Harry Potter: Is It Normal for a Hogwarts Professor to Be a Dark Lord?

Lucius forced himself to remain composed as he removed his knife and fork and set them aside.

"Dobby, bring me another set of cutlery."

"Right away, Master Malfoy," Dobby, who was serving the dishes, hurriedly responded.

Only when the house-elf presented the new cutlery did Lucius, with a slight tremor in his voice, inquire, "So, have you discovered anything significant?"

His emotions were a tumultuous mix at that moment. He had been one of the most capable, if not the most loyal, lieutenants of the Dark Lord. Yet, Lucius found himself uncertain about how to face the possibility of Voldemort's resurrection. Ideally, he was eager, deeply hoping for the Dark Lord's return to lead the Death Eaters once again in conquering the wizarding world. The Malfoy family could then rise from their decline and return to their former glory.

However, fear was also present. Twelve years earlier, it was only by betraying his allegiance to the Dark Lord that he had escaped trial. More critically, just recently, he had treated an important object entrusted to him by Voldemort as a nuisance, passing it off to the youngest daughter of the Weasley family. If Voldemort were to be resurrected, Lucius would undoubtedly be the first to be punished. His emotions were a confused whirl.

Observing Lucius's conflicted state, Tver jokingly said, "Discoveries? Oh, there have been plenty. I've mastered Dumbledore's favorite transfiguration techniques, even integrating powerful magic within them. And speaking of magic, the headmaster even showed me the ancient Gubraithian Fire, which continues to burn unless deliberately extinguished. He's also quite adept with various teaching tricks, cleverly designing them to—"

"I mean about the Dark Lord," Lucius interjected abruptly.

Narcissa and Draco, surprised, paused their eating and stared wide-eyed at him.

"Sorry," Lucius acknowledged his impoliteness, but his desire to know was stronger, "but you must admit, matters concerning the Dark Lord are somewhat... more compelling."

Seeing this, Tver's teasing smile faded, replaced for the first time by a serious expression.

"Dumbledore believes that Voldemort is definitely not dead; on the contrary, he has been seeking a chance to return. That means—"

"That means, sooner or later, he will come back to the wizarding world. It could be now, or it might be ten years from now. But one day, he will be resurrected!"

Lucius's face remained expressionless, but his hands gripped the knife and fork tightly. The precious silverware was somewhat pliable, but that did not prevent the silver handles from leaving deep indentations in his palms.

"If I remember correctly, Mr. Malfoy, at your trial at Wizengamot, you claimed to have been under the Imperius Curse?" Tver fixed his gaze intently on Lucius's flickering eyes. "I just wonder, after Voldemort learns of this, what might he do?"

Lucius's eyes flickered momentarily, then he suddenly smiled. "Ha, that's a question for Voldemort himself."

Tver also broke into a merry laugh, raising his wine glass in a toast. "Indeed, that's not something we can know right now," he said, taking a sip of wine and looking surprised at the red liquid in his glass. "This must be wine from the Muggles, quite good actually."

At this, Lucius lifted his chin proudly, his demeanor mirroring Draco's usual haughtiness. "I have some connections with the Muggle nobility, you know. Our home is filled with many antiques from that side. While they may not be as wondrous as magical artifacts, I hear they are quite valuable among Muggles."

Indeed, most of the non-magical items in the room had been acquired from Muggle nobility and dated back hundreds of years. A millennium ago, the ancestors of the Malfoy family arrived in England, extracting immense wealth and power from the Muggles around them, including this grand manor. To accommodate these relics of past glory, he had to dedicate an entire large room.

Every item in this room was more precious than the entire Weasley family's possessions, he thought with pride.

Tver set down his wine glass, his envy apparent. "You really live up to the name, Mr. Lucius. I've heard the Malfoy family has been accumulating wealth from the Muggles for centuries. Our family can't seem to make money now, just dwindling away our fortunes in the wizarding world."

Lucius's pride faded instantly, his expression darkening. His family was indeed just dwindling away their fortunes. He had hoped to accumulate a significant family fortune with Voldemort's rise, but before their glory could even begin, Voldemort was defeated by a baby. Not only did they not profit, but they also lost a lot in trying to evade punishment.

Now, the Malfoy family's influence had waned so much that the Ministry of Magic dared to search their manor! Twenty years ago, even the Minister for Magic would have shown him respect.

Unfortunately, the wealth accumulated by the family was now less than a third of what it had been, especially the 300-year-old items, which were now unsellable Muggle antiques. Unless—

"Unless, we could make money from the Muggle world again," Tver suggested, as if reading Lucius's thoughts. Lucius was startled and quickly scanned his own mind, finding no traces of intrusion. He looked at Tver, whose expression was unreadable, and said with suspicion, "The International Confederation of Wizards wouldn't allow it."

"Then let's make them allow it," Tver replied.

"How could they possibly—"

Suddenly, Dobby appeared with a pop, his body trembling. "Master, the people from the Ministry are here again."

"Damn it!" Lucius exclaimed, frustration evident as he put down his knife and fork.

"Them again?" Narcissa asked, frowning.

"Who else could it be? This is the third time this month they've come to search," Lucius sighed deeply, attempting to regain his composure. "Let them in, Dobby." He then turned to Tver, "I apologize for such a scene."

"I understand," Tver replied.

Tver reluctantly glanced at his dessert plate as he followed the Malfoys to the door. He had grown quite fond of the sweets Dobby made.

Soon, a group of people briskly entered. Leading them was the stout Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. However, Tver's attention was on Cynthia, who was right behind him.

Having not seen her for half a year, Cynthia was still dressed in her dark red coat, but the youthful naivety on her face had faded. She moved crisply in her high heels, even more decisively than the smirking Auror trailing behind her. Her eyes swept swiftly over the four people standing at the door before watching Fudge exchange pleasantries with Lucius.

"Let me introduce you," Fudge stepped aside slightly to reveal Cynthia, "This is Cynthia Vasic, Bartemius Crouch's capable assistant."

"Someone from the International office?" Lucius frowned tightly. "What are you doing at my estate?"

Cynthia stepped forward with a stern face and a cool voice: "We've been investigating a shipment of dark magical artifacts that entered the country. We heard there might be many such items here at Malfoy Manor, so we decided to stop by."

Lucius scoffed and gave her a cold once-over. "You've gone to great lengths to concoct reasons for searching my home. What about Weasley? What's his excuse?"

"We have evidence that you've been hiding illegal items here," Mr. Weasley shouted from the back of the group.

"We know there's nothing here, Lucius, it's just a routine inspection. We'll leave once it's completed," Fudge said, appearing somewhat troubled. He was caught between his duty to the Ministry and one of its major benefactors.

With a detached look, Lucius eyed the Ministry group and stepped aside from the door before Fudge could speak again. This exposed Tver to everyone's view.

"Who is this?" Fudge asked, surprised.

"Tver Fawley," Tver extended his hand amicably, "a member of the Fawley family."

"Oh," Fudge realized, shaking his hand, "Hector Fawley is..."

"My grandfather."

"Well, your grandfather was quite esteemed by me," he hesitated.

Tver and Fudge didn't talk long since there was official business to attend to, and he was merely a guest at the Malfoys'. In the end, Tver gave Lucius a meaningful look and left the manor under Draco's reluctant gaze.