A/N: A line in bold without quotation marks is something written. Thanks for reading and special thanks to Shygui for his beta skills. Someone is about to find out that you don't mess with the Greengrass family, even indirectly, and get away with it.
And if you wrong us shall we not revenge? - William Shakespeare
Over a month went by and winter was starting to give way to spring. The castle was still cold but there were occasional nice days that had the students outside enjoying the weather. Easter break was a short break so most students remained in school but it was also time for the second years to choose two or three electives to add to their course load for next year. After talking with Daphne, Harry was set on taking Runes and Arithmancy. Although they had talked about Care of Magical Creatures, they had ultimately decided that it didn't serve a purpose for either of them.
So it was that Harry found himself outside talking about courses with his Gryffindor friends. Neville was content with Runes and Magical Creatures while Ron kept trying to convince the other two boys to take his choices, Divination and Magical Creatures. Harry was convinced that taking a class he had no talent for was a waste of time so he refused to take Divination, much to Ron's chagrin.
What none of the others could understand was Hermione's determination to take all of them when she was only allowed three. Harry tried yet again, "But Hermione, it clearly says you can only take a maximum of three."
"I can handle the course load."
"But why? Do you seriously think you need Muggle Studies? You could teach that class!"
"So could you, Harry."
Harry snorted. "Which is why I'd never consider wasting my time in that class. Remember, Flitwick says he can continue the fighting class next year and we also have our workouts, which takes time. You'll burn yourself out for nothing."
That finally dented her determination. "Well, maybe not Muggle Studies then. Did you know you can take the OWL without taking the course?"
"There you go. I'm sure you can easily pass the OWL and not waste your time with a class you don't need. Maybe I'll do the same."
That seemed to please Hermione and she dropped the issue. Harry was still concerned that she'd try for four but decided to quit while he was ahead as Hermione had been quite stubborn on this issue.
Minerva had just finished going through the elective choices for her second year Gryffindors. She had to set one aside to have a talk with the student as Miss Granger had signed up for four of the five possible classes. There was no way she'd approve that. She was pleased with most of the electives although she did wonder how Mr. Weasley ended up not taking the same courses as his best friend Harry.
She had no idea what courses Miss Greengrass had selected but suspected that they were the same as Harry's. She was having quite the influence on Mr. Potter and it was all to the good as far as she could tell. Her talks with Harry had gone so well that they did them less often now. He seemed much less prone to brooding and his class performance had improved dramatically. Someone was finally giving Miss Granger a run for her money academically and he often surpassed her on the practicals.
What pleased her the most though was that her relationship with Harry was much more relaxed and open now. He was still obviously reticent in discussing the Dursleys but it was evident that the summer held no concern for him. She wouldn't be a bit surprised if he ended up going to Greengrass Manor rather than to his relatives. She'd give no hint of that to the headmaster as he was leaving Harry alone now and she wanted to keep it that way. She'd also felt there was no need to contact Roxanne Greengrass, Harry was finally able to concentrate on being a student and a child so there was no reason to stir anything up. If she was correct in her guess, things would become exciting enough when Albus realized that Harry was not where he wanted him to be.
Things were also going well for another of her Lions. Miss Weasley was much more cheerful and social now. It was heartening to hear her talking about having friends and she was also doing well in her classes. She'd not be surprised to see her in contention for top in her house and year despite a lacklustre start. Her next thought brought a depressed rolling of her shoulders, how she'd mistaken possession for homesickness she'd never know, she had to do better.
Shaking herself clear of those dark thoughts, her mind shifted to another of her Lions although she could take no credit for it. Mr. Longbottom's practical work had picked up quite well since he got his new wand. He'd not be in contention for top marks with the possible exception of Herbology, perhaps she should have a chat with Pomona.
The last one in that clique had her a little concerned. Mr. Weasley had improved in his practical work after getting his new wand but his theory work was still not inspiring. It was better than it had been but he was following the path of the twins rather than his other older brothers. Charlie may not have been quite as good a student as Bill but he'd been no slouch either. Percy seemed destined to be head boy with his work.
