The mastermind behind Hogwarts

Chapter 74 Pure-Blood Families and Families in Power

In his letter, Fudge devoted a great deal of space to praising Moriarty, expressing his admiration and respect for Moriarty, and congratulating him on winning the trophy of the All-Europe Wizards Duel Tournament.

The letter also revealed that he had the support of more than a dozen powerful families, led by the Piliwick, Mintham and Ogden families.

At the end of the letter, Fudge invited Moriarty to attend the "Gathering of the Powers" at Fudge Estate at the end of July.

Moriarty could no longer contain himself and burst into laughter while holding the letter. Now he knew why Fudge had gained so much support. While Batty Crouch's own incompetence was a factor, the bigger reason was that Fudge was a very shrewd and capable person.

Many wizards believe that pure-blood families are the ruling families in the magical world, but this concept is incorrect.

While it's true that most pure-bloods control money, they don't necessarily wield power. In Britain, the real power lies with a small group of wizards—current or former high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic—and their families, the so-called ruling families.

For example, Moriarty knew that there was a deeply hidden Gump family in England, dating back more than 500 years. The first Minister for Magic in England was Euric Gump.

Of course, most of those in power come from pure-blood families. Hundreds of years have passed, so wizards generally confuse the ruling families with pure-blood families.

For example, the Crouch family is one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Pure-Blood Families, and has produced a Minister of Magic. After Fudge comes to power, Barty Crouch will become the Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.

There's also Lilith, whose family, the Piliwick family, is also pure-blood. Although her grandfather and great-grandfather both served as high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic and are undoubtedly a powerful family, she is not one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Purebloods.

For example, Leon, whose family, the Mincherm, is both a ruling family and a pureblood, is not one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Purebloods.

And Dumbledore!

People often only see Dumbledore's great strength, but ignore his origins. Although he has a Squib sister, he is still a pure-blood.

In a sense, Dumbledore, who came from Godric's Hollow, is the true heir of Gryffindor.

Dumbledore also possessed great wealth, but he had no interest in a political career; otherwise, he would be the current Minister of Magic.

Therefore, it can be seen that there are certain differences and distances between pure-blood families and families in power.

They can reach a consensus when faced with major events, but they inevitably have friction behind the scenes when it comes to minor matters.

Fudge has won over both pure-blood families and powerful families. It's fair to say that if Dumbledore didn't want to be Minister for Magic, the position would be his.

The most interesting thing is that after attending the pure-blood party at Malfoy Manor, Fudge is going to host a power party!

Before he even became a minister, Fouché was already thinking about how to have it both ways; he wanted to have both power and money!

If Dumbledore hadn't been the headmaster of Hogwarts, Fudge could have taken control of education once he became minister!

What does education represent? It represents the future.

Owning Hogwarts means owning the future of the British wizarding world!

Walking down the street, who would guess that Fudge is an ambitious man?

Moriarty recalled Fudge, who was bowing and nodding, and gradually compared Fudge's ambitions with his own plans, and they overlapped!

Fudge feared Voldemort and was wary of Dumbledore, but Moriarty did not!

Well then, Fudge is so adorable; he's perfected Moriarty's "mastermind" plan.

In Moriarty’s plan, Lockhart would be in charge of power and Flint would be in charge of finances. Now all that’s missing is a candidate to become the headmaster of Hogwarts!

The voyage ended as Moriarty pondered, and upon returning to the castle, he immediately wrote to his men and servants, summoning them back.

Three days later, in the castle hall, Moriarty sat in the main seat, looking with satisfaction at his three trusted confidants.

Lockhart, on the left, looked thinner and a bit darker than he had been a few months ago. He seemed more confident and less pretentious.

To his right sat old Flint, who, despite being an elderly man with white hair, had bright eyes and exuded a spirited and vigorous aura.

He frequently cast proud glances at Marcus, who sat at the head of the table on his right. Marcus's presence there indicated that he had secured his position as Moriarty's number one follower.

This gave old Flint a sense of pride and superiority, as if father and son were both working in a supreme authority.

Marcus cautiously inquired, "Young Master, I believe Jericho can also be trusted..."

"Jellico," Moriarty thought, the image of an American cowboy flying on a broom flashing before his eyes, "He is indeed loyal to me and capable, but now is not the time to call him up. Perhaps when I expand into the American market, I will need his help."

Marcus nodded and remained silent. Lockhart raised his hand as if speaking in class: "Young Master, please take me with you when you expand into the American market. I was deeply impressed by the students when I gave a lecture at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry last time."

