Chapter 31
ABRAXUS MALFOY
Abraxus had begun to rue the day he had chosen to side with the man they now called the Dark Lord. He was not blind to his origins or his ambitions, yet what could they do? They had to act.
For far too long, men like Dumbledore had let rot spread throughout their society, and with every passing year, more and more of the next generation began to turn their backs on the old ways.
They saw no value in their traditions and customs as they rushed to embrace the damned mud-bloods into their world, who began to pollute it with their own biases and ideologies. They had tried to stem the tide, yet with a man such as Dumbledore at the helm of Hogwarts and the Ministry, there was little that they could do.
That was until he came. Despite his origins, he understood their perils and saw the mudbloods for the rot and the blight that they were. He offered them salvation and a chance to fight back against the menace of a man such as Dumbledore.
In that moment, they had all thought of him as their savior. As an instrument to be used and discarded. But he wondered if they had all made a mistake at that time.
If the cost had simply been too high for now, they had lost not just their prestige but their heirs as well. Rebastan and Lucius now rotted in the Ministry cells, and if he were to let the DMLE have their way with their children, the Malfoy and the Lestrange line might very well end soon.
All because they had chosen to side with a madman.
Yet it was too late to change sides now. For the death of the Aurors was not so simple a matter that could be solved with money. Bagnold and Bones had drawn the line, and now they were at war.
A war that would see blood spilled needlessly.
And it was what he hoped to avoid. This and the incarceration of his son in Azkaban, which brought him here to Arthur McKinnon. The man was a war veteran who had served the DMLE during the time of Grindelwald's rise.
He had been an investigator of much prestige, yet now, much like him, he was old and decrepit. His name all but gone, except for a single granddaughter who had long forsaken their traditions and values.
"Thank you, for agreei..."
"I have no time for games, Abraxus," the aged man with white hair and beard cut in sharply as Abraxus bit his lip in frustration, remembering when there was a time when no man would dare to speak to him like that.
His solar was as simple and straightforward as his personality, and there was a simple bookshelf to one side and a cupboard to the other. Their cups were filled with tea, yet Abraxus knew very well that he was not welcome here.
"The only reason that I agreed to meet you is so that you may stop pestering me with your letters," the former Investigator added, and Abraxus reached for his cane as he looked the man in the eye.
"If we are being direct, then you must already know why I am here," for he had no doubt that whispers would have already spread, that the Dark Lord's warning would have reached his ears as well.
"Yes," he answered after some moments of silence as Abraxus sipped his tea.
"And the answer is no," and he should have expected that. He had expected that. Yet he still sat here, for if there was any chance that his son could be saved, or that a war could be avoided, then he had to convince him to break ranks.
For if he were to back down, Bagnold would not have enough votes to put his son on a full trial. The Bones, the McKinnons, and the Abbots were old allies, and if he were to convince them, he could make Bones back off.
"Is that so?" he began, as he put down the cup, and Arthur did the same.
"Do you understand the implications of your decision, Arthur?" he asked, and the man shrugged.
"I do..."
"No, you don't," Abraxus cut in heatedly as his fist over his cane balled up.
"War, Arthur. If that trial goes through, then you will have war on your hands, and I won't be able to do anything to stop it," and Arthur was not going to back down.
"Your son and his friends killed two Aurors," Arthur reminded him, and that was stupid of him. He had told him to prioritise his safety, yet he had failed in doing even that.
"A grave mistake, but one that can be rectified in other ways," and he reached into his pocket as he took out the folded cheque he had written just earlier.
"A wizard's life has no value, but I can make it right. I intend on making things right," and Arthur scoffed as he refused to even look at the amount.
"And what of the hundreds of muggles that he has killed and raped. What about them!" and Abraxus scoffed.
"Inconsequential!" he argued, for what worth did their lives even have?
"Nothing more than a little sport to pass their time. They are muggles, Arthur. Muggles," he reminded him.
"They were humans, Abraxus," Arthur cut in.
"We have done and witnessed far worse in our times," he argued, and Arthur's nostrils flared as he nodded.
"I stood against it all even then. And I intend to do the same now as well," and this was not what he had hoped for, and if pleas were not going to work, then he had no choice but to rely on threats.
"Do that, and precious magical blood will spill all over Great Britain. Do that, and you will have war," and Arthur McKinnon refused to budge.
"Is that a threat?" he blustered, and Abraxus shrugged as he rose from the chair.
"Take it as what you will, but know this that if you put my son and his friends in Azkaban, then you and your lot will be responsible for what happens next...."
.
.
.
And so, he returned to the Dark Lord with nothing but despair.
"He refused," he whispered as he stood behind the man whose red orbs narrowed.
"Is that so?" and it was only the fear of retribution that kept Abraxus loyal to the man for now.
"Well then, it is war then..."
0000
ANDROMEDA TONKS
Lucius's arrest had given her back some of her freedom, but a part of her knew that she was living on borrowed time. With her secret in Lucius's hand, her life was in jeopardy at all times.
