(no subject)
In Love and War
ldquo;Loveis lik war; easy to begin but very hard to stop”
- Henry Mencken
1. The Expectations of Lucius Malfoy
nbsp; The clock signaled that it was half past eight.
According to the instructions given to Theodore Nott, it was ten minutes before his first mission as a newly initiated Death Eater. If he had any wits about, he would be heading to the destinatio now If he failed in his task, Theo knew his father would not raise a single finger to help him-his father would probably be the first in line to point and yel Avada Kedavra t his own son.
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nbsp; Theo sank into the black armchair. It was not an uncomfortable chair by nature; Theo doubted the Malfoys would have even allowed an uncomfortable chair into their household. At the moment, however, Theo could not help but feel horrible regardless of the quality of the piece of furniture he was sitting on. He gripped the arms of the chair tightly, pushing himself up. He could not afford to make any mistakes. He fingered his metal mask gingerly. New recruits were required to wear the Death Eater mask. He didn’t quite understand why-when such prominent Death Eaters like Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback opted against it and cursed any Death Eater they saw with one on their face.
nbsp; Draco Malfoy’s father sat left of him, sitting on a delicate-looking sofa. He was not looking at Theo directly, but the young Death Eater could feel the elder Malfoy’s eyes on hm. Theo knew the man cared little for him as he was not his son. However, for the duration of the mission, Theo was assigned to work alongside Draco. There was a reason that Lucius chose to see Theo moments before the mission instead of his own son. As the minutes ticked away, however, it was apparent that Lucius was not going to talk. What was the point of pulling him into the Malfoy Manor then? Theo tried not to allow the displeasure to show on his face.
Theo stared at the carpet in front of him. It was the same shade of bottle green used for Sytherin. He lifted his head and glanced at the elder Malfoy. The man was holding his cane delicately, but this time, he had his eyes directed at Theo.
Theo cleared his throat, “I guess it’d be best if I went on my way.” He made a motion to stand, but grudgingly settled back in his chair when Lucius stopped him with a small hand gesture.
“Yes, Mr. Malfoy? I understand you wanted to see me before the raid. My father tells me to inform you that he-
Lucius cleared his throat, “The Dark Lord has entrusted you and Draco with an important task at the blood traitor’s wedding today. It is therefore critical that the mission be completed. Successfully.”
Theo nodded, “I understand, sir.” He was having trouble understanding why Lucius was telling him all this rather than his own son. He brushed off invisible dust from his sleeves, waiting for Lucius to continue on with whatever else he wanted to say.
“You are a bright boy, Theodore Nott.” The elder man drawled, and Theo could quickly see where Draco got his own drawl from.
Theo, still unable to see through the elder Malfoy’s intentions, nodded his head and kept his eyes glued to the carpet. “Thank you, sir,” he said quietly. His tone was colder than he meant it to be, but he said nothing to remedy it. Besides him, he could hear the clock ticking away. He was still sitting in a small room at Malfoy Manor, even when he was about to be thrust into battle against the other side at a place called The Burrow. If he was back at home in his room, he was sure he would be panicking about now. But instead, he was forced to sit prettily in some hard chair while Malfoy’s father examined him from head to toe because he was paired up with his precious son.
Theo stared at the clock and made another attempt to get up from the chair, “I really should be heading to the-
“I’m sure you can spare a few more minutes. I have asked Draco to prepare for you,” said Lucius.
Theo would have raised an eyebrow if he wasn’t in the presence of another Death Eater. What on earth was there to prepare?
“If you don’t mind, sir, what exactly is it that we’re waiting for?” Theo kept his voice as natural as his nerves would allow. Lucius Malfoy was not a particularly intimidating character when compared to all the other Death Eaters, but several warnings from his father had told him to respect the man.
“Ah yes, you have yet to be informed. No matter, you will know very soon.”
At that precise moment, the fireplace filled with green flames. Then the flames died away, replaced by a fat looking man that Theo knew to be Crabbe’s father.
“What took you so long?” Lucius curled his lips, “We don’t want Theodore to be late, do we?”
Crabbe’s father shook his head. “Sorry, but I managed to convince another team to take over Lovegood instead. Nott and your son may have the Mudblood Granger.”
