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Elemental	By : AngelaBlythe Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Ginny Views: 3286 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
ELEMENTAL

~by The Labris~

CHAPTER NINE:

Aggressive Suspicions

To Walk in a Dream

The letter dropped from her hand.

Gone.

Draco was gone. Taken from
her for gods knew what, going gods knew where, with gods knew who. She
knew his father had to have something to do with it. He had always been a
slippery little worm. And now he had taken Draco
�abroad.� Ginny wasn�t na�ve; she knew Lucius Malfoy was going to try and turn his son into an image of
him. Ginny wasn�t going to let that happen, not ever.

Ginny Summoned the letter to her and slipped from the Tower,
knowing she wouldn�t enter it again until Draco was
back. It was their place. The Tower would always be their
place. She sighed, walking through the twisted passages and into her room.
Deserted as usual, she paced the floor, trying to decide what to do.
Would Dumbledore tell her? Dumbledore knew everything, so surely he knew
where Draco was. He was only one person.

The wind whipped in her room, and she closed her window
before slipping into her night clothes. How was she ever going to find
him? His psychic scent was easy enough to find, but she couldn�t use
it. If he was truly with Voldemort, then it
wouldn�t be safe or prudent to contact him like that. Or even at
all. Ginny bit her lip, combing her hair as she stared off into space.

Would Voldemort really be able to
detect her if she sent a dream to Draco?
Dorothea had said people who weren�t in tune to their psychic scent couldn�t
detect it without very complex charms. Most people didn�t even know about
it; much less have the ability to construct the charms needed to discover
it. So perhaps it would be safe to send a dream to Draco, just a short one to make sure he was all right.

Ginny turned off the candles with a flick of her hand and
crawled into bed, closing her eyes and focusing. She drifted down to her
dream state and let out a sigh of relief when the dream traffic in her head
slowed and she was able to pick out Draco�s.
His was very distinctive to her, musky and sweet, almost chilly, but
caressing. There was something more to his scent; it was residue of
Elemental power from his soul.

She hitched a ride on his mind pattern and began work at her
Loom. All she had to do was Weave herself in his dream, nothing terribly
difficult. She stepped into his dream cautiously. It was dark and
not very inviting. Draco sat alone over a body,
a dead body which upon closer inspection Ginny found was his father�s.

�I may be stupid, Lucius, but I
will never be stupid for you again,� he said in a harsh voice, spitting on his
father�s corpse. Ginny could tell this was a fantasy dream. While
it disturbed her, it was in Draco�s character to be
violent to his father. And after what Ginny had found out about Malfoy, there was good reason he should be.

�Draco,� Ginny said soothingly.

He turned to her quickly, his wand at ready. His eyes
widened, and he thrust his wand in his pocket. �Ginny,� he whispered,
taking a step towards her. �Is this a dream, Ginny?�

Ginny nodded. �Yes. I found your letter, Draco.�

He stiffened and looked over his shoulder. �I wish you
didn�t have to see that, Ginny.�

Ginny smiled. �We don�t have to be here.� She
closed her eyes, envisioning Inverted Tower and letting it settle over both of
their minds. When she opened them again, she saw Draco
looking appreciatively at her.

�That�s handy,� he whispered, scooping her up in his arms
and crushing her against him. �I miss you already, Ginny,� he said softly
into her hair. �I can barely stand it, Gin.�

�I know,� Ginny said softly, running her fingers up and down
Draco�s back, doing her best to soothe him. He
exhaled deeply and bent down to kiss her neck, inhaling into her hair. �I
know,� Ginny repeated tenderly.

�You can�t stay, you know,� Draco
said after a moment. �And I don�t think it would be a good idea if you
came back. I don�t know how detectable this talent of yours is. But
since he�s looking � he�s looking for anything out of the ordinary; you probably
shouldn�t come back.�

Ginny nodded and looked into his eyes. �You�re coming
back, aren�t you?�

�Yes,� Draco said, brushing a hair
away from her face.

She smiled at him. It was a sad smile, a smile of
longing. So Draco did the only thing he
could. He kissed her. It felt real, her velvety tongue dancing
gracefully with his, an intricate ballet, as she sighed, her body molding to
his. She tasted like warm honey, her sneaky little tongue darting in his
mouth, licking his pallet before retreating and letting him kiss down her jaw
to her ear.

Kissing her lobe playfully, he whispered in a husky voice,
�I�ll miss you.�

�Then I�ll have to make it up to you when you get back,� she
said in a passion-filled voice.

They shared a silence, and Draco
decided he would go for it. �I love you, Ginny.�

She smiled at him in a way that made his heart want to
break. It was the smile of a woman who knew she wasn�t going to see her
love for a long, long while. �I love you, too, Draco.�

He smiled, the dream fading before him. She became
less tangible, less real, until all that was left was the sweet touch of her
presence and the foggy reminder of a kiss.

The Right Place at the Right Time

Percy Weasley frowned. This
was not working. Not only was he stuck late at the office again
(something he didn�t necessarily mind), but he was trapped in a very small
space. So granted, he wasn�t supposed to be in that part of the building,
but after all he�d heard, after all he�d seen, the ends were definitely
justifying the means at this point. He felt the intense urge to burst out
of the damnable broom cupboard, Stupefy both the intruders, and haul them in
front of a group of rather testy Dementors after a
severe bout of questioning.

