Among the Pure-blood Twenty-Eight Families, half have already declined. Even the Gaunt family, a direct descendant of Slytherin, has completely fallen into decay. However, there are always a few families among the twenty-eight that remain prosperous, and the Bulstrode Family is one of them.
Despite the Bulstrode Family's relatively low profile in the past, Lucius would not genuinely believe that their low profile meant they were weak and easily bullied, unless his brain had been defecated on by a House Elf.
In fact, compared to the Bulstrode Family, the Malfoy Family, to which Lucius belongs, is truly facing a crisis of decline. Their bloodline seems to be cursed. For over a century, each generation has been single-child, and not every generation has been entirely composed of elites. This has caused the Malfoy Family to gradually weaken through generations of consumption.
By Lucius's generation, the Malfoy Family no longer possessed such immense financial resources. However, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse; a weakened Malfoy is still wealthy. Yet, Lucius made the wrong decision regarding Voldemort, and half of the family's assets were lost with Voldemort's defeat. Today, the Malfoy Family has begun secretly selling off the magic items stored by the family to maintain the operation of the large family.
In contrast, the Bulstrode Family can be considered prosperous in every generation, and the family is quite strict in nurturing the younger generation. The family heirs produced this way, even if their talent is not strong, can fully manage to maintain the status quo until the next generation produces a talented heir to continue expanding the family.
Such a family is absolutely not to be offended by the Malfoy Family.
With his thoughts racing, Lucius had already decided to back down in his heart, but he still maintained his arrogant demeanor on the surface. He looked at Gavin and said, "Draco is the heir of our family. His life must be one of honor and pride. I can choose not to pursue the matter with the Bulstrode Family, but you must also cancel the consequences caused by the Pure-blood Duel."
Gavin looked at Lucius. In his opinion, although this generation of Malfoy couldn't be considered elite and was mediocre in many aspects, he performed well in matters of gain and loss. If he hadn't had such poor investment judgment and been deeply tied to Voldemort before, the Malfoy Family, even if unable to expand further, should have had no major problems maintaining its position.
A lean camel is bigger than a horse. Gavin had no intention of confronting the Malfoy Family directly. Their family had deep-seated connections in the Ministry of Magic. Although they were no longer at their peak, it would still be quite troublesome if they were to bite their family hard. There was no need to push the Malfoy too hard.
"It was just a squabble between two children. Although it went a bit too far, the essence hasn't changed. Mr. Malfoy is unwilling to pursue it, so consider it a favor I owe you. Thank you for Mr. Malfoy's generosity."
Gavin's words were well-spoken, and Lucius's expression finally improved.
Slightly nodding, Lucius nodded to Dumbledore, then bid farewell to Snape, and finally turned and left the Headmaster's office, leaving Hogwarts.
Watching Lucius leave, Gavin turned to Dumbledore and said, "Dumbledore, if you don't have anything else, I should leave too. I'm getting old and can't stay up late."
"Gavin, don't you want to go see Sean and Millicent?"
Smiling and shaking his head, Gavin said, "Those two little fellows don't want to see me. Let them stay in school properly. If I want to see them, I can wait until the holidays."
Getting up to leave, Gavin walked out of the Headmaster's office. After leaving the grounds of Hogwarts, he used Apparition and vanished without a trace.
Sensing Gavin's departure, Dumbledore waved his hand to remove the cups from the table, then said to Snape, "Severus, have you all prepared the defenses for the Philosopher's Stone?"
"They are ready."
"The person who wants to steal the Philosopher's Stone will certainly not give up easily, so we must still remain vigilant..." At this point, Dumbledore's eyes behind his half-moon spectacles looked at Snape and said, "Severus, how is Harry doing lately?"
In front of Dumbledore, Snape always found it difficult to hide his feelings. He looked at Dumbledore and said, "Like his father, he is an arrogant boy."
"Severus, you must be patient with this child. He is not only James's son but also Lily's son. I think you know this, don't you?"
Hearing that familiar name spoken by Dumbledore, a slight ripple spread in Snape's heart. A hint of pain flickered in his eyes, but it quickly vanished.
Without saying more, Snape turned and prepared to leave.
But at this moment, Dumbledore spoke to Snape again, "Severus, that Mr. Sean Bulstrode seems to be highly regarded by you, and his relationship with Harry seems quite good. So I hope you can guide him onto the right path as much as possible."
Hearing this, Snape turned to look at Dumbledore and asked with a hint of sarcasm, "So you think this child is going astray now? Because he's a little close to the great Savior, he needs to be guided onto the so-called right path?"
Dumbledore did not show the slightest displeasure at Snape's sarcasm. He still maintained his benevolent and gentle demeanor and said to Snape, "Severus, you know I don't mean that. I just think he is a very talented child, and I hope you can teach him well, that's all."
With his eyelids slightly lowered, Snape turned away, no longer looking at Dumbledore. He walked directly to the door of the Headmaster's office and reached out to open it. However, Snape did not go out immediately. Instead, he stood there with his back to Dumbledore and said, "Don't worry, I have already brought him into my Potions Club. He is a very talented child in Potions, and I will ensure he follows the broad road of Potions, so his talent is not wasted."
After speaking, Snape turned and left.
Dumbledore watched Snape's retreating back and chuckled softly. He took a cockroach cluster candy from the drawer of his desk, put it in his mouth, and quietly savored it.
The matter of Sean and Malfoy's duel was thus settled.
Snape spoke to both Malfoy and Sean separately. The result was that both of them acted as if the previous incident had not happened, at least on the surface. However, the anger and a hint of veiled fear that flickered across Malfoy's face whenever he saw Sean were undeniable.
A few days later, the news of Lucius Malfoy and Gavin Bulstrode's visit to Hogwarts spread throughout Slytherin. It was from that time that Sean's status in Slytherin rose sharply, roughly comparable to Malfoy's, and even subtly surpassed Millicent, becoming the person representing the Bulstrode Family.