Chapter 2:

Narcissa asked me, "Is there anyway for Draco to inherit House Black?"

I answered, "No. We might help Sirius, but he is Lord Black now, with Harry Potter his heir. He will keep House Black firmly in what he considers the light side, no matter how much we might help him."

Narcissa answered, "So then an alliance with Harry Potter makes strategic sense."

I answered, "Yes. He will see that we saved him from the Dark Lord, assuming he survives. He may accept our advice on how to write his will.

Draco wrote that he not only is on friendly relations with Harry Potter, but that he drove a wedge between Potter and Ron Weasley. Draco also found a way that we can help Hermione Granger, who will likely be one of Harry Potter's enduring friends. Whether or not she turns out to be related to house Dagworth-Granger, she will see that I and Draco have tried to help her and never had insulted her."

Narcissa asked, "How did you get Draco to change so much so quickly?"

I answered, "I had over a month, and drilled him with practice dialog and how to react to practice situations. I also emphasized the different ways his future life could develop. I didn't trust him with my full story yet, but showed him some future scenes, implying that they were from a seer."

I continued, "Hedging our bets, the next steps will be done by Albus Dumbledore, without my participation, except telling him what I know. Later, we can have Dumbledore confirm my credit in these operations if that seems prudent and beneficial."

Dumbledore called Quirrell in for a meeting in his office. He froze him and put him in stasis. His stasis spell effected the spirit of Voldemort as well. Dumbledore announced that Quirrell had an emergency that required him to leave his post of professor of defense against dark arts suddenly.

I didn't expect him to act that decisively. We could now deal with the remaining Horcruxes at our leisure.

During dinner in the Great Hall, Dumbledore walked over to Ron Weasley, who had his rat with him, stunned the rat, turned the rat back into Peter Petegrew, and left the Great Hall with him. He contacted DMLE director Amelia Bones.

I advised Minister Fudge to bring Sirius out of Askaban prison, and give him a trial with Veritaserum, the truth serum. I told Fudge that this will get ahead of the story, and will put him in a better light than trying to suppress it. He could blame the previous Ministers. I advised him to own up to his arrest of Sirius, but state that the evidence at hand indicated likely guilt, but it was up to a trial to confirm that guilt, which was never done by Minister Bagnold.

I gave an interview at the Daily Prophet. "It is outrageous that the Lord of an Ancient and Noble House could be put in prison without a trial. This is my wife Narcissa's house of birth. We strongly urge that justice be served and Sirius Black be freed. The state of our relationship with Mr. Black, or lack thereof, is irrelevant to our support for justice and the prevention of arbitrary imprisonment based on assumptions made against houses."

A joint trial of Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black was held, and both were given veritaserum, which showed Sirius's innocence and Pettigrew's guilt. Sirius was given payment, and his previous lack of registration of his animagus form of turning into a dog was forgiven.

Draco would often meet with Harry Potter and Hermione Granger in the library. He got Harry to talk about his treatment by the Dursleys.

I told Dumbledore, "This will be another instance where our views and interests will differ. I am going to oppose Harry Potter's continued incarceration with the Dursley's and your own assumption of his magical guardianship. Our mutual interest is in preventing the return of the Dark Lord, not in having Harry Potter be your follower."

Dumbledore replied, "The blood wards attached to Lily Potter's only blood relatives provides protection that Harry Potter needs. The horcrux that he carries will eventually be needed to be dealt with."

I replied, "Those blood wards barely exist. They depend upon feelings of love by those relations, who instead only have feelings of hate towards Mr. Potter. Furthermore they do not provide protection for him in his neighborhood, only within the house. Mr. Black is capable of providing a far more secure environment."

I showed Minister Fudge memories of Draco talking to Harry Potter, and his mistreatment at his relatives. I advised Fudge to unseal the will of the Potters. Dumbledore was outmaneuvered and magical custody went to Sirius Black.

I told Dumbledore, "I expect Potter property, especially his invisibility cloak to be returned to Potter or his guardian Black immediately. I'll tell you about the next horcrux when that is done."

Dumbledore seemed upset but turned over the cloak to Harry Potter.

