"Oh, Lucius, I smell guilt."
A soft sigh came from behind a tree, making Lucius shudder. He hurriedly dropped to his knees and crawled toward it.
Shawn slowly emerged from behind the tree and watched Lucius crawl up to him, trying to kiss his robes.
He sighed inwardly. These shrewd operators really knew when to stand tall and when to bow.
They could revel in lavish excess and endure the most abject humiliation.
Lucius pressed his head to the ground and spoke in a trembling voice.
"This is wonderful, Master. Master, you have finally returned. The Wizarding World will once again embrace greatness."
Shawn paced around the kneeling Lucius, mimicking Voldemort's tone as he sneered.
"Ten years, yet I still clearly remember how you all rallied beneath my banner, spouting all manner of ridiculous declarations of loyalty day after day.
I'm glad I failed once. It let me see who was truly loyal to me."
Lucius hurriedly lowered himself even farther to show his humility and loyalty.
Shawn unceremoniously planted a foot on his back and continued in a chilling voice.
"But I asked myself, why didn't you believe I had conquered death? That I would rise again?
Had I not already demonstrated sufficiently boundless magical power?
Or perhaps you thought someone even stronger than me existed? Someone who could ensure pure-bloods endured forever?
Heh, perhaps that champion of the rabble, that leader who protects Mudbloods and Muggles, the greatest and most hypocritical white wizard of this century, Albus Dumbledore?"
Shawn wasn't sure whether he was saying these things to Lucius or to himself. Either way, the words flowed more easily with every sentence.
He almost stopped needing to act.
Lucius was terrified, afraid the enraged Dark Lord would lose all reason and hit him with a Killing Curse.
Sweat