But his good sense told him that was the fastest and most
proficient way of getting himself killed.

If only he had put a rein on his curiosity! Who truly
cared about the Ministry picnic activities next week? But no! He
had got himself all hot and bothered about it (lack of organization developed
his twitch further) and went down to the Department of Mysteries to find
out. Who better to know what the Ministry picnic activities were?

He had heard the two people enter the front room and, to
save himself the embarrassment, had hidden in the broom cupboard. It
stank in there and was rather filthy. He didn�t particularly want to
bring disgrace to himself when he was flipping through the director of the
Department of Mysteries� folders...so he went into a broom cupboard.
Brilliant. If they found him in there...

�These are some pretty harsh accusations, Charlotte,� a
thick, masculine voice said. Percy didn�t recognize it, but then, it was
probably an Unspeakable. No one knew who Unspeakables
were. You could be an Unspeakable without knowing it yourself until
someone decided to tell you.

�I realize that, Duncan,� Charlotte Teasdale, the director
of the Department of Mysteries, said flatly. Percy, in fulfilling his
duties as head of International Magical Cooperation two years ago, had met her
and found her quite charming, if not downright beautiful. She had short
cropped brown hair and brown, doe-like eyes that hid their true intentions
well. She was smart and, though she barely looked it, near forty.
She was a good woman that had served the Department of Mysteries for the last
ten years.

�I just don�t think letting these trespasses go by any
longer is helping. The Aurors know of these
people, have had enough evidence to put them in Azkaban for a very long
time. It is time to catch the traitors, Duncan.�

Percy heard the man inhale deeply. But before he could
hear anything else, the cupboard door opened the slightest, a crack forming
wide enough for him to see through.

�What was that?� Duncan asked harshly.

�Meow! Meow!�

Percy could have kissed that cat. Except he was
allergic.

�Oh, it�s just Daphne, my familiar,� Charlotte said
pleasantly. The large, midnight colored cat mewed again and jumped onto
the desk. Its green eyes caught his, and he seemed to smile.

Percy didn�t like that cat in the slightest.

The man, Duncan, snorted. �As I was saying.
Perhaps a few more months. If you want to purge the traitors in the
Ministry, you are going to need a lot of support, definitely from the Minister
and possibly the Order of the Phoenix.�

�I know all that,� Charlotte said with a sigh. �That
is why I�ve taken the liberty of making a list of traitors and people I think
can help us in catching them. I�ve keyed it to answer to Albus, Alastor, and you,
Duncan. I will need your help, too.�

Percy saw a small smile that he didn�t trust cover the man�s
face. His eyes were a shade too black, and his graying hair betrayed his
age. He must have been older than fifty, but he had retained his body,
and his wide shoulders and sharp chin had stayed youthful.

�A list,� Duncan said lightly. �Really. And it
has all the names of the people you suspect on there?�

�Yes,� Charlotte said suspiciously. �Why?�

Duncan snorted. �Only this,� he said, whipping out his
wand and pointing it at Charlotte.

She jumped from her seat in fright, her cat hissing
angrily. She screamed, but it was silenced by the look in Duncan �s
eye. �What are you doing, Duncan?�

�What I should have done years ago, Charlotte,� he answered
slowly. �Now sit and tell me how to open the letter. I need those
names.�

Charlotte sat but looked at Duncan defiantly. �I
should have known, Duncan. Why else would the former head of the
department want so desperately to suddenly be friends with me? We hated
each other in the programs. Barely tolerated each other�s presence at the
meetings.�

�Too bad you were too stupid to figure it out sooner,
Charlotte,� Duncan cooed. �You might have saved a lot of lives.�

�Why?� Charlotte hissed. �Why did you betray us?
Why, Duncan?�

Duncan snorted. �Why else, Charlotte? The love
of a woman is a powerful thing, and I�m in love with a very powerful woman.�

�Not me, I hope,� Charlotte snorted.

�No,� Duncan said softly, a little too softly. �Not
you, my darling Charlotte. A woman far more powerful than you.�

�Who?� Charlotte asked.

�Well,� Duncan said smoothly, �it�s the woman you�ve all
been looking for since she was practically born. You remember the Meeting
fifteen years ago. You remember the child born in it. The one that
is wiped from all records. The one that is protected by more charms and
spells than the Minister and his family put together. The one Dumbledore
won�t disclose. The one that has more power than all of us put together.�

Charlotte �s eyes widened. �But she�s barely a
girl! You bastard! You�re not in love! You want her for your
experiments! You slime!�

�NO! I DO LOVE
HER!� he bellowed, his wand shaking as he pointed it at her. �The
list, please, Ms. Teasdale.�

�You�re twisted, Welsh,� Charlotte spat. �You won�t
get this unless it�s over my dead body.�

An evil grin lit Duncan Welsh�s face. �Well,
Charlotte, if you insist.�

Percy decided he had enough proof. He could take this
man down and be all the better for it. One simple spell and the day would
be saved.

�AVADA ��

�STUPEFY!� Percy
bellowed, flying from the closed door and releasing his spell on Welsh.

The closet door practically flew off its hinges, and the
man, tall and dark, hit the floor hard, his wand falling from his hand.
Charlotte screamed, and her hand went to her mouth. Percy set his face in
a mask of bravery, displaying more than he felt of his courage.

