I have a beta now! WHOO all my thanks to the wonderful ItsAJace!
December 1, 1991
Knockturn Alley
Lucius walked into Knockturn, as the sun began to set.
He strode past the shambled storefronts, and side-stepped past some drunks.
One of them called out, "Spare a knut?"
He ignored him and continued walking. He swept past some more drunks, headed up a flight of stairs, passed by a shady tattoo parlor, and entered a seedy looking pub called, "The White Wyvern".
The bartender, known only as Lloyd, looked up when he saw him enter. He was famous for the muggle suit that he always wore, and for his few words.
"Good evening Lloyd", drawled Lucius, "I'm here to meet with my associates."
"The boys are in the back," replied Lloyd in a quiet voice. "Remember, no dueling in here."
Lucius gave him a curt nod, and headed towards the backroom. He gave a knock on the door, and it swung open.
Inside sat the Lords that headed the Conservatives: Nott Sr, Goyle Sr, Crabbe Sr, Gaspar Avery, Janus Selwyn, Cyrus Greengrass, and Mathis Flint. The men stopped their discussion and looked up at him.
"You're late Lucius, and you're the one who called this meeting!", sneered Janus Selwyn.
"I apologize for my tardiness", said Lucius mockingly, "I had something of great importance come up."
"Just get to the point Lucius. Why did you call this meeting?", asked Avery as he took another shot of Ogden's best.
Lucius walked over to the table where they were drinking, and sat in the empty chair at the head of the table.
"As you all know, the next full Wizengamot meeting is on the 14th. I have reasons to believe that it will be a turning point for our faction."
Selwyn snorted. "Malfoy, you say that at the beginning of every damn meeting you call and most of the time it's some bloody bull that you make up."
Lucius smiled thinly at him. "This time it will be different. I have great reason to believe that we will be having the support of a powerful house and lord by the end of the meeting."
Selwyn laughed, "Who's going to join us in this climate, Lucius? We all know that the progressives won't switch sides unless something extreme happens. So, what's going to happen? Will we be springing bloody Sirius Black from Azkaban? Maybe raise Salazar Slytherin from the dead while we're at it?"
"You are correct Selwyn. Yes, I have gotten a trial for Sirius Black."
The entire room gave him incredulous looks.
"Have you lost your damn mind Lucius? There's no way in hell that he beats that case. The progressives won't let him out and we know he's on their side. Even if he were to prove his innocence, why on earth would he join our faction?", scoffed Flint.
Lucius rolled his eyes. "I have convinced Cornelius to give Black a fair trial. The trial will show that Black is innocent, of that I have no doubt. And afterwards he will be joining our side."
Cyrus Greengrass gave him a skeptical look. "How sure are you about this Lucius?"
"One hundred percent. I have his word that he will join us."
The entire room then looked at him skeptically.
Lucius sighed. "I assure you that he will join us. There is no chance that this does not happen."
The room grumbled, but no one spoke out against it any further.
Selwyn scoffed. "This was a waste of time. There's no way that a former auror who is famous for abandoning his family beliefs, will become one of us.
Lucius smiled confidently. "Indeed. How about this Selwyn. If I'm wrong, you can take my position as the speaker for the Conservatives."
Janus Selwyn's eyes lit up. "Oh, I like that Lucius."
"But if I'm right, you will hand over the Selwyn grimoire."
Selwyn grimaced and paused before replying, "You have a deal."
"Well then, it's settled. Gentlemen on that Saturday, I will have your full cooperation. Follow my lead per usual."
Everyone nodded, and soon the room began to empty, leaving only Lucius.
Lucius walked out of the backroom and made his way to the bar. He raised his wand, and Lloyd slid a shot of firewhisky over.
~~o0o~~
December 14, 1991
Malfoy Manor
Harry woke up to the sound of banging at his door.
"Wake up Harry! If you don't get up, you'll be late for the trial!"
