Your father realized this and decided to make peace whilst he still had the advantage and still had some small amount of influence and control over You-Know-Who's now leaderless followers. He knew that after a few defeats, even that would have ended. The Chief Warlock was willing to accept this because his own followers, whilst hopeful in their eventual victory, were also weary," she explained.
...
"Then there was also you to consider. Your father wanted to be free to raise you, not to be locked up in Azkaban for the rest of his life, which gave your father another reason to negotiate for peace," he nodded again, his mind swirling with numerous questions.
"Hence a balance of power was achieved after the war and two political factions emerged in the Wizengamot with your father and Chief Warlock and their respective supporters facing off against each other, with neither side having an advantage. But that all changed with your father losing both the Black and Lestrange family votes and their respective vaults this past summer.
With your father so politically weakened, several neutral households who had previously, grudgingly, supported the Chief Warlock to counter your father's power and influence, changed their political position back to a truly more neutral stance, like they had long had before the war to pursue their own political goals, now under the leadership of Lord Greengrass and Lord Black whose star was on the rise.
This, in turn, meant that Lords who had sided with your father to counter the Chief Warlock's own political goals followed suit, causing a domino effect, creating several newly reformed political factions over the last couple of months. No longer is there a consolidation of power in only two factions, the light and dark magic supporters. This exodus to the middle, to a more neutral political position, was also encouraged when the Chief Warlock's faction lost the Potter family vote.
Now neither side has the necessary support to force through any legislation without the support from several neutral factions, which means bargains have to be made, and legislation has to be far more moderate to win support. The next few years should be interesting, as the neutrals are comprised of both traditionally light and dark families. Our very definition of what those two things mean, in terms of magic, may even change over time."
"But now everyone knows what your father did thanks to those Prophet articles, and it can no longer be hidden away beneath the rug. People want someone to hate, someone to blame for the many years that You-Know-Who terrorized them, they want someone to be the bad guy, someone to pay for what happened to them, and who better than someone as high ranking as the aloof and powerful Lord Malfoy?" she asked him, whilst he wondered if she expected an answer from him.
"The Minister will gleefully give them your father's head because it saves his own hide, and it will keep the mob in check. Otherwise, the Minister will be thrown out of office due to corruption charges, or even worse, sent to Azkaban to waste away and die in a cold, filthy cell. Every Slytherin for themselves is the game now, and Cornelius is smart enough to recognise a sinking ship when he sees one," she said humourlessly. "Many Lords and Ladies will vote against your father just because it will keep the Mob happy and in check.
Others will because your father was their enemy, or because they considered your father a rival that they can now safety destroy without fear of retaliation. Others, like your father's former allies, will sacrifice him because it might sate the public's hunger and allow them to avoid the same fate," his mother's words causing him to scowl at the mention of his father's allies betraying him, which in turn reminded him that his own friends had abandoned him.
"Traitors," he spat hatefully.
"Your father did not get the power he had by playing nice with others Draco," she scolded. "He made a lot more enemies than he did friends, even amongst his allies. Keep in mind even his allies were mostly there due to necessity, rather than any real loyalty to him personally, it was more for the protection that can only be had in numbers. In fact he kept incriminating files and evidence on all of his allies, so that he could either blackmail them into staying in line or destroy them if need be, so that they could never become a threat. A safeguard in times of crisis."
"Couldn't we use these files to blackmail them into supporting us," he asked, seeing a possible way to save his father from his unjust fate.
"We could, perhaps, if we even knew where your father stored them," his mother answered, causing his rising hope to come crashing down. "But that would be a very dangerous game, if you get my meaning Draco." He nodded solemnly, understanding what his mother was saying.
"Of course, they don't know that I don't know where the files were stored, so I made a deal with them. They won't move against me or you, and I won't have to use the 'files' against them. The threat that the files would be released in the events of our untimely deaths has further prevented them from simply killing us and being done it," his mother explained, with a hint of smirk on her features.
His respect for his mother went up a notch after hearing his mother's bluff, causing him to look around the courtroom once again whilst wondering which notable figures his mother had made an agreement with to secure their safety. "Is there nothing we can do to help father?"
"Your father is nothing more than a scapegoat now, a sacrificial lamb. No Draco, there is nothing we can do for your father, but we can and must protect this family, to ensure that it's not destroyed today for all time. That was what your father would have wanted, why he took his own memories, so that the Malfoy name could endure to fight another day," she said, in an ice cold, emotionless tone.
He was taken aback by his mother's words, first because his mother had never shown such political insight before, second because his mother's words lacked any sort of feeling towards his father, and finally, because it seemed like his mother had already accepted defeat.
He knew his mother and father's marriage had been arranged by their respective parents, but he had always thought there was some semblance of love that existed between them, as they always had a happy face on around the manor. "Don't talk like that Mother," he commanded in disbelief, not willing to believe or accept his mother's words that would doom his father.
"It's the truth. There is no point in denying it now; far better to accept it and make the best of it. Denial will get us nothing," she remarked coldly.
"Then what's the point of the trial then? If father is just going to be found guilty anyways? Why don't they just throw him in Azkaban and be done with it?!" he countered angrily.
"For the Ministry this is just a big show, a drama for the masses to gorge themselves on. Madam Bones has all the evidence she needs to utterly destroy your father a dozen times over, though it certainly took her long enough. She's been after your father with a vengeance for years, ever since the war ended," she stated humourlessly.
"For us Draco, this trial is only about damage control, to minimize the political and financial damage done to this house and a chance to defend our own names; a chance to make us less guilty by association. The best possible outcome for this farce is that when it's all over there is actually something left so that you can rebuild the family name for your own heirs to inherit one day, and to ensure that your father is kept in the hospital, under medical care, rather than being given to the Dementors to feed upon."
Considering his mother's words, he was just about to reply before she cut him off. "I expect several grandchildren by the way; I want at least one girl that I can pamper and dress up," she offered with a genuine smile. His mother's words causing his cheeks to redden in embarrassment at the sudden change of subject, causing him to look back towards the courtroom to see the Chief Warlock enter the room by a small door at the back of the room.
The old muggle loving fool took his seat on the raised platform reserved for the Chief Warlock, the Minister of Magic, and the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. The highest seat at the centre of the platform was for the Chief Warlock, the second to the left was meant for the Minister, and the third and lowest seat of the trio was meant for the Head of Law Enforcement, easily recalling the lessons his godfather had drilled into him in preparation for today's trial.
Thinking of his father once again and of his father's state of mind, his anger boiled over again at the injustices that had befallen upon the man he so looked up to, who taught him how to be a Malfoy, how to be a man. It was so wrong that his father had to stand trial for standing up for their traditional values, for their way of life, for wanting to remove the muggle filth from Hogwarts. He never once considered the fact that his father was standing trial because he had tried to murder several people, some of which were his classmates, nor put the entire school in danger, nor the fact that an auror was dead because of one of those attempts.
...
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