What's he up to?

[ghinghapuss]

No: HPFGUIDX 94826

> Kneasy
> So Malfoy plays both ends against the middle, cooperating with both 
> sides to a certain extent until he can pick the winner. How would 
>that grab him? I  think he'd like it - he'd think he was being 
>clever. Until the fight in the Ministry. Still, not  too  bad -  the 
>Dementors have gone and Voldy will no doubt get him sprung fairly 
>soon.
> What can we expect? Contrition, a mending of his ways or an even 
>more fanatical adherence to the DE cause? Place your bets. Not many 
>posters have had a close look at Malfoy recently, he seems  to slip 
>under the radar. Too slippery by half - I think he bears watching.


Mandy here:
What can we expect?  Malfoy as Minister of Magic.   As you say Lucius 
is too slippery by half and I would not be surprised if Lucius 
manages to spin the whole MoM incident in to his promotion in to the 
position of Minister.   Very possible imo.  

Both Fudge and DD are in impossible positions at the end of book 5.  
Both have their hands firmly tied and I really don't see how either 
can effectively explain what happened in the Dept. on Mysteries.  
Witnesses put LV firmly back in the WW. A group of escaped DE's broke 
into the Ministry to steal a prophecy orb, and would have been 
successful if DD and his Order had not shown up to save the day. 
Sounds good, but how is DD going to explain the presence of 6 
children, from his supposedly secure school at the Dept of Mysteries, 
dueling to the death!?  And how is Fudge going to explain the return 
of LV, and security that is so lax at the MoM, to allow wanted 
Azakban escapees entrance? I don't think either can explain any of it 
without a severe cover up.  And inside that cover up, is plenty of 
room for manovering, especially for someone as slippery and as 
powerful as Lucius Malfoy.

I pretty confidant Fudge is out.  What about DD?  After the presence 
of children at the MoM he is barely going to hold on to his position 
as Headmaster, let alone Minister.  

So the position of Minister is going to be vacant, and all Lucius 
Malfoy needs is a good Lawyer, (Narcissa anyone?)  to argue that yes 
he was at the MOM late that night and heard a ruckus downstairs. Went 
down to investigate and came across wanted DE's causing mayhem.  
Lucius joined in the fray to defend the Orb and the MoM and was then 
wrongly arrested in the chaos.  Who's to claim other wise?  DD? He 
appeared half way threw the fight, and can claim he saw Lucius 
fighting Order members, but Lucius' defense would simply claim that 
Lucius witnesses a group of wizards fighting, who was on whos side, 
was just not clear.  Or he was simply fighting in his own self-
defense.  The testimony of the children is sketchy at best, if it 
even admissible.  The presence of the 6 kids is a huge embarrassment, 
and who's going to believe the testimony of Harry who has already 
been proven to be psychologically unstable by most of the wizarding 
media?  Yet another of Harry's fantasizes.  

First question I would ask Harry Potter in Lucius' defense is: What 
were you doing there?  To which Harry would reply: " Rescuing 
Sirius."  "The convicted and escaped mass murder, Sirius Black?" 
Would be the reply." "Yes."  "And are we to believe that the whole 
Auror Dept of the MoM can't find Sirius, but you knew all along where 
he was?" "Yes."  "Really and where is he now?"  And so on and so on 
and so on.  Any testimony by Harry is useless.  Testimony by DD is a 
little more secure, but will the WW believe him? When he appears to 
be training an army of children at his school.  The rest of the Order 
can be easily discredited: Lupin is a Werewolf.  Shaklebolt and Tonks 
are Ministry Aorors who have spent the last 2 years aiding and 
abetting Sirius Black.  Not to mention they've both been passing on 
Ministry information to DD. Can anyone say fired! 

The evidence against Lucius Malfoy is circumstantial and witnessed by 
people in chaos.  An effective Lawyer could not only get Lucius off, 
but also make him look like a hero.  Now wouldn't that be fun?

Cheers, Mandy