Chapter 4

On Sunday, the Malfoy manor was bustling with people, and many influential figures in the wizarding world had gathered there. Numerous pure-blood nobles were invited to attend the gathering, chatting enthusiastically in the spacious hall. As the host, Lucius was warmly entertaining them, occasionally bursting into hearty laughter. Although he seemed happy on the surface, those who paid attention could easily notice the worry in his eyes.

Suddenly, a young man walked from the entrance of the hall to Lucius. As he passed by, the wizards stopped their conversations, for the youth was truly outstanding. With his tall and slender figure, light blue hair, and heterochromia, he exuded an impeccable noble aura, capturing everyone's attention. Some young noble ladies who had come with their families even had a hint of admiration in their eyes. If the youth were not so young, someone would have already approached him to strike up a conversation.

Seeing the heterochromia, Lucius couldn't help but recall the scene from ten years ago, when the baby had controlled a swarm of rats to block him.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Malfoy. I am Modius Gullis. It is a great honor to receive your invitation," Modius walked up to Lucius, leaned forward, and gave a slight bow.

"Oh, oh, no, it is my honor that you could come," Lucius seemed a bit dazed and only reacted after a while, hurriedly leaning forward to return the bow.

"Ha!" Suddenly, a low laugh came from the surrounding area. It turned out that Modius had performed a junior's bow, a gesture of respect to someone of equal or higher status or much older. Since Modius was young, it was not a problem, but when Lucius returned the same bow, it became a joke. He was much older than Modius and could have simply nodded or waved, but by using the same gesture, he embarrassed himself, especially as someone who always prided himself on being a model of nobility.

"Ha," Lucius's face turned red, but he quickly composed himself and said warmly, "Modius, it's been a long time. Back in the day, your father and I..." Lucius thought the mistake was due to his daze and soon dismissed it. Remembering his purpose for today, he eagerly engaged Modius in conversation.

Modius, of course, was also very 'considerate' and did not mention Lucius's rudeness, chatting enthusiastically with him. However, a cold smile appeared on his face.

Hypnosis: A first-level enchantment that puts a creature into a trance. Although it wouldn't last long on an adult wizard like Lucius, it was enough to make him look foolish.

The two, each with their own schemes, chatted warmly. Lucius was surprised to find that Modius was like an old hand, never falling behind in their conversation. The language traps he set were easily avoided, and he gained no advantage.

Lucius was hesitant about his plan. He couldn't see through the young man in front of him, but thinking of their enmity, his resolve hardened. He had killed Modius's father, making him an orphan, and they could no longer coexist peacefully. Soon, the youth would be attending Hogwarts, where Dumbledore was. He would have no more opportunities to act, so he had to deal with him now, at least to prevent him from threatening the Malfoy family.

With this in mind, Lucius kindly took Modius's hand and led him to a stout, short man, introducing him, "My dear Modius, this is our Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. I have always been well taken care of by him. You should get to know him better."

Fudge sized up Modius and said kindly, "You are the young Gullis, I haven't seen a member of the Gullis family in nearly ten years. It's a pity about your father. You should visit your Uncle Lucius more often. He was a good friend of your father, and I have received a lot of help from him. His last donation of Galleons really helped the Ministry."

"Of course, both of you are people I respect. I will visit often," Modius smiled elegantly but raised his guard. Due to his father's early death, the Gullis family's connections had almost been lost. Lucius introducing Fudge to him was not out of good intentions.

At that moment, two men approached, 'excitedly' saying, "Young Master Gullis, what are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you here."

"Nyx, Rod, what are you doing here?" Modius pretended to be surprised.

Nyx chuckled and said, "Mr. Malfoy invited us. We are truly honored."

Lucius also smiled and said, "That's right. I have some business dealings with Flourish and Blotts and the Apothecary, so I invited them over."

"Is that so," Modius smiled, "Thank you, Uncle Lucius. After all, they are only half-bloods, and it's not often they get invited to such pure-blood gatherings. It will broaden their horizons and help them make friends."

Lucius, Nyx, and Rod's faces stiffened. In this era, even the most impoverished pure-bloods would not serve as managers. Nyx and Rod, who could manage the Gullis family, which now had only a child, were certainly not pure-bloods. Inviting them was inappropriate and would make many invited pure-blood families feel disrespected. Indeed, as soon as Modius spoke, a few people looked at Lucius with disapproval, and even Fudge frowned.

"Where, where," Lucius suppressed his anger and said, "Actually, Uncle has a favor to ask. The Ministry's finances have some issues this year. I donated some money, but the funds from my properties are not sufficient, so I asked the two of them to discuss a loan."

Cunning, that was Modius's evaluation of Lucius. With the Minister of Magic right there, he absolutely could not refuse, unless he wanted to offend the entire Ministry. If he were savvy, he should take on the expense. However, things were not that simple. The two shops in Diagon Alley had not been doing well in the past couple of years. If they took on this expense, they might be dragged down, especially with the managers being on good terms with Lucius. According to a previous magical agreement, if the shop's losses were due to the manager's mistakes, the manager would bear significant responsibility. But if the owner misused the shop's funds, the manager would not be held responsible.

Modius pondered for a moment and said, "Since it's a donation to the Ministry, Uncle Lucius shouldn't have to bear the cost. The Gullis family still has some savings, so we will take care of it. We don't need to use the funds from those two shops. The family has accumulated quite a bit over the past two years."

Fudge immediately smiled and patted Modius on the shoulder, "Good boy, you have your father's spirit. Uncle will thank you on behalf of the Ministry."

Lucius was somewhat disappointed with Modius's response. He had hoped the Gullis family would refuse to lend money, or at least use the funds from the two shops. The best outcome would be to directly use the Gullis family's reserves. However, this was still good. He feigned concern and asked, "Modius, is this really okay? The Ministry's financial shortfall is significant each year. Is the Gullis family okay with this?"

Modius understood Lucius's meaning. He suspected that this would happen every year. With the two main shops struggling, the Gullis family's reserves would dwindle with each use. Once or twice might not be a problem, but if it continued, it would definitely cause issues. Moreover, Modius was sure that Fudge would cooperate, as he always struggled to fill the financial gap. The pure-blood families behind him were not charitable organizations, and having a family like the Gullis, with money but no connections, take on the burden was perfect. The dirty work didn't need to be done by Fudge; he just needed to turn a blind eye. This was a direct strategy, and Modius had no way to counter it without sufficient connections. He couldn't offend the Ministry, as every pure-blood family had skeletons in their closet that couldn't withstand scrutiny. Building a solid network was not something a minor could achieve, and he still had seven years of school at Hogwarts ahead of him, leaving him no time.

With this in mind, Modius maintained his elegant smile and turned to Fudge, asking, "Minister Fudge, why does the Ministry have such high expenses every year?"

Fudge nodded and said, "Indeed, the Ministry's income is pitiful, but the expenses are significant. After all, there are many people to support."

"I see," Modius pondered for a moment and said, "Minister Fudge, would you be interested in representing the Ministry in a business deal with the Gullis family? I might have a way to solve the Ministry's financial crisis. After all, relying on external funding every year is not good for the Ministry's reputation."

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