Chapter 30
In a small and cozy home, three people sat at a quiet table as they gathered together for a family meal after some time. The Tonks's were a small family, yet with all three members of the family working at the same time, it was difficult for the three of them to come together, unless it was for some official holiday such as in this case—Christmas.
Yet despite the auspicious gathering, the daughter of the family did not miss the slight tension that hung in the air, as despite the joyous occasion, both her parents seemed much too troubled to joke and jape as they usually did.
"Wow!" she finally decided to break the silence, as her words startled both of them, who turned to look at their daughter whose hair had begun to shift colors.
"I don't think I have ever seen the table so quiet," and her words seemed to stun them both.
"You two were rather excited to have me for dinner, and now that I am here neither of you has said anything for the last fifteen minutes," and it did not bother her, she was well beyond that. She was more worried about them, especially her mother.
"What happened?" she asked, and it was her father who was first to answer.
"I am sorry," he began, giving her a small smile.
"I just got a lot of work thrown my way and it's all rather complicated," and that was good news.
"Anything I can help you with?" and much to her surprise, he nodded.
"Yes, could you schedule an appointment for me with your boss," and that was a surprise given that her father rarely dealt with the DMLE, given his specialisation.
"You are going to meet Amelia again?" asked her mother finally cutting in, as her father nodded.
"Yes, it is for my new client," and that was interesting.
"Is he a criminal?" she asked, and yet she was a bit surprised when he did not deny her words.
"You know very well that I cannot say anything about that." The words came as a surprise, but it was not unusual for him to be swarmed with work. This behavior today was more off for her mother, who would often use the setting to criticize her choices and behavior.
"What about you? Is it a new case that is bothering you?" she asked, and her mother seemed hesitant before she sighed.
"No," she answered as she raised a brow, prompting an answer.
"It's just that I learned something rather troubling today about Cassius," and she missed how her own father's eyes widened at the mention of the name.
"Cassius!" she was surprised at hearing that name come out of her mother's mouth.
"Yes, the poor boy was just disinherited by his father. " The words stunned her and her father.
"What...."
0000
CASSIUS MALFOY
After some lengthy explanations and much consolation, Cassius found himself at the Dinner as all of the students who had gone away for Christmas came back.
And the stares were blatant, for even though most of the school remained oblivious to what had transpired. The Slytherin table was an entirely different matter. Most of the kids there belonged to well-connected families, each having their own eyes and ears within the Ministry, and apart from that, they were all a rather gossipy bunch.
Many of them had been his friends since childhood because of their family interactions, and so it was not strange for the word of his disinheritance to spread as quickly as it had.
He was certain that the news would spread quickly throughout the school in just a few days. Of all the pairs of eyes trained upon him, one looked on most intensely, one that he dared not meet, for he did not have the courage to face the truth.
Draco was staring at him, and he did not know just what he knew. As the feast ended, students began to gather to head back to their dorms, and Cassius found himself stopped at the door by the familiar voice of his own brother.
"We need to talk," and indeed they had a need to, and so they separated from their respective groups as they walked to a corner of the corridor, and initially, both of them were silent, yet each for a different reason.
"Did you know about it?" Draco asked, and Cassius shook his head.
"I didn't either," he clarified, and given his words, Cassius had an inkling that his twin had not been told the truth.
"It's stupid," Draco balked, and the words warmed his heart, causing a smile to erupt on his face.
"To disinherit you for simply associating with Granger. " I don't know what Father and Mother were thinking," and that was a lie, yet it seemed like Draco had not seen through it.
"Well, it is what it is," and despite the immorality of it all, he chose to continue the lie.
"Make no mistake, you are an idiot for liking that book worm, but it's not like you have married her. You are just friends," and that was an improvement over his previous views on her, and he was right in a way as well.
Him and Hermione were friends, good friends, maybe boyfriend and girlfriend—but friends nonetheless.
"You are not angry. They have disinherited you, you baffoon! Do you have any idea what it means?" Draco asked, surprised at his reaction.
"I know exactly what it means, but it was their decision to make. And believe it or not, I knew such a day might come." his words seemed to shock Draco.
"But what about me, Mother, and your damned inheritance. How will you survive without it all?" he asked, and he did not like lying to his brother.
"I will manage, though. Do tell me about Mother. How was she?" he asked, and Draco sighed, sifting a hand through his hair as he replied.
"She seemed tired, but she was fine overall. She even took me to meet fa..." but Draco stopped halfway as he realized just what he was about to say, yet he already knew what his twin was about to say.
"It's stupid!" Draco cursed as Cassius chuckled.
