Come the Maëlstrom
Chapter Twenty
Lucius was sick and tired of this hospital room. He was sick of the immaculate whiteness that was only broken by the light green of his blanket; the ever present scent of pine antiseptic was infuriating – who had decided it should be pine anyhow? Salazar, even the way the light bounced off the pristine tiled floor infuriated him. And Tonks and Okolo... well he was civil to Tonks as she extended the same courtesy to him, but Okolo... he managed to derive much amusement in riling her up.
On the bright side, his treatment had progressed at a rapid pace. According to Idun, it was about three times faster than she had initially expected. It more than likely had to do with the fact that he was sick of this place and wanted nothing more than to be gone from here. Idun was anticipating him to be out of here in a few days now rather than September. It was heading into the fourth week of July and he was facing the ever lovely prospect of attending his trial.
From what he could gather from the bits and scraps of Tonks and Okolo's conversations, his trial was the most lengthy. Almost every other Death Eater trial had been a rather open and shut case. His just might drag on until late September or even longer, considering the tangled grey mess it had become. Valerian was doing all that he was paid for and more.
The crinkle of a page of being turned made him look up to find Tonks perusing a copy of Witch Weekly. "Is there anything else decent to read?"
"Not for you there isn't," Okolo replied as she perused her copy of the Daily Prophet. "Just sit there, shut up and look pretty why don't you?"
"I never knew you felt that way," he replied scathingly. "Miss Tonks?"
"Hm?" Tonks looked up. "Hm... lesse... the Visionary, another copy of the Daily Prophet... wow, I didn't know they still printed Oracular. I'm sending you for newspapers again next time Okolo."
Okolo gave a disgusted sigh but continued reading. Tonks looked through the paper and finally brought over two.
"There you go," she said. "One Daily Prophet and one Visionary. I can tell you now, since Percy got into office, he's been doing a really good job. Addressing the Dementor issue, concerns from werewolf groups, vampire groups, wizards demanding compensation, you name it. Not to mention the fact that he's performing a complete overhaul of Fudge's... antiquated staff members. New ideas are coming into the Ministry."
"How lamentable that I missed Umbridge's sacking."
"Crying shame is more like it. I would have liked to see her toady face explode. You know that she was at Hogwarts, right? The moment the Dark Lord attacked, she was fleeing from the school."
"And you know this via extrasensory abilities?"
"No," Tonks chuckled. "Another Auror, my friend, Shacklebolt. He caught her a few days later just outside Manchester. Don't know how she made it that far south, but she was a right mess apparently. Oh what I would have given to see that..."
"Don't you think you shouldn't talk to him? He's still a prisoner." Okolo looked up at Tonks from her newspaper.
"Doesn't mean he's not human. How would you like it if you were stuck in a bed with nothing to do and had a Healer than enjoyed teasing you?" Tonks replied.
Okolo didn't say anything for a long moment. "No wonder you don't get guard duty often."
Tonks stuck her tongue out at her before she looked back at Lucius. "She's really great but sometimes, I think she might have a wand or two crammed up her ass. Maybe three, who knows..."
Lucius pursed his lips, snapped out a newspaper and began reading it as Okolo glared over at Tonks. He was reading peacefully until he felt eyes resting on him. Lowering the paper, he found Tonks sitting beside his bed with an expectant expression on her face.
"What are you going to bother me with now?" he asked in slight irritation.
"Are you going to finish reading them any time soon?" Tonks simply grinned when arched an eyebrow. "I would like to discuss some of the things Percy has been doing."
"And she's nonexistent?" he glanced over to find Okolo bristling in her seat.
"No; she gets too worked up when talking politics, not to mention loud." Tonks said.
Lucius gave Tonks a slightly incredulous look before he turned his attention back to the newspaper. He took his time reading each one, making sure to acquaint himself with everything that had happened over the course of a month; this was the first time he'd gotten a newspaper in a long time. When he folded them and handed them back to Tonks, she looked at him eagerly.
