Lord Crouch

Chapter 3

[I am very happy to receive 11 comments just after posting chapter 2.]

[General notice- There are a lot of plot/loopholes here and there. They are not what they seem and will be explained later on.]

Adrian walked out of the Wizengamot chambers. His clothes match the black marble of the Ministry hallways, a strange thing to notice.

"Leta"

"Lord Mendax" Both of them started walking side by side, up to the Ministry exitway.

"How many of us are available" 

"Elizabeth and Drax are off to the MACUSA, while Randyl was sent to South Asia for some reason."

"Cousin, I asked how many are available, not how many are not." Adrian snorted and Leta blushed.

"Thirteen, Fourteen if you were to take charge."

"Round them up and send them to Lestrange manor, report to the Goblin liaison of the blood feud and kill anyone who you find to be sad or angry on the Dark Lord's demise."

"We are exterminating every Lestrange? Even the kids?" Leta asked, her tone was not questioning her Lord but one of genuine query.

"Well the Mendax accounts are running low, this will help our money problem, and I do not think the Lestranges had anyone younger than ten. Tell you what- You may kill anyone from the main line, but give a choice to second cousins between death and disownment of their family name and inheritance."

"Okay, what about the Blacks?"

"I am sure Arctucus will resign the regency to me if asked, he does not have a better option at the moment. Call up their family meeting in about a week, thereafter you are to marry Sirius Black."

"The one in Azkaban?"

"Well we only want to keep the Black main line alive, I was sure you would like an arrangement as such to be better than the alternative?"

"I just thought someone marrying me would be married in the family."

"I expect an heir and a spare, gender won't be of matter. Lucrative as keeping the family name be, the Blacks have been a brother house to us for centuries, and I could not imagine having a baseborn nephew."

"That would be a scandal. Will the eldest of Cygnus's girls be considered a Black or a Lestrange in the conflict?"

"Hmm" Adrian stopped for a moment "Depends on the meeting I suppose. Call Elizabeth Drax and Randyl at once, they could continue their work after the family meeting." He continued

"Actually, why is Elizabeth in the States? Randyl I understand with the stolen books, Drax I understand for her safety, but why is she at the MACUSA?"

"I do not know, but I am sure it was on the previous Lord's orders."

"A mystery to be uncovered soon, go ahead of me and relay the orders, I imagine today is a day of politics for me," Adrian said, before turning to the incoming head of the DMLE Lord Crouch. 

Leta left, apparating out of the Ministry with a snap.

"Lord Barteimus Crouch Senior."

"Lord Mendax" Barty gave a slight nod at the address.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I wanted to relay my congratulations, on your succession as the new Lord Mendax. I can only imagine your magical prowess to be chosen out of fellow heir candidates as your family does, unlike the primordial as ours."

"I thank you for that, now what can I do for you?"

"Lord Mendax, I am impressed, for the lack of word by your unbiased judgment against a member of your own house. Others might have been vocal about your use of the unforgivable, but as you would have heard, I have been the most forthcoming in support of using spells that cause mortal harm, if not the unforgivable on criminals such as the Death Eaters of the Dark Lord. And with the Dark Lord gone, now is the time to be more serious about the issue."

"I imagined the end of the reign of one Dark Lord to be an event worth celebrating."

"That would be true, if not for the Death Eaters roaming free in the society even after the end of Voldemort. Just today there were 19 trials on marked Death Eaters of which 17 walked out with an Imperius as the defence, while most Death Eaters are not even under the custody of my department. The ideology that the Dark Lord advocated for is still something that is sympathized by some of the fellow magicals."

"What do you propose Lord Crouch?"

"Capital punishment and use of Veritaserum. We cannot have a new Dark Lord rise again and gain the followers of the previous ones."

"I see you do not have the required votes for such a proposal Barteimus. The Dumbledore block of the Wizengamot will vote against this, and most of the conservatives are the accused you speak to dose with Veritaserum. That leaves the neutrals, which won't profit from this proposal at all, so I see you have zero backing for this idea of yours." Barty Crouch stood silent for a moment, the political playground now clearing before his eyes. Adrian continued with his previous statement.

"You wish to be the Minister, don't you Lord Crouch?"

"If it gives me the power to right our society's wrongs, then I do."

"But the political landscape will never support your rise Barteimus. The Dumbledore block will follow Dumbledore's wishes, the neutral does not have any preference so that's a wild card while the conservatives will be against you, no matter what. Your only vote bank consists of the conservative families which fought against the Dark Lord but are not under the leadership of Albus Dumbledore, such as the Bones, the Shackebolts for now and maybe the Ollivanders. 

What you require and could possibly hope to get is the support of Dumbledore, who will only support a candidate who advocates peace. I suppose it's the delusion of our Chief Warlock to think the wartime is over so it's time to put our wands back into the holster. 

Decorate yourself as such Barteimus, and if by the end of the Wizengamot session in May, you have Dumbledore's support, you have mine."

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