[HPforGrownups] Re: Lucius Malfoy's job?

[elfundeb]

No: HPFGUIDX 49762

> Dave: 
> > > 
> > > Where does canon imply that Lucius owns the Riddle house? 
> 
> Heidi:
> 
> > The implication is in this paragraph: 
> > <<The wealthy man who owned the Riddle House these days neither 
> lived
> > there nor put it to any use; they said in the village that he kept 
> it
> > for "tax reasons," though nobody was very clear what these might 
> be. The
> > wealthy owner continued to pay Frank to do the gardening, however. 
> Frank
> > was nearing his seventy-seventh birthday now, very deaf, his bad 
> leg
> > stiffer than ever, but could be seen pottering around the flower 
> beds in
> > fine weather, even though the weeds were starting to creep up on 
> him,
> > try as he might to suppress them. >>
> 
> Now a different Dave (Frankis):
> 
> How does this imply Malfoy is the owner?  Some kinds of genre 
> expectation would say that if you have an unidentified rich person 
> in your story, and an identified one, they are the same person: is 
> that all it is?  Or am I missing something?

I have always inferred the Lucius owns the Riddle house.  The canon Heidi cited doesn't get me all the way there, but add to that the fact that Lucius seems to be the custodian of many leftovers from the Voldemort era, including Riddle's diary, and the inference becomes stronger.  There's also the fact that Voldemort seems to head straight for the Riddle house when he arrives from Albania, suggesting that he knew, or suspected, that it was empty and/or held by friendly hands (or at least hands that still feared him).  That's not to say that no other reasonable inference could be made, but I believe the text invites us to think Lucius may be the owner.

I also believe that Lucius acquired the house before Voldemort's downfall, at his request.  Voldemort was, I believe, quite interested in avenging the rejection of his muggle-born father.  He did this through the campaign of torture against muggles, and it makes sense that he would have wanted to possess the Riddle House, as he surely believed it was rightfully his.  As Riddle grew up in a muggle orphanage, it does not seem likely that he was the Riddles' legal heir, and in any event, the sentence before the one Heidi cites "new owners," so we know that Voldemort did not inherit the house.  I doubt that Riddle had the funds to purchase the house, either.  But why not have one of his wealthy followers open up his own coffers and purchase the house for him, perhaps as a show of loyalty?
> 
> The question has significant implications, since if it is Malfoy, it 
> probably implies he has remained loyal to Voldemort, and therefore 
> there is a degree of deception going on in the graveyard scene, and 
> therefore that Voldemort thinks there is a chance Harry will escape, 
> and hence into Pip's whole Spying Game/MAGICDISHWASHER scenario.
> 
Oh, I don't know about that.  I agree with Melody that:

>there was [not] that much doubt as to whether Malfoy stayed
> loyal to Voldemort."   

Voldemort understands that Lucius believes he has remained loyal.  In the graveyard, Voldemort implies Lucius remained loyal in his own mind:

"I am told that you have not renounced the old ways, though to the world you present a respectable face."

Lucius' problem is that Voldemort deems Lucius' submerged loyalty not sufficient, as he rebukes Lucius for two things:  lacking faith in Voldemort's return, and not actively seeking it, in a manner that reminds me of the third servant (the cowardly one) in the parable of the talents in St. Matthew's gospel.  Lucius was apparently loyal, but he was definitely hedging his bets against an eventual return of Voldemort to power.  

Hanging onto the Riddle house would be a very prudent measure for someone of this mindset, and relatively risk-free as well, since it's a muggle house, on muggle land, and therefore generally outside the purview and prying eyes of the MoM (though I'd be willing to bet that Dumbledore knows who owns it, and that's one reason he reads the Little Hangleton muggle press).  Certainly if Voldemort returned, Lucius would not want to be in the position of explaining why he had sold it.  And it would also be prudent to have the house properly maintained to avoid as much suspicion as possible.
> 
Melody added:

> I might fall for this Malfoy owning the house if he did not also have
> to pay for Bryce.  Is there any reasonable reason he would do that?  I
> can think of none.  Bryce can't even keep kids out of the house.
> 
Frank may be too old to have maintained his gardening skills and his security skills, but he has one virtue that is perfect for what Lucius (if he is the owner) has been using him for:  He doesn't talk to the villagers. So no snooping questions about the owner, only gossip and speculation at the Hanged Man.  Voldemort, however, has a different purpose.  He actually wants to use the house and property.  He therefore must kill Bryce because he has seen too much. Bryce was useful when the house was empty, but he's still too conscientious a security guard to be kept around after Voldemort arrives.

And finally, digressing to the original question, I don't believe there's any evidence in canon that Lucius has any employment other than the management of his finances and of Malfoy Manor.  However, I have no doubt that Lucius has dealings with the wizarding equivalent of money-launderers who can procure muggle currency on his behalf to pay expenses for the Riddle House, including Frank Bryce's salary.

Debbie


> See www.hpfgu.org.uk/hypotheticalley for details
> 


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