Rodrick had just found out that Draco had convinced his father to buy newer brooms for their house, in order to 'help' the Slytherin team win.
'Malfoy just bought his way into the team,'
Not that it really bothered him, but Rodrick figured if it meant Slytherin winning then at least his friends would be happy. He was also glad Draco wanted to be a seeker, Tracey preferred chaser, her chance to play hadn't disappeared. He still planned to buy her a broom.
The four had spent most of their time in idle chatter, to keep up appearances.
Narcissa had gotten up and left with a less inclined Draco, however with his chance at playing for the team on the line he quickly obliged. This left Rodrick and Lucius Malfoy in one room.
"Is it safe to assume that Mrs. Malfoy waiting for me at the orphanage was no coincidence?"
Lucius Malfoy's eyes twinkled slightly at the sudden question.
"I am not sure I understand your meaning," replied the politician, a small smirk on his face.
Rodrick stared up slightly amused at the game.
"If the orphanage was still up and running, I hardly see your wife looking to adopt. She would have no reason for me to follow her. Isn't that right Mr. Malfoy?" he added the last part sarcastically.
Lucius smirked at the hidden meaning; the boy knew how to hide his words.
"You would be correct, in a way, Mr. Grindelwald."
Rodrick hitched a breath, that was conclusive proof that the man knew.
Lucius noticed the look that passed through his features; he smiled despite himself, he understood his situation.
The two stared off at one another for a few moments before Rodrick spoke.
"How?" questioned the 12-year-old.
"You're awfully formal for a child; anyone ever told you that?" Lucius skipped the question.
Rodrick narrowed his eyes, the action got him a raised hand.
"You have a relative, a great great aunt of sorts; she was responsible for sending you your letters," Lucius spoke. Surprisingly, the boy's face showed he hadn't known this. Hearing no reply Lucius continued.
"Your, predecessor was very famous; I am sure you can understand why people kept tabs on his relatives. Although it looked like we'd missed a generation." That answer didn't get the reaction Lucius expected.
Rodrick lowered his head slightly at this; the ministry didn't know about his mother. If they didn't know then... Why?... Who targeted her? He raised his head.
"You knew nothing of my mother?" he questioned.
Lucius frowned slightly before shaking his head; there really was no knowledge on the woman. It looked like she was the Grindelwald's heir. He had initially assumed it to be a man considering Rodrick kept the last name.
Rodrick deflated, he wouldn't be getting any new information regarding his mother it seemed.
"Who else knows? About me I mean."
Lucius smirked at the question.
"No one else, to your fortune I was the one who received word of Bathilda Bagshot's sudden trip to an orphanage, your secret is safe."
Rodrick's eyes lit up, Bathilda Bagshot, that was her name. He would need to visit her at some point.
"Wait a second." Rodrick spoke up suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.
Lucius raised an eyebrow at the sudden outburst.
"The ministry? They don't know about me?" he questioned.
Lucius smiled thinly, "Not a record. I made sure of that after meeting you."
Rodrick narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Why?" he questioned.
Lucius took a sip from his drink before he answered.
"It helps both of us really." Lucius shrugged, "You have your freedom, no records in the ministry mean no one would know your plans before it was too late, there isn't even a trace on your wand. And I hope with this considerable gift; we could potentially work together. In the future of course."
Rodrick contemplated the offer; he wasn't stupid enough not to see the benefits he was given. If what Malfoy said was true then he'd received the break of a lifetime. But he had to make sure.
"And you consider my potential as an ally that important?" he questioned.
Lucius' eyes narrowed, 'Was the boy an idiot? Does he not know what kind of power his name can command?', It took Malfoy a few seconds to realise what the boy was trying to do. He smirked. He was fishing for information.
"You're quite smart for your age, I'll give you that, yes I do indeed consider your potential that much, how about we drop the games though?"
Rodrick had looked down at the carpet before he questioned Malfoy.
"If I had no such plans? You risked all this for nothing, in fact, imagine I had plans that weren't suited towards your goals." The question was left in the air.
"If you decide not to follow in your grandfathers ideals... It really is your own choice although a favor may or may not be asked of you, I hardly doubt your plans could stray against mine given our particular family history."
The second part caught Rodrick off guard; he was practically admitting to being a death eater to him.
Lucius smiled at the reaction. "Don't think too much on it, while my family may have been associated there... Yours well..." there was no malice in his voice, it was a simple matter of fact.
Rodrick nodded slowly before he continued with one final question.
