“Malfoy was cleared! A very old family “ donations to excellent causes “ ”
- Cornelius Fudge, GOF chapter thirty-six.
Dear Mr Malfoy,
It is with the greatest urgency, that I send you this letter and I urge you to read on carefully and act immediately afterwards, as it is, as you will soon enough find out, to both our benefit to aid each other.
Knowing as I know that you are a man of high esteem, who takes pride in being up to date with the Ministry of Magic and all its major affairs, and you being someone who’d be informed instantly, whenever events occur that can drastically change the current or future political situation, I assume that you’re well aware of the fact that earlier this evening four people suspected of being Death Eaters have been caught in the act of imprisoning and torturing Mrs Alice and Mr Frank Longbottom.
Just in case you do not know any, or more probable, all facts concerning this most unfortunate event, I will tell you all that the Ministry’s aware of and some subtle details that they don’t, but I do know. I’m afraid I can’t give away my sources, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that they are completely accurate.
Somewhere in the late afternoon or early evening of this day, four Death Eaters, whose names should be familiar to you, entered number twelve Mortimer Street in London and swiftly overpowered its residents. Messrs Rudolphus and Rabastan Lestrange, Mrs Bellatrix Lestrange and Mr Bartemius Crouch Junior, for I’m afraid those were their names, were undoubtedly hoping to find information about the current whereabouts of their former master, the Dark Lord. When they found out that Mr and Mrs Longbottom were either unable or unwilling to give them the desired information, they started, to no avail I must add, to use the Cruciatus Curse on their victims, until they were arrested by the combined forces of Aurors and Hit Wizards of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. For a Ministry official was fortunate enough to follow them into the house and notify the Ministry.
Unfortunately, help came too late for Mr and Mrs Longbottom, for both of them had been tortured most viciously and relentlessly, resulting in insanity for both of them. Unable to speak a coherent sentence, their value as witnesses is lost. Unless of course they miraculously regain their wits before the trial, which will probably take place this very night. So the only witness accounts that can and will be used as evidence to present for the Wizengamot, are those of the Aurors and Hit Wizards who arrived at the scene to stun and arrest the suspects and of course that of the man who was there before them and raised the alarm. All of these witnesses are respectable and honest people, whose words will surely convince the majority of the Wizengamot, even though their accounts fail to complete and solve the whole puzzle. Both the people and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement want to see some punishment and so they will.
The failure of the Ministry to thoroughly examine all details and extensively interrogate all suspects, victims and witnesses, due to the pressure of time, gives us the opportunity to carry on the plan these four Death Eaters had. Because the Longbottoms’ brains aren’t damaged at all and it is very likely that they do know something that will be valuable to our cause.
Don’t worry, because I’m not trying to blackmail you or anything of that sort, but I just want to stress the fact that both you and I have our secrets. I must congratulate you for successfully talking your way out of Azkaban by saying that you were kept under the Imperius Curse. This leads us back to my request, for the Longbottoms are kept under the Imperius Curse by me and I need to be able to visit them occasionally, away from prying eyes.
I don’t know how much influence you have over Saint Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, but surely some generous donations will help you with finding a nice, quiet ward, supervised by either some dense, incompetent nurse, or one who can be bribed, so that I can operate undisturbedly.
The risks for you will be minimal; the benefits substantial. Charity work for an institution like St. Mungo’s will help you to regain some of the trust and respect you’ve lost since the investigation of your history as a Death Eater, and if the information the Longbottoms have in them will lead to the restoration of the Dark Lord, who will ever say that you renounced the Dark Lord to save your own skin?
Another consequence that will be likely to increase your influence in the Ministry is that with the conviction of his son as a Death Eater, Bartemius Crouch Senior’s chances of becoming the next Minister for Magic when Millicent Bagnold resigns, have just dropped to zero. This clears the path for new candidates who’re on our side or can be influenced by our suggestions.
I’ve provided you with all the information and all the arguments I have. There’s nothing more that I can do at the moment. I just hope that you’re willing to assess the sacrifice your sister-in-law and her companions have made in order for us to continue the quest of finding our Master. Just to show that I really am a Death Eater and that I can be trusted: The incantation Morsmordre must be spoken in order to create the Dark Mark in the sky. And all Death Eaters have a tattoo of the Dark Mark somewhere on their body and we were to report instantly at the Dark Lord’s side whenever we felt the Mark burning on our skin.
Yours sincerely,
A former Death Eater and friend who nevertheless wishes to remain anonymous.