The Lord Appellant 19/37

[herumtreiber]

Title:  The Lord Appellant 19/37
Chapter:  Death of a Malfoy
Author:herumtreiber  
Genre: Slash, romance, adventure, dark!fic
Pairing: Draco/Blaise, one sided Harry/Draco
Rating: R
Warnings for the fic: It's a dark fic, rape is mentioned several times. Dementors appear and not for show. Character death (not Harry, Draco or Blaise). Evil!Ron, powerful Hermione, Pansy and Bellatrix. Sympathetic to Slytherins.
Epilogue compliant? No
Chapter length: ~3,188 words
Disclaimer:  I do not own Harry Potter or related characters. Nor do I make any money from  writing  these stories.
Summary: After the events of HBP, the Minister of Magic wants to finish the Malfoys but Draco uses a Wizengamot procedure to fight back. Veelas and Siddhe appear in the story as Draco uses political means to contest the pureblood's allegiance to Voldemort.
Notes: I wrote this before DH was published, so please no picayune comments about canon.


Table of contents


18. Black House

On Monday morning, Draco came over to Black House, where he conversed with Mrs. Black and Kreacher. Their behavior had changed considerably, and they did not project the foreboding aura they once had. With the most visibly coldness eliminated, they proved to have acerbic wits.

He'd come to pick up Harry Potter and together join a Wizengamot session. Draco argued that it would provide needed political growth for Potter, who was the leader of the Light. Harry might want to pursue a political career, or he may not. Still, even then, the observations gleaned before would allow him to back the person or persons who could most likely succeed in what he wanted.

That is the argument provided by Draco. In his innermost mind though, the truth was a little more childish. He needed to be in that session, and since he was going to be bored out of his mind for hours on end, he need not suffer alone. He'd browbeaten, well, whined, Blaise into joining and he'd convinced Potter to go too, not a small feat in itself.

Soon Potter came down and they prepared to leave the room when he noticed Potter looking right behind him, trying hard to contain a large grin. Draco felt a frisson of fear, for when this Gryffindor smiled, awful things happened to him. But that had hopefully changed for the future, right?

Pansy's loud voice came commanding, "Why did you leave without me, Draco? You've made me trudge all the way to this place with the Half-Bloods and Muggleborns!"

Draco turned and scrutinized Pansy's figure scrupulously, especially her clothes. He said chillingly, "Well, Pansy, you must have trudged very hard when you're wearing a Mauve top with a black belt. Furthermore this is the beginning of many fashion mistakes that Pansy would die rather than commit."

Draco continued, "I'm weighing my options about keeping mum about this incident, cousin, or would you like to have Pansy after you!"

Instantly Pansy's features changed into those of Tonks.

Draco arrogantly added, "If you're going to perform feats of spionage, you at least need to know the basics of sartorial rules."

What no one foresaw was that when Tonks was readmitted into the Black family, two things occurred. There was her name in the wall tapestry, and more importantly, it appears that readded Tonks acquired suddenly a need to prank, prank at all costs. Harry wondered if his father and Remus were also some distant cousins of the Blacks with the need to prank, or maybe there was a pranking gene.

Tonks answered glibly, "It was Harry's idea. He wanted to see your face when you saw her! Said we'd get to see you cower in fear!" Harry and Draco growled simultaneously. Then Harry started giggling, he giggled so strongly that he slid to the floor.

Draco recognized the effects of the ward and eliminated this feature applied to Harry.

Giving him a hand so he could get up, he said, "I realize living among two crazy Blacks can be trying, Potter. So just chin up!"

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When they arrived to the Wizengamot and entered, Draco greeted Blaise and Harry greeted Blaise. Draco was explaining some point of procedure for Harry when he said, "And then you vote with your wand, Potter…"

Blaise interrupted and said, "Harry."

Draco replied stupidly, "What?"

Blaise added, "He's been with us for a while now, he's proved resourceful, he can prove more if you let him."

Draco pondered a moment and then nodded to himself, "And then you vote with your wand, Harry, the votes are magically counted and recorded. Supposedly there is no capacity for shenanigans, but you and I have been here long enough to know different, Harry, right?"

