Chapter 534 Christmas Party

Chapter 534 Christmas Party
When Shaylin woke up on Christmas morning, he found a pile of presents at the foot of his bed. He was used to this. Malfoy Manor had been cast under the Fidelius Charm, so the presents must have been specially delivered by the house-elves.

Sherin chose not to open all the presents, as that would probably take up the entire morning.

He went downstairs and exchanged "Merry Christmas!" with the people living in the house.

After Christmas breakfast, at the table, Lucius said mysteriously that he had invited a distinguished guest for Christmas lunch today, who would be helpful to Draco, Sherin and Pansy in their OWL exams this year.

Sherin understood immediately. In the original book, Draco had boasted a few days before the OWL exam that his father had a long-term friendship with Griselda Marchbank, the head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority, and had even invited her to dinner. However, Neville told Hermione and the others that Draco was lying because Marchbank was a good friend of his grandmother, but he had never heard of the Malfoy family from her.

Whether Draco was lying or Neville didn't know Marchbank well enough has always been a controversial topic in the fan club of the previous life - however, it no longer matters, the current pure-blood traitor faction is no longer the same as in the original book, and similarly, the Malfoy family is more powerful than described in the original book.

Sherin returned to his room to continue opening his Christmas presents when suddenly, behind him, there was a familiar crackling sound.

It was Kreacher.

Kreacher came to report that Lupin couldn't stand Sirius living a life of drunkenness and debauchery every day, so he arranged a Christmas party at the Black ancestral home, hoping to find something for Sirius to do.

But the information Kreacher wanted to report was not about Sirius or Lupin, but about Harry.

It turned out that after Harry returned to the Black family home, he often secretly practiced the Dark Arts in a utility room in the attic. As for where he learned these magics, Kreacher didn't know, but he noticed that when Harry was alone, he would talk to himself in the air, as if talking to an invisible person.

Xie Ling remained silent, with a complex emotion surging in his heart.

My coming to this world has changed so many things, and it has ultimately caused some harm to Harry.

The original Harry, the boy who had experienced the battle with the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, the battle with the Dementors, and the death of Diggory, should have been tempered with the courage and awareness to not fear death through repeated life and death tests... However, now, the Harry of this world is actually degenerating into a dark wizard...

All this happened because of him.

Sherin did not regret using his insight into the future to gain an advantage for himself. He robbed Harry of many opportunities and seized the fortune that originally belonged to him, but -

When he saw that Harry's ending was sliding towards the abyss, he realized that what he had inadvertently deprived of might not only be Harry's destiny, but also his possibility of surviving the final battle with Voldemort.

Xie Ling slowly closed his eyes and tried hard to regulate his breathing.

This time, he might have really gone too far.

Harry and Voldemort are symbiotic. Harry must die at Voldemort's hands once, otherwise no one can kill Voldemort. If Harry no longer has the courage and sense of justice to face Voldemort, then it means...

If he wanted to completely kill Voldemort, he had to kill Harry first...

This is not my intention.

He had promised Snape that he would save Harry's life; more importantly, in his heart, he didn't want to see Hermione fall into grief because of the loss of her best friend.

After thinking for a long time, Xie Lin opened his eyes, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.

There is still one chance to save Harry from death -

Rewrite his personality with "absolute domination"!
……

The Christmas lunch was held in a magnificent banquet hall, and the entire Malfoy Manor seemed to be lit up by the festive atmosphere. Golden candlelight was suspended on the high ceiling, and the warm and soft light was reflected on the silver tableware and exquisite crystal cups. Magic snowflakes floated lightly and dissipated into dots of light when they landed in the air.

The banquet table was filled with sumptuous delicacies: roasted steaks that were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, hams wrapped in honey, fragrant pumpkin pies and various exquisite desserts. Each dish was carefully prepared by the house-elves and exuded an enticing aroma.

The protagonists of this banquet, in addition to members of the Malfoy family and several relatives and friends, also included two distinguished guests - the director of the Wizarding Examinations Authority, Marchbanks, and the deputy director, Tofty.

Draco and Shaylin sat on the left and right of Lucius, accompanying the two distinguished guests in conversation. As the next generation of the Malfoy family, they must learn how to socialize with political officials, and while Lucius is still here, it is a good opportunity to hone his two sons, especially Draco.

Marchbank is a round-faced, gray-haired witch with a serious and majestic demeanor, but she is calm and at ease when facing Lucius. Although she is a staunch supporter of Dumbledore's faction, her political skills are smooth enough. She knows how to get along with both sides in a complex political environment and has never had a direct conflict with the Malfoy family.

In contrast, Tofty seemed taciturn. In the face of lively conversations at the banquet, he mostly just lowered his head and ate slowly, seemingly not caring about the direction of the political struggle.

Halfway through the banquet, Marchbank seemed to be feeling a little unwell. He put down his knife and fork, gently pressed his temple, then smiled at Lucius and said, "Mr. Malfoy, could you please tell me the direction of the bathroom?"

Hearing this, Xie Lin's eyes moved slightly, and then he showed a perfect smile and stood up politely: "Ms. Marchban, I also need to go out for a while, why don't I take you there."

