Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 176 Malfoy Manor

Old Malfoy was a very skilled driver, and it's also possible that the two Thestrals were well-trained; the carriage traveled very smoothly, and we didn't feel the slightest bump until we arrived at Malfoy Manor.

"Master, we've arrived." Old Malfoy respectfully opened the car door and welcomed Comrade Voldemort out. Beside him were the respectful Wormtail and Narcissa, whose body was trembling slightly.

"It's been a long time, Narcissa. You remind me of your sister," Comrade Old Fu said softly. Narcissa immediately lowered her head and said, "Master."

Comrade Old Voldemort nodded upon hearing this, said nothing more, and walked straight into the castle. Behind him, Wormtail followed with a bow. Old Malfoy and Narcissa exchanged a glance, shook their heads slightly, and without saying a word, quickly took a few steps to catch up.

"Hello, Mrs. Malfoy, I am Ike Strade."

Just as Narcissa was still staring blankly at old Malfoy's retreating figure, Ike walked over, bowed slightly, and greeted her softly.

"Oh...you...hello, Ike." Narcissa snapped out of her daze, looking at Ike with mixed feelings. She knew that Draco had mentioned this boy who was taller than her.

"What's wrong with you...?" Narcissa asked softly.

"I went with the teacher," Ike replied with a smile.

"Teacher?" Narcissa suddenly realized, and covered her mouth in surprise. Seeing this, Ike nodded slightly.

"Let's go, Lady Malfoy." With that, Ike extended his hand, leading towards the castle.

"Ah... okay." Narcissa nodded subconsciously, but then frowned and didn't say anything more, leading Ike into the Malfoy family's castle.

When they came in, they saw Comrade Old Voltaire sitting at the head of the long table with a newspaper in his hand, while Lucius and Wormtail stood respectfully on either side.

"Little Ike, come here. It looks like you can't go back to Hogwarts." Old Voldemort said, placing the newspaper he was holding on the long table and loosening it to the side.

Ike walked over and picked up the Daily Prophet. The first thing that caught his eye was his own photo, with a huge headline that read:

Barty Crouch Jr., the infamous Death Eater, has finally been captured after years on the run; the valiant Ike Strayder brings shame to Hogwarts.

"Look at them, they seem to be putting all the blame on you," said Comrade Voldemort. "Assisting Barty the Younger in imprisoning Alastor Moody, injuring the participating champions in the tournament, and killing Ministry of Magic employee Bertha Jorkins?"

"And what about killing the Ministry of Magic's most important asset—the dragon?"

"My God, look at this! What a ridiculous reason! They even blamed you for the injuries sustained by those stupid fishmen in the Black Lake!"

"This was just delivered," Lucius said quietly before falling silent.

Old Fu looked at the calm Ike, his thin fingers rhythmically tapping the long table.

"Little Ike, how does it feel to be a dark wizard?"

"Very good, teacher," Ike replied calmly.

"Very good? Hehehe, very good!" Old Fu seemed a little excited. "Don't worry, child, you will get what you want. This is the Black King's promise to you."

"Thank you, teacher..."

"Lucius, prepare a good room for your young master, and bring him the books from your family's treasured collection!" Old Comrade Voldemort stood up, his right hand resting on Lucius's shoulder. "We can't let a good child fall behind in his studies!"

"As for you, I have something to tell you..."

Lucius led Comrade Voldemort and Wormtail down to the castle’s underground, while Narcissa led Ike upstairs.

They went up the magnificent staircase to the third floor and finally led Ike to a very nicely decorated room.

"This will be your room from now on. The books will be delivered later," Narcissa said calmly, then turned and left.

Ike glanced around the room briefly, not paying much attention, and went straight to the window, gazing at the scenery of the manor in a daze. His thumb gently rubbed the ring on his middle finger, then pressed it lightly.

"It's not time yet..." Ike murmured, then shoved his hand into his pocket.

A few days later, Narcissa left the castle in the morning and didn't return until the afternoon with little Malfoy.

It must have been Narcissa who told him on the way back that Malfoy didn't seem too surprised that Ike was in his castle, and even greeted Ike in a friendly manner.

But even though Lao Fu was mentally prepared beforehand, his inner fear was still clearly visible.

This is unavoidable; any child who grows up listening to Comrade Lao Fu's horror stories will react this way upon meeting him.

When Malfoy returned, Ike discovered that the room Narcissa had prepared for him was right across from Malfoy's room. However, aside from a perfunctory greeting, the two didn't exchange any further words. When his nemesis Crabbe and Goyle arrived, they didn't even bother with a greeting.

This was perfectly normal, and Ike didn't pay any attention to it, as he focused all his energy on the Malfoy family's collection of books.

To be precise, although the Malfoy family has a large collection of books, a large portion of them can be found in the restricted section, and many of the remaining books contain similar content. Ike only had five or six books that he hadn't actually read.

This is already a very pleasant surprise.

Pure-blood families certainly have their own unique collections, but over the years, for various reasons, many books have been circulated to varying degrees. Whether due to the decline of the family or the revenge and extortion of enemies, very few truly treasured books have ever been seen by outsiders.

Otherwise, Hogwarts' library wouldn't be so extensive, and there wouldn't be a restricted section. Aside from the pure-blood families' collections, where else could the restricted section have such a rich collection?

These books were quite useful to Ike, giving him many new ideas about casting spells and applying ancient magic and runes. He felt he had guessed why Old Voldemort was so powerful; these books from the pure-blood family must have played a significant role in that process.

Before long, the Crabbe and Goyle families' collections of books were also delivered, followed by McNeil, Nott, and Avery. The Death Eaters who appeared at the cemetery that night, under Old Voldemort's orders, all contributed their family collections of books, filling the room where Ike lived, leaving only a passageway, and even the bed was half-filled.

Aside from eating, Ike has basically stayed indoors; he needs to finish reading all these books as soon as possible.

He knew very well that these were actually "homework" assigned to him by Comrade Lao Fu, and that Comrade Lao Fu would definitely not teach him anything more profound if he didn't learn these.

Just like one of Ike's main purposes—the things Slytherin left in the Chamber of Secrets.

There probably aren't any high school seniors studying this late, right?

If so, go to sleep now, recharge your energy, and good luck on your exam tomorrow!

(End of this chapter)