Harry entered the isolated island, now swarming with not just dementors but a huge Patronus dome. Since Voldemort’s reign when dementors were used as predators, more safety precautions had been set up to ensure the confinement of the wretched creatures. A new shield, created by the one and only Hermione, surrounded the island from top to bottom. The shield acted as a huge Patronus. In fact, it was actually made up of the different silvery animals. This was guaranteed to keep the dementors inside, according to different sources.
Then how had the dementors shown up at the Potter house? Puzzlement crossed Harry’s face as he examined the shield. It was fully intact with no fault anywhere he could see. How had the dementors escaped then? Even with Bellatrix’s help, it would have been difficult. Only the Minister of Magic could allow the dementors to enter the wizarding world, and Neville wouldn’t do that. He hated the soul suckers. A smile crossed Harry’s face as he remembered the proud face of Neville Longbottom when he had been crowned the Minister. The once forgetful boy had been a hero in the final battle, saving many people and capturing more Death Eaters than even the Order members had. Neville continued to earn the respects of many until finally he was proclaimed the Minister of Magic at age nineteen. He was the youngest Minister to ever take office.
Harry shook his head in frustration as no answer on how the dementors had escaped came to him. Harry was still angry at himself for not being able to produce his legendary stag. He had been able to produce “Prongs” since age thirteen for crying out loud! Now, he couldn’t even save his family. Harry erased the painful events from his mind, readying himself to face the men and women who had tried to kill him years before.
Walking past many cells, Harry finally reached ‘The Death Wing’ as it had been dubbed. These cells held the former Death Eaters and followers of Voldemort. With a wave of his wand, his Patronus erupted and herded the dementors away. Harry didn’t want to deal with the creatures. With echoing footsteps, Harry continued to walk past the convicts’ cells. Most prisoners were staring into space, muttering darkly but some leered at him as he walked by or even taunted him. How could Sirius have survived here? Harry wondered briefly as a cold draft seemed to settle on the place. The hollow space in his chest had tightened suddenly as thoughts of Sirius crossed his mind. Though it had been awhile, Harry still couldn’t believe his godfather was gone, and all thanks to Bellatrix. Bellatrix. Once again, the heavily lidded woman had caused death and destruction. Anger surged through Harry’s veins. Bellatrix, Voldemort, Snape. They had all caused pain in his and other’s lives! Harry hadn’t asked to be prophesized about. It wasn’t his fault that he had been dubbed ‘The Chosen One.’ So why did they have to take those he loved away? Especially now, why did everyone continue to get hurt because of him? Once Harry had finally defeated the red-eyed demon, he had thought all of his worries and pain would be over. His family was supposed to be safe now! Ginny should not be in the hospital right now, hovering between life and death. Sirius shouldn’t have died. Lily and James should have seen their son become married, and Neville’s parents should have been right by their son’s side as he was made Minister of Magic. It just wasn’t fair. Harry held back tears that were threatening to spill and angrily stomped toward two cells side by side. The prisoner to the left was Rodolphus Lestrange and the one to the right was Lucius Malfoy. Harry glared at the two, wondering who would give him more information.
“I’m not giving you any information, and I hope my wife kills you,” answered Lestrange in a raspy voice. Well, that answers my first question. Harry thought to himself. The messy haired man walked briskly up to Lucius Malfoy’s cell. He glared into the once snobby face. Unlike all of the other accounts, this now beaten character avoided Harry’s eyes and no sneer or disgust had crossed his face. He still had not spoken.
“I need information,” Harry said harshly.
Malfoy suddenly seemed to realize that Harry was there. As he started to answer Harry’s question, his common sneer returned to his gaunt face. “Why should I help you? You who defeated the Dark Lord. You who separated my family. You who PUT ME INTO THIS HELL AND LEFT ME TO ROT!” His voice now to a shout. “WHY POTTER? YOU SHOULD HAVE MET THE SAME END AS YOUR PARENTS BUT DIDN’T. WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME?”
Harry held his glare throughout the confrontation. “Because I saved your son. You are bound with a wizard’s debt,” Harry countered in a low deadly voice. “I need information about Bellatrix that I know you have.” Malfoy just smirked before doing a child’s version of locking his mouth and throwing away the key. Harry’s anger got the best of him. “TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW MALFOY! MY WIFE WILL DIE WITHOUT THAT INFORMATION! TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT BELLATRIX! I NEED TO FIND HER” At this statement, Lucius smiled.
“The little red-headed brat dying. Arthur Weasley’s daughter”dying! At last that Muggle loving fool will get what he deserves!” laughed Malfoy triumphantly. SLAM! Harry had slammed his fist into the part of Malfoy’s face that wasn’t protected by the cell’s bars. “FOR ONCE MALFOY, GET OVER YOURSELF. I CAN SEE IT IN YOUR EYES AND YOUR WASTED FACE. YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT BELLATRIX IS UP TO. FOR GOD’S SAKE, TELL ME MALFOY!” yelled Harry. Malfoy’s mouth stayed in an unmoving line though his nose was bleeding. Harry glared at Lucius some more before taking a deep breath and taking a different approach.
“How would you like it if Narcissa was an inch from death and her only chance of survival was to find one person, just one?” whispered Harry. Malfoy’s eyes seemed to soften the slightest bit, and Harry, immediately noticing, continued. “How would you like it for your son to become motherless because of one person’s refusal? Think of Draco…How does it feel to almost lose someone you love, even if they have disappointed you? I know you almost lost Draco and would have lost him if I hadn’t come along. Think of Draco.” Harry watched as Lucius was lost in thought.
-Flashback-
It had been hours since the battle had started. Neither side had made any process. Both Aurors and Death Eaters were fighting and falling. Lucius was getting worried. His entire family was fighting, and he had heard no word from Narcissa or Draco in a while. A recent conversation entered Lucius’s mind as he hid behind a boulder and caught his breath.
