This is utterly nauseating, Draco stood by the fireplace, his face expressionless.
Lucius, his father, was a typical Slytherin: arrogant, conceited, and cunning.
His interpretation of situations was mostly based on self-interest, rarely incorporating genuine humanity. For example, in befriending Potter, he only focused on the benefits brought by the name Potter, rather than Potter's character.
The only glimmer of humanity in my father probably stems from his trust in my mother and his meager concern for me, Draco thought smugly.
My father is no ordinary man. He manages the vast Malfoy family business, navigating and maneuvering among various interests to secure benefits for the family. On the surface, he maintains a friendly relationship with Ministry officials who uphold the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, but in private, he maintains a covert yet close connection with the Muggle world.
He also skillfully navigates between various factions. The Ministry, the Dark Lord, and various small groups formed by pure-blood wizarding families... he has friends in each faction, just as he has enemies in each faction.
He lavishes Galleons and makes many friends. At the same time, he will not hesitate to take a frightening approach to deal with those who try to infringe on the Malfoy family's interests, and those who dare to disrespect the Malfoy name.
He may be irrational and overly radical at times, but undeniably, he is mostly adept at skillfully navigating between friendliness and hostility and emerging unscathed.
In his past life, although he had entered Azkaban and made a disaster of things, causing the Malfoy family to fall into despair, they were still alive after all. And as long as they were alive, there was hope for a comeback. Lucius must have had his own set of survival rules.
In the later part of his past life, Draco could sense that his father harbored some regret in private. However, at that time, the Malfoy family was already deeply entangled in their situation.
All wizards knew they were the Dark Lord's followers through and through. The Dark Lord had even lived in Malfoy Manor for an extended time, using the Malfoys as the Death Eaters' headquarters and stronghold, had he not?
The Ministry was controlled by the Dark Lord, Dumbledore, the only one who could possibly rival him, was dead, and the savior Potter was on the run like a fugitive... Even if the Malfoy family wanted to surrender to the Order, they would have no one to surrender to.
At the same time, the Malfoys would never rise up in rebellion and directly oppose anyone. That was not their style.
In this situation, how can they clear their names and regain their standing? With the threat of death hanging over their heads, they have no choice but to appear as staunch supporters of the Dark Lord, even to appear incorrigible and loyal, as though they are still favored by the Dark Lord.
Otherwise, those covetous Death Eaters and Ministry officials, those who have long coveted the Malfoy family's wealth and resources, would swarm in like jackals and devour the Malfoy family without hesitation.
I must never be so passive again in this life. From the very beginning, I must never entertain the thought of aligning with the Dark Lord.
This will ultimately bring the Malfoy family to ruin. Although Draco admitted that, at the moment the Dark Lord made his grand entrance and was successfully resurrected, joining his side appeared the smoothest path.
The problem was that Lucius had always been stubborn. The Dark Lord's pure-blood ideology suited him perfectly, and standing on the Dark Lord's side had been the most profitable for the Malfoy family. Lucius had once doubled the Malfoy family's profits in the wizarding world by exploiting the situation.
How can I make my father realize that siding with the Dark Lord is no longer in the Malfoy family's interest, but rather an act of self-destruction?
Lucius was such an arrogant Malfoy that he was unwilling to heed others' opinions, at least not those of an eleven year old child.
Even his grandfather Abraxas's words were not always heeded by his father. He appeared obsequious to his grandfather on the surface, but in private he would ignore them, and whatever he did, his grandfather's words would be discounted by half in his opinion.
He might be able to heed some of my mother's suggestions.
Since Father trusts Mother and is willing to listen to her, perhaps I should focus on Mother? Draco watched Lucius and Narcissa talking intimately, pondering this.
If Mother were willing to use some means, the rudder of the Malfoy family might quietly change course.
However, changing his mother's mind and getting her to help was no easy task. Narcissa and Lucius were kindred spirits on the issue of pure-blood ideals.
The only thing Draco could leverage was his mother's affection for him. But this affection was probably not enough to shake the pure-blood beliefs that his mother held dear.
Narcissa was no mindless mother. Pampering, even spoiling, did not mean she listened to her son in everything. It would be a grave mistake to think Narcissa only indulged her son or was content with Christmas decorations.
She was the most shrewd and insightful person in the Malfoy family.