Harry groaned and rolled out of his bed. He glanced over at his window and noticed that the sun wasn't up yet. He groggily put his robes on and with some choice charms, freshened himself up for the day.
He headed downstairs and went over to the kitchen. Inside, Sirius and Abraxas were speaking in low voices, while Draco ate breakfast with his mother at the table.
Sirius's face brightened when he saw Harry come over.
"Good morning Harry! You ready for your big day?"
Harry arched his eyebrow at him. "You're nervous, aren't ya?"
Sirius punched him in the arm lightly. "You would be too, if you were faced with the possibility of having your soul sucked out."
Harry winced. "I guess that would put a damper on things."
Sirius shrugged. "You know what, I'll be fine. I've been through worse."
"Like what?", piped up Draco.
Lucius then chose to make his entrance. "No time for a long, fabricated story. We're going to have to get there early to make sure Sirius gets detained by the right people."
Abraxas nodded. "Indeed, it would be prudent to do so."
"Father, why can't I go? Harry's going so why can't I go", asked Draco.
Lucius pinched the bridge of his nose. "We've been over this a hundred times son; your presence is not needed there. Harry on the other hand will be needed for other things after the trial."
Draco huffed and stormed up to his room.
Harry cast a tempus charm. "I think we should get going."
"But Harry, you haven't had anything to eat yet darling", said Narcissa.
Harry shrugged. "I'll be fine."
"Enough talk. Let's go!", shouted Lucius.
Lucius pointed his wand at Sirius, silenced him, and conjured some chains. He then grabbed his arm and the two spun around and disapparated.
Harry looked at Abraxas, and received a nod. He took a deep breath and walked over to the fireplace. He pinched some floo powder, threw it on the floor and cried out, "Minister of Magic's Office!"
Harry felt his body woosh up as he traveled in darkness. When Harry opened his eyes, he found himself on the floor. He jumped up and found himself face to face with the minister.
"Sorry about the mess sir", he said charmingly.
"Oh no, no my boy. It's is all good. It's a great honor to meet you Harry."
Harry shook his hand. "No sir, the honor is mine. I'm honored to meet such an esteemed minister."
Fudge laughed. "Quite the charmer? Lucius is a bad influence on you."
The fireplace then roared behind them, and Abraxas stepped through.
"Cornelius it is good to see you again."
Fudge nodded. "Indeed. It's good to see that you're truly in good health again. Now, are you sure that Lucius's plan will work?"
Abraxas put his hand on Fudge's shoulder. "There is nothing to worry about Cornelius. Sirius Black is indeed an innocent man, and your administration will get all the credit for freeing him."
Fudge sighed. "Alright then. Let us head on down to the Wizengamot court."
The three were walking down towards the room, when a toadish woman intercepted them.
"Good morning Minister. I have added your request to the Wizengamot's agenda but I don't understand why-"
The minister cut her off. "Delores, my reasons are my own."
She gave a sick smile to the minister then widened her eyes when she saw Abraxas and Harry.
"Lord Malfoy", she simpered as she gave a deep bow.
Harry snickered and Delores Umbridge shot him a withering glare.
"Madam Umbridge, I am no longer the Lord of my house. That honor, I have passed down to my son", said Abraxas.
"Of course, sir, my deepest apologies", said Umbridge as she fluttered her eyelashes at Abraxas.
"I'm sorry Delores, but we are all extremely busy and are needed in the Wizengamot meeting", said Fudge as he snatched the documents from her hands.
He shuffled through them then nodded, "Good work Delores, keep up the work and you may see a promotion to senior undersecretary in your future. For now, we will be off."
With that Fudge lead Harry and Abraxas towards the courtroom, leaving behind Umbridge. They walked down the hallway until they reached the door of the courtroom. The auror at the door stopped them.
"Good morning Minister, I assume you will be going to your seat. But Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter, this is a closed Wizengamot session. It is for members of the House of Lords only."
