Fall From Grace
Disclaimer: Do I really need one? You know the usual.
Azkaban was not a pretty place, not a pretty place at all. Situated in the middle of the north sea, it was surrounded by a rocky terrain and angry, dark waters. Until recently, dementors guarded this wizard prison, but once Lord Voldemort returned to power, the dementors went back to their powerful ally.
This was a heavy blow for the Ministry of Magic, as Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, was absolutely positive the dementors would refrain from rejoining their leader. However, Fudge only recognized Lord Voldemort's return when he and several of his Death Eaters were caught in the Ministry.
Among the Death Eaters caught was a personal friend of Fudge's- a man by the name of Lucius Malfoy. Fudge was flabbergasted when Lucius was caught, he was constantly giving more than generous contributions to the Ministry and St. Mungo's, the wizard hospital. Several weeks after Lucius Malfoy's capture, Cornelius Fudge did the unthinkable- he gathered his pride from off the floor and visited Lucius Malfoy's prison cell.
His heart was pumping three times the normal rate, at least that's what it seemed to Fudge. He still couldn't believe it- a man like Lucius Malfoy? He always seemed so…decent. Fudge felt his insides crawl as he stepped foot into the prison. The dementors were gone now, but their presence could still be felt. Fudge felt the happiness drain from his body and every happy memory he ever felt slowly slip away from him.
"Here's Mr. Malfoy's cell, Minister," the guard said. He bowed, and Fudge acknowledged him. The guard walked away, and Fudge slipped inside Lucius's cell. It was damp and grimy as though it hadn't been cleaned in years. The only thing sitting in the cell was a small bed with silver frames and an old, tattered mattress. Lucius was sitting against the wall, his head pressed against it, his eyes closed. It appeared Lucius was deep in thought.
Fudge cleared his throat. Lucius didn't open his eyes at first. Fudge was about to turn and yell for the guard when Lucius opened his eyes slowly and ascended from his bed. "Cornelius…I was wondering when you'd come here," Lucius said. He extended his hand, and Fudge warily shook it.
"Lucius," he acknowledged. "I wish we were meeting on better terms." Lucius raised an eyebrow, noting Fudge's harshness in the tone of his voice.
"Tell me, Cornelius, how are Narcissa and Draco?" Lucius asked, concerned.
"Upset, to say the least," Fudge replied. "Narcissa nearly had an entire breakdown when I told her."
"You…you told her?" Lucius asked. Fudge nodded curtly. It was not customary for the Minister of Magic to personally inform a family that a member was taken to Azkaban for helping Lord Voldemort. But Fudge, not wanting to believe the situation, went to Narcissa to be the bearer of bad news. Usually an owl was sent with an impersonal letter notifying the family, but Fudge knew the Malfoys were not that type of family.
"Draco hasn't taken the news very well, Lucius. Did you ever begin to think about the effect your actions would have on your family?" Fudge asked, taking off his green bowler hat.
"I didn't…I couldn't…I was doing this for my family!" Lucius spit out. It wasn't like Lucius Malfoy to stumble. He always knew what he wanted to say. Fudge was furious with the man he considered to be a personal friend. Lucius had embarrassed Fudge in front of the entire Ministry. No one could trust Fudge anymore…his resignation was expected sometime soon.
"Do you realize what you've done, Lucius? You've hurt your family, you're reputation…you realize who defeated you at the Ministry? Harry Potter, Lucius! HARRY POTTER!" The words reverberated off the grimy cell walls. Lucius closed his eyes and swallowed hard. The man Lucius was out to get since Draco first got off the train home from Hogwarts. Hell, even before that, when the Dark Lord was first defeated so many years ago…
"We worked so hard to get him expelled so we wouldn't have to deal with his nonsense. You-Know-Who has returned…" Fudge chuckled to himself. "You had me believing, Lucius. You swore up and down Azkaban that he wasn't back. Need I remind you it was your idea for Dolores Umbridge to take a position at Hogwarts? Wasn't it your idea for her to send Dementors to Potter?"
Throughout his berating, Lucius Malfoy never hung his head. He was a Malfoy, and that in itself should never garner a head lowering.
"Cornelius, you must realize-"
"Realize what?" Fudge interrupted. "That you lied to me? I considered you to be a personal friend, Lucius. You're a Death Eater. You helped You-Know-Who return. If the Wizarding world fails to exist, I hope you realize it's on your shoulders."
Somehow these words seemed more powerful coming from Cornelius Fudge. Sure, Lucius had heard them before. From Narcissa, from Draco, from various friends and family members, but Lucius knew who was right. The Dark Lord. Lucius made sure of that.
"You disappoint me, Lucius. Do you realize they're calling for my resignation any day now? My resignation! From my job! I took advice from you, Lucius. I trusted you. But you lied to me. Sixteen years of lying, Lucius. They end here. And now." Fudge pointed a finger at the floor.
"What do you want from me, Cornelius? I'm not exactly sure why you're here," Lucius replied, keeping his eye contact steady.
"The truth. Are you working for You-Know-Who?" Fudge asked quietly.
"Well you came to the wrong cell, Cornelius," Lucius spat, and walked back to the spot Cornelius Fudge found him in.
"I'll be sure to tell your wife and your son that. And your…master, when he wants to know where you went. You must have failed him, letting a bunch of fifth year students put you away in Azkaban," Fudge retorted, and turned around and demanded a guard release him from the cell.
"You're fighting a loosing battle, Cornelius!" Lucius said once Fudge was safely on the other side of the bars.
"I'm not the one in Azkaban, Lucius," Fudge replied smugly.
Cornelius Fudge had made many mistakes in his lifetime, but becoming friends with Lucius was his biggest.