"What about Dumbledore?"
Lucius's eyes narrowed at this. "What about the headmaster? You can't mean to tell me he knows who you are?" That was dangerous ground for him, very dangerous grounds.
Rodrick quickly shook his head, elevating the man's tension.
"No, he doesn't know that, although I am fairly certain he knows you visited me at the orphanage."
Lucius relaxed slightly, That wouldn't be the end of the world, it was in the end done legally. When he looked into the boy's eyes, he saw something hiding behind them.
"There's more?" he questioned.
Rodrick sighed slightly, the man was involved and had a right to know.
"There was an incident; I am fairly sure the headmaster suspects me to be a part of," Rodrick spoke looking towards one of the hounds.
Lucius waited for the boy to continue.
"I am sure your son told you about the troll incident?"
Lucius surprised, nodded his head slightly before a scowl took its place. That message from Draco had enraged him, letting a troll come so close to his only son, he wasn't some Weasley with spares for heirs.
"What about it?" Lucius asked pointedly.
"It was taken care off by a particularly bad spell," spoke the boy eyes not showing anything.
Lucius raised an eyebrow, "And the headmaster believes you to be responsible?"
"He would be right."
Lucius's eyes had twinkled at this piece of information before he asked how bad it could really be.
Rodrick stared at the man's eyes.
"The Imperius Curse."
Lucius' eyes widened. That was not just a bad spell... That brought many many things into consideration. His mind whirled through so many questions to ask the boy. How did Dumbledore guess it to be the kid, surely he either knew or didn't know? How did he manage to hide it from the headmaster? Why did a 12-year-old know the Imperius curse?
He settled on the last question.
"How does a child like you know such a powerful spell?" It was not called an unforgivable for no reason.
Lucius's eyes stilled for a moment; he had been staring at the boy's eyes when he'd asked. The eyes glinted slightly at the question... almost mocking him. The man felt himself tensing up at the look.
Rodrick was staring blankly at the man before he calmly stated.
"You wouldn't believe the things I know." It wasn't like him to show off arrogance, but with Malfoy, he had to set off a tone.
Lucius' eyes narrowed, intrigued at the boy's statement and angered by the hidden message. A wizard like him threatened by a boy because he learned the Imperius curse? Sure it wasn't exactly common... It definitely wasn't... but it wasn't impossible.
"Try me," He challenged, expecting a surprised reaction out of the boy, but to his own surprise the boy merely stood up prepared.
Rodrick took his wand out before casting a privacy charm around the room. He quickly turned back to a surprised Malfoy before he asked.
"You're certain my wand doesn't have a trace?"
Malfoy could only nod, the tension in the air was palpable. What exactly was the boy about to do?
Rodrick turned to an empty wall before raising his wand and uttering words that sent the man into shock.
"Avada Kedavra,"
The explosive green light crashed into the wall, leaving whiffs of fire in its wake, fire Rodrick quickly waved off. He turned back to the shocked expression of Malfoy.
"I learned that when I was 8." Rodrick quickly moved over back to his seat and waited for Malfoy to get a hold of himself. The killing curse admittedly took a lot of hatred to kill, but it didn't mean without hatred it wouldn't cast. It might not kill...Rodrick actually wasn't sure if what he'd just shot out had the potential to kill, it was too late to find out... Either way he only needed to show he could cast it.
...
Malfoy's eyes filled with shock, intrigue, excitement? And even fear. It was only then that the boy's words connected to him. 8? No, that's not possible. It simply wasn't possible. What he saw happen in front of him shouldn't have been possible either to be fair, it took a powerful wizard to cast it. It took a far more powerful wizard to teach it. An orphan shouldn't know it!
Malfoy eyes locked back to the child and felt the shock wear off; he was finally reminded of an important piece of information. This was the grandson of Gellert Grindelwald.
A crept onto Lucius Malfoy's face.
"That's certainly impressive, but it's also stupid to show it off, you earned yourself a one-way ticket to Azkaban doing that!" Mocked the Malfoy Patriarch, to his disappointment or relief perhaps, the boy didn't rise to the bait.
"Yes, I am sure the ministry would certainly believe that I could pull that off, you know instead of considering the fact a potential death eater took control of my wand and cast it? And before you tell me Dumbledore can vouch for my knowledge, I am sure he would much rather you were prosecuted."
Lucius had raised an eyebrow before a small smirk appeared on his face, the boy really was too clever for his age.
...
The two sat in silence for a while, before Rodrick raised his head once again.
