Chapter 2: Bureaucracy
It was hours before she could convince Darien to leave her. The crawling feeling on the back of her neck, the paranoid feeling that she was constantly being watched, was a permanent feature in her daily life. It didn't go away whenever he was around her, and therefore, his presence did nothing to soothe her nerves. He only served as a distraction.
It was almost 4 am. Her eyes were burning with the need to sleep, but her mind was racing far too fast to allow it. She sat down at her kitchen table, after making herself a strong cup of tea, with the all important file sitting in front of her. From what she had glimpsed briefly of its contents when Harry had handed it to her, and her half-hearted efforts to work through it before she'd fallen asleep, she knew just how important its contents could be.
With slightly trembling hands, unknowing whether or not she would be able to accept the implications of what may lay inside, she flipped it open, and pulled out the first document.
It was well aged, written by hand in an old-fashioned script, on heavy vellum paper. She felt its weight in her hands, and could tell how very old it was by the scent that reminded her of the dusty manuscripts she'd used during her days at Hogwarts, researching her essays. Her eyes scanned over the page, until they caught a phrase that sent her mind reeling: "although many rumors indicated that the artifact might have been concealed in an unknown location in Tuscany."
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Nine and a half months earlier...
"Well, if it isn't the youngest Minister for International Magical Cooperation! I heard rumors that you existed, but it's been so long I was being to think you'd gone the way of Merlin and had become a thing of legend," a voice called out as the door to her office was open. Ginny Weasley, crouching in front of the fireplace, listening intently to the head hovering among the flames, waved impatiently at the intruder as she attempted to grasp what was being said in the foreign language. Draco Malfoy, properly chastised, recognizing that she was conversing with her Italian counterpart, and so he leaned against the door and watched her put her diplomatic skills to work.
"Well, Minister, I'm not quite clear what it is you are proposing here and until you can provide some more clarity on the details, I'm afraid I may not be able to help you," she said, a small trace of steel in her voice. Draco remarked at her choice to respond in English, knowing that she was completely fluent in Italian, and admired her tactics - she was indicating to the Minister that she was in control of the conversation, and that even though she had the power to defer to him, she wasn't going to.
"Ms. Weasley, it is imperative that we conduct our business as quickly as possible and without any of the bureaucratic delays which have been a problem in the past," he said, sounding slightly alarmed, his accent rather thick.
"I'm am unwilling to use my influence, sir, without a clear picture as to the end result of doing so. I don't think that I'm asking too much to be informed about the situation," she countered.
"We have reason to believe that a very powerful artifact is buried somewhere in our country. It is a matter of great secrecy, and we have been searching for its whereabouts for over three centuries. We believe that a key to uncovering its whereabouts is concealed somewhere in Britain, and we would like to seek it out, without any interference from either the Muggles or the lower levels of your Ministry's staff. The fewer people aware of this endeavor, the better," he said reluctantly, obviously willing to divulge only vague bits of information.
"For what reason are you so determined to find this artifact? And what exactly is the nature of its power? If it is anything that could pose a danger, I'm afraid I will be not only unable to assist you, but I will have to report this to higher authorities and other members of the International Cooperation Act," Ginny responded. The Minster sighed.
"Ms. Weasley, the reason that I have chosen to seek your help in this matter is that you have a very well known reputation for discretion when the situation requires it, when there is a greater purpose to serve. And I now ask for your discretion here. We are currently in a race to find this artifact - and any delays could see that it falls into the wrong hands," he said, in a low, conspirator voice. Ginny's eyes narrowed, as she scrutinized the person in front of her.
"I need to be fully informed about this, Minister. You obviously trust me enough to be speaking with me now, and I'll need you to extend that into telling me what exactly it is that you are seeking. I will also need to be involved in any of your actions in my country, sir," she said after a moment. The Minister looked flustered, knowing that he'd backed himself into a corner.
"Very well, Ms. Weasley. We can discuss this further in person, when it is assured that our conversation will not be overheard," he agreed, his eyes flicking in the general direction of where Draco was standing.
"Excellent. Have your assistant Owl Clarice to arrange another meeting. Take care, Minister," Ginny said, springing up from the ground as the head in the flames vanished. She wiped the traces of soot from her knees, and then walked right over to Draco, slipping her arms around his waist and burying her face against his chest.
"Ah, so there is a person underneath all of that politicking," Draco said dryly. Ginny glanced up at his face, and saw a trace of irritation in his eyes. She pulled back.
"You're angry with me," she noted.
"Yes, actually. After you gloriously defied Fudge and became a political force to be reckoned with, but before you became a Minister, remember all that lovely free time we had to spend with each other? When I didn't have to make an appointment to have dinner with you? When you didn't blow of your appointments with me in order to grease Italian Ministers into doing exactly what you wanted them to do?" he asked. Ginny froze, and felt her stomach drop to her knees.
