"This can't be normal!" Argued Draco in a hiss.
"Of course it's normal. Honestly, has Narcissa not trained you at all?" Sirius said wincing as Harry's tunic and chest were cut shallowly.
Harry swept his mace at the goblin, and the shock of the goblin silver sword blocking the blow stopped Harry's attempt to close to range his goblin silver knife could reach the armoured goblin. The goblin gave a viscious front kick towards Harry's family jewels, in the classic "jewels deposited in the vault" attack goblins use to stun an enemy long enough for the finishing cut or thrust.
Harry twisted to take it on his thigh and groaned as he shot back a few feet on the sands of the fighting pit.
"It is a constant risk in any society that functions on laws based on coercion and restrictions of individual rights that the law will become a casual tool of abuse and the courts bogged down with malicious persecutions and prosecutions. A reasonable restriction on access to counsel limits frivolous use of the civil judicial process." Hermione said with disturbing cheer.
Milicent shouted out "Nice dodge Potter, way to protect the old twig and berries!"
She then turned to Draco, "I bet old Lucius would have spent a whole lot less time brow beating everyone who dared attempt to apply rules to him with endless and expensive lawsuits if his lawyer made a serious attempt to kick his bits up beneath his bellybutton and cut off his nose with a scimitar every time he decided to sue someone for pointing out he was a bloody Death Eater wandering about pretending innocence."
Harry was at a disadvantage. As a goblin he was able to make his knife out of the same goblin silver as Goldfarb's sword, but as less than a full blood goblin (not a goblin genetically even slightly being defined by magic as less than full blood), he was only able to lay down enough silver from his magic to make a knife.
Goldfarb as an experienced solicitor had a full set of plate armour and helm. He was a much sought after solicitor, and his fees were high. If a client was unable to draw blood he got to keep the fee and not bother providing the service. No one sought out a law firm as prestigious as Goldfarb, Goldfarb and Queef lightly.
Draco hissed again. "He is going to get killed!"
Griphook smiled widely. "Do not fear. He may lose a limb, some blood, and probably a bone or two, but I have every confidence he will have his solicitor momentarily."
Goldfarb cut at Harry's face, and the boy swayed just out of range, at least they thought so. The fountaining blood that covered the boys eyes, blinding him argued he had miscalculated.
Draco and Sirius both cried out in horror as the blinded boy stepped back, mace and knife flailing wildly before him. Goldfarb stepped forward in a lunge towards Harry's unprotected chest.
Neville cheered. "That's done it. Harry's got him now!"
Harry grinned, and Goldfarb had time to worry he might have made a mistake as the boy with eyes closed and coated in his own blood pivoted like a dancer, trapping his sword neatly between his left arm and chest, the spin pulling Goldfarb further than his intended lunge and into a fall that was speeded as Harry completed his spin, disarming Goldfarb just as the half destroyed common steel mace hammered into the goblin silver helmet at the back both stunning Goldfarb and dropping him face down on the sand.
Harry sat astride the stunned goblin and pulled his helmet back. Sliding his goblin silver knife to cut the strap of Goldfarb's helmet, his unhelmed the goblin and reintroduced the knife to the attorney's throat.
"Mister Goldfarb, I should like to retain your counsel for a discussion with my wizardborn clan mates about matters of law relating to underage magic use, and certain killings and asset reallocation by means of applied violence." Harry said silkily, dripping blood all over the pinned and proned lawyer.
Goldfarb smiled. "Mr Potter, I see Griphook's brood remains strong. How may Goldfarb, Goldfarb and Queef be of assistance?" The goblin said, idly tasting the boy's blood as it dripped down his cheek. Going to be an interesting client this one.
Later in his office as they sipped healing and blood replenishing potions that the secretary had a rather nice potion's lab set just off the main office to brew more or less continuously, they reviewed their various issues with the Ministry and Dumbledore.
Goldfarb smiled, showing all his teeth and put quill to parchment. He summarized their situation in the eyes of wizarding British law.
