Chapter 134: The House of Gaunt

Knockturn Alley, Alia's Mansion.

"Aren't you supposed to be hosting a book release event overseas?"

Arthur took a sip of his tea, looking at Lockhart sitting beside him, and spoke slowly.

Lockhart was scared away by a curse before he finished his class semester, and when Arthur was on summer vacation, he showed up.

"Yeah, I know I am on vacation. I rushed back immediately. But those Muggle brooms are pretty cool,"

Lockhart answered with confidence, but that didn't make Arthur believe him.

Instead, it made Arthur look down on Lockhart even more.

"That's called an airplane, not some kind of flying broomstick."

Arthur rolled his eyes and didn't think about how stupid Lockhart was anymore.

Instead, he got to the point and asked, "How are you planning to join the Ministry of Magic?"

Lockhart leaned back on the couch, speaking casually, "The Department of Magical Law Enforcement arranged it for me, thanks to Fudge."

Arthur nodded. He wasn't surprised that Cornelius helped Lockhart.

After all, Lockhart was a bit of a celebrity, and regular wizards paid much attention to him.

What Fudge needed most was support from the public. Everyone believed that Dumbledore helped him get where he was.

If Fudge could win Lockhart over, it would be good for him.

However, Arthur still warned Lockhart, "You can go along with Fudge's help, but don't get too close to him. He is not exactly clean under his seat."

Draco had told Arthur that after Fudge got the position, their pure-blood families helped him out in a lot of ways, which made it easy for him to ignore what they did.

Arthur wrote this down in secret. It could help in the future when it's time to get rid of Fudge.

"Don't worry, I know where to draw the line. But Amelia hasn't been very friendly toward me. She always thinks I'm a liar."

Lockhart also acknowledged Cornelius's issues.

However, as he had just joined the Ministry of Magic, he still needed Fudge's assistance to climb to higher positions quickly.

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Weren't you always a liar? And by Amelia, do you mean Amelia Bones?"

"Yes, that's her."

Arthur knew about this person too.

She was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and for a woman to reach that position, she must be extraordinary.

She also fought hard against Voldemort. Arthur remembered that Voldemort killed her in a terrible way in the sixth book.

Arthur thought to himself in silence that Lockhart must be having a tough time at the Ministry of Magic.

But for now, he didn't have a plan unless Arthur used the Imperius Curse to control a few high-ranking officials.

However, that would be tricky to do. Even if the Imperius Curse took control of a wizard, they would act differently than normal no matter how well they tried to hide it.

Even though the Ministry of Magic didn't have top-level wizards, those arrogant individuals weren't to be played with, and they would notice something strange immediately.

Also, Arthur did not want to be so rude. For him, ruling the Ministry of Magic was just a small part of his plan.

If he really wanted to rule the wizarding world, he could wait until the end of the seventh book, when the top three powerhouse wizards have died.

By then, with his power, no one in the wizarding world could stop him.

Getting these ideas out of his mind, Arthur turned to Lockhart and said, "For now, just stay where you are. Don't fight with Bones. I'll see if I can get her to join our side."

Arthur remembered that there was a young wizard from the Bones family still studying at Hogwarts.

He wondered if he could use that connection.

After discussing Lockhart's situation, Arthur shifted his gaze to Alia, who had been silently listening.

Alia, who now held influential power, had not changed much in appearance since their first encounter, but her aura of control had grown stronger.

"Did you find the ancestral home of the Gaunt family that I asked you to look for?" Arthur asked Alia.

Without any hesitation, Alia replied, "Yes, we found it at Little Hangleton. I didn't send anyone inside, as you asked, but I did set up a squib to keep an eye on it."

Arthur smiled and gave a satisfied nod. Alia did an excellent job at her job. She had even found a squib to be their eyes so they wouldn't be found.

"Good. Tomorrow, send someone to take me there. Once I return, you can remove the surveillance," Arthur instructed.

He planned to get the Resurrection Stone as soon as possible, as he had many things to complete this summer.

Alia asked him if she could go with him, but Arthur shook his head.

"You don't need to come. You'll have a lot to do in Knockturn Alley," he replied.

Hearing Arthur's words, Alia didn't insist.

She had a lot to do daily, from dealing with troublesome dark wizards in Knockturn Alley to bargaining with pure-blood aristocrats.

She made an effort to handle as much as possible herself.

After discussing the important matters, Arthur returned to his bedroom and prepared to write a letter to Fleur.

He planned to visit France in August and wanted to inform Fleur in advance to avoid any misunderstandings.

He also wrote letters to Nicolas and Mrs. Perenelle, informing them of his plans.

The next day arrived. After waking up in the morning, Arthur had a few bites of breakfast before going to the Gaunt ancestral home.

Alia appeared with an ordinary-looking wizard named Brian, who had found the location.

She introduced him to Arthur, saying, "This is Brian. He found the place and will be your guide today."

Brian bowed respectfully to Arthur and remained silent.

Arthur didn't mind; he was just there to guide the way.

As for whether Brian knew his true identity, Arthur wasn't concerned. There was no need to worry because everyone Alia brought had clearly signed a contract.

Finishing the last two bites of his meal and wiping his mouth with a towel, Arthur stood up and said, "Now that everyone is ready, let's go."

...

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