"Let's not talk about foreign countries today," Moriarty tapped the table, raising his voice slightly, "Let's talk about the situation at home."

Lockhart, starting tomorrow, you will publicly endorse Dumbledore's candidacy for Minister of Magic!

Old Flint, starting tomorrow, you will publicly support Fudge's candidacy for Minister of Magic on behalf of the Flint family! No matter who tries to persuade or threaten you, you must steadfastly support Dumbledore!

Marcus, I want you to write to every student at Hogwarts, to every professor—including Filch and Hagrid, and even the Ghosts—if they can write.

In your letter, you must explain your differences with your father regarding the selection of Minister of Magic, and publicly announce your support for Dumbledore in the race for Minister of Magic! You must also urge students to campaign for Dumbledore!

The three people whose names were called were stunned and remained speechless for a long time.

Lockhart wasn't a politician, Marcus's brain was completely occupied with memorizing Fantastic Beasts, and only old Flint, with his years of experience, figured out a thing or two.

"Young Master, you...you intend to...scheme against the Minister of Magic?"

"Do as I say, and no matter who the Minister of Magic is in the future, you will be the ones who ultimately benefit!" Moriarty's authoritative gaze swept across the three faces.

Lockhart was confused, old Flint was nervous, and Marcus looked honest and simple.

When they met Moriarty's scrutinizing gaze, Lockhart immediately became spirited, old Flint kept taking deep breaths, and Marcus still had a simple and honest look on his face.

"Although I don't understand the young master's thoughts, I will resolutely follow his arrangements!" Lockhart asked Luke to pour him a glass of champagne, which he then drank with relish.

Unlike Lockhart, old Flint was not at ease with this. He bowed to Moriarty and said, "The Flint family will always support you unconditionally."

Marcus nodded: "I'll do whatever you say, young master."

"Alright, go and get ready," Moriarty waved his hand. "Old Flint, stay behind. We'll discuss the pureblood gathering on July 15th. Your cooperation will be essential."

Old Flint stayed behind, and Moriarty asked, "All twenty-eight Holy Purebloods wrote to me, but some pureblood families have died out, such as the Prewitt and Gaunt families. Some pureblood families still have descendants in Azkaban, such as the Black and Lestrange families."

I really can't imagine how they wrote me that letter. Did they hire a Dementor to write it for them?

"That's right. Pure-blood families have a tradition of intermarriage, so even if some families don't have direct heirs, there are still descendants who can write an invitation letter on behalf of the family."

Old Flint slowly explained, "There is another situation: pure-blood families all have portraits of their ancestors, and when writing letters, they will send someone to listen to the portrait's opinion."

This pure-blood gathering is being hosted by Malfoy. I imagine that before sending out the invitations, Malfoy must have sent someone to the ancestral homes of the Black and Lestrange families to consult their ancestors.

The last scenario, which is the Gaunt family you mentioned, is rather special!

Old Flint took several deep breaths, and after making a great decision, he sighed, "You know the Dark Lord's background, so you can imagine that because of the Dark Lord, no pure-blood family dares to write a letter on behalf of the Gaunt family!"

If you ask me, anyone who dares to write to you in the name of the Gaunt family has ulterior motives! They must want you to clash with the Dark Lord…”

"I understand." Moriarty sneered as he placed the twenty-eight letters on the table. "Are all pure-blood families this foolish?"

"Hmm..." Old Fleet also adopted a cautious demeanor. "Young Master, if I may be so bold as to ask you a question, what are your views on purebloods, and on us?"

He then hurriedly explained, "The 'we' I meant was you and me, young man, not the Twenty-Eight Purebloods. After all, you are a true Pureblood!"

"No need to explain, I understand what you mean." Moriarty asked Luke for a glass of honey water, and he also took a sip of Blue Mountain coffee. He said calmly, "In essence, I have no prejudice against purebloods."

But purebloods largely monopolize the magical world. I expect purebloods to carry out my will. If anyone fails, replace them with a different pureblood. If none of them can do it, then replace them with a new batch of purebloods.

1. Starting from this chapter, pure-blood families begin to appear.

2. Starting from this volume, the magical world view that is derived from and improved upon the original work gradually emerges.

3. There is some controversy regarding Dumbledore's bloodline. Some say he is pure-blooded, while others say he is half-blooded. This book asserts that he is pure-blooded.

(End of this chapter)