Malfoy in Action

When Voldemort went to welcome Headmaster Sprout, Malfoy Manor was bustling with activity.

The manor's owner, Lucius Malfoy, had decided at the last minute to throw a grand party. In just two days, more than a dozen wizarding families had joined in.

The manor's beautiful, spacious gardens were laid with gold-and-brown carpets. The long tables were laden with food kept warm by magic, and garlands adorned the trees.

Led by Draco Malfoy, the children ran and played between the gardens, the woods, and the castle, while the adults chatted in small groups.

The manor's owner, Lucius Malfoy, was waiting for his distinguished guests in front of the manor's ornate wrought-iron gates.

Behind the castle stood a row of low, gloomy terraced buildings. There were stables and storehouses among them, and seven silent adults were sitting in the most spacious one.

"Old Goyle, why are we here?"

The only woman among the seven spoke up, addressing Old Goyle, who was idly twirling his wand. "Whenever we came to Malfoy Manor, we were invited into the castle."

Old Goyle was taken aback. He looked at Old Crabbe in surprise, but the latter looked just as confused.

"There must be a reason, Alecto. Just wait." Seeing that his companion didn't know either, Old Goyle replied coldly.

"How long are we supposed to wait?" Alecto asked, still displeased.

That was a question Old Goyle could answer, so he coughed to draw everyone's attention before speaking again.

"Until Mr. Malfoy has met with Minister Fudge."

"He's here too?" asked a man with a hooked nose. He gave a disdainful snort. "Malfoy's always cozying up to them. What good does it do?"

"Watch your tongue, Young Avery," Old Goyle said sternly. "You should show Mr. Malfoy the respect he deserves."

Young Avery pursed his lips and said nothing, but his expression said it all.

"Old Goyle, do you know why Malfoy called us here?" asked a man dressed in rags like Alecto.

He was Amicus Carrow, Alecto Carrow's brother. Both of them were prisoners who had escaped from Azkaban.

"I don't know," Old Goyle said curtly.

"It must be something interesting," Young Avery said. He was the youngest there and the most energetic. "We're all here, aren't we?"

As he spoke, he rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a blurry black mark.

The others glanced at it but said nothing.

Silence settled over the storehouse once more. They waited quietly until, a short while later, Lucius Malfoy walked in wearing luxurious wizarding robes.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, gentlemen."

He summoned a chair with his wand and sat down. "Goyle, Crabbe, Alecto, Amicus, Young Avery, Nott, Macnair—my most trusted companions."

He named each of them in turn, meeting their eyes and nodding. When he had finished, he paused for a long moment, keeping them all in suspense.

"I've received an order from the Dark Lord."

Those simple words made all seven leap to their feet in surprise.

"Really?" Alecto was the first to speak. "Is the Dark Lord summoning us?"

"Calm down. Sit."

Malfoy spoke evenly. "We have two tasks. The first is easy to handle. I'll assign it to the Carrow siblings later, and provide them with enough Polyjuice Potion."

Everyone took a deep breath, trying to calm down, and sat back down.

Only Alecto Carrow remained standing. She cried out excitedly, "If it's the Dark Lord's order, I'll risk my life to carry it out!"

"I give you my word as a Malfoy: it really is the Dark Lord's order," Malfoy said seriously. Then he turned to Alecto. "But you have to keep your voice down. The party is a cover. I don't want them to know the master has returned."

Alecto was still excited, but eventually nodded and sat down, restraining herself. She continued to squirm in her seat, though, like someone with a hyperactivity disorder.

"The second task is a little harder. We need to rob Gringotts."

The words drew sharp intakes of breath from all seven.

"Will the master... be involved?" Young Avery asked, voicing what they were all wondering.

If Voldemort was involved, they didn't think robbing Gringotts would be a problem. Nor would attacking the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts, or Azkaban.

But if Voldemort wasn't involved—they had to consider the possibility, since their master hadn't come in person, which surely meant he hadn't truly returned yet.

"No, but we don't actually have to rob anything. We'll just make it look real."

Seeing everyone visibly relax, Malfoy restrained the urge to laugh. Voldemort had given him the same sort of shock during their phone call.

Having indulged his sense of mischief, Malfoy explained the task in more detail and told everyone who could enter Gringotts to spend the next couple of days familiarizing themselves with the place.

The Carrow siblings certainly couldn't go, so after the others left, Malfoy kept them behind.

"Here's the Polyjuice Potion. Follow those two drunks and erase their memories."

After explaining the task, Malfoy handed them two vials of potion and cautioned them, "The master said not to pay attention to the contents of their memories. Just alter them crudely. Understood?"

"Understood." Alecto licked her lips, her expression a little crazed.

That made Malfoy glance at her brother with concern. Of the two, the Carrow brother seemed more normal, though he was still far from ordinary.

"Nothing will go wrong, Lucius. We're the sort who escaped from Azkaban," the Carrow brother said.

Only then did Malfoy nod, reassured. He pointed toward the back of the storehouse. "There's a path back there. Leave that way."

The two nodded, then left the storehouse and followed the path out.

After taking care of everything, Malfoy left as well. On his way to the garden, he ran into his son Draco and the boy's friends.

"Father." Draco ran over with his friends and asked, "What exactly is the Hogwarts entrance ceremony like? We all want to know."

The question lifted the heaviness in Lucius's heart.

"That's a secret."

He tapped the Serpent-headed wooden staff in his hand, then bent down and said mysteriously, "But I can tell you this: it's very dangerous."

The children swallowed hard, then scattered and ran off.

"You're lying to me, Father." Draco stared at him, eyes wide. "Whenever you lie, you squint."

Lucius was taken aback. He hadn't noticed that little habit of his.

"Very clever, Draco. How should I reward you?" Lucius said, raising his staff.

"You can't catch me!" Draco shouted, turning and running after his friends.

Lucius naturally didn't chase after him. He simply stood where he was, smiling as he watched his son's retreating figure.

"That's the first time you've smiled so happily since you got that letter."

At the sound of the voice, Malfoy knew without turning around that it was his wife, Narcissa Malfoy.

"Seeing the children reminds you there's still hope, doesn't it?" He turned, wrapped an arm around his wife's waist, and headed for the front courtyard.

"You should share your secrets with me, not bear everything alone." Narcissa rested her head lightly against her husband and spoke softly. "I know what it means when those people gather."

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you, but I still don't want to tell you."

Malfoy stopped and gathered his wife into his arms. "I can handle what's happening out there on my own. You just need to take care of this family."

Narcissa nodded in her husband's arms and said nothing more. She simply stroked his back twice.

This must be so difficult, Lucius... Narcissa thought.