It's All Just Temporary with a Bit of Necromancy

Chapter 19: Found One

The lunch had lasted almost two hours and had felt more like an interrogation then a shared meal but after confiding about his meeting with Death —after assuring that she had been sworn to secrecy— and his hesitancy about having to kill at all and then his solution to both seek justice and satisfy Death's demands, Harry was confident he had won her sympathy.

Madam Bones had agreed to search through the Muggle contacts that the DMLE maintained and only a few days later had provided him a list of ten muggle men and possible locations that Harry could start with. According to Madam Bones letter, these men on the list had all gotten off on child molestation or multiple rape charges through a bungling of the legal system.

"Your guard should be arriving shortly in the Gathering Room."

Harry nodded though his mind was still on his meeting with Madam Bones mixing with the comments from Pansy and Daphne earlier. "What is your opinion on women?"

"Excuse me!" Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing outright at the incredulous, gaping expression, and probably the most honest facial expression he had ever witnessed on the Dark Lord's face. "Why do you— what relevance is that?"

Harry couldn't stop snickering at the stumbled question, he always got a strange rush at getting Marvolo to break his perfect composure, but pushed on. "It's just something Pansy and Daphne mentioned. About how Pureblood women are expected to be nothing but pretty broodmare trophy wives. At least that's the gist I've gotten. I think it's a pretty ridiculous and medieval attitude, but what is your stance on it? You know, for your world domination foundation or mantra or whatever it is that you envision."

Marvolo blinked a few times and cleared his throat, looking down at the table top to unnecessarily adjust the papers on it into even neater piles. "Right, of course. You'll find that I am in agreement with your assessment. I find that the progression of the fairer sex admirable and support it. The thought of suppressing potentially useful ideas is idiocy."

"Then why do you suppress your minions' ideas?" Harry couldn't help but cut in.

"Only if they suggest it in a way that makes them appear superior. I am their Lord, they must remember this at all times. I will not accept any less than utmost respect. If they have an idea then they must present it appropriately."

Harry rolled his eyes, that was an issue to tackle at another time. "Whatever. So, you think women are great then what is up with the continued Pureblood archaic ideals? Why aren't you addressing it?"

"You have witnessed my organization on a very limited scale. Don't assume you know it," Marvolo replied, leaning back in the desk chair looking both relaxed and regal. "Admittedly, I find the Pureblood women to be some of the more conniving and subtly ambitious of them all. However, it is my impression that they are accustomed to working in the shadows of their husbands, they are accustomed to not receiving the same freedoms and so don't immediately leap at the opportunity. Bellatrix as an outlying example, women such as Narcissa Malfoy, Rosemary Parkinson, and Aurora Greengrass were raised to be in the shadows, as were their husbands raised to assume their wives would always be placed behind them. It is not simple to flip that ingrained thinking."

Harry frowned, he supposed that made sense. He had only ever interacted with Narcissa during the few dinners she attended, but admittedly, he couldn't picture her stepping up into the limelight and fighting and dueling and getting dirty. She was very much a Slytherin of subtle actions and manipulating conversation under the premise of a tea party. Those skills were important but probably not what Marvolo was wanting to focus on now in terms of recruitment.

"So how are you going to change it?"

Marvolo sighed. "Harry, as a leader, you must pick your battles. This is a battle that does not rank high in the grand scheme of things."