7 Malfoy

I was awoken in the morning by a knock on the window. After going over in my head all the options of who could be knocking on a window on the sixteenth floor, I settled on two options: Batman or the window cleaner. I judged that Batman had no business in London, so I carefully pulled my hand out from under Fleur's trustingly clinging arm and went to ask the window cleaner what he wanted. There was no car washman outside the window, but there was an owl staring at me angrily from under a pile of snow that had fallen on it from the roof. Instead of letting the poor bird into the warmth, I, a juvenile animal breeder, started laughing silently and poking at it with my finger through the glass. However, when the OWLs began to tear off bits of newspaper tied to its paw with its beak, it was clear that this round was up to it.

While I was trying to unhook the newspaper from its paw, this vengeful creature managed to scratch both my hands and cheek. I'll have to remember not to make owls angry, at least not when Hedwig isn't around to protect me.

- Why did you bring her to me in the first place? - I asked the owl, stuffing the Galleon into the pouch. It seemed to appreciate my generosity, and it scratched my hands a little more gently.

- It must be for me, I'm signed for, so she found me," I turned and saw Fleur stretching on the bed. - I didn't wait for you last night, did I? You're good at washing, aren't you?

I smiled at that statement, unable to take my eyes off the girl who was sipping seductively. I guess if Fleur was picking her nose, it would look sexy too.

- Would you close the window already? The OWLs is long gone," she easily understood the reason for my lethargy, and now she was smiling at me, not trying to adjust the dressing gown that was up to her waist.

- To hell with that owl! - I finally got my thoughts together and, closing the window, lay back down. - The main thing is that you won't fly away from me.

- Was I going to? - She wriggled in my arms, giving the young man the expected reaction.

- And who knows if you'll decide Weasley's are better for you - ruining moments is my calling.

- That's it. So our newly minted lord isn't sure of himself," Fleur stretched out, smirking cheekily at the fact that one part of my body was trying to drill a hole in her leg. Well, yeah, not confident. How does a girl like Fleur even get with a bloke like me? - Remember Potter, I'm only going to say this once. I love you and I don't need anyone else. It's not a cold, so it won't go away in a week. I'll always be with you, so stop doubting," she said as she got up from the bed, her hand right at the source of my embarrassment, smiled, and ducked into the shower, leaving me gasping for air. I should probably shower, too.

At breakfast, I remembered the newspaper I'd struggled to get. There were two pictures on the front page. One was of me in the courtroom, apparently when I was being sentenced, and the other was of the Dark Lord standing in the midst of the kneeling devourers. Yes, it's going to give old England a good shake today. As I skimmed the first four pages of the article, I smiled genuinely. Skeeter was praising me, humiliating Dumbledore and Fudge, scaring everyone with the Lord, and bragging about the interview with Bones. Now let everyone puzzle over where those memories came from, if the newspaper was to be believed, verified three times.

Satisfied with myself, I handed the paper to Fleur. French, only reading the headline - 'The Dark Lord is back! Harry Potter completely exonerated!", she threw herself around my neck with a joyous squeal. There was nothing the Ministry could do now that they knew I was alright. Dumbledore, on principle, shouldn't care. He's got enough problems of his own right now. I wonder who he'll give the secret of the Horcruxes to, not Ron and Hermione? But Riddle, I think, will go back to his old plan of action, in which the first item is the extraction of the prophecy. By the way, Nagaina is due to go on a scouting mission the other day! We need to find out the Order's duty schedule in the Mystery Department and catch the snake. That the prophecy is guarded, I'm sure of it. If the Lord finds out that the only one who could stop him is dead, he'll go completely mad. Dumbledore wouldn't let that happen. Though, judging by the way the Headmaster himself had sent the hero of the prophecy to the Dementor, the destruction of Horcruxes was more important to him than Trelawney's predictions.

Soon the goblins, led by Veselur, arrived and began to install the defences of my humble abode.

- Congratulations, Lord Potter, you are now officially exonerated. Fudge is clinging to his seat with all his might, and will fly out of his ministerial chair at the first appearance of the Dark Lord. Umbridge has been summarily recalled from Hogwarts, Dumbledore and his supporters have been frequenting the Department of Mysteries, and Lucius Malfoy was supposed to be executed yesterday," Veselur blurted out everything he knew to me right from the doorstep and started giving orders to the goblins. I was lucky to have a solicitor after all.

