Chapter 63: "Draco's Proposal"

Draco's life was rather peaceful, working from nine to five and taking two to one off. Most of the time, he didn't have to endure the annoyance of receiving guests. Whether it was the Muggle Society or the Magus Society, there were many low-class people who would bother him at the front desk, wasting his time and putting him in a bad mood.

Half of the third holiday had passed in the blink of an eye. Since his private meeting with Ring in the tavern, he and Ring had not come into contact privately. This was to avoid arousing suspicion and also because there was no need for it.

Draco was waiting for a reasonable opportunity to carry out his plan. As someone who could greatly increase the Sprite's work efficiency, Draco was not an employee. The Sprite made an exception and gave him an independent office.

Draco sat in a comfortable leather armchair, flipping through the newspapers after finishing his tasks ahead of time and paying attention to the information he needed. As he quickly skimmed through the meaningless news, a row of bold headlines caught his eye.

"The infamous Magus Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban. This news has been confirmed by the Ministry of Magic today, but he has yet to be apprehended. We are trying our best to capture Black," said the Minister of the Ministry of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, in a statement made this morning. In the photo in the newspaper, Foggy showed an awkward smile to the reporter, and his eyebrows were full of worry. It was obvious that this event, which occurred during his term, was a major blow to his reputation.

"The opportunity has come," Draco thought to himself.

Draco smiled to himself as he pulled open the drawer under his desk and retrieved a piece of parchment paper. He spread it flat on the table and slowly wrote with a quill.

"Respected Gringotts Branch Manager," he began. "I believe you've already heard of the biggest news of today – the infamous Sirius Black, who once used a curse to end 13 lives, has escaped from Azkaban. As everyone knows, he is the only possible successor of the noble Black family and is publicly acknowledged as a loyal servant of the mysterious man. We have sufficient reason to believe that he will come to Gringotts to reclaim his wealth. Any recruitment activity requires money, and he may still believe that the mysterious man will make a comeback. We can surmise that when he reclaims his wealth, he wouldn't mind ransacking Gringotts once more.

"I am honored to have had the opportunity to work here last year and this year. I believe that my strength and loyalty to Gringotts can be demonstrated in my work. Therefore, I have the confidence and ability to provide protection for Gringotts during this critical moment. In return, I hope that Gringotts can give me a chance to show my worth. I am willing to work for Gringotts, and I am willing to pay any price."

"Of course," Draco continued, "rather than saying this is a job, it is more appropriate to say that you have given me a chance to train for my father's sake. I am extremely grateful. But it is precisely because of this that I should give some shallow suggestions for the development of the bank.

"Before Black is apprehended," Draco wrote, "I believe that Gringotts' defenses should be strengthened, even though this place can be said to be impregnable. After all, even the isolated Azkaban prison located in the North Sea was unable to imprison that homicidal maniac.

"I believe that if Gringotts can set an example, it will definitely increase the loyalty and trust of our customers, as well as the appeal to potential customers. Not all families are like my father, who is willing to invest in Gringotts. Most ancient families are more confident in their own family's private treasury. This is a good opportunity. If Black really comes and we are able to assist in his capture, I believe that the reputation of the Gringotts UK branch will definitely rise to another level. We might even be able to obtain more business using this opportunity."

"The above is merely an immature suggestion from an unofficial employee," Draco wrote before signing his name. He then prepared to submit the proposal to the current branch manager, a fairy who followed the rules of the society and didn't have much foresight.

If Draco were really an ordinary employee, this letter would have definitely sunk like a stone into the sea. If he had met a stronger leader, he might have even been criticized. After all, no one would be willing to be ordered around by an insignificant employee.

However, Draco is different. Not only is he significantly more valuable as an employee compared to others, but his family is also one of the important financial backers of this Gringotts branch. This is enough to make the current leader ponder over his suggestions. Furthermore, his suggestions are indeed reasonable. No one would argue that strengthening security is a wrong action.

Just as Draco was deep in thought, the sound of an owl's hooting and flapping wings rubbing against each other could be heard from outside the window. A huge owl with glossy jet-black fur was looking inside with its orange-yellow eyes.

Occasionally, the owl would use its claws to knock on the window, hoping to attract the attention of the person inside. With a sigh, Draco got up and opened the window to let the owl in.

"Only an owl of this size can carry so many things," Draco thought, looking at the huge bundle on the eagle-owl's claws. These were all kinds of snacks and daily necessities sent by Narcissa – licorice wands, sugar feather brushes and other candies, various kinds of chocolates, and even desserts baked by his own chef. But his stomach couldn't hold everything.

"Perhaps this can be considered a happy worry," Draco thought as he looked at the pile of food. However, he didn't immediately open the packages. Instead, he returned to his seat and spread out a piece of parchment to write. He wanted to report his safety.

The basilisk incident had caused Draco to lie in bed for a few days. When Narcissa heard about it, she wanted to rush to Hogwarts to find Dumbledore to reason with him. In daily life, she was already extremely protective, and when she heard that her precious son was injured and almost lost his life, she became even more protective.

Apart from those close to her, the Draco family members were all very harsh. It was unimaginable how much trouble Narcissa could cause. Lucius had tried his best to stop her and prevent Narcissa from going to Hogwarts, or else the school would be in chaos again.

However, after spending a rare, peaceful time at home, Draco returned to the hospital for a check-up. He couldn't finish the nourishing food, but he couldn't refuse these concerns either. The incident had also caused Lucius's position on the school's board of directors to decline.

But because Dumbledore had his own negligence, Lucius wasn't removed from the board of directors. Logically speaking, Draco was responsible for the decline of his board of directors, but Lucius didn't blame him at all. Instead, he told him, "The glory of the pureblood needs to be defended, but you don't need to sacrifice yourself. You must be more careful if you encounter something like this in the future."

To use an inappropriate analogy, Draco's actions were like a student who went to the hospital to study for the college entrance examination and then his parents spent a large sum of money on medical expenses. Who would have the heart to be harsh? In the eyes of Lucius and his wife, this was probably the nature of the matter – their precious son sacrificed his health to defend the glory of the pureblood, suffered a serious injury, and then was slightly affected.

Unfortunately, in the face of good and evil, life and death, they would one day know what a laughable belief they held onto.

Even Voldemort was only trying to gather all the power he could use to win over this group of pureblood families. The idea that "blood is above all" was naive. Voldemort himself was also a mixed-blood.

It was naive to imagine that after Voldemort came to power, he would divide and rule, or that he would be second only to one person. If he really came to power, perhaps the first ones he would attack would be these so-called pureblood families. How could cooperation be as refreshing as complete control? His ambition was to conquer even life and death.