The elder Malfoy looked ecstatic, “Excellent.”
Theo wasn’t exactly sure Hermione Granger would have liked Lucius Malfoy’s “excellent” and her name mentioned in the same context. He felt his body grow cold at a new realization. Wasn’t Malfoy and him supposed to capture Luna Lovegood? Was Draco’s father mad, trying to assign them Hermione Granger?
“Theodore…might I ask you for a favor during the mission?”
Theo looked at the elder Malfoy hesitantly, “If it is in my ability…”
“I trust you, Theodore. Your father speaks highly of you…”
Theo could not help but thin liar s the man continued to ramble on about some accomplishment he achieved back in his fifth year at Hogwarts. Theodore knew his father. He was not someone who complimented his son openly to others.
“Therefore, it would be of great help--and I assure you that the Malfoy family will be in your gratitude--that you assist Draco in capturing Potter’s Mudblood friend.”
Theodore understood what Lucius Malfoy wanted from him. It was getting clear that the only reason that Theo had been invited to sit and have tea with the elder Malfoy was to ensure that his own son would receive credit for capturing Hermione Granger. It was obvious to everyone in the circle-even to people as dimwitted as Crabbe and Goyle-that the Malfoys had fallen in rank. Otherwise, Draco Malfoy wouldn’t be caught dead doing a mission with a new recruit like Theodore Nott.
Theodore considered his options. It wouldn’t do him any good to be recognized as the one who caught Potter’s friend. The Malfoys were practically open targets because of their infamous image carved through their tactless actions.
He also doubted his own ability. While he wouldn’t be fighting against the Dark Arts anytime soon Defense Against the Dark Arts, was a class tha traditionall taught wizards and witches how to fight. All the teachers he had encountered so far were horrendous. It was a miracle that Potter and his motley group managed to survive against the older Death Eaters for so long. There was also the panicky state his mind was in. The Death Eaters had done nothing to teach their new recruits. If Draco wanted the glory, then let him have it, but Theo was going to survive.
“When the time comes, I will, to the best of my ability, assist Draco so that he may capture the mudblood,” said Theo.
“Excellent.”
Theo tried not to cringe at the elder Malfoy’s eager tone.
“Take this with you. It may prove to be of good use.” Lucius Malfoy handed him a small silver dagger. It was a plain dagger at first sight, but a second look revealed an intricate design carved delicately over its hilt. There were mysterious runes scribbled lightly on the surface. Theo examined the words carefully, but froze when the elder Malfoy placed his hand over the hilt.
“You should get going?”
Theo nodded and quietly said under his breath, “I should get going.” He pocketed the dagger in his cloak.
The last Theodore saw of Lucius Malfoy was his wide menacing smile before he was transported to Bill and Fleur’s wedding at the Burrow.
The forest was damp and cold. The bottom of his soles was sticky with mud and dead leaves. He hated his mask. He sometimes wondered about the practicality of his side. The mask was more of a nuisance. He was certain that he had been inches away from crashing into the trunk of a tree had he not stepped away in time.
“Nott, stop fooling around an go.”
Theodore did not turn around. “If you want to blindly run into the nest of Aurors, then then all by means don’t let me stop you, but don’t drag me into it.”
A pair of hands seized the back of his collar, forcing him back abruptly. “Why you-
A fist collided painfully with Theo’s ear. He stumbled back a few steps, holding a hand over his throbbing ear. He stared back at his assailant. Malfoy was pointing a wand towards him. He stared back in disbelief.
He would laugh if the situation wasn’t so dire. Theodore Nott, murdered by his raving lunatic of a partner. The others would have a field day once they got wind of this. “Have you gone mad, Malfoy?” He forced his tone to remain calm. Malfoy was still Malfoy. He could still listen to reason, reasoned Theo, though truthfully, his mind was doubtful.
“Put your wand down. I’m not your enemy,” said Theo, a few steps away from his fellow Slytherin. He was still feeling the effects of Malfoy’s punch.
Malfoy was huffing loudly. He did not relent. “What did my father tell you?”
Theo frowned and was glad that the mask prevented Malfoy from seeing his face. “Your father didn’t-
“The truth, Nott!” Red sparks flew out of Malfoy’s wand. Theo dodged behind a bush, resisting the powerful urge to throw his own curses into the mix. He doubted the Dark Lord would be happy to find out that two of his own men took each other out right before a mission.
