Chapter 26
Lucius's patience was running thin. Draco should have come crawling back to him already. When had his son become so defiant? Lucius had spent years beating that out of him and the idea of starting over from scratch was not appealing. Lucius let out a frustrated sigh as he eyed his hotel room. It was nice enough he supposed but it might as well have been a rats nest compared to where he belonged.
He built the Malfoy fortune and made the Malfoy name one to fear and respect. His son had done nothing but destroy all of Lucius's hard work. Consorting in muggle markets, giving the council seat to that mongrel and turning his back on his heritage. Rage boiled under his skin as he sipped his morning coffee and began flitting through the letters he had received last night.
Most of them were from disgruntled peasants voicing their outrage at his release or placing vague unimaginative threats against his life should he 'step out of his place'. Lucius tossed those letters into the fireplace with barely a glance but then he reached a letter that caught his interest.
To: Mr. Lucius Malfoy
From: Your biggest admirers
There was no address, but his interest was piqued. He tore open the letter with eager interest. As he read the letter a mixture of disgust and joy filled him to the brim. His son had done more than turned his back on his family heritage. He had spat on everything he had been taught. To convert around pretending to want to marry a mudblood was one thing but having children with her? That was beyond insulting.
However, it seemed one of these abominations had already been taught her true place. To think a half-blood in Slytherin how sorrowful the times had become. But the most interesting thing was the blatant admiration and almost pitiful cry for Lucius's praise. These were people who knew the true power players. The end of the letter simply stated that if Lucius needed anything else to send a letter with the tawny owl that would arrive every day at 8am. Also include was an image of a young girl's beaten and bloodied face. The hair was unmistakably blonde, and the girls sharper features marked her parentage like a glowing bulletin board. The picture is one that would bring a wave of compassion and guilt crashing over most human beings but in Lucius all it brought was a profound sense of pride in this admirers' handy work. There was also a photo of another girl with red hair, but she meant less than nothing to him and was only briefly mentioned as another creature that had been reminded of where she belonged.
To think someone was out there destroying that little whore's life and that of her children and Lucius hadn't needed to raise a single finger. All he had to do was exist and there would always be those people who wanted to prove themselves to him. His bad mood slowly began to eb as he reread the letter. Part of him wanted to reach out and express his delight at the results but another part thought of his promise to his son. If he said nothing his admirers could believe he was displeased with their results and strike out in even worse ways and Lucius would remain blameless. After all he never asked for any of this, not that he minded it in the least, but in the eyes of the law and his promise he would be faultless. Hm, destroying everything without doing anything that was the dream wasn't it?
Scorpius and Alec were watching their fellow housemates interact with one another trying to find anything suspicious. Looking for any injured hands or puffed up attitudes but nothing was standing out. Aries had told them a rough description of how Gemini was looking and had been through and both boys were chomping at the bit to figure out who was involved.
After watching Aries and James's altercation the boys quickly scanned the faces of the crowd around them. Most people were in a state of shock or anger towards James's words but then their gazes fell on Sam Goyal who looked relaxed, smug even, at the fight. A small smirk seemed to tug at the corner of Sam's mouth before he turned back to his group of friends and started to eat again. Now maybe the smug look was just due to seeing the Gryffindor's fighting, but Scorpius and Alec meet each other's gaze and knew it was suspicious enough to bag some follow up.
They waited patiently for Sam to leave with his group and gave it another minute, just to be safe. They glanced down both sides of the hallway trying to figure out which direction the group went.
"So, uh maybe waiting wasn't our wisest move." Alec commented sheepishly.
"Ya think?!" Scorpius growled back. "Look lets split up alright you go left and I'll go right."
Alec nodded and they separated. Alec walked slowly down the left side keeping a wary eye and eavesdropping on the conversations around him but most of them were just ideal gossip and rumors. Pretty soon he had reached the staircases with no sign of Sam or his friends. He was just about to head back and meet up with Scor when a conversation grabbed his attention.
