Later, the trio sat in the front row of Defense, chatting quietly with Lupin in the mirror. It was the last ten minutes of class, and they'd just started working on Patronuses that day. Lupin had finished his lecture early, and since there was only a bit of time left (and seeing as most of the students were already practicing their Patronuses in the D.A.), he had decided to get a fresh start on Wednesday, and let the class spend the last few minutes however they wished.

"Good news," he'd told them, before they could even say "hello."

"We could use some of that!" Ron said with a grin.

"Have you seen the Prophet?" Lupin asked.

"No, I haven't," Hermione frowned, "I skip lunch on Mondays, so I haven't had time to read it. Why, what happened?"

"They found Kingsley...Fred and George," he explained with a relieved smile, "He came back into the shop to ask for another Snackbox. Of course, by this time we were wise to the Death Eaters' plans, and Fred and George managed to stun him before he got suspicious. A few quick spells later, and he was back to himself and telling us everything."

"What happened? Was it the Imperius then?" Hermione pressed anxiously.

"See for yourself," Lupin said, smiling, "I believe Professor McGonagall left a copy on my desk this morning."

Hermione spotted the paper underneath their stack of homework, and extricated it carefully, Ron and Harry hovering over her shoulders, craning their necks so they could all read at the same time:

AUROR KINGSLEY SHACKLEBOLT UNDER IMPERIUS: LUCIUS MALFOY IMPLICATED

In both a small victory in the fight against He Who Must Not Be Named, and a sobering call to caution, Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt was released from the Imperius Curse just yesterday by intrepid entrepreneurs Fred and George Weasley at their establishment, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, in Diagon Alley.

While the Ministry's reports remain guarded, it is clear that Kingsley was indeed under the Imperius curse for a period of several weeks, and was ordered to visit the Weasley twins' shop, at which time, they realized he was under the curse, stunned him, and promptly called the authorities. Upon being freed from the curse, Shacklebolt immediately implicated Lucius Malfoy as its originator. This latest charge is added to Malfoy's growing list of offenses, including but not limited to breaking and entering, assault, and attempted murder. But is Malfoy truly a Death Eater, or is he in fact just as much a victim as Kingsley Shacklebolt himself?

Narcissa Malfoy (nee Black), Malfoy's wife, continues to defend his innocence, for one.

"I'd like to point out," she told the Prophet via Floo Powder, "That one under the Imperius Curse can be commanded to cast the Imperius Curse on others. Indeed, this chain tactic was used during the first rise to power of the Dark Lord, in order to make the crimes harder to trace to himself."

She also took great pains to point out his previously respectable place in the community – having dedicated much time and galleons to St. Mungo's, and other Ministry Causes, becoming a personal friend of Minister Cornelius Fudge in the process. Lucius Malfoy also served on the Board of Governors for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for six years, until the Board asked for his resignation three years ago, suspecting his involvement in Dark activities.

"Well, I'm deeply disturbed, of course," Cornelius Fudge told us, distractedly, "Lucius has been a friend of the family for quite some time. Had been, of course. But as I've said before, I can't imagine that he is acting under his own free will – I've always known Lucius to have a generous nature, and to be deeply involved in the wizarding community."

Head of Magical Law Enforcement and key member of the Wizengamot Amelia Bones had a different view of Malfoy's involvement: "I strongly doubt that such a powerful wizard as Lucius Malfoy could be acting under the Imperius Curse for such an extended period of time. This [I]involvement[/I] in the community that Minister Fudge speaks of now includes two out of three of the Unforgiveable Curses, and I for one, intend to ask for the Dementor's Kiss, if Lucius Malfoy is ever called before the Wizengamot. Unfortunately," she added, in exasperation, "The Dementors have currently deserted Azkaban Prison, and are unable to be found, save for the moments they elect to attack innocent students at Hogwarts."

When pressed, Ms. Bones stated that, "Yes, if Lucius Malfoy or any other Death Eater was found guilty of charges before the Wizengamot, I would support the death penalty for that witch or wizard. In light of the Dementor's absence, Azkaban has developed a swinging door, and I for one intend to see that justice is done and these heinous war crimes are deterred."