Young Ronald just wasn't up to those standards and she was slightly worried about him. He had good influences available to him but he didn't seem to be taking advantage of that. Perhaps a note to his parents would be in order. However, when she thought of the howler that his mother might send, she decided to send the note at the end of the year when her reaction would not be heard in Hogwarts.
Daphne was almost hyperventilating behind her warded and silenced bed curtains. She could shout all she wanted and nobody would know but she restrained herself. Not only would it be undignified but she needed to get what she wanted to write to Harry straight. She was so excited at the moment that she wasn't sure she would make sense to him. She went into an Occlumency trance to prepare herself.
She checked the time and it was getting a little late but time was of the essence, she'd have to hope he was still awake and be aware of her message. She took out her 'Harry Parchment' and got it ready.
Harry are you awake?
She waited so long that she was about to give up when she saw the glow of a response.
Is everything OK?
I have a plan for revenge against Lord Malfoy! It will require you and someone else to impersonate other people. We have to meet, all of us, and discuss it tomorrow. It will have to be after classes but time is of the essence. We have to have a plan tomorrow or it will be too late. Bring the potion with you, we have to make sure it's still potent.
Sure. What's the plan?
I'll tell you tomorrow. It's late and we both need our sleep. Besides, the plan isn't set until we all talk about it. I only have an outline right now but I think this will work!
Okay, see you tomorrow then.
Mundungus Fletcher slipped into the abandoned building off of Knockturn Alley. It was his regular time to meet with his friend Tom Burley, who was always good for some firewhiskey and a laugh. If not for that though, Mundungus wouldn't bother with him. He wasn't a customer or a good source of information but even a thief had to unwind with someone and Tom was as good as any for that.
His friend wasn't the most prompt person so he was unsurprised that Tom wasn't there yet. He settled in the room they normally used since it could not be seen directly from the outside. Most of the rest of the ground floor had broken windows that allowed for the chance of being seen. They wouldn't be doing anything really illegal but they did value their privacy.
He was surprised by the crack of Apparition, neither of them wished to attract attention so they didn't do that directly here. He'd do it to escape though and he quietly moved to where he could see into the next room. He was very surprised to see Tom but something was wrong, he was acting very nervous or frightened. What the hell was going on?
Suddenly, there was another crack of Apparition and his friend quickly moved out of his view. What was going…?
He froze in consternation when he heard his friend cry out. "Please, Lord Malfoy Sir. I din't do it! It was someone else!"
Mundungus froze in fear as he saw Lord Malfoy appear in his view. This was getting very much out of hand but he didn't dare move or Apparate unless he absolutely had to. He didn't want to have to look over his shoulder for the rest of his life. A man like Lord Malfoy didn't leave loose ends and the last thing Mundungus wanted was to be considered a loose end. The only safe thing was for Malfoy to never know anyone else was there. Malfoy's response made a chill go down his spine.
"I am tired of your excuses, Burley. You have failed me once too often. Avada Kedavra!"
His heart nearly stopped beating when he saw the green flash of the spell. This was getting worse and worse! He didn't even dare breathe!
"Tinky!"
He saw a house elf appear near Malfoy but he didn't get a good look at it.
"Take the body to the usual place. It must never be found."
He heard the elf say, "Yes Master" before it moved out of sight and then he heard the quieter sound of House Elf Apparition a moment later.
He nearly peed his pants when he saw Malfoy taking a slow look around the area but he didn't seem to see Mundungus in the gloom he was hiding in. He saw Malfoy gather himself before he twirled around and after a few steps, he heard him Disapparate. He wasn't sure how long he waited, he didn't even want to move to check the time. When he had heard nothing more for the amount of time his patience could last, he Apparated away and vowed to never return to this place again. He'd miss his times with Tom but he'd never stick his neck out for him. Besides, Tom was dead and he couldn't do anything for him now and after all, there was no honour among thieves.
Roxanne kept her Occlumency active to keep her face impassive as she approached the front gate of Hogwarts. She was surprised to see Hagrid waiting for her and since she had always gotten along with him she exchanged cordial greetings as he let her in. "Perfessor Snape should 'ave 'er ready fer yeh in the entry 'all Lady Greengrass."