"I forgot about dinner tonight!" she gasped.
"Yes, yes you did. It was the only available time slot you had for the next week and a half, and you didn't come," Draco said, rather coldly.
"And you were alone, with my parents!" she groaned, sinking into a comfortable chair, her head in her hands. Draco nodded solemnly.
"You realize exactly how much you owe me now, don't you?" he smirked suddenly, kneeling down in front of her, pulling her hands away from her face.
"Were they horrible to you?" she asked, half afraid of his answer.
"No, I think they're finally warming up to the Malfoy charm. Of course, I'm still the ‘Root of All Evil’ as well as the ‘Reason Ginny Isn't the Minister of Magic Yet’ in their eyes, but I think they're beginning to see past all that," he answered.
"I'm so sorry. They'll eventually get on board; it'll just take some time. I mean, after what happened with Percy, they had a lot of hope for me, and once Mum got that idea of me being the Minister of Magic in her head, it was an awful blow," Ginny said, casually brushing a stray piece of hair out of his eyes.
"Well, hopefully they come around in time for the wedding. Although, you don't seem to be in any hurry to set a date," Draco said rather quietly. Ginny sighed.
"So that's really why you're angry with me, because I pushed the date back again," she stated.
"For the fourth time, Ginny. Once because of the tomb crisis in Egypt, again because Magical World Conference on Quidditch practices and I don't even remember the reason for the third time. If I wasn't a cocky bastard, I'd be getting the sense that you don't want to marry me at all and that you're just stringing me along for whatever reason," he stated. Shocked at what he'd said, she stared at him for a second, before lunging at him, determined to snog him senseless.
"Of course I want to marry you," she gasped, attempting to regain her breath after pulling away. "After everything we've been through, I want to be able to have the time to do it right, for so many reasons. My family needs to dislodge the stick from their arses, there needs to be no sign of impending international crises, and I need to have the time to prepare like a proper bride!"
"None of that matters to me. Why don't we just go now and have done with it, and worry about the ceremony and all that later?" he asked petulantly.
"Be still my heart, you overwhelming romantic. Why don't we just go now and have done with it? That's real considerate of you, you silly prat," she cried, jumping out of her chair in order to pace around the room.
"You're the one who stood me up to talk to a fireplace!" he cried out in retaliation.
"Well, you're the one who’s been in bloody Bulgaria on business all the bloody time!"
"You're an obsessed politician who has her priorities all wrong! I thought you left all that behind a year ago, after what happened with Longbottom!"
"You're an inconsiderate boyfriend who should be supporting me in my career ambitions instead of whining about how much free time I don't have! I'm actually doing some good here, instead of all that crap I used to do for Fudge!"
"I'm only an inconsiderate boyfriend because you won't marry me! If I finally get you to the altar, then I'd be a caring husband instead of the inconsiderate boyfriend!" he shouted.
They were standing across from each other, staring one another down in a steely silence. Draco looked at his girlfriend, her eyes blazing with unspent anger, poised and ready to continue the fight, her hair slightly disheveled. She was fully prepared to eviscerate him, and all he could do was notice how stunning she looked.
He strode forward, closing the small distance between them, and roughly pulled her to him. Recognizing the looking in his eyes, Ginny began to squirm, not quite ready to relinquish her anger yet, but he silenced any protest she may have made with a demanding kiss. It seared across her lips, stole her breath and caused her heart to attempt to beat its way out of her chest.
Over a year together, and his touch would still make her pulse race, she thought with a rather detached clarity. But her mind still protested as her body took over and she melted against him, slightly aggravated by the amount of control he could wield over with just his touch.
"I hate when you do that, you know," she said softly, when she was able to breath again.
"You'd hate it more if I didn't," he said slyly, as he pressed his lips to the sensitive skin at the hollow of her neck, making her gasp.
"Oh, bloody hell, Malfoy. You win this round. Now take me home," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
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Ginny sighed, pushing the papers in front of her away, trying to clear the memory from her mind. She stood from her chair, and made a round of her flat, checking to make sure the windows were locked and that the curtains were tightly closed. Not only could she not shake the feeling of being watched, but it also seemed to have intensified. It was at times like this, when she was alone and not feeling entirely safe, that memories of their happier times would surface.
Sitting back down at her table, Ginny crossed her arms, hugging them to herself for comfort. No matter how hard the memories of those happy moments were to face, a small part of her that she kept buried acknowledged that they always served to reassure her.
Pulling the document back towards her, she scanned the page for all mentions of Tuscany and tried to connect that information with what she already knew.
