This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Title: For the Greater Good
Team: Pride
Position: Seeker
Reserve:
Theme: Write about a character(s) that manipulate others for their own agendas, whether good or bad.
Word Count: 1931
Note: Perhaps slight change to fit the mood of the story.
I needed to bide my time, plan it perfectly. I had managed to talk my way into getting a Ministry employee to give me his wand, and before he could snap out of the daze of my silver tongue I cursed him to remain in a stupor. I had him mumble nonsense to the guards, and they decided to remove his tongue, well, my tongue as they believed.
They knew I had a way of making people see my point of view; I always had. As soon as the traitor lost his voice, I let him loose from under my spell. I used my position as his guard to keep him under polyjuice potion. For now, it was better they didn't realise I'm free.
I pushed the Minster from the carriage, watching him fall to the lake below. I regret losing my wand; this one did not serve me well, as it had been handed over, and not changed its alliances yet. I knew in time it would become mine, but for now I needed to be careful.
I left for America, the land where Muggles and Wix remained segregated. I heard tale of an Obscurial in London, and knew I needed to get my hands on it before the American Minister.
I felt a sense of freedom, surrounded by my people once again. They catered to my every whim. The only man I feared was all the way in the United Kingdom, unable to lay a hand on me.
Once we had been friends, even more for a time, and now the blood oath protected me from him and any retaliation he may wish to enact. The man I once called a brother. Who was to know that Albus Dumbledore would change so much? He betrayed me, and all of his kind. I was bound by the oath that bound him, a necklace of our blood around my neck.
My followers knew didn't question me. Word of a strange Ministry employee reached my ears, a woman named Tina Goldstein. Her sister was a mind-reader, and I could make use of her. Often my intuition was enough, but I couldn't see the harm in having her on my side. Abernathy had been an useful follower, he was Tina's boss, and once he met Queenie he was able to pass along juicy bits of information along to me. Tina was eager to prove herself, but not eager enough. She wanted to do the right thing.
So, I decided to use Vinda Rosier to watch Queenie Goldstein. She saw Queenie storm from the building, distraught at something the No-Maj must have thought or said. I knew that Tina Goldstein was in Paris, and Krall was watching her at the time. Once Queenie had Aparated away, leaving Vinda without a lead, she returned back to Paris to join me.
When word of Newt Scamander reached me, I laughed at my informer. The great Albus Dumbledore sent a former student, one with an odd affinity for creatures, that didn't finish his last year of schooling. Dumbledore believed this man was a match for me? He must have been more desperate than I initially believed.
Yet, he helped my cause after all. He set beasts loose in the city and caused a giant uproar from the Muggles. He also managed to find my Obscurial, but so did the Minster. The Minister wanted to use the raw untapped power, same as I did.
I found the boy when the building exploded. Talking to him, trying to gain his trust. "You are special, you are powerful," I had told him. I had gotten him away from Nagini, she didn't seem to fall for my trickery. She could be a nuisance to me, half-breeds often were. "My boy, join me, and you will finally have family," I spoke with my soothing tones. It was clear this boy had a pure heritage, and that his power would be essential to my cause.
"I need to know who I am," he insisted. I could be patient, I needed him to seek me out, which I knew he would once he learnt he wasn't a Lestrange. Abernathy worked at the Magical Congress in America, and the information he gave me, lead to my investigation of the Lestrange vault.
He believed himself to be Corbin Lestrange, the last male descendent of the Lestrange family, yet I knew he wasn't. I had seen the tomb of the Lestrange family, and it was clear that whoever the boy was, he wasn't Corbin. The Lestrange line was down to once last person- a woman.
I needed the boy. He could be the one to take down Dumbledore, and then nobody would dare to stand in my way. His pain made him stronger, yet he longed for a father figure. I knew that when I reached him, I needed to guide him, tutor him, until he was ready. The powers that he had denied, once manifested, could rival my own, and I needed to be someone he saw as an ally, not an enemy.
"I do not believe the No-Maj to be beneath us," I had told her. Her eyes shone with hope and I knew I had her convinced.
"All I want is to be free to marry Jacob," she had confided in me. I masked my shudder.
"You shall," I insisted. "I am having a meeting where you can hear what I have to say, should you disagree with me, you would be free to leave," I said.
