Chapter 68 The Pursuit of Power
Lucius had been at a home when word of the attack on Hogwarts had reached him. Knowing that people had died and that his son had been in the stadium had sent both Lucius and Narcissa hurrying to the castle to find out the fate of Draco. Though he had hidden it, Lucius had been frightened - he was not a kind man, or a good man, but he had no desire to lose his son to some madman's violence. He wasn't entirely certain why Narcissa had followed him - she had never been particularly maternal.
The chaos that had greeted them had alarmed them both. Despite this it had been easy enough to learn of the events on the Quidditch Pitch. Those uninjured were more than happy to recount the story in minute detail.
That Voldemort had summoned an Elder Demon had not surprised him - the man had long since past any level of sanity as far as Lucius was concerned. But the rest of the story left Lucius' mind reeling - person after person told the remarkable story of Harry Potter's heroic actions and his use of the King's Banishment spell. They all spoke of the rise of a new king in the Wizarding World.
He had searched for his son amongst the crowds only to learn eventually that Draco had been one of the people on the field standing beside Harry Potter and his followers. Considering the almost reverent way that everyone was speaking about the lot of them, he knew he'd never be allowed past Dumbledore's guards to see his son. He wasn't certain what he thought of his son's actions - certainly it was out of character. But at least he was relieved to hear he was still alive. Narcissa had a few choice words to say about Gryffindors and how their idiocy must have rubbed off on Draco. But he couldn't help but think that Draco would come out of this situation far more elevated in rank than his marriage to Charlie would ever afford him. Indeed he suspected the entire Weasley family had just risen in status far above his own.
Eventually he and Narcissa had returned home, and there Lucius began to hear a bell toling far in the distance.
It was several hours before he came to understand exactly what it was he was hearing, and hours more before he understood what it meant. By the time he realized that the Dark Mark upon his arm would prevent him from answer the Call he was far into madness. He had driven Narcissa into hiding. She locked herself in her rooms and refused to come out.
The pain in his arm was horrible, but he'd survived pain before. Far worse was the terrible rage he felt at being denied his proper place in the world. His whole life had been spent in the pursuit of power and here it was at his fingertips and the Dark Lord was preventing him from grasping it. Never before had he felt such hatred toward the man, or regretted so greatly his decision to swear himself to his cause. The man had betrayed them all, and Lucius was utterly powerless to do anything about it.
Over the course of that fateful night, he'd destroyed the West Wing of the manor - it would take months of rebuilding before all his hex damage was repaired.
He spent the early hours before dawn in the bed of his current mistress and had exhausted her into a state of unconsciousness before too long. When he'd awakened hours later still enraged but at last once again in control of himself, he'd found himself looking at the girl asleep beside him as if he'd never seen her before.
It wasn't the numerous bruises and marks he'd left upon her body that so captivated him - rather it was her dark hair and slender build. Both traits went against his normal tastes. He'd always preferred blonds; there was a reason he had chosen Narcissa for his wife when he could just as easily have taken Bellatrix. And he had always preferred his women to be far more voluptuous - at the very least well endowed. This girl was anything but curvy - her body was athletic and quite slim, her chest nearly flat. Yet he'd kept her at his side for several months now despite these facts. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why he'd been so drawn to her.
And then she'd rolled over onto her back and opened her eyes, and in a blinding flash of insight he'd had his answer. Lucius had climbed swiftly out of bed, shocked at himself. Her eyes were green - brilliant, emerald green. If he were to draw a scar upon her forehead she might pass for Harry Potter's sister.
She said nothing as he had gathered up his clothing. Considering how roughly he had used her last night, he suspected she was too leery of drawing his attention back to her to risk speaking. He couldn't help but think about the way he had taken her last night - she could have been male and he would not have noticed. It didn't bare further examination - at least not now.
Determined to learn what state the world lay in and whether or not anyone had discovered some reason for Voldemort's actions, Lucius had headed immediately for the Ministry of Magic. But shortly after he had arrived, things had quickly snowballed out of control.