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It gave me a great deal of malicious pleasure to see all the reactions from those who were surprised by the last chapter (ie. those who thought that the "Malfoy" Ginny was talking to was Draco and not Darien) and a great deal of anger over 'evil' Draco. All I can say on that front...keep reading! *cue evil laugh*
It was hours before she could convince Darien to leave her. The crawling feeling on the back of her neck, the paranoid feeling that she was constantly being watched, was a permanent feature in her daily life. It didn't go away whenever he was around her, and therefore, his presence did nothing to soothe her nerves. He only served as a distraction.
It was almost 4 am. Her eyes were burning with the need to sleep, but her mind was racing far too fast to allow it. She sat down at her kitchen table, after making herself a strong cup of tea, with the all important file sitting in front of her. From what she had glimpsed briefly of its contents when Harry had handed it to her, and her half-hearted efforts to work through it before she'd fallen asleep, she knew just how important its contents could be.
With slightly trembling hands, unknowing whether or not she would be able to accept the implications of what may lay inside, she flipped it open, and pulled out the first document.
It was well aged, written by hand in an old-fashioned script, on heavy vellum paper. She felt its weight in her hands, and could tell how very old it was by the scent that reminded her of the dusty manuscripts she'd used during her days at Hogwarts, researching her essays. Her eyes scanned over the page, until they caught a phrase that sent her mind reeling: "although many rumors indicated that the artifact might have been concealed in an unknown location in Tuscany."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nine and a half months earlier...
"Well, if it isn't the youngest Minister for International Magical Cooperation! I heard rumors that you existed, but it's been so long I was being to think you'd gone the way of Merlin and had become a thing of legend," a voice called out as the door to her office was open. Ginny Weasley, crouching in front of the fireplace, listening intently to the head hovering among the flames, waved impatiently at the intruder as she attempted to grasp what was being said in the foreign language. Draco Malfoy, properly chastised, recognizing that she was conversing with her Italian counterpart, and so he leaned against the door and watched her put her diplomatic skills to work.
"Well, Minister, I'm not quite clear what it is you are proposing here and until you can provide some more clarity on the details, I'm afraid I may not be able to help you," she said, a small trace of steel in her voice. Draco remarked at her choice to respond in English, knowing that she was completely fluent in Italian, and admired her tactics - she was indicating to the Minister that she was in control of the conversation, and that even though she had the power to defer to him, she wasn't going to.
"Ms. Weasley, it is imperative that we conduct our business as quickly as possible and without any of the bureaucratic delays which have been a problem in the past," he said, sounding slightly alarmed, his accent rather thick.
"I'm am unwilling to use my influence, sir, without a clear picture as to the end result of doing so. I don't think that I'm asking too much to be informed about the situation," she countered.
"We have reason to believe that a very powerful artifact is buried somewhere in our country. It is a matter of great secrecy, and we have been searching for its whereabouts for over three centuries. We believe that a key to uncovering its whereabouts is concealed somewhere in Britain, and we would like to seek it out, without any interference from either the Muggles or the lower levels of your Ministry's staff. The fewer people aware of this endeavor, the better," he said reluctantly, obviously willing to divulge only vague bits of information.
"For what reason are you so determined to find this artifact? And what exactly is the nature of its power? If it is anything that could pose a danger, I'm afraid I will be not only unable to assist you, but I will have to report this to higher authorities and other members of the International Cooperation Act," Ginny responded. The Minster sighed.
"Ms. Weasley, the reason that I have chosen to seek your help in this matter is that you have a very well known reputation for discretion when the situation requires it, when there is a greater purpose to serve. And I now ask for your discretion here. We are currently in a race to find this artifact - and any delays could see that it falls into the wrong hands," he said, in a low, conspirator voice. Ginny's eyes narrowed, as she scrutinized the person in front of her.
"I need to be fully informed about this, Minister. You obviously trust me enough to be speaking with me now, and I'll need you to extend that into telling me what exactly it is that you are seeking. I will also need to be involved in any of your actions in my country, sir," she said after a moment. The Minister looked flustered, knowing that he'd backed himself into a corner.
"Very well, Ms. Weasley. We can discuss this further in person, when it is assured that our conversation will not be overheard," he agreed, his eyes flicking in the general direction of where Draco was standing.
"Excellent. Have your assistant Owl Clarice to arrange another meeting. Take care, Minister," Ginny said, springing up from the ground as the head in the flames vanished. She wiped the traces of soot from her knees, and then walked right over to Draco, slipping her arms around his waist and burying her face against his chest.
"Ah, so there is a person underneath all of that politicking," Draco said dryly. Ginny glanced up at his face, and saw a trace of irritation in his eyes. She pulled back.
"You're angry with me," she noted.
"Yes, actually. After you gloriously defied Fudge and became a political force to be reckoned with, but before you became a Minister, remember all that lovely free time we had to spend with each other? When I didn't have to make an appointment to have dinner with you? When you didn't blow of your appointments with me in order to grease Italian Ministers into doing exactly what you wanted them to do?" he asked. Ginny froze, and felt her stomach drop to her knees.