Harry felt a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach, in his chest. He felt like he'd gotten unexpectedly a box of Chocolate Frogs, vintage edition. Hopefully things with Draco could change for the better, and they could leave the past behind.

He nodded to Draco and prepared to add something more, when a member of the Wizengamot approached them and asked them why they were there. Harry didn't like being interrupted and scowled viciously at the man.

Draco answered that he was attending the session as Lord Black and had brought two coworkers, Blaise Zabini and Harry Potter.

When the man heard Harry's name he started to fawn all over them, especially him, until Draco pointedly asked the man to leave.

The session started presently and all matters that had to be dealt with that day were treated. Then Draco asked leave of the members to offer a pressing concern of his.

He told them that after the success of the Black Estate trial, the purebloods were heartened. They felt they had found a middle ground, free from the Ministry's and Voldemort's corruptions. They saw in that victory that pens might be mightier than swords or even wands.

Still, the pressing problem of Voldemort and his Death Eaters remained. It would help the cause immensely if he were to subvert some Death Eaters from Voldemort's grasp so they could work for him.

Alas! These would not be the top Death Eaters, for their obedience was legendary, neither the newest Des, for their contribution would be small. No, these would be some middle level Des, unsatisfied with Voldemort, hoping to curry favor with the new crew revealing what they knew about the Dark Lord.

What he needed was a safeconduct, a plenary pardon for all their crimes until that moment. He needed 10 of this.

As expected the Wizengamot cried loud and far and pronounced that they could not issue plenary pardons for unknown persons.

This was the key that Draco was waiting for, he said, "Far be it from me to take away the judgment of the Wizengamot. I worded the petition this way so that it could be expedited more rapidly. I'm quite prepared to ask for a plenary pardon until the end of the war, or to be more precise, the death of Voldemort. These persons would serve with us, and when we win the war with their help, the Wizengamot could decide over them, weighing their good and bad actions." "Also I would only require 5 of these pardons."

The Wizengamot was relieved to see that Draco did not intend to dispossess the body of its ability to argue cases. They voted for the pardons, and were duly made and signed, and delivered to Draco. He opened his black leather briefcase, put them inside, and after the session was ended, made their way out with Blaise. Harry had had to leave early due to an important call.

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Draco asked, "Are you up to help me get revenge tonight, Blaise?"

Blaise, "On which group of miscreants, the ambushers or the squatters?"

Draco replied, "The ambushers, who killed Daphne."

Blaise said, "Sure, let's get to it."

They walked until they arrived to the holding cells. Draco spoke with a young man, asking to put the 16 persons together in the same big interrogation room. The man was quite doubtful that he should follow Draco's orders. Draco tried to use logic and even later softly threatened him, but he would not budge.

Finally Draco took out a parchment from his robe and gave it to the guard. It ordered him to swiftly fulfill any and all requests from Draco Malfoy, with the effect of helping the peace of the realm dealing promptly with the rebels. This made the guard tremble for his job, especially when Draco said, "You drive a hard bargain, Ignatius Zinn! You force me to write to your captain."

Ignatius said, "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't know that…."

Draco replied genially, "Have no fear, Mr. Zinn, my letter will be most complimentary, for you have done your duty very well indeed. You have stubbornly done your job tonight, and I'm sure that in the future you'll stubbornly face our common enemies and perform your task."

Soon the sixteen thugs were there. They looked sullen, and murderous and full of loathing. When Draco spoke, they made as if to lunge for him, but he was beyond a force field, using a wand that Blaise did not recognize.

Draco shouted, "Silence, curs! You are here on my sufferance. Do not stretch it or you will regret it forever. You can confess to the crimes you committed and a sentence will be pronounced for you, after that, you could return to society."

"If you remain in your ignorant hatred of what is different, I will not be lenient at all, and you will be made a sign of what happens when someone attacks me. What is it going to be? What is your choice?"