"Thank you, Hagrid."
They exchanged nods and she walked on the path towards the castle. Being back here brought back a flood of memories, most of them good but some bad. She'd face some of the bad soon as she had never forgiven Severus for what he'd said to their friend Lily near the end of their fifth year. She'd been somewhat friendly with him previously although never close. After that though, she had no reason to ignore his attitude nor the company he'd kept. He was a marked Death Eater and although Dumbledore seemed ready to forgive and forget, that was not how she felt.
She climbed the steps and ignoring her slight twinge of nostalgia and nervousness, she opened the door immediately. She saw the two people waiting on her as soon as she stepped in. She closed the door behind her while keeping her eyes on Severus Snape. His dark eyes glittered at her as if in challenge but she met the stare head on and didn't break the silence until he did.
"Lady Greengrass"
She knew he was an excellent Occlumens so the slight derision in his tone was deliberate. She deliberately spoke back as if it were an insult. "Professor"
He blinked first and then looked away as he unctuously said, "I trust that whatever this is will not take too much of her time from Hogwarts."
As if he cared about any of his students, she'd heard too many stories from her daughter to believe that. "Whatever it is, is none of your business and it will take as long as it takes."
He turned in a swirl of robes and muttered as he left. "I will leave it to you to find your own way out, I trust you won't get lost."
Git. However, she could control herself better than him and merely ignored what he said and gave a smile to her daughter. "Come, Daphne, we have much to do."
"Yes, Mother." Daphne looked perfectly composed and followed her out. If she held the door slightly more than necessary for her own passage, there was nobody around to notice so Roxanne did not worry.
They walked in composed silence and Roxanne noted that even Hagrid was gone so there was no evident observation of their departure. She was slightly discomfited with the lack of security but it suited her at the moment so she'd do nothing about it. Of course, there could be some unseen observer so she led the way silently until they could be outside the grounds and less apt to be spied upon.
When she cleared the gate, she turned to watch her daughter and saw her hold the gate open for a moment longer than necessary before closing it. Roxanne gave her a small smile then led the way along the wall before stopping where they were unlikely to be seen from Hogwarts and casting a silent privacy spell.
"Is everyone here?"
She saw her daughter smirk as two heads suddenly appeared from thin air to her side. In the next moment two boys in casual attire appeared and the dark haired one approached her and accepted her offered hand. Her breath nearly caught in her throat, he looked so much like James but she saw Lily's eyes. She had to mentally shake herself to the present when he said, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Greengrass." His bow was low and his lips nearly met her hand.
"The pleasure is all mine, Heir Potter. Now, please, let us dispense with the formalities. I have wanted to see you again for many years, Harry. Please call me Roxanne." She then pulled him into an affectionate hug. She was disappointed when he stiffened. She hoped it was only surprise and not still the effects of whatever those awful Muggles had done to him. She was relieved when he relaxed and returned the hug. One down and one to go.
She ignored Harry's blush and her eyes sought the other boy who was now approaching her. He'd inherited the shape of his mother's face and there was also a hint of her in his eyes. The boy bowed low just as Harry had. "It is a pleasure to meet you again, Lady Greengrass."
"It is my pleasure that we may now meet more informally, Heir Longbottom. Please call me Roxanne and I hope I may call you Neville."
Neville blushed spectacularly but managed to speak politely. "Of Course, Roxanne. Daphne is my friend and I have high hopes that we can all be friends."
She pulled him into a hug as well and although he didn't stiffen nearly as much as Harry had, she could still detect his discomfort so she released him sooner than she'd wished. She had to pull herself into her Occlumency trance again so her emotions didn't overcome her. "It was my great pleasure to be good friends with both of your mothers. I want you both to know that I will always be true to the both of you and protect you however I can. I will be there tonight and will take any measure necessary to protect you both. Neville, are you certain you want to participate in what we will do tonight?"
"Absolutely, Lady … err, sorry, Roxanne. If Harry needs me, I will always be there. We have a familial alliance and anything less than my full support would be an insult to both our houses."
