Turning Lucius
Greta Jameson
2: The Outlaw Scholar
"Hello Lucius," Tony said as he pushed open the large metal door to his cell. "I trust you slept well and the food was to your liking."
"It'll do."
"Good. This morning we would like to discuss the events that led up to your decision to become a novice. Then, this afternoon, we'll cover the initiation and incorporation rituals. Why don't you start out by telling us about your first few days in Druben?"
"Well, very little happened for the first few days. I was just allowed to wander around the building. I have always been enamored of antiquities, and it was like having free reign in an art gallery. Voldemort collected some of the pieces himself during his travels, but most were given as gifts by visiting scholars and dignitaries. Then there was the magnificent library! I imagined it would have rivaled the one at Nineveh. Manuscripts and tablets on a wide variety of magical subjects. I spent hours sequestered there, and felt engaged and invigorated in ways I had not felt in years."
"So, you were a student of magical theory and history? There's no mention in your school records."
"Theory and history were the private passions of my youth. I translated several early works for myself and made special study of them."
"Really? Fascinating," Tony remarked. "Please continue."
"Right. Umm . . . Well throughout the building, people would gather in small, impromptu groups to discuss and debate magical concepts. Occasionally, a senior court member would answer questions or do a demonstration. At first I just listened, but one afternoon I remember that I came across a group discussing advanced apparition issues. One wizard was insisting that it was possible to prevent apparition and dissaparition simply by knowing how to construct the appropriate boundaries. And another wizard argued that regardless of the boundaries, each was always possible, one simply needed to study the boundary and discover how to work around its limits.
"You're right," I said to the second man, "but for the wrong reasons."
"How's that?"
"You're not going to listen to him are you? He is hardly more than a boy," the first wizard said.
But the other fellow bade me continue, so I said, "Well, I believe that one must ignore the existence of the boundary entirely. You see, visibility is our natural state, and the natural state of most materials. If one wishes to either apparate or to dissaparate something, one must simply allow it to be visible wherever you wish it to be."
I apparated one of the library's volumes as I explained, "The early writers were very specific in their use of the word 'supu', which means, 'to let oneself be visible', instead of 'sutapu', which means, 'to make oneself be visible or manifest'. They are consistent throughout most of their writings in the use of the first Akkadian verb, and I don't think that it is an accident. I think that they understood apparition and dissaparition to be complementary states like exhalation and inhalation. And apparition is by far the easier of the two to achieve."
"Who are you?" asked the first wizard.
"Lucius Malfoy, visiting scholar from England," replied a familiar soft voice. And we all turned to see Voldemort standing with Marcellus at the edge of the circle. "Thank you Lucius. Now, please return the book to the library and come with us."
"Yes sir," I said as I sent the book back and walked over to him." He frowned at me and said, "Now bring it back here once again," as he glanced sidelong at Marcellus.
Again, I allowed the book to apparate. Only when I saw him glare angrily at me, did I understand that I had superseded one of his own preventive boundaries.
"Now send it back," he said slowly. "And all of you try to stop him!"
"Master please, he doesn't understand what he has done," Marcellus pleaded.
And young fool that I was, I said, "Oh but I do understand, Marcellus! You could get all of the wizards and the witches of the world to oppose me, and it wouldn't make a difference. With all due respect, It's not a matter of power . . . it's a matter of perception."
"Just do it!" Voldemort roared
"I felt his fury and their determination to stop me, but again as I relaxed, the book vanished - or rather, it apparated in the library.
Everyone waited to see what Voldemort would do to me, but not for the last time, Marcellus saved my skin. He said, 'That was an impressive display, Lucius, especially for one as young and inexperienced as yourself. I'm sure the others will join me in thanking you for your demonstration', and he began a round of light applause that carried around the room. Then he whispered something to Voldemort, and they turned to leave. But before Voldemort reached the door, he said without turning round, "Lucius, I would like you to join Marcellus and myself for dinner this evening."
"And I assume you went?" Tony asked.
