Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

It wasn't because Thea didn't want to know about her "nominal" father, but because Dumbledore's letter to her had already explained everything.

The letter began by explaining Thea's "legal" parentage, but later only mentioned that Aunt Narcissa and Aunt Andromeda were very eager to gain custody of Thea, without mentioning the "father's" family at all.

Thea then learned that whether the Lestrange family was no match for the Malfoy family or they simply didn't want her as a problem, they had already given up custody of Thea.

Narcissa's subsequent reply confirmed this: "Thea, you should also know from Dumbledore that your parents had an accident and are unable to raise you themselves."

Seeing Thea nod, Narcissa felt a little relieved. She continued tentatively, "There's another thing... your father's family might not be able to accept your custody for some reason..."

Seeing that Thea lowered her head slightly because of her words, looking very sad, Narcissa quickly comforted her, "But it's okay, Thea still has Aunt Sissy. Aunt Sissy is your mother's most beloved sister, and she would definitely want Aunt Sissy to raise Thea..."

Hearing this, Thea raised her head, her eyes slightly red, and said, "But Mr. Dumbledore told Thea that Thea has another aunt?"

At this point, Thea paused, then continued, "And I just asked if I could go see my mother, but my aunt hasn't answered me yet."

Narcissa had a headache; the last thing she wanted to mention was that "sister"! But she couldn't ignore Thea's question, so she turned to Lucius for help.

Lucius, who had been sitting beside Thea observing her, immediately started thinking when he received his wife's plea for help. He began to explain to Thea, carefully crafting his words:

"Thea, did Dumbledore mention Aunt Andromeda to you?"

Seeing Thea nod, Lucius gave a somewhat helpless look: "Did Dumbledore tell you that Aunt Andromeda has been removed from the list?"

Fearing that Thea might not understand the expulsion, Lucius added, "Expulsion means that, from the perspective of the Black family, Aunt Andromeda is no longer a daughter of the Black family and has no right to raise Thea."

"As for Thea wanting to see her mother..." Lucius paused, "...the place where your mother is is terrifying, and young wizards will be frightened. Moreover, no one can enter without the Ministry of Magic's permission."

As Lucius spoke, he observed Thea's expression.

Thea carefully considered Lucius's words and raised her doubts: "You can't go in without the Ministry of Magic's permission. Does this rule apply to everyone? For example, does Dumbledore have to abide by it too?"

Slytherin! This is definitely a Slytherin! That was Lucius's first thought: This child is only 8 years old, and when she learned that this rule restricted her, her first reaction was not to think about how to meet the requirements, but to think about how to find loopholes in the rule to achieve her own goals.

Lucius suppressed his surprise and exchanged a glance with Narcissa, seeing the same surprise in her eyes.

After a moment, he looked at Thea with a complicated expression and asked, "Why did Thea think of Dumbledore the first time?"

"Because in Thea's mind, Dumbledore is very powerful. Even though he tried to show me goodwill, I could still sense that Mr. Dumbledore was dangerous," Thea said truthfully.

Lucius smiled; this was the most satisfying answer he had received since entering. Even though the old bee kept expressing goodwill towards Thea, Thea only felt danger towards him.

Haha, even the great Headmaster Dumbledore got humiliated by a little kid! He could laugh about this for a year!

Narcissa gave Lucius a somewhat disdainful look, then continued to affectionately embrace Thea, intending to give Thea a detailed introduction to the current situation of the Black family and the Malfoy family.

Thea didn't refuse. After all, it was a database delivered right to her. Although she wasn't used to being so close to people, it was still within her tolerance.

Narcissa and Lucius stayed in the ward until nine o'clock. After reluctantly declining Narcissa's invitation to take her to Malfoy Manor, Thea politely saw them out.

As she walked to the bedside, she instinctively reached for her notebook to record the day's events, but found nothing. It was then that she realized she had been away from the orphanage for a long time and wondered how those people were doing.

Lucius was still very happy when he returned to Malfoy Estate. He kept expressing to Narcissa his surprise at Thea's performance that evening. Narcissa didn't want to listen to her husband's nagging anymore, so she went to check if her son was asleep.

When Lucius was the only one left in the living room, his smile had vanished, replaced by a somber expression.

He slowly walked towards the study, beginning to doubt whether his decision to fight for custody was the right one. He planned to discuss these questions again with his ancestors.

"...What! That person's child has appeared! And you're involved in the custody battle?"

Lucius was standing in front of a portrait. After he told his elder everything, the old man in the portrait, whose hair was already gray, suddenly jumped up from his chair with a speed completely out of character for his age.

The old man's loud voice woke up all the portraits around him, and they all erupted in a commotion at what Lucius was doing.

Amidst a chorus of accusations that Lucius was too impulsive, a dissenting voice drew the attention of all the portraits, including Lucius himself.

"...If the custody issue is resolved, it might not be a bad thing." Upon hearing this, the other portraits immediately turned their attention to the old man.

The old man ignored them and continued speaking slowly in the distinctive Malfoy family accent: "I understand Luke's thinking back then. You wanted to get custody of that child, mainly to use her as a shield, so that even if... that person... came back, you could use your merit in raising the orphan to avoid being... questioned by... that person..."

"Even if... he doesn't return, you can still solidify your relationship with the Black family through that girl; right, Luke?"

“Yes, ancestor,” Lucius said respectfully.

"Your approach isn't fundamentally wrong, just has one oversight. Let me ask you, after you get custody of that child, what do you plan to do with her?"

Lucius hesitated slightly before replying: "...Just like ordinary relatives?"

The old man shook his head: "I have two options. First, if the child's talent is only at the level of an average genius, then you should raise her as the heir of the Black family."

Before Lucius could express his doubts, the old man continued, "Secondly, if that child gains my approval, I want you to provide her with all the resources of the Malfoy family!"

These words immediately caused a great commotion among the portrait artists.

Lucius ultimately offered no opinion. As he left the study, he kept pondering the two choices his ancestors had given him. In the end, he simply put aside the question of which to choose, since the prerequisite for any choice was gaining custody of the child.

Thinking about it this way, he immediately felt much more relaxed.

The author states: Some readers might think that Thea's attempt to exploit loopholes in the rules is clearly Gryffindor behavior. However, I believe Gryffindors are better at directly confronting problems, like during their nocturnal expeditions. Slytherins, when faced with rules that are disadvantageous, should first understand the rules, then utilize them, and if that fails, simply abolish the rules altogether.

Let me explain Lucius's final actions: his ancestors gave him two choices, both contingent on gaining custody. Lucius chose to secure custody first, knowing he wasn't as intelligent as his ancestors, so he decisively followed their advice. Both other choices were also contingent on Thea gaining their approval.