Chapter 16: Prime Suspect
{"Open up the book you beat me with again...Read it off one sentence at a time...I'm tired of all the lines, convictions, and your lies...What right do you have to point at me?...Still crowding my space are the things that you still hold against me..."}Convictions, Absent Element/ Daughtry
Malfoy Manor, Wizarding World...
Lucius Abraxas Malfoy sat starting out a dust covered window in what had once been his private study. The now 63 year old wizard hardy left his home, however much of it was left following the second wizarding war's end.
His wife had been just as disillusioned and reclusive as he had been, following the deaths of her elder sister and oldest friend.
Draco had managed to pull his weight in the Wizarding World, grateful in all aspects for being able to marry and have a child of his own.
Sadly, the junior Malfoy's wife had succumbed to a wayward illness and passed away before their son's second birthday.
Draco took it all in stride looking at all he had survived during the dark lord's rise and fall for a second time.
Word had it, Scorpius Malfoy was set for his first year at Hogwarts, now that he was eleven years old.
Deep down, Lucius could not have been more proud of him. Sadly, the Senior Malfoy had not been the proud and confident wizard he once was.
Voldemort had done his best to break him. It only succeeded in small doses. The night of the final battles end, Lucius suffered a heart attack begrieved by the loss of his "little brother."
While he recovered physically from the attack, he had not recovered from the sorrow of the substantial loss and had been given to drink ever since.
Lucius Malfoy threw an empty firewhiskey bottle at the wall, causing it to shatter. The dull glow of his fireplace did little to hide the deep sorrow etched across his ghastly pale face.
Narcissa and Draco did their best to care for him despite his deeply rooted sorrow.
Looking up Lucius Malfoy had been a sorrowful sight indeed, his once brilliant and luxurious blond locks that hung down to his shoulders, like the mane of a powerful lion, had become lank and uneven.
His piercing gray eyes that conveyed mystery and smoldered with charm, now held only sadness and misery.
The brisk elegant walk which he had been known for with all the gracefulness of a gazelle had been reduced to a slow tortuous limp, not so unlike that of a viciously humbled peasant.
His supple milk colored flesh harsh and bruised by time and neglect gave him the appearance of a living ghost in the shell of the handsome wizard the world once knew and secretly desired from afar.
Bitter and broken seemingly beyond repair, the last remaining member of The Serpent Brothers Of Destruction awaited his own grim fate.
They had been gone for years, both Severus, whom had lost his life protecting Lucius and his family as well as Harry Potter and his friends, Regulus Arcturus Black baby brother to the obnoxious Gryffindor prat Sirius Black, bound in vow and blood to the the dark lord's will.
It wasn't until many years after the second wizarding war, that Lucius would know what became of his youngest and most ambitious protege.
With the loss of Regulus, Lucius became more determined to look after young Severus, but following the death of The Potters, Severus made it his mission to protect him.
"Damn you Severus!" shouted an angry Lucius struggling to get to his feet against the weight of the memories that plagued him. "Damn you both for leaving me here...alone while you both play martyr."
The images of the two younger wizards getting on like long lost brothers filled his drink clouded mind.
He had loved them, Severus Sebastian Snape, the boy whom he retrieved from the lake at Hogwarts when they attended together...Regulus Arcturus Black the charming baby brother of arrogant Gryffindor Sirius Black.
The two of them were the only family Lucius had prior to his marriage and following the death of his father, Abraxas Malfoy.
He had cared for them both as an elder brother would his siblings keeping them safe from harm and teaching them the ways of the world wizarding and muggle alike in terms of manhood.
Weighty tears streamed down the bitter gray eyed blond wizard's cheeks.
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The Sitting Room, Malfoy Manor, Wizarding World (1977)...
Severus Snape had been sitting in his usual place, the armchair formerly belonging to Pureblood wizard Abraxas Malfoy with a book in his hands and his obsidian eyes intently focused on the pages. This was probably the thousandth time he had gone through the old potions book that had previously done nothing more than collect dust on the old shelves of Malfoy Manor's library, but he didn't seem to care much about the number of times he had already read it.
He had not been alone, as a charming looking wizard with medium length dark brown hair and equally dark brown eyes seemed to lounge rather comfortably on the white elegantly crafted sofa complete with expensive gold trimmings. He had been wearing a suit with the emblem of the Slytherin house crest on the front of it.
He seemed restless as he glared at the black inked mark upon his left forearm.
"So...So that's it then." he said staring at the mark intently. "I am one of the dark lord's chosen?"
"You are one of my chosen." said the charming voice of none other than Lucius Abraxas Malfoy himself.
The young twenty something wizard strode with a kind of quiet grace into the sitting room and eyed the two younger wizards with the air of infinite possibilities. Both Severus and Regulus Black had been unique wizards with extraordinary talents and their power would only increase with study and time.
Severus smirked looking at Lucius make his grand speech. He knew it all to well having to have endured it the year before.