�Weasley! What are you doing
here?� Charlotte said in a harsh whisper.

�No time for explanations now, Ms. Teasdale,� Percy said,
giving her a hand up.

She shook with fright and circled her desk, kicking Welsh
with her shoe before looking up at Percy. �I don�t care why you were
there, Weasley; you�re getting a promotion, be sure
of that. Thank you. Oh gods, thank you.�

Percy nodded, feeling rather proud of himself. He
dusted off his robes, trying to be courteous. That was until she heard
Charlotte scream again. Welsh had her around the neck, his wand in his
hand and his other squeezing Charlotte �s neck.

�I don�t care who you are,� Welsh said, glaring and looking
slightly intimidated. �But if you come one step closer, I�ll kill her.�

�You listen here,� Percy said bravely. �I heard
everything, so if you�re going to kill her, you�re going to have to go through
me. Run and I won�t follow. But if you kill her, I will kill
you. Just leave Ms. Teasdale.�

The older man snorted. �Accio list!� he said
sharply. The piece of paper flew to his hand, though he looked nervously
at Percy�s raised wand. �I think I�ll take you up on that one, sonny.�

The he threw Charlotte at Percy. She screamed, and
Welsh bolted. Percy did the only thing he could; he Summoned the list
from the fleeing man�s back pocket with one hand and caught the director of the
Department of Ministries with the other. She fell atop him, knocking the
air out of his lungs.

Percy helped her up, jumping to the door and looking down
the hallways. When there was no sight of Welsh, he turned to Charlotte
and nodded at her.

�Second time today, Weasley,� she
said primly, straightening her hair. �I must have some angel looking over
me.�

�Yes,� Percy said slowly. �Yes, you must.�

Non-Biblical Revelations�

�Are you sure you don�t want to talk about it, Ginevra?�

�No!� she sobbed, throwing her arms around Blaise�s neck and crying harder.

She heard Blaise�s sigh of
impatience, though he patted her back anyway and did his best to calm
her. It only served to make her cry more and Blaise
to cast a distressed look at Colin and Dean. They just shrugged and gave
him sympathetic looks. So he sighed again and said, �Look, Ginevra, I�m sure he can�t be that great of a bloke.�

Wrong thing to say as Ginny let out a high-pitched sob and
wept on Blaise�s shoulder. She had been like
that ever since she walked into the classroom that Saturday morning, the last
Saturday before summer holiday. Blaise had been
writing poetry, and Dean and Colin were comparing each other�s works. In
she walked with her face red and her eyes watering. She�d thrown herself
at the nearest warm body, who just so happened to be Blaise,
and began to sob uncontrollably.

�Do either of you know exactly what is going on?� Blaise hissed in question.

�Um, that boy she met over holiday,� Colin said
cautiously. �I�m taking it they didn�t work out.�

�No!� Ginny sobbed, squeezing Blaise
so hard he thought he would choke. �He � he � he � aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!�

Blaise did his best to soothe her
again, casting a nasty look at Colin, who raised his eyebrows and looked
away. He muttered something like, �that time of the month again,� and
Dean nodded. Blaise snorted at his good luck
(or lack thereof) and decided to wait out the storm. He was going to need
a new silk shirt though.

Soon enough, Ginny calmed down, and she let go of Blaise. He offered her a handkerchief, and she smiled
appreciatively. After she had calmed some more and Blaise
deemed it safe enough to start questioning her, he said, �So do you want to
talk about it, Ginevra?�

She shook her head.

�Come on,� Blaise
encouraged. �You cry all over me and expect me to take it without
explanation? You must be some kind of crazy. Besides, it�ll make
you feel better.�

�Yeah, Gin,� Colin said softly, sitting next to her on the
other side of the couch and putting an arm on her shoulder.

�We�re good listeners,� Dean said comfortingly, sitting next
to Blaise.

�Oh, sure,� Blaise said
sarcastically. �Now you can listen. And when she was staining my
new shirt with her tears, where were you then?�

Ginny laughed a little and said, �All right, but you can�t
tell anyone. You can�t tell my brother especially. Or Harry.
Or Hermione. Or anyone.�

�You have our word, Gin,� Colin said softly. �We won�t
tell them.�

Ginny waited for Blaise and Dean
to nod and licked her lips after they did. �Well, you know that boy I�ve
been seeing?�

�The one you won�t tell us anything about?� Dean said
suggestively. �Mr. E. Mann?�

Ginny smiled. �That�s the one. He�s...he�s kind
of in a lot of danger. His father�s got him up to the ears in it.�

�He�s not some sort of convict, is he, Ginevra?�
Blaise said harshly. �You haven�t even told us
how old he is, much less who he is.�

Ginny bit her lip and looked at each of them. �You all
swear not to tell...� she warned. When no one disagreed, she sighed and
said, �It�s Draco � Draco Malfoy.�

A chain reaction occurred. First, Blaise
dropped his jaw; then Colin dropped his jaw, and his eyes got really big; then
Dean dropped his jaw, and his eyes got really big, and he made slightly
strangled noises. And then a storm of voices.