"I forgot about dinner tonight!" she gasped.
"Yes, yes you did. It was the only available time slot you had for the next week and a half, and you didn't come," Draco said, rather coldly.
"And you were alone, with my parents!" she groaned, sinking into a comfortable chair, her head in her hands. Draco nodded solemnly.
"You realize exactly how much you owe me now, don't you?" he smirked suddenly, kneeling down in front of her, pulling her hands away from her face.
"Were they horrible to you?" she asked, half afraid of his answer.
"No, I think they're finally warming up to the Malfoy charm. Of course, I'm still the ‘Root of All Evil’ as well as the ‘Reason Ginny Isn't the Minister of Magic Yet’ in their eyes, but I think they're beginning to see past all that," he answered.
"I'm so sorry. They'll eventually get on board; it'll just take some time. I mean, after what happened with Percy, they had a lot of hope for me, and once Mum got that idea of me being the Minister of Magic in her head, it was an awful blow," Ginny said, casually brushing a stray piece of hair out of his eyes.
"Well, hopefully they come around in time for the wedding. Although, you don't seem to be in any hurry to set a date," Draco said rather quietly. Ginny sighed.
"So that's really why you're angry with me, because I pushed the date back again," she stated.
"For the fourth time, Ginny. Once because of the tomb crisis in Egypt, again because Magical World Conference on Quidditch practices and I don't even remember the reason for the third time. If I wasn't a cocky bastard, I'd be getting the sense that you don't want to marry me at all and that you're just stringing me along for whatever reason," he stated. Shocked at what he'd said, she stared at him for a second, before lunging at him, determined to snog him senseless.
"Of course I want to marry you," she gasped, attempting to regain her breath after pulling away. "After everything we've been through, I want to be able to have the time to do it right, for so many reasons. My family needs to dislodge the stick from their arses, there needs to be no sign of impending international crises, and I need to have the time to prepare like a proper bride!"
"None of that matters to me. Why don't we just go now and have done with it, and worry about the ceremony and all that later?" he asked petulantly.
"Be still my heart, you overwhelming romantic. Why don't we just go now and have done with it? That's real considerate of you, you silly prat," she cried, jumping out of her chair in order to pace around the room.
"You're the one who stood me up to talk to a fireplace!" he cried out in retaliation.
"Well, you're the one who’s been in bloody Bulgaria on business all the bloody time!"
"You're an obsessed politician who has her priorities all wrong! I thought you left all that behind a year ago, after what happened with Longbottom!"
"You're an inconsiderate boyfriend who should be supporting me in my career ambitions instead of whining about how much free time I don't have! I'm actually doing some good here, instead of all that crap I used to do for Fudge!"
"I'm only an inconsiderate boyfriend because you won't marry me! If I finally get you to the altar, then I'd be a caring husband instead of the inconsiderate boyfriend!" he shouted.
They were standing across from each other, staring one another down in a steely silence. Draco looked at his girlfriend, her eyes blazing with unspent anger, poised and ready to continue the fight, her hair slightly disheveled. She was fully prepared to eviscerate him, and all he could do was notice how stunning she looked.
He strode forward, closing the small distance between them, and roughly pulled her to him. Recognizing the looking in his eyes, Ginny began to squirm, not quite ready to relinquish her anger yet, but he silenced any protest she may have made with a demanding kiss. It seared across her lips, stole her breath and caused her heart to attempt to beat its way out of her chest.
Over a year together, and his touch would still make her pulse race, she thought with a rather detached clarity. But her mind still protested as her body took over and she melted against him, slightly aggravated by the amount of control he could wield over with just his touch.
"I hate when you do that, you know," she said softly, when she was able to breath again.
"You'd hate it more if I didn't," he said slyly, as he pressed his lips to the sensitive skin at the hollow of her neck, making her gasp.
"Oh, bloody hell, Malfoy. You win this round. Now take me home," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
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Ginny sighed, pushing the papers in front of her away, trying to clear the memory from her mind. She stood from her chair, and made a round of her flat, checking to make sure the windows were locked and that the curtains were tightly closed. Not only could she not shake the feeling of being watched, but it also seemed to have intensified. It was at times like this, when she was alone and not feeling entirely safe, that memories of their happier times would surface.
Sitting back down at her table, Ginny crossed her arms, hugging them to herself for comfort. No matter how hard the memories of those happy moments were to face, a small part of her that she kept buried acknowledged that they always served to reassure her.
Pulling the document back towards her, she scanned the page for all mentions of Tuscany and tried to connect that information with what she already knew.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It gave me a great deal of malicious pleasure to see all the reactions from those who were surprised by the last chapter (ie. those who thought that the "Malfoy" Ginny was talking to was Draco and not Darien) and a great deal of anger over 'evil' Draco. All I can say on that front...keep reading! *cue evil laugh*
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