She was very glad that she already had her trance going, otherwise his quiet declaration would have brought her to tears. He was so like his parents and it almost physically hurt to see them in him. She didn't want to embarrass him again so she refrained from another hug. "I did not know your father as well as your mother but I do know that they would both be very proud of you at this moment, Neville."
She saw him stand taller and he seemed to have pull himself together a little bit too. "Thank you, Roxanne. It is my hope that I can live up to the example of both of my parents."
Suddenly Harry spoke up and his eyes seemed to glitter when he looked at Neville. "I think you're doing a good job of that already, Neville. I'm trying to do the same." The two boys smiled at each other but Roxanne sensed they were getting emotional and needed a distraction.
"Harry, is your house elf available?"
"Sure. Dobby!"
A house elf appeared in front of Harry and stated talking. "Harry Potter sir needs Dobby?" He then noticed Roxanne and practically prostrated himself in front of her. "Sorry, Dobby was not seeing Lady Greengrass!"
Roxanne was astonished by his reaction but then remembered how he must have been treated by the Malfoys. "You have given me no offense, Dobby. You only need to answer to Harry, not to me."
The house elf gave her an astonished look but then smiled. "Dobby is liking Lady Greengrass!"
She chuckled at his enthusiasm but they had things to do. "Thank you, Dobby. Do you understand what you need to do tonight?"
"Yes, Dobby understands."
"I would not be able to Apparate all three of them at once. Can you follow me with the boys when I take Daphne?"
"Dobby will be able to go to Mistress Daphne anytime. Dobby can follow with both sirs."
Roxanne was still enough in her trance to stifle her reaction but she saw that Daphne's impassiveness faltered in reaction. Obviously she realized what that meant. Neville must suspect as he gave Dobby a curious look and then glanced at Daphne who had recovered her outward aplomb by then. Harry looked oblivious so she decided to continue past this awkward moment.
"Very well, Dobby. Follow me with the boys." She held out her arm and Daphne quickly grasped her arm firmly. They Apparated away immediately. They appeared in an abandoned building and Daphne quickly began to speak, "Mother, I never said anything to…."
She cut her off as the boys could be there at any moment. "We can discuss this later, Daphne."
Daphne had just finished nodding her acceptance when Dobby appeared with both boys. When she had all of their attention Roxanne began to speak.
"This is the building where they meet. I have already put silencing wards around this place so we won't attract attention. We have about two hours before he will appear. We can practice and familiarize ourselves with the rooms. Based on my investigation, it appears that this room over here is where they meet and this room would be where we want to stage our little play. I have one of Mr. Burley's actual robes and I have a copy of one of Lord Malfoy's robes." She looked at Harry and asked, "Do you have the potion?"
"Yes, I brought all four vials."
He pulled two from one pocket and two from another and offered them to her. She checked the appearance and amount and found them all to be consistent with fresh, complete doses.
"Very good, Harry. These look fine." She put them in one of her own pockets and removed two smaller vials of her own. "I have the hairs, this vial contains hairs from Mr. Burley's comb supplied by his widow. This contains hairs from Lord Malfoy obtained a few months ago. My husband, like any true Slytherin, plans ahead."
She grinned at the boys who grinned back. Her daughter was distracted so she led the boys through what they had to do. By their fifth time through, they seemed to be at ease with what they had to do, even Dobby. The trick wand that was part of a duplicate of Malfoy's cane flashed a green spell consistently and Dobby was very good at simulating the sounds of human Apparition. Everything was falling into place.
Daphne had planned to be a more active participant in this endeavour but one statement by a house elf had completely thrown her off her game. She had never in word or deed implied any ownership of Dobby. She had never given him an order nor summoned him. She had never done anything with Harry that would make anyone consider them as betrothed.
She was well aware of the fact that house elves were sensitive to the magics involving their owners. She was also cognizant of how house elves addressed people. Calling her 'mistress' had implied a connection of ownership between her and Dobby or a strong connection between her and his owner, Harry. How could either be possible?
