Yeah I stole, never got caught

[ocularlunacy.livejournal.com]

*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.*

Comments

[treefeller.livejournal.com]

*Gideon extends the Detector to the cupboard in question, and it responds--but it's still acting just a little oddly, pulling to and fro at his hand in a way that reminds him briefly and bizarrely of Cutler, the cocker spaniel he and Fabian and Molly had growing up.

He looks up at Malfoy with a carefully professional smile. Instead of my big sister could wipe the floor with you and your wife both even expecting as she is, he settles for what he should say, as polite as it ought to be and not a fraction more.*

Would you open the cupboard, please?

[purely-better.livejournal.com]

*Lucius's mouth twists unpleasantly; the cabinet's cursed to burn anyone who opens it who isn't in the family. Pity, though at least this way at least that particular fact might remain unnoticed. It's cold comfort.

With a lazy flick of his wand as though he really can't be bothered to do it by hand, Lucius sighs.*

If you insist.

[treefeller.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

*The cupboard opens, and with a flick of his own wand Gideon sets its contents floating smoothly out to eye level: five little bottles, old and twisted and glittering darkly where they revolve almost lazily before the three of them. The Detector in his hand gives a little pleased hiccough, and again he's reminded of Cutler. It's that more than anything that sets his eyes twinkling.*

What have we here.

[purely-better.livejournal.com]

A hobby, nothing more.

*Lies, more lies, of course - nothing about those bottles is legal or even moral. Two are poison, and three are made from ingredients strictly banned by trade regulations or restrictions on Dark creatures.*

Or is that illegal, too, now?

[treefeller.livejournal.com]

Illegal hobbies might be.

*It's still light, conversational, as he gently touches the Detector to each bottle in turn--the result is utterly unambiguous, and with a wave of his wand the five of them disappear. As he turns to Malfoy he might as well be reading from an Auror script--but there's a definite twinkle in his eyes.*

Sorry, we'll have to confiscate these for testing. Is there anything else I should know about?

[purely-better.livejournal.com]

I hardly think I'm obligated to do your job for you.

*He's well and truly offended now; it's bad enough that he's lost his leverage with the Minister, that this raid is even being conducted, but the idea of helping in the ransacking of his own home is insulting.