Chapter 97: 98: Lucius and the Letter

98: Lucius and the Letter

Malfoy Manor.

Lucius Malfoy hadn't been doing well lately.

He had threatened the other Hogwarts governors, forcing them to sign a notice suspending Dumbledore from his duties.

Because of this, he was expelled from the school board after Dumbledore's return.

This was bad news for the Malfoy family, but even worse was the issue of the Malfoy family's Dark artifacts.

Almost every ancient pure-blood family possesses two things: a house elf and Dark artifacts.

The Malfoy family was no exception, and having once followed Voldemort, the Malfoy Manor was practically filled with Dark artifacts.

Voldemort did not trust the Malfoys, but considering their ancient lineage and those Dark artifacts, he treated Lucius with special favor.

Now, that damn Arthur Weasley was keeping a close eye on Malfoy Manor, and Lucius didn't yet know that his son had mentioned the cellar where the Dark artifacts were hidden.

He was genuinely afraid that one day Arthur Weasley would kick open the doors of Malfoy Manor and drag the entire Malfoy family off to Azkaban.

Lucius wanted to sell the artifacts, but the Borgin and Burkes antique shop, with which he had close dealings, was long gone.

He thought of Sean Shafiq; that old buzzard would certainly be interested in these items.

But that man was notoriously greedy and would drive the price down to the point where there was no profit, so Lucius hesitated for a long time.

He just didn't expect that in his moment of hesitation, when he returned to the Shafiq residence, it was already deserted.

"Damn Weasley, damn Harry Potter!"

Lucius slammed his fist on the stair railing, frustrated and angry.

"Calm your temper, Lucius."

Narcissa Malfoy, noticing him, raised her chin slightly, looking very proud.

"Narcissa, Arthur Weasley could come running over here at any moment."

Lucius, on the verge of venting his anger, had to hold it back due to his wife's presence.

All he could do was grasp the railing furiously, seething with impotent rage.

"You can hide the Dark artifacts or sell them, Lucius. Do not show weakness in front of Draco."

Mrs. Malfoy approached Lucius, her gaze passing through the window to rest on their son, who was practicing magic outside.

She could feel that her son had changed a lot at Hogwarts.

He used to be well-behaved, but because of his parents, he became a crybaby who always called for his father. The current Draco was completely different.

Even a daughter from the ever-pure Black family becomes sentimental when she becomes a mother.

Draco's transformation made Narcissa very pleased, and she also comforted her husband.

Lucius was feeling irritable, raising his voice slightly as he said, "Of course, I know that, but that Arthur Weasley seems to know about my storage. He swore that day he would make me spend the rest of my life in Azkaban."

"I want to sell the Dark artifacts now, but Borgin and Burkes has been taken to Azkaban, and that old vulture, Sean Shafiq, has relocated his family. I have no idea who to turn to."

The Malfoy family wasn't short on money; what he needed was a temporary place to store his family's belongings.

Borgin and Burkes used to be such a place; items sold there could be bought back at the original price, a mutual understanding between the two families.

Now that Johnny Silverhand's specialty shop has replaced Borgin and Burkes, he heard that the people there seemed to have close ties with the Ministry of Magic.

Lucius didn't dare to gamble. If the other side turned him over to the Ministry, he'd be stuck in Azkaban, receiving daily kisses from Dementors.

The mere thought of it sent shivers down his spine.

Narcissa noticed his concerns and said, "You have to try. I don't want our son to have a father who's locked up in Azkaban."

Lucius's expression changed several times.

At that moment, a long-eared black owl arrived at Malfoy Manor.

A letter dropped onto the windowsill. Lucius glanced at it but didn't go over to pick it up.

He instinctively thought the house-elf Dobby would pick it up and carefully bring it to him.

However, he had forgotten how he had been tricked by Harry. Realizing this, his face darkened, and he stomped over to the letter with a vengeful heavy tread.

This was a special letter.

There was no name on it, only a black wax seal with a silver handprint.

Lucius thought of the current king of Knockturn Alley.

'Johnny Silverhand.'

The emblem on the letter was the same as the one for Johnny Silverhand's specialty shop, which made him inexplicably nervous.

He had just been thinking about Johnny Silverhand's specialty shop, and now they had sent him a letter.