"I can't believe both of them got taken out so quickly. I mean they are the first mixed bloods to ever get into Slytherin. I heard that some of the older boys were taking credit. I don't know if they were serious or just trying to make themselves seem more dangerous." A girl in Ravenclaw said to another girl.
"Please I heard how hurt that Greystone girl was. Apparently they had to call in Severus Snap. Do you really think that any student could do that? Those guys were just blowing smoke. But whatever or whoever did this has my parents on edge. Their talking about taking me out of here and sending me of to Beauxbaton instead." The second Ravenclaw whined.
"That sucks. But seriously Nelly do you think I should tell the professors what those guys are saying?" the first girl asked glancing around nervously.
"NO! On the off chance that they did do it I don't even want to know what those Slytherin's would do to the person who ratted them out. Molly I know you're scared but we have to look out for each other." Nelly exclaimed grabbing her friend's hand tightly.
"It's just the group I heard it wasn't just Slytherins some of them were from our own house and maybe all of the houses. There were at least 7 of them. Oh, Nelly I'm scared." Molly responded shaking.
At Molly's words Alec's blood froze. All the houses? A group of people claiming responsibility for not one but two attacks? He had to meet up with everyone so they could figure out their next move. Taking on one or two people that would've been one thing but a group of 7 that was a bit more daunting. Alec took off in the direction Scorpius had gone hoping he could find him before Scor got himself into trouble.
Scorpius was leaning against a pillar in the courtyard keeping his eyes peeled for anything. He had found Sam's little group and gotten close enough to overhear Sam say that he had a little meeting here in the courtyard about the attacks. Now it was just a waiting game. Sam knew something and Scorpius wasn't going to leave this place until he figured out just what that something was.
It was dark outside with the stars and moon's light barely doing more than assisting in the elongation of shadows so hiding from view was easy. Soon a small band of people entered and gathered around the fountain. Scorpius squinted and tried his hardest to make out faces but unfortunately the very thing that kept him cloaked in darkness also lent its assistance to those he wished to see.
"The letter was sent hopefully we will hear back from him by lunch. If you see the tawny owl enter with a letter make sure to keep it out of sight. Claim its from your family and put it away. We will meet again when a week has passed, or we receive word. Now how is everything going?" A guy said with a deep gravelly voice that Scorpius couldn't place.
"Unfortunately, the security in the hospital wing is to heavy to finish either job. The wounds that were inflicted were significant in both cases however the teachers arrived earlier in both cases than was suspected. Although we did manage to find a new member. As things stand we need to fade into the shadows and wait for the right moment to strike. Hopefully our master will respond with his own thoughts and instructions. We're at a stand still until security gets lightened or the targets get moved to St. Mongol's." A female voice responded in a voice that sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
"Well that's disappointing but the future is not built on impulsivity its built-on patience and strategic moves. I have heard some whispers of people taking credit for what we did but rather than be annoyed or vengeful I say we use these wannabes to help stay further in the shadows. If anyone decides to tell the teachers I say we throw those posers to the wolves. Our plans are delicate and will help us get into the ranks that will change the world as we know it. It will bring us back to our rightful place at the top of the magical food change and remind those below of who truly holds all the power. Till next week I want the regular surveillance maintained on both the targets and target two's friends and family. We need to be careful and discreet. That should be all for this evening unless you all have anything to add." The gravelly voice questioned.
"Uh I know I am a new member, but I just have to ask who is this master?" Sam's voice was unmistakable.
"The master is the only man fully equipped with the right vision and ability to lead us into the future but as your status barely reaches fresh meat why don't you save those questions for when you prove yourself," The girl from before snapped.
The group went silent and then dispersed one by one and after they were all gone Scorpius just collapsed onto the ground in shock. Should he go to the teachers? It wasn't like he could actually identify any of the members. All they would have to go off of would be his word and his impression of their voices. No, he needed more information but right now he needed to let everyone know what he found out. This was going to blow their minds.
