Chapter 8

"The ministry is trying to push its boundaries again, this time it's on a ban of more potent explosive spells." Lucius said tiredly from his seat next to mine in grandfather's study.

"Not unexpected, they haven't done much in the last year, they'll be needing an excuse to pay their bureaucrats to push around some papers soon unless they want to let some of them go." Grandfather said from his spot behind the desk.

"We can make the new law change largely irrelevant by limiting the ban to some rather outdated spells, but we would be wearing ourselves thin." Lucius said dully, "it seems like a diversion, we're in the minority in the Wizengamot at the moment, they want to let us tire ourselves out on a certain issue and then be too exhausted for a truly important one coming up."

Father's slump was rather uncouth, although it was pleasing to see him display vulnerability in the presence of family. It did offer a certain dichotomy to the very tastefully decorated room we were inhabiting..

On the issue of magic being banned though...

"I hope I won't embarrass myself too much, but I feel like I have something to interject with." I said, I'd started displaying a more complex speech pattern ever since my tutoring had started. Becoming a respected heir and having a say in Malfoy political manners would be a great step forward.

"Would it really trouble us much if any particular piece of magic was banned? We already possess books and knowledge on it, they would become illegal and we would have to hide them, but the greatest victims of the ban on magic would be muggleborns wouldn't they? The spells would be taken off of Hogwarts' curriculum and out of legal circulation as well, making it harder for them to learn them."

Grandfather raised an eyebrow at me and Lucius regained his composure.

I continued, "we're in the minority, for the moment at least, we can't just defend brashly against any and all attacks. We would be better served if we redirected them instead, pervert the changes the Whigs are trying to push through until they become unrecognisable."

"The more we have to hide, the more likely it becomes for it to be discovered though." Grandfather brought up.

"Why can't we just build a library outside of our grounds and put it under fidelius?" I retorted.

"Good point, although none of us can cast the spell." Grandfather conceded.

Lucius shook his head slowly, "Where would it end though? Disregarding the fact that doing so would act against our nature as wizards and turn everyone against us." He asked doubtfully.

I could feel a small fire igniting inside me..

"It would end when a seventh year just graduating from Hogwarts would be hailed as the next Merlin simply for managing to cast the levitation charm. It would end when the auror corps that tries to enforce their corruption onto the nobility of the magical world is unable to cast even the most basic shield charm and has to run everywhere due to apparition and brooms being illegal. It would end when only the rich and powerful families, us, would be capable of providing their children with an actual magical education by sending them abroad to Durmstrang or Beauxbatons, where upon their return they would take the reins of the ministry in their hands, the people having long forgotten what an Imperius even is!" I snarled out, I had stood up sometime during my speech, so I collapsed back into my chair, slightly out of breath, to the wide eyes of my father and his father.

"That's something to think on." Lucius said hesitantly. "How exactly would we pervert the act though?" He asked, before promptly waving any answer off. "Yes, yes I can see it, instead of pushing against them on the ban of spells such as crepitus maxima, we instead push with them, into the direction of even banning the largely harmless bombarda."

Let it not be said that Lucius was overly affected by his status as a person of blonde colouring.

"Definitely something to think on." Grandfather agreed.

-/-

My sorcery lessons with grandfather had been going quite well, he wasn't very capable himself, only being able to perform a weak wandless summoning charm, but he knew enough about the general topic of magic to guide me in my endeavours.

My own forays into telekinesis were going quite well, being able to summon small objects to me without fail after only a month or so of practice. Upon my first success my fire sorcery skill had dissipated, and it, along with my newly acquired summoning skill became sub-categories of Sorcery.

Sorcery

The use of magical force without a conduit to create unnatural effects in the world.

Suffice to say I spent a lot of time training that skill after I'd gotten it.

The stories my grandfather had told me of Grindelwald and his mastery of wandless magic served as a secondary fountain of motivation. Although the two skills weren't the same, wandless magic being the use of structured spells without a wand, and sorcery being willing changes into existence, the results were still similar enough. Similar enough for people to draw parallels between me and the most prolific western dark lord of our century if I ever showed off the skill to any great extent.

Something I had a, vested interest in, in specific circles the comparison would serve me quite well. Although I probably shouldn't show off in front of Dumbledore.

Well the other reason why I was so dead set on sorcery at the moment, truly so, I trained the skill no less than three hours everyday, was because I did not have access to a wand.

Something I needed to start my legilimency lessons, something I was also greatly interested in. Sadly all of the wands of our ancestors we had stored in our manor proved to be non-responsive.

That restriction on my learning would soon be lifted though, grandfather had spent the last month or so gathering a stupendous amount of wands for me to try out. One of them would have to resonate with me eventually.