"It will not work." Said the former Death Eater now turned double-or was it triple?-agent. "I'm certain all the fortune of Lady Black is already inside her vault of Gringotts and her will has been read, signed and copied in several locations outside your reach. Black Cobra Manor was completely empty, Albus, and for one I doubt this woman was as ruined as she pretended in front of us. The goblins are guarding her fortune and the Files, and I'm afraid they will not surrender them just because you ask nicely."
"Damned woman." The voice of Dumbledore was more regretful than truly surprised, though in the privacy of his mind the Chief Warlock briefly contemplated half a dozen plans to extract the Files from the goblins' paw. Alas, each strategy, if discovered, would result in a bloody Goblin Rebellion. One the humans weren't going to triumph easily, given the calibre of the pawns Albus had been forced to coerce at the very top of the Ministry. "We can always put her will and her vaults into stasis for a few years. Many Houses and Ministry officials will support us if we let them know the Malfoy family stands to gain the Black Files."
Albus knew inside of him it was far from a perfect option. In fact it was a bad option, because whoever gained the control of the Black Files in the Will would have no compunction to use them against his interests at the Wizengamot and elsewhere once the stasis was broken. Unfortunately, it was still the best choice of all the available ones. If he let Narcissa Malfoy gain the access of about seventy years of political, economic and military dirt, he might very well retire today. Despite Lord Lucius Malfoy's boasts over the last decade, Albus Dumbledore had long guessed it was his formidable spouse who accomplished the fantastic amount of work in the shadows necessary to make the Dark Houses the power block they were today. Giving House Malfoy one more advantage in the political arena would be too dangerous. Especially in the current climate and the laws he wanted to pass in the next months.
"It will enrage many of those who were present today." Warned Snape. "Burke and a few others see this Will as their chances to take their rightful place at the Wizengamot."
Albus smiled. One more reason then to act. House Burke and the other descendants of the Blacks were anything but his allies or his supporters. Bankrupting them again would be the best way to make them understand who was at the top of the food chain in Magical Britain.
"At least try to discuss it with Lily's daughter. Draco babbled she was none too happy to discover you intercepted her invitation." Pleaded Snape. "She has the potential to be a formidable witch like her mother and..."
Albus toned down the rest of the conversation. To say the truth, he had been disappointed one family member of the traitorous James Potter has survived, though the girl has some utility as he could use her vote at the Wizengamot to support his interests. If she began to be embarrassing when she approached fifteen, well, they were always unfortunate accidents and he would put his hands on the Potter fortune left in the vaults in the vaults of Gringotts. Severus Snape having finished his tirade, the Headmaster told "I will think about it" before coming back to the subject which was by far the most important of all.
"Are you confident young Neville and Leo have been sufficiently angered by Lady Cassiopeia's games?" This was after all the sole reason he had accepted for children to leave Hogwarts during a week of class.
"You don't have to worry about that, Albus. They passed the entire period after they were healed and before we returned to Hogwarts ranting how Cassiopeia was 'mad' and 'dark' to them. They will not return to Black Cobra Manor on their own."
"Good." Smiled Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Grand Sorcerer and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. "Very good."
26th September 1992, Hogwarts, Scotland
"And you said to her 'you reek dark magic!'?"
"Shall I repeat one more time and scream for all Hogwarts to hear?" Asked Alexandra in a sarcastic tone.
Right now, she, Morag, Hermione and Nigel were gathered in an abandoned classroom on the fourth floor, far from any of the usual agitation made by the troublesome students Hogwarts. If the dusty banners fixed magically to the walls and the blackboard were any indication, this place had been once the gathering place of the "Tutshill Tornados Fan-Club". They were a lot of old photos with wizards and witches flying in sky blue robes and double-T on the chest and obsolete Quidditch gear in the room, but it was clear no one had entered this place in the last decade before the group composed of two Gryffindors and two Ravenclaws.
Initially, being here had been a means to find some tranquillity in order to finish their homework of the week, which had been particularly consequent in Potions, Transfiguration and Charms. The assignment given by Professor Whitehead on the Hearing Boost Potion Wednesday in particular had to be thirty inches long, and Alexandra was barely at the middle of the imposed length this morning. So far, Hermione had been the only one to finish this nasty homework which goal was undoubtedly to deter you from pronouncing 'ear' and 'potion' in the same sentence.
Unfortunately for Hermione and the rest of Gryffindor class, Professor Snape had given them two others essays to write for next Friday. Leo Black sending the skin of a Horned Cobra into Crabbe's cauldron had perhaps something to do with it. Hermione was dealing with this pile of homework with delight, but poor Nigel was literally crumbling under the assignments, and Alexandra had had to help him finish his third paragraph concerning the dissection of a Horned Cobra. Given that the month of September was not yet over, this avalanche of studying promised nothing good for the rest of the year.
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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