�You fell in love with Malfoy?�

�Do you have any idea what sort of trouble he is?�

�Your brother is going to beat him into next week!�

�Are you insane?�

�Gin, think about this!�

�This is a joke, right?�

�He�s a vicious monster, Gin! You can�t love him!�

And after the voices fell, Ginny was sitting calmly between
the three unbelieving boys, her face sad and her hands folded in her lap.
She bit her lip, waiting for them to finish. When they did, she sighed
and looked at them sadly.

�See,� she said, �he warned me you would probably react like
this.�

�Because he�s trying to get in your pants,� Blaise snorted. �Take it from someone who knows.�

Ginny raised an eyebrow at him.

�Okay, so he never tried to get in my pants, but I can
fantasize,� Blaise mumbled. �But really, you
can�t love him.�

�Why?� Ginny asked sensibly.

�Because he probably doesn�t love you back,� Colin
said. �Ginny, all he�s ever done is make you feel wretched. All
he�s ever done is make trouble for your family and friends. You can�t
really believe he loves you.�

Ginny sighed and stood. �Look, he�s different when
he�s around me. He�s decent, and we can talk. He hasn�t once tried
to �get in my pants,� and he�s never gone any farther than kissing me.
He�s never even asked.�

�Really,� Blaise said, his
interest sparked. �How does he kiss?�

Ginny shivered, closing her eyes. �You have no idea, Blaise.�

�I don�t want to hear this,� Colin said pointedly.
�But, Gin, he�s no good. Take it from a quote, unquote �Mudblood,� he�s no fun.�

�Well, I think it�s great,� Dean said.

�You do?� Ginny said, turning to him in disbelief.

�You do?� Colin and Blaise said at
the same time, looking at him as if he were crazy.

�I do,� Dean repeated. �I mean, if Ginny really did
melt his heart, as it were, that�s a good thing. I believe he can change,
and he may have. I don�t know if any of you noticed, but none of the
insults were stinging before he left, right before break. It was like he
didn�t really want to be doing it.�

Ginny could see Colin and Blaise
thinking. She hoped and prayed they saw through Draco�s
front. She needed friends, especially over the summer. She wanted Blaise and Dean and Colin to visit her and let it be like
the old times.

�I think I see it,� Colin said after a moment. �He
never quite looked at me the way he used to. And when he�d make fun of
Gryffindor, it wasn�t necessarily hurtful, more of the same old stuff.�

�Yeah, well he hates me anyway,� Blaise
said, �so I don�t think I�d notice anything.�

Ginny bit her lip. �No, he doesn�t like you very
much,� she conceded. �But he just thinks you�re annoying; he doesn�t hate
you.�

Blaise snorted and rolled his
eyes. �Glorious.�

There was a brief silence.

�You do know where he went, Ginevra,
don�t you?� Blaise said slowly, as though debating
whether or not to tell her something.

Ginny shook her head.

Blaise let out a labored sigh and
said, �His father is training him, Ginevra.
Training him to be a Death Eater. It�s a nasty little fact about Slytherin; basically everyone grows up to be a Death
Eater. Every boy is trained for a few months in the noble art of Death
Eating, and then they grow up to be noble, little Death Eaters. It is
just how it is.�

�Even you?� Dean said stiffly.

Blaise snorted. �As
if. I own the Floo Network. I don�t need
to be a Death Eater to be rich or powerful.
Besides, my family has never been Death Eaters for three good reasons. One, we�re too public. Two, we don�t like the Malfoys. And three,
we don�t like to kill; it cuts down on profit. You can�t sell Floo to dead bodies. Believe me, we�ve tried.�

�I knew I was your friend for some reason, Blaise,� Ginny said with a smile.

Blaise stiffened. �But that
doesn�t change the fact that for nearly six years of his life, Draco Malfoy has been the poster
child for Death Eater and anti-Muggle
propaganda. Colin had it right, Ginevra; he�s
not a very good person.�

Ginny clenched her teeth. �I wish you all would stop
saying that,� she said angrily. �You barely know him. Malfoy is who Hogwarts sees, Draco
is who I see. He�s different, and it�s hard for him to show everyone Draco because of his father. I know if he could, he
would.�

They were quiet for a while. Then Blaise
sighed and said, �Look, Ginevra, I believe you.
If you say he�s changed, he�s changed. But watch your back. Not
just because of him. Maybe not because of him at all. But because
of his family and �friends.� They catch word he�s with you, a Muggle and Mudblood � no offence,
Colin � sympathizer, they�re going to want to kill you. And if they want
to kill you, consider yourself dead. You and your family.�

Ginny smiled. �Thanks, Blaise.
You don�t know what it means to know that you believe me. All of
you. But you can�t tell anyone, especially not my brother. He�d go
on a killing rampage.�

�And kill the first person he sees, likely to be the person
who tells him,� Dean finished. �We�re not telling anyone. I, personally,
would like to rest face up in a marked grave.�

Ginny giggled a little. �Thanks you all,
really.�

�Anything for you, Gin,� Colin said, a smile on his boyish
face. �Now I�m hungry; let�s say we head down for lunch.�

The suggestion met with general approval.

An Odd Kind of Gathering

The train ride home was loud and jarring. Plans were
set for Blaise, Colin, and Dean to visit in July,
near the time Hermione was coming to the Burrow. Harry was going to stay
most of the summer; after all the attacks, Dumbledore had said he would be much
safer with Ginny�s parents than his Muggle aunt and
uncle. Harry didn�t seem to have any qualms with the logic.