"Your problems all boil down to this; any public use of your individual special magics will result in the Ministry reacting in ways that are outside the written law. Since the reaction will be in the form of a case specific Wizagamot judgement, it will be largely an act to protect the vested interests of the existing power blocks."
Goldfarb looked up and smiled. "This is will certainly be a problem as long as Dumbledore sees your magic as a threat to his Light Faction, and Lucius Malfoy to his Dark Faction. Currently only Miss Bulstrode as Lady Selwyn by right of conquest can speak and vote her own block in her own name. Although an adult for the purpose of her own seat, she is still a minor until age 15 and unable to cast the proxy votes of the other houses."
Turning to Sirius Black he smiled wider. "Should however, Lord Black take his seat in the House, he could if given the proxy of Lord Potter cast his votes as well, and with Regent Longbottom's cooperation, it would be enough to split the Light and Dark faction to the point that the neutral vote will be decisive. I would suggest that you avoid any use of your special magics where you can be directly observed until such time as Lord Black has been seated."
Hermione frowned, following the converstation. "So we can't use our special magics because if there is no specific law about them, the ministry is free to panic and overreact because they are all corrupt, cowardly, or simply too stupid to be allowed to sharpen their own quills?"
Goldfarb beamed at her. "An intelligent witch. I had heard some existed. Eighty nine years in practice and I finally meet one!" The goblin almost bounced in his seat he was so surprised.
Milicent frowned. "We need the Notty book."
Sirius slapped his thigh. "Blood of Merlin yes, my copy is in the Black Library, but that should do the trick!"
Harry frowned this time. "Sirius, I hardly think one of your naughty books is going to help."
Milicent tried to stop Harry derailing the conversation as Neville began to look intrigued by Sirius collection of naughty books and got them back on track.
Milicent slipped into Hermione mode and did an almost Hufflepuff information dump.
"Temujin Nott's seminal work on use of killing magic was titled 'A Crime', but since his name is in bold letters above the title, it reads Nott A Crime, and as it was basically all the legal ways to use generally legally restricted magics to kill things and people, it was immediately known to all pureblood children who had to learn it as the Notty Book, for how to be naughty and stay out of Azkaban." Milicent said, and Goldfarb clapped.
"Two intelligent witches in the same century. Old Queef will explode that I got them both and not her. Might have to start wearing a breastplate under my suit again until she stops shooting crossbow bolts at me!" Goldfarb beamed.
He continued. "Yes indeed, in your situation, assuming that Headmaster Dumbledore will use any legal pretext to have you paroled into his care, and thus under his control, you must avoid any area with any legal ambiguity as those areas are covered by discretion. Discretion is something that as Chief Warlock of the Wizagamot he has the ability to arbitrarily dictate.
Not simply your unique magics, but rather all the lower level magics that are generally not considered important enough for specific case law need to be avoided. Oddly enough, the more potent and dangerous the spell, the more specific legislation is in the Notty Book and leaves no room for Dumbledore or some paid off Auror to use any discretion in how the law is applied."
Hermione finally objected. "You mean to tell me we are in more danger of using safe spells than dangerous ones? What is next, telling us the unforgivables have loopholes too?"
Sirius winced at that, and she glanced at him, but the former Hit Wizard shrugged and Goldfarb expanded.
"Miss Granger, if a werewolf were to charge at you on a rooftop and you cast a powerful Lumos to blind him, and said werewolf fell of the roof and died, that would constitute what is known as "Malicious use of utility magic" whose provisions allow that a case where uitility magic was used in the reasonable suspicion that its application could inure or kill a magical being, the Auror will determine situational if the use constitutes self defense, accident, or intentional harm. The Auror, or Chief Warlock if he chooses to get involved, could call it anything up to manslaughter, and give you two years in Azkaban or parole for up to ten years, which means essentially you become his prisoner and ward for that period."
The student's blanched at the thought of the so called Lord of Light having control over them for a decade.
Goldfarb continued. "Now if you used Diffindo to cut the head off the werewolf, that is covered by the letter of the law on Diffindo, which explicitly states that creatures resistant to common magics of stunning and restraint like vampires, werewolves, trolls and giants are all specifically authorized as legal targets in any situation where self defense may be reasonably felt to be required by the attacked witch or wizard. This takes Dumbledore or the theoretical Auror's discretion away entirely."
