Chapter 252– Greengrass Family
Phineas knew that this Horcrux had been destroyed, and he had his own plans for destroying it now.
As long as this Horcrux disappeared, Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets would not be exposed, and Pascal could continue to stay at Hogwarts, giving Phineas enough time to relocate it.
During the entire process, Lucius watched Phineas's actions with a look of shock on his face.
However, neither he nor Phineas knew that just as Phineas was plunging his fangs into the diary, a sharp, painful, angry, and resentful voice echoed from a very old house far away in Little Hangleton.
"No! Phineas Black!"
The murderous intent in the voice was palpable and intense.
"Find him and kill him!"
As the voice gave the order, a thick black fog floated out of the dilapidated house and spread in all directions.
After destroying the diary, Phineas looked at Lucius and said with a smile,
"Very good. Now Malfoy's affairs are Black's. In the past, as long as a Malfoy became a sworn family, he wouldn't have to fear You-Know-Who. However, over the years, the power of the Council of Elders has been increasingly restricted, and it no longer carries the same deterrent force as before. Still, Malfoy becoming a sworn family will make You-Know-Who wary, and Malfoy's next task is to become a sworn family once more. Of course, as agreed, the Black family will fully support this effort."
"But Lucius, you must also understand one thing: the possibility of your generation becoming a sworn family is actually very small. We will mainly focus on Draco. I think you will be happy with this."
Lucius nodded. Becoming a member of the Oath Family was not easy.
To achieve this, the family must have at least one legendary wizard, or at least a member with the talent and potential to become one. Therefore, Draco must become a great wizard, and only with the help of the Black and Malfoy families can he succeed.
"I understand. I'll tell Draco all of this. I think he won't let me down."
Phineas nodded in agreement.
"Draco is a good kid, and he has talent, but for now, he's more interested in playing. Still, I think after learning all this, he will change."
Sirius sat on a single sofa, watching his brother and Lucius having a friendly conversation. He opened his mouth to interrupt but couldn't. He could only sip coffee alone. The thing was, he didn't even like coffee—he preferred red wine.
Eventually, Phineas and Lucius finalized many matters, including the future development direction of the Malfoy family, the support for the Blacks, and the changes that needed to be made. After all, becoming a pledged family required not only a legendary wizard, but also enough influence in the wizarding world to attract the attention of the Council of Elders.
There have always been conditions for joining the Council of Elders.
Phineas knew that the establishment of the Council was to prepare legendary wizards for godhood. On the surface—or from another perspective—it was an organization formed by wizards to protect themselves after attaining godlike power.
They fought with gods, with elves, with demons. At that time, a legendary wizard's great invention—a new species—almost wiped out the demon clan. Of course, this genocide referred to this world; if Hell or the demon world truly exists, then there are surely demons there.
The gods have since vanished into the long river of time. Although the elders of the Council know that the gods still exist, for some reason, every wizard who becomes a god eventually disappears. If not for occasional messages sent at the moment of deification, the elders would believe that becoming a god equates to death.
The Council now mainly guards against the dangers of the ancient seals and the elves.
One requirement for entering the Council is having sufficient merit in the war against the elves. Of course, in this era, that is nearly impossible.
The other way, which Phineas and his allies intended to pursue, is to be invited by the Council.
To earn an invitation, a family must reach a level capable of shaking the magical world. Only then will the Council take notice. To maintain balance, the Council will either invite such a family into its ranks—or eliminate them. However, the latter rarely happens.
A legendary wizard is important enough for the Council to take seriously. Their presence influences the magical world, and compels the Council to invite their family in. Since the Council has always aimed to raise its elders to godhood, legendary wizards are potential threats—obstacles that must be kept close to ensure safety.
In short, Malfoy's mission and development strategy over the next few decades would be to train Draco, assist the Blacks, and increase their own influence in the wizarding world.
Most notably, their attitude toward Muggle-born wizards needed to change. As Phineas had told Draco, Muggle-borns comprise a significant portion of the magical population. Gaining their support would make everything easier.
Time passed slowly. Several hours had gone by since Phineas and Sirius arrived. The original dinner time had long since passed.
Phineas and Lucius were so engrossed in their planning that they didn't remember the time until Narcissa came to remind them.
"Really, my brain must be getting old," Lucius smiled at Phineas. "Are you tired? Shall we go eat?"
Before Phineas could answer, Sirius stood up and agreed eagerly. He was about to fall asleep.
Chatting and laughing, Phineas and Lucius went to the dining room on the first floor and took their seats.
It's worth noting that Lucius offered Phineas the seat of honor multiple times, but Phineas politely refused. After all, this was the Malfoy household, and it wouldn't be right for him to take the host's place.
However, Draco was confused during the meal. His father was far too enthusiastic—almost fawning—toward Phineas.
