockhart looked at her like this and shook his head. "Here's what you do. Go find Percy now, a seventh-year Gryffindor student, Percy Weasley. He's Arthur Weasley's son."
Umbridge looked at him somewhat blankly. "I've heard of this child. We're looking for him because—?"
"He's helping me establish a Gossip Club, buying a castle and surrounding land in the Scottish Highlands from Sir Humphrey Upgow, a Muggle nobleman. You've got him all set up."
Umbridge finally came to her senses, her eyes lit up. An artist must be needed, an artist must have value to be used, otherwise she will be discarded. She understood this principle!
She knew it! Lockhart, this upstart magic master with no foundation, would definitely need her help one day.
"Professor Lockhart, don't worry, I'll take care of it!"
In fact, probably no one knows better than her how to do this matter in the most compliant way within the current political landscape.
You should know that Minister Fudge is busy every day balancing the various forces in the Ministry of Magic. There are so many things that need his attention, such as those between pure-blood families, magic schools, the Order of the Phoenix, and the International Wizarding Federation.
The practical matters of the Ministry of Magic that belong to the Minister were handled by her, the Deputy Minister.
She knows exactly what to do.
Lohat nodded, said nothing more, and led her away from the principal's office.
Not long after, Lockhart led a few students to Professor McGonagall and, with the help of the FlooNet fireplace, quickly went to a Ministry of Magic-controlled intercontinental portal key in the Scottish Highlands.
In North America, war is about to break out.
How could I possibly miss out on something this interesting!
set off!