thefictionvixens Page 265
Page 265
"Please follow me, many guests have been here for some time."
Levin nodded and joined the others as they climbed the steps.
To be honest, as one of the oldest and most successful pure-blood families, the Malfoy family's manor, while not as lavishly decorated with old and worn furniture as the Black family's, still possesses considerable historical and cultural significance.
Lucius acted as a tour guide, introducing everyone to the various sculptures and portraits in the corridor, as well as the history of the Malfoy family behind them.
Unlike many pure-blood families, the Malfoy family's origins are more akin to those of Muggle nobles.
Like many other ancestors of English noble families, the wizard Armand Malfoy arrived in England as part of the invading Norman army with William the Conqueror.
The first Malfoy provided unseen, clandestine services to King William I, and for this achievement, he received a prime piece of land in Wiltshire after William became king, which is how Malfoy Manor came to be.
Before the passage of the International Statute of Wizardry Secrecy in 1692, the Malfoy family had already successfully integrated into the upper echelons of Muggle society. Their ancestor, Lucius Malfoy (it is normal for foreigners to share the same name as their ancestors), even pursued Elizabeth I (the one Luna imitated).
Some wizarding historians believe that the Queen never married after that because she was cursed by the frustrated Malfoy.
The Malfoy family continued to acquire land from surrounding Muggles, expanding their already large estate. They also successfully entered the world of Muggle currency and assets, becoming one of the wealthiest wizarding families in England.
Although they initially opposed the Secrets Act, they quickly severed all previous ties with Muggle families and denied ever having any deep involvement with them.
Among the pure-blood families, the Malfoys were actually relatively less fanatical, at least compared to a few fanatical families like the Black, Gaunt, or Lestrange.
Although the Malfoy family values the purity of blood, they are unwilling to risk the decline of their lineage by marrying cousins. Therefore, they would accept marriage with half-blood wizards.
This flexibility is precisely the reason why Lucius jumped ship at the last minute and joined Levin's side.
To be honest, the Malfoy family does have quite a few antiques, giving them a distinct air of a thousand-year-old aristocratic family.
But that's all.
In terms of furnishings, convenience, and even magical defense systems,
Even the ancestral home of a family like the Malfoys is far inferior to Levin's tower.
After all, Levin was built to the standard of a mage tower.
Soon, the group finished touring Malfoy Manor.
Lucius led them into the hall.
The atmosphere here was now incredibly lively. Candlelight flickered on the long table, silver cutlery gleamed, and a wide variety of delicious food and fine wines were laid out.
Many guests also attended the banquet.
Judging from their attire, most of them were Malfoy's close friends, along with other important figures.
Levin discovered that a small portion of these people were actually Death Eaters like Lucius, such as staunch allies of the Malfoy family, like old Crabbe and old Goyle. In addition, the Carlow family, the Parkinson family, and the Greengrass family were also among them.
However, their conversation did not mention Voldemort or Death Eaters.
After all, there were many guests who were not Death Eaters present, so their conversations were quite restrained.
But from the fact that they were able to stand here safely, Levin and Jaina both came to the same conclusion:
These pure-blood families are so cunning.
Lucius's involvement in the riots that night offers a glimpse into the whole picture.
At least half of them were involved in that incident.
However, afterwards they were able to come here happily to attend the banquet, and not a single one of them was captured and sent to Azkaban—you should know that, thanks to Levin's mark, the large-scale restriction of the [Dimensional Anchor], and the Auror Legion's encirclement from all sides, the mob that night was almost completely wiped out.
The fact that they let them go only shows how keen their sense of smell and their adeptness at switching sides are.
In addition to these adults, Levin also saw many familiar people of his age at the event.
Besides Draco Malfoy, who was the master, his two henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle, were also there.
In addition, there is Astoria Greengrass, her sister Daphne, Pansy Parkinson, the Caro twins, Hestia and Flora, and so on…
At first glance, it looked like a Slytherin party.
Astoria, Hestia, and Flora were all members of the Society of Learned Scholars.
Upon seeing Levin, he immediately rushed to greet him with great joy, even more so than Draco, who was the host.
Just as Draco was about to follow, Lucius glared at him.
It was as if they were saying, "Look at him, he attracts girls just by sitting there. And look at you, always hanging out with Crabbe and Gore. Why don't you ever think about finding a girlfriend?"
Generally, these gatherings are not only social events for adults, but also gatherings and matchmaking events for the younger generation.
Next, Levin chatted quite happily with this group of female fans.
Although Levin harbored some prejudice against many Slytherins, he considered all those who joined the Society of Scholars as his own.
After all, Levin himself is a Muggle.
Being able to join the Society of Learned Scholars shows that they can disregard this point, which is quite remarkable for Slytherins who widely hold the belief in the supremacy of blood.
That is, until Levin overheard a discussion among some pure-blood families.
