25When in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Shakespeare sonnet 29
Lucius was a mess. Never had a Malfoy been seen in worse general shape, at least, never in recorded history. It wasn't the dust on his robes, the tangled hair or growth of beard that screamed something was dreadfully wrong. It was his empty eyes, showing no spark of humanity, no spark of life, no spark of awareness beyond his own skull.
Azkaban was survivable; he'd been there before. The physical trauma of incarceration forced a focus on daily survival that precluded thoughts beyond endurance. Dementors surrounding the prison drained all happy memories, leaving only darkest experiences available. The fault of using Dementors is that without memories of light, of happier times with loved ones, the dark had no contrast. It lost its bite.
His prideful pace was forced with the finality of a doomed prisoner mounting the steps to the guillotine. Death would be a succour; unfortunately death wasn't to be his fate. Life was.
As he exited Azkaban, the onerous burden of his responsibility in his family's destruction was contrasted against the crushing weight of happy memories returning. He faltered.
He was dragged the last few feet to the apparition point. He was jostled into position for side-along, before arriving outside the gates of his manor. He was force marched to his front door, where his escort pounded on the blackened oak to announce his arrival.
The door retreated, leaving his sun dazzled eyes to focus on his new warden Colin Dervish. Beside him in Auror robes stood his apprentice Hermione Granger.
Lucius had joined the Dark Lord as a source of power. Malfoy's had for century's ensured favourable family alliances that allowed Lucius the ability to play backroom politics with the talent of a virtuoso. After the first wizard war, Lucius, a proven Death Eater of high rank, was released with a fine equivalent to a slap on the wrist.
During the build up to the final battle of the second war, Lucius was left wandless, to serve as reluctant host to the Dark Lord and his headquarters. His family was mocked in their own home, while he attempted to retain enough favour to ensure their survival. Voldemort was unable to injure the headmaster himself, but set his son Draco the impossible task of killing Dumbledore. Draco's failure was to be the excuse to torture and kill his heir, as punishment for Lucius's failure to retrieve the prophesy.
The threat to his heir was Lucius's turning point. Any vestige of real loyalty to the Dark Lord's cause vanished, as the primal requirement to ensure a lasting genetic legacy overrode sworn allegiance. For all his intelligence, Lucius couldn't see a way to change sides without exposing his family to additional risk. Any information he was able to provide would only be useful if Voldemort lost. Putting hope for Voldemort's death on the fragile shoulders of a teenager was a leap of faith he couldn't do. Too many others had failed.
His family was able to help in little ways. Draco covered for the golden trio during their capture, and Narcissa protected Potter in the forest. These covert actions ensured defensive legal strategies during trial after the Light won.
With the sworn testimony of the golden trio, his wife Narcissa and son Draco had been released. Both had returned to the Malfoy estate on probation, only to be murdered by former Death Eaters during his incarceration. Darker rumours hinted that Ministry protection was extended only to capture new inmates. Parolees were bait, not protectees. Ministry 'protection' was useless.
"Lucius Malfoy, you are turned over into the custody of Aurors Colin Dervish and Hermione Granger. Your conditions of parole are no use of magic, no visitors allowed, and confinement to Malfoy manor. All communication to outside parties will only be through your court appointed lawyer. Aurors from the ministry have unrestricted access into this house. Any parole violations will result in an automatic re-incarceration in Azkaban, without further trial."
He looked at them and spat "I understand I have your brilliant 'protection' to thank for the deaths of my wife and son."
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter. All characters belong to JK Rowling; their abuse in this plot bunny is entirely my fault.
Ch1 A/N
I wanted to explore the character of Lucius more. As he is not the primary focus of the HP books, his reactions to the war is never explored.
This is my first fanfic. I currently have no beta, would love volunteers.
Please review. I adore feedback.