(Arcturus Black - PoV)(Recent Past)
After my delightful little trip to visit Dumbledore yesterday, I suppose it is time I stop by Malfoy Manor. I promised to keep Lucius in the loop, and we actually do have some very important mattes to discuss.
A slight twist and pop and I find myself just where I desired, right outside the ward line of the Malfoy Estate.
I take in the lawn as I make my way up the path, and am impressed as usual. Whoever he has maintaining the lawn does excellent work, it is immaculate and seasonally appropriate.
Momentarily pausing my stroll with a slight smile, I allow the ostentation of peafowl to make their way across the path before me. Despite the many, many jokes and comments made at his expense, Lucius will never have them removed, considering his much-beloved mother was the one to add them to the estate.
Ah, what a beautiful and charming woman the late Lady Malfoy. Her death, in childbirth, along with Lucius's never-to-be-named sibling, was a true tragedy. One Abraxas never did recover from, I am sad to say...
My musings continue as I make my way further along the path, past statuary and carefully trimmed hedges.
While one could never tell it from looking at him, dear Lucius had to grow up quite hard indeed after that incident. When old, bitter Abraxas died of a sudden case of Dragonpox just after young Draco was born, well, no one was surprised, or overly questioning.
And since then, Lucius has done naught but dote on the spoiled little shit. I do hope it works out better for them than it did for me and Orion.
Reaching the great door, I sigh at the gilded M-shaped knocker, using it with great reluctance.
Lucius had best be careful, his extravagance is quickly becoming inordinate.
Within moments, the door is cracked open, an eye peeking out from waist height.
"Mr. Black sir?" the house-elf, Dobby if I recall, asks.
"Ah, good morning, Dobby, was it? I am here to speak with Lucius if he is available. Please tell him it is about that dreadful business with Dumbledore and the Girl-Who-Lived, will you?"
The little thing's eyes widen comically and it gasps before shutting the door.
I stand outside, staring at the closed door in mild surprise.
It was supposed to invite me inside to wait first, but then Dobby has always been...odd. I suppose I should be annoyed, but it is so hard to be angry with house-elves. They are such loyal, well-meaning creatures. Lucius, however, is going to be rather unhappy with it.
I take a moment to adjust my robes while I wait, but it is not long before the door opens again, this time swinging wide as I am greeted by an irate Lucius.
"Arcturus! My most sincere apologies, Dobby-"
"Quite alright, Lucius, quite alright. I understand he can be excitable, it happens to the best of us," I assure him.
"I...very well, thank you for being so understanding. Please, come in, come in," he says, stepping aside so that I may pass.
After entering, we make small talk on our way to his study. My fears about his taste are confirmed, however, as the once stately and elegant manor is slowly becoming gaudier and gaudier. I fear it is only a matter of time before it more closely resembles an expensive bordello rather than the home of a noble wizarding family.
Still, it is not my place to judge such personal matters. Especially not when more important subjects are on the table, and given Walburga's own questionable decorating sense...
Troll legs and house-elf heads...what an embarrassment.
I take my seat in the study, idly noting the chair is far more comfortable than the ones in Dumbledore's office. Perhaps if Coeus plans don't work out I can have Lucius recommend his supplier to Dumbledore, that should be a fun conversation to watch.
"Dobby!" Lucius calls out harshly, the elf appearing a moment later with tea...and a bandage around his head.
I accept the tea with a grateful nod, but cannot help my frown. I do wish Lucius would treat his help better...
Taking a sip and finding it perfectly acceptable, I lower the cup and look at across the desk with a smile.
"It went well, then?" he asks.
"Lucius, I cannot confirm it, but I sincerely believe he was crying when I left."
His eyes widen before he throws his head back and laughs, long and hard.
I join in with a chuckle of my own, and take another sip of tea, while Lucius regains his composure.
"Truly?"
Nodding, I elaborate. "I certainly hit him hard Lucius. I threw every failure in his face, one by one, in such a way that even his denial of reality could not ignore. He had to face up to his failures this time, and you know how he likes to think himself the hero. Ah, it was as satisfying as I had hoped, I am sorry I could not take pictures of the multiple times I broke him in that one conversation."