Regulus Black had been a freshly recruited member and opted to train under Lucius, mostly in a bid to be close to his Slytherin housemate Severus Snape. They had learned to watch each other's backs as far as the rest of the wizarding world had been concerned despite their initial animosities concerning Severus' half blood status and Regulus being the younger brother of Sirius Black.
"I am honored that you have elected to teach me sir." said Regulus truly grateful to be accepted among the ranks of the junior death eaters.
"What is all this sir, rubbish?" asked Lucius with a smirk. "I am no more old enough to be called sir than I am to be your collective fathers...we are apart of a brotherhood now...and given the circumstances we are in fact brothers."
"Indeed." replied Severus going back to his reading.
"Then brothers we shall be." said Regulus Black with a charming smile not so unlike the one Lucius wore.
"Brothers we shall be indeed." replied the handsome blond wizard. "But never forget that I am the eldest."
"Of course not old man." replied Severus with smirk. "We shall never forget the eldest of us given how close you are to being old and gray."
Regulus burst into laughter.
"Sod off Severus." replied Lucius narrowing his eyes. "You shall be as old as I one day and then perhaps Regulus here can remind you of how much of an elder you are to him."
"I very much doubt that I shall have to endure the atrocity that is old age, I am to be a potions master after all." said the cocky raven haired Slytherin.
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The Study,Malfoy Manor, Wizarding World...
Lucius Malfoy got to his feet, a painstaking process given his limp. He had been beaten so severely during his time at Azkaban and the subsequent end of the war that he had not moved as well as before.
He made his way out of the study, drunk and weighted down by profound sorrow. His long suffering wife sat quietly knitting in the sitting room where he briefly poked in his head and announced that he was leaving the house. She knew better than to argue with him. His temper becoming more volatile in the later years than ever it had been in his youth.
"Do be careful Lucius, your grandson would like to have you around." she said. "As will I."
"I make no promises." replied the embittered blond wizard. "Perhaps my death would give you some comfort, love."
With that he made for the door and fast apparated away from his once pristine and elegantly kept home.
War had destroyed more than the wizard himself it seemed looking at the once beautiful Malfoy estate and finding only hollowed remains of the vast and impressive sight it once was. Their dining hall had not even been used for family meals since the dark lord saw fit to use it as a command center and the subsequent murder of Hogwarts Professor Charity Burbage still haunted the halls.
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Knockturn Alley, Wizarding World...
Lucius Malfoy had been making his way through Knockturn alley in search of more drink when he caught sight of something that seemed to snap him out of his depressive state. Weary gray eyes took in the sight of a young wizard with tell tale pale skin, lengthy raven hair and what he noted to be obsidian eyes before the wizard turned his back to him.
The beaten blond wizard gasped in horror and amazement.
"I-It can't be." he said finding his voice trembling. "S-Severus?"
Filled with a burning curiosity as well as renewed sense of purpose, Lucius attempted to follow the younger wizard, whom had entered a local brothel.
As he got ready to enter, Lucius found himself thrown from his course of action into a nearby brick wall. He blinked in confusion only to find himself meeting the furious emerald green eyes of an adult Harry James Potter.
"Unhand me Potter." spat Lucius with a voice dripping with content. "I have pressing business."
"The only pressing business you have is occupying a Ministry cell for interrogation Malfoy." said Harry bitterly.
"What the fuck am I to be blamed for this time?" asked a world weary Lucius. "All out of other death eaters to accost so you've come back to your old pal Lucius?"
"You are no pal of mine." replied the green eyed wizard angrily. "Why are you organizing a group to attack the wizarding world?...why are you targeting me and my family?"
Lucius Malfoy rolled his gray eyes at the man whom had still been as prejudice and clueless as the boy he and Severus Snape fought so hard to protect.
"It's amazing that no matter how many years pass, you still remain a stupid, arrogant little shit." he said becoming annoyed. "I've not done anything to you or your worthless little family, I have been wallowing in my own misery, for fuck's sake I barely even leave the manor unless it's to chase drink and in case you haven't noticed, Knockturn Alley has been my second home for years...If I was interested in creating another group of blood crazed nutters, I assure you I'd be the first to know."
Harry didn't seem to believe it.
"I know about the Serpent Brothers Of Destruction." he said in a gruff tone.
Lucius Malfoy's eyes widened for a moment then narrowed.
"How dare you." he said bitterly. "How dare you stand here and throw that name in my face when you have barely a concept of that which you speak."
The green eyed wizard had been confused.
"Stupid boy, you believe just because you have Severus' memories that you know anything about him...or me for that matter?" asked the now angry Senior Malfoy. "Your pathetic little mind cannot even grasp the magnitude of your error in judgement and being blinded by prejudice doesn't help you either."
"What's that suppose to mean?" asked Harry defensive.
"It means, that I am the only surviving member of a group of three wizards." said Lucius. "There is no Serpent Brothers of Destruction as our objective was met via Severus in the last wizarding war."