Fudge spoke up, "They are with me Auror Jones, no need to worry."
He looked at Fudge hesitantly before nodding and stepping aside, allowing the three to pass. When they entered, the courtroom quieted down, before erupting in whispers.
Fudge walked to the back and motioned for Harry and Abraxas to sit down. Fudge then walked back to the front. Abraxas then suddenly let out a curse. "I must leave you Harry, something of great importance has come up. Let Lucius know later that I had to go." Abraxas then pulled out a glowing trinket and left the room, leaving Harry there.
Harry looked around the room and nervously ran his fingers through his hair. He looked around, but Lucius had still not entered the room. He checked his watch, there were five minutes before the meeting would start. He looked to the front of the room and noted that Dumbledore wasn't here yet either.
As if the universe was reading his mind, the door to courtroom burst open, and in strode a peeved looking Dumbledore and a smug Lucius. Dumbledore walked over to the podium at the front of the courtroom and addressed the gathered Lords.
"Good morning to you all, and welcome to our annual winter Wizengamot meeting. Now, if you take a look at our agenda, you will see that our beloved minister has added an emergency topic onto the agenda using his executive powers. I think it would be best if he addressed us all before, we begin."
Fudge wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, took his place at the stand, and began to speak.
"My esteemed lords, I will not take much of your time. But something most important has come up, and I believe it is too important to wait for it to go through the usual process. My administration has discovered a great miscarriage of justice. An heir to the seat of a Most Noble and Ancient house has been imprisoned in Azkaban, FOR LIFE, without even a trial!"
The news caused an uproar.
"That is outrageous! A pureblood heir does not even receive a trial?"
"A man was thrown into Azkaban for life without the ability to defend himself?"
"Order! Let us be civil here!", shouted Dumbledore from his place beside Fudge. The members began to settle down and the room fell quiet. Then from the back, someone raised a lit wand.
"The Wizengamot acknowledges Lord Malfoy."
Lucius stood and began to speak, "Thank you Chief Warlock. I say that we should grant the poor soul in Azkaban a fair trial right now."
Fudge elbowed Dumbledore to the side. "Do not worry Lord Malfoy, I have already seen to it that he receives a trial. If the Chief Warlock is willing, we can give the man his justice right now." He then looked at him expectantly.
Dumbledore sighed, "As you wish."
"Aurors, bring in the man", shouted Fudge.
"Who even is it, that you deemed it important enough to put it on the top of our agenda?", whispered Dumbledore furtively.
Fudge merely smiled.
The doors then banged open and Auror Dawlish and Auror Proudfoot led in one haughty looking Sirius Black. Sirius looked around the room but his eyes seemed slightly dreamy. His gaze fell upon Harry, but he showed no recognition.
The room proceeded to explode in noise once they recognized the man.
"SILENCE! The defendant is one Sirius Orion Black!", shouted a furious looking Dumbledore. He flicked his wand and a chair rose from the floor. The two aurors then seated Sirius on the chair, and golden chains immediately wrapped him up.
"Fudge you incompetent fool, everyone knows that Black is guilty!", shouted Dedalus Diggle.
"Lord Diggle, I will ask that you refrain from making such remarks", said Dumbledore. He then waved his wand once more, and a list of charges began to hover above the court.
"Sirius Orion Black, you face the charges of being an accomplice to the killings of James and Lily Potter, the killing of Peter Pettigrew, and treason. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty!", said Sirius.
The court murmured angrily at this.
"Do you have a defense?"
"I have been accused of being the right-hand man of Lord Voldemort, but as you all can see, I do not bear the Dark Mark. I am also willing to consent to veritaserum and the accompanied legilimency probe."
The Wizengamot began whispering among each other at the possible ramifications of this move.
Dumbledore rose from his stand, nodded at Amelia Bones, then headed down to the floor of the court. He walked over to the clerk who handed him a small vial of veritaserum. Dumbledore then strode over to the bound man, and waved his wand over Sirius, and a faint golden glow emitted from him. He then motioned over Amelia Bones and conjured a piece of parchment with several questions on them.