He laughs again, and I can see the mixture of emotions in his eyes and behind his smiles. Oh, how he wishes he had been the one to deliver such a blow to his hated foe. Alas, Dumbledore would never have accepted it from one bearing the Dark Lord's mark.
"Honestly, I worry I may have gone too far. Is our side ready for Sirius?"
He grimaces, but nods.
"Aye, I've spoken to my people. They are not thrilled, but I don't expect anyone to break ranks. With your support, there should be no question for anyone on our side. Fudge and the neutrals will not move without Dumbledore though, not on this, to say nothing of the 'Light.'"
I nod as well, it is as expected. "He will give his backing, there is no question about that...though I admit I am somewhat concerned on the timeframe now."
It is my turn to grimace.
"I...may have let out some old frustrations on Sirius as well, expecting his near-immediate release. If he doesn't get out soon...well."
Lucius nods. "A victim of your own success...how ironic. A least it is the primary potentially breaking the secondary?"
"True, true. That said, the conversation with Dumbledore did reveal some very interesting details...as did my investigations into Iris's health."
"Oh?"
For all his feigned nonchalance, I can see the spark in his eyes. This is what Lucius was waiting for the entire time. He may have loved to hear of his enemy being humbled, but the Girl-Who-Lived? Knowledge, however vague, about what happened to the master who dominated his life so utterly?
Worth far more than momentary satisfaction.
"Tell me Lucius, in all the time you have known me, have I ever uttered the phrase, "I told you so?"
He pauses at the extremely unexpected question.
"I...cannot say you have, to the best of my memory," he answers hesitantly.
Because I haven't. I do prefer to make things a bit more flowery, even if the meaning is the same. But sometimes, sometimes something more direct is needed.
"Well, Lucius, I fucking told you so," I say looking into his eyes.
He blinks, drawing back slightly as I inject a very, very slight hint of power into my voice. Enough to get into his subconscious, but so little that he shouldn't detect me doing it. Really, despite what one would expect he never was one for subtle magic.
"What?" he asks, truly confused now.
"Who defeated the Dark Lord?" I ask him.
He doesn't answer, knowing it is a trap.
"Lucius, who defeated the Dark Lord?"
"I...I don't know? Everyone says it was the Girl-Who-Lived...are you saying otherwise?"
I lean forward.
"Dumbledore says otherwise."
I slide back in my chair.
"Dumbledore, at his weakest. He admitted that Iris was involved, but she was nothing but the focus. She was a tool, a wand. It was not her that cast the spell, that did the deed. It was not her that laid low the Dark One at the height of their power."
He stares at me.
I smile. Yes, I'm going to make you do it.
He huffs.
"Fine. If not Iris, then who?"
"Who else was there? James Potter threw himself against the Dark Lord and fell as quickly as one would expect. What happened next?"
...
"Bullshit."
I throw back my head and laugh. It is such a rare treat to hear Lucius curse, and such a lowbrow one at that.
"You...nonsense! You cannot be honestly trying to tell me that that woman, that that muggle-born whore was somehow responsible!" he shouts, half rising from his chair.
"Oh but I am, Lucius, oh but I am. Your Dark Lord, laid low by the genius of a muggle-born."
"Nonsense! She couldn't possibly have the power!"
"Not the power, Lucius, the mind."
...
"A ritual. One that she spent at least a year on, quite possibly more. Dumbledore himself admitted it was completely beyond him. That he could barely even understand it, much less replicate it, after examining it for years."
I lean forward once more.
"A muggle-born, Lucius. On her own, scared and terrified for her family, hunted and desperate. Came up with magic so powerful that it laid low the Lord of the Dark, and that the Lord of the Light admits is completely beyond him."
"That, Lucius, is one reason why I tell you to stop with your extreme discrimination. To stop the overt policies. To relax your standards, before you see us all killed. We tried it once, and you saw what happened. Voldemort fallen, and more than half of our number killed between the two sides. Why the FUCK are you stupid bastards still doing the same thing?" I hiss.
Lucius stares at me wide-eyed as I lean back in my chair, and finish off my tea.
"Now, I am sure you got the invitation, but I would like to remind you that I will hold a gathering after the trial on Friday, do please bring Draco. While I want to focus things on Sirius, I will hav-
"You!"
