Will's Legilimency slipped into place without a sound, like a drop of water dissolving into the sea.
Macnair kept talking, oblivious to the fact that his mental defenses might as well not exist before Will. Every memory and thought was laid bare to him.
As Macnair spoke, Will rapidly cross-checked his account against what he saw in his mind.
Everything Macnair said was true. Will relaxed a little.
But he did not let down his guard completely. After all, if a pawn did not even know the truth of the game, his so-called "loyalty" was nothing more than blind ignorance.
"Why did you come to Hogwarts?" Will leaned forward slightly. His voice was calm, but it carried pressure. "Did Fudge send you, or...?"
Macnair swallowed and answered honestly, "I came to Hogwarts partly because that fool Fudge arranged it.
"He wanted me and that Weasley to look for weaknesses inside Hogwarts so he could use them to attack Dumbledore and achieve his goal."
He paused, his tone growing even more deferential. "And partly... Lord Lucius told me to use Fudge's arrangement to get inside and gather the intelligence we need."
Will gave a slight nod. It seemed Fudge's foolish plan was just as transparent to the Death Eaters.
Then again, Lucius Malfoy had always been on good terms with Fudge. Old Malfoy had money to throw around, after all, and plenty of officials at the Ministry of Magic had eaten their fill at his expense.
Lucius might be unreliable now and then, but with his cunning and intelligence, running circles around Fudge would be child's play.
Old Malfoy probably knew what Fudge had eaten for breakfast and whom he had met. By now, there were likely few officials in the Ministry of Magic who knew more than Lucius did.
As