The only thing she could think of is that Harry had said or done something with Dobby while she wasn't around that he should obey her as he obeyed him or implied a betrothal or some other lifelong commitment with her. She could not imagine him doing the latter since she was not ready to date. However, asking Harry if he'd told Dobby to obey her would just bring up the subject when it was apparent he was unaware of the implications of Dobby's statement.
She had to force herself to focus on her duties when it came close to the time for the arrival of Mundungus Fletcher. She was disillusioned by her mother and was the lookout for anyone approaching the building. Her duties were fulfilled when their performance was completed with no clarity for her whatsoever. She had no idea what she'd say to her mother if she brought it up. If, right. She would bring it up, how could she not?
Roxanne spent most of her time glaring at the sorry excuse for a wizard that they were forced to use as a witness. They might be better off staging their scene at some random location with whomever happened to be there as far as accomplishing their objective. However, they needed this controlled environment for the safety of the children. The victim in this case was an employee of their target Lord Malfoy and this is the sort of person such people associated with.
She'd been quite willing to use deadly force to protect the children in her care but that was completely unnecessary as they were not interrupted and Fletcher was completely docile. Once their witness departed, she removed Harry's invisibility cloak that he'd insisted that she use and she was very impressed by it. She'd never seen one of such quality before and she'd seen the occasional odd glow where magic had been applied and she'd never heard of a cloak doing that. She went out where the elf was supposed to hide the boys and there they were, still in their potion-induced bodies.
"Thank you, Dobby. Again follow me to where I take Daphne, OK?"
"Yes, Lady Greengrass. Dobby understands."
She found Daphne and cancelled the disillusionment on her and she Apparated them to the office of one of her husband's warehouses. The elf and boys appeared momentarily later. Daphne stood quietly with her mother when she spoke to the boys. "We'll have to wait for you to recover from the potion before we can return to Hogwarts anyway. Do you have your clothing?"
Harry lifted a bundle he was holding and she nodded her understanding. "Good. You two can relax here while I have a conversation with Daphne. We will return shortly."
She walked into a small break room and when Daphne had gone to the table and sat down, she put a privacy spell on the door and sat across from her. Daphne was covering her nervousness fairly well but her mother could still tell. Before she could ask, Daphne began to speak.
"The only thing I can think of is that Harry told him to obey me too. No other explanation makes sense."
Actually there was another explanation but it would just annoy her daughter and she would not accomplish anything by bringing it up. "That would make sense." She saw Daphne relax and hid her smile. She thought it more likely that the two were forming a magical bond that Dobby could sense. However, she wasn't certain so she would only keep it in the back of her mind for now.
"How did you think it went?"
"I didn't see much but what I heard was very good. I know Harry sounded like Lucius Malfoy and I assume that Neville sounded like Mr. Burley."
"I think they did a marvellous job. They scared Fletcher pretty badly and I'm sure he believed everything he saw."
"Do you think he will come forward?"
"Not at all, he's a coward. He'll have to be forced into it but others will handle that and our part is done. I need to speak with Harry for a few moments, you can keep Neville company while I do that."
She saw Daphne give her a slightly worried look but she cleared her face before they returned to the boys. She watched Daphne's reaction and she again got the impression that she did not like seeing Harry look like Lucius Malfoy. Roxanne wasn't a fan of it either but it looked especially annoying to her daughter. She thought she knew why but would keep that to herself as well.
"The two of you did very well. Harry, I'd like a moment with you next."
It amused her to see a slightly concerned look come to Lucius Malfoy's face, something that the real one would avoid at all costs. He followed her quietly and they ended up in the same chairs as Daphne and herself had just occupied.
"Harry, I already know that Daphne has extended an invitation to stay with us for the summer but I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to extend that invitation personally. Your mother Lily was a close friend of mine and I would be honoured to have you stay with us. When she and James asked if my husband and I would consider being your guardians if needed, we said yes. It would be a great relief for all of us if you would come to live with us for the summer."
She had seen him relax almost immediately as she spoke and the big grin by the end was something she'd never seen or ever expect to see on the real Lucius Malfoy. "Thank you Lady – Roxanne." Harry paused to blush and she waited calmly to reduce his embarrassment. "I'm grateful and I accept your hospitality."