Even though he knew it was a coincidence, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

As he opened the letter, his expression changed several times.

Narcissa took note of everything, walking over to pick up the letter and read it.

Like Lucius, Narcissa became puzzled and asked, "Do you know Johnny Silverhand?"

Lucius shook his head, his expression peculiar as he said, "We've never met."

The couple exchanged a glance. The letter mentioned a willingness to provide a hiding place for the Malfoy family's Dark artifacts.

Not only that, but Johnny Silverhand also expressed his willingness to help Lucius regain his position on the Hogwarts board of governors.

Each of these things was fraught with risk.

'Why would Johnny Silverhand be willing to help?'

The couple couldn't figure it out, and Lucius hesitated, saying, "Could it be that he is...?"

Lucius's lips moved slightly, and his gaze instinctively shifted to his left hand.

Narcissa's face grew stern. Regarding the matter of the Death Eaters, whoever was discovered would undoubtedly be sent to Azkaban.

Aside from being a Death Eater, Lucius truly couldn't fathom why Johnny Silverhand would want to help him.

Staring at the letter, the couple fell into deep thought.

Draco Malfoy, unaware of the choice his parents were facing, was fully endorsing John's words at this moment.

"Only your own strength is the greatest glory."

He aimed at a human-shaped target, imagining it as Harry Potter, casting spells at the target repeatedly.

After experiencing the cold reception from his team and his father's dismissal, he had undergone a complete transformation.

Even when Goyle and Crabbe arrived, they could only serve as sparring partners.

The depleted Junior Wizard Fund was replenished, making Mundungus feel as though he was being carved up with a knife.

Having witnessed Johnny Silverhand's strength, the wizards who had previously refrained from visiting due to the Shafiq family's influence could finally patronize freely.

In a short amount of time, the sales at Johnny Silverhand's specialty shop multiplied several times over.

Kim Ladislay's bright smile never faded, accompanied by the constant sound of Galleons clinking.

John had prepared an office for himself; he was sitting inside, holding letters sent from various sources in his hand.

"Thank you for your hard work, Riddle."

John reached out and petted the long-eared black owl, feeding it a piece of dried fish.

There were many letters, most of which were from the dark wizards of Knockturn Alley, paying their respects and inquiring about the new rules.

Previously, these matters were controlled by the Shafiq family. Now that a new king had taken over, they were quite tactful.

Of course, there were also some who were less tactful.

In those cases, John would offer them an offer they couldn't refuse, like a trip to Azkaban or a bite from a werewolf.

Heh~

These individuals quickly became compliant.

Before taking action, John would send a letter of condolence to those individuals.

This letter was also known as the Silverhand Letter. The content was simple, expressing regret over not becoming friends, with a large silver handprint stamped on it.

Those who received such a letter would either come crawling to make amends the next day or disappear from Knockturn Alley altogether.

Under such intimidation, everyone knew that Johnny Silverhand was even more ruthless and decisive than the previous Sean Shafiq.

"Hmm? A reply.."

A letter from Malfoy Manor caught John's attention.

He opened the envelope.

The content inside made the corners of his mouth curl up slightly, and he smiled, saying, "Lucius Malfoy is a sensible person, but the matter of the Death Eaters still needs to be handled carefully."

Knowing that Lucius is a Death Eater, it's clear he's not a very loyal one.

During Voldemort's peak power, he strutted around with arrogance, but once Voldemort fell, Lucius was one of the first to actively sever ties.

This aligns perfectly with the traits of a Slytherin: following the powerful, being cunning, and prioritizing self-preservation.

When Voldemort is resurrected, Lucius will return to his side, but he is certainly not a die-hard follower.

The true loyalists of Voldemort are all sitting in Azkaban; the ones outside are merely the lackeys cheering from the sidelines.

"I need to make good use of this identity."

John stroked his chin.

As Johnny Silverhand, he had already become a figure of some influence.

Given that Knockturn Alley was a focus of his efforts, naturally, John wouldn't just remain there.

Diagon Alley was where the real action was, as it's the place all wizards across the country visit.

Reapplying his mask, John descended the stairs.

Every wizard who saw that mask would bow with a mixture of fear and respect.

This scene did not go unnoticed by the Aurors keeping watch; they realized that someone even more troublesome than Sean Shafiq had emerged.

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