Fortunately, not long after the meal, Phineas bid farewell and left the Malfoy residence with Sirius.
"Thanks for your hard work," Phineas said with a smile, knowing full well that Sirius didn't enjoy these types of occasions.
Sirius was about to respond when Phineas added,
"But tomorrow, you have to accompany me to visit another family."
"What!" Sirius exclaimed, then coughed and rephrased. "I mean, which family?"
Phineas, ignoring Sirius's reaction, smiled and said, "The Greengrass family. However, this time, Sirius, you cannot behave as casually as you did today. Tomorrow is a formal visit."
The forced smile on Sirius's face froze.
As the holiday approached, Phineas had already written to the Greengrass family, informing them of his visit on the third day of the break.
The Greengrass family was different from the Malfoys. Though weaker, they were a sworn family protected by the Council of Elders.
For such families, the Council's protection ensured that their direct bloodline would not be destroyed or fall into ruin. What happened to the Flint family at Phineas's hands would not be allowed here.
The Greengrass family was forbidden from attacking him—why, exactly.Phineas did not know the details, nor did he need to.
His task was to use the incident on the Hogwarts Express earlier in the school year to win the support of this neutral Oath Family.
Though weak and shrinking in number, the Greengrass family held a unique voice within the Council of Elders—second only to the Consuls and far more influential than families like the Flints.
Sirius sighed. "Is the gift ready?"
Phineas smiled and nodded. "Of course. And it's a gift the Greengrass family will not refuse."
Sirius frowned, curious. He thought red wine would have been the most appropriate gift for such a formal visit. The Black family still had many fine vintages, and he'd heard that a Muggle vineyard Phineas had acquired years ago produced excellent wine.
Unlike their visit to the Malfoys, Phineas and Sirius did not go to the Greengrass residence on their own.
Instead, the Greengrass family sent a carriage to London to pick them up—from the Leaky Cauldron.
There was a reason they didn't use the Floo Network or visit directly.
This was a tacit understanding among the Council's Oath Families.
The Floo Network was controlled by the Ministry of Magic. Connecting to it revealed a location, even if protected by powerful enchantments like the Fidelius Charm—because registering for the Floo required notifying the Ministry.
Likewise, visiting a family directly required knowing their location, which conflicted with the security Oath Families valued.
Therefore, when visiting one another, they always made prior arrangements. The host family would send a carriage or other transportation.
Of course, close families didn't need to follow such formality. For instance, Phineas knew the address of a Selwyn branch family he was familiar with—not their ancestral home.
It was rare for family elders to live outside the ancestral home. Most ancestral homes were also where the elders resided.
Only powerful families like the Blacks had more than one ancestral estate.
The Greengrass carriage was magically treated: once inside, passengers couldn't see out. It also had Portkey features. As a result, Phineas and Sirius didn't know where the manor was—only that it remained in the UK.
Upon stepping out, they saw a Gothic, castle-like structure. Not quite a true castle—it had only four stories—but it featured towers, bridges, and low outer houses. A miniature fortress.
The irregular roof and surrounding walls were covered in ivy, giving the impression of neglect.
But Phineas knew better—those were Devil's Snares disguised as vines.
These Devil's Snares had been specially bred by the Greengrass ancestors. Unlike their usual preference for dark, damp spaces, these thrived in sunlight and dry air, and were no longer vulnerable to fire. They protected the castle.
"You two must be Mr. Phineas Black and Mr. Sirius Black."
A woman in robes stood at the castle's entrance. Seeing them arrive, she quickly stepped forward.
"Yes, ma'am. You must be Mrs. Greengrass?"
"I am. Please come in, Mr. Black. Let's talk in a more comfortable setting."
Phineas nodded and bowed slightly.
"Of course. It is hardly gentlemanly to let a beautiful lady speak to us in the sun. A guest should follow the host's lead."
Mrs. Greengrass laughed softly behind her hand.
"Mr. Black, you're quite the charmer. I have two daughters—how can I still be considered beautiful?"
"You are in your most wonderful years, Mrs. Greengrass, in my opinion."
Laughing and chatting, Mrs. Greengrass led them into the reception room.
"Phoebus is in the study. Please wait a moment."
Phoebus Greengrass was the father of Daphne and Astoria, and the current head of the Greengrass family.
Due to the family's blood curse, even the men rarely lived beyond 200. There were no living elders in the family.
Phineas smiled and handed a potion bottle to Mrs. Greengrass.
"This is a little gift for you."
She accepted it, puzzled. Potions were rarely exchanged in pure-blood visits.
Phineas smiled again.
"It's a potion I developed that curbs the blood curse."
No further explanation was needed.
Now Sirius understood just how valuable Phineas's gift truly was—especially to the Greengrass family.