Lucius fears Voldemort Was: Are Malfoy and Fudge the real masterminds?

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 86936

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Diana" <dianasdolls at y...> 
wrote:
> Lucius trying to manipulate any situation to his liking would not 
> surprise me, but I highly doubt he'd try to double-cross 
Voldemort.  
> The only reason he didn't rush to his Dark Lord's aid before 
> Voldemort's return to his body was because Lucius wasn't sure if 
> Voldemort was even still alive (if you can call it that) in books 
> one through three.  Lucius wouldn't have given up his aristocratic 
> lifestyle, status and position for a master that was probably dead 
> and gone.  

Jen R: I don't think Lucius is going to give up his lifestyle for a 
master who's back in the flesh, either!  Lucius has some leverage on 
LV and is biding his time. He knows LV used to be Tom Riddle the 
half-blood, something I doubt he knew in the First War. Lucius has 
connections with everyone from the merchants in Knockturn Alley to 
the Minister of Magic. While he may love his wife and son, he loves 
Power more and having LV back complicates his life. Would Lucius 
have any respect for a master who is talking about ridding the WW of 
Mudbloods, after he discovers Tom Riddle had a Muggle father? I 
don't think so.

No, Lucius isn't one to rush to anyone's side and even LV knows this 
when he addressed his "slippery friend" in the graveyard.

Diana:
> Lucius, OTOH, backed down against Dobby for goodness sake, so I 
> honestly can't see Lucius trying to double-cross the most powerful 
> wizard in the last 100 years.  I mean, Lucius could have AK'd 
Dobby 
> and then attacked Harry at the end of CoS, but he didn't, did he?  
> He intended to attack Harry right under Dumbledore's nose and was 
> only stopped by a 'lowly' house elf, which tells me that just 
becase 
> Dumbledore was only a short distance away wouldn't have stopped 
him 
> if Dobby hadn't of been there.  

Jen R: The scene between Dobby and Lucius in COS doesn't say the 
Lucius was fearful of Dobby, but rather that Dobby was the more 
powerful (for reasons unknown as yet). Lucius is in fact *livid* 
when Dobby tells him, "You shall not touch Harry Potter. You shall 
go now". 

"Lucius had no choice. With a last incensed stare at the pair of 
them, he swung his cloak around him and hurried out of sight." (US, 
chap. 18, p. 338)

Lucius is the definition of the word, "calculating". He needs Harry 
and he knows it. While he may not know exactly what the Prophecy 
says, Lucius understands that the Prophecy contains information 
about why LV couldn't kill Harry as a baby. It's not much of a 
stretch to conjecture Harry alone has the power to defeat LV--after 
all, how could a mere baby send LV to vapor if there wasn't 
something special about him? 

Diana: 
> I would guess that Lucius would not want to incur Voldemort's 
wrath 
> any more than he already did for not coming to Voldemort's aid and 
> lying to MoM about being a DE.  Besides Voldemort is quite short 
of 
> DE's at the end of GoF and he didn't AK all the DEs who'd 
> disappointed him because he really couldn't spare any more of his 
> soldiers right then.  I'm sure Lucius knows exactly what Voldemort 
> would do to him and his family if he betrayed him, and as big a 
jerk 
> Lucius may be, Draco and Narcissa do mean something to him.  

Jen R: Your implying that Lucius is fearful of what LV might do to 
him or his family, but I think that is underestimating how LV views 
Lucius. LV is very contemptuous of many of the DE's, but he lets 
Lucius get away with a lot (i.e. graveyard scene where 
Voldemort "lazily" admonsishes Lucius for his shortcomings). LV 
realizes Lucius has gained Power in the intervening years (to go 
along with his money and pure-blood status)and that he can't treat 
Lucius like he does Wormtail.

Diana: 
> To me, one of Lucius's biggest weakness that has yet to be used 
> against him by either Dumbledore and the Order or Voldemort and 
the 
> DEs is his tendency to give Draco way too much information.  Draco 
> knows about their stash of controversial items under the drawing 
> room floor, which he then blurts out to Crabbe!Ron and Goyle!
Harry.  
> Draco also knew, courtesy of his father, that the Chamber of 
Secrets 
> was going to be opened by the heir of Slytherin and that students 
> were going to be attacked and/or killed.  I mean, Draco's known 
> about a lot of stuff Harry, Ron and Hermione have had to find out 
> much later in the books.  I could see Draco getting dear old dad 
> into trouble by giving too much away in a future book.  That would 
> be so fun to read! <g>

Jen R: Yes, this is odd. My speculation is Lucius is either 
intentionally feeding information to Draco that he knows Draco will 
pass on to Harry, or Draco is very adept at overhearing things he 
shouldn't! If Lucius is telling Draco the information, whatever his 
intentions, then he's putting not only himself but his son in danger-
-and that would make him an even bigger slimeball!