“He said he wanted me to help you capture Mudblood Granger,” said Theo, catching his breath slightly. He resisted saying “He didn’t think his son was capable.”
“I don’t need your help,” Malfoy snarled. “Let me make things clear. Granger’ mine. I will kill you if you get in my way.”
It was only after Malfoy turned around and resumed walking towards the destination, a white tent, that Theo released the breath he had been holding. His wand was clutched tightly in his hand, and he would be a madman to loosen his grip. He was still slightly puzzled over Malfoy’s change in attitude. The years at Hogwarts had taught Theo that Malfoy was a bully-but that was it. Malfoy liked to brag about his accomplishments and pick on people weaker than him, but that was about as much harm Malfoy was capable of. The Malfoy that had threatened him just now was more dangerous. It was almost as if the last of his sanity was slipping away.
Theo stiffened. Draco had only been in the Dark Lord’s service for a year. Is this how he would be a year from now…? He frowned. It wasn’t as if he could just walk away, show up on Dumbledore’s doorsteps and declare that he would help him.
The mission at hand was difficult, given the number of Death Eaters and Aurors who would be at the given location. Theo and Draco were part of the Death Eater group that would attack at the north-eastern part of the forest. There would be other Death Eaters, scattered across the map. Theo was certain that there was a point to this mayhem. He had seen it in the eyes of the Bellatrix Lestrange when he had the misfortune of bumping into her a day before the mission. She had looked positively delighted, like a cat that had spotted a particularly fat and stupid mouse for lunch. It was very likely that he and the other Death Eaters were distractions for whatever Bellatrix had to do.
He stared at Malfoy’s back and decided against sharing his thoughts with his old classmate. He didn’t think Malfoy cared and doubted the Dark Lord would be happy with his speculations.
A loud blast shook Theo from his thoughts. He looked up to see the familiar Dark Mark in the sky.
“Time to act,” said Draco and even though his face was obscured by his mask, Theo could feel his partner’s smirk. When did Malfoy not smirk? Within seconds, Malfoy had disappeared into another part of the forest, leaving Theo to fend for himself.
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The screams shook Hermione Granger into action. She flung herself towards the ground, narrowing dodging a curse. She wasted no time in casting a curse back, forcing herself back on her feet. There was a thick layer of mud on her back, but she would have to ignore it for now. She broke into a mad sprint.
The Death Eaters weren’t supposed to be here! They had all been so certain that there was no way that the Death Eaters would know about Fleur and Bill’s wedding. What had happened? What had gone wrong? Her mind was spinning circles. Harry and Ron weren’t with her, a thing she was glad for. They were off getting the wedding cake at Diagon Alley and wouldn’t be back until the reception party…
Hermione felt sick to the stomach. How were they doing? What if there were also Deatheaters there? She continued running, away from the collapsed tent. People were scattered everywhere, and it took all her concentration not to accidentally hex her own people.
She skidded into an awkward stop as a blast of sparks nearly collided with her chest.
“Mudblood.” The voice was smug.
Hermione whipped her head towards the voice. It was awfully familiar and sounded suspiciously similar to-
“Malfoy,” she shouted. “Why bothering wearing a mask? I can smell your stench a mile away!”
“You die today!” He sent a petrifying spell her way.
She dodged out of it, just like during the lessons with Dumbledore’s Army back in sixth year, and sent back a stunning charm. Unfortunately, Malfoy also dodged out of the way and started sending an array of curses towards her. He refused to stop throwing spells at her and soon, she found herself getting forced back. A curse hit her leg and she felt her flesh cut open. Then finally, perhaps out of sheer luck, a curse of hers hit Malfoy’s chest. He gasped before falling flat on his back.
Hermione took the chance to escape, running as fast as her legs could take her. She had hit him with a stunning charm. She figured it would take him half an hour at least to regain control of his limbs.