"Lords of the court, Sirius Black has not ingested the antidote as seen by my charm", said Dumbledore as he began tipping the potion into Sirius's mouth.
Sirius face fell completely blank. "We will begin the interrogation of Sirius Orion Black. I shall be doing the legilimency, while our esteemed Head of DMLE, Amelia Bones will be overseeing the questions", said Dumbledore. He then rolled up his sleeves, pointed his wand directly at Sirius, and whispered, "Legilimens."
Sirius's eyes went completely unfocused.
"Mr. Black, did you betray the Potters to Lord Voldemort?", asked Amelia Bones.
"No. The secret keeper was Peter Pettigrew, I was the decoy", said Sirius monotonously.
"Were you a servant to Lord Voldemort at any time?", she pressed.
"I was not."
The court scribe scribbled furiously as the assembled Lords began tittering at this news.
Amelia Bones looked down at the parchment in her hand. "Did you murder Peter Pettigrew?"
"I did not. I went to apprehend him, but he escaped from me", he said blandly. His eyes then began to refocus, and the dreamy look that had been his eyes receded.
Lucius stood. "The man is clearly innocent! Release him right now!"
The outburst was met with clapping and cheering from around the room. Surprised by the outburst, Dumbledore broke the legilimency link.
Dumbledore grudgingly nodded to Amelia, and she administered the antidote.
He returned to the stand and addressed the court. "During my legilimency probe, Mr. Black made no move to resist it. He also allowed me to peruse his memories. I believe his account. I ask that the court vote him innocent."
The crowd clapped and cheered.
"Order! All in favor of the innocent verdict?"
Every wand rose except for Lord Selwyn and Diggle. Harry noted their faces from his seat in the as he began clapping with everyone else.
"Well then its settled. Sirius Black is innocent, and now a free man!", shouted Fudge jovially.
The chains that had been wrapped around Sirius receded, and he bowed to the Wizengamot.
"At this time, I would like to claim my family seat!", said Sirius as he jumped up from his chair.
"Is there anyone who would deny him this, or challenge him for the seat?", asked Dumbledore as he rubbed his eyes.
The room rang in silence. "Then it is settled. Please welcome the new Lord Black to the Wizengamot." Sirius bowed and soaked in the applause.
Dumbledore then took the stand once more.
"Now if we can continue our scheduled agenda, I have an important matter that I believe is extremely important. As you all may or may not know, Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, has been staying with his muggle family up until this point."
The conservatives at this stood in uproar.
"The savior of our country was left with some filthy muggles?!"
"The sheer audacity of that man!"
Dumbledore raise his hands in a gesture of peace. "They were his only living guardians. I as his acting guardian, as dictated by his parents will, was in charge of his living situation and I felt that it would be safest for him there."
Harry grimaced when Dumbledore said that. Safe? More like treated as a house-elf.
Dumbledore continued. "That said, his relatives have recently died to a tragic accident. As of recently, Mr. Potter has been with the Malfoys, but I think it would be best if I were handed back full control of his guardianship."
For the hundredth time, the chamber went into complete uproar. However once the noise died down, only Sirius was left standing with his wand lit.
"The court recognizes Lord Black", said Dumbledore with a sigh.
"I believe that I should have guardianship of Harry Potter. I was made the godfather of Harry, and as you all know, as his magical godfather I would've acted as his surrogate if it weren't for my -eh- unfortunate arrest. I am fully willing to submit to a medical diagnosis proving my mental sanity as well."
"Lord Black for his safety, I think it would be best if I were to retain guardianship. After all you do not even have a dwelling to live in yet."
"I beg to differ, Chief Warlock. The Black ancestral home remains as secure as any other residing, and is fully accessible to me."