"I don't care about it all, and neither should you. I am certain that we will be twins no matter what, and you will always have me as your older brother." As he swung his arm around Draco's neck, the blonde punched him reflexively as he retorted.
"I am the older one," he argued as Cassius rubbed the side of his chest.
"If it helps you sleep better at night." As they stood there talking and joking, he saw his brother ease up, and they continued so for some time until a prefect finally came and told them to head back to their dorms.
"Well, like everything, you seem to be taking even this in stride?" Draco uttered as Cassius shrugged.
"What would worrying about it do? What's done is done." And Draco's lips thinned as he nodded.
"But don't worry about it. The day I become the lord, I will reverse it all, I promise," he assured him as Cassius smiled.
"Thanks, but do you know what this means?" Cassius suddenly asked as Draco frowned and shook his head.
"What?"
"Now, I won't feel guilty about pummelling your ass in the match next week," and Draco took a swing at him as Cassius backed away.
"I am being serious here, you idiot!" and Cassius shrugged as he wiggled his eyebrows.
"I know, and so am I," and as Draco realized that Cassius was not as bothered by it all as he had expected. So, he shook his head in dismay.
"I will never understand you," and that was fine.
"With your brain, is that even a surprise?" and that was it as Draco gave him a troubling look and began to walk away.
"I don't know what the he...." but Cassius did not let him finish, as he moved forward and wrapped his arm around his brother, who seemed more troubled than him by all this.
"I will be fine, Draco," he assured her, his tone serious, as he tried to assuage his twin's worries.
"I have got things handled. You should look after yourself and mother," he said as they separated.
"I will, but I was not lying," he said, looking into his eyes and continued in a stern and serious tone.
"I will reverse it. I will reverse it all. I promise," and hopefully, that day would not come soon.
"I will be waiting then," and so, after some final words, they separated, and it warmed his heart knowing that his brother had taken this better than he had hoped, though he did wonder why his father had not told him the truth.
It was obvious that they had met, and yet the man had kept the truth from him.
Why? He could think of a few good reasons, and most of them tracked back to their mother.
He had not written to her, for he did not wish to cause her any more trouble than he already had, though he had sent her a message through Snape. It was not the most ideal solution, but the man seemed to have been instructed to help him.
And there were but a few people who could order the Potions Master, and he had an inkling that the instructions had come from their dear Headmaster. And if so, it meant that his gamble had worked.
Cassius had wanted to keep his identity as Sirius's helper a secret from most people, but he also wished for it to be known to the Headmaster as a contingency. The man was supposed to be his backup in case things went wrong, and it seemed to him that his message had gotten across.
There would come a day when he will be confronted about it all, but the later it was the better it would be for him.
He slowly sauntered to his dorm, and as he walked into the Common Room, he saw the familiar face of Davies, the Quidditch Team Captain, waiting for him.
"I have been told that you have hatched a new plan to deal with the Slytherin team..."
0000
AMELIA BONES
The politics of Britain's Wizarding Society was far more archaic and brutal than one would think, and as she found herself entangled in this giant web, she was reminded of just why had she given up when she had all those years ago.
The sad truth of it all was that one needed money, connections, and much more to sway the lords and ladies of the Wizengamont. The Noble Houses had alliances, treaties, and compromises of their own, and so she was finding it much troublesome to gather the numbers to unseat Fudge.
He was not having an easy time either, the lack of Malfoy gold was taking a toll on him, yet he had the added advantage of being the incumbent. Her bid to bring about change in their society went against the vested interest of most of the archaic lords and ladies that sat in the Wizengamont, and so it was not as easy to gather the required votes.
Despite all this, the race was still close and would likely come down to every vote.
Because of her actions, Fudge had essentially shut down the DMLE to curb her powers as much as he could. Tet still, she came to the office every day, trying to make do with what she had as the Head of the DMLE.
"What brings you here today, Tonks?" and it felt a bit weird calling him by the name of her underling as she stared at the lawyer who sat opposite to her.
"I believe we have already completed all the work regarding Sirius's case," for that was the only case where their work overlapped, but much to her surprise, the blonde man with an army cut shook his head.
"Indeed, but I am not here for Sirius's case." That was a surprise.
"Then why are you here? Are you looking to transition into Criminal law?" she asked, intrigued by his presence as the man looked into his eyes and began.
"No, I am afraid not. I am here on behalf of a client to offer you a deal," and that made her raise a brow.
"A deal?" she asked, and Ted's blue eyes narrowed as he reached into his bag and took out a file.
"Yes, a deal. One that would help you de-seat our current Minister and put a very dangerous criminal behind bars," and that was an interesting offer.
"How?" she asked.
