"So...," Hermione hesitated for a moment, "that wizard is the ancestor of the Weasley family?"
"Yes, called 'Nagini' or 'Nigellus,' I can't quite remember," Salim shrugged.
"In that ambush by the elves, a total of fourteen wizards died, including three grand wizards. One from the Malfoy family, one from the Black family, and one more that I've forgotten, though that family is already extinct," Salim mocked, "Grand wizards, oh yes, they were grand wizards. Like Grindelwald, Dumbledore, and Voldemort, these kinds of grand wizards, three of them were taken out in one go. What do you think the relatives of these grand wizards would do?"
Draco looked incredulous, "Why didn't my father tell me about this? Also, what happened afterwards?"
"Afterward?" Salim smirked. "Do I even need to say? This kind of thing couldn't escape the Elder Council's attention. The families of those victims gathered their forces and wiped out the Weasley family, not a single survivor left. The wealth of the Weasleys was divided among the families of the victims. However, since the Weasleys were also a contractual family of the Elder Council, they spared one distant bloodline, not wiping them out entirely."
"How could they do that?" Ron stood up, exclaiming, "You said it yourself, he was bewitched by the elves' magic."
With a cold look at Ron, Salim scoffed, "That's the official story. Back then, the Elder Council wasn't entirely separated from the rest of the wizarding society. The Weasley family had elven blood, so claiming they were bewitched gave them some face. Besides, whether they were truly bewitched or betrayed, does it really matter now?"
Since wizards knew their magical talents were inferior to elves, they naturally sought to bridge the gap. And what better way than having a child with an elf? Many wizards with unicorn tail hair wands had elven blood. It wasn't just elves either – some extreme wizards even used dangerous and unstable magical transformations to gain bloodlines from certain species. The Parselmouth ability was a prime example.
"Weasley, your family should be grateful to the Malfoys and the surviving wizard families," Salim remarked.
"What! They turned our lives into this, and I should thank them?!" Ron exclaimed in disbelief.
"Do you know what a 'contractual family' is? In the Elder Council, a contractual family refers to a lineage that the Council ensures the continuation of, no matter the adversities the family faces. Even if it's betrayal or vendetta, even if the entire wizarding world wants them dead, the Council ensures their survival.
But these contracts have expiration dates; the Weasley family's contract expired long ago. Not only the Malfoys, but other victimized families have survived as well, but..." Salim glanced at Draco and continued addressing Ron, "The other families are now dependent on the Elder Council for their livelihoods, bound by their rules from causing trouble in the regular wizarding world. But even in their current decrepit state, the Malfoys could easily finish your family off. So, Weasley, shouldn't you be grateful?"
Lucius and many pure-blood families had strong connections. He had influence within the Ministry of Magic, and their family possessed a lot of gold Galleons. If the Weasleys were targeted, Ron's father's job would likely be lost. Bill, working at Gringotts, couldn't secure his position either, and Malfoy was a shareholder in the bank.
Charlie's job at the dragon reserve also had Malfoy's influence. These three were the Weasley family's economic backbone; if they were jobless, what would the Weasleys do? They might have savings, but how long could that last? They would likely need to find jobs, but all industries with no ties to pure-blood forces were scarce. Pure-blood influence permeated every aspect of the wizarding world.
Without jobs, what then? The Weasley family couldn't open a shop without the Ministry's approval. Trying to do business in Diagon Alley? Ministry officials would confiscate their merchandise in no time, maybe even fine them. Stealing and robbing? Ministry enforcers loved to catch those who provided them with achievements. But the Weasleys couldn't resort to illegal activities, so how could they survive in the wizarding world? Seeking employment in the Muggle world? Pure-blood connections dominated there too.
All of this was within the bounds of legality. There were also illegal means.
What was the Malfoy family made of? Malfoy was a Death Eater, as were his colleagues. Pay some money, hire a few criminals, sneak into the Weasley home at night, and annihilate them – Death Eaters were no strangers to such acts.
Salim's description of the situation left Ron pale, and he stammered, "Dumbledore, yes, Headmaster Dumbledore won't just stand by. Besides, we have relatives and friends who will help us."
