Lucius S Malfoy

It would seem you were right. As congratulations are in order, permit me to offer mine.

Is there anyone left in charge on your end with an idea of the terms they desire with the ICW? I am in a position where I might ... ease the transition, shall we say. Vouch for Albion's validity. It might speed along the process of reintroducing England to the world.



Your mother -

She will deny it, of course, but when she told me of your news ... the news that her cousin and her sister (and 'the werewolf') perished in the final act of this passion play, specifically, ... she related events with perfectly dry eyes, professed that she cared not a whit for any of the 'old battles,' as she put it, and then became so wracked with grief that she needed assistance to lie down.


So you may imagine that although we are removed from the direct repercussions, we are not immune to them.


I wish you well, my son.

Your

Father

Preparing final touches on the report for Our Lord. Plan to send Cadmus to deliver the worst of the news.

Bella, shall you go along or do you prefer to keep the pressure on the perimeter of the affected area? If you wish someone to return to St James' Palace with Rodolphus, Narcissa will keep watch, surely.

Saltash camp: Destroyed. An area approx. 10 acres disappeared under a spell believed to be a variant of Fidelius at seven o'clock this morning. Investigation pending. Area to remain under surveillance by MLE indefinitely.

Casualties: Rufus McLaggen, Councilwizard and former Auror Trainee (by the hand of Frank Longbottom); four MLE personnel (names attached); Camp Administrator Hugh Pendarvis; 15 camp enforcers

Missing, Presumed Dead: Junior Administrator Carter Prentiss (captured within the inaccessible area); further half-dozen camp personnel

Wounded: Crouch, Barty; Lestrange, Rodolphus; Mulciber, Cadmus; Mulciber, Corax; other names (MLE, Camp) attached

Material losses: 2,500 in muggle chattel; approximately 200 head of cattle; twenty fishing boats; Saltash administration buildings and camp facilities. In addition, a further estimate of 1,000 muggle chattels were in the affected area at the time of the alleged Fidelius. See above re: MLE surveillance to capture any refugees leaving said area

Twenty-five prisoners remanded to the custody of MLE for further interrogation.

Of note: Frank Longbottom sighted by several MLE personnel but evaded capture. Witness reported sighting of Sirius Black impostor late in the morning but could not be confirmed

Anything further to add?

Bellatrix, you've got Braithewaite to consent?

I've called Weasley in to work on getting the heads of the divisions so you can speak to them. Should he bring them to my house in St James or would you rather another location?

Plan to have him summon these:

Gauge
Brundage
Penderyn
Sawers-Cumming
Manningham
Wright
Mustinal
Craddock
Tally

Who else do you need on-board? And in what order? Not too familiar with who's in Mulciber's corner of late.


Will check with Ned to see how Sarah and Bettina are reacting.

New London has cloaked itself, it would seem, in a holiday spirit. Noticed the fairy lights through the trees that line Pall Mall this morning, before it lightened enough to dim their twinkle.

It is all the more refreshing to be back in the light of Our Lord's grace, as well. Though sadly, not all of us returned, nor could be in Court to receive His rewards for our work across the sea. (Went to see Yaxley this after-noon, briefly: He is recovering but still struggles with aphasia and simple function.)

But, useless to dwell on such morbidity. Our efforts have restored peace to the region and prove, beyond shadow of doubt, that subduing the muggle threat is the only way to maintain that peace.

Moreover, as contentious as the last two weeks have been, it was a delight to see my fellow Councilwizards back in the thick of work they were born to do. Minerva, Tosha, Raz: particularly good to have your talents on our side in the field. (And as a Governor, I hope we did not keep you from scholastic duty so long that your students have suffered overmuch.)

As for Ireland, anticipate that the Minister's tour will find our allies eager to co-operate and show him every courtesy.


Unfortunately, the affair has put one far behind on other matters; to-day was spent nearly entirely in reviewing the journals, owls, messages and other backlog of correspondence which could not be addressed in my absence. To-morrow shall be a day full of old business, as well, apart from confirming the interim head of MLE (Bella has threatened disembowelment if she is required to manage the minutiae a day longer). Next week, perhaps, we may proceed properly to new business.

