Randolph released a deep breath of air and nodded his compliance before leaving the room.
"Abraxus, I want you to use every contact you can and learn everything you can about the boy, I want to know if he is a possible ally for us, he would be very useful to us" the Dark Lord commanded.
Abraxus frowned before speaking.
"But surely my efforts would be fruitless if Antonin is going to kill the boy" he observed.
"As I said, he is not to be underestimated, we must prepare for every eventuality" Voldemort returned.
"But Antonin is a world champion duelist, the boy has no chance against him" Malfoy tried, not keen to attempt to go through the Potter files.
He knew that if Charlus found out then he was dead, no questions asked. The man took his family privacy very seriously indeed and any effort into snooping would be treated with complete and extreme prejudice. "Just do it Abraxus" Voldemort commanded once more, his voice adopting a dangerous undertone.
Malfoy swallowed deeply and nodded. He knew he no longer had a choice in the matter.
It was a few short moments later that Randolph returned with another man in tow.
The young Antonin Dolohov was a tall and broad man with short brown hair and blue eyes that exuded confidence, mirroring the way he carried himself.
"Mr. Gaunt" he greeted the Dark Lord with a smile and offered the man his hand.
"Antonin" Voldemort greeted him warmly.
Tom Riddle had grown very fond of the young duelist and saw a lot of potential in him. In many ways he reminded him of himself in his more youthful years; strong, ambitious and passionate about what he did, though their paths had certainly been different.
Antonin had been raised in a pureblood home with a loving and encouraging family. He had all the advantages that a young and orphaned Tom did not, but he could not hold that against the man.
"Randolph just informed me that someone managed to interfere in your dealings with the Lord Black" Dolohov stated simply. "So who is it that I get to fight?" he asked, clearly eager to put his skills to the test.
He knew that anyone representing the Black family would be a capable wizard.
"Potter" Lestrange growled.
"I thought the contract stated that Potter couldn't do it" Dolohov replied worriedly.
He had heard stories of Charlus Potter and his prowess with a wand and he was not so keen on facing the man yet, he knew that he could beat him in a duel but not a fight to the death.
"Not Charlus" Malfoy cut in. "His son Harry".
Dolohov frowned and shook his head. He knew that anyone with the name Potter would be more than gifted with a wand but he had never heard the name Harry. He had heard of the eldest son James but never even a whisper of the other.
"Harry?" he questioned confusedly.
"The other ones twin" Yaxley pointed out.
Dolohov sputtered.
"But he must be a kid, I won't kill a kid" he stated sternly.
Although Antonin was not the most moral person when it came to dueling he could not bring himself to murder a child. His reputation was already sketchy at best and he did not want to be known as a child killer, there was very little that was worse in the wizarding world. "He's the one who put the money up and accepted the duel" Malfoy explained. Dolohov shook his head once more.
"I won't do it, not a child" he responded seriously.
Yaxley, Malfoy and Lestrange looked towards the Dark Lord imploringly but he just shrugged, this was not his concern after all.
"But you agreed" Lestrange reminded him heatedly.
"That was before it was a boy" Dolohov returned angrily. "It's not happening" he declared and stormed from the room.
"What do we do now?" Yaxley asked, clearly concerned by their predicament.
"I'll kill the bastard" Lestrange offered. "Potter has already proven that your magic will not work against him on several occasions" Malfoy drawled. "The last thing your family reputation needs is for your name to be embarrassed once more by a Potter".
Lestrange gaped and began stuttering incoherently.
"It is a problem for the three of you to solve" Voldemort broke in. "I'm sure between the three of you, you can come up with something, but for now I will take my leave, I have other things to attend to" he explained before exiting the room, thinking deeply about the events of the day and hoping that the other men were actually capable of handling the situation.
He was very interested to hear the outcome of the duel and was sure that whoever they chose to represent them would be killed now that Dolohov had refused to fight. There was something about the Potter boy that had him intrigued, he would of course need to be watched and recruited if possible. A boy of such talent was a rarity after all.
(BREAK)
It was a week later that found Abraxus Malfoy knocking on the front door of Antonin Dolohov, releasing a deep sigh as he waited for the man to answer.
He was not pleased that himself and his associates were resorting to this measure, but after much deliberation, this was the best they could come up with to save their reputations.
The door opened to reveal the duelist who immediately narrowed his eyes when he caught sight of his visitor.
"I already told you I won't do it Abraxus" Dolohov reminded him unnecessarily.
Malfoy held up his hands in a peaceful gesture before responding. "I respect that Antonin, that is not why I am here, I wanted to apologise" he explained as he drew an expensive bottle of firewhiskey from his pocket.
Dolohov eyed the bottle warily before nodding and allowing the man to enter his home.
"Have you found someone else to fight?" he inquired as they both took a seat in the living room.
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