The Pureblood Coup

Sheherazade: Yes, Voldemort is getting very annoyed and unhappy, which is certainly not a good sign. I am wondering if you read post 37, Young Lust “2” because I wouldn’t want you to miss the scene on a terrace with an exchange between Voldemort and Snape??? Please tell me if you read it.


Lilith: Thanks for reviewing again.

Good thing this is the last drawing room, private strategy talk with Voldemort...they really are a damn pain to write! But Politics and War, are very important to the wider plot in this.


Continuation of….


Chapter Eleven: Young Lust


A gaggle of teenagers were turning to go towards the ballroom heading through the cathedral hall when they saw Voldemort approaching them from behind.

Daphne Greengrasss, nervously turned to face him, fixing her hair, remembering she had not dried it since her interlude in the bathhouse. She now considered it incriminating evidence that You-Know-Who would Crucio her for.

Daphne whipped her wand out and started drying her hair with her wand, flipping the layers over as if it was a muggle blow-dryer. Her younger teenage sister, Astoria Greengrass shrunk behind her, as if she could hide.

The group stared at Voldemort, knees shaking, scared that if he looked at them Voldemort would practically scald them with his glance.

But Voldemort took no more notice of them than if they had been flies on the wall. He sauntered down the main staircase.

Minutes later, he was breezing through the Drawing Room doors again, in which he raised his wand, giving it a tiny tap, casting the muffliato spell, and then slamming the doors shut.

Three men were already sitting around the dim Drawing Room. The chandelier was no longer lit as only the red and orange flames of the fire provided illumination. Like a dim shadow playing on the light, Voldemort crossed the room to sit at the head of the long table.

The three men could not be situated in more acrimonious stances: Walden Macnair frowning and his head turned deliberately away from looking at Augustus Rookwood right across from him. Rookwood looking up at the ceiling, giving all the indication he was bored, and Scabior, arms crossed over his chest, giving all his attention to Voldemort with mouth wobbling.

Voldemort paused and then said, “I must confess…the economy of the Wizarding world, with the focus of Great Britain is of little interest to me. And yet I bring you three very different men together tonight in discussion of it.”

Rookwood had averted his eyes from the ceiling to stare blearily at Voldemort, as Scabior and Macnair nodded gravely. Voldemort seemed to be aware that the three, despite being Death Eaters did not feel much connection to each other.

“Now, beginning with you Scabior …The mercenaries you control for me shall continue to round up the muggle-borns or in other words, the mudbloods. Likewise, some shall be promoted, if demonstrating adequate skill to be initiated as Death Eaters.”

“Yes – My Lord,” Scabior said with resolve, though sounding scared to speak with Voldemort so personally. Scabior was clad in magnificent yellow robes, marking him his special status as chief Snatcher.

“My Lord?…What about Fenrir Greyback. He is possibly my best Snatcher.”

Voldemort laughed dark and cynically in a low sneer. Macnair and Rookwood were now glaring at Scabior scornfully.

“I shall never award Greyback, the Mark. Though, undoubtedly he thinks I might. He is mistaken. Werewolves do not belong in my true family, my inner circle of devoted sorcerers.”

Rookwood and Macnair, raised their goblets to a toast, Rookwood actually muttering, “Here, here.” But no toast was given, for Macnair hesitated to clink his goblet with Rookwood’s. Scabior just looked down at the marble surface of the table, ashamed, his cheeks flaming.

“Now Scabior, what the Snatchers must do is increase over the coming months. I shall need about a dozen to guard every Wizarding village, including Hogsmeade. The ministry must also have a role in classifying the difference between our people and the scum, keeping mudbloods out of wizarding dwellings, as the Snatchers will enforce. Now, this is where you come in Macnair, and you as well, Rookwood as I mention the Ministry.”

They both looked expectantly at Voldemort.

“You as of last year broke out of Azkaban, thanks to my involvement…We will continue to release prisoners now that the place is essentially mine. All prisoners willing to become Snatchers and serve Lord Voldemort will be released quietly on Monday….”

Macnair’s mustache curled gratefully and a thin, wry smile pursed under it.

“Before you were important in the ministry’s Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. Now your role expands, as I promised you during my rebirthing in the graveyard three years ago. Did I not say that you would have more and better victims, Macnair? That day has come, my friend. Very soon, you shall have all the mudblood and other filth you would like to play with.”

Macnair’s smile stretched to a much wider proportion.

“And so I make a strong move towards the traditional right. My reign, my ascendancy to power brings the rebirth of the ‘Pure-blood’ once again. To do so, we must root out the decadence in our society. This celebration, here tonight is the last of it for awhile,” he spoke irritably of the celebration.

“Hogwarts is also another expedient method of weeding out muggleborns…I have made you one of the seven school governors, as I mentioned in the rallying speech.”

And Voldemort inclined his head rigidly, the slit red eyes on the pockmarked face and greasy-hair of Augustus Rookwood, who answered aloofly, “Yes….”

“But I have called this meeting, as our primary purpose to discuss the Wizarding economy. Even without our efforts, Diagon Alley has been developing into a revitalized commercial property. Since last year, it has grown to be much more like Knockturn Alley. And as I’m sure, the places that were a trifle waste of time have been destroyed as well….” And then Voldemort asked demandingly with a threat underneath the tone, “Well, Scabior? Did the Snatcher’s destroy the actual market activities of Diagon Alley last night?”

Scabior cleared his throat nervously, biding for time as Voldemort watched his face. He said lamely, “Weasley Wizard Wheezes or, I mean a joke Shop…Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occassions, Eeylot’s Owl Emporioum, An Ice-cream parlour, Flourish and Blotts. Er- Basically everywhere, My Lord.”

