Chapter 11- Shifts and Cracks

The wind was howling loudly through the great windows of the study and as the rain started to pour. Soon the thunder would start, but even if it didn't he thrashing shutters would soon wake the baby. Lucious Malfoy was resigned to that. The child seemed disturbed by the slightest of noises, anything out of order, everything needed to be exactly as little Draco wanted t. it was annoying beyond belief but he resigned himself to the thought that it may mean the boy would insist upon his will being imposed later in life as well. Perhaps the boy would restore the honor to the Malfoy name.

The last few weeks had been an unimaginably difficult time for Lucius and Narcissa. Every step they took was watched by someone from the ministry, there was no convincing some of the fools that they had never been intentionally involved in any of the Dark Lord's plans. Lucius had successfully regained control over Malfoy Manor, and if Barty Crouch could be believed he was now going to be restored to his post at the Ministry. "They need me," Lucius thought, "but let them writhe a bit, like I have, before I return to them."

Lucius stepped away from his desk, rolled up the parchment containing his response to Crouch, and smiled. Matters were certainly improving. He let his mind wander for a moment thinking about what he might be doing at this very moment had the Dark Lord not been defeated, he didn't like the thought. Fighting and killing and possibly dying, while his wife and child sat in some hole wondering if he would ever return.

"This is better," he thought. But only for a moment, as soon as the thought crossed his mind another panic attack hit. He grabbed his left arm and pulled away the sleeve. Nothing was there. But he couldn't be sure. He grabbed he arm and rubbed and scratched and bit. And he screamed. He was still screaming when the house elf and his wife entered the room and gave him a sip of draught of peace. Once the potion hit his system, and he saw his wife, his wits returned and the panic turned to anger.

"Elf!" he screamed, "These shutters are disturbing my son. You will remove them, now!"

"But sir, the rain, and it is high up sir. Not now, please sir."

"You will do it now. You will do it quietly. And you will punish yourself for you insolence. Now get out of my sight."

As he watched Dobby walk from the room Lucius Malfoy put his arm around his wife. His mind was easing, perhaps things would actually be alright.

Kingsley tried to walk past the wizards guarding Maddy's door, but the burly guards drew their wands and directed them at his face. "No visitors for the muggle," their gruff voices called out in unison. Kingsley ignored them, as usual, and kept walking toward the door. The combined stunning hex that hit him in the back knocked the large wizard to the floor. "No visitors," the guards laughed as they dragged Kingsley up to Barty Crouch's office.

Madelyn could hear the commotion outside of her room, which now was certainly more a cell than anything else. She could hear that Kingsley was there, but his voice had gone silent and she was certain he would not be coming. The night had been difficult and painful. After the wizards discovered her in the cells below talking to the werewolf they had become convinced that she was in fact a plant, a spy either for the wolves or some larger, more sinister figure.

All evening she had been interrogated by the angry man with the mustache, he never could be bothered to tell her his name but his questions of her had been biting and personal. He accused her of orchestrating the attack on her village, of destroying her sister's mind to get rid of the evidence, and of all manner of dark and sinister deeds. Her denials, which sometimes came laced with tears but more often with spit and anger only made him push her harder. Twice she had nearly passed out from the pain in her chest; with the stress combining with the lack of any of the soothing potions she was now being denied. Then his questions turned to the subject of Archie McGinnis.

To Madelyn Mr. McGinnis was only two things, the strange and quiet old man who had lived in a small house in her village as long as her sister had been alive and the man who had somehow saved their lives. To the man with the mustache though Archie McGinnis was a traitor, a murderer, and someone whose very existence should be rooted out from the face of the earth. To the man apparently the very fact that McGinnis had been living in Maddy's village was enough to condemn the entire lot. "He is just an old man to me, he was always nice," she said.

"Nice? Nice?" the mustached man had seemed to mock the very word, Maddy was convinced he did not laugh, but his face tightened into what she assumed could only have been a smile. "McGinnis worked here, for this office for 30 years. He knew the lives and history of half the people of our world. And do you know what this "NICE" man did, girl?" He was spitting from the anger, "this "nice" old man gave it all away to our greatest enemy. The Dark Wizard's minions came in here with giants and dragons, blew through a hundred good witches and wizards and your friend wasted all their deaths by simply giving in. How many people died because of what he said? Hundreds, maybe thousands. And then the coward ran. You expect me to believe he ever became anything else?"