Fudge had been screaming for the arrest of Harry Potter and Sirius Black, demanding that the Wizengamot and the Aurors act on his orders immediately. The Wizengamot reacted much as they usually did in such circumstances - they wanted to argue, discuss, and form a committee. The Aurors on the other hand had outright refused the orders, and that was when Fudge had done the unforgivable - he'd sent for the Muggle authorities.
The decision to lock down the building had come from a dozen different people - all panicking that after all this time their presence would be revealed to the Muggle World. While the building was being locked down, and Fudge was being taken into custody for his very obvious nervous breakdown, Lucius had taken advantage of the chaos and had searched the Minister's office. There he had learned a large number of rather alarming things which had driven him to make a fateful decision which would alter the course of his life.
He'd known for a while now that he had no future with Voldemort. Even though he did not truly believe that the Potter boy had any hope against him, he suspected a world under Voldemort's rule would not be worth living in. Knowing now what had been taken from him, he was even more determined to find some way of stabbing that traitorous creature in the back before the end came.
And now with this talk of Kingship he was even more determined than ever to switch sides. Perhaps there was even some cause to hope that Potter might again do the impossible and win the war. If nothing else his son, Draco, certainly had the opportunity to play some role in things ahead.
He knew the law better than most members of the Wizengamot and had taken advantage of the situation immediately - systematically eliminating Fudge's strongest supporters. Knowing that Potter and Dumbledore would never condone his position if he killed to get it, he overcame his natural instincts and merely stunned his opponents, though there were several that he would have been quite happy to kill. Professional politicians were some of the most annoying people on the planet.
But no sooner had he finished his first duel when Valerian Ventus had issued a challenge to a rather prominent member of the Wizengamot in the name of the Vampire Lord Aventine. Lucius knew the significance of the seat Aventine took - as well as the one Merik Volpine took moments later. Both seats had formerly belonged to the Vampire and Werewolf clans over four hundred years ago. Lucius had some definite ideas about Vampires and Werewolves and their proper place in the world - but in this instance he was caught between his prejudice and necessity. To duel with either man without first knowing a bit more about their fighting styles, was too great a risk. He couldn't afford a loss at this point.
There was the added issue of Potter's own view of Werewolves. Lucius knew Potter's biggest issue with him would be his recent treatment of Remus Lupin. That would be the hardest hurdle he would have to overcome.
As it was all three men eyed each other during a brief lull in the activities, each sizing each other up. They all seemed to come to the same conclusion and silently agreed to avoid one another for the moment.
Diana Snape Brand was easier to deal with. Lucius had no desire to cross her - she was a pure blood from a good family and the sister-in-law of Potter. Treating her respectfully could only aid his cause in this instance.
The only major issue had been with the Aurors. He'd known of course that with Fudge's arrest and the ensuing upheaval, the Auror Corp would refuse any direct actions and bide their time. So long as no overt laws were broken, they would not feel pressured to intervene. While dueling was perfectly legal, had Lucius or one of the others killed their opponents the Aurors would have put a stop to it immediately. As it stood now, they could afford to wait and see what happened. Ultimately they were all waiting on two people - Dumbledore, the senior member and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Harry Potter. Those two men alone would decide the fate of their government and they all knew it.
Now a day later, they were all awaiting the arrival of the two men in question. Lucius had managed to get a few hours of sleep in a nearby office and was pacing somewhat nervously across the floor of the Wizengamot's chambers. Those members who still retained their seats were in place on the raised platform of the high gallery; the deposed members were waiting uncertainly in seats scattered throughout the arena viewing gallery. Lucius supposed they where hoping that Dumbledore would reinstate them, but he had no intention of going anywhere, and rather suspected that neither did Volpine or Ventus.
He had noticed a cloaked and hooded figure entering the gallery a few minutes ago and nod rather pointedly to Ventus. Lucius suspected that if he peered beneath that hood he would see the red eyes of the Vampire Lord Aventine, and he shivered in spite of himself, not certain how to react to this turn of events. Who would have thought he would ever see the day that a Vampire would risk walking openly into the Ministry of Magic in broad day light? The Aurors had a standing kill order for Vampires - they were allowed to literally kill first and ask questions later. Lucius couldn't help but wonder if Aventine knew something he did not - to have taken such a risk as to come here in person seemed extreme. He wondered how Potter would react to the situation.