In a few hours, only I, Fleur, Dobby, and the goblins knew that this house had a sixteenth floor. For everyone else, the house was now fifteen stories high. Veela and I could only bring guests in person, or by issuing a one-time portal. Domoviki, except for Dobby, were banned from the house. Not even the phoenixes were forgotten. All in all, they were entrenched like in a bunker - there's no need to be over-insured. While the goblins were setting it all up, the girl and I were sitting in the living room, drinking wine and discussing future plans.

- Harry, what are you going to do with your former friends? - The girl looked at me thoughtfully. - And tell me, finally, why is Dumbledore going to die soon?

I remembered after all.

- Well, I'm not going to hide anything from you, so I'll tell it like it is. Did the Headmaster ask you to join a certain order, by any chance?

- He did. Said it would help us a lot in the Light's cause. Well, actually, he talked about it for about twenty minutes, but I reminded him of what he did to you, and explained to him in a rather rude way where he should go.

- That's my girl! - I stroked her head, to which she began to purr contentedly. - I'm sure that almost no one in the Order knows about Horcruxes, but I need some way to explain how I know that. - Do you know anything about Horcruxes...?

I spent the next couple of hours explaining in detail what a Horcrux was, what it was for, how many Tom had made, why it was so important to destroy them, and what it took to do so. Fleur went pale when she found out that one of them was in my head, furious when she found out exactly what Albus had given me to the Dementors for, and exhaled in relief when she realised that it had helped after all.

I then told her about the curse placed on the Gonts' ring and the impossibility of breaking it. She smiled vindictively as she realised that nothing could help Dumbledore.

So also told of the snake that must be destroyed before the decisive battle. About the prophecy kept in the Department of Mysteries, and his "hunch" that the Lord would send Nagaina on a scouting mission. Then spent several minutes reassuring Fleur, who had heard the full version of the prediction.

- I'm coming with you," she said as soon as she calmed down.

- Don't even think about it. I'm not taking you," I continued as soon as she started to resent me. - Fleur, understand, you're the only person close to me. I can't let anything happen to you. I wouldn't survive it! I promise I'll be very careful, but I won't let you get involved.

The Frenchwoman's gone soft:

- Harry, I lost you once and I can't bear to lose you a second time... How can I sit on the sidelines when you, having just appeared, are going to get into the thick of it again? - There I go, making her cry again. I know she feels the same way about me, but I can't let her get involved. It'll make me feel better, even if it's selfish.

- Fleur, my sunshine," I pulled her close and hugged her. - You know how lucky I am. What could happen to me? I'm never going to leave you alone again," I told her, urging Death to bring me back one more time, but she'd better not know about that.

- What's to argue with you, you'll do it your way anyway," she sighed heavily. - But only if you try to die," she sighed heavily, "even a suicide would think twice about it. - You still haven't told me what you're going to do with your friends.

I pulled her tighter against me, grateful for the change of subject.

- What can you take from them? Maybe Albus told them that the Lord had taken over my mind, or maybe they really did think I was a murderer, either way, I'm not going to get anywhere with people like that. It's a shame that Sirius believed all of this. I'd only known him for a short time, but I'd seen him as the man who would replace my father, but my faith in the Headmaster had been stronger.

Fleur looked at me sympathetically and whispered:

- "At least you have me.

- And that alone makes up for all the bad things that came before," I touched her cheek gently and ran my hand through her hair. - Thank you for being you," I kissed her, trying to put all the feelings she evoked in me into the kiss.

- What would you do without me? - She whispered, answering the kiss. Really, what? Probably shut myself away and make plans to destroy everyone who ever looked at me wrong. And with her around, I don't even hate the principal. There's anger, of course, but he's understandable, too - there's no telling what would have happened if the Lord had been killed. He could have been reborn in my body. I have to stop, or this path of forgiveness will lead me to the idea of thanking Albus.

Fleur and I were once again interrupted. I knew from experience that it wasn't the window cleaner knocking on the window, so I asked the Frenchwoman to see what the black owl was doing, staring at me disapprovingly. Since some time now, all members of the owl family have caused me a healthy apprehension. OWLs, by the way, had been granted access at Fleur's request, but any tracking spells that might be cast on letters were destroyed as soon as they arrived.