The man snapped his fingers and two large muscled wizards drug the baffled and confused old man into the room. "He then proceeded to try to avoid his punishment by getting his memory wiped. Well I will have none of that, girl." They threw the trembling man on the floor. "Remember this for when you are giving testimony against the wolves, and they are wolves not men, girl." He raised his wand. "As the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement I pass sentence on Archibald McGinnis. He is a Death Eater and a traitor and has murdered more wizards than we can count. His own actions make him a danger to us all. He deserves no trial." The man pointed his wand at the Archie's chest "Men, lift the restriction."

"The head of the department has been given clearance to use the 1st curse," they had replied in unison.

"Avada Kedavra." A jet of green light had struck McGinnis and he had fallen over dead. The man had been quiet and deliberate as he said the words, then he looked at Maddy. "Remember," he had said to her.

As it all played over and over in her mind she was certain of one thing, she would definitely remember, and so would the mustached man.

Rocherna watched the elf as it shook and shuddered, climbed up the slick wooden ladder and started touching the shutters. She presumed the elf was removing some sort of magical enchantment that would allow the shutters to be removed. If she still was a witch, she would have cursed the little thing to watch it fall and laugh, or perhaps that was only what she would have done after Fenrir. She stared for a moment at the stolen wand that she gripped tightly. She put it aside, she had to move quickly. She had very little time.

The day had been cold and she had forgotten to eat. The only thing that was clear in her mind was Fenrir's pain. She felt it flow through her body, excruciating and awful. He was in trouble, he wanted her to go to him, he needed her. When the humans had come upon them, he had forced her to leave him. She would return though, she would never abandon him. She snuck through the garden until she was directly below the elf and stared up at him.

"Take me to Lucius Malfoy," she sputtered through rain soaked lips.

The elf looked down at her in terror. "Master is not wanting visitors miss," he shivered and nearly lost his grip on the wall.

"Do it anyway elf, I have to see him." Her desperation was total; she could barely speak at all through her fears and pains.

"Master and Mistress is not expecting company, please go away." The elf was down now and physically pushing her back toward the gate. Rocherna picked him off the ground bared her teeth at him and snapped. The elf led her to directly up to the house.

As the slipped into the gigantic entrance hall the elf turned begged her again. "Please go away! Master is not wanting company!" She would not budge and only looked at the creature. The elf simpered and gave up, "I will find master then." He ran off down the hall and only just avoid crashing directly into his master's legs. "Visitor for you , master," Dobby cried out.

Lucius Malfoy had recovered well, he stood in his hall reflecting all of his Malfoy pride and grandeur. He kicked his worthless servant aside and strode to meet the creature fouling his entrance hall. As he passed he called back, "You have disobeyed two orders, elf, you know what to do." Lucius strode deliberately, hoping this unpleasantness would soon be over and his wife and son would know nothing of it.

When he entered the foyer and saw the woman his anger turned to rage. "How dare you enter my house, you filth?" he spat.

"I had to come here, Fenrir has been taken by the ministry and…"

"And this means nothing to me. Leave my house."

"But the Dark Lord and Fenrir…"

Panic flashed across Lucius' face, but he recovered quickly. He leaned in close to the foul, wet beast that pretended to be a woman and whispered. "Do not ever speak those words again." He stood back up to his full height, hair glistening in the glow of the oil lamps and said loudly, "so the ministry once again must test us. Another ministry spy has come to attempt to pin some crime or evil action on me. I never believed that even the ministry would stoop so low as to hire a half breed spy, but apparently they have."

"Please Lucius, you know I'm not, you know me. I need to see him, I need to be with him."

"Even if I were stupid enough to stand against the ministry and try to get this beast freed," Lucius whispered, "I would never do it for a freakish beast like you. Now get out of my house before I become impatient and remove your flea bitten scalp." His wand was resting in his hand and Rocherna had no more recourse. She slipped out onto the grounds without another word.

Narcissa walked into the foyer holding Draco in her arms as Lucius watched the ghastly figure crawl back out through the gates to his estate. "What on earth was all that," Narcissa scowled. "A small bit of filth that is behind us now, dear. Are you and Draco ready for the reception?" Narcissa nodded and they shared a smile before the woman and child disappeared back into another part of the house.

Rocherna stopped outside the gate and threw herself to the ground. Then a voice called out to her, "Get up you wretched fool!" The voice was a woman's cold but deep. Rocherna looked up and saw the flowing black robes, dark curls falling in the woman's face, and deep set eyes that seemed to look right through her. "Bellatrix…"

"Shut up and come with me, now!" the witch commanded. Bellatrix Lestrange stalked off down the road in front of the manor, Rocherna followed.