I later told Dumbledore, "The next horcrux is Guant's ring, which contains the resurrection stone. I do not think you should wind up possessing it. I have already hired a team of curse breakers to retrieve it, and to apply basilisk venom to remove the horcrux. The stone is kept safe. I do not believe it would be wise to allow you to become Master of Death. I'll show you the memory of the horcrux being removed.

The next two can possibly be acquired by Sirius Black. If you would facilitate a meeting between him and Narcissa, and vouch for our intentions, he might cooperate."

Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore, Narcissa Malfoy, and myself Lucius Malfoy, met in a private room in the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. Dumbledore said, "The Malfoy's have reasons to prevent the return of Voldemort, and have given magical pledges to that effect."

I said, "Nothing noble, I assure you. My self interest happens to intersect with your goals. My family's future under a returned Dark Lord would be at best servants to the extent we would be useful, frequently tortured, and sent on deadly missions under threat of death and torture.

I somewhat prefer my life as it is now. Your brother Regulus came to the same realization, and tried to sabotage the Dark Lord, but was killed for his actions."

Sirius said, "You expect me to trust you? Why was I in Askaban and not you?"

Dumbledore said, "I trust their pledges. Lucius Malfoy was actually instrumental in getting you out of Askaban and in identifying the location of Peter Pettigrew."

I continued, "The Dark Lord, was born Tom Marvolo Riddle, named after his muggle father. He created horcruxes to give himself a sort of immortality. There are two of them you can help recover, so that they can be destroyed. One can be recovered by your elf Kreacher. Can you please summon him?"

Sirius said, "Kreacher!"

Kreacher arrived, "What does the blood traitor want? Good Missy Cisi. Good Mister Lucy. Bad bearded Dumbles."

Narcisssa said, "Kreacher, everyone in this room wants to complete the task of Regulus. He knew that the Dark Lord was only for himself, ready to kill the rest of us for his own convenience. His apparent ideals were just to fool us into following him. He himself was a half-blood.

What we want is the locket. Dumbledore can destroy it, after Harry Potter opens it."

Dumbledore said, "That is a development I wasn't expecting."

I answered, "He is a parselmouth. He doesn't know when he speaks it. He needs to say the word open, as if he was speaking to a snake. Then the horcrux will project negative thoughts to those nearby, before the locket can be destroyed by basilisk venom or fiendfyre."

Dumbledore said, "Here is what we will do. We will go to the edge of the forest to the place Lucius knows of. Ask Kreacher to bring the locket. The rest of you will be disillusioned. Leave the locket in the center of the cleared spot. I will bring Harry Potter here and we will destroy the horcrux."

Dumbledore went to the Gryffindor common room, where he knew Harry Potter was and told him that there was an urgent matter he needed to see him about. They went to the clearing. Dumbledore summoned a snake and asked Harry Potter to talk to it. Then he said, to talk to the locket as if he was talking to a snake and to say "Open", and then to step back 10 paces.

It took Harry Potter a few attempts to speak parseltounge not English to the locket. The locket told Harry Potter, "In the end, they will sacrifice you to try to destroy me. I am part of you, your scar, that part of you cannot be destroyed without your death."

To Dumbledore the locket said, "You trust Malfoy, but after destroying me he intends to destroy you."

Dumbledore then cast fiendfyre and destroyed the locket. Kreacher was happy, but not any more favorable towards Sirius Black.

I said to Sirius Black, "If you do not see the value in this fine Elf, Narcissa and I would be happy to take him off of your hands."

Sirius said, "Sure, if we'll call it even for your help in getting me out of Azkaban."

Narcissa said, "Kreacher, you'll come back with us to Malfoy Manor."

I said to Sirius, "There is another horcrux in the vault of Belatrix Lestrange. It is Hufflepuff's Cup. Perhaps there is some sort of leverage you can use as Lord Black to get that item out of the vault."

Sirius said, "Lord Black? I was disowned."

Narcissa said, "Walburga didn't have the authority to do that, and you were never formally disowned, and are in fact Lord Black. If you visit Gringotts you can formalize that."

Sirius asked, "Why are you helping me so much."

I said, "Two reasons. We have a common goal. Afterwards we want a more favorable position for both of our families. We want to continue to work together where common interests indicate. We are going back to a much earlier way the Malfoy family operated, less interested in privilege and narrow mindedness and more into mutually beneficial arrangements."