Chapter 20: Lucius’s Ambition

Because Theodore was dead, the compensation was quite minimal, and the Ministry of Magic paid little attention to reparations for the deceased. However, Jessica and Roderick were still alive and had been imprisoned in Azkaban for a full eleven years. Considering the enormous impact of the case, the Ministry feared it would have to pay an exorbitant sum to settle the matter.

One day later, regarding the incident of Ms. Jessica Travis and her son being sent to Azkaban without trial, the Ministry of Magic and Wizengamot issued an official resolution:

1. Jessica Travis and Theodore Travis were coerced by a mysterious figure into joining the Death Eaters during the Wizarding War. Given that neither committed major crimes, their Death Eater status will no longer be prosecuted.

Note: The Ministry has reached a compensation agreement with the Travis family. At the request of involved parties, the agreement remains confidential.

2. The number and authority of Dementors in Azkaban will be significantly reduced. The proportion of wizard personnel managing the prison will be increased to avoid reliance on Dementors for prisoner suppression.

3. Psychological counselors will be added to help Azkaban inmates reform and reintegrate into society, with priority given to those wrongfully imprisoned.

4. An independent Prisoners’ Rights Committee will be established to regularly inspect Azkaban and safeguard inmates’ basic living rights.

5. Appeals by Azkaban prisoners will be expedited, releasing those proven innocent or unfairly sentenced.

6. For a small number of genuinely repentant convicts, humanitarian measures such as sentence reductions may be considered.

The Ministry will comprehensively review Azkaban’s management, aiming to treat all prisoners more humanely and justly.

During the investigation, the Ministry found that the Department of Enforcement and the Tribunal had indeed circumvented legal procedures and executed private justice. Considering the wartime conditions, Aurors had special procedural rights. The following resolutions were made regarding the personnel involved:

1. Demotion of Bartemius Crouch.

2. Accountability measures for personnel of the Ministry’s Tribunal.

3. Strengthening internal supervision and clearly defining officials’ powers to prevent abuse.

4. Improving disciplinary inspection systems, focusing on departments related to life and liberty, to prevent recurrence.

5. Establishing an open complaint channel for the public to report and monitor improper law enforcement.

6. Regular training for all Ministry personnel on law enforcement regulations and procedures to reinforce appropriate use of authority.

7. Enhanced psychological counseling for law enforcement to prevent excessive behavior.

The Ministry pledges internal rectification to firmly prevent such negligence and misconduct from recurring.

Neither Roderick nor Jessica paid much attention to the Ministry’s resolutions. They were verbose but the only valuable point was that the Travis couple was completely innocent.

Regarding compensation, the Ministry had already drafted an agreement and delivered it through Dumbledore. Out of respect for the Headmaster, Jessica did not insist on revising the Ministry’s unilateral draft.

The compensation agreement between the Ministry and the Travis family included the following measures to compensate and restore the family’s reputation:

I. Financial Compensation

1. Payment of 100,000 Galleons to Roderick Travis.

2. Payment of 300,000 Galleons to Jessica Travis.

II. Material Compensation

1. Return of all the Travis family’s properties, lands, and estates in the United Kingdom.

2. Provision of a luxury apartment in central London for Roderick and Jessica.

III. Educational Compensation

1. Waiver of all tuition and living expenses for Roderick’s seven years at Hogwarts.

2. Full scholarship for Roderick to study abroad at a top-tier magical school.

IV. Medical Compensation

1. Lifetime free access to high-level magical medical services for Jessica and Roderick.

2. Five years of regular psychological counseling, extendable if necessary.

V. Employment Assistance

1. Job opportunities for Jessica suited to her professional background.

2. Active recommendation for Roderick to apply for Ministry positions after graduation.

VI. Other Compensation

1. Public apology issued by the Ministry in major wizarding newspapers.

The Ministry hopes these measures will adequately compensate the affected parties and wishes them happiness in the future.

The agreement was sincere enough, though some details required further negotiation. Watching Jessica sign the agreement, Roderick realized that Mr. Albus, the esteemed White Witch and Chief Wizard of Wizengamot, was not without personal interests. Clutching Jessica’s arm, a sense of wariness toward Dumbledore stirred within him.

“Congratulations!” Malfoy was genuinely pleased, having benefited greatly from the incident. “It’s a pity that Buck’s guilt in the McKinnon family’s murder is irrefutable, or he might have been released too.”

Many pure-blood family members had regained their positions, and more were being released from Azkaban. As the pure-blood families’ power strengthened, Malfoy’s prestige soared. Especially since the wizarding world believed the mysterious figure was dead, Malfoy was subtly becoming the leader of the pure-blood wizards.

Such high esteem made Malfoy reckless. He planned to establish an exclusive organization for pure-blood families only. He had even chosen a name: the Ancient Magic Alliance, dedicated to protecting wizarding bloodlines and pure-blood interests.

Malfoy sighed regretfully, “Buck remains imprisoned for life, and your family’s vault key is still in his hands.”

He had heard rumors about the Ministry’s compensation, but the Travis family vault was the real fortune—conservatively estimated at no less than five million Galleons.

“Mrs. Jessica, considering the gradual loss of our pure-blood heritage, I am preparing to establish an organization open only to pure-blood families.”

“The Ancient Magic Alliance,” Malfoy said mysteriously, “Ancient magic represents the former glory of the wizarding world. Through this alliance, we can unite the pure-blood families to seek out lost ancient magic.”

“I believe once we reclaim the power of ancient magic, the wizarding status will rise again.” Having recently read extensively about Muggles, Malfoy had softened his arrogance somewhat, pondering the future of wizards and Muggles.

He painfully realized that modern wizards had lost their absolute advantage over Muggles. The power Muggles wielded to annihilate entire cities was something no wizard could easily resist.

This imbalance of power meant a disorder of status. As a pure-blood, Malfoy would never allow himself to be trampled by Muggles.

Thus, he became obsessed with pursuing the power of ancient magic, convinced that reclaiming it would restore wizards to their rightful supremacy.

“I believe once the power of ancient magic is found, the pure-blood wizards’ status will surely rise again,” Malfoy’s eyes gleamed with a manic passion.

“Uncle Malfoy, will the alliance only admit pure-blood families?” Roderick asked curiously.

“Absolutely!” Malfoy nodded. “Only our families have persisted since the age of ancient magic. Only we retain the bloodline of ancient magic. Who else deserves to join?”

“But if so, we would stand opposed to the entire wizarding world. Everyone would be wary of us,” Roderick offered his thoughts. “Why not use other criteria? Like magical talents or potions expertise... As long as the core leadership remains pure-blood, the more members the alliance has, the greater the power of the core figures.”

“If it’s truly limited to pure-bloods only, given the current sensitivities in the wizarding world...” Malfoy had to admit Roderick’s analysis was thought-provoking.

“Uncle Malfoy, do you have a blueprint for the organization’s structure?”

“Hmm, still working on it...” Malfoy looked embarrassed, unable to admit he hadn’t fully planned it yet. He quickly said he had urgent family matters and hurried away.

“Sigh, I already have a plan for you,” Roderick lamented, watching Malfoy vanish without a trace.

“All right, get some rest! We have to move tomorrow!” Jessica packed away the Ministry documents. She could tell that if her son kept spending time with Malfoy, trouble was inevitable.

“Tomorrow?” Roderick was surprised by the quick timing; he had hoped to discuss more with Uncle Malfoy.

“Yes. Don’t be fooled by the agreement saying the house is in London. If we delay, the Ministry might back out. Strike while the iron is hot to avoid their procrastination. Now, go rest!”