He smiled at Hermione and added. "Should you think the Unforgivable are somehow more dangerous to use than a stunner when the Wizagamot wants you in prison or under their control, do remember that the use of the Killing Curse itself is only illegal against witches, wizards, squibs and muggles. Muggles were only added in 1945 after the fall of Grindelwald. It is legal to use even against Goblins."
Hermione's frown looked to become a persistant feature. "Do you have a copy of this Notty book?"
Goldfarb smiled and opened his drawer. "Two galleons each. Touch your wand to a specific passage and the relevant case law will be reproduced on parchment to hand to the investigating Auror to prevent arrest. "
Sirius held up a hand to confirm. "It works, had it done to me about a dozen times. Used to make James go quite pear shaped when it happened to him. Old Alastor Moody had his own copy on him in that greatcoat of his. Used to give us chapter and verse when we screwed up and he was forced to release somebody. We had to do one pushup per word, and with him standing on us if it was a repeat mistake. Bloody bastard."
All five children were already reaching for their purses. Goldfarb smiled. He did so enjoy intelligent and ruthless clients. Some days it was just good to be a goblin.
One week later, Kings Cross station. London.
Madam Longbottom walked a rather large Grim and five medium sized children through the muggle area of King's Cross station. The large Grim didn't have the notice me not charms on Noodle as a twelve foot Rock Viper that Harry was carting, nor the Komodo Dragon pacing at the heels of Lady Parkinson. It was easy enough to spot the magical beings walking through Kings Cross station on the way to platform 9-¾.
More concerning were the half dozen Aurors blending poorly with the muggle crowd, watching the well concealed warding lines that momentarily disrupted glamours and illusions. Supposedly this was to catch the fugitive Sirius Black, but it created several problems with the crowd when a twelve foot black viper and six foot dragon suddenly appeared mid crowd.
The Aurors did nothing save stare down their wands for any renegade wizards to pop into existence, ignoring the panicking muggles. With an exasperated hiss Noodle rose from his perch on Harry's shoulders and unleashed his Legimency.
"$ Attention monkeys! You do not see any magnificent serpents or walking handbags. You are not afraid. Even though you only live because you smell bad and Mouse Giver would never give me treats if I slaughtered you as you deserve, you are safe, you are well, and you will be polite to your fellow monkeys for the rest of the day. Move along monkeys. There is nothing to see here. $" Noodle hissed and the power of his Legimency had grown in leaps and bounds since Harry ate Tom Riddle's soul fragment from the diary.
Voldemort was the most powerful Legimens since Dumbledore, but Noodle was getting close already. This was a legal non issue as Harry's familiars magic was legally part of Harry's. Still, the fact that two of the six Aurors were overcome and left their post, moving briskly and politely through the crowd might concern their supervisors when the reports eventually got processed.
Lady Parkinson felt her cold sneer of superiority slide from her face to be replaced with a bright friendly smile before shock and horror caused her mask to become expressionless. That snake's casual Legimens attack had punched through the passive defenses of her Consort's Ring and her own second level occulemency training. She had known her husband's Death Eater comrades, and only Agustus Rockwood, Bellatrix LeStrange, and the Dark Lord himself had that level of Legimency power.
The muggles around her stopped panicking and continued along blissfully unaware that a great predator moved among them that was able to dismiss their fears with the whisper of a word they could not even understand.
She looked in horror at Noodle who laughed back at her with a trilling "Ki ki ki"
She had wanted to see these blood traitors, half blood, mudbloods, goblinspawn that had taken up with Draco, her Pansy's former betrothed. She had thought there was a chance they would be weak enough that she could pressure them into letting Pansy take control fo the Malfoy heir. Without allies, he could be forced into taking a new marriage contract, one that would reduce House Malfoy to a Parkinson vassal, and put its wealth in her Pansy's control.