A big blond man answered contemptuously, "You're the lowest scum, Malfoy. Your father would hate you, a blood traitor in that family. You're nothing but a whore…"

At that moment Draco's patience snapped and he shouted "Crucio!"as he directed his wand at the man's chest, the blond man fell to the floor and writhed for five minutes.

Immediately he stopped using the curse on the man, Draco threatened to use it on the other people. They never knew who would be hit and for how long, they only knew they would. All their bluster seemed to evaporate and they were well behaved afterwards.

Draco called to Blaise, "Did you get the 20 Pensieve memory holders that I asked for?"

Blaise answered, "Yes, I have them on my briefcase."

Draco answered, "Bring 16 out. I'm going to fill them with memories of their crimes so odious they cannot escape from them."

It was three hours later that an exhausted Draco and a bored Blaise left the Ministry of Magic, after depositing the Memory Holders in the Aurors' office, talking with the Head Auror, and arranging for summary trials for participants of the ambush to take place tomorrow.

The scuttlebutt in the Auror's division was that Draco had gotten their confessions by transforming into his animagi shape, that of a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon, or offering them money to confess.

That night, although Blaise was feeling a little hot and bothered, he recognized that Draco was literally exhausted. It had been tiring even watching him as he used the Legilimens spell to learn their peccadilloes, and later had to go back, and use his wand to draw out the memories.

So because of the need to castigate the attackers so that punishment could act as deterrent for others, he and Draco lost another day. It was tiring. Hopefully soon they would act in synch.

On Tuesday morning, while they were having dinner at the Manor, Crabbe received a missive from an exquisite-looking Eagle Owl. Draco knew that owl belonged to Crabbe Sr. and waited with trepidation to see what news it would bring. News that could only come from the citadel of his enemy.

Crabbe briefly read the letter, then nodded minutely to Goyle, Draco and Blaise. All of them made their leisure way from the dining room and gathered in Draco's room.

Draco had observed how affected Crabbe and Goyle seemed. So he took charge, called Dobby and ordered tea brought in. Then he went to his secret stash and took out a box of Vintage Chocolate Frogs, and gave it to them.

Crabbe asked if they should send for the others. Blaise said that it would be better if there were as few as possible in the know.

Goyle wondered if they should invite the Gryffindors Potter and Granger. Draco answered with alacrity, "No! My gut feeling is that we are going to be dealing with Slytherin business. Most of the times they will either be shocked or appalled or in plain terms call it morally wrong. I'm sick and tired of pandering to Gryffindors!"

Blaise answered wickedly, "Then that must be why you did away with them at Hogwarts. Pity that you got rid of Slytherin, too!"

Draco answered slyly, "But that gives us the right to teach our way across all of Hogwarts!"

Crabbe, having derived some comfort from the Frogs, explained, "I received a letter from my father. Family codes indicate that it was him and was of sound mind. He asks for an interview with you as my liege. He explains that it must take place today. He asks that few people know about him. The time and place of the interview can be written in the letter and it will reach him.

Draco nodded to Blaise and Goyle. To Crabbe he asked, "Your father knows his way to the Manor, right?"

"Yes, Draco, he does."

"Does he know the way to my room?"

"Yes, he went here to pick me up once or twice."

"Then write him to meet here, in Draco's Room at Malfoy Manor, one hour from now."

Blaise said, "I must protest, I fear for your safety."

Draco answered, "Don't worry, I'll key him in the wards only for tonight. Besides I have you all with me, right?"

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When the hour passed, Mr. Crabbe appeared, he bowed deeply to Draco and hugged his son.

He said, "I'm sorry to come with such awful business at this, the moment of your triumph and hopefully the second birth of our movement, but the menace cannot wait, it must be heard, and you must decide on what you want done, and we will help you with that, I swear on my word as a Crabbe."

"You must know that I also speak for Mr. Goyle. All our lives we've been best of friends, and if we must leave this Earth, as it seems it would, then we will do it together."

Mr. Crabbe continued, "This morning Voldemort called Goyle and me. We are to assemble a force of 15 people and head to Azkaban, with the avowed purpose of taking the fortress. Yet our real mission is more macabre. We are to seize the person of Lucius Malfoy and torture and kill him. We've assembled the force, or rather Goyle did, to distract Voldemort, and we'll attack tomorrow."