Have already given report directly to Our Lord via the Mark.

Jerome Scarlett is dead. And he ought to consider himself lucky he was killed by the blast in Galway, because had he by some miracle survived the engagement, rest assured, Mafalda, I would have flayed him within a fucking inch of his life, sealed his sodding skin and then presented him to Our Lord's kitchen elves for use as a cutting board.

Is this what you call controlling the Irish muggle population? My fucking CLERK could have been more organised! If either of you could get off your fat arses you might have come over once in a while to see for yourselves.

Have already terminated 350 Muggles in reprisal just in Galway; anticipate at least that many again before moving on to cover the ground already claimed this after-noon. (Incidentally, all MLE and consultants in the field shall need retro-active authorisation for the executions. Expect that resolved before end of day.)


We are gaining the upper hand again, though it has been tedious at best and chaotic at worst. Yaxley's gone to Killarney to investigate rumours of an upset in the camp there. Bella may have already reported directly but she, Barty, others in their element containing the outbreaks of fighting in Belfast.


Cornelius, suggest you mobilise the local Watches so that we may pull more Aurors off peaceful regions in southern England and Scotland to reassign them here. Even if this is the worst, there are still hours of cleanup to accomplish. Not confident we have broken the insurrection, however.

Two more unexploded devices were recovered, in case you had not heard: a mediwizardry facility in Knocknagree and a brewery in Donegal. More evidence of Scarlett's incompetence.


Once this is fully contained, Cornelius, will have to have Stephen orchestrate a Ministerial tour to prove without doubt the region has been reclaimed.

Have no sympathy for you, either, for the journey in store: Have single-handedly seen enough of the Irish countryside over the last three days, and to-day in particular, to last a fucking lifetime.

Am setting this aside while the field office cobbles together what passes for a supper in this forsaken isle. Expect reinforcement within four hours or you'll explain why - personally.

Weasley - all these owls and Floo calls. Simply take messages - do not confirm anything at this time - tell them I shall return their inquiries by this evening. Make no change to the agenda for the day, but do contact Sainsbury's to bring in supper and best cancel any plans you may have for the evening.

Mr Broome, if you please: Kindly tell me if Our Lord has been in audience this afternoon with Bellatrix, or will be before day's end. Or if He has had any other unusual meetings with His Councilmembers in MLE. Suspect Auror Yaxley shall request to see Him to-day as well. At your next available opportunity, pray remind Him that His council are at His disposal, should He have need to ... consult with us regarding any threat to His peace.

If He has seen Bella, then kindly tell her I should like to see her as well.

Son,

Ordinarily I would entrust this sort of message only to Valerian, but depending on your answer I may need to act more quickly than his wings can convey. We must trust therefore that the privacy of this message will be respected by the Ministry.

At supper this evening, your Aunt Bellatrix shared with us the news that Hydra has written requesting permission to remain at Hogwarts over the holiday. She seems to have already indicated her wish to Harry, for he also wrote to your Aunt imploring her indulgence for Hydra's company.

It will not surprise you to learn your Aunt was amenable - indeed, enthusiastic - regarding the suggestion. Your Uncle and Mother were somewhat less favourable toward the notion that Hydra would miss her whole holiday out of what seems an obvious attempt to curry her mother's approval, or at least, to avoid making herself the subject of any further disappointment. The discussion resulted in a compromise. Your Uncle Raz will bring Hydra home with him for the holiday party and Christmas, thereby allowing her to remain at school and cheer Harry while spending at least a few hours with her family for key celebrations.

This bargain having been struck, it occurred to me that you may think yourself obligated to make the same offer of sacrifice. (Indeed, your aunt expressed some curiosity as to whether we would volunteer your services to Harry in like manner to your cousin - a suggestion which your mother did not deign to answer.) Rest assured that neither your mother nor I would decide unilaterally without consulting you, not when it is entirely optional, as it is this year. Should you wish to stay out of sincere preference, we would make the arrangements as necessary and your Uncle could as easily conduct the two of you as Hydra alone. Though I do not need to tell you it would greatly dismay us both, particularly your mother, since last year's misunderstandings kept you away. Nonetheless, the choice is yours to make.

