Chapter 812: Malfoy's Scheme
Chapter 812: Malfoy's Scheme
A crackling sound echoed through the dark alley, and a hooded figure appeared out of thin air.
The stench in the alley caused the hooded man to wrinkle his nose. He then looked around cautiously and, after confirming that no one was around, silently made his way out of the alley, disappearing onto the desolate street.
After traversing through a dilapidated old neighborhood, the hooded figure stopped in front of a row of rundown townhouses. He seemed to mutter something, and suddenly, a gap appeared between two of the dilapidated buildings, revealing a hidden wooden door.
As the hooded figure approached, the door opened without warning, and he quickly stepped inside.
The door closed behind him, and immediately, a fire lit up, illuminating the area.
Lucius Malfoy pulled back his hood, revealing his pale face in the firelight.
This was one of their hideouts. Nowadays, the Death Eaters were like rats, scurrying and hated by everyone, so they naturally had to keep a low profile. Hence, they had chosen this secretive meeting place.
Malfoy walked through a corridor and stopped in front of a door. He knocked lightly three times, and then his entire body passed through the wooden door, appearing in a luxuriously furnished living room.
The lively chatter in the room abruptly ceased as Lucius Malfoy entered. All eyes turned to him.
"Old friend, you almost arrived late," said a voice, breaking the silence. If Hagrid had been there, he would have recognized the speaker as Walton McNair, the very same man who had almost chopped off Buckbeak's head.
"That matter took up quite a bit of my time," Lucius Malfoy replied as he sat down in an empty seat, his position in the room indicative of his status among this group.
"So, what happened?" asked Macnair.
"Is Peter really dead?" added Crabbe.
"Wormtail is indeed dead," Lucius Malfoy confirmed, looking around at the group. "I personally identified his body in the graveyard of Azkaban. It was definitely him." He cleared his throat and continued in a light tone, "As far as I know, after Wormtail was captured, he didn't give up any of our names."
The group breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Although everyone present had, years ago, escaped imprisonment by various excuses, no one could be sure that Wormtail wouldn't turn them in later, bringing them further trouble.
After all, there had been similar cases where traitors traded reduced sentences for information on their accomplices.
"It's too good for that bastard," someone muttered.
For the past few months, they had all wished for Peter's death.
However, it wasn't easy to quietly kill someone in Azkaban prison. Otherwise, Lucius Malfoy would have secretly disposed of Sirius Black years ago, allowing his wife to rightfully inherit the Black family fortune.
"There's something strange about this," said Nott, a hunchback. "The Potters are gone."
"You think Peter faked his death?" Malfoy frowned, looking at Nott beside him.
Yes, Peter had a history of doing so.
"The old woman of the Potter family visited Azkaban before she died and burned herself to death not long after," Nott reminded him.
"Maybe she went crazy," Goyle muttered. "After all, the impact of her son suddenly turning from a hero into a murderer must have been immense."
"That's not the point," said Avery, also frowning. "Wormtail has a history of faking his death, but... I think Azkaban shouldn't allow people to come and go as they please."
"I know about that," Lucius said, and then continued, "The woman was close to death and wanted to see her son one last time. So, she agreed to donate most of the Potter family property to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries in exchange for Fudge's consent to visit Azkaban."
There was no doubt that Fudge had agreed.
Considering the large donation, it was a worthwhile trade.
And it fulfilled the dying wish of an old woman.
To be honest, although Wormtail died in Azkaban, the others still hated him deeply. Most of the Death Eaters believed that Wormtail had deceived them because it was based on the information he provided that the Dark Lord went to the Potter's house and failed.
The promising situation crumbled with the fall of the Dark Lord, and numerous Death Eaters were captured and sent to Azkaban.
There were countless people who hated Peter, but at that time, Peter was already "dead," and there was little they could do.
What about causing trouble for Peter's wife?
The Death Eaters, who had just escaped disaster, wanted nothing more than to distance themselves from the situation. They certainly wouldn't dare to draw attention to themselves.
However, they had already been played like monkeys by Peter once, and naturally, they wanted to prevent such incidents from happening again. If Peter was truly alive, then they had to act quickly to ensure his demise.
"Fudge has been looking for donations from everyone lately," Avery suddenly said.
"Did he come to you as well?" Goyle asked, turning to Malfoy.
"I haven't donated to St. Mungo's yet," Lucius Malfoy said with a hint of mockery at the corner of his mouth. "I'm still considering it."
"Many people are not happy with Fudge's actions lately," Avery added.
To be precise, it was the pure-blood faction that was dissatisfied with Fudge.
The Death Eaters represented the interests of the pure-blood faction, which was why many pure-blood wizards had rallied behind the Dark Lord. Most pure-blood wizards were aware that Malfoy and a few others were Death Eaters, but what of it?
As long as they kept quiet, who would uphold so-called justice?
The reason everyone present had escaped unscathed was not only because they hadn't left any incriminating evidence but also because the pure-blood faction within the Ministry had helped clear their names.
"Otherwise, do you think someone under the Imperius Curse would be acquitted?"
With the use of Veritaserum, anything could be extracted from them, and their flimsy excuses would be exposed as laughable.
"Are you referring to Fudge awarding the Merlin First Class honor to a Muggle-born wizard?" Malfoy already knew what Avery was hinting at.
"Yes, he compromised. That's not a good sign," Avery said with displeasure. "Fudge should be on our side, but he didn't stand with us."
In fact, some of Fudge's current troubles were deliberately caused by members of the pure-blood faction who disapproved of his actions.
"Regardless of Fudge's willingness, he won't be able to stop it," Lucius Malfoy said, seeing the situation clearly.
He couldn't suppress it.
If Albert were just a talented Muggle-born wizard, it wouldn't be a big deal. The Ministry could easily downplay all his achievements, and this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. As long as the Ministry refused to acknowledge it, even if a Muggle-born wizard received the Merlin Honor, they could stall the process and make it difficult for the recipient to find a position in the Ministry in the future.
However, the situation was different this time.
Albert had a wide network of connections and enjoyed the support of Dumbledore's moderate faction, as well as wizards from other factions. So, even if Fudge wanted to suppress him, he couldn't. Fudge also had his own political opponents to contend with.
He wouldn't be foolish enough to push others into the arms of his enemies. A compromise was the best solution, and in the end, it was just a Merlin Honor. Fudge would also get what he wanted—the Merlin First Class Honor.
Fudge's compromise was not a positive sign for the pure-blood faction. They desperately needed Fudge to be on their side so that they could influence him and, by extension, expand their own influence.
"We can cause some trouble for Fudge," Lucius Malfoy said, lightly tapping his fingers on the table. "Then, we slowly draw him in and make use of him."
"What do you have in mind?" Avery asked, knowing that Malfoy was more adept at such scheming and adept at keeping himself out of the picture.
"We can create some disturbances after the Quidditch World Cup," Lucius Malfoy said quietly. "We should also guide him towards the respected pure-blood families. With our wealth, this shouldn't be difficult."
"Are you planning to donate to Fudge?" Avery understood Malfoy's intention.
"Yes, there are many benefits to donating to him, and we plan to introduce Fudge to our circle, slowly guiding him towards the respected pure-blood families," Malfoy said, a confident smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
As far as he knew, Fudge had become enamored with the position of Minister of Magic and all the perks that came with it. Influencing him wouldn't be too difficult.
(End of Chapter)
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