The letter, it turned out, was from Lord Malfoy. He had no trouble putting two and two together and figuring out who had gotten him out of Azkaban. I responded to the offer to meet with him by agreeing. He could be useful to me at least in that he knew where the Lord's stakes were. Then I spent twenty minutes arguing with Fleur, convincing her that Lucius didn't need to know we were together and she shouldn't come with me. When the Frenchwoman decided to use her last argument and took offence, I reminded her that she was going to work on making this "bachelor pad" look nice. How I'd managed to ruin such a nice flat in the couple of hours I'd been here was a mystery. Luckily, Fleur had forgotten all about me and the meeting at once, mentally thinking about what wallpaper would look best in the kitchen, so I went to the address in the letter with a clear conscience.

Lucius had made the appointment in a non-magical part of London, realising that we were both persona non grata for mages, but that didn't stop him from showing off his status and choosing a fancy restaurant where he was already sitting at one of the tables.

- Good afternoon, Mr Malfoy," I said, sitting down next to him.

- Good afternoon, Mr Potter. Order whatever you want, it's my treat," I said, the obvious benefit of looking like a skeleton was that everyone wanted to feed me.

- Well, you can't refuse an offer like that," I muttered, dictating a list of ten dishes to the waiter. Malfoy didn't raise an eyebrow, but the waiter looked me over carefully and offered us a couple of chairs since we were expecting guests. Naive.

We ate in silence. To be more exact, only one of us ate, and the other tried to keep a mask of complete indifference. Finally, after giving the last plate to the dazed waiter, I decided to start a conversation:

- So, what did you want to talk about?

- First of all, I'd like to thank you for what you've done," he said, ordering wine. Yes, everyone wants to get me drunk too. Fortunately, I remembered in time that I was fifteen and it was too early for me to drink all day long, changing partners, so I ordered tea. - I still don't know what motivated you to do it, given your relationship with my son," he didn't mention the fight he'd had with him at the end of my sophomore year. He was probably glad to be rid of Dobby, and resented it only for pro forma reasons.

- I think Azkaban has changed my mind, and I've grown to love everyone around me," he said, judging by the look on his face. - Did you hide well? I think the Lord is already aware that you escaped punishment.

- Narcissa and I have moved to one of the Malfoy estates in Europe, and Draco will be staying at Hogwarts for the holidays. And the Dark Lord isn't too busy with me right now.

- I wonder what he's so busy doing? - Malfoy Senior decided to pretend he hadn't heard the question. - Come on, Lucius, after what he did to you, are you still loyal to him?

He sighed heavily and answered:

- I became disillusioned with him back during the first war, when I realised that he was really only pretending to be a pureblood and that his whole policy was all about killing. However, none of those who received the tag had a choice anymore. Do as instructed or die. About a year before he fell, he gave me that diary you destroyed. I didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was another of the Dark Lord's whims, but when he found out it was lost-" Lucius fell silent, remembering all the things the Lord had done to him. - It took me about a month to get back on my feet, but it wasn't enough for him. He didn't want to kill me himself, so he decided to give me to the Dementors. All that was left was to make it look like I had tried to break my wife's sister, Bellatrix, out of prison. Of course, I was caught immediately and my arrest was not publicised. Fudge is afraid someone will find out about it.

It's a funny story, I'll give you that. The sympathetic part of me, however, remained silent. Malfoy was and still was a decent bastard, and the fact that he hadn't acted of his own free will wasn't much of an excuse. That's roughly what I told him:

- I'm sorry for the way things turned out, Lucius," I think he guessed at the degree of sincerity in my words. - Can he summon through the mark, or does it not have that function?

- During the first war, he could inflict unbearable pain through the mark on any devourer, but now it only pulses when summoned. I think he hasn't fully recovered, or maybe the tag has lost some of its properties in the meantime.

- Well, that means you can safely hide and trust that the Lord will lose before he can fully restore the functionality of your tattoo.

- In other words, are you suggesting that I believe in you? - Lucius raised an eyebrow and looked at me seriously.

- No, no, believing in me is a bad idea. I have a hobby, you know, of dashing the hopes associated with me. But there are a few things you can help me with. For starters, you still haven't told me what the Lord is doing.

