After purchasing cauldrons, textbooks, owls, potion supplies, and everything else required for Hogwarts, Lucien finally escorted Draco toward the Floo Network fireplace near the Leaky Cauldron.
With one final wave goodbye, Draco vanished into green flames and returned to Malfoy Manor.
Lucien then headed back toward the entrance of Diagon Alley.
Vinda Rosier was already waiting for him there.
"Finished buying everything?"
Lucien raised one hand casually and gestured toward the small luggage pouch attached to his belt. Thanks to the Undetectable Extension Charm cast upon it, the tiny bag now held nearly all of his school supplies.
"Everything's done," he replied calmly. "And Draco's been sent home."
Then his expression shifted slightly.
"What about those Aurors?"
"Rufus Scrimgeour."
Vinda's voice became noticeably colder.
"Head of the British Ministry's Auror Office."
Lucien narrowed his eyes immediately.
Information about the man surfaced quickly within his memory.
Rufus Scrimgeour.
A hardliner within the Ministry.
A career Auror who spent his entire life hunting dark wizards.
In another future, he would eventually become Minister for Magic after Cornelius Fudge's downfall. Even after being captured and tortured by Voldemort, he refused to betray Harry Potter's whereabouts.
A stubborn man.
But undeniably courageous.
"Interesting…"
Lucien's fingers tapped lightly against his arm.
"It seems the Head Auror already considers us dark wizards."
"That creates complications for our future plans."
Vinda's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Should we eliminate him?"
Lucien shook his head immediately.
"No."
"If a high-ranking Ministry official dies immediately after our arrival in Britain, the Ministry will panic." His expression remained thoughtful. "At that point, we won't be dealing with simple surveillance anymore."
"But if Scrimgeour keeps focusing on us," Vinda warned carefully, "our operations will become extremely difficult."
Lucien remained silent for several moments before suddenly smiling.
"To deal with Scrimgeour…" His blue eyes gleamed faintly. "We may not need to do anything ourselves."
Vinda instantly understood part of his reasoning.
"The British Ministry only learned about our relocation today," she murmured thoughtfully. "Meaning Scrimgeour acted independently?"
"Exactly."
Lucien's smile widened slightly.
"Leak information to Fudge."
"Hint that Scrimgeour secretly learned about our arrival ahead of time and mobilized Aurors without the Minister's approval."
Vinda's eyes brightened instantly.
"You want Fudge to suppress him."
"Of course." Lucien chuckled softly. "Who doesn't enjoy watching dogs bite each other?"
The smile on his face looked almost innocent.
Which somehow made it even more dangerous.
After a brief pause, Lucien shifted the topic.
"You investigated the Diagon Alley shops, correct?"
Vinda nodded, though her expression became more serious.
"The situation isn't ideal."
"Most shops in Diagon Alley are extremely profitable and tightly controlled by old pure-blood families. Very few owners are willing to sell." She folded her arms calmly. "Especially businesses involving potion ingredients, brooms, and magical tools."
"Even if we purchased one or two shops, the locations would be mediocre at best."
Lucien suddenly laughed.
"Who said I wanted to buy shops?"
Vinda blinked.
"…What?"
"The investigation wasn't about purchasing stores." Lucien's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "It was about understanding Diagon Alley's trade structure."
"One or two shops could never support the future of the Saint Group."
He looked toward the crowded magical street behind them.
"My goal…"
A faint smile appeared.
"…is to replace Diagon Alley entirely."
Vinda froze.
Even she looked genuinely stunned for several seconds.
Replacing Diagon Alley?
That was no longer competing with pure-blood families for profit.
That was directly cutting off one of the foundations of their influence.
"Lucien," Vinda said carefully, "I understand you want the Saint Group to expand, but we've only just arrived in Britain. We haven't even established stable footing yet."
"Starting a direct conflict with the pure-blood families now would be extremely dangerous."
"I am calm, Aunt Vinda."
Lucien patted her arm reassuringly.
"Replacing Diagon Alley is a long-term plan."
"Funding alone makes it impossible right now, not to mention the resources controlled by the pure-blood families." He shrugged lightly. "But there's nothing wrong with planning ahead."
Then his expression became deeper.