After a few minutes of continued running, she allowed herself to slow down. Warm blood was spilling all over her dress shoes. Her stockings had a huge gaping hole from the spell. She whispered a a quick healing, but the wound did not close itself. She cursed under her breath and tore a piece of her shirt and wrapped it around her wound instead. Even if she could not heal it, she had to at least stop the bleeding from progressing. She slumped against a tree trunk. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. She was having trouble focusing. The pain was getting to her.
nbsp; “Torpeo,” she mouthed the spell, pointing at her wound with the wand. The pain subsided with the numbing spell, though the bleeding persisted. She stood wobbling on her feet, not waiting to put unnecessary pressure on her leg. She heard a slight rustle. Not wanting to take a chance, she whipped her wand in the direction of the sound.
nbsp; “Supefy!”
nbsp; A rabbit dashed out of the bushes, scared by the wave of light send its way. She loosened her grip on her wand slightly, letting her arms fall to her side. She was letting her nerves get to her, and that would be the end of her.
nbsp; Still, it bothered her. It was a trap. Bill and Fleur’s wedding was ruined, but that was probably the least of their worries now. How many people were okay? She hadn’t paused to keep count, quickly realizing that she was the next best thing the Death Eaters wanted to get their hands on with Harry and Ron not available as prizes.
nbsp; Her mind looked through lists and lists of names. Who was the traitor? Who had tattled on them? Or was it a security issue? Did the Death Eaters manage to find a loop hole somewhere?
nbsp; Her thoughts were interrupted when she was yet again forced to dodge an orange streak of light. She was flung across the forest ground. Hermione picked herself up, knowing that she was applying pressure to her wounded leg. She could feel the sticky liquid spill further down her shoes. Not one to lose precious seconds, she whipped back and pointed her wand at her new assailant. “Aduro!”
nbsp; The Death Eater sidestepped the spell and shouted, “Immobolus!”
nbsp; Hermione did not think too much about this and responded with a “Supefy!”
nbsp; The next spell the Death Eater sent towards Hermione was a blast of red sparks. He had not muttered a spell and had probably done a wandless incantation. Hermione pointed her wand and whispered her intended spell in the depths of her mind. Instead of forcing the Death Eater back, Hermione was forced to dodge another oncoming attack. She pointed her wand again, willing the hex to come out, but it did not.
nbsp; She gritted her teeth. It was those stupid nerves!
nbsp; “Evanesco!” he shouted, forgoing the nonverbal part of her spell. The Death Eater’s mask disappeared and what was replaced was a surprisingly young face.
nbsp; He stared at her in surprise and silence. She smirked triumph at the reveal of his identity, not that she knew who he was. He did look oddly familiar…His surprised soon disappeared from his face, replaced by a cold stare. He threw another spell in her direction.
nbsp; “Petrificus Totalus!” he said loudly. She moved her legs, ready to dodge the next spell when she found in her horror that she could not move them. Turning her head at the Death Eater, she saw that he had his wand pointed at her.
Some curse had managed to hit her. She felt her heart quicken. She was cornered, and she knew it. To her bafflement, the Death Eater continued to stand there, his wand still pointed in her direction. Hermione glared back at him in disgust. He was probably playing around with his prey, now that he had caught her in his web.
“What do you want?” she snarled. Hermione forced her legs to move, but to her disappointment, her limbs were still frozen and numb.
It was as if her voice broke though the enchantment that had frozen the Death Eater in place. He walked towards her slowly, the leaves crunching underneath his shoes. Hermione swallowed her breath. The Death Eater was only a few inches away, his eyes studying her. He reached out with an arm towards her. She internally winced, waiting for him to apparate the both of them to Voldermort when suddenly, he pushed her down instead.
“She’s mine! Get away, Nott!” It was Malfoy’s voice, furious as ever.
Her back was cold and wet while her front was being crushed by the unknown Death Eater, who Malfoy just identified as Nott. She stared up at him. A pair of dark, cold eyes stared back. There was something unreadable in his features, but Hermione blamed it on the situation. He did just get attacked by Malfoy, after all. His fingers dug into her shoulder. She tried shrugging them off before remembering that her body was paralyzed. To her relief, he moved away from her very quickly.
Sparks flew towards his direction. He was being pushed back by Malfoy. Hermione was sure of it, but she couldn’t see from the angle her face was turned in. She could only see the branches and leaves of a tree above her.
She strained her ears to listen. There was a lot of movement-footsteps and spell-shouting.