"Yes of course. One didn't refuse his invitations - not even back then."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, he was so different back then. He was more of a scholar. He cared more about knowledge and learning than about the projection of power. And he was much more human than the creature he has become since he was declared the enemy of civilization by all of you," Lucius said waving his hand dismissively.
"You can't be serious . . ." Jim started.
"Completely. None of this would ever have happened, if you hadn't persisted in your relentless hounding. He had to defend himself."
"DEFEND Himself! Is that what you call all the murders committed in his name?" Jim yelled as he pounded the table with his palm.
"And how many of us did you kill?" Lucius snarled back "I'll bet a young man like you has no idea of how many of us your elders did in. You'd probably resign from the service if you knew a little history. You are all at least partially responsible for what he has become!"
"Lucius, I think we are getting a little sidetracked here," Tony began.
"You must remember those days. You must remember what they did to him!" Lucius asked desperately
Jim looked to Tony for a reply, but he turned his head and refused to answer.
"He remembers," Lucius said bitterly. "They took away the only two things in the world that he cared about! First they destroyed his wife - or rather took away her humanity. She was a nagini, and somehow the aurors prevented her from ever becoming human again. And then, only a few days later, they burnt the library. I was there in the aftermath. I remember how he wept and just kept on repeating, 'They burnt my books. The barbarians burnt all of my books.' "
"Its true," Tony began, "We had been at war for almost a decade by that time. We were weary of the carnage and we wanted to do something decisive to destroy him."
"But it didn't destroy him, did it?" Lucius challenged
"No it didn't. And to some degree your right, Lucius. He didn't start out as the same person he is now, but he wasn't as good as you make him out to be either," Tony replied shaking his finger at him. "For a long time we regarded him as a sort of an outlaw scholar, and he peacefully coexisted with our world for many years. But around the time you became an apprentice, we were convinced that scholarship was not his principal goal - it was simply the means by which he acquired power.
"You see, because of his great magical knowledge and the freedom with which he shared it, Dark Arts communities were springing up and challenging the rule of law all over the world. In some remote places, governments had already fallen and were replaced by these semi-communal societies of His design. And whether they were in Africa, or Asia or the Americas, they all had one thing in common - Voldemort was the supreme authority. So you see, His empire building began long before the Ministry and its liaison moved against him. In fact, we are probably still burdened with him, because of our reticence - and of course, incorporation.
Tony sighed and said, "Well, I think we could all use a break. I know I sure could. We'll be back this afternoon to talk some more."
When they were a distance away from Lucius' cell, Jim turned to Tony and asked, "So, Mr. C. did you find out anything more about what brought Malfoy here?"
"I did."
"Well, aren't you going to tell me what happened?"
"I can't. I'm not even supposed to know."
"Sometimes I really hate this job, you know that?" Jim muttered
"Well welcome to the club!" Tony snapped loudly as he turned to face the younger man. "Do you think I want to spend my last days down in this stinking dungeon with the likes of a wretched creature like Malfoy? I've got a couple of months left before I retire and I'd much rather spend them wondering what's for lunch in the executive dining room than down here with him or with you for that matter."
"Sorry sir," Jim offered repentantly. "I really am grateful for the opportunity to work with . . . "
"Just shut up," Tony said roughly as remorse crept swiftly in on the heels of his anger. He watched the young man stare at his boots for a few moments before offering, "Look, it has nothing to do with you, alright. There are wheels turning upstairs that go far beyond either of us. I can't tell you much, but I can tell you it has something to do with a woman."
"A woman?" Jim asked incredulously
"Yeah. Seems You Know Who killed one of Lucius' lady friends," Tony replied not telling the new recruit the complete truth."
Jim looked sidelong at Tony as he assessed the sincerity of his words.
"For what it's worth, I don't believe it either," Tony smiled as he continued towards the stairs. "At least not completely. I've known Malfoy for years and I've never known him to have much of a heart, 'cept of course for that spawn of his in Dumbledore's care. Just keep your wits about you. By Gryffindor, we haven't seen the last of Lucius' tricks. I can feel it in my bones."
