Hogwarts: From Luna's House to Godhood Through Intense Competition

The study's decor leans towards a serious style, lacking the opulence of the main hall, making it ideal for contemplation.

Lucius locked the door, casually put down his cane, leaned his back against the door, and slowly slid to the ground.

He took a deep breath and slowly pulled up the sleeve of his left arm. When he saw the skin on his left arm, cold sweat once again soaked his forehead.

A grayish-black mark appeared on the skin of my left arm: a skull with its mouth open, from which a thick python emerged...

He stared intently at his arm until the grayish-black mark faded and disappeared, returning to its flesh color.

"The Black Mark... why is it still appearing... he shouldn't be able to come back! Could it be that he wasn't really defeated?"

"Who exactly is that boy? He shouldn't be the Dark Lord... He seems to be the child that Dumbledore saved last year..."

"Would Dumbledore save the Dark Lord? Why would I have such a dream? Absolutely not! Something else must have happened at Hogwarts!"

Sunlight streamed through the window, scattering across the floor in front of him, creating wildly dancing spots of light, much like Lucius's state of mind at that moment.

He raised his left arm again, staring at the skin that had returned to normal, his eyes flickering as he considered whether to make further attempts.

After hesitating for a long time, he stretched out his right hand, his trembling fingertips slowly approaching his left arm.

He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and thrust his fingers sharply into his left arm, into the skin where the Dark Mark had just appeared.

My fingertips dug deep into my flesh through my skin, as if they were about to pierce my bone...

Nothing happened...

Lucius opened his eyes and stared blankly at the red mark on his left arm.

……

One of the uses of the Black Mark is to summon Voldemort by pressing the mark.

In the past, when they encountered wizards they couldn't handle, they would usually use this method to bring Voldemort to the scene.

Using this method also comes at a price: once the hostile wizards are all dealt with, Voldemort will punish the Death Eaters who summoned him.

The punishment was very simple, yet extremely terrible—the Crucifixion Curse, a curse personally cast by Voldemort.

Voldemort's reasoning was quite simple: such a weak enemy, and he actually needs to be summoned to deal with it? Cruciatus Curse!

To Voldemort, it seemed that most wizards, apart from Dumbledore, were weak, including most of the Death Eaters.

Voldemort merely used the Death Eaters as tools to fight against Dumbledore's allies.

It was precisely because Lucius saw this through that, after learning that Voldemort had been defeated by Harry Potter and could not possibly return, he decisively chose to surrender himself.

He used the excuse of being "controlled by the Imperius Curse" to exonerate himself, and through financial maneuvering, avoided being imprisoned in Azkaban.

Those so-called loyal Death Eaters were basically purged and have been imprisoned in Azkaban ever since.

Since Voldemort was defeated, the Dark Mark on his arm has been hidden, and everything seems to be over.

……

The Black Mark did not reappear, and there was no burning sensation, which finally relieved Lucius.

A gentle summer breeze blew into the study through the window. He gripped his cane, stood up, and sat down at his desk.

The spots of light streaming into the study quieted down a bit, no longer dancing so wildly...

Chapter 56 Do you know Wizette Lovegood?

Suddenly, a teacup appeared in front of Lucius, filled with steaming Ceylon tea.

This cup of black tea was brewed just right; both the concentration and the temperature were to his liking.

Taking a sip of black tea, a warm current seemed to flow into his limbs, making him feel calmer.

Lucius slammed his cane down, and a house-elf appeared, bowing deeply and pressing his nose almost to the ground. "Master, what are your orders?"

"Have Draco come to the study."

……

After dismissing the house-elf, he took out a notebook from his pocket. It had a plain black cover and looked unremarkable.

The content inside was also unremarkable; the first page had a very ordinary name: TMRiddle.

A notebook he bought from a Muggle stationery store was handed to him by Voldemort himself, who told him to keep it safe.

Lucius kept the notebook at the manor for more than ten years.

He disdained using a Muggle notebook, especially one with a very ordinary Muggle name on it.

During the time Draco was at home for summer vacation, he gradually realized the unusual nature of the notebook.

This notebook, which he had carelessly tossed aside in a corner of the basement and told his house-elves not to bother with, remained completely untouched by dust, looking exactly as it had when he first acquired it.