Word came that Potter and Dumbledore would be arriving shortly, and Lucius braced himself to face what was ahead. Word had also come of the arrival of foreign heads of state who were demanding an audience with Harry Potter. Even now ambassadors from all over the world were flooing into the Ministry. But all of those in the Wizengamot chamber were in universal agreement that until their authority was confirmed they would not deal with outside governments. There were too many governments who would happily take advantage of the situation simply to gain control over Britain.
The door to the chamber opened suddenly and Lucius turned to see Darmut leading in the men of the hour. Dumbledore entered first, nodding rather amicably to all those assembled. Lucius heard a rather loud sigh of relief at the sight of that familiar white-haired form, and he couldn't help the faint twist of a smile that crossed his own lips. Dumbledore had always refused any of the numerous honors the Wizarding World wanted to heap upon - how many times had he been asked to run for Minister of Magic only to turn it down? He preferred his quiet position at Hogwarts, but there were few people with any delusions about who ultimately held power in this world.
Behind Albus walked Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, and Lucius stiffened as he met the cold gaze of the Head of the House of Black. What an unexpected meeting this was - Black's sudden freedom had not sat well with Narcissa at all - though he had wondered at that. Narcissa had been the one who had suggested Black as Draco's future mate, despite Lucius' misgivings about the rumored link between Black and the Werewolf Lupin. But Narcissa had assured him that any bond between her cousin and Lupin had been fraternal - Lucius hadn't been so willing to chance such a thing, especially after Severus' declaration that the two of them were all but mated, and so had taken legal action to protect his son.
But now seeing the glare Black was throwing him, and the equally baleful gaze of the Werewolf beside him, Lucius feared he was facing an uphill battle ahead of himself. He noticed the sword resting at Black's side - it had been years since he'd crossed blades with one of the Blacks. Legally Black had no grounds for a duel, his marriage offer had been an honorable one- but then amongst the Darker families, legalities rarely mattered.
Severus' Viking brother-in-law entered next, and crossed the room to speak quietly with his wife. Lord Marlot, the man she had hexed, sat in the viewing gallery nearby watching with bitter eyes. Truthfully, Lucius had never cared for Marlot - though easily bribed and turned to his purpose, Lucius found the man weak and annoying.
And then Potter and Snape entered the room, drawing all eyes toward them, and Lucius found himself sucking in his breath in surprise. He had not seen Harry Potter since Draco's marriage on Valentine's Day. He'd been impressed back then by the power the young man exuded - but now it was so much more noticeable. Lucius knew in the instant he laid eyes on him that this was the young man who had triggered the Call. Everything he had wanted to find in his service to Voldemort was here before him - power, prestige, and unexpectedly a link to Ancient Magicks that had all but vanished from the world. To find himself foolishly on the opposite side of this young man instead of standing beside him like Severus was nearly unbearable.
Lucius' eyes narrowed as he took in the dark form of his old friend - Severus Snape was glaring hard at him. No doubt the man knew exactly what Lucius was planning and did not trust him a bit. Severus would have been Called as well, he realized - had he been able to answer the Call? Or had the Dark Mark kept him from his bondmate's side as well? He never thought the day would come when he would envy Severus' position.
As it was Lucius was glad he had been standing when Potter entered the room, for the young man's entrance sparked strange reactions from everyone. There were those amongst the view gallery who did not even hesitate - Lady Brand, Volpine, Ventus, even the cloaked Aventine rose immediately to their feet. Others startled for a moment as if uncertain what they were seeing and then swiftly stood. But there were a small handful - most of those whom Lucius had removed from office as well as few others- who pointedly stayed seated.
"Albus, it's good to see you," Madam Bones called, standing before her chair on the main platform. She'd been remarkably quiet of late, though that might have something to do with the fact that the seats on either side of her were currently empty - each taken by Lucius in a duel. He suspected that the older woman would ultimately speak out against him, but he also believed that if there was any one Ministry candidate that Potter intended to support it would be Amelia Bones. Leaving her in her position was a calculated risk.