"You're being too optimistic. Our headmaster can't interfere in this matter. And Malfoy doesn't like him anyway; why would he extend him a favour? As for your relatives and friends..." Salim sneered at Ron, "Once or twice is manageable, but when your family can't even make ends meet, who will keep supporting you? Huh? They aren't philanthropists, why should they support you indefinitely?"
As per Draco's current circumstances, Salim explained, "Malfoy family has exited the contractual system; Draco is the sole heir. If something happens to him, the Malfoy family is doomed. Lucius is busy in the wizarding world, but whom is he working for? Himself? No, he's working for Draco, paving the way for him.
He hopes that in the future, Draco will reestablish the Malfoy family's contract with the Elder Council, becoming a contractual family once again. That's the only way the family's heritage can be secured. Otherwise, once Lucius is out of the picture, and if Draco doesn't perform well, the Malfoy family is just waiting to be devoured. Your family ought to be grateful to Malfoys for this."
Draco, now fully aware of his family's predicament, said with determination, "Salim, I'll learn magic from you in the future. I will revive our family. However, I won't oppose some fun diversions while studying magic." He turned to Salim and added, "I just can't stand him, that's all!"
"I can tell you're not comfortable either, you wicked Slytherin serpent! You won't make me surrender!" Ron immediately retaliated.
Salim slapped his forehead. Oh, he had talked so much, but it seemed like he had achieved nothing.
"Ron!" Hermione shouted.
"Hmph! I can't trust that Slytherin serpent. If he wants to come at me, let him come. Let's see who's afraid of whom!" Ron said and left without looking back.
Harry glanced at Salim, then at Hermione, and decided to follow Ron.
"Alright, let them go," Salim stopped Hermione's attempt to keep Harry and Ron, "I didn't expect to resolve their family matters. Let them cool down a bit. As long as they don't keep causing trouble, I'm not interested in meddling."
"Are
you sure this is okay?" Hermione looked at the door where they had just left.
"What could possibly go wrong? Even if they make a fuss, at most they'll lose a few points, just like this time," Salim shrugged nonchalantly.
"Lose a few points?! Those are points!" Hermione exploded at the thought, complaining loudly, "Those are points! Who knows when we'll earn them back? It seems like winning the House Cup is out of the question."
"The House Cup?" Salim looked surprised at Hermione, "I didn't know you cared about such things."
The House Cup was a form of honour, but it held no real benefits. For Salim, it was essentially meaningless. Unlike him, Hogwarts students had an extraordinary enthusiasm for pursuing the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup.
However, Salim believed the House Cup couldn't prove anything. Its significance paled in comparison to the Quidditch Cup. Salim rarely answered questions in class unless directly called upon; after all, he had grasped most of the theoretical knowledge when he was four or five years old.
But Hogwarts and Schuyler each had different focuses – Hogwarts leaned toward theory and had cancelled many practical courses, including the Dueling Club that had been abolished nearly a hundred years ago.
Schuyler, on the other hand, emphasized practical skills, teaching how to eliminate others and avoid being eliminated. In general, Schuyler surpassed Hogwarts in terms of educational resources. Professors at Schuyler were usually senior wizards, while most of the Hogwarts professors were more focused on theory. Therefore, Salim considered Schuyler superior.
"Wait a moment, Salim, did you say that the Nott family also produced Dark Wizards?" Hermione suddenly remembered Salim's earlier revelation.
"Yes, what's so strange about that?" Salim thought for a moment, then realized, "Oh, right, I forgot. The majority of wizards have a different definition of Dark Wizards compared to us."
"... A different definition of Dark Wizards compared to you?"
"Before we discuss this topic, let me ask you, Hermione, Draco, Nott, in your view, what constitutes a Dark Wizard and what constitutes a Light Wizard?" Salim looked around, addressing the remaining three.
"Books say that wizards who are skilled in using dark magic, evil and cruel, are Dark Wizards..."
Cutting off Hermione's textbook recitation, Salim rubbed his face with his hand, a bit exasperated. He advised, "Hermione, except for highly specialized magical textbooks, don't rely too much on the content in books like history or biographies."
With a sigh, Salim decided to correct their misconceptions.
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