Hey guys! Sorry once again about the delay. >.< Hoping I won't have another 3 month gap in updates, but it's hard to say right now. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. :) I thought it was about time the true mastermind behind this was revealed...

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"And it's so easy when you're evil. This is the life, you see; the Devil tips his hat to me. I do it all because I'm evil, and I do it all for free; your tears are all the pay I'll ever need." ~ When You're Evil, Voltaire

            Pansy crept her way through the shadows of Knockturn Alley, trying her hardest to not be seen. Not that it mattered, entirely. Most wizards and witches that were left wandered the gloomy alley were part of the new regime. She was well on her way to meet up with their leader, on more personal matters. Things were not exactly going to plan, and it was time they discussed the plan in more thorough detail.

            She was meeting him in a nearby pub. It wasn't a bad idea, really. The light side had no idea who the new leader was, so meeting in public wasn't going to be a risk. Honestly, it made things so much easier. Pansy really didn't want to meet at the headquarters, considering what needed to be discussed. Things had been getting out of hand for far too long.

            The girl entered the pub a few moments later, eyes scanning the bar for her boss. It didn't take her long; she spotted him sitting at a table towards the back of the room, a hood covering his face. Pansy took a deep breath and made her way back to the table. Although she would never admit it, she was a bit nervous about this meeting. It had been quite some time since she had seen him, and even longer since they had discussed the matter at hand. The girl stood at the end of the table, clearing her throat once, causing the man to look up at her.

            "Have a seat, Pansy," he spoke up, voice calm and collected as he removed his hood, causing his long blond hair to cascade down to his shoulders. "We have much to discuss."

            Pansy sat down at the empty chair across from the man. "That we do, Mr. Malfoy," she responded.

            "I've told you plenty of times; call me Lucius," the man stated.

            "Alright, Lucius," Pansy sighed, trying to decide where to even begin. "Things aren't going well in any aspect of this new war. I mean... I know we were supposed to be striking fear and terror through the land, but we have yet to kill anyone influential who would make that so. Not to mention we still have the issue of your meddling son, daughter-in-law, nephew, and all their stupid friends. What are we going to do?"

            Lucius closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly. "No need to worry about them. Draco, Audrey, Artemis, and the rest of them are no threat to us. While I am aware they have formed this little alliance, they are no closer to discovering our new plan, nor who I truly am," he explained. "So while they are a pain in the side, right now I am not unduly worried about what they are up to. Although I know that is a topic you are itching to discuss."

            "Well... yeah," Pansy muttered, shrugging slightly as a frown crossed her face. "I mean, part of me joining up was so that I could finally get Draco back, and that's kind of difficult when she's still in the picture."

            "I realize that. However, I can't create a group whose sole purpose is to eradicate my daughter-in-law and her little friends," Lucius explained. "My resources are currently more focused on eliminating those in positions of high power, and placing high ranking Death Eaters in their place." He paused for a moment, debating his next words carefully. "Either they will fall in time, likely in some random battle, or you can gather a group to handle it yourself. Unfortunately for you, this problem isn't high on my priority list."

            Pansy was honestly not surprised. She wasn't expecting it to be something Lucius was willing to help much on. They had come so close to eliminating them at the restaurant though...

            "Why didn't we just kill them at the restaurant back in October?" Pansy questioned. "It would've been so easy, yet you let them go. Why?"

            "I don't have to explain my actions to you," Lucius hissed, folding his hands on the table. "The whole lot of them will die when the time is right, especially if they continue to pal around with one Harry Potter."

            Pansy didn't speak for a few moments, debating what to say next. She knew for a fact that all of them were hanging out with Harry Potter, and if he was still a target, surely there would be a larger attack soon to try to destroy him. "What if I can tell you where they have been meeting, Harry Potter included?" she asked. "Would that speed up the process?"

            Lucius silently debated it. "It may, considering the group has been pretty inseparable as of recent. If you are to find them, you will disclose the location to me, and given the circumstances, if you can take some of them out... all the better."

            "Deal," Pansy responded. While she really didn't want to get her hands dirty in this, at this point, she didn't have much of a choice. The pace at which the plan was unfolding wasn't satisfactory, so Pansy knew she had no choice but to take matters into her own hands. While killing nameless people was a breeze, she wasn't quite sure she would be able to take down those she actually knew, despite how much she truly hated them. Yes, she had tried to blow up Audrey and whoever else had been around last year. Yes, she wanted the girl out of the picture for good. But in retrospect, she had been a little irrational. Killing the girl wasn't going to solve her problem- not when her problem was getting Draco to love her.

            Pansy was shaken from her thoughts when Lucius began speaking yet again. "Excellent," he began. "We're beginning to move in the right direction. As we speak, I have some others working on a final plan for victory over our remaining opposition. No need to fret. This will all be over soon enough, and there is nothing that is going to stop us. Draco included."

            Pansy nodded slowly, taking all the information in. Admittedly, it was kind of sad that he wasn't even going to spare his own son if he got in the way. Pansy shook the uneasy feeling building in her chest, and answered her leader. "Excellent; I look forward to our reign," she replied. "May I be dismissed?"

            "You may," Lucius stated. "Until next time."

            Pansy said nothing to this as she stood, hastily leaving the table and soon after, the bar entirely. Things were heating up around here, and she just put herself in the middle of it all. She hadn't intended on becoming more involved in the war more than she already had, but here she was, about to go and spy on her enemies. She honestly hadn't signed up for anything other than a way to try to get Draco back. Yet now she knew that was a task that was insurmountable at best, even more so if Lucius wasn't even going to spare him if things got out of hand. Pansy knew Draco, she knew how he had turned over a new leaf; she knew he was going to fight his father when the time came.

All she could do now was play her role, and hope for the best.