"Because my client is the Lord of one of the Most Noble and Ancient Houses, one that has standing alliances with quite a few Houses as well." After the war, many houses had gone extinct, their position becoming vacant permanently, with the Wizengamont shrinking in size.
She raked her mind as she tried to recall all the empty seats to figure out which one it was.
"That I cannot say, but I can assure you that we can move a substantial number of votes in your favor," and that was interesting.
"And what will it all cost me?" At that point, the man reached into his bag, took out the file, and passed it onto her.
And she found herself still as soon as she read its contents.
"You cannot be serious," she raged, her mood souring in an instant as she looked at Ted, who shook his head.
"I am," he added, much to her dismay.
"You want me to let go of the case against Lucius Malfoy?" She was surprised at his audacity, but Tonks was a lawyer and seemed unfazed by her rage as he nodded calmly.
"I do," and she ground her teeth as he continued.
"Despite what you may think, the case has done you more harm than good. It is a weak case based on a testimony that many consider dubious or fake. The case also paints you as a vengeful person, and while I do think that people desire change, there is little appetite for vengeance within the people." And the truth was that he was not the first person to utter those words to her.
"He killed my family," she added with some frustration as she put down the file, and Ted's face softened.
"Do you really believe so?" he asked, making her frown.
"Do you really believe Peter Pettigrew's word? The man was a liar, and while I will not defend the virtues of Lucius Malfoy, have you found any proof regarding the involvement of Malfoy in the case beyond his testimony?" The troubling thing was that she had not.
She had scoured the records, yet much had gone missing over the years. The investigators are long dead, evidence tempered.
It made his point about her having much trouble getting a persecution against him possible.
"Who are they? Who is your client, Ted?" she asked, and the man shook his lawyer.
"I cannot say, but the deal is genuine and legitimate, that much I can assure you," and there were but a few families who could offer her what they had.
"Is it Narcissa Malfoy?" she asked, and he did not budge as she looked down at the file once more, reading its contents once more.
"What about this information?" and she could not even believe her words, that she was even considering this, yet in her mind she was.
She truly was and for one reason only. Because more than revenge, Amelia Bones desired change and loathed as she was to admit it, this deal would allow her to bring that change.
"The information is a tip about a criminal, one whose crimes are as heinous as the ones you have accused Lucius Malfoy of. I have been told that this person was one of the most dangerous and unhinged members of the Dark Lord's inner circle and was directly involved in one of the major attacks at the end of the war," and that did not narrow it down much.
"And how does your client know about this?" she asked again, and again he remained silent, as a lawyer would.
"I cannot say," and that was to be expected. Whomever this new client was, they were a complex person who seemed to hold some sympathy for Lucius Malfoy, yet was not afraid of upsetting the Dark Lord.
It did not make sense from a political point of view, for the behavior was erratic and held no definitive ideological allegiance. If so, she suspected they were a part of the Grey faction, or perhaps the client was the faction as a whole.
It was the only way it made sense.
"Why are they protecting Malfoy?" she asked.
"You and I both know that I cannot answer that," she said, leaning back. Her mind raced as she tried to gather the clues, but none of them clicked together.
"You do not have much time," Ted added as he began to close up his case.
"The vote will be in a few months, and if you do not begin now, you will lose," and that was true.
"You will have until the end of February to give us an answer," and with that, he stood up and made for the door.
"Will you be offering Fudge a similar deal?" she found herself asking, not expecting an answer. And so, she was surprised when she got one.
"No," and it made her frown as Ted glanced back and shook his head.
"My client is not interested in working with our current Minister. He believes in change and believes that you can deliver that change. But if you do not accept this offer, we will not be approaching the Minister with a deal," and the words did surprise her.
"And yet they are willing to help Lucius Malfoy? Why?" It just did not make any sense to her.
"That will be all, Amelia," and with that, he walked out of the office, leaving her alone as she leaned back tiredly, making her chair creak as she reached for her glasses.
"What the hell do you want?" and this was not the first time she had been offered such a deal. Many ancient families lobbied a new Minister like this during an election, yet they had an extensive list of demands seeking favourable contracts from the Ministry, others sought to influence future policy, and so forth.
Ted's client had asked for none of it.
All they had asked for was for her to let go of the case against Lucius Malfoy. And they seemed to be willing to rat out another prominent Death Eater in his place.
It was strange, yet if Ted's words were to be believed, it was real.
She lay there raking her mind for hours, trying to make sense of it, yet she failed. So, she gave up and began to focus on the deal itself and what it represented. What did it mean for her?
Ultimately, the question was straightforward.
What did she value more?
Revenge or change?
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