At first it was awkward for Blaise
on the ride home. Ginny knew he�d never had friends like Dean and Colin
and her, but he�d adjusted to them fine. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were a
different story. Ron was the biggest problem. He didn�t seem to get
that neither Blaise nor Dean nor Colin wanted to take
advantage of Ginny, something he was obviously torn up about. Hermione
caught onto the fact that Dean and Blaise were gay
rather quickly and got the message that Colin only liked Ginny as a
friend. Harry seemed to take it cautiously, not judging, but not being
overly friendly either.

Ginny watched the interaction between her friends and her
brother�s friends, hoping at least an uneasy alliance would be formed. To
the trio, Colin had always been seen as the boy Ginny would probably
marry, Dean was just another boy in their year, and Blaise
was an arrogant Slytherin prick. But everyone
was making an effort, and this made Ginny very happy.

�Check,� Blaise drawled.

�Damn!� Ron said sharply. He looked at the board and
commanded his knight down and to the left three squares. �Damn,� he
repeated, scratching his head.

Blaise merely smirked, moved a
rook, and said, �Check.�

�Bloody hell!� Ron said, pondering his next move.

�Ron,� Hermione said warningly, giving him a look and then
turning back to Ginny. �Sometimes...�

�You have no idea, Hermione,� Ginny said, laughing.
�He�s worse than Bill and Charlie put together. He�s even worse than the
twins.�

She heard Blaise snort and say
something to the effect of, �It must run in the family.�

Ron laughed, and Harry, Colin, and Dean, who were playing a
friendly game of Exploding Snap, laughed too. Ginny just rolled her eyes
and turned back to Hermione.

�What are you planning to do this summer?� Ginny asked, pretzeling her legs in front of her.

Hermione shrugged. �My parents are going to America
for the summer on an orthodontics conference, so I�m staying with my cousin,
Nanette, for the first month. Then I�m getting dumped at your house when
she and her husband leave for Moscow. They�re painters and were hired for
something or other.�

�Do they know you�re a witch?� Ginny asked, taking a bite of
her sandwich and looking at Hermione thoughtfully. She had never really
talked to Hermione before. Sure, they�d talked, but not really. She
found she didn�t know much about the real Hermione, only the one she showed
everyone else, the slightly stuck-up, yet loyal and smart friend of Harry
Potter and Ron Weasley.

Hermione shook her head. �No, Mum and Dad aren�t too
keen on telling anyone either. They love and support me and everything,
but you know, most Muggles have no idea there are
witches and wizards. I don�t think my family could handle it, to tell you
the truth.�

Ginny grinned. �Have you at least told your parents
about your plans?�

�Plans?� Hermione asked, looking confused. Ginny
glanced at Ron; Hermione�s mouth formed an �O,� and her eyes widened.
�Oh, you mean our plans!�

Ginny nodded, and Hermione blushed.

�Well, I wasn�t going to tell them until after I leave
school. They don�t know the pace of the wizarding
world and all. I mean, they got married when they were twenty-five and
didn�t have me until my mum was twenty-eight. Most wizarding
couples have three or four kids by then.�

�Too true,� Ginny muttered, thinking about her parents.
Her mother had barely waited until her first month out of school to get
pregnant with Bill. She wasn�t even fifty, and she had seven nearly
full-grown children.

It was a pleasant ride back, though parting would be
short-lived as Colin, Dean, and Blaise would be
visiting in less than a month, as well as Hermione. Ginny said goodbye
all the same, saying hello to the Burrow and only three months until she could
see Draco again. She knew it would be worth the
wait.

Not-So Parenthetical Documentation

Draco looked around him
casually. The gesture was well documented by the people around him but
dismissed as the nervous action of a boy about to become a man by seeing Voldemort for the first time. Draco
knew it was taken note of by his elders and ignored it, another fact documented
by the people around him. But what they didn�t catch about that gesture,
something Draco was becoming increasingly good at,
was the fact that he had sighed. And within that sigh was a word.

�Listen.�

Another casual sweep of the crowd and sigh earned him
another opportunity.

�Voldemort.�

The word stung on his tongue, but he ignored it. He
had said the name before to Ginny; he wasn�t scared. But he�d never said
it to the � man, perhaps? No, thing�s � face. He didn�t plan on it,
either. �Master� suited him just fine.

His father had dragged him from Sofia, Bulgaria, to here,
Copenhagen. He�d suspected the reason, mainly because he�d recorded a
conversation between his father and his father�s Master earlier that
month. Well, it could have been last month now. Keeping track of
the days hadn�t been on the top of his to-do list. Living and recording
tied for first, with a close second of staying awake.

The potions were doing what they were supposed to.
They made it possible for him to not sleep. They provided the right
amount of chemicals and proteins to convince him and his body that he had been
sleeping. The potion was complex, but he was good enough. He was
just damned thankful Snape had shown it to him.
He hadn�t so much as closed his eyes for more than thirty seconds for nearly
six weeks, maybe five, maybe four. He didn�t really know. Not
sleeping screwed with his sense of time. He had started after he was
visited by Ginny. Mostly he wanted to stop the desire to see her.
He needed to be firm right then.

�Draco,� his father coolly drawled
behind him.

�Lucius,� Draco
replied, a startling duplicate of his father�s voice.

�Are you ready, son?� he asked casually.