"Well?"
"Well what? You haven't exactly specified a topic you wish to discuss."
"You're actually going to discuss something with me?"
"It should be much more stimulating and thought provoking that sparring with Okolo today," he said in a bored voice.
"If you don't mind –" Okolo began in an indignant voice.
"How about the werewolf groups, vampire groups, things along that line. It's a real hotwand issue at the moment."
"What about it?"
"Well, what do you think of Percy's stance?"
"To which group?"
"Jeez, you're awfully thorough," Tonks muttered. "Well, let's start with the vampires. Fudge really cracked down on them during his last few weeks in power. Relations between wizards and vampires before were...barely tenuous at best."
"Vampires are rather ruthless creatures by nature when they are riled. Weasley seems to be having some trouble dealing with that. They do not easily forget when they have been slighted and they will wring as much as they can from him."
"You think they'd push for more than he's already granted them? Hell, he's granted them way more than Fudge ever thought of."
"Precisely; they smell blood and will move in for the kill. Unless Weasley develops a much stronger backbone, they'll do their best to trample all over him. And once the werewolves see that..." Lucius trailed off.
"Hm, that is a good point. But the werewolf group is going about this much more carefully. They don't want to stir up any more public antagonism against them."
"People usually fear what they don't know. We know perfectly well what a werewolf is and yet we still fear them. Even with Wolfsbane, they're shunned and reviled. We fear what they represent and refuse to give them any more than a pittance."
"Well, what do you think of Percy's new werewolf legislation? That caused some curses to fly when he first proposed it."
"Curses from the people who aren't werewolves themselves; it's a sensible legislation. They're fully capable people, not invalids. They have two hands and a wand; they can still contribute to society. Those that take the Wolfsbane that is. That made his hardline stance on those that refused, and refuse, to take the potion even more justified. It even justified Fudge's Werewolf Registry."
"Ah, ah!" Tonks waggled a finger. "With one notable exception; Fudge made the list public. Percy has made it private now, open only to the department; that just protects their privacy. Merlin knows they got none of it when Fudge was in power."
"Fudge was a paranoid fool," Lucius snorted. "It was only a matter of time before he became a full dictator. He was becoming unpopular before but the sudden abductions of wizards and witches, not to mention the violations of rights and simple basic laws..." he shrugged.
"True. And Umbridge..." Tonks snorted. "Almost every single piece of legislation she drafted up favoured pureblood wizards only. It was tough enough for a halfblood to get a job much less a werewolf or vampire who was looking for legitimate work."
"And Fudge wondered why a criminal underworld was rampant. With Weasley opening up the job market those that Fudge marginalised, he's ensuring some brisk economic growth and there will probably be a sharp decline in black market activities. That is just what the Ministry needs after the way Fudge ran through Galleons."
"Business is not exactly my forte," Tonks said.
"Everyone will be rebuilding now and will need help, regardless of blood or what the potential employee is; so long as they have valuable skills and can make themselves useful, they'll be hired."
"So you see an end to this slight economic..." Tonks trailed off thinking of a word. "Decline?"
"The word is recession and yes, I do," Lucius said crisply. "Fudge created this recession with all the spending and chokehold on the market through Umbridge's legislations. Weasley is on the right track. Should he not be knocked off path by someone, he has a marginal chance in politics."
"Nice way to say he's doing well." Tonks chuckled quietly. "So you think Percy's welcoming of foreign investment is..."
"Minor intelligence," Lucius said after a moment of thought. "Undoubtedly there have been reports of events happening in England that kept investors away. With the Dark Lord gone and the economy secure, there should be an influx of foreign investors willing to put down the Galleons. The fact that the economy will be coming back out of a recession will, if anything, serve to win them over."
"I think it was clever of him to place a greater emphasis on bringing in other magical law enforcement wizards and witches from other countries," Tonks mused. "That and for teachers."