Greta Jameson
2: The Outlaw Scholar
"Hello Lucius," Tony said as he pushed open the large metal door to his cell. "I trust you slept well and the food was to your liking."
"It'll do."
"Good. This morning we would like to discuss the events that led up to your decision to become a novice. Then, this afternoon, we'll cover the initiation and incorporation rituals. Why don't you start out by telling us about your first few days in Druben?"
"Well, very little happened for the first few days. I was just allowed to wander around the building. I have always been enamored of antiquities, and it was like having free reign in an art gallery. Voldemort collected some of the pieces himself during his travels, but most were given as gifts by visiting scholars and dignitaries. Then there was the magnificent library! I imagined it would have rivaled the one at Nineveh. Manuscripts and tablets on a wide variety of magical subjects. I spent hours sequestered there, and felt engaged and invigorated in ways I had not felt in years."
"So, you were a student of magical theory and history? There's no mention in your school records."
"Theory and history were the private passions of my youth. I translated several early works for myself and made special study of them."
"Really? Fascinating," Tony remarked. "Please continue."
"Right. Umm . . . Well throughout the building, people would gather in small, impromptu groups to discuss and debate magical concepts. Occasionally, a senior court member would answer questions or do a demonstration. At first I just listened, but one afternoon I remember that I came across a group discussing advanced apparition issues. One wizard was insisting that it was possible to prevent apparition and dissaparition simply by knowing how to construct the appropriate boundaries. And another wizard argued that regardless of the boundaries, each was always possible, one simply needed to study the boundary and discover how to work around its limits.
"You're right," I said to the second man, "but for the wrong reasons."
"How's that?"
"You're not going to listen to him are you? He is hardly more than a boy," the first wizard said.
But the other fellow bade me continue, so I said, "Well, I believe that one must ignore the existence of the boundary entirely. You see, visibility is our natural state, and the natural state of most materials. If one wishes to either apparate or to dissaparate something, one must simply allow it to be visible wherever you wish it to be."
I apparated one of the library's volumes as I explained, "The early writers were very specific in their use of the word 'supu', which means, 'to let oneself be visible', instead of 'sutapu', which means, 'to make oneself be visible or manifest'. They are consistent throughout most of their writings in the use of the first Akkadian verb, and I don't think that it is an accident. I think that they understood apparition and dissaparition to be complementary states like exhalation and inhalation. And apparition is by far the easier of the two to achieve."
"Who are you?" asked the first wizard.
"Lucius Malfoy, visiting scholar from England," replied a familiar soft voice. And we all turned to see Voldemort standing with Marcellus at the edge of the circle. "Thank you Lucius. Now, please return the book to the library and come with us."
"Yes sir," I said as I sent the book back and walked over to him." He frowned at me and said, "Now bring it back here once again," as he glanced sidelong at Marcellus.
Again, I allowed the book to apparate. Only when I saw him glare angrily at me, did I understand that I had superseded one of his own preventive boundaries.
"Now send it back," he said slowly. "And all of you try to stop him!"
"Master please, he doesn't understand what he has done," Marcellus pleaded.
And young fool that I was, I said, "Oh but I do understand, Marcellus! You could get all of the wizards and the witches of the world to oppose me, and it wouldn't make a difference. With all due respect, It's not a matter of power . . . it's a matter of perception."
"Just do it!" Voldemort roared
"I felt his fury and their determination to stop me, but again as I relaxed, the book vanished - or rather, it apparated in the library.
Everyone waited to see what Voldemort would do to me, but not for the last time, Marcellus saved my skin. He said, 'That was an impressive display, Lucius, especially for one as young and inexperienced as yourself. I'm sure the others will join me in thanking you for your demonstration', and he began a round of light applause that carried around the room. Then he whispered something to Voldemort, and they turned to leave. But before Voldemort reached the door, he said without turning round, "Lucius, I would like you to join Marcellus and myself for dinner this evening."
"And I assume you went?" Tony asked.
