Chương 100: 100: The Vigilant Dark Arts Museum?
Rita Skeeter begged frantically for mercy, hoping the man in front of her would give her a way out.
From the wandless magic just now and the way he forced her to reveal herself, Rita could confirm that she was no match for this person.
Despite all the bold claims she had written in her articles, when caught, Rita was more cowardly than anyone.
"Rita Skeeter, you're a smart person."
Silverhand looked down at Rita from above. He opened a drawer filled with gleaming Galleons, making Rita mistakenly think John was going to bribe her.
"Do something for me."
The expression under the silver mask was unclear, but Rita knew that if she dared to refuse, it would be more painful than going to Azkaban.
Soon, the Daily Prophet featured a new "Lucky Wizard Grand Prize," a contest sponsored by Silverhand Johnny's store.
For this, reporter Rita Skeeter lavishly promoted her interview results in the newspaper.
Lord Silverhand Johnny is a kind and approachable person who established the Little Wizards Foundation, specifically to provide free help to young wizards affected by curses.
Such a generous act was highly praised by many celebrities in the wizarding world.
Moreover, the real reason behind the popularity of Silverhand Johnny's store was the prize money. It was like a Chocolate Frog; every purchase of the Daily Prophet came with a chance to win.
The Daily Prophet's sales instantly increased significantly.
The Lucky Wizard Grand Prize had three tiers: the first was the Galleon Prize, the second was the Sickle Prize, and the third was the Knut Prize.
On the very first day of the promotion, a wizard won the Sickle Prize—seven hundred Sickles, which was a substantial amount.
The Lucky Wizard Grand Prize was a huge hit.
An owl carrying a newspaper flew towards the Burrow.
...
Morning.
Arthur Weasley picked up his subscription to the newspaper and noticed the Lucky Wizard Grand Prize scratch-off ticket attached to it. He scratched it off and glanced at it casually.
Clang!
The cup fell onto the table, and the milk inside splashed all over him.
Hearing the noise, Molly ran out, ready to scold him, but then she saw Arthur Weasley staring blankly as he turned his head and said, "...I won."
"What?"
"Ha.. Haha.. Hahahaha I really WON!"
Not understanding what her husband was talking about, Molly was startled by Arthur's sudden laughter.
Ron, who had just woken up and was holding Scabbers, was also startled by the laughter, causing Scabbers to wriggle free and run back to the bed.
George asked, "Dad's gone mad?"
Fred replied, "Maybe he's had too much Cheering Charm."
The Weasley twins exchanged a glance, as if asking each other when they had played a prank.
Percy had already started to get busy this year, campaigning for student body president, and his studies were also quite demanding.
Once all the kids were gathered, Mr. Weasley excitedly announced the good news he had received.
"Seven hundred Galleons, by Merlin's beard!!"
Molly covered her mouth in disbelief. The Weasley family had never had this much money before.
She wanted to hug Mr. Weasley and give him a big kiss, but all the kids were present.
"I want to use this money to go on a trip. What do you think about Egypt?"
After winning the prize, Arthur Weasley wanted to go on a vacation. It must be said that their family never had the habit of saving money.
Everyone in the family agreed with this decision. Even Percy, who hadn't relaxed his studies during the holidays, seemed a bit tempted.
Arthur Weasley suggested the trip mainly because he didn't want his third son to be too stressed out.
Being the most responsible child didn't mean he wasn't deserving of some care and attention after all.
With the whole family in agreement, they began planning the trip.
As the person who personally handed out this grand prize, Rita Skeeter didn't understand why such a generous reward had been given to the Weasley family.
This prize was printed on a single ticket; it might as well have had the Weasley family's address written on it.
However, Rita didn't dare to ask. She was now being blackmailed.
To ensure she wouldn't spend the rest of her life in Azkaban, she had no choice but to listen to Johnny Silverhand's commands.
...
After winning the big prize, Arthur Weasley temporarily put aside his determination to take down the Malfoy family. A neat and complete family vacation was now the most important thing.
This gave the Malfoy family a moment to breathe. Lucius himself paid a visit to Johnny Silverhand.
When he saw the eyes beneath the silver mask, he couldn't help but be a bit curious about the person behind it.
