Here is the next chapter. I hope you like it. Please read and review love Hermione xxx
Lucius sat in his office drinking a firewhiskey and reeling in shock. As he'd healed and returned home he'd been doing a lot of that lately, thinking that is. He was if he was honest disgusted with himself. He had acted rashly and almost killed a child. He had been so desperate to get rid of the item without really knowing what it was at the time that he just pawned it off on her without even thinking. It had made him feel so extremely horrible that he'd done it quickly without thinking. When he'd then later been eavesdropping and found out what it was he was sick to his stomach. He couldn't simply retrieve it without risking people asking him why she had it in the first place and so he'd merely buried his head in the sand convincing himself that if nothing came of it he could merely take it from her once school was over. Oh who was he kidding it had been a disaster. It could have been Draco who was put in harms way. I mean he knew if Draco had seen him slip her the book his greedy nature would have prompted him to steal the book from her because he could. Then Draco would have been the one in danger.
He was still surprised Harry had asked the hat not to place him in Slytherin. He didn't even realise the hat could do that but clearly it could. Had Draco known that he wondered would he himself have asked to be put in a different house? He didn't think so but he couldn't be sure. "Mopsy! I need you to grab the Hogwarts sorting hat for a moment as I want to talk to him. When I am done you may return him once again. I shouldn't be ten minutes. Please make sure you are not seen" he said as the elf bowed low her nose almost touching the floor.
"Right away master Lucius!" she said and popped back in with the hat in a few minutes.
Hat I want to ask you some things please. I will return you to Hogwarts afterwards.
Ah Lucius Malfoy excellent Slytherin student with straight grades. Ask away dear boy but don't keep me too long as that headmaster might not like it although I don't have to tell him where I've been and he cannot force me to either.
Please can you tell me your name as I'm assuming you have one.
Yes I do the founders named me Horatio.
Well Horatio I would like to know what you saw in the mind of my son when you sorted him into Slytherin. Would he have fit into any other house?
I am surprised you are asking me this and actually yes he would have. I am under no obligations on privacy so I can tell anyone anything about someone's sorting should they ask me but no one ever thinks to ask me so it is rare that anyone ever knows the details of another sorting I have conducted. I told him he would make a fine Ravenclaw as he is rather intelligent but he asked me to place him in Slytherin because it would be better for him in the long run. Pardon me for saying so but he is not aware that I know he seemed to think there would be much trouble at home if he was not in Slytherin.
I can see why you might say that indeed. Had I asked you to put me in another house while I attended school there would you have done so?
Indeed I would dear boy.
I know it's not really my business but Harry Potter recently informed me why he is in Gryffindor and it is because he asked to be there instead of Slytherin. Why did you put him there and did you not think he would do well in any of the other houses?
If Mr Potter had not been so exceptionally abused and nervous I would have been able to tell him he actually would have suited well any of the four houses. He has qualities of them all. He did request anything but Slytherin so I put him in Gryffindor where both of his parents had been as I thought he'd be most happy in that house. People often forget that in order to sort people I must search their mind and memories and his were harrowing at best. I was scarred by it for sure. Was there anything else you wanted to know?
Yes was my darling Narcissa supposed to go into Slytherin or did she ask to go there and what about Voldemort?
Well first to Narcissa she would have made a fine Ravenclaw but I put her in Slytherin as it is what she wanted and would have stood out in her family for all the wrong reasons if I did not. To protect her it would not have been wise for her to be in Ravenclaw. I saw her memories and they were not good. Tom Riddle as he was known in his youth was most disturbed indeed. I saw that whatever house he went into he would surely corrupt and actually believed it would be safer for everyone if he was in Slytherin which he did ask me to place him in. He had observed well how older students of that house behaved and sought to emulate them. He wanted no one to know he was a half blood as that would have disgraced him terribly although there's nothing at all wrong with that he just thought there was. I know plenty of half blood wizards and all are wonderful.
Thank you Horatio. You have been most insightful. Was Albus Dumbledore always supposed to go to Gryffindor?
No absolutely not. Much like Mr Potter he was destined indeed for Slytherin but I saw his future if I put him there and he would surely have turned into a dark wizard. However it would seem it didn't matter which house I put him because he is still dark even now although he conceals it not wanting to flaunt himself like Tom did. All I can say is that everyone who is anyone and comes to that school should know occlumency. He is extremely fond of Legilliemency and doesn't care who he uses it on in or indeed outside of his school.
Hmm this is interesting to note. Mopsy please return Horatio to the headmasters office without being seen and then return to get on with whatever you were doing.
"Right away Master Lucius!" she said taking Horatio and leaving at once. That conversation had been most enlightening. He realised that although he'd never killed anyone he had tortured plenty of people. The fact that they were not kids did not make it ok either. He couldn't abide it over his childhood. Thankfully his father was not alive now may he rot in hell. He still had the scars on his legs and back. It had been ugly. From then on he'd always swore to protect children and he'd almost failed which would have been ugly. He thought about having another child and bringing it up with his wife but then realised she may not want any more kids. He decided to take the dark lords proper demise well and use it to his advantage. He would do all he could to right things with the people he'd been forced to torture as they never knew it was him as he'd worn his mask all the time to avoid detection not that he told his dark lord that of course. I mean the man did think he'd killed people which he hadn't of course.
He would give them money to aid in seeing mind healers and pay for any medical expenses they had. It was after all the least he could do. For his son if nothing else he vowed to become a better father and human being. He couldn't take back what he wad done and didn't think he could either but he could aid the people he harmed and that was a start. He was through being a hypocrite. If he was gong to change he was going to be sure everyone everywhere who mattered knew about it. It was high time he took his role as one of the heads of the board of governors seriously. There would need to be a serious audit of school funds and an examination into the teaching standards at Hogwarts as well. It was no secret that no one ever seemed to remain or be able to remain in the DADA position for more then a year. Dumbledore had looked like a fool after he'd hired Lockhart and Draco had told him how useless the guy had been as a teacher. He'd loved himself more then the students and spent most of his lessons talking about how wonderful he was and all of the things he'd achieved in his surprisingly short career. It didn't take a genius to figure out he was a fraud of the highest order. Lucius had taken Draco's memories of some of his classes and intended to show the people at the next board meeting that this was the kind of person Albus Dumbledore was happy to have teaching their kids.
Everyone on the board had kids currently in school or kids who had just graduated so they all had reason to be concerned. For example why had Professor Binns not been informed he'd died fifty years ago so he could pass on. It was no secret that everyone either fell asleep or did other course work in his classroom because he droned on about the same goblin rebellions for years at a time. They would need a competent history of magic teacher. Also although he was his best friend and Draco's godfather Severus Snape needed serious assistance with his classes. He was thinking of proposing a tiered system where people were given basic instruction in potions from someone else and those that showed real promise went to Professor Snape's class and those that didn't stayed in another class where they were taught properly. Maybe Professor Slughorn might like his old job back. Sitting down once more he began writing some correspondences. The next year at school sure would be interesting if they got all changes done over the summer.