Once she had been sure of her future and its hardships, yet she had been robbed of that surety. Now she found herself treasuring these little moments of solace, where she could simply sit beside Ted in silence, watching the Sun set.
"There is something wrong with Alder," Ted's voice cut through the silence, as Andromeda raised a brow.
"Again?" she asked, for she had noticed his troubles before herself. Yet back then, her sister had been the cause of said troubles. But with Malfoy now in a Ministry holding cell, the problem was gone.
At least for some time.
"Yes," Ted answered, turning to face her.
"None of us has seen him for a week. He missed three of his classes, and even had McGonagall call on him," and that was indeed troubling to hear.
"Could it be the stress from the exams?" she asked, and Ted shook his head.
"Alder does not care for the grades," and she knew that.
"Still, these are the OWLS?" and were considered really important for one's career.
"No, I don't think so," Ted disagreed, and he would know better.
"I could ask Narcissa?" she suggested, and Ted nodded.
"You should, but there is something else that I wanted to talk to you about," and she saw him reaching into his pocket, as he took out what seemed to be a large piece of parchment.
"What is this?" she asked, and Ted hesitated before he continued.
"Before you get mad, I asked Sirius if he could procure me a copy of your betrothal agreement," and those words made her feel naked for some reason, as she pulled back, feeling ashamed of herself and the future her family had decided for her.
"Why?" she asked, a bit angrily.
"I wanted to see if there was a way to break it," he answered quickly.
"I know that you promised me that you would leave with me, but I also know that you care for your family. That your sister cares for your family, and while I do want you to live out the rest of your life with me, I do not wish to rob you of your family as well," and that was rather generous of him, given her own family would not hesitate to kill him if they ever found out about their affair.
Yet still, here he was trying to shoulder their burdens.
"You don't need to do that," and she had already burdened him enough.
"But I want to," he argued quickly as a tear slid down her cheek.
"I don't want you to ever feel trapped. And I know that Alder feels the same way about your sister," and she shook her head.
"I am not trapped, never with you," she argued, and he smiled as he caressed her face.
"I know, but I found a way," he answered with a large smile, as her heart skipped a beat at those words.
"What?" and she had thought his efforts generous enough, but hopeless, for the contracts were old and archaic. There was no way that they would have a loophole for them to exploit.
"We did, actually. Alder figured it out with me, but I think there is a way for you to break the agreement," he suggested as he unfurled the piece of paper, and there were two papers there, one seemed to be part of the contract, and the other some written notes.
"How?" she nearly gasped, unable to believe her ears.
"Honestly, I think the loophole was left there on purpose, but no one ever gave it much attention," and he pointed out a section on the contract.
"The terms stipulate that if one, either bride or groom, is ever arrested on the charges of a 'great crime', then the agreement can be annulled," and it went on and on in legalese, but the gist of it was clear.
"And Lucius and Rebastan..."
"Are accused of a great crime," Ted added, as the realization made her still, for she could not believe her ears.
"Yes. He is accused of killing two Aurors and plotting against the Ministry itself. That constitutes a 'Great Crime' by the definition of the law," and with that, she could be free.
Narcissa could be free.
"But there is a penalty still, and the two parties must come to an agreement," Ted added, throwing cold water on her dreams of freedom.
"How much?" she asked, fearing his answer.
"Ten percent of the original dowry amount," and that was still a steep enough sum, but it was far better than the original sum.
"I can get you the money as well, but just gi..."
"No," she cut in, shaking her head.
"There is no need for that," It was not the money that concerned her, but the other clause. She did not know how the two Heads of the Houses could come to an agreement.
"I don't know how I will convince Grandfather," and Ted nodded.
"Alder had an idea for that," and his name had been coming up quite a bit in their conversations now, and she did not really mind it.
After all, for some reason, she knew that he was somehow involved with getting Lucius and his gang caught. The timing of it all was simply too suspicious.
Yet she kept her thoughts to herself.
"How?" she asked.
"By having him sell his vote on the Wizengamont...."
.
.
.
Miles away, as Andromeda sought freedom for herself and Narcissa, their eldest sister walked through the familiar streets of Hogsmeade until she came across the very place where all of it had begun.
Hog's Head. This was the place where they all gathered for their meeting, and the first place that might contain a clue regarding the person who had sold them out.
Bellatrix threw open the door, alarming the customers inside as the bartender freaked out.
"Hey..." yet his words died on his tongue as he saw her.
"My lady, please I beg yo..." yet Bellatrix did not care as a spell left her wand and lifted the bastard into the air.
"Who was it?" she snarled angrily, as the bar emptied behind her.
"I don't know. I do..."
"Was it you? Did the Aurors pay you?" she asked, and he continued to shake his head.
"NO! NO! I beg you..."
"Begging won't do you any good," and with that, she twisted her wand.
"CRUCIO!" and his screams tore through the air, as Bellatrix laughed, seeing him writhe in the air.
"Ple...I..beg..."
"I told you, didn't I. Begging won't do you any good. Speaking might...." and with that, the torture continued, until she found her first hint.
"A boy from Hogwarts..."
0000
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