�Yes.�

�And you remember everything I told you?�

�Yes...Father,� he ground out.

�Good,� Malfoy said darkly.
�Good. He will see us now. Come, Draco.�

Draco nodded, pulling up his coat
to hide the �Listen Lucius� he whispered
lightly. Into the dark forest, he walked. Trying to remain calm, he
thought about Ginny. A few more months of this. A few more months
of killing, of death, of fear, and he would be done.

�Ah, Lucius, how nice of you to
visit. Is this your son?�

It was a voice like cursed midnight. Too high to be
called a man�s, and too forced to be called human. Voldemort
came into view, and Draco wanted to run. He was
tall and spindly, pale as a ghost, maybe paler, and he had the creepiest,
bloodshot, vertical eyes

Draco had ever seen.

�Yes, Master,� Draco�s father
said, kneeling to the ground.

Draco suppressed a shiver and
knelt, as well. He resented every second of it. Draco
Malfoy bowed to no man. How could his father
stand this? But Draco kept his eyes downcast, knowing
that was the only way he could keep them firmly in their sockets.

�He is the one looking for my bride? He barely looks
old enough to handle that sort of responsibility,� Voldemort
said slowly.

Draco sensed the danger in that
voice, the words and the tone. He didn�t like it, he didn�t trust it, and
he certainly didn�t want to answer to it.

�Master,� Lucius simpered.
Hearing his father sound like that made Draco want to
puke. �He is a very powerful tool to have at Hogwarts. He will be Head
Boy next year, a position of considerable power over the student body. He
is well on his way to being the strongest wizard in his class and is already in
the top five of his academic class.�

Voldemort considered this.
�Yes, Head Boy is a great honor. But serving your master is a greater
one. Tell me, boy, how close are you to finding the identity of your
target?�

Draco stopped himself from gagging
on the words, but he said them. �My Lord,� he said, trying to imitate his
father, �I have already begun work wooing the young woman. She will have
my complete trust within a month of the beginning of school. The only
problem is...�

Draco had been rehearsing this for
a very long time, practicing what would gain Voldemort�s
attention most. Perhaps if he got distracted enough, he wouldn�t ask for
the name of the woman.

�A problem, my young Death Eater,� Voldemort
mused. �Hopefully it�s not something...threatening.�

�No, no, no, Master,� Draco said
quickly, knowing he had Voldemort�s full attention
now. �It�s just her friends. They will cause problems for me.�

Voldemort�s eyes narrowed.
�Who are these �friends� of which you speak?�

�Well,� Draco said slowly, trying
to look uncomfortable. It wasn�t that hard. �She is a friend of
Potter. A rather good friend of his, and something of a love interest.�

That got Voldemort right
there. Jealousy was a powerful thing; Draco
knew this and exploited it well. So was vengeance. Draco hoped to exploit both in the Dark Lord. Capturing
his attention with the �problem� had only been the first step. After
manipulating his insatiable hatred of Potter by saying he loved the same woman Voldemort was after, he could better control how the
situation went. He would make it seem he was the only person who could
capture Voldemort�s bride.

It was a twisted web Draco weaved,
a sick game where people were pawns and small events could later turn the
direction of the win. But it was the only way now. Draco thanked Slytherin for all
the years he learned the game. He considered himself the best and for
good reason. And now, his greatest foe so far was eating up the game and
not even knowing it.

�The love of Potter,� Voldemort
said slowly. �How...�

�Poetic, Master,� Draco said
cautiously.

And then something happened Draco
did not expect. A smile formed on Voldemort�s
face, and it was the most evil and vile thing Draco
had seen and probably would ever see. Not because the snake-like eyes
held the malice of a thousand betrayed men, or because the snake-like tongue
darted out between grayed teeth, but because the sound that came after it was
the imitation of a laugh, and it seared his ears, and he wondered if he would
ever forget.

�Yesss,� he literally
hissed. �Poetic.�

Draco licked his lips. Now
was the time for the finishing move, the one thing that would ensure the game
never focused on Ginny again. �He will come after you; he talks about it
all the time. He�s obsessed with you, and he hates you for what you did
to his parents and to Black. He makes it no secret that he thinks he has
enough power to kill you.�

�Is that so?� Voldemort said, his
fingers folding over each other and his snake eyes looking mildly at Draco. �Well then, let him come. Lucius, young Draco, you are
dismissed.�

�Thank you, Master,� Malfoy said
in a slippery voice.

�Thank you, Master,� Draco bit
out, trying to sound as natural as he could. He backed away slowly,
following his father�s example. He backed up until he couldn�t see Voldemort anymore, and then he turned and ground his teeth.

�We�ll be Apparating to the house
now, Draco,� his father said quickly, raising his
wand in the air.

And then they were at the house. His father threw off
his cape, and it landed on a chair in the library. He immediately poured
himself a glass of brandy, sitting down and relaxing in his chair.

�It�s a dangerous game you play, son,� he said slowly.
Draco, who had watched this ritual before, said
nothing but took off the heavy jacket and told an elf to take it to his room.

�Not for you, Lucius,� he replied.