Suddenly her assurance that they could be intimidated into abandoning Draco was less assured. Her plans to confront them on the platform for a little Slytherin style polite intimidation seemed less workable. That snake, it was disturbing like no other snake than Nagani, the Dark Lord's own familiar. If young Harry Potter was a rising Dark Lord, then her desire to put House Parkinson in his path seemed unwise. Her House was sworn to Voldemort, but she had no illusions the Dark Lord would intervene to save them before he was strong enough to move on his own will. Better to wait and watch. Scavengers win little glory, but grow fat in every war.
Harry felt them when he passed onto platform 9-¾. The Dementors. The oily feel of the cold thoughts worming along the defenses of his brain, clotting tendrils of foulness running over the edge of his soul. He heard in his mind his first memory. James Potter telling Lilly to take Harry and run. He heard again the death of his father and his mother. The Dementors dragged the pain of those memories and tried to use them to suck a piece of his soul and magic away as their food.
His own power roared up in answer, and his eyes blazed the green of the killing curse as he turned to the Dementors handlers. A newly thirteen year old boy should not present a threat to a pair of armed and trained Aurors, especially hardened Azkaban guards, but Harry's voice was a promise of sudden and deadly violence as he addressed them.
"Your beasts dare to attack me? If they are under your control, and they dare attack Heir Potter of House Potter on the territorial ground of Hogwarts when I am under the protection of Hogwarts, its wards and Headmaster, I will construe this as an act of war. As a Goblin minor of Gringotts, this will be also be an act of war against the Goblin Nation, and all of your personal and family vaults will be subject to immediate seizure."
Auror Standish sneered at the boy. "You aint no goblin."
His partner Auror Cavenaugh looked at the silver rune marked scar in his head, matched it with the name Potter and remembered his briefings. This was in fact The Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter, the scandal of his being found in Goblin custody was quite the story for the last two years.
"Easy Standish. He was adopted by one of the gold mongering little vermin. It's disgusting, but legal." Auror Cavenaugh said, gripping Standish wand arm.
"Let's back the Dementors off where they can't attack the children on the way in." Cavenaugh said firmly, not wanting to be poor just to shut up one brat.
Standish Grumbled and used his amulet to force the hungry Dementors back.
"Fine for you to say, but the best chance we have is to catch Black coming through the gate. Even with Dementors to sick on him, the bastard broke out of Azkaban, aint nobod done that ever. I don't want to face him wand to bloody wand." Standish grumbled.
"Besides, you know these beasts are only cooperative because they get to nibble on the little ones. Nothing as sweet to a Dementor as the fear and pain of children. Taking it from them is like trying to wrestle a chocolate frog from a fat kid. Generally more trouble than it's worth." Standish complained, having to wave his amulet to drive the Dementors back to where they could not reach the children.
Augusta Longbottom sneered and kept her wand drawn as she escorted the children to the train to board.
"I would feel a good bit better if you had all been taught the Patronus charm. It is the only approved defense against Dementors. It is soul magic, and thus usually restricted, but as it is pure Light Magic and can only be invoked using a memory of pure joy, even Dumbledore supports teaching it. Sadly, we haven't had an instructor that can teach it to anyone below OWL level in fifth year in decades. My Frank and his Alice both learned it in third year of course. They were amazing." Augusta said, remembering her dead son and daughter in law.
Hermione sighed. "Sirius said it would take about a month of work before we could do it. Soul magic like that is about shaped emotion, not intent and shaping positive emotions requires training. Shaping negative emotions just requires hatred."
Milicent snarled, glaring at the Dementors, her own magic searing her skin and causing a cold mist to develop around her. "That is no problem at all, I really hate those things."
Padfoots low growl showed that Lord Sirius Black, although physically and magically restored by the phoenix fire was still deeply scarred by his time suffering in their care.
The group parted at the train doors, the children boarding while Augusta and the Grim who was secretly the reason for the Aurors and Dementors with their "kiss on sight" kill order, strolled back through the security checkpoint and back to Longbottom Manor.
Upon arriving in Longbottom Manor, Sirius kissed Augusta's knuckles in the Pure Blood noble manner for greeting a Lady of standing and said his goodbyes.
