Volume 1

- The secret room is open again. Tremble, enemies of the Heir! - With sense, with feeling, with arrangement, I read the words written on the wall with something very similar to blood. Quite a creepy picture, to be honest. And that's why the effect of my voice was quite strong. And in the golden trio from Gryffindor, absolutely everyone now saw the culprits caught red-handed... It's good that junior courses are traditionally the first to leave the dining hall. Undergraduates are usually much less impressionable, my little performance might not have penetrated them.

- I certainly didn't think that you, Potter, would decide to change the color of your tie in such an extravagant way. I added in a slightly quieter, but even more impressed voice. Well, taking into account the general silence after my first sentence, absolutely everyone heard me... Well, the last nail went into the coffin lid with Potter's reputation.

Now, even at his native faculty, they can turn away from him. Still, the phrase on the wall was very telling. Yes, and Flitch's cat was cursed very qualitatively, the natural magic of my strictly familiar king of snakes is felt. Another thing is that Potter could turn this whole situation into zero, or even into a small plus for himself. In theory.

In practice, he was too much different from me. He did not have the flexibility and resourcefulness that would allow him to put the whole situation in a slightly different light. But it would have been enough just a couple of words that the brave Gryffindor decided to send an equally nasty caretaker to the nasty snakes, but was caught red-handed. In this scenario, the native faculty would definitely not have turned away from him, warmly supporting the initiative of its living banner. Well, and sympathizing with his grief.

But, as I said, Potter just doesn't have the wit for such an obvious excuse. Well, Granger, who is not deprived of this very mind and has most likely come up with several decent excuses in her head, was too right a girl to lie so brazenly. And she wouldn't be able to get two rams responding to Potter and Weasley to play along. The girl just wouldn't have enough influence on these two. And the actors from them are so-so...

The ideal situation. Everything here could have turned out very, very well without my help. Well, after my little monologue... It turned out to be a real candy. And even if Potter wasn't really to blame for anything, it was just obvious to me. He looked too scared and surprised, even forgot to snap at my teasing. And it's not in his style. But others did not understand this, hanging an unpleasant label on the boy.

Someone more careful has obviously worked here... but stupid. Subjugating an ancient basilisk just to get rid of the caretaker's cat is something close to insanity. Well, or dementia… And this is someone I have yet to meet. Still, I was going to use the ancient serpent to the fullest. And here we are not talking about the material benefits that the ancient serpent can provide me. I certainly don't have any problems with money, and I don't need the ingredients from a thousand-year-old basilisk.

Another thing is the rituals that Tom has already conducted before and that I would like to conduct myself. But without the help of a powerful crane and, most importantly, a friendly magical beast, their effectiveness was close to zero… In general, yes, I still have to deal with the new owner of the basilisk, if I don't want to miss such a great chance to strengthen a little and acquire a couple of entertaining abilities…

I never managed to come up with an idea and make a plan. Despite the general crush, the director, along with several processors, very quickly reached the crime scene, starting to disperse all the students in their living rooms. Just in time, and then the most attentive kids have already begun to move away from the first impression. Yes, and some people have already paid attention to the state of Potter himself and his gang. Someone too smart might even understand something superfluous. Well, everything turned out fine. My mood has even improved.

Not for long, really. It was only necessary to return to the hotel and see Daphne still tense, as heavy thoughts attacked me again... Well, I'm exaggerating a little. I just went back to the past problems that I didn't have time to fully think about on the way back from the great hall...

Still, an engagement is not the most ordinary event in the life of a magician. And in one of the "days of strength", marriage rituals generally promise to be very strong. How I can get rid of all this stuff later, I can't even imagine. Most likely – nothing. It will be easier and more profitable for me to just check with my position, and make a couple of kids with Daphne when time passes...

Moreover, in the thoroughly patriarchal society of magical England, no one would even think about limiting my sex life to just a bride. We can say that the English aristocrats even have a peculiar fashion for mistresses... Every self-respecting magician who has given birth to an heir is simply obliged to show everyone else his prowess by getting himself a young mistress... Usually, such magicians are well over forty.

True, Lucius was also different in this regard, having never found anyone on the side. And if you remember his too cold relationship with my mother, then there are some questions about this man at all... Well, to be more precise, our ancestral curse. Could it have somehow affected my father's "masculine strength"?

A very interesting question that requires some verification... But that's all later. Now I have much more relevant questions. With the same Potter, something needs to be done. Not in the sense that he somehow hinders me, but I would not mind spoiling the life of my public enemy. My reputation is already growing well from the apparent confrontation with the hero of magical England, but the victory over such a "legendary" personality should further strengthen my position at the faculty... But we need to do everything so that everyone understands where the legs grow from, but no one could accuse me of anything.

- Pansy. - With a wave of my palm, I called a girl who was chirping about something with other Slytherins not far from my favorite chair. - Come here, there is an interesting conversation. I smiled, having captured the attention of my young spy-saboteur.

- Do you have access to the Gryffindor "spy network"? I asked with a slight smile, covering us with a spell of concealment. Those have been getting better and better at me lately. Now I don't even need special concentration to use them, what can I say about the wand... Experience and constant practice affect. And yes, I called the accumulation of gossips in someone else's faculty a spy network.

- What? - The girl was a little surprised at my question, apparently, having not moved away from the discussion of the recent sensation. Still, she really loved gossip, so she couldn't immediately switch from the approaching sensation to something more mundane and ordinary. - Uhm. No, Draco. Our people try not to contact Gryffindor, and we prefer to find out about the news from their faculty through familiar ravens and badgers. - The girl quickly got her bearings, starting the report.

She has already got used to the fact that I like to receive information in a clear and structured form. I remember that she even searched the library for books on this topic, not wanting to annoy me with long and intermittent stories... Another plus to my foresight. I'm still glad I decided to recruit such a useful girl... It's just a pity that the external data failed. Otherwise, she could become my official mistress in the future.

- Does feedback happen the same way? I asked, after a moment's thought. Pansy nodded without hesitation, having already managed to get into the subject and stopped getting lost in the question. - OK. Then put me in touch with one of the ravens you have contacts with. Choose someone more receptive, I have a rumor that must certainly sound in the living room of the lions. - With a predatory half-smile, I ordered Pansy, showing with one glance that I did not want to give her this task, but I would still use her help.

The girl needs to fully understand the situation. And then lately it has started to look at Daphne again as a rival. So I'll let her know that I still can't trust her with some things... And my own acquaintances won't hurt me. You never know what can happen in life…