To his wife's surprise and delight – and, ultimately, her everlasting regret – Lucius proved remarkably agreeable to the suggestion that Draco spend the Easter holiday with Aries. Not only did he express concern for his nephew's well-being, but he even volunteered to collect Draco at the train station, something which had never happened before. Therefore, when Draco disembarked from the Hogwarts Express, he was simply overjoyed to find his father waiting for him.
"Dad!" he exclaimed, and gave his father a hug. Lucius hugged him back stiffly. "What are you doing here?" the blond boy asked excitedly. "You've never come to pick me up before." "I've missed you, Draco," Lucius said as they left the platform. "We never got much of an opportunity to speak after the unfortunate incident with the Squib." "I've missed you too, Dad," Draco replied. "I'm glad to see you."
Lucius smiled at those words. He relished his son's affection. "How was school?" he asked. Draco shrugged. "It's all right, though I have to say it's been a bit boring without Aries." He looked at his father hesitantly. "You wouldn't happen to have heard anything about how he's doing, would you?" Lucius frowned unconsciously at his son's concern for the Black brat. Nonetheless, making use of Draco's weakness was a necessary part of the plan.
"Alas, he seems to have fallen into a bit of depression," Lucius said. "Your Uncle Sirius says that he doesn't show much interest in anything. That's why your mother and I thought it might be a good idea for you to spend your holiday at Windermere Court." "Really?" Draco seemed surprised. "Do you really want me to spend the whole holiday with Aries and Uncle Sirius?" Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think it a good idea?"
Draco paused reflectively. "I do. I've spoken with Aries quite a bit using the mirror that Uncle Sirius gave him, and he has seemed different." He looked at his father quizzically. "I'm just a bit surprised that you would approve. You've never liked Aries." "Draco, your cousin is your closest friend," Lucius replied, with all the affection he could muster. "What matters to him matters to you, and therefore I care what happens to him." He withdrew a parcel from his coat. "In fact, I've even thought of something that might be able to jolt Aries out of his foul mood."
"What's that?" his son asked eagerly, and for the first time, Lucius felt the tiniest twinge of guilt at what he was planning to do. He squashed it as one might a pesky mosquito, reminding himself that it was really for Draco's sake that all this was necessary. "At certain times in my life, I've found that writing one's thoughts in a diary can be very therapeutic," Lucius said. "It gives one the opportunity to work through one's emotions." Draco nodded reflectively. "I suppose that's true. I don't know whether it's the sort of thing Aries would go for, though."
Lucius smiled at his son. "I have procured a very special enchanted diary for you to give to Aries," he said. "This diary is capable of responding to whatever one writes in it, thus enabling one to pour out one's most secret thoughts and fears without ever worrying that anyone else will know, but at the same time to reap all the benefits of an actual conversation." Draco was impressed. "That might actually help, Dad," he said. "Thanks." "There's one very important thing you must promise me before I give you the diary, however." "What is it, Dad?"
"This diary is not exactly legal," Lucius told him in a low voice. "The fewer people who know about it the better. Don't tell your Uncle Sirius or your Aunt Cassiopeia. For that matter, I shouldn't even tell Aries who gave it to you. I trust them all, of course, but..." "Even the walls have ears," Draco finished, and nodded. "Good point, Dad. I really appreciate what you're doing for Aries." "For you, Draco," Lucius said, placing his hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm doing everything for you."
After dinner that evening, Draco and Narcissa Flooed over to Windermere Court. Abraxas's gout was acting up, so he retired early, commanding Dobby to draw him a hot bath. No one was around to notice as Lucius slipped out of Malfoy Manor and Apparated to a distant shack built on the very edge of a high cliff, on a rocky island somewhere in the North Sea. The weather was stormy, and Lucius pulled his woolen cloak tight to keep out the icy rain. He knocked on the door three times, and it creaked open. Lucius hurried inside.
The inside of the shack was mostly dry, but that was about all one could say for it. The thin walls did virtually nothing to keep out the biting wind, and the tiny fire flickering in the grate provided only a modicum of warmth. In an old armchair beside the fire sat Quirinus Quirrell, his eyes closed. Quirrell was seldom awake these days, but the same was not true of his master. Lucius knelt on the dirty floor. "I have come, my lord," he said. "Welcome, Lucius," the Dark Lord greeted him, his high, cold voice seeming to come from the back of Quirrell's head. "I hope you like my humble abode."
"I do wish, my lord, that you would allow me to secure you more...appropriate accommodations," Lucius pleaded. He was tired of having to come out to this miserable hellhole. "As I have told you, Lucius," the Dark Lord hissed, "this island has certain useful magical properties. In the absence of unicorn blood, it is the best I can do to maintain my strength." He paused. "What of your mission? Have you completed it?"
"It is done, my lord," Lucius said quietly. "My son will pass your diary to the Black brat as you commanded." Even in his weakened state, the Dark Lord's voice could still send chills up Lucius's spine. "Are you certain the boy will not fail to do as you have instructed?" "I am, my lord," Lucius replied. "Well done, Lucius," the Dark Lord said. "That impudent whelp thinks he can usurp my rightful title without repercussions. We shall show him how wrong he is. We shall show him what it truly means to be the Heir of Slytherin."