[198] The Price of Allegiance

Hall's mind was racing with calculations, but his face remained impassive. His main objective was information gathering.

Lucius Malfoy clearly hadn't expected Hall to secretly invest in that Muggle-born witch. He hadn't thought much of it — Mr. Malfoy hadn't truly considered Hall a partner of his own age. He acknowledged Hall's excellence in potions research. He acknowledged Hall's talent. But he couldn't genuinely see Hall as a partner to be wary of.

Age was Hall's best disguise.

"Rufus Scrimgeour." Mr. Malfoy gripped his cane tightly and uttered a name softly. "Head of the Auror Office at the Ministry of Magic. Quite an outstanding position."

Hall nodded. The Auror Office — the detective division of the wizarding world. No one could hold that position without considerable skill in every aspect. Strength. Family background. If you had enough strength but not enough background, you might be defeated. If you had enough background but were just a pretty face, you'd still be defeated.

"Pure-blood," Hall said with a smile.

Lucius Malfoy nodded. "Pure-blood."

Hall wasn't surprised. Having such a valuable resource, not leaving it to a pure-blood wizard would be too contrary to the political principles of the wizarding world. Hall recalled Mr. Rufus Scrimgeour from his memory palace. This was a wizard who was cold and unapproachable, but also upright. Completely different from Cornelius Fudge. His attitude towards Voldemort was different too.

Most importantly — Mr. Rufus advocated protecting Muggles. This was extremely rare for a pure-blood wizard.

Hall tapped his fingers lightly on the table. Those inappropriate methods he'd considered wouldn't be used against Mr. Rufus for now. He wanted Lydia to rise to power, but he didn't need to harm a rare, upright wizard.

"It sounds like the one you're talking about, Mr. Malfoy, has a better chance of succeeding."

Lucius curled his lips. "It seems so now."

After saying this, Lucius didn't want to describe Rufus any further. In the future Hall knew, Rufus was chosen because Voldemort was returning and most people were unwilling to face it. The reason they'd choose Rufus now was because they couldn't quickly choose someone whose achievements could rival Lydia's in the short term. Lydia had captured more than just Death Eaters — they were Death Eaters who escaped from Azkaban. Not just one or two, but three brothers. With such achievements and the publicity from those behind the scenes, who could steal Lydia's headlines in the next few months?

Hall couldn't think of anyone. Those who resented Lydia's rise couldn't think of anyone either. So they thought of the head of the Auror Office. Rufus's achievements were long-term accumulation. Lydia's were fleeting yet extremely important. At first glance, it seemed fair. But Rufus's pure-blood status would increase his standing in the eyes of everyone at the Ministry.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on NovelPhoenix. Report any occurrences.

However, most pure-blood wizards still didn't have a high opinion of Rufus. They looked down on Cornelius Fudge for being too clear-headed. That didn't stop them from liking someone who prioritised the interests of pure-blood wizards and opposed Muggles. Rufus was too upright.

Did Hall see Lucius Malfoy's inner conflict? Of course he did. He chuckled to himself. Too upright? "It's alright. It's still uncertain whether Rufus will ultimately succeed."

Lucius Malfoy seemed to have simply joined in on Hall and Draco's conversation before getting up to leave. "By the way, Mr. Weasley, I'll have someone bring you this quarter's share later. I hope our cooperation continues to be pleasant."

Lucius smiled warmly and turned to leave.

Hall nodded. He's here to maintain relationships. No problem.

Watching Mr. Malfoy leave, Draco finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why are you so relieved?" Hall looked at him with a puzzled expression. "This is your house. Shouldn't you be more relaxed?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "It's just that the topic you were discussing was too..."

He paused, momentarily at a loss for words. Hall and his father hadn't talked that much. It was mostly just an elaboration on what Draco had gossiped about with Hall. But Draco felt an inexplicable heavy atmosphere weighing on him as he listened, almost suffocating.

"You're just overthinking things." Hall picked up the bone china cup and took a sip. "Black tea?"

"Yeah." Draco's expression soured. "Mum's recently become obsessed with a magazine... Humph."

Hall had a strange premonition. A magazine that Narcissa would buy? There was only one possibility he could think of.

A wide smile spread across Hall's face. Was Russell really that capable?

"What magazine suddenly became popular? Can I take a look?" Hall looked at Draco innocently.

"Wait!"

"Mrs Molly, you're back! Is Romania particularly interesting? I heard the weather there is wonderful, with sunshine and beaches, right?"

Upon returning to England, Molly had more than just tidying up the Burrow. She also had to socialise with the other ladies. The wizarding world was only so big, and the Weasley family was quite famous. Molly, who had given birth to eight children, was also quite well-known.

"Oh, not at all. Romania is just so-so. I wouldn't have gone if Charlie hadn't insisted. There is sunshine, but beaches? Where are the beaches?"

Mrs Molly greeted them with a smile. It wasn't that they were particularly close — it was just lively! Especially when they went grocery shopping together, haggling over prices.

The ladies chatted about the interesting things that had happened recently. Molly had heard rumours that a Muggle-born witch had been nominated for Minister for Magic, but she only listened casually. Those things seemed so distant to her.

"But Cornelius Fudge certainly didn't do a very good job." Molly recalled what Fudge had done at Hogwarts last term. Several of her children were still there, and because of Fudge, they'd been traumatised.

"You bet!" Many of the ladies chimed in.

They weren't particularly interested in wizarding politics, offering a few opinions before the topic shifted.

"Oh, right! Did you all buy this issue of The Ladies?" one witch exclaimed excitedly.

Another witch nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes! That cover... oh my goodness!"

The group discussed excitedly. Only Molly, caught in the middle, was completely bewildered. What was going on? She'd only been in Romania for a month. Not a whole year away from England. Why couldn't she understand what they were discussing?

One of the ladies noticed Molly's confused expression and winked. "It's a new magazine... well, it's a bit lowbrow, but it's certainly very tempting."

Molly wasn't sure she was hearing English correctly.

"Oh dear!" The lady seeing Molly's confusion smiled and beckoned her over. "I'll lend you a copy, and you'll understand!"

Molly thought for a moment. "Okay!"