Chapter 104
The first week after the start of the school year has ended. The little wizards welcomed their first Saturday.
In the Slytherin Chamber.
This chamber was quite different from when Soren last visited. During the summer vacation, Soren had sent Dobby here for renovations.
Under the statue of Salazar Slytherin, a newly established raised platform appeared, in front of which was a seven-step staircase covered with a red carpet, on top of which stood a solitary throne of a very noble design.
At this moment, Soren was sitting on this throne, the back of the throne embedded with a gem radiating a pale green glow, under the green light, Soren's appearance seemed both mysterious and somewhat seductive.
On the staircase, standing on the first level from the top, were two people. Standing on the left was Daphne Greengrass, the legitimate eldest daughter of the Greengrass family; standing on the right was a fourth-year female student from Ravenclaw, Moray McDougall.
At this moment, standing in front of the platform were the house-elf Dobby and a sixth-year female student from Slytherin. They had to look up to meet Soren's gaze, which already put them at a disadvantage in both mindset and momentum.
"Master, Dobby has brought you the people," Dobby's voice was no longer frivolous but much more composed.
"Well done," Soren's voice came from the platform.
"This is what Dobby should do, Dobby does not dare take credit," Dobby lowered his head and said seriously.
"Are you from the Wagner family?" Soren asked the female student.
The female student proudly puffed out her ample chest, revealing the family crest on her robe, which depicted the head of a black panther with exposed fangs, below which read "Wagner Family."
"I am Nairal from the Wagner family, here to greet you, Mr. Malfoy," Nairal Wagner said.
"Are you here representing yourself, or your family?"
"Nairal is the legitimate only daughter of the family, having received authorization from the family, and has come with sincerity, sincerely hoping to form an alliance with your family."
The Wagner family is not on the list of the Sacred 28 Pureblood families, and their power is not too weak, probably comparable to the Gaul and Crabbe families. Mrs. Wagner works at the Ministry of Magic, in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, holding a fairly high position—after Umbridge was promoted to Senior Undersecretary two years ago, she also took over the position of Director of the Office for the Regulation of Magical Creatures.
This position does not wield significant power, as its daily operations mostly involve sending warning letters to underage wizards who secretly used magic during the summer vacation.
In theory, this position can oversee and prosecute all wizards violating the Wizarding Secrecy Law, but adult wizards usually have connections within the Ministry of Magic, and various departments protect their own, resulting in a very limited practical scope.
For example, just a day before school started (September 1), it was only a few days ago that Mrs. Wagner received a report about Mad-Eye Moody violating the Secrecy Law; his trash can made a noise within the sight of Muggles, even attracting the attention of Muggle law enforcement.
This should have been a significant matter, but due to someone tipping off within the department, by the time Mrs. Wagner had gathered her team, Arthur Weasley from the neighboring office—the Office for the Regulation of Magical Creatures—had already intervened to smooth things over.
Arthur Weasley seems to lack ambition on the surface, always staying obediently far from the power center in the neglected Office for the Regulation of Magical Creatures. However, in reality, he is quite popular; he tirelessly helps his colleagues around him, shaping an image of being a nice guy.
Not long ago, he even helped Ludovic Bagman with the trouble involving his brother, Ludo Bagman, and as a result received first-class tickets for the World Cup, camping in the prime area and sitting in the VIP section to watch the match.
Mrs. Wagner does not believe that Arthur is really as simple as he appears, a genuine honest person, or a nice guy. Therefore, even though Arthur crossed the line in the matter concerning Moody, she chose to remain silent.
Although the Office for the Regulation of Magical Creatures lacks significant influence in reality, for Soren, it is a position he covets greatly; the one who controls this position essentially controls the Map of Trace, a monitoring tool, and would also be able to cast spells outside of school.
Soren's face showed no signs of joy or anger. He said, "The Wagner family is truly aware of the times; I certainly welcome your joining. However—"
Nairal frowned and asked, "However, what?"
"I think it's beyond doubt that the Malfoy family is stronger than you. Calling it an alliance is actually quite similar to your request to attach yourselves to the Malfoy family—" Soren noticed Nairelle hesitating to speak and asserted strongly, "You don't need to refute this. The elders behind your family must have sensed something, which is why they sent you. I think, for this alliance, shouldn't you show a bit more sincerity?"
"My mother has already agreed to cooperate with you within the Ministry of Magic, shielding all the young witches and wizards on your list from the Trace," Nairal replied. "Isn't that enough? What more sincerity do you want?"
"Don't misunderstand; I am very satisfied with these conditions. However, personally, I'd like to add one more condition," Soren's gaze was sharp, as if a strange magic pierced directly into Nairal's heart, causing her will to dissolve invisibly, leaving her unable to muster any thoughts of resistance.
"I heard—you're good friends, like sisters, with Irina Selwyn from your year?" Soren's voice sounded very gentle, but Nairal felt the coldness hidden within his tone.
The thing she feared most had eventually arrived. Nairal gritted her teeth and replied, "Yes, I have known Irina since childhood, and our relationship is quite good." Faced with Soren's intense gaze and overwhelming presence, she could only silently apologize to Irina in her heart.