Lest you interpret this letter as exerting pressure to remain, let me assure you that is not the case. We have both been looking forward to your return and made many plans contingent on your society. In addition, there is your appointment with Pansy and Mr Tenebridge to consider - though again, I am sure we could prevail upon the Headmistress to fetch you there and back if you so chose. Finally, we have spoken before of your decisions with regard to Harry and his esteemed Father's expectations. In this wise, I do not think you need concern yourself with His preferences for your disposition. Provided Harry makes use of his time in the manner his Father has prescribed, your presence or absence ought not affect His pleasure.

Obviously, if you decide to stay you must inform me immediately so that we can notify the Headmistress and Professor Slughorn of your lodging over the holiday. If you do not wish to remain, then we need take no action, and we will see you Saturday.

I await your word and meanwhile remain your devoted,

Father

Sat in this morning on an MLE meeting to update Scrimgeour on the Aurors' progress. Declined interview from the Prophet, as well - Bole has reporters loitering outside Fudge's offices in the hopes that someone will give a quote.

Naturally, the leak of the name 'Project Panacea' has been the primary concern, since it was the only iota of accurate intelligence in that screed of Black's from the week-end. By its nature, the DoM must be ensured of absolute secrecy in its operations. The idea that their vital work might be compromised by persons who have been seduced by Black's insurrectionist influence threatens the security of the entire Ministry. As yesterday's Prophet article documented, the Minister has acted swiftly to mobilise the Aurors to discover how Black could have learned the name of the project, and more importantly, how he was able to subvert its intent.

It is clear from the ongoing investigation that Black incited his followers to tamper with the water and food supply to the camps, in order to blame the DoM for his own actions. It is a classic pattern with him, by now reaching the proportion of serial psychosis. Project Panacea had been meant to improve productivity and reduce the need for disciplinary demonstrations; it followed that Rookwood and his team, of necessity, altered their formulae in order to reverse Black's damage. Only when Black believed his plans were in danger of coming to ruination did he launch his additional assault directly into the journals and minds of the Protectorate.

Happily, the Aurors have been hard at work pursuing several highly profitable leads. Auror Lestrange tells me she is particularly pleased with the progress. In fact, we received word this evening that the Aurors have a few persons of interest in custody already. Am confident that we shall know considerably more about Black's accomplices shortly, possibly by morning.


The meetings went long enough that the Minister extended this morning's itinerary into and through luncheon. Very pleased to see that his staff are all settling well into their new or continued positions; Ms Robins especially seemed quite content with the increase in her responsibilities and remains as affable as ever. Despite the severity of the day's business, Fudge was able to maintain a convivial spirit throughout the meal, and set a far superior table to Dolores', one must admit.

Consequently told Ari I should be ill company for tea, however he urged me to come anyway. Turns out he invited Pandora and Narcissa both in order to deliver some additional news: He has been asked to take Ogden's seat in the Wizengamot. Ogden had announced his decision to retire over the Christmas holidays, of course, but his retirement will not take effect until just before the summer session. Ari accepted, naturally - he begins sitting as a delegate after the Easter recess.


Think Narcissa is cooking up something for Friday; she returned with me to the St James' house to my surprise and had a deal of conference with Crispin. He refused to tell me the nature of her questions, though one may guess the topic concerned timetables and the probable docket for court of the afternoon.


Finally, Clarriker owled the quarterly reports for Folkestone. Disappointing, but not entirely unexpected, given the state of commerce. Another circumstance we may attribute to Black and his traitorous malefactors!

Join me at Buckingham as soon as you are able.

Our Lord will wish for your assistance.

The blood traitor resurfaced yet again, like an insect one thinks one has crushed, only to have it scuttle away after lifting one's boot. So of course, the last couple of days have been a bit on the calamitous side.

After the blackguard (no pun intended) retreated from the journal where he made a nuisance of himself, he apparently decided to incite an attempted break-out at Cheswell. It's all in the papers. He must have accomplices in this country, whom he induced through some method (doubtless an illicit and indecent form of magic) to disrupt the camps. Bella believes, as do I, that these culprits are the same miscreants who corrupted the Goblins enough to gain access to Gringotts and rob the bank last month. It makes sense: Their modus operandi seems to lie more in encouraging - possibly forcing - members of these inferior castes to rise up in revolt, creating chaos and bother for the rest of us.

