Deep in his heart though, Lucius was not so certain of his imminent appointment as Minister. For years he'd worked tirelessly, whispering in the Minister's ear, keeping careful council with all the important members of their government. But it would all be for naught, he feared.
His Lord would not allow him in that position. He had lost their Lord's favor. Lucius knew he only lived because not a single Death Eater could be spared. Lucius held important positions and had resources that were needed, but once Voldemort's rise to power was confirmed, Lucius would not be spared.
All he could do was try his best to protect his family. Draco was spending the summer at the Notts. He missed his son dreadfully but it wasn't safe with their Lord operating out of their home. All he could do was protect himself and work to advance their goals such that his Lord might have mercy. It was his job to keep the Ministry unaware of their plans, for a little while longer. It was his job to make sure their plans were carried out smoothly, and he would ensure his Lord's success if it was the last thing he did. Because it very likely would be the last thing he did.
Reaching the edge of the wards, he apparated to the Ministry.
...
Voldemort was not having a very good couple of years. It had all started when the boy had exorcised him from Quirrell, ruining his plans to regain his body with the Philosopher's Stone. Then, as he had been milling around in a forest trying to think of some other way to fix things, he had felt a sudden agonizing wrench in his being. It had left his weak form unable to focus for several months, tearing at the shreds of power he had been able to rebuild over the years. It had undoubtedly been his strongest horcrux, the diary.
He was really starting to regret putting all his eggs in this very flimsy basket.
He'd felt one pass years prior, a faint, weak thing that he'd had to assume was the Potter horcrux. What with the whole dying thing happening, he hadn't been sure that one had stuck. It had likely been extremely weak. Perhaps the boy had accidentally died in any number of ways and dislodged it from his being. That had been his hope. At the time, he did not have the power to investigate any further. And when he had infiltrated the school during the boy's first year, he had indeed not felt the telltale calling of his soul shard emanating from the boy. It was an unfortunate but not unexpected loss.
Then he had felt the diary. And promptly panicked. Because one could be a coincidence, a horcrux placed in a volatile container. Hell, an advanced medical check-up might have revealed the Dark magic. But another shard destroyed!? Dumbledore had to know. Had likely ripped the thing out of the Potter boy and gone investigating.
If Lucius had not gone and fucked things up royally by handing his goddamn horcrux to a child and - ugh! What an idiot. He was paying dearly for his crimes. He would continue to pay dearly.
And then he'd felt the third horcrux pass in early May. By then Voldemort had enough strength and was back in the country to go on the defensive. He could not afford to lose more of his soul!
Most of his followers had abandoned him or had been mysteriously killed in prison, but he cobbled together what forces he could. Thank magic for Barty Crouch Jr, he was proving instrumental. One of the last of his truly loyal. There were a handful still imprisoned, but he didn't think they were worth the trouble to break free. Had Bellatrix, his best duelist, lived it would have been another story. He snarled with anger, sending a volley of fire to ignite his correspondence. Even Severus had apparently snapped under the pressure and, as far as Lucius could tell, was living as a recluse somewhere along the Mediterranean!
So, recap. He had a dozen or so direct followers, most of whom had grown complacent under the current administration. Most of his safe houses, resources, and money had been stolen or seized. He didn't even have a fucking body!
But that was no matter. It was all temporary. Soon he would regain his body and his forces, soon Lord Voldemort would be at his full strength and the world would remember why they used to fear his name!
...
Minister Fudge was having a shitty day. For the fourth time in an hour, he cursed Dolores Umbridge's name. She'd been making waves rising to the top at the Ministry, and it had been no secret that he'd favored her. Hell, he'd planned to have her promoted to Senior Undersecretary after her appointment at Hogwarts.
And now she had left him to deal with the worst scandal of his career.
She'd done the right thing by ending her life, if she'd lived, Fudge would have gladly strung her up by her heels and left her in the Atrium - a crucified Judas to prove a point. Between the World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament, there could not have been a worse time to have negative press.
.....
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