"Furthermore," Lucius continued with obvious pride, "we've successfully acquired substantial stocks of rare alchemical herbs and exotic materials completely unavailable anywhere in England's legitimate markets. The specialist herbalists employed at Cavendish Enterprises have already taken complete possession and begun cataloging them."
He paused, adjusting his expensive cuffs with characteristic precision. "And per your explicit orders, both Ministry representatives and Cavendish family forces have moved into the newly secured territories. They're systematically rebuilding functional local magical governance as we speak."
Erwin nodded with satisfaction, leaning back comfortably in his chair. "It appears the participating pure-blood families profited exceptionally handsomely from this venture."
"Indeed they did," Lucius agreed, allowing a hint of personal satisfaction to color his voice. "Those regional dark wizards had been operating essentially unchecked, systematically hoarding valuable resources throughout the smaller territories. Though those regions lack established organized magical communities, they'd been shipping materials abroad for years, amassing genuinely staggering fortunes in convertible Galleons."
He gestured expressively. "Per the agreed division: eighty percent of all seized assets to the Cavendish family directly, with the remaining twenty percent distributed proportionally among the participating alliance families. Even that fractional share of such astronomical sums represents... well, truly staggering wealth."
"Excellent results," Erwin acknowledged, tapping his desk thoughtfully. "Moving forward, it will fall to your respective families to establish permanent trade routes and systematically integrate those territories with the broader British wizarding world's commercial networks."
Lucius inclined his head respectfully. "Understood completely, Master Erwin."
"Any progress whatsoever on locating the specific item we're actively seeking?" Erwin asked, his penetrating gaze sharpening noticeably.
Lucius shook his head with obvious regret. "Not a single actionable clue, I'm afraid. If that concludes your immediate requirements, I have numerous administrative matters requiring personal attention."
Erwin waved a dismissive hand. "You're dismissed. Proceed with your responsibilities."
Lucius turned smoothly and swept from the office, his expensive robes billowing dramatically.
He understood his position with perfect clarity: Erwin's true underlying purpose for conquering those remote lands remained a closely guarded secret. Whether the mysterious Dark Lord had discovered anything significant or not, Lucius pragmatically understood some matters simply weren't appropriate for subordinates to investigate.
Better to remain productively ignorant than dangerously informed, he reflected wisely.
The office door clicked shut with finality.
Before Erwin could speak or shift his attention, Old Tom stepped forward smoothly from the shadowed corner, producing a weathered, ancient-looking map.
"Master," the elderly retainer rasped, his normally steady voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "The two locations specifically marked on this map... there's something genuinely strange about both sites. We tested them extensively using the methodology you provided, and the artifact you personally gave us is displaying active reactions."
Erwin's eyes gleamed with sharp interest. He studied the parchment intently, where two inconspicuous circles were drawn over seemingly ordinary towns in the English countryside—locations that would attract absolutely no attention from casual observers.
"Have you dispatched personnel to conduct preliminary on-site investigations?" Erwin asked with controlled urgency.
"We did exactly that," Tom confirmed. "But they discovered essentially nothing of obvious significance. Just ordinary Muggle settlements—no detectable magical fluctuations, no documented history of wizarding activity or presence. They appear utterly mundane on every conventional assessment."
Erwin nodded slowly, processing the information. "Recall all our people immediately. I'll investigate both locations personally and directly."
"As you command, Master."
"Hogwarts operations remain in your capable hands until I return," Erwin instructed clearly. "The tournament proceeds according to established normal parameters. If I'm not back by the second task's official conclusion, delegate all aftermath management to my godfather's authority."
Tom bowed low with absolute loyalty. "Understood completely, Master."
Erwin carefully folded the precious map, securing it within his robes, then vanished with the sharp crack of practiced Apparition.
He reappeared at England's southwestern border region—he couldn't Apparate directly to the unknown destination, having never physically visited before. Spatial magic required either direct prior experience or precise coordinates.
Instead, he raised his distinctive wand skyward with deliberate purpose.
A brilliant purple lotus flower exploded magnificently in the air—a prearranged signal visible for miles.
Moments later, a thunderous roar split the previously quiet sky. Big Head, Erwin's massive personal dragon, descended dramatically from concealing cloud cover, its powerful leathery wings beating tremendous gusts that flattened the surrounding grass.
The magnificent creature landed before Erwin with a ground-shaking impact that sent small tremors through the earth, immediately lowering its enormous head affectionately.
Erwin smiled genuinely, reaching up to pat the dragon's scaled snout with familiar affection.
"I know I've been neglecting you recently," he acknowledged honestly. "But I called for you now because we have genuine work requiring your unique capabilities."
Big Head released a pleased rumbling sound, smoke curling lazily from its nostrils in contentment.
Erwin climbed smoothly onto the dragon's broad back, while Ebony slithered up to coil comfortably around his shoulders in their accustomed position.
With a tremendously powerful thrust of its massive wings, Big Head launched explosively into the air, soaring toward the first marked location with impressive speed.
The flight required less than half an hour at the dragon's comfortable cruising pace. Below them, the landscape blurred into an abstract patchwork of green fields and brown earth.
As they approached the target town's vicinity, Erwin spotted a small group of Cavendish personnel waiting in a prepared clearing—his advance team.
Big Head banked gracefully and landed with controlled precision, folding its wings. Erwin slid smoothly from its back as a wizard in formal Cavendish livery stepped forward, bowing deeply.
"Master Erwin, welcome."
"Is everything prepared according to specifications?" Erwin asked without preamble.
"The entire town has been completely evacuated, sir," the security wizard reported efficiently. "We systematically purchased every property through Cavendish holdings in the non-magical world, offered extremely generous compensation packages, and all previous residents have successfully relocated to new accommodations. The settlement is now essentially a ghost town awaiting your purposes."
"Excellent work." Erwin's assessing gaze swept across the eerily empty streets ahead. "You are all dismissed immediately. Once you depart this perimeter, whatever transpires here is no longer your concern or responsibility. Do not attempt to observe or investigate."
The assembled wizards nodded with immediate understanding. They knew their operational limitations with perfect clarity: if Master Erwin himself couldn't safely handle whatever lay ahead, their presence would represent nothing except dangerous liability.
As the security group vanished efficiently into the surrounding trees, Big Head nudged Erwin's shoulder affectionately before launching skyward again, beginning lazy circles overhead as a silent aerial guardian.
Erwin walked purposefully toward the abandoned town's center, Ebony slithering alertly beside him in feline form.
Just as his foot crossed the invisible boundary threshold of the settlement proper, a sudden flash of brilliant blue light erupted from the far side of the empty town.
Erwin's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile.
"Interesting," he murmured to his familiar companion. "It appears we didn't come to the wrong location after all. We've barely arrived, and it's already actively sensing our presence."
He paused deliberately, his eyes narrowing as he focused intently on the distant source of the magical disturbance.
"Too unfortunate for it," Erwin whispered, his voice dropping to cold certainty. "In the end, it's merely an inanimate object operating on ancient protocols. And I'm here to claim it regardless of resistance."
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[Guys More Chapters are Coming]