Lucius took his stand. "Chief Warlock, I think that you were overstepping when you placed young Mr. Potter with the muggles. It should have been discussed in the Wizengamot at the very least. I move that we grant guardianship to Lord Black, it is, the least we could do for him. After all, we have robbed him of more than a decade's time with his godson. We should right our wrongs."
Most of the lords shouted in approval.
Lucius continued, "And shouldn't we ask the boy himself? After all he is right there." He then pointed to where Harry was sitting.
It was as if everyone in the room just realized that he was there. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, as many of the congregation began whispering excitedly as they pointed at him.
Dumbledore looked at him surprised as well. "Mr. Potter, I am sorry, I did not see you there. What would you like to do?"
Harry looked at the gathered lords and began to speak. "I have no knowledge of what kind of person Sirius Black is. In fact, I cannot remember him too well. But I can tell that he seems like a good person who wants to change his life for the better. I would like to be placed with Lord Black."
Dumbledore forced a smile. "Then we should vote. All in favor of Mr. Potter going to Lord Black?"
Nearly every wand rose, and people began to clap.
"And all against?"
Only Diggle and a few of Dumbledore's staunchest supporters raised their wands.
"It is settled. Harry Potter is officially under the custody of Sirius Black."
Harry smiled and walked over to where Sirius was sitting. They began to talk as the rest of the meeting went on around them.
"That was some good acting. I'm assuming everything went according to plan?"
Sirius smiled, "Yep. Everything ran smoothly."
Flashback
Fudge's Office
Lucius and Sirius entered the office.
"Minister here is Sirius Black, all according to the plan of course", called out Lucius.
Fudge looked up from his papers, and instinctively went for his wand. "Are you sure he's innocent?"
Lucius sighed. "Cornelius, if he weren't innocent why would I have brought him in? We've been over the plan already."
Fudge put his hands up in a defensive gesture. "Alright, alright calm down, I was just making sure. Proudfoot is waiting for you in the room down this hallway."
Lucius nodded and subtly placed a large sack of galleons on Fudge's desk before leading Sirius down to the room.
He led Sirius into the room and found himself with several wands pointed at him.
"Gentlemen, it is okay. He is not the Dark Lord's right-hand man, and is quite safe."
Auror Proudfoot approached them cautiously. "We will be keeping him here until we get the signal. Then we will lead him into the courtroom. Is there anything else that we missed?"
Lucius shook his head. "I will be placing a temporary memory charm on him, in case of legilimency."
Proudfoot eyed him suspiciously. "Why's that?"
"It does not concern you, so do not be concerned by it", he replied coldly. He then discreetly dropped another smaller bag of galleons. "For your troubles."
He then turned to Sirius. "Good luck. Obliviate Brevis."
End of Flashback
Harry nodded satisfied. "How much money has Lucius sprung for this whole operation?"
Sirius shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I know it's a lot because Lucius put those manacles on me a lot tighter than usual."
Harry and Sirius spent the next couple of hours in bored silence, as the Wizengamot began debating cauldron thickness, broomstick regulations, and the issue of goblin monopoly.
Sirius then whispered to Harry, "It's almost over, were on the last thing on this bloody agenda."
Harry sighed in relief as he watched Dumbledore replace Dirk Cresswell on the stand.
"As is always for our final agenda, are there any new Lords that require nominating?"
The room chuckled as no one stood.
Dumbledore gave a small laugh as well. "In that case I conc-"
A tall thin figure stood at the back of the room. "I would like to take my seat."
Dumbledore peered down his glasses as he tried to make out the man's face. "And you are?"
The tall man walked to the front of the room. He looked rather young, and had a rather handsome face with dark hair.
"I am Tom Marvolo Gaunt. I am here to claim my birthright", he said in a cold voice.
The room fell into a shocked silence, and Dumbledore stood frozen at the podium, all the color drained from his face.