"Mr. Lucius Malfoy, I am very pleased that you've come here," John said, seeing the father of his schoolmate, maintaining his enigmatic demeanor. He added meaningfully, "Even if you are a Death Eater~"
"Ah.." Lucius's pupils constricted, his usual arrogance immediately disappearing. He was inwardly shaken, looking at John as if he were a trap set by the Ministry of Magic.
A strained, unnatural smile stretched across his pale face as he pretended not to understand. "I was indeed once controlled by the Imperius Curse from the Dark Lord, but that doesn't mean I am…"
"Lucius, there's no need to be afraid."
John interrupted him as he walked toward Lucius, his footsteps neither too light nor too heavy, making sounds with each contact with the ground.
Lucius stood rigid, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his entire body unusually tense.
John moved closer to Lucius, grabbing his left hand. At that moment, Lucius had already raised his wand, but then he saw those mysterious eyes.
"I don't mind. In fact, I admire you," came a meaningful laugh from beneath the mask. Lucius felt as if all his secrets were laid bare.
John glanced at the tightly gripped wand and chuckled softly. "Relax, I won't tell anyone. On the contrary, I can give you everything—not because you're a Death Eater or due to the Ministry of Magic, but because of the Malfoy name."
Lucius's grip on his wand tightened and then loosened, repeating three times before he finally couldn't hold back anymore. With a hint of fear, he asked, "What do you want?"
Without hesitation, John answered, "A friend."
Those simple two words seemed unreal to Lucius.
The Dark Lord he followed had never uttered those words.
Seeing Lucius's disbelief, John handed him the day's edition of the Daily Prophet.
"Arthur Weasley won't bother you for a while. That's my goodwill gesture."
The newspaper revealed that the Galleon Prize had been awarded, and Arthur Weasley's name was written on it.
So it was deliberately done by Silverhand..
Lucius, who had been tense, finally relaxed. He stared into John's eyes and asked, "You want me to become your friend, right?"
"Lucius, as a Malfoy, you should understand the importance of friends better than anyone else. Friends are your second network, beyond bloodlines. We help each other. Just as I helped you today, you will help me tomorrow," John said.
He waved his hand over a candle, extinguishing its flame, and as he turned away, the candle relit. Extending his hand toward Lucius, John smiled and asked, "Isn't that so?"
Lucius hesitated for a moment before grasping the younger man's hand firmly. In a low voice, he said, "You're right, Lord Silverhand. The Malfoys are willing to be your friends."
The connections between pure-blood families often involved intermarriage, binding each family to one another with a complex web of relations. These bloodlines were like the branches of a great tree, each relation a separate twig.
However, many of these branches had now withered. Of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, some were dead, some were broken; they were no longer as strong as they once were.
The new ruler of Knockturn Alley was willing to extend an olive branch. Lucius knew this was a tactic to draw him in, but he had no choice.
The position of the Hogwarts governor was too crucial; it was the best means for Lucius, a former Death Eater, to protect himself. Without returning to that position, he would become a thorn in the Ministry's side, and the Aurors would stop at nothing to add another blemish to his record.
Lucius agreed, but then, with some doubt, he asked, "How do you plan to deal with the Dark artifacts?"
John gave a mysterious smile and softly replied, "Do you know of a place, other than the Ministry, where one can legally possess Dark artifacts?"
Seeing Lucius's puzzled expression, John raised his hand and waved it in front of him.
A line of small green text appeared in front of Lucius:
"The Vigilant Dark Arts Museum?"
Lucius was confused, but John explained that with this museum, even if you store the most dangerous items inside, the Ministry of Magic won't bother you.
It was like how digging without a permit is called grave robbing, but with a permit, it's called archaeology.
John had already applied to the Ministry of Magic for this Vigilant Dark Arts Museum. His reasoning was sound: people needed to understand the dangers of Dark artifacts. You couldn't expect everyone to know what Dark artifacts looked like.
So, there was a real need for this museum.
What's that?
Dangerous?
So, should the Museum not have dangerous artifacts?
No, you're mistaken~
How could people understand the severity of these dangers if the items weren't dangerous?
As for what would be exhibited, well, that would be under his control.
If an item or two went missing, who would say anything? You could claim it was stolen, or say the artifact was destroyed.
This was a good thing, and it would add another achievement to the current Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.
Naturally, the Ministry had no reason to refuse. The newspapers would report on this, praising Lord Silverhand as a kind and great wizard.
And so, with Lord Silverhand leading the initiative, the first museum in the magical world was officially in the planning stages.
_________
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