Chapter 170: Lucius Makes His Move
Lucius Malfoy understood the situation very clearly.
Expelling Russell from Hogwarts—
that was already the best possible outcome.
As for sending him to Azkaban?
Impossible.
Not long ago, Russell had just been awarded the Order of Merlin.
To throw him into Azkaban now—
would be nothing less than a slap in the face of Cornelius Fudge.
And Lucius had no intention of falling out with Fudge… not yet.
That left him with only one option:
Use his position as a Hogwarts governor—
to pressure Albus Dumbledore.
With that decision made, Lucius changed into formal attire and set out.
He planned to visit several governors he had good relations with—
to sound them out in advance.
The Hogwarts Board of Governors had twelve seats.
But their identities weren't public.
And not all governors attended every meeting—
which meant even Lucius didn't know all of them.
Still—
in practice, only five or six typically showed up.
If he could secure half the votes—
that would be enough.
Lucius was confident.
After all—
most governors were pure-blood wizards.
Natural allies.
The First Obstacle: The Greengrass Family
His first stop was the Greengrass Family—
one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight,
and long-time allies of the Malfoys.
Lucius had even planned ahead—
Once Draco graduated,
he intended to arrange a marriage proposal to Astoria Greengrass.
By his calculations—
she would be entering Hogwarts next year.
But this time—
things didn't go as expected.
"Sorry, Lucius."
Clint Greengrass shook his head.
"I can't agree to destroy a child's future so easily."
"Even if he's Muggle-born."
His tone was firm.
"But he's a violent little delinquent!" Lucius pressed.
"He sent Cyrian Rosier straight to St. Mungo's. The evidence is undeniable."
"Is it?"
Clint replied calmly.
"I don't see it that way."
"We'll let the Board decide what's right and wrong."
Lucius's expression didn't change—
but inside, irritation surged.
"…Very well," he said coolly.
"You'll come around eventually."
His cane tapped rhythmically against the floor—
click… click… click…
As he left.
From the adjoining room—
two small heads peeked out.
One of them was young Astoria Greengrass.
(Her older sister, Daphne, was already studying at Hogwarts.)
"Father," Astoria asked curiously,
"why did Uncle Lucius come?"
Clint smiled, beckoning her over and pulling her into an embrace.
"It's nothing important."
"He just asked me for a favor."
"And you said no?"
"Because it's not a favor I should grant."
"…Oh."
Astoria nodded, half-understanding.
Gathering Support
Though he failed with the Greengrass family—
Lucius's next visits went much more smoothly.
The Parkinson Family,
the Nott Family,
and the Zabini Family—
all readily agreed to support him.
That made four governors backing his proposal.
By usual standards—
this wasn't just promising—
it was very likely to succeed.
Thinking of this—
Lucius couldn't help but feel pleased.
As he walked—
he even began humming softly to himself.
The Rosier Family had once held a seat on the Hogwarts Board of Governors.
But after the Rosier siblings became Death Eaters—
the family declined rapidly.
Even their seat on the Board was taken by another house.
Just wait, Fythorne…
Lucius's eyes darkened.
I'll make this a lesson you'll never forget.
Inside the Room of Requirement
Meanwhile—
Russell was completely unaware of what was coming.
He stood inside the Room of Requirement,
practicing a new spell.
Sectumsempra·Modified.
The idea he had discussed with "Morgan"—
was now fully realized.
A grin spread across his face as he raised his wand—
and swung it lightly.
A sharp whoosh cut through the air.
A training dummy appeared before him.
Russell slashed sideways—
his wand never touching it—
yet the dummy split cleanly in two.
An invisible blade extended from the tip of his wand.
It might not be practical in every battle—
but as a surprise attack?
Deadly.
He nodded in satisfaction.
Completely unaware—
that tomorrow would bring trouble.
The Board Convenes
Early the next morning—
Lucius Malfoy rose at dawn.
He dressed in an elegant formal robe.
A Board of Governors meeting was not something called lightly.
If not for the fact that—
a Muggle-born student had severely injured a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight—
such a meeting would never have been convened.
Because both parties needed to confront each other—
the meeting was held at Hogwarts—
instead of the usual Malfoy Manor.
Russell Is Summoned:
Russell was in Herbology class—
when Minerva McGonagall called him out.
Her expression was grim.
She informed him of the situation.
Russell simply nodded.
Under her guidance—
he entered a large chamber.
The room resembled the Wizengamot Courtroom—
though less formal—
and slightly less oppressive.
Many people were already seated inside.
Most were strangers—
but Russell could feel it clearly.
Hostility.
Some mild.
Some intense.
The strongest—
came from one man.
Lucius Malfoy.
"Ah, Mr. Fythorne… you've finally arrived."
Lucius smiled—
a smile devoid of warmth.
"Please, sit."
"And listen carefully…"
"to how we intend to deal with your actions."
"Is that so?"
Russell replied casually—
taking his seat.
Above them—
Albus Dumbledore sat alone on an elevated platform,
his expression uncharacteristically serious.
The Rosier couple were present as well—
seated among the observers.
Moments later—
Wednesday entered, led by Filius Flitwick.
The moment she saw Russell—
she walked straight to him.
Sat beside him.
And placed her hand over his.
That single gesture—
made Lucius's expression shift.
A realization struck him.
I may have miscalculated…
The relationship between Fythorne and the Addams heiress—
was not what he had assumed.
This wasn't like Crabbe and Goyle standing behind Draco.
This—
was something else.
But now—
the arrow was already on the bowstring.
There was no turning back.
Perhaps this is only her personal choice…
Lucius reassured himself.
Surely the Addams family would not approve of this.
After all—
their statuses were worlds apart.
One—
a Muggle-born.
The other—
heir to an ancient lineage.
With that thought—
his confidence returned.
What he didn't realize—
was that even in the wizarding world—
such "gaps" meant less than he believed.
After all—
even Ron,
a pure-blood—
would one day marry a Muggle-born witch.