"As you can see, here is my family ring, he flashed a large black stone with some lines etched into it, and here are the documents that I have brought from Gringotts that trace my blood back to the Gaunts."
Cresswell went forward and flipped through the documents. "These are genuine documents from Gringotts", he announced.
Dumbledore regained his composure. "Well then Mr. Gaunt your seat is right there to the right of the Blacks. I congratulate you, but must ask, what has taken you so long to claim the seat? We were led to believe that the Gaunt line had died out several decades ago."
Tom stood taller. "I have recently found out about my heritage. I have been travelling the world since I graduated Hogwarts, and upon my travels I learned of my past. I was an orphan you see."
Dumbledore nodded slowly. "I understand. Well, this concludes our Winter Wizengamot. I wish you all well."
He then abruptly turned and exited the chamber.
Avery turned to Sirius, "The man's lost his marbles!"
Sirius gave a weak laugh. Lucius then approached Harry and Sirius. "We must go immediately. Lord Grindelwald will need to hear about this immediately. Where is my father Harry?"
Harry shrugged. "He said something came up and left the room."
Lucius and Sirius exchanged looks and frowned, but said nothing of it.
The three then left the room.
Malfoy Manor
Lucius's Office
Later that evening
Lucius sat with in his office, with the face of Grindelwald and Abraxas in his mirror.
"My Lord, father. I am pleased to tell you that our plan went according to plan. However, something of great importance has come up. But first, father where did you go?"
Abraxas shook his head. "The Zabini Chateau was attacked by vampires. We have no lead on why they did so. There were quite literally hundreds of them. Lord Grindelwald had already killed most of them, but requested my help in clearing them out. Don Zabini is currently in critical condition."
Grindelwald nodded. "Abraxas is correct. I fear that we may have another enemy in the shadows, but that is a discussion for another time. What has happened, that you needed to speak with me so urgently?"
Lucius took a deep breath. "Lord Voldemort has taken the appearance of his younger self. He has also taken a spot on the political field by claiming his ancestral seat."
Grindelwald's eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "This is most concerning. Lucius, I want you to make contact with those who can approach him safely. We need to see what his motive is this time around. Also send me a copy of your memory as soon as possible."
"Of course my Lord. I will keep my ears open, and see what my connections can find."
Grindelwald nodded. "Excellent. How goes it with Harry and Sirius?"
Lucius smiled thinly. "Harry continues to show his magical brilliance. Sirius is also warming up to our ideologies."
Grindelwald smiled, "That is good. Keep a close eye on them both. I have found out that Voldemort has approached Harry. Keep him very far away from him."
Lucius bowed. "Of course, my Lord."
~~o0o~~
December 24, 1991
Malfoy Manor
Harry grumbled as he fidgeted in his dress robes. "Why do I have to go to this stupid thing?"
Draco laughed, "At least you haven't had to go to these things every year. It's just a place for old people to gather and gossip, but it is tradition."
"You two look so handsome!", gushed Narcissa.
She reached over and straightened the lapels on Harry's robes. "Now be good, and make a good impression. Making connections is key at these things."
Harry sighed.
"Hurry up you two. Sirius said he would be waiting for us."
Draco nudged his dad, "Why are you always in such a hurry father?"
Lucius ignored him. "Into the floo gentlemen, Narcissa with me. And Abraxas said he's not going, something about aching feet."
Narcissa went to his side and kissed his cheek. "You look dashing, dear."
Harry and Draco rolled their eyes and made their way to the floo. "Ministry of Magic Ballroom!"
The event in question was the annual Yule Ball that the ministry threw, for its high-ranking officials and members of the Wizengamot both of the House of Lords and Commons. Of course, it also had A-list celebrities and other famous people from around the world. All in all, it was considered the most glamorous event of the year.
Harry came out of the fireplace and almost immediately ran into someone.
"Sorry bout that", he mumbled before turning to find Draco.
Draco was as it turned out, right behind him. "Harry mate, what's up with you."