"Excellent, Harry. I'm glad that we have that resolved. I promise you that you will always be welcome wherever I live. There may not be any formal agreement between House Greengrass and House Potter yet but I consider you an ally and hopefully a friend."
"Thank you. I hope that someday we can make an alliance a reality between us. I appreciate what you are doing for me and I won't forget it."
She smiled at Harry before saying, "I look forward to that day, Harry. Now, let's go back to the others and wait for that potion to wear off."
Harry nodded back to her as they got up to leave the break room.
Things were awkward for the four Gryffindors that morning. McGonagall had forced Hermione to drop Divination to get down to three electives and she was in a foul mood. Her most common reaction to anything after that was a glare. The other three still stayed near her but they knew better than to try to engage in any unnecessary chit-chat.
Things had been going pretty well for most of the DADA class but then Lockhart started talking about his new book 'Basking with Basilisks', which included his defeat of the monster from the Chamber of Secrets. Harry had a bad feeling when a glowering Hermione raised her hand. He couldn't believe what she said when the professor called on her.
"How can you sleep at night after taking credit for someone else's accomplishments?"
Harry saw her glaring at the professor so he looked for his reaction and saw pure befuddlement. Apparently, he was still under the impression that Hermione was one of his fans.
"Miss Granger, are you suggesting that I have taken credit that I am not due?"
"I'm not suggesting it." He saw the professor relax. "I'm stating it as a fact!"
It was Harry's turn to worry. He was sitting next to her so he turned to her, dreading what she might say next.
"Five points from Gryffindor, Miss Granger!"
This was getting out of hand. He reached over and gripped her nearest wrist and when she angrily turned to look at him, he pleaded with her to drop it as he whispered, "Don't."
She glared back at him and ripped her arm away from his grasp. She folded her arms over her chest and silently glared at the professor. He was thrown off his game so badly that he ended up letting them go early.
The three Gryffindor boys followed after her as they headed towards their tower. They let her get ahead of them and stayed back. They noticed that the rest of their year mates stayed even farther back. Harry was tempted to throw a glare at them for being cowards but then he wasn't too anxious to face her again either.
Harry's heart plummeted when she got into a shouting match with the fat lady. This was very bad, he'd never seen her so angry. The portrait eventually opened and Hermione stomped into the common room. The three boys came up to the portrait to see a pouting fat lady who eventually started to glare at them.
He looked at his two friends and asked, "What do you reckon we ought to do?"
Neville's eyes got big and then he said, "Don't look at me. You two have known her longer than I have."
Harry gave him a disappointed look and turned to Ron who looked more pale than usual. "I think we ought to let her calm down on her own. See if she wants to talk in a day or two."
"A day or two?" Harry gave Ron the disappointed look next and Ron just shrugged back.
Harry grumbled to himself about Gryffindors who had no courage and gave the password. The fat lady was still upset but she opened promptly. Harry entered with his two friends and started approaching Hermione. He saw her sitting at the table with her book bag on the floor, her arms folded over her chest and she was glaring at the wall. Harry slowed to a stop as he recalled Daphne's comments about courage vs. stupidity. Maybe Ron was on to something and she needed some time to herself.
He turned and headed for the stairway to the boys' dorms. He heard a couple of snickers behind him but ignored them. Wankers, the both of them.
Mundungus Fletcher honestly had no idea how he'd gotten into this mess. He must have been obliviated but unfortunately, he'd used that excuse a couple of times in the past and those damned Aurors had to go and keep records and know all about it. This time it was real though! However, he'd finally had to concede that he had no way of proving it.
He wouldn't worry at all about possession of stolen property, which was nothing to him. However, they seemed to have proof he'd stolen the loot himself and they kept hinting that they had other cases that they'd like to pin on him. He tried not to cringe when he heard someone coming towards his holding cell, he knew they wouldn't give up that easily.
Just his luck, it was an Auror with a big smile and a copy of the Daily Prophet. He didn't know what the paper had to do with whatever he wanted to talk about but Mundungus was certain he wouldn't enjoy the conversation.