“Are you mad, Malfoy? I’m not the enemy!” She presumed this was Nott, who sounded irritated and tired.
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nbsp; “Get away from her! I’m capturing her for the Dark Lord!”
nbsp; There was another shuffle of feet right before Hermione heard a loud crack. “Fine. Take the Mudblood. Just leave me alone.”
nbsp; Hermione felt her breath leave her. She would much prefer the less insane Death Eater as opposed to Malfoy. Was Nott crazy? Malfoy was going to murder her before she ever saw the Dark Lord. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. It would be better this way, to die and not have to worry about being tortured for information.
nbsp; Then she was left alone with Malfoy.
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nbsp; Theo had to close off his mind when Hermione Granger’s yells became too loud for his liking. Malfoy had gone insane! If he had any doubts beforehand, they were all cleared now. He had barely taken three steps when he had heard her screams piercing throughout the area. It had taken most of his will to not turn back.
nbsp; Mudblood or not, she was-
nbsp; He groaned inwardly. Now was not the time to be having these traitorous thoughts!
nbsp; “Standing guard for Malfoy while he tortures Hermione, aren’t you!”
nbsp; Theo quickly recognized it as Ginny Weasley, who he had seen often enough but never talked to.
nbsp; “Incendio!” he was fast, but Theo managed to evade the spell. Fighting Hermione Granger had been difficult enough-he didn’t want to go against another opponent so soon. He took off running, dodging behind a tree when yet another spark flew past him. The tree was set on fire. He flung himself forward, turning back to throw a freezing charm. Ice formed around the tree, slowly melting away as the fire subsided.
nbsp; The red-haired girl was still on his track, so he continued running until he reached Malfoy again. Malfoy barely managed to open his mouth when a spell stunned him and he flopped uselessly on the ground.
nbsp; “That was for Hermione!” Weasley’s eyes were blazing with anger as she turned her wand towards Theo.
nbsp; He jumped. A small hole appeared at the same spot he had been standing moments ago. He looked around rapidly. Malfoy was out cold-not that he was much of a help in the first place. It was clear that he had to find some way to escape. He could apparate! That was it, but Weasley was still after him and didn’t seem like she would be giving up any time soon.
nbsp; “Why did you have to ruin Bill’s wedding?!” When Theo did not respond, she blasted another spell in his direction. He stepped backwards, kicking over something soft. He looked down briefly in horror to find an arm there.
nbsp; “Get away from Hermione, scum!”
nbsp; Taking a deep breath, he quickly grabbed hold of the now unconscious Granger. “L-Let me and Malfoy go.” He was still catching his breath. He took out the knife the elder Malfoy gave him, “Let’s see who’s f-faster. Your wand or my blade.”
nbsp; He was only separated from Weasley by three feet now, yet he could feel her hatred as if she was standing right next to him.
nbsp; The girl felt heavy in his arms, yet somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew she was fairly light and it was his nerves speaking. “What will it be, Weasley?” He hoped his voice sounded threatening enough.
nbsp;
nbsp; There was anger in her eyes-plenty of it, as far as Theo could tell. She looked in shock, but then she muttered something under her breath, like she was trying to convince herself. Then she pointed her wand at Theo.
nbsp; That was it then. He would fling the Mudblood in the hex’s direction and it would be Weasley’s fault. He readied his arms and then-
nbsp; He couldn’t do it-he knew it in that very second and instead, chose to apparate.
nbsp; The last Theo heard were Ginny Weasley’s yell as she dug her nails into his arms as he apparated back to the Dark Lord’s location.
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nbsp; Ginny Weasley woke up, tired and in pain. The wounds on her arms and chest were still there. She was about to open her mouth to complain to her mother to hurry up and cast a healing charm before her eyes snapped opened and she realized where she was.
nbsp; She heard a chortle of laugher ring around her. Quickly, she tried to stand but soon found that there were ropes tying her hands together behind her back. A circle of Death Eaters surrounded her and-
nbsp; “Hermione!” she yelled out, her voice hoarse. Her friend was lying on the ground, unconscious and in a pool of blood.
nbsp; She received a kick in the chest for that. Ginny coughed out blood in response and fell to ground.
nbsp; There was another wave of laughter. “Learn your place blood traitor!”