"Thank you for your held Lady Longbottom. I'm just going to borrow your Floo to return home. It's unplotable so if you haven't been given a specific invitation and shared with the address you can't even remember where it is. Shall I add you to the invite list?" Sirius offered, in what was to a raging paranoid like the betrayed Azkaban lord, a startling gesture of trust.
Augusta waved it off. "Pish tosh Lord Black. I may not be a Slytherin, but any Gryffindor knows how to weaponize ignorance. If asked, I don't have a clue where you are."
Sirius grinned. The little old witch with a stuffed vulture hat should have looked ridiculous, but there was steel in her spine, and fire in her wand. His Harry hadn't done too badly in choosing allies. With a pinch of powder, the floo fire turned green and with a whisper, Sirius slipped back into 12 Grimald Place, and House Black.
Meanwhile, upon the train, Hufflefpuffs were Hufflepuffing.
"Cedric! You are a Prefect right?" Harry said as he closed with and exchanged hugs with the blond boy.
"Harry! Yeah. They decided I didn't muck it up too badly last year and let me have another go. Why?" Cedric said as he hugged and pounded Harry on the back. Neville got the same, then Hermione with less back pounding.
He tried to hug Milicent, but she stopped him with a finger to the forehead and muttered.
"No hugging. I'm Slytherin. I swear, it's a miracle I could keep these three from hugging the Dementors." Milicent cautioned. Draco ducked behind her, terrified a hug was going to happen to him as well.
He missed the attack as two arms slid around his chest from behind and an etheral voice sounded more or less into his back. Luna Lovegood, the more or less barmy Ravenclaw, or possibly Ravenclaw seer. Draco was less and less confident the former was true, had gripped Draco from behind and hugged him like some sort of cuddly forest creature.
She burrowed into his back happily and he felt her magic tingle along his spine. His own cold dark coil of power stirred in answer, but not to strike. He simply let her hug him as she muttered softly.
"Oh, I knew you needed to burn. Too many pains and silences inside you, you couldn't even scream. Now you can scream when you need to. I should like to hear it." The hug Luna gave tightened, as if hearing Draco scream was simply the most magical and wonderful thing she could think of. Draco usually knew what it meant when someone wanted to hear you scream. He was disturbed to note that while he knew she was not the type to enjoy his pain, she still wanted to hear him scream it out.
He was sure why that was mattered, but his Slytherin and Malfoy training failed to detect any possible motivation.
Luna proceeded to hug all the available Hufflepuffs, proving that Ravenclaws somehow knew this magic as well. Or perhaps it was because she was mental. Draco was happier when he believed that.
Cedric was looking at Harry as they finished their Hufflepuffian hug off, and Draco just about died of shock as Harry simply stated outright.
"Hey Cedric, we found Helga Hufflepuff's cup and thought we should give it to Professor Sprout. Could you let her know when we get to Hogwarts." Harry said simply.
Draco was working himself into appoplexy. One of the artifacts of the Founders, one of the most magical objects in the history of magical Britain and they were just going to GIVE IT to the head of Hufflepuff House.
Cedric simply accepted this outrageous sentence as if incoming third year students could obviously simply state the damned truth behind the legend of the Holy Grail was in their backpack and could he tell a teacher?
"Cool. I'll let her know. I bet Poppy Pomfrey would love to have access to a cup that can cure anything. Probably cut right down on the potions budget and how proddy Snape gets when bunches of people get petrified or something." He announced as if the cup of Hufflepuff, the literal Holy Grail was just a way to save money on costly Mandrake and acne cures.
Milicent dropped a hand on Draco Malfoy shoulder before he could explode.
"They are Hufflepuffs. You just have to accept that in matters of personal advantage, monetary advantage, even Gryffindor style fame and glory they may as well be blind, deaf and certainly quite dumb. I mean, they use words like donate like they aren't curse words!" Milicent said with a dramatic Slytherin shudder.
Hermione glared at her. "We ask for receipts for monetary donations. They are important for tax purposes. Fiscal responsibility is part of your duty to House and nation both." She said primly.