Harry shook his head. "This is just dumb."
He turned only to find himself almost tackled.
"Harry! It's so good to see you again!", said Tracy as she hugged him tightly.
Harry patted her back awkwardly. "Yes, it is good to see you as well."
Tracy laughed and grabbed someone as they exited the floo. "Daphne and her family brought me here."
Daphne shook herself out of Tracy's grasp. "She's crazy about these things. I have no idea why! She's been going on like this for the last several hours!", she whispered into Harry's ear as Tracy began going on about how wonderful the ball was.
Harry laughed and pulled Daphne out of the path of the fireplace as more people began coming in.
Daphne let go of his hand. "It is good to see you. I did tell you that I would see you again."
Harry nodded appreciatively, "Yes you did. Although I didn't find out about this thing until Lady Malfoy informed me the night before. She brought me here by wand point."
Their conversation was interrupted by Draco.
"A hello Draco would be nice. I understand that the shiny chosen one is much cooler, but you're going to throw away years of friendship away for this twat?", he said with a smile.
Daphne shook her head jokingly. "Yes, Harry is far better than you Draco, I'm afraid."
Draco began mock pouting. Daphne sighed with a smile and brought him into a side hug. "Yes, it is good to see you too you little bugger."
"There you are Daphne, Tracy, we've been looking for you!", said a tall man with cold eyes. His gaze fell upon Harry. "And will you introduce me to your friend here.
"Hello father", she said exasperatedly. "This is Harry Potter."
"It's nice to meet you Lord Greengrass", he said politely with a bow.
'Hpmh', was the response.
"Harry there you are!"
Harry turned and found Sirius striding over to them with a glass of champagne in his hand. "And who's the lovely lady here?"
"This is Daphne, and this is her father Lord Greengrass."
"Charmed", he said with a knowing smile to Daphne. He then straightened his features and eyed Cyrus.
"Lord Greengrass, it is good to see you again after all these years."
"I do not know if I can say so as well. After all the last time I saw you, you had cursed my head into a pumpkin."
Sirius winked at Harry. "Ah I am so sorry about that. Perhaps the fact that I've joined your little faction makes you feel better?"
Lord Greengrass sighed, "Your support will be welcomed."
Sirius smiled. "Maybe we can be friends after all."
"Hey Harry, Father wants to talk to you!", shouted Draco over the noise of the crowd and music.
Harry nodded to Sirius and bowed slightly to Lord Greengrass.
"I'll find you later Daphne."
"You better, you owe me a dance."
Harry smiled back and walked over to where Lucius and Draco were. "What do you need Lucius?"
Lucius glanced around. "As you know, the Dark Lord walks among us. There is a chance that he is here. Do not under any circumstance approach him."
"Ah you don't need to worry about that Malfoy."
They spun around and found themselves looking at half the conservative party.
"The Dark Lord wishes to speak to you three." With that, Avery, Crabbe, and Goyle grabbed onto Lucius, Draco, and Harry respectively, and port keyed out of the party.
When they stopped spinning, Harry immediately got his wand in hand and broke both the arms of Goyle. Draco fell to the ground disoriented. Harry turned and began to duel Crabbe. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Lucius do the same with Avery.
A quick Sectumsempra finished Crabbe. He went to Lucius's aid, but found that Lucius had already bound Avery.
"Where are we?", asked Draco, his face pale with fear.
"Quiet Draco, we need to get out of here as fast as possi-"
"Now, now Lucius are you already leaving the party? It has just started!", laughed a cold high voice.
The three turned slowly and found themselves looking at Lord Voldemort and about fifty other Death Eaters.
Harry and Draco were promptly stunned by Voldemort.
"We are at the graveyard in which I was resurrected. You should have been there Lucius; it would have saved both you and me a lot of trouble", sneered Voldemort in his cold voice.