"Besides…"
"Replacing Diagon Alley is only the beginning."
Vinda's eyes narrowed.
Lucien looked toward the sky above London.
"To truly control the wizarding world…" he said quietly, "the profits of ten Diagon Alleys still wouldn't be enough."
"In the future…"
"A commercial empire covering the entire world will belong to us."
…
The following day.
British Ministry of Magic.
Rufus Scrimgeour stood stiffly outside the Minister's office with an ugly expression on his face.
Inside, Cornelius Fudge looked furious.
The Minister's face had turned red while veins bulged visibly across his forehead.
"Insubordination!"
Fudge slammed both hands against his desk.
"This is outright insubordination!"
His voice echoed loudly throughout the office.
"You mobilized over a dozen Aurors without informing me even once!" Fudge roared. "What exactly are you trying to do, Scrimgeour?"
The Head Auror remained completely unmoved.
"They are Saints," he said coldly. "Dark wizards."
"Over a dozen Aurors from Austria disappeared because of them."
Fudge nearly exploded.
"An eleven-year-old child murdering over a dozen Aurors?" He waved a newspaper furiously. "Do you seriously expect me to believe that nonsense?"
Then his expression darkened further.
"I'm ordering you directly."
"Withdraw your people immediately."
Fudge's obsession with authority far exceeded his courage.
In his eyes, Scrimgeour's independent operation was not merely about monitoring suspicious dark wizards.
It was a direct challenge to ministerial authority.
Worse—
It hinted that the Ministry had secretly cooperated with foreign governments without official approval.
Fudge absolutely could not tolerate that.
Scrimgeour clenched his jaw tightly.
"No."
"Even if the boy didn't personally kill them, he's still connected somehow."
"Scrimgeour!"
Fudge roared loud enough to shake the office windows.
Then he spoke each word slowly and furiously.
"I."
"Am."
"The Minister for Magic."
Silence filled the room.
Scrimgeour's expression darkened completely.
At last, he stepped backward stiffly.
But before leaving, he threw one final sentence toward Fudge.
"You'll regret this."
…
Time passed quickly.
Before long, late August arrived.
During that period, Lucien buried himself almost entirely in magical study. Combined with his maxed talent levels, his learning speed had become genuinely terrifying.
By the end of the month, he had already completed all fourth-year Hogwarts material and begun studying the fifth-year Standard Book of Spells.
Inside the manor library, Lucien sat quietly in an armchair with a thick spellbook resting across his lap.
Beside him, Draco looked utterly miserable.
Every few seconds, he scratched his head, shifted position, sighed dramatically, or glanced longingly toward the door.
Clearly, sitting still for hours felt like torture.
At that moment, Lucius Malfoy entered the room.
The moment he saw the scene before him, he nearly sighed aloud again.
He had witnessed this exact situation countless times already.
And every single time, he felt the same thing.
The gap between people truly exceeded the gap between humans and dogs.
In only one or two months, Lucien had transformed from a complete outsider into an honoured guest among Britain's pure-blood families.
And it all began with one small gathering organized through Draco.
Through Draco's social circle, Lucien gained the goodwill of numerous pure-blood heirs. Then those children practically began worshipping him.
That naturally led to invitations.
Parties.
Gatherings.
Family dinners.
And through those interactions, Lucien quietly established relationships with influential pure-blood households one after another.
The truly terrifying part?
Most of those families still believed they were the ones benefiting.
Lucius honestly could not help admiring it.
Manipulating people so naturally at eleven years old…
The Grindelwald bloodline truly was frightening.
If possible, Lucius genuinely wanted Draco to spend less time around Lucien.
His son was far too simple-minded.
If Lucien sold him someday, Draco would probably help count the money afterward.
"Draco."
Lucien closed his book gently after noticing Lucius arrive.
"Your father's here."
Draco instantly sprang to life.
He practically threw his textbook aside and rushed toward the door.
"Wait."
Lucien's calm voice immediately froze him in place.
Draco turned around stiffly.
Lucien smiled pleasantly.
"You've been studying all afternoon. I know."
Draco immediately looked hopeful.
Then Lucien calmly added—
"Don't forget the assignments I gave you."
"I'll be checking them after school starts."
....
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