"Yes of course. One didn't refuse his invitations - not even back then."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, he was so different back then. He was more of a scholar. He cared more about knowledge and learning than about the projection of power. And he was much more human than the creature he has become since he was declared the enemy of civilization by all of you," Lucius said waving his hand dismissively.
"You can't be serious . . ." Jim started.
"Completely. None of this would ever have happened, if you hadn't persisted in your relentless hounding. He had to defend himself."
"DEFEND Himself! Is that what you call all the murders committed in his name?" Jim yelled as he pounded the table with his palm.
"And how many of us did you kill?" Lucius snarled back "I'll bet a young man like you has no idea of how many of us your elders did in. You'd probably resign from the service if you knew a little history. You are all at least partially responsible for what he has become!"
"Lucius, I think we are getting a little sidetracked here," Tony began.
"You must remember those days. You must remember what they did to him!" Lucius asked desperately
Jim looked to Tony for a reply, but he turned his head and refused to answer.
"He remembers," Lucius said bitterly. "They took away the only two things in the world that he cared about! First they destroyed his wife - or rather took away her humanity. She was a nagini, and somehow the aurors prevented her from ever becoming human again. And then, only a few days later, they burnt the library. I was there in the aftermath. I remember how he wept and just kept on repeating, 'They burnt my books. The barbarians burnt all of my books.' "
"Its true," Tony began, "We had been at war for almost a decade by that time. We were weary of the carnage and we wanted to do something decisive to destroy him."
"But it didn't destroy him, did it?" Lucius challenged
"No it didn't. And to some degree your right, Lucius. He didn't start out as the same person he is now, but he wasn't as good as you make him out to be either," Tony replied shaking his finger at him. "For a long time we regarded him as a sort of an outlaw scholar, and he peacefully coexisted with our world for many years. But around the time you became an apprentice, we were convinced that scholarship was not his principal goal - it was simply the means by which he acquired power.
"You see, because of his great magical knowledge and the freedom with which he shared it, Dark Arts communities were springing up and challenging the rule of law all over the world. In some remote places, governments had already fallen and were replaced by these semi-communal societies of His design. And whether they were in Africa, or Asia or the Americas, they all had one thing in common - Voldemort was the supreme authority. So you see, His empire building began long before the Ministry and its liaison moved against him. In fact, we are probably still burdened with him, because of our reticence - and of course, incorporation.
Tony sighed and said, "Well, I think we could all use a break. I know I sure could. We'll be back this afternoon to talk some more."
When they were a distance away from Lucius' cell, Jim turned to Tony and asked, "So, Mr. C. did you find out anything more about what brought Malfoy here?"
"I did."
"Well, aren't you going to tell me what happened?"
"I can't. I'm not even supposed to know."
"Sometimes I really hate this job, you know that?" Jim muttered
"Well welcome to the club!" Tony snapped loudly as he turned to face the younger man. "Do you think I want to spend my last days down in this stinking dungeon with the likes of a wretched creature like Malfoy? I've got a couple of months left before I retire and I'd much rather spend them wondering what's for lunch in the executive dining room than down here with him or with you for that matter."
"Sorry sir," Jim offered repentantly. "I really am grateful for the opportunity to work with . . . "
"Just shut up," Tony said roughly as remorse crept swiftly in on the heels of his anger. He watched the young man stare at his boots for a few moments before offering, "Look, it has nothing to do with you, alright. There are wheels turning upstairs that go far beyond either of us. I can't tell you much, but I can tell you it has something to do with a woman."
"A woman?" Jim asked incredulously
"Yeah. Seems You Know Who killed one of Lucius' lady friends," Tony replied not telling the new recruit the complete truth."
Jim looked sidelong at Tony as he assessed the sincerity of his words.
"For what it's worth, I don't believe it either," Tony smiled as he continued towards the stairs. "At least not completely. I've known Malfoy for years and I've never known him to have much of a heart, 'cept of course for that spawn of his in Dumbledore's care. Just keep your wits about you. By Gryffindor, we haven't seen the last of Lucius' tricks. I can feel it in my bones."