His father�s eyes opened, and he shot from his seat,
throwing the drink into the fire and raging, �You think Voldemort
can�t see thought the game!? You think he�s oblivious to your cheap
little amusement?! He is the Master for one reason; he�s better at the
game than all of us combined!�

�Jealousy blinds people, Lucius,� Draco said softly. �And since when do you care?
I could go off and get killed right now, and you wouldn�t care.�

�Foolish boy!� his father bellowed. �You are the
heir! My heir! The only
one I will ever have! If you don�t inherit, the money goes to my cousins,
or worse, Nacissa�s.
If you don�t inherit, my line is over; the Malfoys
are over! Do you want to see that, boy? Do you?!�

�Maybe I just want to see you dead,� Draco
grumbled. It wasn�t the first time he�d said it to his father, but this
time, something different happened.

�I said the same thing to my father, Draco.
And do you know where that got me? It got me a hell of a lot of
money. The old bastard is dead; I hope that when you say it, you do
it. Because if you don�t, I can haunt your step for a long, long time.�

�Then I�ll have to be careful,� Draco
said softly. �And you�ll have to watch your back, Lucius.�

His father snorted and said, �Thanks for the warning,
boy. Now get out of my sight. Your mother is probably worried.�

Draco glared at his father and
stalked out of the room, closing the door none too lightly behind him.
Things like �bastard� and �prick� escaped his mouth as he straightened himself
and headed to his mother. It was night, very late, but he knew his mother
would still be awake. If nothing else, she would be outside, communing with
the Wind.

He didn�t find her anywhere. He figured she was
probably visiting her family on their vacation in France. Draco headed to his room, intent on having a natural
night�s sleep.

Wizarding History 101

Percy looked over the list again. So many names.
So many familiar names. And all of them were traitors. Then on the
right side were the most powerful witches and wizards in the world, all who
were willing to help with the destruction of Voldemort.
Percy smiled as he noticed himself on the very same list. But the names
on the left side worried him.

Again, he raised his eyes to meet Charlotte Teasdale.
She was looking at him speculatively. Her counterpart and assistant
director of the British Auror Force sighed as Percy
finally set down the list. He wasn�t exactly sure why he was there, but
three weeks after the incident with Duncan Welsh, he had got an invitation from
Dante Browning, the assistant director of the British Auror
Force.

So now, sitting on the opposite side of two of the ten most
powerful people in the Ministry, he licked his lips nervously and said, �I�m
confused.�

Dante Browning nodded. �You see, you have access to
most of the people on that list, Mr. Weasley.
As director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, you have
the excuse to be basically anywhere at any time. Your leverage gives us a
bit of an advantage over the opposition.�

�And lest we forget your good instincts, Mr. Weasley,� Charlotte said thoughtfully, �we have enough
proof against Welsh because of you. One second sooner and he could have
been set free; one second later and I could have been dead. And let�s not
forget your astonishing ability to hide in broom cupboards.�

Percy smiled uncertainly. �This list...it�s rather
extensive. In fact, I�m not sure if I believe some of it. Sure, I
believe Dolohov but Bernadette Jones? She�s in
the Auror Force; I�ve met her. She was two
years ahead of me at Hogwarts and a good Ravenclaw.
I really don�t think ��

�Well, you better start, boy-o,� Dante said harshly.
�You�re going to become the new social butterfly of the Ministry. I want
you to be able to read between the lines of every sentence, look, and breath of
every person in the Ministry. I want you to know the first, last, and
middle name of everyone in their families, extended families, and their
pets. You�re a damn smart boy; that much we can see. But it�s time
for you to get out from behind the desk and start actively helping the cause.�

�Yes, sir,� Percy said, eyes brightening under the praise
and pep talk. But then he frowned and looked at his superiors
uncertainly. �Ms. Teasdale, I think it would be my civic duty to tell you
something I heard over the grapevine, so to say.�

Charlotte frowned in response and said, �Please, Mr. Weasley.�

Percy took a breath and hit himself over the head
mentally. This was going to sound stupid. But something in it
sparked a wick in Percy�s head, and he hadn�t quite forgotten it. �Two
years ago, when I was filling in for Mr. Crouch at the Tri-Wizard Tournament, I
overheard some very interesting things.�

Charlotte and Dante looked at him sharply.

�My younger brother, Ronald, happens to have made very good
friends with Harry Potter. They are a sort of troublesome trio with their
friend Hermione Granger.�

�Oh, yes,� Charlotte said appreciatively. �Hermione
Granger has been watched for many years now, as have Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. They are on our radar.�

�They are?� Percy asked doubtfully.

�Oh yes,� Dante said. �Firstly, their friendship with
Harry Potter, but they will be powerful in their own right. You see, the Weasleys, yourself included, have been watched for
generations. Mostly because of your early and repetitive Showings, but
also because of your mother, Molly Prewett.�

�I think you should explain that before I go on,� Percy said
quietly.

Charlotte nodded. �Yes, I suppose my department has
kept it secret long enough. The Ministry, as you know, has always been
around, but it gained power in the thirties and forties because of three main
people.

�After Albus Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald, he practically re-made the Ministry, gave it a
whole lot of power and put a lot of good people in good positions. Like Alastor Moody�he regained his title of director of the
British Auror Force two years ago because of
Dumbledore�s power over the older members of the Ministry. When
Dumbledore first entered the Ministry, he had no part of it, but his wife,
Evangeline Laferriere, was the Head of the Department
of Mysteries.