“Good. This is exactly as it will go for Hogsmeade as well. Dementors will be stationed in every village constantly. We shall also instill a curfew for wizards and witches. This will be done through a Catermole Charm, which thus goes off like an alarm if any disobey….And of course, destroying all those businesses has led us exactly where I want us to go. A strong Underground, black-market economy in which the Dark Arts thrives. For essentials, like robes and books, and other things, we shall seize all the goods, and supply them. There will be rations, given off at I dare say, exorbitant prices. We have to make a profit do we not?”

And Voldemort’s face twisted into a shrewd smile, which was shared by greedy looks between the three wizards.

Scabior suddenly looked a little bit crestfallen. He asked, “Excuse me, My Lord…But won’t there be widespread poverty?”

“Yes. For only those of superior skill shall survive. The weak on the fringes of society, as it should be become vagrants living on the street. And also, my laws call for giving employment in both business and the ministry exclusively, only to those who prove satisfactory blood status.”

And then Macnair asked the obvious question, “What will happen to my money?”

“The prices controls I have already mentioned, will also include wage controls of all employees both public and private. Only those in service to me, excuse me, the Ministry of Magic, I mean are recognized as owning private property. All property of course has been seized under my control. Your mention of money brings us to the discussion of the currency, and our control of Gringott’s Bank.”

“We begin with the Goblin Liason Office in the ministry…and on a sidenote I must add that Quidditch and Gobstones are now illegal and must have their presence taken out of the Department of Muggle, no longer called Magical Games and Sports.”

Voldemort paused and took an unusually large gulp of his wine.

Rookwood raised his brows, with surprise. Macnair and Scabior looked bewildered at these jumps in topic.

Voldemort’s saw Macnair’s and Scabior’s rather stupid expressions, and took an impatient intake of breath, "Think…Goblins work at Gringott’s, do they not? I could swear I was talking to a bunch of brainless gnomes sometimes!” His dour mood from before regarding the Elder Wand and the orgy going on had apparently not been elevated, for unfortunately the alcohol was doing little for it.

And Voldemort continued to glare, and Scabior shook, quaking in his chair.

“Macnair! As you are employed in the ministry…although in an equally insignificant post in the Dangerous Creatures Committee it will be your task to speak to those over in the Goblin Liason Offices."

“Yes, My Lord. I shall contact them Monday, through an interdepartmental memo…,” said Macnair, confusedly. “But what for?”

Voldemort took another irritable breath.

“Because we are getting the Goblins to works like house-elves for us inside the banks. Wizards will be given all their prior duties, which is exactly as it should have been all along. We will get them to do the cleaning and other menial work, instead.”

This would not actually work in practical execution. The Goblins would ultimately refuse to do things that so insulted their race and purpose as a being.

“To further incense the public and to get Wizards to happily agree…I would favour caricatures to be drawn, depicting the Goblins as the monstrous beasts, they always were. We shall make sure they are never granted the use of wands.”

“While it is true in our history, Goblins were never granted that privilege,” added in Rookwood thoughtfully, and his forehead wrinkles were lined, he was looking pensive, “Won’t this start another violent Goblin uprising, My Lord?” Rookwood was referring to the knowledge of Wizarding history.

“No, and the Goblins however beastly are not un-intelligent. They know it would be foolish to organize themselves, what with Lord Voldemort’s armed forces in the country. They will not rebel. We shall make them subservient, and if they refuse, then I shall have them all killed at once. But they can be very useful, in enslaving as we’ve done with the house-elves, and that is our eventual goal.”

“I suppose so…,” assented Rookwood reluctantly, yet he looked doubtful.

“You shall be happy to hear, that Gringott’s will supply extra gold for all my Death Eaters, who serve me. The Bank will also fund anything necessary for the other armies. In addition, we shall start this process through emptying any of the vaults of witches and wizards who are unemployed or any who is of course a Mudblood. All of their fortunes will be confiscated and used for our benefit.”

Scabior rubbed his palms together greedily, at these words finally relaxing under Voldemort’s presence.

“My Lord, as Chief Snatcher, might I make a suggestion on security at Gringotts?”

Voldemort did not respond, but shook his head, nodding almost imperceptibly.

Scabior took it to go on, which he did rather confidently, “ Probity Probes could be a new way to identify potential thieves trying to enter the Bank. My Lord, I also think we should make all wizards show identification upon entering.”

“I agree…” said Voldemort, almost fairly.

“But how will the wealth of our society as a whole be accumulated, My Lord?” asked Rookwood curiously.

“I’m glad you asked me that, Rookwood. In order to build up this country, to build up our people, effectively, so that we may one day conquer the rest of the world, we must build up its wealth. Gringott’s bank will start massive investments with the muggles, much bigger than our share in the exchange rate that has already developed. We will never pay back the clueless muggles and thus so, we shall drain the British muggles of all their wealth, until they will be forced to either be enslaved by us or die. We will also enlarge the deals going on at St. Mungo’s Hospital, the bank shall now have a direct role in bribing that institution.”

“In doing so, the individual’s wealth should count for nothing. For it is the interests, the interests of mine that are the only meaningful matter of economics now. Meaning, economically, the small business is of little interest to me. They will pique the practice of the Dark Arts, but their economic concerns mean little to me…”

“I guess this means people will be unsuccessful with attaining loans from Gringotts?,” said Rookwood, not the least bit enthused.

“Correct, Rookwood. They cannot be allowed interest charging anymore, as a good businessman should trust none. We are to remain debt free, which is what shall be done…”

“The path I layed out for you three is very simple: I am delegating you the task of telling all the others. Let us hope you are effective.”


Note: Economics is not something that is my forte, so I found this scene very difficult to do correctly. The next scene is some more, very new fun craziness (it is not sexual though).