"Amelia," Dumbledore greeted with a smile. "I'm glad to see you." He glanced at Lucius as he said this, and Lucius knew he'd been right to leave the older woman alone. Dumbledore would not have been happy if anything had happened to her.
"Albus," Lucius said with a nod of his head. "No doubt you wish to get down to business. . . provided this assembly is capable of coming to order." He swept his gaze rather pointedly over those members who were still seated. He intended to make a point with this first statement. "It would seem some members have forgotten their heritage."
His words sparked a quiet murmur through the room as the other members of the Wizengamot turned glares on the still seated members. For once Albus Dumbledore made no effort to forgo this formality, and Potter, whom Lucius had been led to believe hated the attention, remained silent as well. He did see the young man's sharp gaze studying him intently, however, his expression unreadable. Lucius thought it rather surprising to find a Gryffindor so hard to read - did he see this move as calculated or as genuine respect for their customs? Lucius couldn't tell.
Nonetheless, under the glares of the others, those still sitting rose to their feet, looking strangely uncertain about the situation.
Once everyone was standing, Dumbledore inclined his head to Lucius, his eyes twinkling with some quiet amusement. "As to a point of order, it would seem we are currently without a Minister," Dumbledore said as he moved up the center staircase to take his rarely used seat in the high gallery. Darmut also took his seat as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Seats had already been reserved nearby for Potter and the others, and while Lucius remained in his place on the main floor of the gallery, the others all waited for both Dumbledore and Potter to sit before returning to their own seats. The distinctive pause was not lost on Potter but once again his face betrayed no emotion.
"Am I to assume you mean to act as Undersecretary today, Lucius?" Dumbledore continued, nodding pointedly to the seat next to Madam Bones which was normally occupied by the Minister's Undersecretary, Madam Umbridge who was sitting off to one side with the other deposed members of the Wizengamot.
"If you would prefer Madam Bones, I have no objection," Lucius offered graciously. He did not care for the normally long-winded formalities of parliament, but if it would make everyone present more comfortable, he was not going to object.
Surprisingly Madam Bones waved him off. "As the majority of the charges against Cornelius Fudge come from you, Lucius, I see no reason to belabor the point. You might as well proceed with the evidence."
"Are we to have a trial then?" Dumbledore asked in surprise. Fudge was rather pointedly missing from the room.
But Madam Bones shook her head. "I think the point is merely to prove the validity of the charges against Cornelius Fudge so that we can confirm that the removal of the Minister was legally done," she explained. "As he will be facing the death penalty for high treason, a trial will have to wait until a further date." Her announcement caused a murmur of surprise throughout the room, and Dumbledore frowned deeply, peering over his glasses at Lucius with a most pointed stare.
"High treason, Lucius?" he asked.
Lucius inclined his head. "If I may forgo the formalities of reading the charges and present a summation of the evidence, you can go over the evidence in detail at your leisure."
Dumbledore's frown did not fade, but he nodded his head in acceptance. Lucius cross the room and picked up the stack of papers he had left on the court reporter's table. "You are familiar with the Wizarding Registration Act," he stated.
The look of surprise that crossed Dumbledore's face amused Lucius - no doubt he had expected him to speak of Fudge's negligence in regards to the Quidditch Pitch.
"Of course," Dumbledore agreed. "I know it has very little support amongst the Wizengamot."
"Are you also familiar with Stage Two of the Registration Act?" Lucius asked.
Albus' eyes narrowed at that, and he glanced over at Madam Bones in question. "I was unaware of any stages beyond the initial registration."
Lucius flicked his wand and levitated the documents in his hand up toward Dumbledore. "These are the original documents taken from Minister Fudge's office. As you can see they are already signed by both Minister Fudge and the Muggle Prime Minister. Stage Two is clearly spelled out."
