Note from the Author: This story was formerly known as "Fugitives of the Ministry" in Fanfiction.net that I finished writing in 2003. I am incorporating it to a whole story titled "Shadow of the Dark Fortress" and this entry will be subtitled as Act 1. There are three acts planned for the whole story.
The prequel to this trilogy is entitled "The Auror and the Oarling" which can now be found at Portkey (The Fanfiction.net entry for the story is broken). To the interested reader, please check out that story first before Act 1 (though you can safely read Act 1 without reading through "Auror". You might just want to read about the details of crucial past events being referred to there). It was my first fic so it was a little rough around the edges so please be warned. Haha.
To the H/Hr crowd, don't worry, this story will be H/Hr and they will end up together. It won't be become apparent until Chapter 19 though. Act 2 is where they will develop their romance.
Thank you and I hope you enjoy the stories!
- Triggy
Prologue
Shadow of the Dark Fortress
Act 1: Fugitives of the Ministry
It was already half past 10 o'clock in the evening when Lucius Malfoy sat down on his favorite armchair in front of the cozy crackling fire in his den, more than an hour late than he usually does every night. He had two pieces of parchment resting on his lap, one them had just been delivered by an owl. He had been anticipating a message tonight, but he calmly left the new mail unopened while he leisurely took out a stick of cigar from his drawer. Though he despised Muggles and their inventions, he liked to smoke cigars and to use what the fools called a "lighter". In return, he had many Muggle artifacts hidden all around his manor and he enjoyed bewitching them to wreak havoc on the poor Muggles who would be unfortunate to bring them into their homes. He had many ways to do this; how, no one really knew but himself. For him it is a hobby, his second favorite form of entertainment. His best bit was seeing the burnt face of a Muggle fool after a toaster spewed flaming sliced bread that stuck on his face. After all, his most favorite hobby was Muggle torture and he loved to hear the moaning and wailing of suffering Muggles.
Lucius sighed. How he missed the good old days when Lord Voldemort was at the peak of his power - Lucius had free reign to hurt Muggles and Mudbloods as he pleased without the fear of prosecution. But after the Dark Lord's fall, he shamefully disavowed any "wrongdoing" for his actions; luckily the nitwits from the Ministry of Magic subsequently cleared him for lack of evidence. That saved him from isolation and possible death in Azkaban.
For 15 years he hungered for another chance to subject the Cruciatus curse to anyone who stood in his way, or simply whom he fancied to torture. He shared the Lord's hatred for wizards and witches who were not purebloods - Mudbloods. And to get rid of Mudbloods, Muggles must be dealt with, too. He smirked. Now that the Dark Lord's back, he will soon again experience the joy of terrorizing the wizards' world. Like a 12-year old boy again, he could not hide his excitement when he thought of the day when Voldemort will lead him and the Deatheaters to another reign of terror. But Voldemort, after that other embarrassing episode with Harry Potter around a graveyard, had ordered his faithful Deatheaters to stay low for the meantime and wait for another sign from him to gather again and move out. Except for Lucius, he was given a special mission that night by Voldemort, a task he proudly accepted.
At last he opened the parchment that Voldemort sent him about a month ago. Though he knew by heart what he was ordered to do, he felt proud to be reading it again and again - he savored the high of feeling very important. For literally the hundredth time, he read aloud:
Lucius, my servant:
As you very well know, we are actively preparing for the day when we will purge our world of Mudbloods and Mudblood lovers. As I write this, your fellow Deatheaters are secretly paying our friend wizards and witches a few visits. The time will come that those who will not bow down to us will die a horrible death. You are excused from joining your worthless colleagues with what they are doing now, and I have a very important task that I demand you to do for me because you are apparently the perfect person who can deliver me this.
Murder Albus Dumbledore!
Needless to say I must emphasize to you the importance of this mission. Without Dumbledore, no one can stop me from realizing my dream of ruling the wizard world with an iron fist from the halls of Hogwarts, a wizard world free of Mudbloods. All wizards and witches will serve me to the ends of the earth, and with them we will bring along the Muggle world down on their knees - slaves to my perfect world.
Bring me glory, Lucius. You must not fail. I don't care how you do it, but just bring me the body of Dumbledore and you will bring those cowering allies of his the fear of Lord Voldemort! You will be handsomely rewarded for your success.
Lord Voldemort
"Just a matter of time," Lucius thought as he savored the smoke from his cigar in his mouth. He had been preparing for this, and even though Voldemort was out of action a few years ago, he personally made sure he had at least one connection in Hogwarts who will do his dirty job for him when he opted to. He was now offering this option for Lord Voldemort, and that was what the second parchment was all about.
He untied the ribbon and unrolled the parchment. He was expecting some form of good news from his sleeper, or agent as he liked to think about it, in Hogwarts. After reading the message he was not disappointed.
Dear Sir:
Yes, I am ready, as I always have been, to do the noble task you require me that I am most eager to accept. I am in a perfect position now to repay you for all of your support for my education here. I have been recently elected as Headboy and that will make my job much easier.
