Second Chapter for the weekend!
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Lucius Malfoy was great at two things, making money and greasing palms with it to ensure things go his way. He knew corruption was woven into the very fabric of humanity and he used it to his benefit. He had realised that someone like Dumbledore who wanted nothing more than glory was just busy using people like pawns in grand chess set. Himself and his son included.
For all of Dumbledore's talk about the light and equality, he did everything to ostracise Slytherin in his son's first year and has always shown a lot of favouritism towards Gryffindor picking most of the Head Boys and girls from either that house or Ravenclaw. He did nothing to promote inter-house unity and ensured that schools syllabus for defence against the dark arts was extremely tame. Lucius found it hard to believe that as someone who had dabbled in the ancient magics himself, Dumbledore chose to keep all that away from the students. In fact when he became headmaster, he removed the muggle induction classes entirely. Lucius was not thrilled about muggle studies but he never understood why teaching muggle borns about their legends, magical communities and religion was removed from the curriculum entirely.
On the other hand Lucius had a barely human man-child obsessed with immortality instead of blood purity and preservation of heritage. The Dark Lord was nothing more than a loose cannon and extremely powerful one at that. The world seemed to have started to divided itself into dark and light again since that blasted World Cup and Lucius preferred the grey. He knew he couldn't trust either of these power hungry lunatics to do anything sensible. He'd lived through the last wizarding war. He'd come back alive and had managed to build a world for himself. He was not about let his son go through a war. never! And he knew just the man to could put a stop to all this.
He landed gracefully in the arrival room of the Ministry in Germany and chucked the now useless coat hanger into the used portrkey pile. As he stepped out he was met by an official who used his wand to register him. Instead of heading towards the exit he headed underground to the main atrium and was making his way to the information counter when he heard a loud bellow of
"Lucius Malfoy! Willkommen in Deutschland!"
He turned to the voice, smiled politely and said "Auror Friedrich Gerhard, it's been too long.."
"Indeed it has… Though if rumours are to believed…" Friedrich left the rest unsaid and just looked at Malfoy gravely
"Shall we perhaps take this somewhere private?" Lucius asked
"Ofcourse, lets step out, I was going to get lunch anyway, lovely little restaurant, very quite, very private and has the best Sauerbraten… I'm sure you'll love it."
Lucius followed the Auror as they took a walk a couple blocks away from the ministry. As they stepped out, their robes transfigured into fashionable formal suits.
"I see some changes have been made to the wards…" Lucius noted
"Yes… We feel this is great way to blend in considering we're quite literally in the heart of the country…"
"I didn't think Kassel was that important a city…"
"It's the original capital for the muggles and they have marked it a heritage site of sorts, so there's a lot of people coming here on vacation… Tourism they call it…"
"I see…"
"Ah! This is it…" Auror Friedrich said stepping into a small unassuming establishment "Ich habe eine Reservierung für einen speziellen Stand" he said to the maître d' who nodded and led them through a curtain in the back.
The space was magically enlarged and there seemed to be several people sitting in twos and threes in booths but not one sound could be heard except for a faint buzz. The maître d' led them to a larger booth on the side of room and handed them their menus.
"This is quite the place…" Lucius noted "Although I don't recognise anyone…"
"Yes, and they won't recognise us either… A special charm, so that no one really knows who's come and gone except the staff and the owner…"
Lucius look suitably impressed. A waiter took their order, served their wine and made himself scarce
"How are Narcissa and Draco?" Friedrich asked
"They are doing well…" Lucius said
There was a beat and then Lucius said in a very business like tone "You want to know if the rumours are true."
"Are they?"
"Yes… and that is why I need your help?"
"You want your family's safety?"
"No one can run from him Friedrich… You know that…"
"Are you here for Igor? Then I cannot help you…"
"That's a lie and we'll get to that scumbag in a minute… I have something more important to discuss with you…" Friedrich looked seriously at Lucius as he continued "I need to get someone from the highest security level in Nurmengard out…"
Friedrich gave Lucius a calculating look. "Why?"
"To stop a self appointed messiah and a homicidal maniac from plunging the wizarding world into war…. again…" Lucius finished just as the waiter brought their food
Friedrich took his first bite and relished the taste thoughtfully "I love a good sauerbraten…" he took a sip of wine watching Lucius eat and said "Where will you take him? Getting him out of the country will be very difficult…"
"He won't be leaving the country. However, this cannot become international news…."
"You ask for the impossible…" Friedrich said throwing up his hands
"Not really… I have a very simple plan… when do you make your rounds for the head Auror inspection?" Lucius asked
They discussed the details of their plan and how much it would cost.