"I suppose I should give you a gift in return, consider it a token of trust." The boy spoke.
Lucius brows raised, intrigued at the boy's offer. He stared in confusion as the boy raised his wand towards his face and muttered a spell. It had taken a few moments before the result appeared. Lucius stared in wonder as the kid's face and hair changed. A grin placed itself on his face; the boy would make a very useful ally in the future if he was capable of planning and doing things like this at 12.
"A toast then to all future endeavors," Spoke the Malfoy patriarch unable to keep himself from smiling.
The rest of noon was spent deciding on what Rodrick's plans were for the summer, Malfoy was slightly disappointed the boy wouldn't consider staying at his Manor, in fact, the boy refused to even stay the night. He was planning to go house hunting for that matter. Lucius had initially been very disappointed in the boy's choice of location; he wanted to purchase a place in Devon, a place Lucius found particularly revolting due to neighbors. When asked why however...
It was cheap enough to live in temporarily, it was scarce enough for him to practice magic more openly and the main point was he would be able to keep an eye on certain other wizarding families. Lucius' eyes were lit up when he realized the potential result of the last part, yes it was quite beneficial, and due to his status as an orphan, it wouldn't be far-fetched for him to go so far.
The reality was what had happened a couple of months ago, after it had been revealed who Professor Quirrell was, Rodrick felt shaken to the core, he had a strange premonition that it may happen again.
He had practically bumped into Voldemort himself... It was what had changed his plans for the summer so suddenly. He had originally wanted to spend it with his friends, preferably stay in the Greengrass Manor. The place felt welcoming to him. But after that incident, his grandfather had insisted he leave the orphanage and find a more stable place to live in.
He saw the logic there and decided to try and find one in proximity to other families, help build relations of sorts. He was already close to the Greengrass family, Blaise and Tracey gave him some connection to their respective families, and now he had an unofficial alliance with Malfoy.
Devon or more specifically Ottery St Catchpole had at least three families he knew off, thanks to a younger version of the man he was talking to, two perhaps weren't the most well of, but their contacts were certainly useful to keep tabs on.
Plus it was cheap as hell.
Rodrick stood up, planting his transfiguration back in place earning an awed look from the Malfoy Patriarch, the man wasn't even sure if he was capable of doing it so flawlessly.
"Who taught you all that?" Malfoy questioned eagerly to know; perhaps the same could teach his son. Imagine the possibilities his son could have...
Rodrick shook his head slightly before stating the teacher was inaccessible.
Malfoy eye's narrowed slightly, but the boy refused to indulge him further, well, he was still a Slytherin, so he understood the sentiment of some secrets.
"it just occurred to me you'll be needing money for your little plans."
Rodrick raised his head to meet the sitting Malfoy's gaze before shrugging saying he had a vault to his name with enough funds.
Malfoy nodded his head slightly; the boy clothes should be proof enough of that already for that matter.
Rodrick asked if he could borrow an owl to send a message to his friends of his plans and whereabouts, Malfoy slightly surprised only nodded.
Rodrick thanked the man before he mentally prepared to send three messages. He would need to explain his plans to each of his friends. Before he left the room, however, Malfoy's voice spoke out.
"After you're done well be on our way to the ministry."
Rodrick hitched slightly before he asked why this resulted in Malfoy chuckling slightly.
The boy could only know so much, supposed Malfoy. "You need to get some paperwork done to get your things in order; you also need someone to act as a guardian for you."
That part irritated Rodrick slightly before he considered a solution. "I'll be sending four letters then it seems," Rodrick replied. Malfoy raised an eyebrow at this.
"I'll need to ask the Greengrass family if they're willing to help with that part."
Malfoy scowled slightly, but he figured that keeping them closer would only help in the future. "If they refuse?" questioned Malfoy with a small smirk.
Rodrick looked at him before a grin popped into his face, "I am sure you'll figure something out then."
It was refreshing to be taken seriously.
Malfoy was considering ways to try and get the Greengrass to refuse the offer, nothing short of revealing the boy's name came to mind. It was at that moment Lucius Malfoy actually realized how many doors this simple orphan had managed to open up, and he wasn't even an adult yet. If Rodrick had looked back, he would've seen a smirk too large for Malfoy's face. Perhaps the Greengrass taking guardianship had more merit than he thought.
Rodrick was certain his communication with the Malfoy's would have a backlash but at the end of the day he was looking long term, and long term meant some backlashes where necessary.