nbsp; “You-
nbsp; “Silencio!” he spell hit her painfully. There were a few more cackles.
nbsp; “Silence. We have order here. We must not become like these…things.”
nbsp; The Death Eaters fell silent. From where Ginny was at, she could see a figure up ahead Voldermort He was looking at a white-blond-haired who was currently kneeling before him.
nbsp; “How should we punish you, Draco Malfoy? Not only have you disobeyed my orders, you have failed me.”
nbsp; The boy shivered nervously. His own father was two feet away from him, silent. The Dark Lord turned to face the crowd.
nbsp; “Theodore Nott has managed to capture both Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger.”
nbsp; Ginny glared at the Death Eater in question. She had not forgotten his face.
nbsp; “As award, I will allow you to torture the girl, Ginny Weasley.”
nbsp; “My lord?” He sounded alarm, but Ginny figured she must have imagined it. Right after, he said, “Thank you, my lord.” He turned around and faced her though he wasn’t looking at her. He reached inside his cloak and pulled out his wand. Then, after what seemed like a few seconds, he pointed his wand in her direction.
nbsp; “C-Crucio,” e said. She gritted in pain as the nightmares arrived.
Theo saw the girl wince in pain for a second, but was otherwise alright.
nbsp; “Louder, more conviction!” The Dark Lord was laughing now. From the corner of his eyes, Theo could see his father staring at him. There were others staring at him too, of course. It was all the damn bloody Death Eaters.
nbsp; He pointed his wand at the girl again. His hand was shaking, even though he was trying so hard for it to not. She was looking at him like he was no better than the dirt she stepped on. Theo found he could not breathe. What would happen if Hermione Granger woke up? Would he have to torture her too?
nbsp; “Come on boy, any day!”
nbsp; “The Dark Lord’s getting impatient boy, hurry up!”
nbsp; He wanted to close his eyes. It might have been easier, except he knew it could easily get himself killed. Instead, he forced his eyes to look at the girl before shouting, “Crucio!”
nbsp;
nbsp; The red-haired girl shouted in pain, and it was all Theo’s fault.
nbsp; “Wait, wait! The Mudblood will want to see this!”
nbsp; To add to the chaos, Hermione Granger was waking up. She looked dazed for a bit before her eyes cleared and her head turned towards the direction of the screaming girl.
nbsp; “Ginny!”
nbsp; Then to his horror, her eyes were turned upon him. “You bastard. Stop it stop it now!”
nbsp; But he couldn’t stop, not until the Dark Lord told him that torture time was over.
nbsp; “Ginny!”
nbsp; The two girls’ screams were loud in his ears. He was doing all he could do to not flee, not that his legs were working. In his mind, he kept begging, hoping the Dark Lord would tell him to stop. He looked at the man and could only see a bored look.
nbsp; “Alright, dear, stop before you kill the blood traitor. Quite the blood-thirsty one, aren’t you?” He realized seconds later that it was Bellatrix who said this.
nbsp; Theo wanted to protest, before he realized it was probably better that they thought of him this way. He stopped the step. The red-haired girl was in tears now, panting on the floor looking like she was about to die.
nbsp; “Ginny,” sobbed Granger. He could not forget her sobbing face, even when the two of them were taken away from his sight. He could not display his emotions, yet, however.
nbsp; The Dark Lord was smiling at him. Theo stiffened, not failing to notice the crazed glaze behind Voldermort’s eyes as he spoke to him. Lucius stood close by, his eyes unreadable but surely cold. Was he also going to get punished along with Draco?
“Good job, child. If a young boy like you could have captured two of those wretched creatures, it says something about the ability of the Aurors. You have proven that not all Death Eaters ar useless.”
nbsp; All the other Death Eaters winced. Theo could feel their glares on him.
nbsp; . “T-Thank you, my lord.” His words almost fumbled out of his mouth. His tongue felt dry and his heart was numb. There were too many eyes on him. He wanted to run out and hide in some dark corner where he could be left alone. For a moment, the Dark Lord kept his gaze on him. Could he have known what Theo was thinking just now…?
nbsp; Then to Theo’s relief, the Dark Lord turned away from him and began a new subject.
nbsp; Lucius Malfoy’s eyes continued to study him throughout the rest of the meeting.