Taking the documents Albus began to leaf through them. Everyone watched in silence as the old man flipped through the papers. "Mandatory vaccinations!" he exclaimed when he came to the appropriate page. "These are not the documents given to the Wizengamot or to the Wizarding Public."
Lucius nodded in agreement, a satisfied smile touching his lips. That fact alone was enough to have Cornelius removed from office without any further damning evidence. But he saw no reason why he should not also kill the Registration Act once and for all while the opportunity presented itself. Certainly he had everyone's attention now and there was no telling how the rest of this day would play out. He might not have another opportunity like this one. He wished he'd had the chance to speak with his son - perhaps Draco had some idea where Potter might stand on certain issues.
"And as I said they have already been signed despite the fact that the Wizengamot has not yet voted on them," Lucius added,. "The Wizarding Registration Act requires all Wizards to register with the Muggle Census Office. What was unknown was that upon registration we would all be required to get vaccinations that all Muggles receive in childhood. These include vaccinations against mumps, measles, polio and numerous other Muggle illnesses that as Wizard we are immune to."
Lucius noted the quiet murmurs exchanged between Potter and Lupin, not to mention the way Severus' gaze flicked towards both of them.
"While I admit this news is most alarming," Dumbledore stated. "And it is disturbing to note that this is not the first time the Wizengamot has received faulty or incomplete documents," he glanced pointedly toward Alrik at that. "But it hardly warrants the Death Penalty."
"By itself no," Lucius agreed. He sent yet another stack of papers levitating up toward Albus, keeping one scroll in his hand. "As you can see in the following documents Minister Fudge has been aiding the Muggle government in collecting large quantities of potion ingredients." He crossed the room and held out the scroll to Severus Snape. "Severus, perhaps you could share your expertise and inform the assembly what the following formula would produce." He figured a little bit of flattery would not hurt his cause.
Frowning in curiosity, Severus took the scroll and unfurled it, reading over the contents. While the list of ingredients on the document were not overtly magical, they were difficult to obtain in the Muggle World. Lucius also knew that no magic was required to make the potion listed in the formula, thus making it one of the few potions a Muggle could produce with little difficultly simply by following the required recipe.
"It's a substandard treatment for Bowtruckle Fever," Severus remarked. A murmur of surprise spread through the room. While Bowtruckle Fever was not a common ailment, there had been a large outbreak of it a hundred years ago - most people had at least an inkling of what it was. Lucius however could see by the look on Potter's face that he did not.
"And could you explain what Bowtruckle Fever is and why this treatment would be substandard," Lucius urged.
Severus glanced briefly over at Potter as if understanding that his explanation was intended for him. "Bowtruckle Fever is a rare illness brought about by prolonged exposure to the remains of a Bowtruckle poisoned by a Hybredian Viper Weed. While there is no known cure to the illness, its symptoms can be managed by a monthly consumption of a potion - failure to get treatment results in severe fever and eventual death. As for this," he held up the scroll. "The reason it is substandard is because the potion base is narcotic which would make it highly addictive."
"And what would be the narcotic effect?" Lucius asked.
Severus shook his head. "Severe lassitude, drowsiness, apathy, leaving the patient vulnerable to suggestion."
Satisfied that Severus had adequately explained, Lucius turned with a flare to face Dumbledore once again. "Despite the fact that Bowtruckle Fever is extremely rare, and only contractible by Wizards, the Muggle government with the aid of Minister Fudge has been stock-piling large quantities of this potion." He could see by the look in the man's eyes that he had connected the dots. "It is my belief that along with their useless vaccinations, the Muggle government also intended to infect the Wizarding population with Bowtruckle Fever. They would then miraculously produce enough potion to save us - but it would leave us weak and compliant and completely at their mercy. They would have had total control of the majority of our population in a matter of weeks."
Dumbledore looked genuinely shocked by this statement and turned toward Darmut and Madam Bones for confirmation. Darmut just nodded his head in acknowledgment, a rather pained expression on his face. Lucius knew it was a sore point with him that this had gone on under his nose. "It's true, Albus," he stated. "We found some rather damning correspondence in the Minister's office suggesting that very thing. At best it is enough to ensure a trial using Veritaserum."
