Hm. Now that was an idea.
If тАУ or rather when тАУ the Dark Lord rose again, one of his first tasks would surely be to gather his most faithful supporters around him. Now that he and Snape were no longer in that category, who else would qualify? The LeStranges, of course, and the Carrows, not to mention a few others like Greyback and DolohovтАж But if something were to happen to those staunch few, Voldemort's power base would be severely weakened, and it would be that much harder and take that much longer for him to reestablish himself.
Tracking down the Carrows and other Death Eaters-at-large was likely to be a long and dangerous process, but the LeStranges were easy prey. Chained in Azkaban, weakened by DementorsтАж how hard would it be to do away with them? It would practically be a mercy killing.
What's more, Bella's continued existence was detrimental to Lucius and his family. Even if Potter's defeat of the Dark Lord had been foretold by some prophecy or batty Seer, having a criminally insane aunt in Azkaban could only hinder Draco's advancement in future years. Since Bella had refused to fulfill her familial obligations by dying quietly in custody, he should assist her along the way. He had never liked the bitch, anyway.
It would be reasonably easy to get himself quietly smuggled onto the island, then a few judiciously placed smothering spells, and hey presto! Three fewer Death Eaters. He couldn't imagine that Amelia Bones would look too deeply into the matter тАУ it wasn't as if she had launched a full investigation into Pettigrew's demise тАУ and even if she did, it would be easy to bribe the requisite guards or perhaps obliviate a few on his way out.
Then, when the news broke, he could quietly let Snape in on the real story. He had no illusions that the Potion Master would be anything other than grimly pleased. Snape's handling of Fudge had proven that he did not share Dumbledore's daft notion that it was unsporting to act pre-emptively. And from what Draco had told him about the rat's death, he rather suspected that Snape was not inexperienced at arranging "convenient" accidents when it suited his purposes. Indeed, Malfoy had been very interested to learn of the Undersecretary's disappearance last term, after тАУ according to Draco тАУ she had threatened Potter.
No, Snape was a Slytherin and unlikely to cavil at the means Lucius employed, so long as the ends suited his plans. And by carrying out his plans quietly and successfully, Lucius would prove he could be trusted to handle such "delicate" matters. He quirked an eyebrow. He might even become Snape's chief enforcer, to use a rather crude term. But really, who else could Snape trust to carry out his less salubrious plans? Oh, the Gryffindors and mudbloods would line up to throw themselves between Potter and an AK in the heat of battle, if it came to that, but who among them would be willing to slit a few throats before the battle had officially begun?
Lucius grinned and sipped his drink, well pleased with himself. This was a wonderful plan. In one fell swoop, he would rid himself of some unwelcome relatives and simultaneously secure his position among his new allies. What could go wrong?
##
Exactly as he had anticipated, Lucius had no difficulty getting into Azkaban a few days later. Although the new administration would barely return his fire calls, he still knew plenty of people from his time hobnobbing with Fudge. The lead guard at Azkaban was gratifyingly eager to please a Malfoy, and it was simple to convince the imbecile that he was there on a secret "fact finding" mission for the new Minister. That got him a private escort onto the island, bypassing all the other guards. Lucius grinned to himself тАУ a quick spell before parting, and no one would ever know he'd been there.
"Perhaps before we get on with the official tour, I could ask a favor of you," he said suavely, tugging at his fine leather gloves. "As you know, my wife has someтАж relativesтАж here, and when she learned I'd be visiting, she begged that I look in on them." Lucius barely managed to get the words out without sneering. Narcissa would no more ask after Bellatrix's welfare than she would bake a cake for the Malfoy house elves.
Growing up with a sociopathic sister had not been fun, and the hormonal surges of adolescence had wreaked havoc with dear Bella's mental health. Narcissa loathed and feared her sister, and she only regretted the woman тАУ and her spouse and brother-in-law тАУ had not been Kissed years ago.
"Oh, naturally," the warden gushed sympathetically. "It must be very hard on the poor little woman to have her dear sister here."
Lucius smiled thinly. If Narcissa ever heard this lowborn twit refer to her as a "poor little woman", she'd hex the man's bollocks off. "Thank you for being so understanding."
A few minutes walk, and they were outside Bellatrix's cell. The warden unlocked the heavy door and gestured invitingly.
"You are too kind," Lucius murmured. Then, "Stupefy!"
The warden dropped like a rock and with a disdainful shake of his head, Lucius stepped over the man's prone form and into the cell.
Wild, matted black hair, rolling eyes, deathly pallor. Lucius sighed. Yes, she was a Black all right. "Bellatrix, my dear, you're lookingтАж unwell," he smirked.
The witch stopped drooling long enough to fasten her crazed eyes on his. "Lucius? Coward! Traitor! Apostate! The Dark Lord will have you drawn and quartered for your treachery! Claiming the Imperius when you should have proudly proclaimed His might?"
Lucius rolled his eyes. "Fanaticism is so bourgeois, dear sister-in-law," he retorted. "Pragmatism is a much more effective survival skill, albeit one that is too late for you to learn."
"You can still repent, Lucius!" Bellatrix panted, pulling at her bonds. "Free me, and your past sins can be forgiven before the Dark Lord returns to us."
"Free you?" he scoffed. "I hardly think so. You seem a bit out of touch over here, Bella. You must not have heard that your beloved Lord has already made an attempt to return."
Bella stiffened to attention, her expression becoming more focused. "What? He is Risen?"
"Well, in a fashion," Lucius admitted. "He possessed a Hogwarts professor in an attempt to become fully corporeal again. Unfortunately, he was once again defeated by the Potter brat and is тАУ as best anyone can tell тАУ currently floating around as some insubstantial shade. Oh, and Potter also managed to kill off his familiar."
"Nagini is dead?" Bella gasped.
"At the hands of a child," Lucius agreed contemptuously. "And Pettigrew is gone as well. The new Minister is Amelia Bones, a hard nosed Auror who is about as paranoid as they come. Things are not looking up for your Master, Bella."
"He is your Master too!" she shrieked in outrage.
"Not anymore," he sneered. "I've found a better option for myself and the family. You may have chosen to cling to a lost dream, but the rest of us have moved on. The Dark Lord has no real hope any longer, and I have ensured that the Malfoy name will recover from the blot that our past affiliation has caused."
"How dare you!" Bellatrix's glare was nearly enough to ignite steel. "You shall pay for this, Lucius."
"Yes, yes," he waved a hand dismissively. "So you say." He glanced around the cell. "I must admit that your surroundings add little to your credibility." He shook himself. It was fun to gloat, but he had things to do. "Well, dear Bella, I'd say it's been a pleasure, but really it hasn't. Your demise will be the best thing you've done for the family."
Bella's face twisted, but to Lucius' surprise, it wasn't an expression of hate that she wore, but one of regret. "I тАУ I never meant to hurt Cissy," she half-whispered.