My Hogwarts has a serious problem.

Chapter 382, Section 379: The Death Eaters Meeting

"Only Galleons?" Old John asked in surprise.

"That's right, we only want Galleons."

Malfoy wore an expression of indifference, and said wistfully.

"After this experience, we have all realized that even if we get our assets back, we still can't compete with the behemoth that is Lundard in the UK. What's the difference between that and getting nothing at all?"

So we had already discussed it beforehand. This time, we only want the money. Whether they can make a comeback after receiving the money depends on the fortune of their descendants. This is all we can do for them.

The other pure-blood family heads also seemed to agree wholeheartedly, as if they had already reached a consensus before coming.

But old John frowned slightly.

If there are no other hidden reasons, and these people just want Galleons, it would be an absolutely perfect thing for Lynn's side.

After all, the market share of goods in industry is limited, but gold is an inexhaustible renewable resource for those who possess the Philosopher's Stone.

If Malfoy and his group had chosen to take only Galleons, then John would have essentially gained the entire British market and a seat on the Hogwarts Board of Governors with almost no effort whatsoever.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they got something for nothing.

But are these people really that stupid?

If they choose to reclaim their assets, even if they are still constantly squeezed out by the now even more powerful Lungard Corporation, they have been deeply rooted in the UK for many years. They may earn less than before, but they certainly won't stop earning.

Moreover, by holding onto these industries, they might just wear down Lundal Company one day.

Even though the pure-blood families are almost completely defeated by the alliance of Fudge and Lynn in the political struggle within the Ministry of Magic, Fudge cannot remain Minister of Magic forever. He will eventually step down, and when that happens, even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse, and the pure-blood forces have a high chance of regaining power.

But now they are completely giving up their British businesses for money, which means they are directly abandoning the efforts of their family for generations in the British business market.

Even if they received a considerable sum of money from old John, their chances of starting over from scratch, no matter what they did, were extremely slim.

This choice is incredibly foolish; almost no one with a brain would make that choice.

As the saying goes, "Where there's life, there's hope." The pure-blooded family's current behavior is tantamount to selling off the mountain for money, thus severing their own foundation.

Even if John hadn't figured out the reasons, he still had to make this deal.

Lynn had told him from the beginning that money didn't matter. Even if they had to give up the entire British market, as long as they could legally obtain a seat on the board of directors, their goal would be achieved, and this operation would not be a loss.

"If you're willing, I can certainly explain the situation to Lungad Company, and I can even make the decision myself here."

Old John and Malfoy discussed the value of these assets on the spot.

Malfoy started by asking for an exorbitant price, hoping to pave the way for later bargaining.

To everyone's surprise, Old John had no intention of continuing to waste time with them and agreed immediately, which caught the heads of these pure-blood families off guard but also made them overjoyed.

The contract that Old John had previously issued was amended on the spot after the price was agreed upon, and then both parties signed it, and the contract officially came into effect.

From this day forward, the power of the Hogwarts Board of Governors will fall entirely into Lynn's hands, and these pure-blood families will also gain access to Gringotts' three vaults, which contain the Galleons they desire.

Old John was very satisfied with the result. After confirming the deal, he extended a warm invitation to Malfoy and his group to a dinner party, but they politely declined.

Old John wasn't angry at being rejected; instead, he smiled and left through the fireplace.

Back at his headquarters, Old John's smile vanished, and he solemnly summoned his men.

"Recently, send more people to keep an eye on the movements of those pure-blood families, pay attention to whether they have any large cash flows, and if so, find out where all that money is going."

After Old John left, the sixteen heads of pure-blood families went to Gringotts' vault after the meeting and divided the Galleons according to their shares.

Of course, not all of these families were on the Hogwarts Board of Governors. Families that gave up seats on the Board of Governors received the lion's share of the money, while those that did not received a share.

After transferring all the money to their own vault, they breathed a sigh of relief, and only after confirming that they hadn't been swindled by Old John again could they go home with peace of mind.

But only four people actually went home. These four people genuinely believed that they had simply taken the money and were completely unaware of the truth.

The remaining twelve family heads then held a small private dinner party.

The dinner was held at Malfoy's house.

Besides the heads of the twelve families, there was also a short, stout, middle-aged male wizard with sparse hair and a face that looked like a rat who attended the banquet.

"First of all, I need to see what you were once proud of, to confirm the identity of each of you."

Peter Pettigrew grinned maliciously, his shifty eyes scanning everyone sitting there.

All the patriarchs sitting here, except for Malfoy, frowned, but without exception, they all pulled up the sleeves of their left arms, revealing the dark magic marks that were glowing with a pale green light!

Everyone sitting here was once a follower of Voldemort—a Death Eater!

"Very good. I never expected that so many of Master's servants would be so powerful. Even after Master temporarily lost power, you were all able to live a life of luxury in the magic world, unlike me, who is useless and can only hide and live as someone else's beast for more than ten years."

Peter Pettigrew looked at these people and said sarcastically.

"It was the head of the family who said in a cold voice."

"Malfoy, the Dark Mark can prove our master has returned, but how can you prove that this person actually met with our master and came to see us on his orders?"

Malfoy offered no explanation, because at that moment Peter Pettigrew had already produced a worn-out bone.

An oppressive, suffocating black mist emanated from the bone, coalescing into a pitch-black skull.

(End of this chapter)