They shamelessly claimed that Levin was probably a pure-blooded bastard child who had been separated from his family.
And they offered a seemingly plausible guess.
If Levin hadn't been so clear about his own origins, he would have believed everything these people said.
They have absolutely no shame.
Levin then witnessed another side of Slytherin besides their pure-blood supremacy—their fondness for strength.
Thinking about it this way, many Slytherins were willing to go to great lengths to join the Erudite Society simply because Levin was strong enough.
However, Astoria Greengrass was an exception.
This girl truly has no racial discrimination, and her personality lacks any of the shrewdness or cunning that one would expect from a Slytherin; she is as kind as a Hufflepuff.
I really don't know how a Death Eater family could raise such a good child.
In addition, due to the blood curse, her body was very weak and sickly all day long, a typical Hogwarts Lin Daiyu. However, she did not give up on herself because of this and worked very hard in the courses of the Faculty of Knowledge.
Therefore, Levin took good care of her.
She had just graduated from first grade this year and was assigned to work in the logistics department of the Bo Shi Society, serving as Zhang Qiu's deputy.
The little girl is now tugging at Levin's sleeve, excitedly reporting to him the results of her magic practice during the holidays:
"Lord Levin, look, I can now use [Arcane Missile]!" the girl said excitedly, taking out her wand to demonstrate on the spot.
Levin had no time to stop her when he saw a small string of purple missiles emerge from the tip of her staff and shoot toward the chandelier on the ceiling.
Just as the missile was about to hit the chandelier, a little "surprise" was prepared for the banquet guests.
Cai Wen simply raised his hand and used [Spell Counter] to nullify [Arcane Missile].
2.9 “I’m sorry, Lord Levin, I… have I gotten into trouble again?”
Astoria looked at Levin pitifully and said,
Her cautious expression, combined with her frail appearance, evoked a strong desire to protect her at first glance.
“It’s alright, Astoria,” Levin reassured her gently. “In fact, you’re quite good at using Arcane Missiles. I reckon you’re the first first-year wizard to learn this spell.”
Levin's words were true; although physically weak, Astoria's magical talent was indeed remarkable.
This is one of the reasons why Levin is willing to favor her.
"Yes, thank you for the compliment, Lord Levin!"
The girl immediately perked up upon hearing this, her eyes filled with longing as she looked at Levin.
Following Ginny and Cho Chang, here comes another little fangirl.
Looking at the pale-faced, sickly beauty in front of him, who kept clutching her chest, Levin had a sudden thought.
Considering that the purpose of this banquet was to introduce Jaina to the Malfoys' allies, Levin suddenly had a new idea.
The image shows Astoria, self-designated.
%
Chapter 290 The Second Nail
Levin and Jaina's decision to target the Malfoys and win over the pure-blood faction was partly to expand Jaina's power within the Ministry of Magic.
On the other hand, there was also the idea of undermining Voldemort and planting spies within his ranks.
After it was confirmed that Voldemort was about to be resurrected, Levin himself, as well as Jaina and Onyxia, all agreed that the biggest obstacles they would face in the future were only two: Dumbledore and Voldemort.
These two individuals not only possess formidable personal strength, but also command their own independent forces.
Aside from them, other forces—whether it's the ruling faction led by Fudge, the conservative faction centered around Barty Crouch, or most wizards without clear affiliation like the Chief of Law Enforcement, Burns—may hinder Levin temporarily, but they cannot stop his progress indefinitely.
After all, Levin's side has the raw strength to back it up.
The slow progress is due to Levin's desire for a peaceful transition.
The wizard population is still too small to withstand large-scale consumption.
But Dumbledore is different from Voldemort.
One of the key guarantees of the unity of their forces is their individual strength.
Their formidable individual strength ensures that they cannot be defeated by physical means, and even if they could, Levin has no plans to do so for the time being.
For Dumbledore, Levin's conflict with him was merely a clash of ideologies. Even the most critical person would have to admit that Dumbledore was essentially a good person.
Levin Green isn't crazy; he wouldn't think Dumbledore is courting death just because of this.
As for Voldemort, he certainly deserved to die.
Levin was hoping to use him as a whip to spur the wizards to align themselves with Jaina's influence within the Ministry of Magic.
As long as the benchmark remains unresolved, their forces will never truly be destroyed.
For them, all Levin can do right now is to plant nails and undermine their foundation.
On Dumbledore's side, Levin opposed Dumbledore himself, but adopted a cooperative and appeasing approach towards key members of the Order of the Phoenix.
The Weasleys, along with Sirius Black, are typical examples.
As for the Death Eaters, Levin's strategy was to win over the fence-sitters as much as possible, making them pledge allegiance, thus planting spies in their wake.
Lucius Malfoy himself was the biggest thorn in the side.
If we take him as a foundation and wield the hoe properly, we might be able to create a scene where everyone in the world knows how to make a living.