"No, but thanks," Harry said.
"Oh, very well, then." Cygnus took his own glass and sat down.
Once everyone was settled, Orion spoke. "Mr. Ashworth, have you told my brother any of what you told me?"
"No," Harry replied. "I figured we might as well wait for you, so I'll only have to repeat it once."
"Very well," the elder Black conceded. "Gentlemen," he addressed Romulus and his brother. "As you recall, Mr. Ashworth agreed to inform us of any suspicious activity that might be related to the recent string of violence, perpetrated by our youth." He shot a sidelong glance at Bellatrix, but judged from her reaction that she had apparently figured out that much already-or that Ashworth had already told her.
"Yes, I assume we're here because he's had some success," Malfoy commented.
"Of a sort, though the news is not good, I'm afraid," Orion replied. "We've got a dark lord making a bid for power."
Malfoy paled visibly.
"What?" Cygnus nearly choked on his firewhiskey. "Why have you involved my daughter in this?"
"Perhaps now would be a good time for the full story, Mr. Ashworth," Orion noted.
Before Harry could speak up and explain, however, Bellatrix beat him to it. "I chose to involve myself," she announced. "He couldn't have found out without my help."
"Bella-" her father began, but she cut him off.
"Father, he was trying to recruit me," she told him acidly. "Whether you like it or not, I'm already involved, and in his defense," she glanced at Harry, "it wasn't Ashworth's fault. I came to him after I had been invited."
"Invited to what, exactly?" Orion asked, forestalling any further question Cygnus might have asked.
Harry decided that it was time to take over the explanation. "As per your request, I have been keeping my ears to the ground about certain… recent events. I did hear some rumors about students, specifically, pureblood students, who were apparently being invited into some form of club. I decided that it might be useful to get to know several of them better, and invited them to dinner events in order to do so."
"Continue." Orion nodded in understanding.
"Bellatrix here figured out that I was looking into something very specific. She came to me and informed me that she had received an invitation to a meeting-a rather exclusive meeting-between pureblood wizarding heirs, in the Forbidden Forest. Tonight." Harry glanced at her. If she was surprised that he was lying for her, she didn't show it.
"And this… meeting, what exactly happened while you were there?" the head of the Malfoy family asked.
"We were introduced to someone who calls himself Lord Voldemort. He has been studying old, dark magic, and he made a pretty good recruitment pitch to everyone present. His plan is to rid the world of muggleborns and squibs, and restore pureblood supremacy over the wizarding world," Harry explained. He purposefully omitted the part where Voldemort had followed them after their departure. Seeing the skeptical look on Cygnus's face, he added, "I know for sure that he is a very powerful legilimens."
Bellatrix's eyes snapped to him instantly. "What?" she asked loudly.
"I could feel him probing me. I had my shields up, so I don't think he suspected anything, but the fact alone that he claims to know dark magics…"
Romulus nodded in concern. "It appears that we really might have a dark lord on our hands. We've barely recovered from the war with Grindelwald…" His gaze went to Harry. "And you are absolutely sure that he did not penetrate your shields?"
"Yes."
Cyngus looked worried. "If he's really as powerful a legilimens as you say, then isn't it possible that he did, but you are unaware of it?"
Harry shook his head. "There was no reason for him to probe deeper. I made sure my intentions were well-disguised."
Orion nodded sagely. "We need to decide what to do next, gentlemen."
"I suggest we notify Minister Thornton, herself," Cygnus offered.
"Yes, let's tell Minister Thornton, she'll make short work of this dark lord," Malfoy laughed weakly.
Before Cygnus could voice his irritation at the other man's tone, Orion interrupted him. "While notifying Minister Thornton would have certain advantages, I do not believe she'll be a valuable ally in this."
"Why not?" Harry asked.
"Minister Thornton is losing her power base. Support for her has faltered, is still faltering. The last thing she needs is a crisis on top of all her political concerns. I doubt that at this point in her career she has the strength to stand up to a dark lord," Orion explained. "No, what we need now is a strong leadership, not a career politician. We need a leader who can unite the country, unite the wizarding world in order to combat this new threat. As much good as Minister Thornton has done, she is not the right person for this."
"What about Dumbledore?" Bellatrix asked.
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