Milicent asked sweetly. "Going to ask Professor Sprout for a receipt for the cup of Helga Hufflepuff?"
Neville blinked at that. "How could we? I mean, its priceless."
This time Draco did scream. Milicent laughed, and Luna Lovegood hugged Draco again, patting his back.
"There, there, my little Dragon" She said, unconciously mimicing his mother Narcissa's comforting of her son. "Let it all out."
Cedric and Harry looked at the screaming Draco as Harry nonchalantly handed the Hufflepuff Prefect the most powerful and magical object known to still exist in wizaarding Britain like he was returning a library book.
Cedric asked Harry. "Is Draco okay?"
Milicent smiled sweetly and made a shooing gesture to hurry Cedric along to the Prefect's car at the front of the train.
"No, no. He's having a Slytherin moment about giving away fantastically expensive and powerful magical objects without gaining gold, political favours, or the grovelling of figures of authority at the mere thought of the giving. He will likely need intensive therapy. It's a danger of you Hufflepuffs, and Slytherins are always at risk around you." Milicent said cheerfully.
Cedric looked shocked, he glanced at Harry, who glanced at Hermione who sighed and answered the unspoken question.
"She both is and is not joking. That is also a Slytherin thing. They never say one thing when they can fit twenty things into the same remark, some of which are true, some of which are ironic some of which are warning, some of which are both true and deliberate misdirection and some of which are simply clever wordplay because it makes an obscure reference so some other cutting remark another Slytherin once made to an enemy in a secret meeting no one admits having attended but most of them quote anyway." Hermione said tiredly.
First Milicent then a surprised Draco broke into shocked applause a muggle would recognize as a "golf clap". For a Hufflepuff, that was a surprisingly insightful answer.
The Hogwarts Express pulled out of Platform 9-¾ unobserved by any muggles. It left behind a dozen Aurors and as many Dementors on Platform 9-¾. Another dozen Auror waited at Hogsmead station against the threat of Sirius Black attempting to murder either Harry Potter because he was truly a dark wizard no matter no evidence actually existed, or murder the children of those Death Eaters and ministry flunkies who took part in his unlawful imprisonment as an innocent man.
In many ways, the two train platforms had been the most heavily guarded public spaces outside the Ministry itself in all of Britain. There was, of course, no Auror presence on the train, because there had never been Aurors on the train. Tradition was very important in wizarding Britain, because tradition had always been important. Tradition was safe, and comfortable, mostly because it stopped wizards and witches from having to think or make choices, neither of which they tended to be good at. Thus, the choice to leave a train full of precious and irreplaceable magical children on a nine-hour train ride without any defense at all was not examined until the after-action reports.
Few of those reports were in any way complimentary.
Lucius Malfoy was again in his familiar Death Eater robes and mask. Few knew the magics the Dark Lord worked into his battle uniforms. The protections in them made the Aurors look pathetically weak, while the charms in the masks were only bettered by Mad Eye Moody's famous artificial eye for defeating illusions and glamours. The last protection was one few knew about. In the last war, the Dementors had been sent after Voldemort only once, and that one time provided the twenty Dementors the Dark Lord had commanded to wipe out many Light Family manors, and ambush lone Aurors throughout the war.
Voldemort knew a secret about the Dementors of Azkaban. As the leading soul magician of his generation, or perhaps this century, Voldemort understood there were more tools than the Light's famous Patronus to wield against the Dementors. He did not seek to drive the Dementors off when they came for him. Voldemort drove them to their knees, and then their bellies before him. He broke than, and turned them to his will.
Lucius Malfoy did not know how. Rockwood swore he did not. Bellatrix claimed to know, but she took the knowledge to her grave. What Lucius did know, is that Voldemort wove some magic into the Death Eater Masks that allowed Death Eaters to face down Dementors without resorting to a hugely powerful Patronus curse that would tax even a powerful wizard to hold for more than a few minutes.
Lucius waited until the Hogwarts Express left the station and the Auror's dispersed. He waited until the normal Aurors split off from the Azkaban guards. Nobody liked prison guards, and even fewer than nobody liked Dementors.
