A few days after Luna's letter arrived, Dobby seemed to have finally completed the task Draco had assigned him earlier.
And Dobby's movements did not appear to be restricted in any way.
Although Draco had been confined to Malfoy Manor, Lucius did not seem to intend to keep everything happening outside completely hidden from him. Or rather, aside from not being allowed to leave the manor, Draco was not really restricted in what he could do.
In fact, if Draco wanted to know what Lucius was doing at the moment, that did not seem to be a problem either.
So in just these few short days, Draco had already made himself fully aware of what was happening in the wizarding world and what important developments had taken place.
Rather, because of Lucius, Draco knew far more than the average wizard. At the very least, Dobby and the others working for Lucius had no intention of hiding anything from him...
"The Dementors' allegiance has already been confirmed. As for the Giants, Hagrid seems to be the reason their stance is still wavering for the moment. And the Vampires have shown no reaction at all, which really does fit their usual way of doing things."
Sheets of parchment lay scattered across the table.
If not for Draco's muttered words, and for how unsettling the contents were, someone might actually have thought the parchments recorded nothing of importance.
But in reality, if even one of these sheets were to get out, it would cause no small upheaval in the wizarding world, because many of them contained secrets unknown to outsiders.
And from the content Draco had just read aloud alone, more than half of the current situation and its likely direction had already become clear.
Yes.
What these parchments recorded was the makeup of each faction, along with their possible allies...
...
Strictly speaking, these dark creatures were beings wizards ought to be wary of. But it had to be said that the power they could unleash was not to be underestimated. If they joined a battlefield, they could become the trump card that turned the tide of the entire war.
This was especially true of Vampires, whose long lifespans and difficulty to kill made them exceptionally dangerous. At night, even Dumbledore would be reluctant to provoke one of their stronger members.
If their weaknesses were not so obvious, and if their numbers were not truly so few, then perhaps the wizarding world would not even be ruled by wizards now...
In short.
From Draco's words and the parchments on the table, it was obvious that both the Dark Lord and Dumbledore were doing everything they could, or using any means necessary, to win over these dark creatures or prevent the other side from doing the same.
And these parchments also made it clear that the noble faction led by Lucius, the one trying to break free from the Dark Lord, could not ignore these forces that were usually kept under control either.
But it was equally clear...
"Father and the others seem to look down on these dark creatures. Is it because of the pride of pure bloods and the Sacred Twenty Eight?"
When Draco said this, there was no real note of doubt in his voice. He was stating it as fact.
After all, no one understood his proud father better than he did.
Only that kind of attitude would fit Lucius's usual style.
Draco did not comment further, but the stillness in his eyes already made his true thoughts on the matter plain.
If it were Draco, he likely would not choose to work with those dark creatures either.
Because when it came to pride and confidence, this Prince of Slytherin was second to none...
...
In the wizarding world.
There were actually quite a few intelligent beings that could be called entire races.
Some wizards said these beings had survived only because they lost the magical war a century ago and, after voluntarily submitting and surrendering to wizards, were allowed to continue existing to this day.
Others said these non human beings were actually highly intelligent creatures that had evolved from magical creatures...
No matter which explanation was more believable, or which one was actually true.
Under the current circumstances, Centaurs, House elves, Dementors, Giants, Vampires, Werewolves, and even a handful of hidden beings unwilling to appear in the wizarding world, all had the potential to become key pieces that could sway this war.
And among them, there was one in particular that Draco had spent some extra time examining. It was also the most detailed section among these parchments...
"Fenrir Greyback."
Staring at the name written in darker, heavier script on the parchment, Draco narrowed his eyes coldly.
It was only a name, but to those who understood what it meant, it was enough to stir up a storm in their hearts.
It was not that the name lacked notoriety. It was simply that the entire British wizarding world was shrouded in fear of the name Voldemort, so much so that the rest of the darkness went unnoticed.
It had merely been hidden beneath something even darker.
And this name belonged to a being who walked within the darkness called Voldemort...
A Werewolf.
Fenrir Greyback!
"Has he joined the Dark Lord? Or is it only a cooperative relationship?"
After murmuring that softly, Draco recalled everything he knew about Fenrir Greyback...
Bloodthirsty.
Brutal.
Those were probably the words others used to describe Werewolves in general. But Fenrir Greyback embodied every description associated with evil.
In fact, it was not as though the British wizarding world had no wanted criminals.
And this Werewolf named Fenrir Greyback had held the top spot on that wanted list for years.
Worth mentioning was that, because the Ministry feared Voldemort and also wanted to suppress Dumbledore's reputation, it seemed they had never placed Voldemort himself on that list.
In other words, Fenrir Greyback had remained number one from beginning to end. In a way, that was an accomplishment even Voldemort had never achieved...
In any case.
There was a reason he had remained at the top of the wanted list for so long, and a reason Lucius placed such importance on this information.
It was not only because Werewolves were dangerous, nor only because he was their leader, but because Fenrir Greyback's ambition was simply too dangerous...
Fenrir Greyback was the most savage Werewolf in the wizarding world. He had made biting and infecting more people his life's purpose, because he wanted to create enough Werewolves to conquer wizardkind.
And Fenrir Greyback believed that only by turning wizards into Werewolves while they were still children could they grow up hating ordinary wizards.
That alone was enough to explain why Fenrir Greyback sat at the top of the wanted list, and why no one had managed to replace him for so long...
This was another Dark Lord.
One with organization, and a plan.