Lucius was sitting at his desk, skimming through the Financial Prophet and sipping his hot coffee. Narcissa had woken him up at an ungodly hour today to talk to him about last night's events and they had spent the better part of the morning talking it through and scheming. Lucius was, of course, all for scheming but not without sleep or coffee!

So, when she left for Lupin's house, Lucius sat at his desk and tried to clear his head by doing something as trivial as reading the financial papers. Between the new competition for the expansion of the floo network and Minister Fudge's new taxing bill, he would be able to see how his wife's new station as head of the Black family would help him in his main concern.

How to make sure the Dark Lord wouldn't come back.

It was all his father's fault, of course. When Abraxas Malfoy first met Thomas Riddle, the latter was just a very promising young wizard. He was very bright, had graduated from Hogwarts with full "Outstanding" in almost every subject, was likeable, and had a clear head for politics. It was actually a shame for him to work as an underpaid clerk for "Borkes and Burges" while he could do so much more.

A group of Wizengamot members, including Lords Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson and Lady Zabini, had convinced him to claim his rightful place in the body, as Lord Gaunt. With Riddle's personality and wits and the Gaunt family's status as the last of Slytherin descendants, the group would be able to form a powerful lobby for some legislative measures they were trying to pass for years—none of which had anything to do with blood purity.

After the first few years—during which Riddle's name was frequently heard for the executive power, perhaps for the Minister's office as well—things started to get bad. Riddle was questioned for his muggle relatives' murders, and the only thing that kept the Aurors from pressing charges against him was that he couldn't be placed at the crime scene; perhaps he had used another wand. Then an old woman had claimed she had been under the Imperious Curse when she sold Riddle some family artefacts in a very small price. There was no evidence of course, but Riddle's name was injured.

Riddle avoided being seen in public for a while, but nobody thought much of it. And then, out of the blue, Lord Thomas Marvolo Riddle, head of the most ancient and noble house of Gaunt, had changed from a promising young politician to a magical terrorist, nicknamed Lord Voldemort, and his supporters from political friends to gang members. Abraxas had claimed that he was imperioused both when he took the Dark Mark and when he forced Lucius to take it himself.

Lucius' involvement was another thing. It was a bitter-sweet story, actually. Lucius was young and ambitious at the time. He thought that, if the Dark Lord won the war, he would overthrow the current administration and would establish his own, in which he was promised a crucial post. Furthermore, both his father and Narcissa's aunt had set his joining the Death Eaters an unofficial requirement for his wedding. Shortly after joining, he realised this man—more like a snake at that time—would show gratitude to no-one. Fortunately, baby Potter got rid of him—temporarily, that is—before all hell would break loose.

Lucius sighed. None of that mattered any more. Abraxas was dead, and so was Walburga for that matter.

What mattered now was that the Dark Lord remained dead as well.

A silver misty hawk broke his thoughts when it appeared in Lucius' study and started talking with Narcissa's voice. "Luc, Remus Lupin will join us. I told him just what we decided in the morning. We're expecting him tomorrow evening for dinner. I'll be home shortly. Cissy."


Narcissa sent a patronus to her husband and then decided she needed to do one more thing before she returned home. She cast a notice-me-not charm over herself and apparated to a familiar location.

She used to come here from time to time, just to observe. She wasn't allowed to do anything more and, in fact, that would put her in trouble too had anyone found out.

It was a small house, located at a muggle suburb. A little girl, just four or five years older than Draco, with brown hair and a heart-shaped face could be seen walking towards the house, dressed in muggle clothes and carrying a school bag. She was returning, Narcissa knew, from the muggle elementary school she attended, as the girl's parents were too poor to hire private tutors for her before she was old enough to attend Hogwarts.

The young witch entered her house's gate and, making sure nobody could see her, willed her hair to turn pink. That took her attention from the steps she was climbing and tripped just as she was opening the front door.

"Dora? Are you home?" Andromeda Tonks' voice was heard from the inside and then the woman walked casually to the front door holding her wand in order to heal her daughter's small injury.

Narcissa suppressed a laugh at the sight. Her niece was as clumsy as their mother had been, but she couldn't tell her sister that, because she wasn't allowed to even talk to her. But now things would change.

She smiled and disapparated.

Andromeda Tonks smiled at the sound of the apparition.


Remus behaved very properly as he let the house-elf guide him through the countless corridors of Malfoy Manor. He didn't stare, he didn't gape, in fact one would think he walked through manors all the time. He had had time to think and research since Narcissa's visit the previous morning. The evidence against Sirius was, in fact, circumstantial. The muggles on that street had only testified that Peter and Sirius had, indeed, duelled before the blast occurred.

However, there was something more pressing before he went to action. He needed to know for sure the Malfoys weren't lying. He also needed to find out more of their intentions. He was sure Narcissa knew more than she had told him.

He found the aristocrats in a cosy living room, gracefully furnished and warm with a bright fire. They greeted cordially and then Remus was shown to the Malfoy family pensieve.

After finding all the proof he needed of Sirius' innocence, Peter's guilt and Lucius' involvement, after he had his curiosity completely satisfied, he relaxed and let the couple give him all the information necessary for their full plan to operate. They spent the better part of the night discussing and scheming before Remus returned home.

He had to sleep well. They were putting the plan into motion the following day.


Author's note: I know, I know. It took me quite a lot of time to finish it, but you had been warned; I don't write quickly. Anyway, the juicy stuff—I mean, legally juicy stuff—are starting at the next chapter. I want to thank greatly my friend Vaggelis who proof-read that one and all of you for reading, reviewing and adding this petty little story at your alert lists.