Mr. Crabbe went on, "If you had asked me a year ago, nay a month ago of the surety of my intentions toward Voldemort, I wouldn't have said anything. However, Draco, you came on the scene, and things changed completely. Where the purebloods were downtrodden you showed strength, more especially, when our children were faced with virtual death, you willingly took the plunge for them, knowing what would happen."

"All the misguided efforts and rapine caused by Voldemort, we tolerated it in the sacred name of our families. You have taken the blindfolds for us, and forced us to consider our actions." "What you want done, we will do it."

Draco seemed disturbed and said, "What say you, counsel?"

Blaise said, "This sounds fishy. It's too simple, and you know Voldemort's plan are double as byzantine as yours Draco." "Therefore this is not what he intends at all."

Blaise said, "What I'd say he wants is to get rid of you, Draco. So what better way than to use the fathers of your friends who are sympathetic to you, so you want to rescue Lucius."

"You mount a rescue attempt and go there, eventually there's fighting, but what if, say someone, has called the Aurors and they arrive and arrest everybody. It would seem like you were trying to spring Lucius from prison, and all the others would testify to that."

"Your political life would be doomed, as would your physical one."

Draco replied, "As always, shrewd commentary, and I also think that's what Voldemort wants." "Still I would throw all sand to the wind and go to the rescue if Lucius had given me one, only one reason, to love him. He always saw me as only one tool for his mastercraft. When I didn't perform exactly he brutally punished me. I have no love for that man and I loathe him. I can only hope that his days among this Earth draw inexorably to their close."

Then Draco addressed Mr. Crabbe, "And for you, my friend, you must go back to where you came from. The Dark Lord will ask you where you were. Tell them that you came here to visit your son, who'd ask you to come when you could. Tell him I had heard about the planned attack and begged you to stop it! Proceed with the attack as planned. I just ask that you observe Lucius carefully, and if it gets really too much, and you can safely do that, ease his passage to the next life."

Draco went on, "After this attack, Voldemort will place great emphasis on your trust, and so will I. I have two plenary pardons, one for you and one for Goyle, for all crimes committed, the Wizengamot will sit in judgment of those crimes though, after the war is won."

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In Azkaban, Lucius Malfoy was dreaming of what he would do once he got out of the prison, or rather, he was imagining what he would do to a certain person once he got back home.

According to the other inmates, Draco had been bad, very bad. He'd dared to usurp the place of pureblood champion from his Master. He was seen with the Half-Blood Potter, and worse, the Mudblood Granger. Alone for that he would love to get Draco and a whip together, as before.

Then Lucius was woken by loud clanking. He saw the familiar black robes and white masks. At first he thought they were going to help him escape, his colleagues! Then reality set in and felt like a cold bucket of water. Death Eaters here to kill him and have fun on the way.

He could see Crabbe and Goyle and several others. McNair put the chain around his hands, and seemed to take the leadership role. He said, "Malfoy, the Dark Lord is angry with you because of your son, but he might relent, if he wasn't your son anymore, if he wasn't a Malfoy!"

"Here I have a Writ of Disownment, signed by your wife Narcissa Malfoy. It only needs your signature and it becomes active immediately. The Malfoy assets, the Black assets, would go to other heirs. In our case the assets would go to our rightful ruler the Dark Lord."

"So all you have to do is sign and we'll leave!"

Later the Death Eaters did not know what had really happened. Seemingly there were nearby apparition sounds, they all looked to the doors and so missed a slight movement of Mr. Crabbe that had the document burst into flames. The Des were sure that was interference from the Aurors, and their conciliating gesture with the paper being done, the torture began in earnest.

Minding his promise to Draco, Crabbe stayed near the broken Malfoy, until such a moment when the torturers were distracted and he could utter a soft spell that reduced blood pressure by 40 percent. For Lucius it was enough to die.

And so the current Lord Malfoy left this world, among his colleagues, with whom he had wreaked so much havoc.

20. Pranks and smut