Lucius began to bow very deeply as he pulled his off hand from his pocket. "My Lord-"
"SILENCE!", snarled Lord Voldemort angrily. "You and I both know what happens to traitors. Your punishment begins now!
"CRUCIO!"
Lucius began writhing in agony.
Voldemort took the spell off. "I think we need to approach your punishment a different way. "Maybe it should start with the death of your son!"
Lucius rose quickly. "Leave him out of this."
Voldemort laughed coldly, "Avada Kedavra!"
The jet of green rushed towards Draco before Harry could do anything. He watched in horror as the green light was mere inches from Draco, when Lucius intercepted it with his own body.
Lucius fell to the floor, his body crumpled. The stunner wore off and Draco and Harry fell forward. Draco immediately rushed over to Lucius.
"NO! Father, no, no, no, please don't be dead. Wake up! Dad come on! DAD!"
Voldemort ignored the cries of Draco and turned to Harry.
"Harry Potter, I gave you a choice back when I taught you Defense against the Dark Arts. What will it be Harry? Will you join me and reach echelons that no man has ever reached? Or will you turn away, and meet a premature end. This is your last opportunity. Do not force my hand. I would hate to extinguish such a bright talent before it reached fruition."
Harry opened his mouth to answer, but then he heard a crack from his right. Grindelwald had arrived.
"Hello Lord Voldemort."
~~o0o~~
Meanwhile
Hogwarts
Dumbledore stood at the head of the table. He looked back at the many teachers that were gathered.
"Thank you all for coming, on this Christmas eve. I will keep this as brief as possible. As you all know, the Ministry is beginning to interfere at our school. They have finished their inspection today and you will be glad to hear that they will not be returning."
Most of the professors smiled at the news.
"However, they have decided that Hogwarts will not start until the start of the next school year. OWL and NEWT year students will take their classes in the ministry over the summer. That is unfortunate, but quite out of my hands. So, I advise that you all prepare your lesson plans accordingly. That is all that I have for you all. Enjoy your holidays."
The assembled professors cheered and began filing out.
"Minerva, Severus, could you two stay behind for a second?"
The two in question remained back and sat on the chairs to the right and left of Dumbledore.
"Have either of your candidates for DADA responded?"
"I am afraid not Headmaster", drawled Severus.
"Minerva?"
"I went to the home of Remus, and found that he is under a job contract for the next year. He also cannot respond to owls, which is why I had to go all the way to Siberia."
Dumbledore sighed. "I'm afraid that this means that I will have to hire Gilderoy Lockhart as our DADA professor."
Snape sneered. "That man is a fraud, anyone with half a brain could realize that."
McGonagall nodded in agreement. "Albus we can't have that man teaching our students, especially not during these times. I remember the boy; he couldn't transfigure a spoon for his life!"
Dumbledore shook his head. "We have no choice. It is either him or a ministry spy. Thank you both for trying."
The two shook their heads and left the headmaster.
Dumbledore rubbed his eyes wearily. It had been one extremely rough year. 'Harry's last remaining family had been killed, the boy hated him, Sirius had refused contact with him, and the ministry blamed him for everything! Why couldn't people understand that he didn't want power, but just to help them. He had only their best interests at heart.'
He conjured the day's Prophet. He flipped through and saw more defamatory articles. He felt the Elder Wand sing for retribution, but he buried the feeling. He felt a strong anger surge through him when he saw that everyone believed that he was going for the minister's position. Did they not remember that he turned the position down hundreds of times? Or that he had kindly and helpfully responded to all the mail that Cornelius had sent him? Even his position as Chief Warlock, he had only taken that so that a corrupt man couldn't!
Suddenly, the chandelier dangling over the table in the room snapped and hurtled towards the floor.
Dumbledore raised his hand and halted its descent. Fawkes then swooped into the room and perched himself on Albus's shoulder. The phoenix began to sing, and Dumbledore let the song wash over him.
He calmed himself and gave Fawkes a serene smile. Fawkes was right.
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.