�She was good friends with a woman named Eva Jones, your
mother�s mother, Mr. Weasley. She was also
friends with a man named Percival Weasley, your
father�s father. Weasley�s son and Jones�
daughter got married, and you know the rest of that story. But because of
Weasley and Jones� friendship with Evangeline Laferriere, and Laferriere�s
knowledge of the power in both families, Laferriere
decided to place both families on the list of highly skilled and loyal
families. After Laferriere died, the names
stayed on the list, but the list was lost.

�I found it, along with an ancient list of people who were
considered unsafe and disloyal by Laferriere. I
added names myself with help of intelligence agents from the Auror Force and my own Unspeakables.
Two of my best Unspeakables are your brothers
actually, Fred and George.

�Unfortunately, Duncan Welsh wasn�t on the list, which is
exactly why we need you. We need you to find all the traitors, but
publicly. Enough sneaking around; we think you are smart enough to
decipher their intentions by talking to them. Use your intuition, your
instincts, and your intellect.�

Percy sighed. �Then my first instinct tells me Fudge
isn�t trustworthy.�

Charlotte and Dante�s mouths dropped.

�What did you say?� Dante asked quietly.

Percy shook his head. �He tried to separate the
Ministry from Hogwarts, from Dumbledore. I heard a conversation with him
and another person on this list, Edward Livingston, admitting that he told the Dementors to give the Kiss to Mr. Crouch�s son so that he
couldn�t confess to anything.�

Dante looked straight ahead, his teeth clenched and his
fists balled. �Damnation! Moody was right! I�ve got to go,
Charlotte.�

Charlotte merely looked straight ahead of her, her eyes
unfocused. �Damn,� she whispered. �Damn it all to hell. You
have no idea how many lives you just saved, do you, Weasley?�

�Not off the top of my head, no,� Percy mumbled. �I
knew I should have said something earlier...�

�Maybe not,� Charlotte said. �Two years ago, no one
might have believed you. I don�t know if I would have. No, you did
the right thing.�

�So now what?� Percy said slowly.

Charlotte stiffened, straightened some papers and looked
Percy in the eyes. �Now I give you a raise, a bit of a promotion, and you
go home. You�ll be going to a hell of a lot more Ministry
functions. And I�ll need you to visit Dumbledore for me. I can�t go
myself, too suspicious. But a student seeing his favorite headmaster...
Yes, that will do nicely. Perhaps we can even get Alastor
to accidentally drop in for tea. And you may just have a very handy piece
of paper with you, say this one.� She handed Percy the list from her
desk, and Percy folded it into his coat pocket. �Watch yourself out
there, Weasley. Play it smart, no matter what
your brave, Gryffindoric gray matter might say.�

Percy nodded and stood. �Thank you, Ms.
Teasdale. I think I�ll be seeing my old headmaster Sunday for afternoon
tea.�

Charlotte winked at him as he left. Percy steeled
himself over. He was going to have a long talk with his mother in the
morning; that was for sure.

Apparating to his London flat,
Percy threw off his jacket, after carefully placing the list in his safe.
Bill had designed the safe for him, so he knew no one would get that
list. He flipped off his shoes and walked into the kitchen to find a
large meal on the table and candles all around. It was dark without them,
though it was only eight. He looked around suspiciously and almost jumped
out of his pants when he felt a soft sensation on his neck, and he turned
around to meet his wife, ginning appreciatively at him.

�Percy,� she said in a low voice, her big, blue eyes smiling
tenderly. �I�ve got some very good news for you.�

�Oh,� he said, looking around suspiciously. �Really,
Penny?�

�You see,� she said in a low, seductive voice, brushing her
brown hair off her shoulder, �you�ve been working very hard, we�ve been working
really hard, and finally, it�s showing the fruits of our labor, so to speak.�

Percy swallowed hard. His wife had that predatory
gleam in her eye again. She might be a Ravenclaw,
but she always knew what she wanted. And to this day, Percy couldn�t
figure out why it was him. She looked up at him, her arms resting on his
shoulders as she backed him against the doorway of the kitchen and began
kissing his neck.

�And I wanted to tell you over dinner, all civilized like,�
she mumbled into his ear. �But this is just so much more fun.�

By now, after all the talk of traitors and suspicions, Percy
was getting worried. What if his wife was a traitor? What if she
knew about everything? About him scaring off Welsh and saving
Charlotte. What if she was just biding her time?

�What?� Percy asked, grabbing for his wand ineffectually.

Then Penelope smiled a bright smile and squealed,
�Percy! I�m pregnant! Isn�t this glorious!?!�

She jumped up on him and wrapped her knees around his
waist. �Isn�t this wonderful!? I knew as soon as I woke up this
morning I was! And I took the test, and it came out positive!
You�re going to be a father, Percy! A father!�

Percy sighed in relief, but only for a moment, because he
was just so damn happy he was going to be a father. He knew there was a
silly smile on his face, but he didn�t care. He was going to be a father.

Penelope kissed him soundly on the lips and let herself down
from his hips. When she looked at him, her eyes were full of tears.
�This is the happiest day of my life, Percy.�

Percy smiled and smoothed the tears from her face.
�Mine too, Penny. Mine too.�

�Revelations � for the non-Judeo faithers
out there, and not that I�m any kind of expert, John�s Revelations are the last
book/chapter/thingy in the New Testament
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