Lucius's mindset changed; he went from disdaining to use a laptop to being wary of it.

This notebook is definitely not simple!

As the patriarch of an ancient pure-blood family, he possessed considerable expertise, at least in his understanding of dark magic.

For this reason, he was even more afraid to use the notebook casually, lest he be harmed by the dark magic hidden within it.

Furthermore, he carried the notebook with him at all times to prevent Narcissa and Draco from coming into contact with it.

……

Just in the past month, Arthur Weasley suddenly went mad and launched a campaign to "confiscate contraband from wizards' homes," with a particular focus on confiscating dark magic items.

This time he was serious; he even raided nine wizarding families with prior convictions in just one night.

Arthur Weasley did this in preparation for a Muggle Protection Act that was still in the consultation phase.

How could Lucius tolerate such a thing happening?

So he planned to use the notebook to find a way to slip it to Arthur Weasley in order to frame him.

If it is clear that Arthur Weasley also possesses Dark Magic items, Lucius can use this evidence to work with the Ministry of Magic to repeal the so-called bullshit Muggle Protection Act.

……

Today was supposed to be a great opportunity; after making a deal with Karaktakus Burke, he happened to see that annoying redhead on the street.

He could simply find some excuse to contact the Weasleys and hand the notebook to one of the redheads, and then he could officially begin his plan.

To his utter surprise, he sensed the Black Magic Mark on his arm reappear halfway through the journey.

The burning sensation that penetrated to his very bones made his mind go blank, and he forgot the plans he was supposed to be making.

……

"Dad, may I come in?"

The sudden sound interrupted Lucius's thoughts.

"Come in." Lucius coughed lightly, adjusting himself to be at his best.

"Dad, you wanted to see me?" Draco asked somewhat awkwardly as he sat down in the chair opposite Lucius.

Lucius asked softly, his tone even, "Do you know that person... a man named Wizette Lovegood?"

“Vizet Lovegood?” Draco frowned. “He’s my classmate… that Obscurial. Dad, have you forgotten? You’re the one who told me that.”

Lucius continued, "Besides that, which college is he from?"

“Ravenclaw’s!” Draco frowned. “It’s because of him that Slytherin failed to defend their House Cup title this year!”

"Go on."

"And then there's the final exam, and Professor Snape actually gave him an 'O'! And he's a Ravenclaw!"

"Severus gave a Ravenclaw 'O'?" Lucius tapped the desk lightly with his index finger.

A cup of black tea appeared in front of Draco.

Draco nodded. "Pansy and the other Slytherins wanted to go and ask Professor Snape for an explanation, but he has already left Hogwarts for a holiday."

“To get Severus to give an ‘O’…” Lucius murmured, “and tell me everything about Vizette Lovegood, Draco.”

“Uh…” Draco picked up his teacup, took a sip, and frowned in thought. “Vizet Lovegood sees Professor Snape every weekend.”

"Besides that... according to those Hufflepuffs, he also seems to have received extra points from Professor Snape... actually, many professors have given him extra points..."

"Plus Quidditch, he's a chaser, and his technique is truly... Anyway, he won this year's Quidditch Trophy, which is why Slytherin lost the House Cup..."

"And what I told you before... after the final exams, a dark wizard invaded Hogwarts, and it was he, Harry Potter, and Quirrell who dealt with him together."

Lucius interlaced his fingers, his two thumbs circling each other, "An excellent student, beloved by professors from all disciplines..."

"And he's accomplished something in Quidditch, helping Ravenclaw win a trophy as a Chaser... He just started school like you, right?"

“Yes… Dad!” Draco lowered his head, his tone somewhat dejected.

“A strange sense of familiarity…” Lucius rubbed his temples. “Draco, is there anything else you haven’t said?”

He knew his child too well; he could tell from the hesitation in Draco's voice that he was definitely hiding something.

"Dad...it's gone...cough cough cough!" Draco took another sip of black tea, choked, and coughed repeatedly.

Lucius raised his head slightly, arched his eyebrows, and said in a drawn-out voice, "Draco... you should remember that your father is a Hogwarts school board member. There are some things that I can find out if I want to."

“It was me… last time I tried to find evidence that Harry Potter was carrying a dragon, but Professor McGonagall caught me…” Draco’s voice trailed off.