Lucius hesitated, apparently not knowing where to begin:

- Mr Potter, what do you know about the Department of Mysteries? - He seemed to have travelled too far afield.

- Are you saying he's busy mining the prophecy? - I'm not one for long word games.

- Well, now that you know," Malfoy didn't even try to hide his surprise. - Yes, he's trying to get the prophecy. I have to say, it's rather problematic, considering that only you two can get it, and you're both considered dead," we chuckled at the same time. - However, I think he'll be appearing at the Ministry in person soon, given today's article.

Hopefully, he'll still send Nagaina to check the situation first. The Lord is certainly mad, but he's not reckless. I mean, what if Dumbledore himself is on guard 24 hours a day? Everyone knows that Albus doesn't care much about Hogwarts and blames everything on McGonagall.

- Okay, that's taken care of," I continued: - Do you know where he has a stake?

- I think the Aurors searched my house after my arrest. Although... The Lord probably went to his family estate, but I've never been able to find out exactly where it is," I said, "but I have a pretty good idea. - Why would you do that? You're not planning to go to his house, are you?

- Of course not, and even if I did, you wouldn't need to know. - It's just useful information for the future.

- I can't help but ask you, Harry, how did you survive and get out? - Yeah, he hung in there for a long time.

- Well, getting out wasn't a problem, considering they don't lock the doors. How I survived, I don't know. Technically, I didn't die, I just went six months without a soul, and then one day it came back to me. It took a while for me to remember everything and find out how long I'd been there, and then it was a matter of technique - believe it or not, you couldn't get a better answer.

Lucius realised that too, so he just nodded as if I'd told him the weather forecast. I'd have to look through the books in the safe, see if soul reentry had ever happened before. It would make it a lot easier for me to explain what happened to the public.

- Mr Malfoy, how long will it take for the Lord to start a full-fledged war?

He thought for a moment:

- I think at least a year. Right now he's assembling an army. Sent ambassadors to vampires and werewolves, actively recruiting mercenaries in Europe. Snape is spying in the Order of the Phoenix, and the remaining members of the inner circle are working on a plan to take over Azkaban.

Lucius tells it all with no secrecy. Maybe he thinks there's nothing particularly important in this information, or maybe he's preparing the ground in case the Lord is defeated. Then the preparations are well underway. Azkaban, as I recall, will be taken before the end of winter, so we need to take Riddle down before then. Without a good leader, his entire army will be broken up into separate elements, which the Aurorate should be able to handle. And if they can't, it's their own fault-if I kill the Lord, I won't care.

- Are you sure Snape is spying in the Order of the Phoenix for the Lord and not the other way round? - I wonder if anyone knows the bastard's true identity.

- The Dark Lord had grave suspicions about that. Severus had always been very secretive and could well have been spying for both sides at once, capitalising on any outcome of the confrontation. However, the Lord had tested him several times, initiating him into the plans for various attacks. Representatives of the Order of the Phoenix only appeared in the most insignificant places, leaving all serious operations unattended. I don't think Snape has said anything about them. Plus the devourers have pretty much all the addresses of Order members, so I think the answer is obvious.

Seems obvious indeed. Apparently, fooling Dumbledore was easier. Especially now that Snape doesn't have to protect me, if he ever did. There's no point in attacking the Order members yet, they're not in the way, but when the open confrontation starts, the information the Potions Master leaked will be worth a lot.

- Well, I guess you're right, Lucius. Now that you've been sacked, if I may say so, Crouch Junior is dead, and half the inner circle is in Azkaban, Severus is almost the first after the Lord? - Though, knowing the mutual dislike of the Lord and the rest of humanity, the first is still Nagaina.

- Yes, I think he's the closest person now," Malfoy glanced at his pocket watch. - If you'll excuse me, I have to go. I don't want to make my wife worry.

- Of course, thank you for dinner, - the meeting can be called fruitful, so I'm satisfied.

- No need. I should be thanking you for saving my life. Good day, Mr Potter.

- Good day, Mr Potter," I sipped my tea for a while, thinking about what I'd learnt. Today I need to go to the Ministry and watch for the snake. I wouldn't be able to find out exactly when it would be there, or if it would be there at all. With these thoughts I got up from the table and went to my room.