"Hmm?"
"Arcturus, do you think you can just, just threaten me like that!? And then move on as if nothing happened?"
"Yes."
He stares at me.
"Well, I mean, that wasn't a threat, but in general, yes. A threat would be me pointing out that if you try to make anything of it I will make you watch while I torture your son to death in front of you and then feed his remains, piece by piece, to your peacocks."
His eyes truly widen now, and he goes very, very pale.
"Now, I presume we are still on for Friday?"
He looks towards his cane.
I chuckle.
"Do remember, Lucius, that I am a Black. The Black Patriarch in fact. You have at least some idea of how deadly so many of us are, I know how scared you are of dear Bellatrix in particular. I held this title against a great, great many family members with lofty ideas over the years, including dear Bella when she got, overly excitable, shall we say."
My smile is a lot less friendly now.
"Family may be forgiven for taking a shot at me, but while you may be a friend, Lucius, you are not family."
He visibly gulps.
"Fri-friday?"
And Grandfather Black is back once more.
Poor Lucius. The Malfoy family is so influential, and acts so mighty and powerful, but there is a reason they never sit on the throne, so to speak. They are made of brittle steel, and their wills always shatter in the end, as the real power grabs them by the throat.
"Indeed. As I was saying, do bring dear Draco, I am sure the twins will want to see him, and I have a special guest that he will want to meet."
"Sp-special guest?" he asks nervously.
"The Girl-Who-Lived, of course."
Lucius shifts uncomfortably.
"Given your earlier clai-statement. Given your earlier statement, is the title entirely...appropriate?" he asks.
"Oh, she has absolutely earned it," I assure him. "When it comes to the events of that famous night? Debatable. But for everything since then she has earned it."
I frown and focus on him once more. I do have my own copy with me, and it would be good to rebuild bridges...
"Lucius...I expect you to keep the details of this to yourself."
He nods.
"I mean that. Young Iris is very, embarrassed, about her past, as most who have experienced such things are. If any details get out, I will consider it a betrayal."
He nods more hesitantly this time. He knows exactly what I mean.
Reaching into my robes, I withdraw my own copy of Gainswell's report.
"I will give you a couple of minutes to look over this, I expect it back," I tell him, handing over the thick parchment.
...
...
...
I sip my tea, Dobby having unobtrusively refilled it, while watching Lucius's expressions. His fear and hesitation are gone, replaced by fury and outrage.
"This...this..."
"Terrible, is it not?"
"It is an outrage!" he declares, standing up.
"Muggles! Muggles, daring to bring such harm to a Magical! Not even just a magical, but the last heir to an old family! And a hero of our world on top of that!"
I nod along.
"You didn't finish it, did you?"
He stops, turning to look at me.
"What...what more is there?" he asks, before looking down warily at the parchment in his hands.
"A great deal. I doubt you will understand all of the specifics, even I did not get all of it, the healer had to leave notes. But the details of what was done to her don't really matter. What matters are the results."
Lucius frowns as I hold my hand out, but gives me back the papers.
I tuck them safely away and continue.
"She should have died, Lucius. Any other child would have, no matter their power, which she does have a lot of. But she is something special, beyond what Dumbledore sees in her. She broke the rules of magic themselves to survive, building herself a body literally made of magic."
He focuses on me as he sits down.
"I...can see how that would get your attention..."
"Indeed. She is young yet, but I have such high hopes for her, such high hopes..."
"I am surprised then, that you have not tried to formally adopt her into the Blacks?"
I laugh. "Oh, but I would love to. I am afraid that Dumbledore and many others would try to fight me on that right now, and in the end, it is unnecessary. Once you see how she interacts with the Twins you will understand. I rather expect she will become a Black soon enough, one way or another.
"I see..."
"Oh don't be jealous, Lucius. This is why I am insisting Draco attend Friday, so he at least has a chance to make friends. The girl will become a power in the future, mark my words, mark my words..."
...
Our chat goes amicably enough after that, though Lucius never quite loses his newfound wariness. It is a pity I had to resort to such methods, but I simply cannot tolerate his group's nonsense any longer. I had hoped to reel them in more slowly, but after Dumbledore's little surprise...well.
They will fall in line or be dragged there.