It helped that I could shield my mind from her, and the best of my followers also had the ability to do the same. Occlumency had become a helpful part of reaching the witch. She needed the quiet, wanted to hear her own thoughts. She wanted to be normal. Although the concept was foreign to me. She was special, not ordinary, but I would do what was needed to convince her she was better off with me.
She nodded, sipping her tea. She paused, seemingly to think over the proposal. It would have been rude to deny the request of her host.
"I will be there," she responded. So I convinced the lovelorn witch to join me, without her knowing it yet.
The day arrived; I had my message sent across town, and tonight in the cemetery I would address my people. It was no coincidence I chose that place, or that night. I knew the boy would be led to the Lestrange vault, desperate for his identity that had been denied him all his life.
I also knew the Aurors would be there, as well as the Goldstein sisters. When I met Queenie Goldstein, it became apparent that the poor misguided mind-reader had fallen for a Muggle. She wanted to be free to love who she chose, and as sick as the thought made me, it gave me what I needed. It was all going according to my plan.
The night was quiet, the hall was filled with followers, supporters of my cause, and a few, just a small few, others. There was a rumbling chatter between them, and I was waited for the arrival of my guest of honor, the one and only Newt Scamander, bringing with him the object of Queenie's affection.
As well as, the Obscurial, the boy who would soon be mine. His disappointment in finding out he wasn't a Lestrange would help me reach him. As for Queenie, I needn't worry, the No-Maj himself would drive her into my arms. He wasn't very smart, and already had the poor witch at her wits end.
When my speech began I saw the eyes of thousands focused upon me. My voice echoing across the stands. When I told them we had Aurors among us, they hissed and booed them. They persecuted us as well, the were no better than the No-Maj. The girl that struck out at them under my command had died, instantly. This caused an uproar among my people. They saw the Aurors for what they were, cowards.
When I called the boy to me, I had a fleeting worry that Nagini, the cursed one, would convince him to leave with her instead.
"Come to me, my boy," I said soothingly. I knew how to reach him, he craved a father's affection. He had no need for her if he could feel a sense of acceptance and family.
"Join me, Queenie," I called over the circle of blue flames. She turned to the No-Maj, trying to call him to join, I knew he wouldn't, but the words that left Jacob's mouth, sent her running into the circle of flames.
"You're crazy," Jacob yelled. His voice echoing in her head like an echo. Everything else was silent, she felt the warmth of the flames as she stepped into the circle, but her feelings were numb. I could tell she would soon forget all about him, and I took her to stand by my side.
I always get what I want. This was just the beginning, soon the world would belong to us, we would rule over the No-Maj.
When we left the graveyard that night I gave Queenie her space, she was working through the fact that the man she loved had betrayed her. I was happy how things had turned out.
Having a No-Maj would have just been a pain. I suppose I could have used him like a house elf? To bring us tea and cakes while we discussed business. It was better that she had no ties, love made us weak, it kept us from reaching out towards the greater good.
"Queenie," I said softly, knocking on the door to her room. She opened the door, I could see she had been crying.
"He isn't worth your tears, dear one," I said to her, using a finger to wipe the tears tenderly from her face.
She smiled at me through her lashes. "I thought he was the one," she stated and I nodded sympathetically.
"Heartbreak is a terrible thing," I said, for once knowing just how she felt. "I myself have been betrayed by someone that was dear to me." I continued, able to use the truth as my weapon for a change. It felt foreign to me, talking about that time, it felt like a different lifetime that Albus and I had been so close.
"I moved on, and I'm stronger for it," I thought, I had and said it to her. She wanted to comfort me, I could tell. "You will move on as well, this tragedy just shows one cannot trust a No-Maj," I said, seeing her nod in agreement.
"I need your help, dear one," I said to her. She wiped the last tears off her face and smiled at me.
"Anything, my lord," Queenie responded.
"It's the boy, I could use some help with him. He has been rather strange since the meeting," I said to her.
"Of course, I'll just listen in on his thoughts and help you win him over," she said, and she seemed pleased, as if she had come up with the idea herself.
I contained my expression. "Wonderful idea, what an asset you are," I said with encouragement. I lead her to the room where the boy was standing, looking out the window.
She stood outside the door, giving me advice on how to handle the child. Then I sent her away, she seemed pleased to have been of assistance to me.