"You… I—I don't understand. How could you possibly think that?" Lucius Malfoy stammered for a long while, nearly forgetting how to speak.
With Tver laying it bare so casually, whatever little schemes he had been nursing evaporated on the spot.
As a former Death Eater, he was finally enjoying a kind of ease he had never known before, no longer worried about his family's future.
The problem was that this money couldn't be spoken of openly. To Lucius, it felt like wearing splendid robes in the dark. It was satisfying, but also unbearably frustrating, like something was missing.
That was why, under the urging of several pure-blood friends, he'd thought of staging a highly visible parade, just to announce his existence to the world.
As for getting arrested by the Aurors…
Honestly, it was laughable. His former master already controlled nearly half the Auror Office.
If that master hadn't yet moved openly to seize power, how could the current Head of the Office, Scrimgeour, still be sitting so comfortably in his position?
Besides, among those Death Eaters who had slipped through judgment, perhaps their brains weren't all that impressive. But when it came to fighting, especially running away, if they claimed second place, no one dared claim first.
Otherwise, they would have been dragged to Azkaban long ago.
And this sort of thing was never truly secret.
That was simply how the wizarding world worked.
Even if everyone knew it was the former Death Eaters behind it, without solid evidence, the Ministry wouldn't dare lay a hand on them.
The existence of the pure-blood families alone was enough to make them hesitate.
Still, faced with Tver's unreadable expression, Lucius felt his confidence draining away.
To be honest, in the face mask business, aside from contributing a few antiques at the very beginning, he had been utterly useless ever since.
Calling him expendable would have been generous.
All of Lucius's current sense of security came from Tver. If Tver turned around and chose to work with someone else, all that satisfaction would vanish in an instant.
"If you don't like it, I can have them stop immediately!" he added hastily.
Tver suddenly laughed.
"You don't need to be so nervous. I never said you couldn't hold a parade."
"Just…" He looked deeply at the slightly dazed Lucius. "The plan needs a small adjustment."
"What kind of… adjustment?"
Under that gaze, Lucius swallowed unconsciously.
Every instinct he had told him this was anything but a simple change.
"I assume you still remember what the Death Eaters once did?" Tver asked, abruptly shifting the topic.
The turn left Lucius even more confused. "What… do you mean?"
After a moment's thought, realization finally dawned on him.
"If you're talking about the… well, mistakes we made back then, the Ministry already judged us, didn't it?"
"The fact that we weren't sent to Azkaban means our crimes weren't considered unforgivable."
"Otherwise, those people at the Ministry wouldn't have taken our bribes!"
Lucius spoke rapidly, even exposing things he shouldn't have.
He knew very well how ruthless his former master had become. Many of his old followers had already been sent to Azkaban.
There was no doubt in his mind that Tver's will lay behind it.
"But you won't deny that some of you really did escape judgment using various excuses, will you?" Tver said calmly.
Tver didn't actually mind working with such people. But if it came at the cost of alienating Dumbledore, it simply wasn't worth it.
Compared to Dumbledore's influence, a handful of subordinates with criminal records meant nothing at all.
Lucius nodded, the motion slow and reluctant.
The corners of Tver's mouth lifted as he licked his lips, like a hunter who had finally sighted his prey.
"Then what's the problem? I only want to see the guilty receive the punishment they deserve. If you have nothing on your conscience, what are you afraid of?"
"So you're planning to use the parade to hand over a merit to… Marvolio?"
Lucius stared at him in shock, eyes wide.
Tver gave a cryptic smile.
The credit could be given to anyone. But considering he still needed to draw in Barty Crouch, and that Marvolio might not even be available at the time, the outcome was obvious. If Barty had both honors and public acclaim while Fudge was drowning in scandal, the choice between them would speak for itself.
Naturally, there was no need to explain any of that to Lucius.
"So I need you to act as the intermediary and pass all the details of the parade to Marvolio. As for the specifics, he'll know how to handle them."
"But I'm the organizer!" Lucius rasped.
What kind of leader betrayed his own people?
Well… perhaps there really was half an example.
Still, faced with Tver's mild, almost gentle smile, Lucius found himself unable to voice any further objections.
This was exactly what Tver wanted. He wanted Lucius to betray the Death Eaters completely.
As their current leader, once Lucius took this step, even if the remaining Death Eaters eventually understood his reasoning, the seed of distrust would be firmly embedded in every one of them.
At the very least, Lucius would never again be able to command them as effortlessly as before.
He wouldn't even have the chance to defect back to Voldemort.
And without Lucius at the helm, it wasn't arrogance on Tver's part to say that those Death Eaters, even combined, wouldn't be enough for Marvolio to chew on.
At that point, Lucius would have no choice but to cling tightly to the authority Tver granted him.
This time, without Tver, he truly would be nothing.
Marvolio had misjudged him.
This wasn't merely killing two birds with one stone. Tver was far more greedy than anyone imagined.
This time, his prey wasn't just the Death Eaters. It included Lucius, and Barty Crouch as well.
He could even trip Fudge along the way.
Lucius stood there, stunned, thinking for a long while. As one of the few genuinely sharp minds among the pure-blood families, he slowly grasped Tver's intent.
Tver was cutting off every possible retreat.
Yet Lucius had no choice but to comply.
Otherwise, forget about retreat. He wouldn't even have a path forward.
It was terrifying.
Lucius trembled all over, the hand holding his cup shaking uncontrollably.
For the first time, he felt a deep, genuine regret for ever choosing to cooperate with someone like this.
How could someone capable of manipulating the Dark Lord possibly be a gentle, kind professor?
"I… I understand."
The words seemed to drain him of all his strength. Once he finished speaking, he collapsed back into his chair, no longer able to maintain his earlier rigid posture.
"I think you've felt it already," Tver said calmly. "I won't harm anyone who is loyal to me. On the contrary, being my subordinate only requires you to enjoy the fruits of victory."
"That's something Voldemort could never give you."
As he spoke, Tver poured Lucius another cup of tea, his tone almost reassuring.
But the problem was that the shock he delivered to the soul was far more brutal.
Lucius dared not reveal his thoughts. He quickly took small sips of the scalding tea, as if the burning sensation could somehow drown out the panic roiling inside him.