The Ministry of Magic, which governs the wizarding world, is a relatively independent institution. If an organization wants to operate normally, it must have a source of funds, either from allocations by a superior or from its own profitable ventures. The Ministry of Magic has neither.
Officially, the Ministry of Magic claimed to be a subsidiary of the Council of Elders, but it never received a single copper Knut from the council. Nor did it have its own industry. Almost all profitable enterprises in the wizarding world were controlled by pure-blood families.
Yet, despite this, so many people in the Ministry of Magic lived comfortably. Where did the money come from? Mainly from the pure-blood families. Each year, these families donated substantial sums of Galleons to cover the daily expenses of the Ministry. In return, positions in the Wizengamot and managerial posts across departments were often reserved for pure-blood wizards.
For someone from a pure-blood family, gaining entry into the Ministry was extremely simple: submit a notification, and the appointment process could be completed in a single afternoon.
Besides donations from pure-blood families, the Ministry had a few other income sources: selling land in Diagon Alley, building houses in non-wizard settlements, and imposing fines on law-breaking wizards. Yet these were minor compared to the contributions of pure-bloods. In fact, one could say that the salaries of all Ministry employees were funded by these families. Even the wages of wizards working on farms and plantations controlled by pure-blood houses ultimately came from them. In essence, the entire wizarding world was working, directly or indirectly, for pure-blood families.
Take the Weasleys, for example. Three members of the family—Arthur, Bill, and Charlie—worked in fields where one of the behind-the-scenes bosses was a Malfoy. In this sense, the Weasleys could be said to be working for the Malfoys.
"I told you before, the Weasley family survives today because of the mercy of pure-blood families like the Malfoys," Solim said to Ronald, who remained silent. "You better control your tongue, Weasley, or you won't have time to cry when you put yourself and your family in serious trouble."
"But Malfoy is a Death Eater," Harry interjected from the side.
"Yes, that's true. Lucius Malfoy is a Death Eater; no one will deny that," Solim said, giving Draco a wink. "But tell me this: if the Malfoys were truly loyal to Voldemort, would they have done nothing for ten years?"
"Perhaps you only realized yesterday that Voldemort isn't dead, but I can tell you this: even eleven years ago, on the night he failed, some wizards knew he wasn't gone. Every Death Eater knew their Master was still alive. Listen closely—every single one."
"Even without being told, you should know how a wizard like Voldemort treats traitors." Solim shifted in his seat to get more comfortable, glancing at Neville, whose face had turned pale. "Some Death Eaters hurried to distance themselves from him. Any idea why?"
"What else could it be? Aren't they just afraid of being judged by the Ministry and thrown into Azkaban?" Ronald said disdainfully.
Solim shook his head. "It's not just that. They want to get rid of Voldemort, and this opportunity is rare and hard-won."
Then Solim turned to Harry. "Let's make a hypothetical. Imagine your parents weren't killed eleven years ago, and Voldemort didn't fail. You lived with your parents, went to Hogwarts, even graduated. Then, one day, the Death Eaters—and Voldemort himself—come to demand your loyalty. If you refuse, they will kill your parents. Tell me, Harry, what would you do?"
Harry went quiet, struggling to answer. If his parents were alive, wouldn't he be happy? No living in a cupboard under the stairs, no leftovers, no bullying. How could he not cherish such a life? But for that life, could he become a Death Eater?
Seeing Harry's silence, Solim continued. "Judging from your parents' behavior, they loved you deeply and gave up their lives for you. What about you? Would you choose to save your family's lives by becoming a villain, or remain a good person at the risk of losing everyone you love?"
"You all should think about what you would do in this situation," Solim said to the group.
"No matter what! I'm not going to be a Death Eater!" Ronald said, visibly disgusted.
"Oh? Even if refusing means your entire family's lives? Can you be so certain?" Solim pressed.
"Then pretend to agree and wait for the chance to escape with your family," Hermione suggested.
Solim shook his head. "Then you'll die a miserable death. You may not know this, but Voldemort is a master of Legilimency. If you intend to lie to him, your Occlumency must be extraordinarily strong—or he will see through your lies."
Legilimency and Occlumency are not uncommon forms of magic. Many wizards think they are rare simply because they have little contact with them. Among high-level wizards, these are essential skills: Legilimency is the spear to spy on others, Occlumency is the shield to protect oneself. All proficient wizards study them, though mastery varies.
"So, if Voldemort comes for you and you want to protect your family, you have no choice but to comply."
"Of course, some people possess a strong sense of justice and would rather die than submit," Solim added. "Take the Burns family from Hufflepuff, for example. They have no male heirs. Once Susan Burns marries, the family will vanish into history, like many pure-blood families before them."
Harry and the others exchanged looks, surprised at the gravity of Susan Burns' situation.
"You either join him to protect your family, or be exterminated. It's that simple. Choose one."
Solim spread his hands. "Unless your family is contracted with the Presbyterian Church, has a great wizard ancestor, or is otherwise invaluable to Voldemort, he won't hesitate to target you."
He glanced at Ronald. "Only in those exceptional cases would Voldemort or the Death Eaters leave you alone."
Looking at Draco, Solim continued, "Lucius Malfoy chose to protect his family. From this perspective, he cannot be criticized. Even if, by doing so, he became a Death Eater, his actions were guided by necessity."
"Even so," Ronald argued, "he is still a Death Eater! How many innocent people did he kill? How many tragedies did they cause? My father told me about two families in Godric Valley who were wiped out by them."
Ronald's anger was palpable.
"Weasley, do you hate the Malfoys?" Solim asked, his words sharp as knives. "If Voldemort ordered you to kill the Malfoys to save your family, what would you do? Protect your family at the cost of your principles, or kill someone you hate to keep them safe? What would you choose?"
Principles are the ultimate measure of a person's inner strength. Once they are broken, one's moral bottom line shifts. Repeatedly breaking one's bottom line can create a person with no ethical boundaries—a fully depraved wizard. Voldemort was a master at exploiting this.
On one side is the life of oneself and one's family, on the other, the moral bottom line. Every living being instinctively desires life, but principles form the inner persistence of one's character. When reality forces a choice between these, human nature struggles. Voldemort, through his skillful Legilimency, would feel every conflict and every ounce of pain. This emotional torment was his pleasure. He did not care if wizards kissed his robes; he relished seeing their hearts tortured.
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