Author's Note: I really have not seen many stories about the relationship between Lucius Malfoy and Cornelius Fudge, so I decided that I wanted to write a little something about them. We all know that Fudge isn't known for being the best thinker in the world, but there had to be reasons behind why he trusted Lucius so much. So, how did Lucius gain Fudge's absolute trust and friendship? Also, how exactly did Fudge become the Minister of Magic in the first place? I really want to try to answer those questions with snapshots of the beginnings of Lucius's and Fudge's relationship. Besides, it is always fun to write Lucius being all devious and manipulative.
Additional Author's Note: Most of the information about Fudge's background and personality came from Harry Potter Wiki.
It began during the First Wizarding War. Lucius was operating mostly from the shadows, as he of course didn't want to be sent to Azkaban for being a Death Eater. However, Lucius knew the value of holding influence in the Ministry of Magic. If he was ever caught, he would at least have some protection. Besides, with influence came knowledge, and knowledge was power.
Lucius quickly became a regular part of the Ministry. He was around so often that no one ever gave him a second glance, including many of the Aurors that suspected him of being a Death Eater but could never find the absolute proof needed to convict him.
Lucius had a dramatic personality. Whenever he walked into a room, people noticed. Lucius also seemed to enjoy being the center-of-attention. And because of these observations, many people did not think that Lucius Malfoy could also be good at hiding in the shadows. They did not think that he could take more subtle approaches in order to get what he wanted.
And while Lucius had no problem with using Dark Magic in order to obtain his goals, he did not narrow himself just to the use of curses, hexes, and poisons. He was also quite willing to use pure manipulation in order to get his way.
And the people at the Ministry were the perfect targets for manipulation. Most of them were corrupt in some way. They had many secrets that they would never want other people knowing about. It did not take Lucius long to learn these secrets, as he very good at being subtle and at hiding. He was also able to use the Disillusionment Charm to his advantage. Indeed, Lucius was always listening, hidden from sight.
Lucius also quickly observed that most of the people that held high offices at the Ministry were absolute fools. They couldn't see what was right in front of them, even if it was to smack them right on their faces.
Cornelius Fudge was one of those fools that quickly caught Lucius's attention.
At the time, Fudge had been the Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Which meant he held quite a bit of authority. And Lucius would also be able to make use out of the particular department that Fudge was currently working for.
Lucius observed Fudge from the shadows for some time before their first meeting. And Lucius observed that Fudge had ambition. He wanted to rise higher up in the Ministry, but he lacked the necessary confidence. And while he supported Muggles, he seemed to favor Purebloods. And as a very nice added bonus, Fudge also wasn't nearly as smart as he acted.
In other words, Fudge was absolutely perfect. Lucius knew that he would be able to manipulate the other man. Lucius, therefore, intended to ensure that Fudge would one day be the new Minister of Magic.
One day Lucius approached Fudge while he was leaving his office. Lucius knew from all his eavesdropping that Fudge was on his way to Hogsmeade, where recent accidental magical damage had occurred at the Wizarding equipment shop Dervish and Banges.
Except there had been no accident. It had just been made to look that way. By Lucius.
"Junior Minister," Lucius greeted respectfully, "I am sorry to be bothering you, and I know that you're very busy. But there's really something I need to talk to you about."
Fudge looked at Lucius in both surprise and recognition. After all, there wasn't anyone at the Ministry who didn't recognize Lucius Malfoy by sight. Lucius also noticed, though, that there was some wariness in Fudge's eyes. There were some rumors in the Ministry about Lucius being a potential Death Eater. There just wasn't any proof behind those rumors.
"How may I help you, Mr. Malfoy?" Fudge asked in a neutral voice.
"I've heard about the accidental magical damage that recently occurred at Dervish and Banges, and I know that you are probably on your way there right now."
"I am," Fudge confirmed with a nod of his head.
"That's good to hear," Lucius breathed, as if in relief. "I knew that you would be the right man to come to."
"What's going on?" Fudge asked, now clearly interested.
"I've heard some troubling rumors," Lucius explained. "I don't know how true they are, and I really would hate to waste your time over nothing. But if the rumors are true, you need to know about them. You see, Junior Minister, I've heard that the accidental magical damage that was caused by that poor witch was not really an accident. In fact, I've heard that it was really a couple of Death Eaters that were responsible. They forced her to perform magic they knew she didn't have the skills for, no doubt hoping that it would permanently destroy her mind. Not a surprising act from them. From what I've heard, the witch was a Muggle-born. Poor woman."
Lucius could see Fudge's eyes lighting up with all the possibilities of this news. If Fudge was able to capture some Death Eaters, they would really help him with his goal of one day becoming the Minister of Magic.
"Do you by any chance know the names of these Death Eaters?" Fudge asked, barely able to contain his excitement.
