bait_backup | Yeah I stole, never got caught (Reply)

*Though one of the Ministry's most seasoned and commended Aurors, and certainly the most respected man currently on the squad, most of Moody's days involve failure. For all the leads he follows, connections he makes, and arrests listed under his name, what sticks with him are the hints of smiles of people walking away due to lack of evidence and the word of his gut when he knows someone's guilty of something but it hasn't yet been revealed to him. Lucius Malfoy has been on a mental list of his for months, his foul political dealings and pathetic viewpoints so obvious but so unverifiable - he is of the people who Moody would do away with due process for, if it meant having a shot at him. The white mask is practically implied, the way the man behaves.

Fortunately, those kinds of people almost always tend to be the cause of their own downfall. It's all a matter of waiting long enough and keeping them under the radar, waiting for them to make a mistake, and Lucius is no exception to this statistic. Of course the Minister's less and less stringent requirements for perpetrating a raid have helped, but Moody finds he's content with that, and is ready to make the sweep of the Malfoy's absurdly lordly property worthwhile. Lucius' playground taunts may mean nothing individually, but when directed toward an Auror it eventually becomes irresponsible for his claims to go uninvestigated.

With the signed papers in hand, Moody and his small assembly have legal access to the grounds. The only thing that alerts the evening to their presence is the wild cry of a ghostly peacock as it darts across the lawn behind them just before he legs the knocker drop three heavy times.*