Your plan, as always, is perfect. I can promise you that I can throw the blame to a son of Arthur Weasley. I expect that Hogwarts will be chaotic soon after that, but my limited skills in Divination can only take me as far as seeing Harry Potter running away from the school, pursued by the Ministry of Magic. I am sure you have already devised another plan to take advantage of that situation.
I can't express enough how I am honored to be serving you and the Dark Lord.
Your apprentice,
Black Cauldron
Lucius took out a new parchment and dipped his quill in the inkbottle. His reply was short and went to the point.
Black Cauldron,
You may start as soon as you get this message. Ronald Weasley shall be your pawn.
From Your mentor
The owl that delivered Black's message knew that Lucius had finished his letter and stretched out its leg, clasped the rolled parchment, and flew out of the manor.
Lucius leaned back on his comfortable armchair and began to admire himself for having such excellent foresight. Seven years ago he sponsored Jack Chadron (who had secretly christened himself as the Black Cauldron because he loved Professor Snape's potion class) for full financial support in Hogwarts. He saw great potential in the little boy to become a dark wizard and follow his ways - but in reality he put Jack there to be irreversibly indebted to his kindness and be committed in obeying his every command. Jack had sold his soul to Lucius in exchange for tools of his education that his parents - may they rest in pieces - could not afford for him. Of course, Jack's parents Blake and Caulea Chadron were foolish enough to go against Voldemort through the boy's second year that the Dark Lord took their life away in an instant. Though he saw Jack mourn his parents' death under the wand of Voldemort, he remarkably never developed any form of resentment towards him. He accepted the Dark Lord's actions as the inevitable and manifested his loyalty time and time again to the one who could afford his books - Lucius Malfoy. And whomever Lucius Malfoy pledged allegiance to Jack pledged the same, too.
Jack was destined to be placed in Slytherin house. He is a model student, became a prefect in his fifth year, and now, not surprisingly, the new Head Boy of Hogwarts. No one from Slytherin had become Head Boy ever since Tom Marvolo Riddle graduated from Hogwarts. Kids from both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw almost always monopolized the position. Sometimes, with pure luck, a student from Hufflepuff managed to become Head Boy, but not now. Jack is now holding the flag in honor of Slytherin. Dumbledore would never suspect there was a traitor in Hogwarts that held so high a position close enough to murder him.
But he didn't want to waste money and such talent just to send him to Azkaban. Though he knew if he told Jack to jump into a chasm the boy would ask "how deep a chasm do you want?" he had more plans for him yet. In addition to being the one who assured the death of Dumbledore for Lord Voldemort, he would do it in such a way to pay Arthur Weasley back for his daring raid of misused Muggle artifacts at the same time (Lucius had a hard time clearing himself up to pay the most minimum in fines). It was an old personal grudge that needed to be settled. Two birds with one stone. He would pin the blame of Dumbledore's murder on one of Weasley's sons. That will surely give shame to the Weasley family and dump them further into deeper poverty - Arthur will never find another job to support his pathetic family. Then, as an added bonus, he might even kill himself. Lucius mischievously grinned while holding the cigar with his teeth. The possibilities were endless.
Then, there's the question of Harry Potter. Now, what to do with him? Jack wrote about foreseeing the boy wizard running away from Hogwarts after the foreseen chaos. Though he did not fully believe in art of predicting the future, the thought gave him another idea that no planner could ever anticipate. He jotted down on another piece of parchment the names of all available Deatheaters for a meeting in his manor. If ever Jack's vision would be reality, he would score more points with the Dark Lord that will make Pettigrew's hair curl with envy - well, if he still had hair left on his coconut head. Lucius Malfoy will be the one who got Harry Potter to be brought in front of Voldemort. Now, what an honor that would be!
"Honey, don't tell me you've brought in more Muggle gadgets in the manor," said Mrs. Malfoy from behind him. "I hope you're not bewitching them again. The last time you tried to get rid of something, it opened the Chamber of Secrets and cost you your School Governorship, mind," she added, her eyes narrowing while she looked coldly at her husband straight in the eye.
"So what's it to you if I do?" Lucius said irritably, returning her stare.
"Haven't you learned your lesson yet? It will give us even more trouble - the Ministry surely won't need reminding of their first warning on us, especially with that brainless git Arthur Weasley still trying to put something on our family…he almost had you then."
"Hah! Him…he won't be that cocky soon enough," Lucius said very confidently.
"Ohhh…why is that?" Mrs. Malfoy said, suddenly intrigued.
"That's totally none of your business," Lucius said flatly.
Furious and not giving in to her husband's constant bossiness, Mrs. Malfoy changed tactics. "What's this rumor going around the Leaky Cauldron you have an illegitimate child studying at Hogwarts? Is this true, Lucius?" she asked, her eyes flaring.
Rather than telling her the whole story, Lucius Malfoy simply stood up and went to bed totally ignoring Mrs. Malfoy's loud protest of not being totally honest with her. Just another night in the Malfoy Manor.
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