Just as there's no such thing as a free breakfast, lunch, or dinner in this world, there is never unprovoked goodwill, especially when it comes to those wealthy, noble houses that have endured for countless generations.
Ian knew that Theodore Greengrass and his wife probably wanted something from him, but he absolutely hadn't expected that what this couple coveted… was something like the merit of following a dragon to greatness!
Facing Theodore Greengrass's rather intense gaze, Ian felt compelled to defend his own nature a bit. Otherwise, who knows what kind of rumors would arise after he left tonight?
"Sir, Madam, I believe you may have misunderstood something. I never intended to reshape the order of the wizarding society. That kind of endeavor is better left to ambitious schemers. For me, studying hard, graduating, and then doing something I love, that's what I'm after." Ian's tone was full of sincere honesty.
And it was, indeed, the truth.
His most ambitious plan was nothing more than to set up a coin press and gleefully mint counterfeit versions of existing currency, not to issue his own and hand over the joys of counterfeiting to others.
Just after Ian voiced his thoughts, before the Greengrass couple could respond, Lupin was already lowering his head and touching the bridge of his nose in thought.
He believed he knew more than the pure-blood families, and thinking back to some of Ian's research he had seen, he figured Ian probably wasn't lying.
"He doesn't want to overthrow the wizarding world. He's probably thinking of overthrowing the Muggle world too..." It was no wonder that such stormy thoughts were swirling through Lupin's mind right now.
After all—
Last night, during Ian's birthday, the "drink" he gave the orphans… the more Lupin thought about it, the more off it felt. From the bottom of his heart, he was convinced it had to be some kind of potion.
Similar to the potion he had given Catherine, but surely far more earth-shattering. Otherwise, this young wizard wouldn't have deliberately dodged his questioning last night.
Even something as extreme as the 'Squib Magic Power Awakening Potion' wasn't hidden, so then what must this potion be, if he did choose to hide it? Just the thought made Lupin feel a terrifying chill run down his spine.
"Don't just sit there with your head down and say nothing, say something already! You were the first to approach those werewolves. You know exactly why I later kept in contact with them."
At that moment, Ian nudged Lupin with his elbow.
The down-and-out werewolf immediately snapped out of it. First, he cast a rather complicated look at Ian, then turned to face Theodore Greengrass, his former classmate.
"Yes, it was me who first approached the werewolves. And Ian's frequent interactions with them were solely for research on the Wolfsbane Potion. I'd think your intelligence network wouldn't be unaware of that." After regaining a bit of composure, Lupin still chose to side with Ian, after all, he would only ever confide in Albus Dumbledore about serious matters.
Whether Ian harbored ambition or not, one thing was clear: he could not let these Slytherin House types get involved. That would surely spell trouble for most people. Lupin held deep prejudice against Theodore Greengrass, perhaps stemming from their childhood conflicts.
And it was obvious Theodore Greengrass had a poor opinion of Lupin too.
"There are some things, Lupin, that neither you nor your pigheaded friends could ever comprehend. After all these years, you're still the same self-righteous, disgusting figure."
That was undoubtedly the longest sentence Theodore Greengrass had said to Lupin all evening. In fact, if it weren't for Ian being present, he might have flung a Jinx at Lupin the moment he stepped near their house. It must be said, those years' worth of Slytherin students carried similar resentments.
After all—
Slytherin House students might indeed have looked down on others, but James Potter's little group had been a bona fide school bully gang. Pantsing people, flicking their foreheads, Levicorpus… Snape was far from the only one who suffered from their antics.
"Of course, I'm not including you in that assessment, Mr. Prince." After finishing with Lupin, Theodore Greengrass turned and solemnly addressed Ian.
"You're still very young, so perhaps you haven't realized it yet, but wizards like you, outstanding and brilliant, will always have many, many people placing their hopes and expectations upon you."
"There hasn't been a true transformation in the wizarding world for a very long time. I imagine you must've sensed that too when you first entered this world. So many aspects seem to have remained unchanged for countless years… They may appear traditional, but this stagnation isn't something wizardkind consciously chose."
Theodore Greengrass's words were calm and powerful, spoken in the deep, resonant voice unique to mature men. What he said ran directly counter to the mainstream thinking held by most young wizards today.
"If you dig deeply enough into history, you'll find that those who push history forward, whether Muggle or wizard, are always the most dazzling rising stars."
"Only those who rise like comets, without falling or fading into silence, can lead a civilization toward progress. And it's been many years since such a person has appeared in the wizarding world."
"That is the real reason why the wizarding world has remained stagnant for so long."
"Many people think that we, who pride ourselves as the Sacred Twenty-Eight, are just staunch defenders of outdated rules. But they don't know that at least among the friends and blood relatives I know, most of us long for change in the wizarding world."
"Lying in the faded glory of the past will only rot our houses from the inside. Only new challenges and opportunities can allow us to reclaim the brilliance of our youth."
"Failure? Falling from grace? Becoming mediocre? That's never what Slytherins fear. What we truly fear is watching our ancestors' glory be tarnished, while we stand powerless to stop it."
Theodore Greengrass's voice echoed in the surrounding area. His wife nodded slightly in agreement. Lupin frowned faintly, though he didn't speak.
"That is a a very insightful perspective." Ian acknowledged that Theodore Greengrass had made some valid points. But he still looked a bit helpless.
"It's just… being a leader isn't exactly what I aspire to."
"Honestly, you have much better options. I recommend my good friend Aurora, she's remarkably gifted, noble by birth, and undeniably talented. A rising star with unstoppable momentum."
"The Muggles have their queen. Shouldn't wizards have one too? How perfect would that be?"
Ian deliberately pushed Aurora forward as a decoy to draw the attention away from himself.
However—
Theodore Greengrass only shook his head slightly.
"Mr. Prince, just as I said before: the glory of our ancestors is long gone. What appear to be flourishing houses like ours no longer hold true decision-making power. In the wizarding world, power defines authority. A decision has already been made by someone, we only get to choose whether we go along with it."
To say such words, as a descendant of an old pure-blood family, was no easy thing. But Theodore Greengrass was being genuinely honest, even vulnerable.
"Albus Dumbledore?" Ian hesitated for a moment, glanced at Lupin beside him, then offered another name: "Or Gellert Grindelwald?"
These were the only two old geezers he could think of who might be pulling strings from the shadows.
(To Be Continued…)
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