"I think you should have guessed—" Soren sneered, "That's right, that Lestrange fellow is my handiwork... Your family isn't too foolish. They know they've become too entwined with the Selwyn family, not wanting to become the next victim in this conflict, and they also know to pledge allegiance to us in advance. I advise you to set aside your personal feelings and prioritize your family!"
The little schemes of the Wagner family could not hide from Soren. They were merely frightened of his reputation and methods.
This is also why Soren constantly sought to elevate his prestige from the very beginning.
Prestige may seem useless at first glance, but it can snowball, growing larger and larger. When the wizarding world falls into chaos, unless one flees abroad, no one can remain unscathed. Every faction, every family, and even every individual must choose sides.
Soren's power is now at its peak; not only has he controlled public opinion, successfully shaped the image of a future powerhouse, but he has also appropriately exposed his influence in business and politics. Just look at the well-known businesses in the wizarding world that seek him out when they need financing, and how politicians actively try to curry favor with him, and you can see how formidable his position is.
In contrast, the Selwyn family, with its obsession with mysticism, has lost a lot of momentum. Coupled with Soren's carrot-and-stick approach, after he made Lestrange an example, it is no surprise that the Wagner family would make this choice.
The Wagner family, the Nott family, and the Greengrass family are just the beginning.
When the true chaos begins, many neutral forces that have been observing, testing, and waiting will surely choose sides. Whom will they choose? It all comes down to which side appears stronger and where the interests are greater. Once the combined forces are large enough, it becomes a significant power that neither Dumbledore nor Voldemort can afford to underestimate.
Soren's eyes gleamed with a cold light, "You guessed correctly; I intend to deal with the Selwyn family. So, I need you to be my inside informant and monitor Miss Selwyn's every move at Hogwarts, then wait for my next instructions. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes, I understand." With the conversation having reached this point, Nairal couldn't voice any desire to backtrack.
"Remember, your performance determines your family's fate. Don't do something that you will regret later because of a moment of weakness," Soren said, his tone softening as he added, "Don't forget, if anything happens to Irina, her head girl position will likely belong to you..."
Both Soren and Nairal knew that among the sixth-year Slytherin girls, only Irina and Nairal were truly qualified for the head girl role; others didn't match up in family background or strength. When Nairal heard this, her body visibly trembled, and thoughts that had long been buried began to resurface.
She nodded, "I understand. Then, Nairal takes her leave." Under Soren's gesture, Dobby took Nairal's hand, and they vanished in a flash.
["Allies" from the Wagner family acquired!]
Soren snapped his fingers, and with a crack, a house-elf appeared out of thin air.
"Dino, keep an eye on Nairal for me. I'm worried about her. If she shows any odd behavior, immediately join forces with Dobby and winky to capture her and bring her to me." Dino took the order and left.
Only Soren, Daphne, and Moray remained in the secret chamber.
The three had their own thoughts, and the atmosphere fell into silence for a moment.
Soren was the first to break the silence, speaking up, "Daphne, Moray, this is the path I intend to take. The road to glory is watered with sacrifice and blood, and conspiracies and betrayals will accompany us like a melody…" At this point, there was a slight, almost imperceptible tremor in Soren's voice, "If you can't accept that, I would understand…"
"Stop talking, Soren!" Surprisingly, it was not Daphne who interrupted first but Mori, her gaze shining with undeniable determination. "Since I've decided to support you, I will stand by you until the end. Perhaps I dislike these things, these power struggles, these conspiracies, but I absolutely will not leave you—never!"
Daphne smiled, "Soren, my entire family has staked everything on you, and even if I wanted to backtrack now, it's too late—I know I won't misjudge you. I trust my judgment, and even more, I believe you won't let us down." She showed a mischievous expression, "I just hope you remember our goodness and don't increase the number of our sisters!"
"Ah!" Soren stammered, "No, it won't be like that! I'm just fine with you all, really!"
Fortunately, this embarrassing topic was interrupted by a loud crack.
It was winky, who appeared in a flash, respectfully presenting Soren with today's latest issue of the Prophet. The headline on the cover read, "Pudmil United Chaser Mysteriously Disappears During Match."
"Master, the results of this morning's match have come out. As you predicted, Pudmil United's newly signed Chaser, Vilda Griffiths, mysteriously disappeared midway through the match. Due to the captain of Holyhead Harpies, Gwen Jones, having issued a death threat against her prior to the match due to Vilda's betrayal, Gwenog is now in custody by the Ministry of Magic to assist with the investigation."
Vilda Griffiths was indeed the star player that Pudmil United acquired with Sorenn's investment, with a transfer fee that shattered the historical record of Anglo-Irish League, reaching as high as one thousand galleons.
The mysterious disappearance of such a player would undoubtedly cause significant losses to the team; it seemed Filbert Devril had a headache ahead. Since Soren had signed an insurance agreement in advance, he would not need to cover the unexpected situation regarding the players—the majority of the losses incurred by the team would fall on poor Devril.
Another person who would be troubled was Horace Slaughorn, as his beloved student was taken into custody by the Ministry of Magic, and the heavily losing Devril would clearly not let her off easily; there would definitely be some disputes between the two sides.
After a moment of contemplation, Soren devised a plan.
He quickly wrote two letters, one addressed to Slaughorn and the other to Devril, asking them to temporarily set aside their conflicts and allow Soren to attempt to find the missing Vilda Griffiths.
***
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