Author's Note: This takes place right after the mass breakout from Azkaban.


Percy had never seen the Minister looking this stressed out and angry before.

"It was bad enough when Black escaped," Fudge snarled. "That caused enough panic by itself. But now Black has helped ten of his fellow Death Eaters to also escape. Oh, this is going to cause so much panic. I don't need this. I don't need this!"

Percy wanted to comfort the Minister in same way, but he just could not think of the right words to say. Besides, he was also worried about this news. Ten dangerous Death Eaters were on the loose.

There was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Fudge barked.

The door opened just enough for Lucius to peak his noble head inside.

"Oh, goodness gracious me, Lucius, I'm so sorry," the Minister quickly spoke. "I didn't know it was you at the door. Please, come in and have a seat. I really need your words of wisdom and comfort right now."

Lucius nodded his head at Percy as he took his usual seat across the table from Fudge.

"I think I'll go make us some tea," Percy said. "Would you like some tea as well, Mr. Malfoy?"

"That would be much appreciated, thank you," Lucius responded.

Percy walked over to the cabinets where he knew Fudge kept the ingredients necessary for tea.

Out of the corner of his eye, Percy noticed Lucius reaching over the table to take the Minister's hands. Percy next heard the soothing tones of Lucius's voice.

"It is important that you remain calm, Fudge," Lucius said. "The people must see that you are still in control."

"Am I, Lucius?" Fudge cried. "Am I really? Ten Death Eaters! Oh, I wish I had more time to question Black when he was in custody at Hogwarts just a couple of years ago. Then, I could have prevented this mass breakout from happening."

"The Ministry is strong," Lucius responded. "These ten Death Eaters will be found and recaptured. It is harder for ten to hide than it is for just one. And if we're lucky, we will finally find and recapture Black as well. Speaking of Black, have you spoken to Auror Shacklebolt yet? I believe that he is the one leading the search for Black."

"Yes, I've spoken to Kingsley," Fudge confirmed. "He told me not to worry. He told me that all these Death Eaters will be found, including Black."

"Then let your mind be at ease," Lucius returned. "Shacklebolt is an extremely capable Auror."

"I know he is," Fudge replied, "and I know that he's going to do his best to fix all this."

"As will I," Lucius spoke. "You are not alone in this, dear Fudge. You have friends. Anything I can do to help, just let me know and I'll do it."

Percy handed both Fudge and Lucius a cup of tea. Both men muttered their thanks to him. Percy then sat down with his own cup of tea.

"Yes, this is exactly what I needed," Fudge said as he sipped from his cup.

"I'm always happy to help in any way that I can, Minister," Percy spoke.

Fudge just nodded his head at Percy.

"Have you spoken to Dolores yet?" Lucius asked Fudge. "I know that there are students at Hogwarts who had lost family members to these ten escaped Death Eaters. It is essential that panic is not allowed to take hold at Hogwarts."

"I'm going to pass another decree," Fudge replied. "I'm going to make sure that no one is allowed to talk about anything that is not directly related to school matters. That will stop both the gossip and the panic. Don't worry, Lucius. We will maintain our control over Hogwarts."

"Good," Lucius returned. "I'm glad to hear that."

Lucius then stood up. "I won't keep you any longer, Fudge. I know that you have much to do. I just wanted to make sure that you were fine. Would it be all right with you, though, if I take Percy with me to lunch?"

Percy looked up with a happy expression on his face. He always enjoyed his lunches with Lucius. The aristocratic wizard never failed to open Percy's eyes to things he had never considered or thought about before.

"Of course, Lucius," Fudge spoke. "That won't be a problem at all."

"Don't forget to eat something as well," Lucius said to the Minister. "You need to keep your strength up."

"I'm glad for your concern and support," Fudge responded. "Words alone aren't enough to express my gratitude towards you."

Lucius smiled slightly as he nodded his head at Fudge. He then gestured for Percy to follow him.


"How are you doing, Percy?" Lucius asked softly as they walked down the hallway.

"I really don't know," Percy answered. "My parents didn't talk much about the war when I was growing up, and I was still little when You-Know-Who fell; but I have heard about the horrible things these ten escaped Death Eaters had done. I have lost family members to them. I won't deny that the news that they are now free terrifies me."

"You are smart, Percy," Lucius replied, his voice as soothing as it had been with Fudge. "As long as you remain smart, you will have nothing to fear. Whatever you do, don't try being a hero. Don't go looking for these Death Eaters. Just go about your day as you usually would. Besides, you are a Pureblood. There are so few of us left these days, Percy. The Death Eaters, no matter how crazy and twisted they may be, don't want any more Purebloods to be lost."

"What about my family?" Percy pressed. "Many have labeled them as Blood-Traitors. Will they be all right?"

Lucius did not reply for several moments. "I wish I could tell you, Percy, that everything is going to be just fine," he finally said. "That, however, would be a lie; and I respect you way too much to lie to you like that. Hopefully, more members of your family will see past the lies of both Dumbledore and Potter before it's too late."

"Ron is a Prefect," Percy mumbled. "That has to count for something. That has to mean that he has some sense. And Ginny is usually sensible. And Bill and Charlie have both always been the independent types. They don't just accept everything at face value. I fear for Fred and George, though. I have never seen them actually take the time to think about the possible consequences of their actions. As for my father and mother, they have always adored Dumbledore. I fear it may already be too late for them. Oh, I hope these Death Eaters are caught soon, before they have a chance to hurt someone else or before they have a chance to make people doubt the Minister."

"Unfortunately, there are always going to be doubters," Lucius responded. "And there are always going to be people that will say or do whatever it takes to cause panic. Some people just don't want peace. All we can do is to try our best to keep these few doubters and troublemakers in check. I believe that the Ministry is strong enough to maintain its control and to endure these tough times. But come now, let us talk of more pleasant things. We will only be allowing these Death Eaters to win if we are nothing but stressed out and worried all of the time."

"You're right, Mr. Malfoy," Percy replied. "Would you by any chance be interested in the standardization of cauldron thickness? I think that it's very important because if a cauldron is too thin, then there is a danger of leakage."

Percy half-expected Lucius to start laughing at him or to start teasing him. That was what his family had done, after all.

Lucius, however, took Percy by surprise by nodding his head in interest.

"Oh, I agree that is important that a cauldron is thick enough," Lucius said. "The Malfoys have long been great Potioneers, so we put a lot of thought and consideration into the cauldrons that we use to make potions. What a cauldron is made out of is also important. Certain elements, if used in the creation of a cauldron, can ruin a potion or cause that potion to have very unpleasant and sometimes deadly side effects."

"So, to you, what makes a perfect cauldron?" Percy inquired.

Lucius immediately launched into a long but well-detailed, informative description.

Percy eagerly absorbed each word that Lucius spoke, as he was thrilled that he had finally found someone who did not think that his topics of interest were silly or unimportant.