Marchban glanced at him, obviously without any doubt, and nodded: "Then thank you for your help, Xielin." Xielin smiled and made a "please" gesture, then walked out of the banquet hall with Marchban.

The corridors are dotted with exquisite magical murals, one of which is a scene of the Black Lake, where the lake ripples in the dim light, and occasionally a mermaid can be seen flashing by. Underfoot is an exquisite marble floor, reflecting the family emblem hanging on the wall, highlighting the long history of the Malfoy family.

As Marchban walked, he gently rubbed his brows, seeming to be really tired.

Seeing this, Xie Lin sneered in his heart - at the banquet, he deliberately asked the house-elf to add a little mild mind-relaxing potion into Marchbank's red wine. It would not make her alert at all, but it would be enough to loosen her willpower a little and create better conditions for hypnosis.

The two turned into a more secluded corridor. There was no one around, only the flame in the fireplace was flickering slightly, reflecting a warm glow.

Sherin slowly stopped and said in a soft and low voice: "Ms. Marchbank, you look tired."

Machiban frowned slightly and responded subconsciously: "Indeed...it may be that the banquet was too lively."

"Yes, the atmosphere of the banquet is indeed relaxing." Xie Ling waved his hand lightly, and the magic power seeped out silently with a bewitching rhythm, "Perhaps, you can take a break..."

Machiban's pupils shrank slightly, his eyes gradually became blurred, and he seemed to be in a trance state between half asleep and half awake.

Xie Lin's eyes turned slightly cold, but his voice remained gentle: "Tell me everything about the pure-blooded enlightened faction."

Marchbank's expression became dull, and he said in a calm tone: "The pure-blood enlightened faction is currently led by me, Augusta Longbottom, and Muriel Prewett behind the scenes. The main pure-blood families are Longbottom, Prewett, Wesley, and Shacklebolt... However, with Dumbledore's fall from power, our power has suffered a serious blow, and the Wesley family is almost unable to recover..."

"Are you still going to continue betting on Dumbledore?" Schelling asked the question that concerned him most.

Marchbanks frowned deeply, and it was obvious that she was struggling internally. "Yes... yes... Augusta and Muriel are very persistent, although I think it is necessary to weigh the matter again... The second young master of the Malfoy family is very powerful... He may surpass Dumbledore..."

The corners of Xie Ling's mouth couldn't help but rise. This was the absolute truth spoken by Marchban under hypnosis.

"In order to fight against the Malfoy family... we have also made changes... and allowed some of the family's illegitimate children to be absorbed into the core circle..." Marchbanks said intermittently.

"Who are they?"

"Gawain Weasley, Mafalda Prewett, Lancelot Prewett, Doug Longbottom, Milo Moon... they have all agreed to join."

Shailling remembered these names, among which he had heard of Milo Moon, the male president of the student union the previous year. He was originally the contestant representing Hogwarts in the Potions Championship, but his opportunity to participate was later forcibly taken away by Snape and given to Shailling.

"With just these five young men, you dare to confront the Malfoy family?" Sherin asked in disbelief.

"Not only them, we have also started to win over the pure-blood neutral families... The Abbott family, the McMillan family, the Smith family... have all joined our camp..."

Sherin's fingertips slowly stroked his cuffs, his eyes calm. It seemed that he had underestimated these old women who never left their houses. Their vision and strategic level were quite vicious. Although these three families were not as powerful as the Malfoy family, their family roots were deep and their influence could not be ignored. If the two sides were combined, they would indeed have the ability to compete with the pure-blood supremacists.

"Is that all? Nothing else?"

Marchbank shook his head and said intermittently: "No more... The Foley family... The Slughorn family... The Diggory family... They rejected our proposal..."

The corners of Schelling's mouth curled up into a faint smile. The failure of the Fry and Slahorn families to win over the Fry and Slahorn families was probably due to the deliberate obstruction of his trusted confidants, Claude Fry and Squire Slahorn.

The withdrawal of the Diggory family was also related to him. The head of the family, Amos Diggory, was seriously injured in the pig monster riot and was said to be permanently disabled. Naturally, he did not want to be involved in any political struggle. Behind the pig monster riot was the one who planned it.

The original purpose of this plan was simply to allow Walton McNeill to become the captain of the Beast Squad, so that he could control this frontal combat force of the Ministry of Magic from behind the scenes. However, he did not expect that, by accident, he would also hit the pure-blood traitors' efforts to strengthen themselves.

Xie Lin's eyes flickered slightly. After making sure that he had obtained enough information, he waved his hand lightly and retracted the magic.

Machiban's expression gradually regained clarity. She was stunned for a moment, and a trace of confusion flashed in her eyes: "Eh...where were we talking about just now?"

Xie Lin smiled and said, "You said the atmosphere at the banquet was too lively, maybe you were a little tired."

Machiban rubbed his brows, as if his memory of what happened just now was a little fuzzy, but he didn't think much about it, but sighed: "Yeah, maybe I really should pay attention to my energy."

Sherin politely gestured for permission: "The restroom is just ahead, Ms. Marchbank."

Marchben nodded and turned to walk towards the bathroom.

Xie Ling looked at her back with a meaningful smile on his face.