Herding a dozen Dementors through King's Cross to a safe and warded aparition point with strong enough Muggle Notice Me Not charms on it took all the two Auror's attention. Failing Mad Eye Moody's favorite command of Auror training, the two failed to maintain 'Constant Vigilance'. As a result, they died before noticing a problem.
"Diffindo Incindio!" Lucius hissed and a whip of fire that a watching muggle might have mistaken for a lightsaber of blood red extended from his wand. It sliced through the two Auror's backs from just above the hips. A spray of blood and viscera coated the pavement as a dozen Dementors turned to face the masked Death Eater.
The magic in the mask burned at them, and made them want to withdraw. It was the memory of pain. Not the feeding pain of others, but the toxic suffering of their own soul and self. Although they wanted to close with and kill this weakling, they dared not. He bore the mark of the Dark One, the one who conquered.
"The Dark Lord rises again. When the time comes, he will call all of your kind from Azkaban, and your thousands will be given free range over cities of millions, to rip the souls of the muggles and swell your numbers beyond measure." Lucius promised.
It wasn't true. The Dark Lord knew Dementors were the enemy of all humanity. He would use them against the muggles and those wizards who opposed him, but he planned on expending them to save his own troops. They would know slaughter beyond their wildest dreams, and in that frenzy, would not stop to notice the cost to their own numbers. The Dark Lord loved to spend the lives of those he distained to do his most dangerous work. Lucius both admired and imitated this in his own life.
"For now, you will seek the boy with this blood. You will find him on the Hogwarts Express train you just guarded. You will bring him to me unharmed." Lucius commanded, holding up a vial of his sons blood from his family ritual kit. No member of the family was exempt from his blood magic. He had learned that from his father Abraxis. Abraxis had two older brothers until he got into his father's safe and made himself an only child, and thus heir. Lucius had done the same to his single brother. This was the way of the Malfoy. The cunning killed, the trusting died.
The Dementors voice rasped in his mind. He didn't know if he spoke to one, or all. The voice was like a chorus of a hundred buzzing bees mixed with the screams of something burning alive.
"I/we hunger. Children sweet/scream/feed. Not allowed children sweet/scream/feed. I/we hunger. Carry child hard, I/we weak. Need children sweet/scream/feed." The Dementors argued.
Claiming to be too weak to carry Draco back, the wanted permission to feed on the screams and suffering of the other magical children on the Hogwarts Express.
His former allies had not helped him when Narcissa Black took back her name, gutting his fortune and burning down his secret trove of blackmail, cursed objects, and secret funds with Feindfire. She neutered him financially, politically, and physically, and his supposed allies simply laughed at his sudden weakness.
Let their children die screaming beneath the Dementors kiss. The Dementors would return his heir to him. An heir he would beat some obedience into, if not by crude muggle whip and cane, then with the Imperius and carefully crafted punishment charms when thoughts of rebellion crossed his little largely empty mind. Draco was his heir, an empty vessle to be filled with Lucius reflected glory. He was to be Lucius immortality, not his mother's pet.
"Go then. Feed on every child on that train save Draco. Bring the boy with this blood back to me, and I will see you free to ravage all of London when you return." Lucius Malfoy swore.
It was true. He did not command the Aurors, so he had nothing to do with the kill teams of Unspeakables and Aurors that would descend on renegade Dementors. There were less than a dozen wizards capable of killing Dementors in all Ministry service. If the Dementors were stupid enough to disperse into London in a Muggle feeding frenzy, they would all be hunted down and killed. No one would think to look for a single missing child when the death toll included every wizarding child in Britain, and some hundreds or thousands of muggles.
Bury the truth beneath enough bodies and no one will have the heart to dig it out. That had been a saying of the Dark Lord during his first rise. Lucius learned it well, and knew it to be true.
Draco would be his, and Dumbledore would sit in Hogwarts on his throne, awaiting a train load full of soulless dead children. The vengeance of House Malfoy begins now. The Dementors fled into the sky and after the departing train. The mad laughter of the Death Eater disturbed them in ways they could not understand.