"The new organization terrorizing the wizarding world say otherwise." said Harry. "And given that you are the last remaining member of the group that would mean you are their de facto leader."
Having heard enough, Lucius headbutted Harry and glared down at him murderously.
"I have lost more in the past two wars than you could ever imagine." he said bitterly. "I've lived in the shadow of a monster for years while attempting to keep my wife and son safe, only to lose my brothers to that despot, one because he believed in the greater good more profoundly than your shit eating order of phoenix, the other died saving the life of not only my only child but the life of an ungrateful little shit that was the very image of his heartache...I've been lost in the bottoms of bottles you could hardly tred and all the while you are celebrated and loved while I am scorned and hated, just as they were for lack of truth...but I formed no organization...I have no allies...I am just a man...not even fit to be called a wizard when I could do nothing to save the very boys who's lives I destroyed by bringing them into the dark lord's grasp."
It was only during this that Harry Potter really began to take in the sight of the once formidable Lucius Malfoy. He had been so beaten down that even the former boy who lived began to feel undoubted sympathy for him.
Just as the green eyed wizard came to the conclusion that Lucius Malfoy had not been the one behind the mask of this mysterious Arcturus, nor had he been apart of the currently renewed Serpent Brothers Of Destruction, he caught sight of a rather angry and already wand drawn Regulus Snape behind Lucius.
The older wizard raised his hands feeling the pressure of a wand pointed into the exposed flesh of his neck and looked down into the anxiously concerned eyes of Harry Potter.
"I-It's alright Regulus...don't hurt him." he stammered.
Lucius arched an eyebrow at the mention of whomever it was behind him's name.
"Regulus?" he asked inquisitively.
"Look geek boy, all I saw was this old long haired blond dude laying you flat on your ass and here you are telling me it's okay?" said the gruff tone of the American wizard.
"I was wrong when I accused him of a crime he didn't commit." said Harry knowing how volatile Regulus could be when he lost his temper.
The American wizard turned Lucius Malfoy around to face him, his obsidian eyes harsh as they examined the older wizard before him.
"S-Severus?" said the Senior Malfoy taken aback by the presence of the young raven haired wizard holding him at wand point.
"Legillimens!" he said in a low and dangerous tone.
Flashes of a boy with raven hair and obsidian eyes came flooding the mind of the American wizard. Images of his late father as a boy and the years he grew at Hogwarts under the watchful eyes of this strange old wizard before him.
Flashes of hostile fights, usual on the part of his father angry that he could never seem to measure up to Lucius in any fashion during his youth.
The fall out between them over a witch named Narcissa Black.
The reigniting of their friendship following the death of one other by the name of Regulus Black and the birth of Draco Malfoy, the only son of Lucius.
The American wizard watched as his father stood godfather to the baby Draco and vowing to protect him from any and all harm.
The closeness between this old wizard, this Lucius Abraxas Malfoy and his father had been evident in every image.
Regulus pulled out of the older wizard's mind noting the tears that had fallen down his pale cheeks.
"Severus." he said sadly.
"How do you know my father?" asked Regulus aiming his wand at the man before him.
"Father?" asked Lucius stunned. "S-Severus is your father?"
"Was." replied Regulus. "My dad's been dead for nineteen years."
Lucius had not known what to say. He had never even heard of his little brother fathering a child.
"If you don't mind my asking, when were you born?" he asked cautiously.
"Early 1979." replied Regulus with narrowed eyes.
Lucius own eyes widened.
"That would mean you were conceived during the revel of 78." He said understanding. "The Fairchild girl."
Regulus had not liked the idea of Lucius Malfoy's implications as Harry Potter began to get to his feet.
"Regulus..." began the green eyed wizard.
"He named you after him?" asked the Senior Malfoy with an arched brow. "After Regulus?"
The raven haired wizard simply glared at him. Lucius suddenly tore the sleeve of his formerly elegant shirt.
Harry's eyes widened when he saw the tattoo.
"My father had that same tattoo." said Regulus. "He often kept it glamoured...He and a blond wizard with gray eyes...you...the wizard was you."
"So it is as I thought we have met before." said the blond wizard. "Your father must have erased you from my memories."
"Why would Professor Snape do that?" asked the green eyed wizard.
"He wasn't a professor then...He was my little brother." said Lucius sadly. "He wanted to protect you...both of you."
Regulus put away his wand.
"I apologize uncle." He said.
Harry had been shocked to see the tears in the formerly handsome wizard's eyes.
"You look so much like him." he said in a sorrowful tone.
Regulus sighed.
"I'm not my old man." He said almost bitterly.
"I know." replied Lucius.
Regulus took his leave of them taking off without a word. Harry had wished the younger Snape would accept his help. As for Lucius, the green eyed wizard attempted to apologize finding himself alone once more and back to square one regarding whom he believed had been behind this new organization.