The Cupboard Series 4: The Fourth School

Chapter 36

Lucius Malfoy crouched among the headstones of Little Hangleton Cemetery. His eyes and wand remained trained on the precise spot that the incoming portkey traveller would land. He had no doubt of this, after all, he was the one who had made the portkey in the first place.

Now it was just a matter of waiting.

He knew roughly when the portkey would arrive, but not precisely. Thus why he'd made sure that the portkey was password activated, in this case, the phrase: 'one thousand galleons'. A phrase that was sure to be said; after all, the bag of money held that precise amount, so, when it was being presented to the TriWizard Champion, the presenter would be sure to say exactly that phrase.

The fact that it was going to be Albus Dumbledore presenting said prize and thus being portkeyed away ensured that Lucius was on high alert: Dumbledore wasn't one that you wanted to give even the slightest edge of advantage to.

As he waited, Lucius grouched silently to himself. This whole plan of The Dark Lord's was extremely complex, far too complex in Lucius' opinion, not that he'd ever even allowed himself to think such a thing anywhere in his master's presence.

It hadn't been so bad when they still had Barty Crouch Junior helping out. But the fact that he'd been caught in his own trap and thus killed by a dragon of all things hadn't helped in the slightest. The only saving grace was the fact that Barty had died quickly, without the chance to expose their plans to the enemy.

Dumbledore, though. Dumbledore was the key. Everyone knew that Dumbledore was the only one that The Dark Lord was ... wary of. Not afraid, never afraid, The Dark Lord was always sure to make sure that it was well known that he wasn't afraid of anything or anyone.

And to take him now, to use him and kill him before The Dark Lord's second rise, before the coming war even began, would almost ensure that they would be victorious. And Dumbledore was perfect for the coming ritual to raise the Master.

Oh, Dumbledore wasn't The Dark Lord's first choice for the ritual. No, Harry Potter had that honour, but Potter was too well protected. Dumbledore, though, Dumbledore was definitely a very close second choice.

A hint of light brought Lucius' wand up a touch and a flurry of spells leaping forward. Six stupefys in as many seconds were whirling on their way even before the figure had fully materialized from their portkey ride. Lucius made sure to send the first two directly on target, the next two to either side and the remaining two back on target again. There was no way that he was going to allow Dumbledore even the slightest chance to escape, evade or retaliate.

The blonde grinned to himself as he saw the first two spells slam into the figure as it materialized. The third and fourth, of course, missed, but the fifth hit. Only the fact that the man was on his way to the ground caused the last of the stunners to pass over his head. For good measure, Lucius sent another two stunners and an incarcerous at the slumped body on the ground.

Arrogantly, he sauntered up to the now stunned and bound wizard. The sneer on his face, though, morphed into shock, from shock to confusion and then from confusion straight on to worry when he beheld the man lying at his feet.

Instead of the great Albus Dumbledore that he'd expected, the wizard that had fallen into their trap was none other than the Minister of Magic himself: Cornelius Fudge. Lucius' eyes darted about the scene disbelievingly. But even if he wasn't already incredibly familiar with the man himself, the green pinstriped robes and the distinctive bowler hat left no doubt. The fact that the man was still holding the bag of galleons told the story of how he'd arrived.

The only conclusion that Lucius could come up with was that the odious man had usurped Dumbledore's right to present the TriWizard Champion with their winnings, insisting that he do it himself.