"Exclusively in designated areas and under the supervision of experienced students, ma'am."
"Remember," the professor addressed the entire class, sweeping them with a stern gaze, "under no circumstances are you to practise magic on your own—it may be dangerous! School rules forbid spellwork in the corridors."
Mm, yes, Richard thought with irony. Don't use magic in the corridors, don't practise on your own—and yet, turn a matchstick into a needle no matter what. No one never follows these rules! Anyone who wishes simply practises spells in their dormitory. Even older students, even in a house as friendly as Hufflepuff, are still children. They've no interest in wasting time supervising younger pupils while they practise spells. Everyone knows it, and yet Professor McGonagall pretends everything is perfectly fine, so long as the rules haven't been formally broken.
Richard came to the conclusion that, from an early age, wizards were taught a simple principle: "If you're not caught, you're not guilty"—or, more bluntly, if it's forbidden but you really want to and no one sees you, then it's allowed.
***
A couple of days after Hermione's birthday, Richard received a bulky bundle of correspondence by owl, which he immediately stowed in his satchel.
He only got around to reading it shortly before breakfast and discovered within it a dossier on the Malfoys.
In summary, the Malfoy ancestor had arrived in England with William the Conqueror in the eleventh century.
According to some sources, Armand Malfoy had been a close associate of William—though more likely a court wizard. For his loyal service, Malfoy had been granted one of the finest parcels of land in Wiltshire, not far from Stonehenge.
Following the conquest of England, William the Conqueror redistributed the land among his followers. Those who held their estates directly from the Crown became barons—some far more powerful than others—while lesser landholders held smaller manors under them.
Dukes and marquesses appeared in the fourteenth century, viscounts in the fifteenth. Although life peerages had existed earlier, they became formally established only after the Appellate Jurisdiction Act of 1876.
Without delving too deeply into British law, one could say this: Lucius Malfoy held a hereditary barony, but did not have a seat in the House of Lords.
Lucius Malfoy engaged in much the same pursuits as the Grosvenors, though on a considerably smaller scale. He continued the family tradition—leasing land and officially paying taxes to the Crown. And that was about the extent of it.
By Muggle standards, the Malfoy income was fairly modest. For example, in the past year they had earned a net profit of seventy-five thousand pounds from rent. Respectable for a landowner, certainly—but hardly astronomical. By wizarding standards, however, it amounted to a small fortune: fifteen thousand Galleons. That was fifty monthly salaries of a senior Ministry department head.
From that rental income, Lucius officially converted twelve thousand pounds into wizarding currency via Gringotts. From the remainder, he paid a bribe of five hundred Galleons (presumably, but almost certainly) to the Minister for Magic—and then, through dubious schemes, converted the rest into wizarding money. Evidently, pride prevented Lucius from dealing directly with goblins—or, more likely, this arrangement served to grease the Minister's palm under the guise of formality.
All in all—little by little... The wizarding world did not demand great expenses, and so generations of Malfoys had managed to accumulate a respectable fortune—though only by wizarding standards. In the world of ordinary people, even the father of the Patil twins—far from the richest man, yet still among the global elite—was already wealthier.
The troubling part was that Lucius Malfoy had, in the seventies and early eighties, been a member of a terrorist organisation of far-right wizards. After Tom Riddle's death in 1981, crackdowns began against members of his group, the Death Eaters. Lucius had been arrested as well, but managed to buy his way out. In the end, he was released on the grounds that he had been acting under the Imperius Curse.
Moreover, he had succeeded in clearing his associates, Goyle and Crabbe, whose sons now studied alongside Draco. Rumour had it that Lucius had been part of Riddle's inner circle and, following his master's death, had nearly taken control of the decapitated organisation. However, the Ministry of Magic—spurred into action by an ultimatum from the Queen—acted decisively.
After reading the dossier, Richard found it perfectly clear that the Malfoys, Crabbes, and Goyles were not worth dealing with. As an aristocrat, Lucius Malfoy had thoroughly tarnished his name. He drew income from ordinary people, yet fought against them all the same.
At a stretch, one might have overlooked his racist, anti-Muggle prejudices… if it had been highly advantageous to do so—but not when faced with such blatant idiocy. To wage war against those who generate your income was beyond comprehension.
It was also worth noting that, at present, Arthur Weasley earned more than the Malfoys. His Ministry salary amounted to two hundred and fifty Galleons, his workshop manager's salary to one thousand, plus substantial bonuses for useful wizardtech prototypes once or twice a month.
And according to the dossier, there was clear animosity between Lucius and Arthur. In public, Baron Malfoy had on several occasions veiledly insulted Mr Weasley as a pauper.
Richie would have dearly liked to see the fool of a baron's face when he learned that his rival actually earned more than he did.
(End of Chapter)
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