Bella called upon a number of the MLE consultants to come to the scene, on the chance that some of Black's accomplices were there directing the action. No such luck, more's the pity. It took several hours to round up all the escaped Muggles, but not a wizard or witch mingled among them. Whomever started the riot must have Disapparated as soon as they reached a safe distance.

Naturally, after such a long night, I could not be expected to maintain the better part of my agenda on Friday. I confess I quite forgot to notify Crispin to cancel everything apart from tea at Hogwarts. I had every intention of doing so, but when I returned to the Manor, I found that the elf had allowed the bedroom fire to bank and die. He stammered something about not expecting me back home that evening. Utter incompetence - I ought to have done with it and behead the creature. If it had managed to get issue before now, I might have done so already. At any rate, by the time he arranged things to my comfort, I was both too fatigued and too out of sorts to give a thought to my clerk. Narcissa, wonderful woman, kindly set him to rights when he inquired after me around nine, and then compounded her splendid value by sending up a tray around eleven.

The one item I was certain to keep yesterday was tea. There was really no reason to cancel an afternoon engagement, and moreover, I had no wish to disappoint the children after we'd promised to be there.

I fear I rather did disappoint, despite all that, for I had many matters weighing on my mind and must have appeared ... distracted during our interview with Harry, Draco and Pansy. I knew that Pansy wished some private discussion and I was happy to oblige her; but even this I had to cut shorter than I would have liked in order to ensure adequate time for my topics of conversation with the Headmistress.

I have been growing concerned of late with a certain sullenness which I detect in the demeanour of some of the other students, even those who claim to have befriended Harry. Some of this is to be expected, of course, and while I shall necessarily do that in my power to prepare him and Draco to take care of themselves, it is part of growing up that we must all, in the end, fight our own battles and stand our own ground, or be trampled.

Nonetheless, the resentment of their status and resulting theft of valuable items (if they are related), suggests that the other students are not, in fact, as respectful of class as they ought to be. Particularly with the Lord Protector planning to attend Hogwarts next week, this presents a potential embarrassment. I should not like to think of His displeasure should anyone dare to show less than the proper deference to His son.

One individual in particular troubled me, and when I mentioned this to Professor McGonagall, she quite accommodatingly sent for the wretch. While his journal comments to students such as Longbottom seemed oddly bold, in person, he was gratifyingly cowed enough. He could barely look up even when I instructed him to do so. She has told me that he is Amycus' creature; presumably that is more than enough to keep him in his place under normal circumstances. Perhaps this additional dose of contact with a real wizard shall remind him what reason he has to fear.

Looking at the urchin brought home to me, in a way I have not felt so viscerally in some time, how vitally important the Lord Protector's New Order is to our safety and survival. I have always believed with every fibre that dominance over the more prolific, more bestial and less intelligent Muggle population is the only way to truly ensure Wizard prosperity. But this ... abomination, born not of the natural conception between witch and wizard, but rather the unnatural product of Muggle interference and blood-tampering, has no sense of birthright, no idea of the heritage to which real witches and wizards are heir, no cognisance of the higher purpose for which real Wizardkind was meant. This runion, this caitiff, has no hope of truly understanding the power that generation after generation have passed from father to son, mother to daughter, and thus, he is incapable of ever really attaining mastery of his full potential, or more importantly, the extent to which his progenitors have condemned him to a half-life.

In short, he can never be completely a wizard, because he can never be completely trusted not to sympathise with his animalistic forebears.

This week has been quite a study in contrasts: Half-bloods, Muggles and now this Mudblood abomination. I wonder if he has any sense that the ones to blame for his lot are not we, who have at least accorded him some measure of existence among his betters, but the very Muggles who beset him with the burden of powers which he cannot ever truly call his own. By making him the object of a failed attempt to usurp our proper place, it is they, and not we, who have spawned the grotesque creature that he is.

It convinces me more than ever that what we do is necessary, the only acceptable course and above all, right.