Harry Takes Control

Disclaimer: I own nothing. J.K. Rowling is ruler of this domain, I just play there.

CHAPTER 1

Harry spent several days researching ancient wizarding laws and spells that would enable him to not only have Lucius released into his custody, but also make him unable to betray Harry’s secrets while also forcing him to only give truthful and sound advice, but not take away from his personality.

The first was easy enough to find. There was an ancient law, dating back to the time of the founders of Hogwarts, that enabled the victim of a crime determine the punishment of the perpetrator, even allowing the victim to literally own the other person as a slave.

Determining how to bind Lucius was proving far more difficult. Harry did not want to restrain his personality, after all that was part of the reason he needed Lucius in the first place. He did, however, want to prevent Lucius’ escape and force him to be truthful. Again he found the answer in the ancient scrolls, this time dating back to the time of Merlin.

A ritual would need to be performed by Harry to embed the needed charms into a piece of jewelry that would always be worn. Harry decided to place them in a ring since it could be worn at all times, even while bathing, and would not hinder movements or cause a scene when people saw the item. Harry would also add a more modern charm that prevented anyone but himself from removing the ring.

With the laws found and the binding ritual performed on a simple platinum band Harry wrote to the Minister of Magic asking for an audience. He would formally inform the minister of his request to invoke the ancient laws and allow the minister to insist that he help the ministry in return for allowing him to take custody of such a potentially dangerous criminal.

HPLM*HPLM*HPLM*HPLM*HPLM

Two days later Harry sat in a chair waiting for the Minister of Magic to meet with him regarding the release of Lucius Malfoy. Harry was pleasantly surprised that his request for a meeting was met with such obvious enthusiasm on the part of the Minister. Apparently Rufus Scrimgeor was still determined to ‘lure’ Harry’s support for the ministry.

So it was that upon entering the Minister’s office that he was offered tea and refreshments and was escorted to a comfortable looking sitting area in front of a large merrily burning fire instead of the hard wooden chair in front of the Minister’s desk.

Once they were both seated, Harry decided to get straight to the point of his visit. “Minister, I would like to formally invoke my right to dictate the punishment of Lucius Malfoy. I have done extensive research on the matter and can assure you that he will not be able to escape from my custody or betray me to Lord Voldemort,” the fact that the minister did not visibly flinch at Harry’s use of the Dark Lord’s name slightly impressed him. He decided to sweeten the deal “also, having him as a veritable servant to the Boy-Who-Lived would be a serious mental blow to Voldemort’s forces while bolstering the morale of our own fighters. I will force him to help me help the wizarding world and the ministry.”

At this statement the full implications of Harry’s request finally dawned on the minister. Rufus was quite enthusiastic at the idea of Voldemort’s right hand man serving the light side’s most faithful follower and, as an extension, the ministry. Rufus was even then outlining a plan to inform the public of the long-forgotten laws to allow others make former Death Eaters their slaves. They would of course have to carefully screen the petitioners to ensure that their loyalties lay with the ministry and not He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

After hearing a little more detail concerning Harry’s plan, which Harry had spent several hours carefully rehearsing to ensure that certain points were left out of the conversation, he called in the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Kingsley Shacklebolt, for consultation regarding whether Harry’s request was, in fact, legally feasible. It was.

The three conspirators then spent several more hours hammering out the exact details of the release; Harry only referred to his ability to control Lucius in vague terms, he did not want the ministry knowing that the powerful binding and fealty ritual was semi dark arts.

Since Harry was under the age of majority for the wizarding world, he would have to wait until his birthday to take custody of Lucius. Harry agreed to come to the ministry on a semi-regular basis to consult with the minister and aurors regarding the status of the hunt for Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort. There would also be an article in the Daily Profit explaining the laws Harry used, how others could go about invoking them, and if they did, which charms could prevent the prisoners from escaping or harming their new masters (none of which Harry used as they were basically the ‘light’ side’s version of the Imperious curse and would completely destroy Mr. Malfoy’s personality, which he disparately needed). There would also be an interview with Harry, Rufus, and Kingsley detailing how this could possibly affect Voldemort’s forces (his captured Death Eaters could not escape their new owners and would have to fight to protect them to the death).

Rufus decided that the owners would also gain recognition as the head of the family of their slaves since convicts could not retain the title; any heirs would come through the new owner’s family, not the former head’s. That is, of course, unless they were freed by their owners at some point in time.

The law stated that prisoners thought to have repented could be freed, allowing them to have all of their former rank, privileges, and property with no further punishment for the crimes the person was convicted of. All those petitioning the ministry for such a release of prisoners would have to be questioned under Veritiserum to verify their reasons for the release and tested to determine that they were not a victim of the Imperious curse. The prisoners would also be questioned under Veritiserum to determine if they would return to Voldemort; if that was their plan, they would go back to Azkaban.

The minister filled out the appropriate forms and he, Kingsley, and Harry signed them. They determined that Harry would take possession of Lucius the morning of his birthday, in one week, since Harry wanted Lucius’ advice regarding the state of his accounts when he went to Gringotts that afternoon.