"What's wrong, Dung? You don't look happy to see me."
He gave him a mild glare, the most he thought he could get away with.
"We're curious about the death of your good friend Tom Burley."
What? Very few people knew about him and Tom. Had somebody set him up? Maybe he could try that defence.
"We're not the only ones. See this article? Somebody has put up a 25,000 Galleon reward for whoever can help convict his killer."
Dung had never seen much less possessed that much money at one time. He could set himself up in an at least semi-legal business with that kind of money. The moment his hands touched the paper he knew he had to have that money, would do anything to have it. He'd even tell the truth.
The moment he'd seen the projected memory, Lucius knew he was in trouble. The thief's testimony under veritaserum hadn't bothered him much but that memory pulled the rug out from under him. At that moment, he knew somebody powerful was behind this. Somebody with a lot of resources who would not leave things to chance. He was in real jeopardy of being convicted.
Somebody knew he used Tinky to dispose of those things he didn't want found. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that memory. That was his face, his cane and his voice. That looked like one of his robes. That had looked and sounded exactly like the late Tom Burley.
The irony was, that although this memory was false he was guilty. He'd never been to that place nor said exactly those words but he was guilty of this crime. He had used Avada Kedavra and he had used Tinky to dispose of the body. The only thing they'd missed is that he had transfigured the corpse into a pig carcass before Tinky dumped it in the Acromantula lair in the Forbidden Forest.
Someone knew him well enough to pretend to be him effectively. They knew his habits, knew where he'd be that night and could duplicate his possessions. If that someone had influence in the Wizengamot as well, he was doomed. He contemplated who would be the key member to whether he had a chance and decided it was Lord Ogden. Although he was not one he bribed, he generally saw eye-to-eye with him and didn't require bribing. If Ogden was with him, he had a real chance of acquittal. His eyes sought him out and saw him as he looked back with a smirking stare. He was doomed, without support from conservatives like him, he'd be convicted.
He listened to his barrister blather on but paid little attention as it meant nothing. He had no alibi as not only had he been meeting with his employees in his black market potion business at that time, they were bound by oaths that would kill them if they spoke of him. Even if he could offer them for an alibi, they'd never survive confirming it. He knew any defence not covered by evidence as thorough as the prosecution had would fail. He was going to Azkaban, the only question was for how long.
Harry knew from Hermione's expression that it was good news when she passed him the newspaper. He smiled as he read the headline.
Lord Malfoy Sentenced to Life in Azkaban!
He looked to the Slytherin table but saw no sign of the younger Malfoy. Next his eyes sought Daphne and he saw her look back at him and wink. She looked back down at her breakfast but the message was delivered. Mission accomplished.
Filius had to admit that he was having great fun teaching them to fight. He'd taught them more goblin hand-to-hand fighting techniques than he'd planned but it was paying off. Harry, Daphne and Neville showed real promise and Ron and Tracey had some potential. Unfortunately, Hermione didn't have the drive or appetite to be good at it.
For this night, he tried some two on one duelling. Hermione had lost to Ron and Neville as they had coordinated well and she had not been aggressive enough. Harry had nearly won the stalemate against the two Slytherins as he'd stunned Tracey and kept Daphne so busy and driven her back so that she couldn't revive her. He'd run out of time though so he'd had to call it a draw.
Daphne had complimented Harry at the end of the duel and the way she kept watching him, he suspected they'd be a couple one day if Miss Greengrass had anything to say about it. The Potter boy seemed oblivious as befitted his gender and age but he was sure that Miss Greengrass would teach him a thing or two. Minerva had given him promising guesses about Potter but Filius wanted to be sure plus he was going to sound out Harry on duelling. When he dismissed the others with his compliments on their effort, he held Harry back.
Once the others had left Harry turned to him and asked, "Is there a problem professor?"
"Not at all, Mr. Potter. I have enjoyed teaching this class. I rarely get to do so much one on one instruction and it is reminded me of my days on the duelling circuit. Actually, that is one of the things I'd like to talk about. You have some real potential, have you ever considered entering duelling tournaments?"