***
Both father and son were sitting in the Malfoy Mansion waiting for Voldemort’s instructions. Suddenly, Draco, who had been fidgeting nervously, slammed his fist on the desk. “I can’t do this anymore Father! I just can’t do it!”
“Do what?” asked Lucius bewildered.
“I can’t fight against the people who offered me freedom and protection. I couldn’t go through with my first task; how can I fight in the upcoming battle? The battle that will decide who really triumphs.”
“Draco! Get a hold of yourself. You’re a Malfoy”we serve the Dark Lord with honor.”
“Father, the Dark Lord would have killed me if Snape hadn’t interfered and explained how Dumbledore had enchanted me; Dumbledore didn’t do that! He wanted to help me”me” the one who was going to murder him!” At this, Draco burst into tears. Lucius seemed taken aback at his son’s outburst, but he quickly regained his composure.
“Draco, the Dark Lord’s methods may seem harsh at times but think of what he is doing for us. He is ridding us of Mudbloods and blood traitors. Most of all, he can rid us of Potter! We can then take over and show people how to really live.”
“Potter saw what Snape did,” remembered Malfoy. “How he”how he” you know. There is no other way he could have known so much when he was chasing Snape and me. You should have heard him, Father. He was in such a desperate fury! He was chasing us as if nothing in the world mattered. I swear I could feel his anger and grief pulsing throughout the world!”
“Draco, the Dark Lord has given you one more chance, just one! This impending battle will be the deciding factor to who will truly win. It rests between the Dark Lord and Potter. We know who will triumph, so we ought to be on that side,” reasoned Lucius.
“Yes…we ought to be on that side,” muttered Draco before turning on his heel and heading out the door.
***
Lucius was snapped out of his memory as a curse whizzed by. He cursed himself for sitting for so long and immediately started firing curses. He rapidly rose to his feet to join the battle when he suddenly heard a shout. Whirling around, he saw Macnair gazing confusing at Draco. “DRACO WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHY ARE YOU”” Macnair’s voice was drowned out as a stunner hit him in the chest. A look of surprise came over the former executioner’s face, and he fell to the ground. Lucius just stood stock still. Draco’s action had still not registered in his mind. A flash of blond hair whipped past him. Dread, shock, and confusion washed over the elder Malfoy. Lucius watched as Draco avoided his eyes and cast hex after hex at his fellow Death Eaters. Eyes, both Aurors’ and Death Eaters’, were widening as they realized what Draco had done. He had betrayed Voldemort. He had become a traitor. Lucius’ mind was spinning. His son, a traitor, his son…
Lucius ducked as another jet of light came his way. He looked up to see his son dueling with Amycus. At the same time, Lucius saw Potter inching toward the pair all the while shooting spells. With a flick of his wand, Lucius Malfoy sent a hex toward the messy-haired boy, but Potter just deflected it with a quick glance. Suddenly, Malfoy saw Dolohov sprinting towards Draco, his wand raised. At that moment, however, Lucius was locked in his own battle with Nymphadora Tonks. All the while dueling, Lucius kept an eye on Potter who was dueling two Death Eaters at once. It was his orders to keep him in sight so when the time came, the Dark Lord would be able to locate him at once. Then all of a sudden, a cry came up from his left. Whipping around, Lucius saw Draco trembling on the ground in pain. Dolohov had reached him and was speaking to him while torturing him.
“Traitor! This is what happens to those who turn away from the Dark Lord.” hissed Dolohov. Then, in what seemed like slow motion, Antonin Dolohov raised his wand and started the worst of the Unforgivable Curses. “Avada K”” As the curse was almost complete, Dolohov was blasted into the air, falling into a crumpled heap as his body impacted the ground. Lucius himself felt a spell finally connect with his body despite the shield charm he had placed around him. Tonks had succeeded in stunning him. But before he had reached a state of unconsciousness, Lucius looked into Draco’s savior’s eyes. Those dazzling green eyes stared back, and Lucius blacked out.
-Flashback Ends-
In his cell, Lucius Malfoy cleared his mind as he came back to the present. His hands were wrapped tightly around the bars of the cell, and as he glanced into the man before him, he noticed something etched in his figures. Anger was apparent in his face, but fear was also noticeable in those piercing eyes for the briefest of seconds. Harry Potter had let his fear show to a Death Eater…it was something Lucius had never seen before.
Harry continued to stare into the prisoner’s eyes until finally realizing that he would have to rethink his plan. Ginny’s lifeless body came into the view of his mind and newfound fear wound its way into his face, but he quickly tried to erase it. Malfoy could not know that Harry feared that this information was his last chance. As Malfoy stayed quiet, Harry began to step away backwards. With one last hopeful glance at Malfoy, Harry turned around. The messy haired man had begun to walk away when a shout suddenly erupted. Swirling around and thinking of dementors, Harry quickly whipped out his wand. Instead, Harry turned to see Lucius motioning to him frantically. Harry watched him, confused until Malfoy started to speak.
“I’ll tell you, but only if you put in a good word and take years off of my sentence,” Lucius said.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Harry promised.
“Don’t tell him anything, Malfoy!” warned Rodolphus menacingly.
“Talk to yourself, Lestrange…that’s all you do lately,” taunted Malfoy back.
“Look who’s talking, Malfoy,” Rodolphus shot back.
“Both of you SHUT UP!” yelled Harry. “Now Malfoy, start talking.” And as Lucius began to recall Bellatrix’s plan, Harry couldn’t help but smile because finally, he had hope that Ginny might, just might, survive.
A Death Eater’s Revenge by Phenioxsong22
Chapter Notes: JK created this wonderful world!