With the funeral over, most of the guests gradually left, and Narcissa and Andromeda went to speak with Sirius.
In the past, Narcissa did not have a good relationship with the other two siblings. Bloodline, positions, family—these things stood between them, and Narcissa didn't even speak to these two "blood traitors."
After Sirius got out of prison, Andromeda visited him several times and even invited him to stay at her home for a while. Narcissa only appeared in the audience on the day of the trial and had no contact with him afterward.
But at this moment, in front of Regulus's grave, they could finally put aside their grievances and resentments, and speak a few words without hostility.
The Malfoy father and son were naturally waiting not far away. Although they sat in the front row, they looked isolated, as everyone around them deliberately ignored them.
The two Malfoys weren't embarrassed by this; they looked down on those impoverished people and preferred a bit of peace and quiet.
The two talked in low voices.
"That gray-eyed kid earlier was Vid Gray?" Lucius Malfoy said quietly.
"Yes," Draco said disdainfully. "Just a Mudblood who somehow gained the attention of that old lunatic Dumbledore and Morry! There's always a bunch of little fools around him, including that scarred Harry Potter..."
"I thought you would reflect on this!"
Lucius interrupted his complaints coldly and said, "I've told you, you should make friends with some promising people, not always hang around with those who curry favor with you."
Draco's eyes darkened.
Most of the people who used to tail him like shadows had already left.
He complained to his father but was roundly criticized—
In Lucius's view, Crabbe and Goyle, like their fathers, were so stupid that it made one doubt if they had any brains at all. If Draco couldn't even hold onto people like that, Lucius saw it clearly as Draco's greater problem.
"But what do I see? A group of the most talented young wizards of the same year participate in a group activity with seamless cooperation and mutual recognition. Yet you were excluded!"
Lucius said disappointedly, "Draco, I've repeatedly taught you that you may not like some people, but don't push away valuable ones because of your personal preferences."
"I don't want to come here and do the work of a servant!"
Draco retorted defiantly, "And besides, Vid Gray is just a Mudblood! You told me that the Malfoy Family is of Pure-Blood Nobility..."
"I also told you that our noble title and land come from Muggle Emperor William I. Before the 'Confidentiality Law', our family always maintained close relations with the Muggle Royal Family, and your ancestors even courted Queen Elizabeth I."
"But didn't you say..."
"Yes, we certainly deny it publicly, but we can't deceive ourselves."
Lucius interrupted Draco, instructing,
"Draco, while Pure-Blood Wizards are indeed superior, supporting Pure-Blood Supremacy doesn't mean we should completely push away the non-magical society. Power and wealth are the truly eternal things, the real force that sustains our Malfoy Clan."
"The Dark Lord was also a Half-Blood, so what? If he succeeded, he would have led the families supporting him into a new power hub."
Draco was silent for a moment and said, "But he failed."
As he spoke, he glanced again at Harry Potter, who was talking with Neville and others in the distance.
"Then we must accept this result instead of sending ourselves to Azkaban out of revenge, like your foolish aunt."
Lucius adjusted his collar and lowered his voice,
"If the Pro-Muggle Faction gains power, then we can align ourselves with them. Dumbledore isn't easily swayed by words, but Harry Potter and Vid Gray are just children and easily influenced, so there's no harm in building good relations with them..."
Draco kept his head down, not speaking, and absentmindedly turned a ring in his hand.
His pride prevented him from bowing down to those who disliked him, but he had made more valuable friends. One day, he would prove to his father that he, too, was very capable...
A Cleaning Crab "click-clicked" across in front of them, and Lucius cautiously halted his words, only continuing after the crab had crawled away:
"Next term, keep an eye on changes at the school and inform me immediately if anything happens."
"What could happen at school?" Draco muttered, "If you ask me, the biggest news could be the magic pets... Vid Gray always manages to produce unexpected things."
"That's why I want you to interact more with him," Lucius said. "Do you know how much Aslan Magic Workshop earned after partnering with him?"
As he spoke, a hint of doubt flickered in his eyes.
The diary had been sent to school through the Weasley family's daughter for half a year now, so why was there no sign of anything? Had the little girl misplaced the diary, or had she not brought it to school at all?
Lucius felt puzzled for a long time, but such matters were impossible to investigate. He could only suppress the question in his heart, assuming that the Dark Magic Item entrusted to him by the Dark Lord wasn't so powerful after all.
Not wanting to dwell on old topics, Draco shifted to ask, "Can I learn Alchemy too? Dad, find me a good teacher."
"Alchemy isn't as easy to learn as you think." Lucius shook his head and said, "I can find someone to teach you the basics first; if you understand, then you can seek a real Alchemist to teach you Alchemy."
"I'm sure I can learn!" Draco said defiantly, "Vid Gray had a work in his first year..."
"I know," Lucius said impatiently. "You've mentioned it a dozen times... If you really want to do something, start working hard from now instead of always complaining to me why a Mudblood is better than you... Ah, it looks like your mother is finally done."
Narcissa was walking over to them, and the Malfoy father and son went to meet her.
The Cleaning Crab "click-clacked" over again, cleaning the muddy water stains on the ground. Some witches looked at its ruby-like shell with smiles of affection, and someone softly inquired where it could be purchased.
The crab, unable to understand human language, circled around, went behind the shrubs, and was scooped up by a hand.
Vid thoughtfully looked in the direction the Malfoy family was leaving. With a light flick of his hand, the upper half of the crab stood up as if looking at him.
"What did you hear? Tell me," Vid said.
"Nothing but boring stuff," the crab said with a click-clack sound. "When it's over, can you give me a handsome new body? I quite like leopards."
"A panther?"
"Golden looks cooler, right?"
"...Though I can't understand your aesthetics, I can respect your choice."
"Thank you."