"The false documents alone are enough to ensure removal from office," Albus stated after a few moments of silence. "Under these circumstances we have no choice but to strip Cornelius Fudge of his title and hold him for trial."
Lucius smiled as Dumbledore's words sank in and murmurs of both agreement and dissent spread through the room. Dumbledore's words had not only officially removed Fudge from office, but validated the reversion to the Right of Magic - making Lucius' and the others' claims to their seats legitimate.
"And what about our positions!" Lord Bernoit demanded, leaping to his feet. He was one of the first people Lucius had removed from office. "You can't mean to let Malfoy's behavior stand?"
"And what about them!" Madam Umbridge demanded pointing to Ventus and Volpine. "They can't hold positions on the Wizengamot - Werewolves and Vampires don't have full citizenship rights."
"And what about her!" Marlot shouted pointing to Lady Brand. "The Winter Lands aren't even part of Britain any more - she can't hold a seat on their behalf."
"By law all seats on the Wizengamot are currently held by Right of Magic," Dumbledore told them all. "That means that the only way for you gain back your seats is by dueling for them."
"Then appoint an interim Minister so that things can go back to the way they were before," Umbridge demanded.
Albus just sighed at the suggestion. "That wouldn't restore your positions. Seats held by Right of Magic can not be rescinded save by intervention from the International Confederation of Wizards. Their claims would stand."
"Or the intervention of Harry Potter," Bernoit claimed gleefully, glaring across the room at Lucius.
Lucius sneered at him; he had know of course that his might happen. "Considering how many of you openly supported the Registration Act, I would not be so quick to reenter public office," Lucius informed him coolly. It was his hope that Potter would refuse to participate in the proceedings - he knew he had little hope of gaining the young man's support. If they were forced to deal with the Confederation, Lucius believed he could delay any proceedings for months if not years if necessary.
Bernoit sputtered in outrage at Lucius' insinuation of guilt, but several others, Madam Umbridge included, exchanged furtive looks at the suggestion.
"Harry Potter can indeed pass judgment on this issue," Dumbledore informed the group, and whispers of excitement spread through the room. Potter, surprisingly, remained emotionless, his face unreadable. "However I must inform you that if he is asked to do this, the Confederation can not later intervene. Mr. Potter's decision will stand. It takes a two thirds vote from the current members of the Wizengamot to make such a request. Please indicate your desire with your wand."
There were several people amongst the group that did not hesitate. Surprisingly Darmut was one of the first to raise his wand and light the tip with a lumos. Ventus and Lady Brand quickly followed. At their action a glowing tally of the vote appeared in the center of the room, changing as various other members of the group raised their wands. Bernoit grinned almost gleefully, figuring he had Lucius right where he wanted him.
Volpine nodded rather pointedly toward Remus Lupin indicating that he should make the decision himself. Lupin shot Potter a rather apologetic look before he too raised his wand and added his vote to the total.
Lucius knew that even without his ten votes they would easily have the two thirds required to make the request. It would seem he had one last statement to make before this was over - perhaps he would not be able to continue with the Wizengamot, but he had long decided that his future no longer lay down the path he had formerly walked. If he could not continue with the Wizengamot, perhaps he could still manage to convince Potter of his intention to stand against Voldemort. With a sigh he raised his wand and sent his vote toward the tally as well - all ten of them.
He noted the looks of surprise sent his direction and felt somewhat gratified that he still had such ability to disturb people. Let them wonder what he was up to - though he rather suspected Severus had already figured it out. The man looked rather annoyed.
"The motion is carried," Dumbledore announced when the last vote was in. They had well over two thirds majority. He turned a gentle smile toward Harry Potter and a hush fell over the room. "I do apologize for putting you on the spot like this, Harry," Dumbledore told him as the young man raised his face and met the old man's gaze. "I have complete faith in your judgment."
A strange emotion flickered through the young man's green eyes at that statement and he exchanged a rather odd look with Severus Snape. Severus for his part remained stoic and Potter sighed and rose slowly to his feet.