—
Sirius had been livid. At the next order meeting despite Lupins protests he had brought up the Horcruxes. Snape knew that Hermione would tell Harry but he had not expected Sirius to find out so soon.
"How long has this been common knowledge Snape?! Is that you mission?! To keep Vol… His soul safe from the order?! To keep him alive! Or better still keep brining him back to life?! " Sirius roared "How could you not tell us! How could you not let Dumbledore tell us…"
"I have no control over what Dumbledore chooses to share! But I think he didn't tell you because he knew you'd just turn into a raving lunatic once he did!" Snape spat out
The two men had been yelling at each other, from the minute Snape had walked in. It was only the arrival of Kingsley and McGonagall that had them calm down
"Sirius sit down!" McGonagall had said as she strode in "Dumbledore kept us all in the dark… not just you… We need to either find him or ask him why he's been doing what he's been doing…"
"I agree" said Kingsley in his deep voice "We need to give Dumbledore a chance to explain his actions… Snape… Do you know where he is?" He asked seriously
"I don't" Snape said
"Liar!" Sirius snapped
"That. Is. ENOUGH!" McGonagall yelled and the room fell silent. McGonagall never yelled. She took a deep breath and continued "The point of the Order is to fight against the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters and their heinous agenda of subjugating muggles and lording over them, or have we forgotten that?" No one said anything but Sirius look sufficiently mollified "Now… Severus, we need to find Dumbledore, did he discuss anything about the Horcuxes with you?"
"We discovered that the Diary from the second year was one, that was when Dumbledore began to have his doubts… He believes that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or as we now know Tom Marvolo Riddle, was a student at Hogwarts and perhaps the only place he felt at home… Dumbledore believes that if he looked into Riddle's past he would find the answers to the number of Horcurxes he might have created… He also believes that the night the potters were…. Attacked…"
"Murdered" Sirius spat
Snape just glared at him "Lilly Evans sacrificing her life invoked the familial magic. Dumbledore believes that the familial magic created a shield to protect its own… That is what caused the killing curse to rebound and in doing so, ripped a piece of his soul. That piece may have latched itself to Harry Potter…" he finished
"A Horcux in a living being is like a parasite, the hosts never last, how can you be sure Harry is one? " Lupin asked seriously
"I believe, that the familial magic has created a shield inside Potter and is holding a piece of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's soul inside him… " Snape said
"So when harry comes of age and claims his familial magic? What happens then?" Molly asked
"Does Mr. Potter even know about familial magic?" Snape asked condescendingly looking around the room
There was no response…
"Of course… It's very easy to lay blame on the Purebloods for being fanatics and being set in the old ways, but the truth is that many of the customs and traditions of the old ways were created with purpose and I'm sure, even self proclaimed proud 'Blood Traitors' like the Weasleys follow most of them… Don't you? " Snape said looking at Molly
She said nothing
"Is it not true that you and Arthur were bonded with a blood oath during your marriage? Did your older sons not claim their magic at the henge? Did Bill and Charlie not leave to live in communities abroad to study before they became accomplished in their own fields? And yet, 'The-Chosen-One' has not been given any knowledge of our customs, communities and traditions… why?" Snape looked around the room at the ashamed faces of everyone "I'll tell you why, because he's a half blood…" he looked pointedly at Sirius "You can bequeath everything to him and make him Lord Black on paper, but this house and everything else will never recognise him as such and you know it. Despite being blasted of the tapestry, despite the Dark Lord's maniacal agenda that we all condemn, everyone sitting in this room knows… Blood does matter… The magic makes it matter…"
"I'll adopt him…" Sirius said "When he comes of age! I'll adopt him!"
"You can't adopt him Sirius, he has his father's or mother's familial magic protecting him… He is living with his aunt to get the protection of his mother's blood" McGonagall said gently "He will have to track her lineage if he wants to properly claim the magic of both families… Something I don't think Lilly did…" McGonagall had the decency to look ashamed
There was silence for a while as everyone mulled over what Snape had said. Finally it was Kingsley who spoke "Who would know? Who would know how many there are?" He asked the room
"Dumbledore knows the answer to that… We find him, we'll know…." Snape said flatly
With the meeting was adjourned and nearly everyone left.
Sirius and Lupin were sitting in the kitchen finishing dinner with Molly and Arthur. Once they had also left, Lupin finally spoke "Padfoot… Did you notice, Kreacher was hovering today?
"Was he? I did't notice…" Sirius said still deep in thought
"I think I'm going to go talk to him…" Lupin said walking away
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