Harry Potter: The Making of a Dark Lord

Finally Croaker responded. "Then we are at an impasse, Albus. I frankly don't trust you. Something about this whole business just reeks. You make unilateral decisions that affect all of us, based on secret information that you refuse to divulge. When you overcome your arrogance and give us a good enough reason to send the boy to his death, then we'll talk. The clock is ticking, so I suggest you find some humility posthaste."

Their patience at an end, Bones and Croaker stood to depart. Croaker kept a wary eye on him as they left the office, but Dumbledore made no move to restrain them. He watched them go in silence, contemplating just how complicated this situation was becoming. He was unsure of his next move.

He had made a fateful decision many years ago, one that balanced the life of a single child against the lives of thousands. He still believed in the rightness of his choice, but could he convince others of it? It was never supposed to come to this, he thought mournfully.

Malfoy Manor, The Library

While Albus Dumbledore was contemplating how to remove Harry Potter from Amelia Bones' protection, Lucius Malfoy was clenching his teeth in frustration as he stared at the blueprints to Azkaban prison. He was in his personal library, one of the few places in his own home where he could expect to be free of molestation, and the only place he felt free to express his frustrations with his 'beloved' master.

"Tibby!" he bellowed, and a tiny, juvenile house elf popped meekly into his presence.

"You is calling Tibby, Master?"

"Bring me a small snifter of cognac, elf—draw it from the 200-year cask."

"Yes, Master," Tibby complied, and popped away.

Malfoy closed his eyes and wished he had the luxury of getting stinking drunk.

When he joined the Death Eaters prior to the first war, the Dark Lord was a riveting, charismatic presence who promised to cleanse the wizarding world of weakness and bring proper purebloods to power. For several years it had looked as if their cause would be victorious. Then the Dark Lord had heard rumors of some thrice-damned prophecy, and things were never the same.

Now the Dark Lord's appearance was truly appalling and he no longer cared about pureblood politics. There were no more strategy sessions about how to promote pureblood supremacy, and even he wouldn't speak in his master's presence without first receiving permission. The Dark Lord had taken to torturing his own servants with regularity, and Lucius had no doubt that most Death Eaters would desert him if it were an option.

But the Dark Lord could track them through the Dark Mark, and their only options were service or suicide. Recruiting new and enthusiastic young Death Eaters would be virtually impossible, and a prolonged war against Dumbledore and the Ministry would be a disaster. His master may be immortal, but the Death Eaters were all too human.

In his heart of hearts, Lucius would have preferred that the Dark Lord stay dead. He had acquired quite a lot of money and influence in his absence. Lucius was a strategist and a politician, and despite his occasional dabbling in sadism, thought it beneath his station to engage in the wholesale rapine and slaughter that some of his colleagues enjoyed.

His strengths were his political acumen and cunning, and now it fell to him to ensure that they were not all destroyed by the madness of their master.

"Here you are, Master," said Tibby as she popped back in the room.

Malfoy took the glass and had to restrain himself from draining it in one gulp. The stress of his current position was beginning to wear on him.

He had employed every means of flattery and logic to convince the Dark Lord to conceal his return for a time. The Dark Lord had been absent from the scene for too many years, and it was Lucius who now possessed the essential knowledge of the Ministry's workings.

He had blackmailed several important Wizengamot members and Ministry officials, and Fudge was now firmly in his pocket. He was certain that Fudge would cooperate when the time was right; the man had too much desire to remain in power. With luck, they could soon move into the open without having to face a Ministry that would galvanize the wizarding world against their cause.

He had secured enough intelligence to ensure the success of their imminent assassinations, and now he was trying to figure out the most efficient means of rescuing the incarcerated Death Eaters from Azkaban.

They could subdue the Auror guards easily enough, but the question was the Dementors. There was no way to contact them without being in their presence, and their reaction to his Lord's offer could not be predicted with any accuracy.

Even if they accepted, the logistics of transporting and housing the detestable creatures was a headache of epic proportions. He secretly hoped that they would have no desire to leave their island home, as they would cause chaos for all sides in a wizarding war.

That war was approaching rapidly, and hopefully the back of the resistance would be broken before it could truly organize.

Bones would soon be dead, and it was important to neutralize Dumbledore and Potter as much as possible. But they had no way to strike directly at Dumbledore, as the Dark Lord wanted Snape to remain at Hogwarts as a spy. Potter's whereabouts were currently unknown.

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