"Not really. I'm only vaguely aware of them but I've heard that you were very good at it."
"I was and I'd always hoped that I might one day coach someone on the duelling circuit. You have real potential. If you have the motivation and time, I'd be interested in mentoring you."
He waited with a small smile as the boy looked gobsmacked. He finally recovered and began to respond. "I appreciate the thought, Professor. Right now though, I'd have to say no. I expect to be rather busy this summer and I'd have to know more about what I'm getting into before I could give a positive answer. I hope you understand."
"Absolutely! If you don't have both the drive and time to focus on this, duelling is not for you. Although it would help you to get in sooner rather than later, I myself didn't start taking it seriously until I was 15. You still have time if you want to reconsider."
"Thanks again. Professor."
"The other thing I wanted to bring up is rather personal in nature. I won't be offended if you don't want to discuss it with me. It's just that I want to be sure that your summer accommodations will be safe." He could see that boy was being careful and thinking before he responded, that was very encouraging.
"I feel very good about where I'll be this summer. It will probably be the best summer ever."
"I suspect the headmaster might not like your choice but do not be concerned. I am much more interested in a student's wellbeing than what the headmaster wants."
Harry grinned and said, "Thank you, Professor. You and Professor McGonagall have been wonderful to me this year. I appreciate what you have both done."
"I'm just trying to do my job, Mr. Potter. However, I appreciate the fact that you feel we are doing it well."
He may have arranged to be in the minimum security wing but Azkaban was still an awful place to be. He seldom felt the effects of Dementors and never very closely but he was still in a cell. In a dark, poorly ventilated, depressing, boring cell. Only his family and barrister had visited and there were restrictions on how often they could visit.
This gave Lucius a lot of time to think. He should have been more suspicious that a no-account like Burley had somehow been worth a 25,000 galleon reward. Even his widow didn't seem to care that much, not that she had the money to do it anyway. Whoever had conspired to put him here had put up that money and it was a minor expenditure to whoever it was.
He would dearly love to know who had done this to him. He had enemies aplenty, that was not a promising starting point for an investigation. He had tried to find out who put up that reward but had no luck whatsoever. That meant the mystery person(s) were careful and probably powerful and most likely from a pureblood family like him.
Unfortunately for him, the more time that passed the less control he had. He could still get information but his ability to control events outside his cell was eroding every day. Receipts from the black market potions business were dropping. As far as he knew they were making as much of it as ever, they must be keeping more of the profits for themselves. He had never had a second in command, never shared vital information on his businesses, not even with his wife.
The problem was, he had no ready enforcer to take back control. He sometimes sent a thug like Crabbe or Goyle but most of his enforcement had been done personally. He couldn't trust those idiots to act on their own now as they'd probably get themselves caught, the inbred imbeciles.
His wife had been a Black and she could be a heartless bitch if she wanted to be but he couldn't trust her. Theirs was the epitome of a pureblood marriage: loveless and arranged. She had gotten her duty of providing an heir out of the way quickly and didn't associate with him more than duty required ever since. She'd gladly host a ball or party, take in the current gossip for any potential interesting nuggets, he could depend on her for that. However, he was certain that she knew about his preference for boys. He'd been discrete but she was a Black and despite him disposing of the remains as he had Burley it had gone on for too long, she must know.
Her only weakness was that disappointment of an heir that she had provided him. He should have taken a firmer hand with the boy more often but he'd spent time on business and his hobbies and left too much of raising Draco to her. She would do much, perhaps anything, for her son. However, if she felt it was advantageous to their son, she'd abandon him here and never lift a finger to help. His only hope was that one day his investigations would bear fruit and he'd have someone he could try to lash out at.
Harry had gotten the first settlement check from the contractors and although they were going to store much of their harvest to avoid flooding the market, his initial share of the proceeds was still nearly 350,000 galleons. He transferred half to the account Daphne had designated for her and put some of his money in his own account and some in the account for the school that McGonagall had told him about. Now he had to find her and tell her to start buying new school brooms and that they could fund more scholarships.