When asked about Cornelius Fudge's relationship to Lucius Malfoy, Bones declined to comment, but did state: "I consider Cornelius Fudge a respected colleague, but he is ignoring the main issues here: Azkaban is defunct, the Dementors are out of Ministry control, and He Who Must Not Be Named is attacking the Ministry via subterfuge. The Ministry must go on the offensive if it is to survive this second coming of the Dark Lord."

"Well, of course I'm concerned," Minister Fudge retorted angrily, upon hearing Ms. Bone's statement from the Prophet, "Yes, very concerned. But I'm [I]primarily[/I] concerned that one of our own Aurors could be so clumsy. I believe as Head of Magical Law Enforcement, it is not for Miss Bones to point fingers here. I also want to point out that while the Ministry is taking He Who Must Not Be Named very seriously, to refer to 'war crimes' or 'a second coming,' is both premature and inflammatory. The Ministry is not at war."

When the Prophet pointed out that the Unforgiveable Curse had taken place undetected within the Ministry itself, and raised the issue of security and damage control, Minister Fudge declined further comment.

On page four: Description of Security Measures currently in place in the Ministry: How did Malfoy manage it?

On page twelve: Tips on how to recognize, and ward off the Imperius Curse

On page fifteen: The Boy Who Lived names current Death Eaters

"That's old news," Hermione said, pointing at the page fifteen story, "They're still milking that press release you gave last year."

"So if Kingsley was cursed at work, then Malfoy's been sneaking into the Ministry?" Harry asked, scowling.

"Yes," Lupin said, his face clouding, "Or, was being [I]snuck[/I] in," Lupin said with a scowl, "But nobody's saying [I]that.[/I] Even the Prophet stopped short of suggesting it."

"It was Fudge, wasn't it?" Harry asked.

"He's lucky he doesn't end up in Azkaban," Lupin scowled fiercely, "Aiding and abetting. Of course, there's no proof that Malfoy was ever there, besides the one incident where he attacked Kingsley."

"How could he ever manage it?" Ron asked, befuddled, "Aren't they watching the Floos? You can't just march into the Ministry—"

"Lupin just said, Ron, he was probably there to see Fudge," Hermione said, frowning, "I imagine the [I]Minister of Magic[/I] would find some way to get him in undetected if he wanted to."

"If that's really true," Harry said, with a sense of alarm, "Fudge could be under the Imperius himself – the entire Ministry could fall to Voldemort's control at any time."

"I'm afraid that's a possibility, Harry," Lupin sighed, "Though it's doubtful Malfoy would use the Imperius on Fudge – no, magic is traceable, and detectable – good old fashioned manipulation is much neater."

"But there's no telling how many others he's put under the Imperius," Hermione said nervously.

"That is very true," Lupin said, nodding, "But Moody's back on the job, and so are Tonks and Kingsley, now. They keep an eye out for each other." Lupin laughed, "Moody more than others, of course. And thank God for Amelia...I hope she runs for Minister some day."

"Hmph," Hermione said bitterly, "They'll never elect her. The Ministry is still eighty percent men. It's a small victory she's even on the Wizengamot."

"Nobody's making the argument that the Ministry is ahead of the times, Hermione," Lupin admitted, "Or that they have everything well in hand, for that matter. But I wouldn't write them off entirely yet. There's still plenty of good, sharp people there trying to hold it all together."

But Harry didn't feel too comforted – after all, Malfoy had gotten to Kingsley once – if they couldn't stop him then, who's to say they could stop him a second time?

"Fred and George got another nice mention," Ron said, smiling ruefully, "They're going to be impossible."

"That's time, Professor," Hermione said politely.

"Ah, so it is," Lupin said with a smile, "Class dismissed, everyone! Remember, one foot! No less! And no generous spacing, or enormous lettering – I'm on to you, Seamus."

"I'm off to Occlumency," Harry muttered miserably.

"Have fun," Ron quipped.

"We'll see you at dinner, Harry," Hermione said, sympathetically patting him on the arm, "Do try your best."

"Thanks," Harry said, grinning sheepishly in spite of himself.

"Mind if I borrow this?" he asked Lupin, holding the folded paper aloft, "I want to read the rest."

"Take it," Lupin said, smiling from his place in the mirror, "I'm sure Minerva's finished with it."