"Oh?" Lucius arched an eyebrow, knowing why but deciding to continue for the conversation's sake. "And why is that?"
"Well, that whole battle at Hogsmeade was nasty and a lot of Aurors were injured badly; as in they can't go into the field ever again. But they can certainly train the foreign wizards and witches that come and apply for that post, not to mention any students as well. This entire messy business with the Dark Lord took a lot of good Aurors from us," Tonks said sadly. "We need reinforcements if anything."
"And teachers?""You don't know what Hogwarts is like, do you?" Tonks snorted. "It took one hell of a curse, let me tell you. The repairs alone will probably stretch out until late September, early October. But I'll bet that Albus will try to have them all done for September. I think he's enchanted more than he can handle this time. All the magic in the world won't get that place back together properly in time. And let's not count the number of students that must be in the infirmary still."
"An excellent point."
Tonks gave a smug nod. "I'll bet almost all the parents of kids due to start at Hogwarts in September will be looking for alternative forms of education. Tutors, smaller private schools that managed to survive, probably home schooling even."
"Resulting in a decreased attendance record for the school; perhaps that is just what the old man wants."
"What makes you say that?"
"Who knows how his senile old mind works." Lucius said dryly.
Tonks shrugged. "Well, if that is what he planned, then it certainly would be easier to get the repairs done while holding some form of classes. Unless he has –"
"Ah, nice to see you up and alert."
Lucius looked over at the sound Idun's voice to see her standing by the door, a sheaf of parchment in her hand. "Wonderful; Kali herself has come to collect my head."
"I haven't been that bad," Idun tsked as she walked towards the bed. "How are you feeling today?"
"Like his usual self; prickly and arrogant." Tonks said cheerfully.
If there was just one drawback to Tonks, that was it; the cheerfulness that was like a ghost that came back to haunt you. Lucius crossed his arms and gave Idun a hard look.
"And what are you going to poke and prod me with today? It's bound to be something hard and unnecessarily cold?"
"I had no idea you felt that way," Idun said with a gleeful smirk. "I'm only using my wand."
Tonks let out a bark of laughter before she clapped her hands over her mouth and looked sheepish. But small bursts of giggles trickled out and she finally left the seat to go to the other side of the room and attempt to laugh in relative peace and quiet. Lucius scowled at her before he turned his attention back to Idun.
"And to what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked, curling a lip.
"To your speedy recovery and sheer brilliance of myself and Healer Hansberry or this visit?"
"Have you heard of hubris before?" Lucius mused.
Idun's face went bright red at that. "Fine, your point is taken. Must you ruin all my fun?"
"As you confined me to the wretched bed even though all my bones have unfused, yes, I must."
Idun gave a wry smirk as she sat down in Tonks' vacated chair and started leafing through the parchment. "Well, I've got a complete progress report here and everything looks great. You have a full range of mobility again, plus your spinal nerves, bones and discs are perfectly fine. However, I would prefer to have you here for an extra week or two for an observational period."
That was simply pitiless. It was like unclamping the manacles from someone and saying to run free before changing your mind and clamping them right back on in the space of one breath.
"I can tell you're not pleased with it, but Healer Hansberry and I do agree on this. Your treatment was experimental at best and we'd like to make absolutely sure that there are no adverse side effects whatsoever. We do have your health in mind."
"You need me to agree to this, don't you?" he asked after a moment, eyes narrowing slightly.
"As you are in perfect condition at the moment, yes we do." Idun said.
"I'll agree to it, but on one condition."
"What is it?"
"You actually allow me to get out of the bed and walk around. If I have to spend one more day just sitting here, I will be leaving, am I understood?"
"Understood perfectly Mr. Malfoy," Idun said a bit hesitantly. "Are you sure that –"
"Quite sure." He said.
"All right," Idun sighed. "If you'll just sign here stating you agree to the observational period."
Lucius took the form and looked over it. "It doesn't clearly state the duration of the observation period."
