The Eagle and The Snake: A Tragic Love Story

90. What Is The Truth Worth?

Luna was incredibly nervous about facing her dad, and giving him instructions from Lord Voldemort.
In the past, her and Xenophilius had always been able to pretend that she wasn't working for him. But as she was now going to see her dad on her master's orders, she knew there was no way for them to avoid the elephant in the room, which was her service to Voldemort.
After leaving Carly and apparating to her old house, she walked straight inside without knocking on the door, to stop her from losing her nerve.

"Luna. This is a suprise" exclaimed Xenophilius with a smile, as Luna walked into the building.
"Hi daddy" replied Luna.
As she looked around, she couldn't help but think how small her old house felt.
After spending so long in mansions and castles, she had grown used to the sheer size of them. So her house felt small in comparison.
"I didn't think I would be seeing you this Christmas" admitted Xenophilius, as he hugged Luna tight.
"Me neither" mumbled Luna, before extracting herself from his embrace.

"Did you want to squeeze in one last visit with me, before you returned to Hogwarts then?" Asked Xenophilius.
"Not exactly" sighed Luna.
"Then why did you come?" Questioned Xenophilius.
"I would love to say that this is just a social call, but I would be lying... I am here because I have been assigned a task from my master. He is the reason I am here, because he wants me to talk to you".

Luna felt the atmosphere in the room change instantly. And Xenophilius's cheery smile turned into a cold frown.
"Why would someone like that want to send you to talk to me?" Demanded Xenophilius.
"You really can't figure out that one for yourself" replied Luna.
"I have done nothing to warrant the attention of that man" insisted Xenophilius.
"Dad, you are the only one not publishing anti Harry Potter media. You also continue to write about the deaths of people whom the Ministry don't want the public to know about".

"Are you saying that you want these people's deaths to go unnoticed? That they are unworthy, and don't deserve to have their deaths recognised?" Questioned Xenophilius.
"It doesn't matter what I think or want. The dark lord does not want the world knowing just how many people the death eaters are killing. He's worried that a rebellion might occur, if the public knew the extent of what was going on in the world. He's also concerned that writing about Harry in a positive light, will create hope. Which is something else he doesn't want" answered Luna.

"What that man does or does not want, is of no concern of mine" announced Xenophilius.
"Don't be stupid dad. You know what he does to people who disrespect him and fail to follow his rules" replied Luna.
"I do. But unlike you, I am willing to do the right thing, no matter the personal cost" informed Xenophilius.
"You're willing to sacrifice yourself for a lost cause?"
"The cause I fight for cannot be all that lost, if your master is so afraid of the people who join it".

"But dad, the dark lord doesn't just kill people who go against him, he tortures them. He locks them up in the cellar, and makes their existence a living nightmare. I don't want that to happen to you. My allegiance to the dark lord isn't enough to protect you. And I don't want you to get hurt" said Luna.
"I am a grown man, Luna. I am responsible for my actions, not you. And if I want to do the right thing, and fight for this land, then you cannot stop me. I will do whatever is necessary. And I am not afraid of your dark lord. He does not scare me" announced Xenophilius.

"You might not fear for your own life, but do you not care about mine anymore?" Asked Luna.
"What do you mean?" Frowned Xenophilius.
"The dark lord has threatened to hurt me if you continue writing against him" revealed Luna.
"But I thought you were one of his loyal followers. Why would he hurt one of his own people?"
"The dark lord will do whatever is necessary to keep control over the wizarding world. And if hurting me is what it takes to stop you, then that is what he will do"
"Some master you serve"
"Dad, that is not helpful right now".

"How do I know that him threatening to hurt you, isn't just an empty threat to get me to conform to his new world order?" Questioned Xenophilius.
"The dark lord doesn't make promises he does not intend to keep. And even if he did, is that really a risk you would be willing to take? Are you really prepared to gamble with my life, just so that you can sell more papers?" Quizzed Luna.
"You know it is not just about making money and selling newspapers. I am trying to keep the world up to date with all of the terrying things happening in our country. The people deserve to know what is happening" insisted Xenophilius.

"So, the public matters more to you than me?" Frowned Luna.
"I didn't say that. But remember, you did choose this path. You decided to become one of them, no one made you" reminded Xenophilius.
"If I wasn't a death eater there is no way you would have been allowed to continue writing for this long, and I probably would already be chained up in the cellar. My death eater status has protected us both thus far, but it won't keep us safe anymore. If you want to be a good father, and keep me alive, then you have to make a choice. You have to choose me, over your duty to always tell the public the truth" replied Luna.

Xenophilius sighed, "I do care about you Luna. And I will always love you. So, if your dark lord wants me to stop writing articles in favour of Harry Potter, then I will stop. From now on, I will write about the Undesirable Number One, just like everyone else".
"Thank you" Luna said quietly.
"But I will not stop writing about those who have died. Everyone deserves to have their deaths mentioned and not ignored. I won't make it front page news anymore, but every single innocent victim will have a small epitaph in the back of the Quibbler. It is my magazine, and I will not be told what to do with it" informed Xenophilius.

"But dad-" started Luna.
"No buts. I will not negotiate on this" interupted Xenophilius.
"Fine then. I will tell the dark lord about the changes you intend to make, and hopefully it will be enough to pacify him. If it is not, I'm sure we will both find out pretty soon" sighed Luna.
"You tell him that he cannot threaten me, because I am not an easily intimidated man"
"I have no intention of saying that to my master, because it won't end well for either of us. I will tell him that you promise to stop writing good things about Harry. But I will not mention the other thing, in the hopes that he won't notice the small pieces you write in the back of the paper, for the dead. We will discover shortly if this strategy works or not".