Private Message to Lucius Malfoy

Lucius?

What in the name of Merlin is going on? I got your owl yesterday saying you'd be late and not to wait up. But you were gone this morning before I came down to breakfast at seven. Then I see Draco's message assuring everyone that you are fine - I distinctly detect Aurors' code in that 'He's fine,' incidentally.

Kindly tell me you are all right. If a single reporter comes to the Manor gates....


Ah. And our son has just confirmed that you had a row with Alecto? Really. I hope you know what you are doing, husband.

Private Message to Dominic Selwyn and Rabastan Lestrange

Dominic. I saw you wrote to Lucius. Has he answered?

Raz. Draco says Alecto and Lucius duelled. Last I heard he was simply going to tell Amycus to rein himself in. What in the nine levels of Hell happened last night?

Private Message to Barty Crouch, Jr.

Well, I've heard the explanation, now, though I'm not sure I believe all of it. Parts are too extraordinary not to be true - and they've been corroborated by other sources. And other pieces seem...conveniently coincidental.

I suppose I should have waited longer to call on your assistance. But thank you. There was the distinct possibility that she'd used one of Bella's delayed curses or some other trick that he wasn't able or aware of needing to counteract. If he'd been alone at St James', for example, working....

But he says it was a simple, if maddening, matter of his journal being collected by Broome at Court, and then not being able to trace it back right away to the point where it went missing. I suppose it's plausible. I don't think he'd have deliberately ignored my post, not for so long, if he really hadn't mislaid the book. Easy enough to check whether his clerk really has been searching for it high and low.

At least he didn't bother to ask how you came to be at the Manor. I do feel foolish for asking you to come, now. And not a little ashamed of the way he sent you home - though of course we did need to talk privately, but he might have been more appreciative of your efforts and the intent behind them.

I hope I didn't ruin any plans you had for the evening. Or Travers, either.

I've other replies to make.


Have you given any thought to yesterday's conversation, by the way?