"Yes, because Healer Hansberry and I are still undecided on that. He wants two weeks and I want one."
"Make it one and I'll sign it," Lucius said after a moment, handing back the parchment to her. At least by that time, he would be out just around the start of August.
Idun groaned, taking it. "Damn it, you just had to complicate things for me, didn't you?"
"I do try." Lucius said with a sanctimonious smirk.
Two more weeks in his room taught him a few more things. One was that he absolutely hated being here in St. Mungo's; Bruce had convinced Idun that two weeks were necessary and then they ganged up on him and kept him here for two weeks rather then the one. Two was that the pine-scent of antiseptic was rather nauseating after prolonged continuous exposure to it for almost three months straight, twenty four hours a day. Three was that he didn't dislike Okolo; he simply despised her. Loathe, abhor, detest, the words were all too weak and the feeling was mutual. They both were looking forward to his last day here. For some odd reason, Okolo seemed to break out into a smile whenever she looked at him and Lucius had a feeling it was not simply because of him leaving. Four... four was that he was just sick and tired of it all. He just wanted it done and over with. He wanted an uncomplicated life again. Above all he wanted Harry.
He had been allowed to walk around during the two weeks, but Idun had insisted on him actually taking a cane with him. That alone was insulting enough but when he did leave his room and went for a walk, all he got was stony stares from the other patients in the ward. He'd managed to go for ten days straight before opting out of leaving the room. Okolo had tried to tease him about that but Tonks quickly put an end to it.
In all honesty, Lucius couldn't be bothered much with what everybody else thought of him. He just wanted to go home and be left in relative peace and quiet. He wanted to go riding on his grounds in the afternoon. He wanted to eat a dinner that didn't involve someone scrutinising him for various reasons or simply him eating alone. But at the same time, he wasn't all that sure what he wanted any more.
At the moment, he was sitting on the edge of his bed, wearing the same clothes he had been brought in with. Black slacks, a white button down shirt and his Italian shoes, waiting for Idun to come back; only they were mended and his cloak and pin were missing. Tonks came wandering over and plunked herself down on the bed beside him.
"Any questions?" she asked after a moment. "I think I explained every thing clearly enough."
"You did," Lucius said, recalling the brief conversation from before. "You escort me back to the manor, of which, and the grounds, I am not allowed to leave during the trial unless I have the express permission of the judge presiding over my trial. The only person allowed on the premises is my lawyer, and so forth."
Tonks nodded her head. "Bet you're glad to be getting out of here, huh?"
Lucius simply shrugged, not saying anything. He had wanted to get out of here true, but now... that depended entirely on how you looked at it.
"Oh, come on say something. I'm starting to think you might actually be just as human as the rest of us underneath it all. That won't do you know."
"Just shut up with your drivel," Lucius snorted.
"There, much better." Tonks chuckled. "Now where are Healers Sargad and Hansberry?"
"Coming," Okolo called from the door.
Lucius looked back when the door was pushed open and Idun walked in followed by Bruce's stocky figure. He rose easily from his seat, hands making their way to his pockets as he regarded them. Idun was holding what he could guess to be his cloak, laundered and folded neatly with the knotwork brooch on top.
"Well?" he asked.
"Everything is perfectly fine." Bruce beamed. "You are the picture of your usual self."
"How fortunate for me," Lucius mused.
"Well, here's your cloak," Idun said as she held out his cloak. "I was on the way to another patient's room, so I figured I'd stop by and drop it off."
Lucius took it with a nod of his head, settling it around his shoulders and fastening the silver clasp. Idun smiled at him before she waved in farewell and slipped from the room. Lucius looked at Tonks.
"Am I to assume my wand is now in Ministry custody?"
"Er, how about we get you back to your manor first, hm?" Tonks said with a slightly nervous tone in her voice.
"Yes, let's." he said in a voice that he was not pleased at receiving an evasive answer.
