Lucius betrayed? (WAS Re: JKR's cryptic answer: Who sent the Lestranges...)

[mari]

No: HPFGUIDX 119822


chrusotoxos:
>1) He never tried to find Voldemort. Why? The ritual to restore his 
>body didn't seem all this complex to me, if even Pettigrew could 
>manage it Lucius surely could. 

Mari: 
It's a good possibility that to Lucius being a Death Eater was like being a member of the Thule society.  (A group that studied the occult and spawned 
much Nazism, Adolf Hitler was a member).  He may have joined because:

1. He found many wizards shared his prejudice.
2. He had relatives in the group.
3. Thought it a great way to gain his personal power.

I think at sometime, Lucius realized that Especially if Regulus Black had 
just been killed.  Lucius would have stayed on  as a way to protect himself 
and his family.  At the same time hedging his bets.  If LV did succeed then 
he would be in a very good place, power-wise.  If LV falls, Lucius could 
always claim he was forced to join.

LV does fall and Lucius does nothing, but dig out an old diary.
Then only after it is rumored that LV has returned.  With LV gone, Lucius 
built up a very respectable face to the public. He was finally getting the 
power he was craving when he was younger, without LV.  When LV is rumored 
to come back.  Lucius digs out Tom Riddle's diary to make it look like he 
was thinking aobut LV all this time. 

LV probally knows full well this is what Lucius is doing.  The question 
could be:  Why doesn't Voldemort punish Lucius for such behavior?  Maybe 
the Dark Lord needs something the Lucius has.
 
chrusotoxos:
>6) And this puzzles me: Lucius, well connected at the Ministry and 
>very bright, must know that a prophecy would explode if it falls 
>down, allowing everyone to hear what's inside it (and, two prophecies 
>actually break while he's in the Department of Misteries). So the 
>logical thing would be to hurt Potter in some way, the prophecy slips 
>and the DE can hear 

Mari:
As well connected and smart as he is, he can't know everything.  Another possibility is that LV did not want all of his DE to hear it.  

I agree that he is playing a more danerous game than Snape is.  Snape has 
the protection of Dumbledore, but Lucius has nothing.