Will had actually done quite well during the operation—on his way back, he had asked some Death Eaters whether they had seen Will. None of them knew where he had gone, but some still remembered him holding off the Aurors to buy the Death Eaters time to escape.
The moment Will appeared at Malfoy Manor, someone reported it to Voldemort. Two minutes later, Lucius entered the hall, wiping cold sweat from his forehead.
"Mr. B-Behrens." Will's arrival had saved Lucius from disaster. Voldemort had stopped holding him accountable, but Lucius still felt awkward facing Will.
After all, he really had forgotten about Will at the time and fled first with the others.
"Mr. Malfoy, there's no need to be so nervous. I'm fine." Looking thoroughly bedraggled, Will gave him a smile, which only made Lucius feel more embarrassed.
"At the time, it was actually..." Lucius wanted to explain, but Will waved a hand.
"There's no need to say more, Mr. Lucius. I understand completely. Under those circumstances, what you did was only human nature. I don't mind." Will shook his head—he had never expected them to wait for him or save him in the first place.
Apparition in his phoenix form had been the key to leaving Azkaban. He would not rely on these Death Eaters. That would have been foolish.
He only ever acted when he was confident, and even if the worst happened, he could resolve it himself. Thus, he did not care at all whether the Death Eaters or Lucius would help him.
"Mr. Behrens, this was all my fault," Lucius suddenly said, growing agitated. "I'm willing to make amends. The blame is entirely mine. Please don't take your anger at me out on Draco."
Right. So that was what this was about.
"Lucius," Will addressed him