Lucius smirked. He was still recovering from the Dark Lord's latest punishment for a failure that had not been his fault. The mission had been going so well, until the two Death Eaters that had been with Lucius had completely messed everything up. The Dark Lord, of course, had not been interested in any of Lucius's excuses. He had been punished along with the other two Death Eaters. Lucius, therefore, had no problem with sacrificing them. They were nothing more than useless idiots, disgraces to the Pureblood name.
And Lucius was considered by most of his fellow Death Eaters to be the Master of the Imperius Curse. Not including the Dark Lord, of course. But it was still a high praise for a Death Eater, especially since so many of them were spectacular with the Cruciatus Curse but barely had any talent for the Imperius Curse.
"As a matter of fact," Lucius spoke, "I have heard two names of interest."
"Excellent," Fudge smiled, clapping his hands in anticipation. "We will have their wands checked. And of course we will talk with that poor witch to confirm that the Imperius Curse was indeed used on her. I have just received a letter from St. Mungo's that says that she is expected to make a full recovery."
"That is good news to hear," Lucius commented.
"Yes, indeed it is," Fudge agreed. "Hopefully she saw her attackers and will be able to identify them. That would really help to seal those Death Eaters' fates."
Lucius smiled ever so slightly at Fudge's last statement, but the smile was so subtle that the Junior Minister did not notice it.
"I really must thank you for all this information, Mr. Malfoy," Fudge continued. "You have been most helpful."
"Please, don't thank me so much. I just want to help out as much as I can. Like you, I want what's best for our world. But I would prefer if you don't tell anyone who you got your information from. I don't want to draw attention to myself, you see. Besides, I insist on you taking all the credit. You are doing such a wonderful job in your current position, and I have no doubt that you will one day be in a higher position here at the Ministry. I'm really looking forward to that day, and I'm really looking forward to having further correspondences with you in the future."
"As am I, Mr. Malfoy. As am I."
"Please, call me Lucius. All my friends do."
Fudge gave Lucius a wide smile when he saw him the next day at the Ministry.
"Lucius," Fudge said, "I would like to thank you again for your information. It proved to be correct. I am now receiving the credit for sending a couple of Death Eaters to Azkaban. And it's all because of you. Thank you, my friend. Thank you so much."
"It was no problem at all, Junior Minister," Lucius smiled warmly. "I am just happy that I was able to be of some assistance."
Fudge and Lucius continued to see each other often at the Ministry. Fudge would always ask Lucius if he had heard any interesting rumors. Lucius, unfortunately, couldn't afford to give up the names of any more Death Eaters. If too many Death Eaters started to be arrested in a short period of time, the Dark Lord would start to become suspicious. And Lucius didn't want the Dark Lord to know what he was up to. The Dark Lord didn't appreciate any of his followers acting in their own interest or doing anything without first receiving their master's permission. Besides, the other Death Eaters were needed for the War effort to be successful.
Lucius, however, was able to give Fudge just enough information to keep the man interested.
It came of no surprise to Lucius, therefore, when Fudge was one of his strongest supporters when he was accused of being a Death Eater after the Dark Lord's fall. And because of all the information that Lucius had been giving to Fudge, the Junior Minister had increased influence among his peers. His words carried a lot of weight.
But for Lucius to make full use of Fudge, Lucius needed the other man to be the Minister of Magic. But first, something had to be done about the current Minister, Millicent Bagnold.
Millicent Bagnold had been the Minister during the Wizarding War and she had been the Minister during the Death Eater trials. So, it was not a stretch of the imagination for anyone to believe that she was tired and that she needed a break from her job.
However, it would complicate things a lot if she was to suddenly die. The War, after all, was over. The Dark Lord had been defeated. No, all that was needed was for Bagnold to simply make the decision to retire.
As mentioned above, it was not a stretch of the imagination for anyone to believe that Bagnold was tired and that she needed a break from her job. No one ever stopped to think that perhaps something had been slipped into her tea, something that caused her to feel ill enough that she decided to go to St. Mungo's for treatment. It was nothing serious, of course, but it was enough to convince Bagnold that it was time for a change in her life. It was time for her to start relaxing a bit. It was the best for her health, after all.
Fudge was one of the top candidates to become the next Minister of Magic because of all the information that he had been able to provide during the Wizarding War. And in the end, his strongest opponents proved to not be obstacles that couldn't be eliminated.
Albus Dumbledore had no interest in the job. That was the end of that discussion.
As for Barty Crouch, Fudge's other great threat besides Dumbledore, well, Crouch's chances had been ruined by his son years earlier when he had been caught in the company of several Death Eaters after they had tortured the Longbottoms into insanity.
No one spoke of the rumors that had been going around the Ministry beforehand concerning Crouch's son and how he wasn't the good boy that everyone thought him to be, but the rumors had been there. No one, though, could say who had started them.
In the end, the best candidate had been Cornelius Fudge.
And he proved to be the perfect Minister. Well, at least he was from Lucius Malfoy's point-of-view. It was no secret, after all, that Fudge considered Lucius to be a wonderful friend and adviser who could be trusted without a shadow of a doubt.
And that really worked to Lucius's advantage.