Lucius gave Okolo a long look before he snorted. Okolo went to the door and held it open while giving a mocking bow. Tonks walked out first and he followed, barely paying any attention to Okolo as he walked out with Bruce, who had been waiting just outside the door, falling in step right beside him.
"If you feel the least bit peculiar –"
"I'll send you an owl." Lucius finished for him.
Bruce nodded his head. "I mean it; don't go thinking you're invincible, like last time."
Lucius wasn't apt to forget the first time he nearly had a meltdown. That was the first and only time. He simply nodded his head. Bruce looked at him anxiously.
"Are you sure you're all right? Normally you'd have some nasty comment."
"Surprise," Lucius said simply. "Isn't it almost ironic how life changes people, hm?"
Bruce stopped walking, looking absolutely shocked. Lucius looked back at him with a slight smirk before they turned a corner and his Healer disappeared from sight. The rest of the trip was in complete silence. When they arrived in the main hall of St. Mungo's he found himself facing a sight that he, by all rights and of all people, should have been prepared for. The lobby was crammed full of reporters and cameras going off in his face. He remained silent in the face of all the questions flung at him and when Tonks had started to push a path towards the Floo fireplace he almost said thank you. Almost, since he literally had to bite his tongue to stop it from uttering the words.
"Here. You know what to say." She said, thrusting a bag of Floo powder at him.
Lucius took a handful and stepped quickly into the fireplace. A few moments later he was stepping out into the main foyer of his manor, dusting the Floo powder from his shoulders. It was still the same as last time barring the fact that Percy Weasley stood right in the middle with Shacklebolt by his side.
"There you two are." Shacklebolt's deep voice echoed slightly in the foyer as Tonks and then Okolo came from the fireplace.
"You think it was easy getting here?!" Tonks flared. "I think every single reporter in Britain was waiting for him! It was insane!"
"Quite." Okolo said.
Lucius simply rolled his eyes at Okolo's comment. "I already know the terms of my... parole."
"There are a few new details that Tonks didn't know about."
"And they would be?"
"Almost all your house elves are gone. The judge ordered them to be removed from the house. So all but the most stubborn twenty are gone."
"Shall I assume Bwink was one of the stubborn?"
"The most stubborn actually," Percy said with a small snort. "In light of that fact, Tonks shall be making weekly visits every Monday evening to escort you to Diagon Alley for anything essential you may need as the house elves are bound to remain in the house at all costs."
"You couldn't find anyone else?"
"No one else wanted to do it. And judging from Okolo reported, you seemed most affable with her. You are to report to your trial every day, barring an illness that has been certified by your personal Healer or a St. Mungo's healer. As there is no Floo powder in your house, your lawyer has agreed to come and pick you up before trial and drop you off afterwards. Should you need to send a letter to anyone, clear it with your lawyer first and make sure that it has Tonks' approval and stamp. Failure to do so could result in you facing more charges. I doubt you want contempt for the Ministry tacked onto your undoubtedly long list of charges."
Lucius snorted. "Is that all?"
"The last thing is the question of your wand," Percy began slowly. "It was assumed that it had been placed in safekeeping as Fudge was still in power at the time of your arrival in St. Mungo's. However later on, it was discovered that was not the case..."
"And?" Lucius asked, crossing his arms.
"I'm the found who it actually, in the locked drawer of the desk in Fudge's former office. This was all I could find of it. Merlin knows what happened to the rest of it."
Lucius watched as Percy held out a fragment of what had been an alder wand with a core of chimaera scales. He could actually see bits of the scales, gleaming forlornly in the light.
"You can keep it if you wish..." Percy offered.
He took it, looking at it for a long moment and not saying anything. Percy cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Since that's everything, we'll be taking our leave now. Tonks will be here next week as your kitchen has been stocked and you have everything you could need in terms of basic necessities."
Lucius didn't bother to turn around as they hurried for the Floor fireplace and disappeared in gout of flame. Yes, he was so very sick and tired of it all.