He sat there for what seemed like an eternity waiting for the Minister of Magic to come into his office. It took everything in him to even show his face outside the walls of his home these days after the fall of Voldemort. He debated numerous times whether to get up and leave; unsure of even being here in the first place, but as he went to get up the office door opened and in walked Kingsley Shacklebolt.
"Sorry for the wait, I was in a meet-" he froze in front of his desk and then slowly took a seat behind it; a look of surprise covering his face. "Well, well, Lucius Malfoy......... it's been about what?
Four... Maybe five years since we last spoke..... So I can't say I'm not surprised to see you here." he said with a raised eyebrow at the unexpected visit from the Ex-Death Eater.
"Kingsley....." Lucius said with a stiff nod.
Kingsley sat there for a moment in silence and then cleared his throat. "Forgive me, it's just I'm overwhelmed by your being here...... nobody has really seen any of the Malfoy family since the war...... and then of course after....." Kingsley trailed off and then cleared his throat real quick and then continued. "What is it that I can do for you, Lucius?"
"Yes, well, I suppose I'll get right to it then. I'm here for a position with the Ministry, specifically in the Department of Mysteries," he said with some distaste without looking in Kingsley's direction.
Kingsley continued to sit there and let the words process in his head for a moment. "Why? It's no secret about the fortune the Malfoy family has, why come to work at the Ministry?" he asked, leaning a bit over his desk as his curiosity grew.
"Let's just leave it at; I simply need a change of scenery," Lucius said casually.
"A change of scenery?" Kingsley mocked, shaking his head lightly. "You know I'm going to need more than that; surely I don't have to point out the obvious about why."
Lucius' lips tightened at Kingsley's words, yes, he knew he and his family could not be trusted and yes, he was aware that they were all practically outcasts now of the entire Wizarding World. He kept remembering the conversation he and Narcissa had the other night and he swallowed his pride and went on.
"What more is there to say? Besides the fact that neither I nor my family can show our faces anywhere without receiving countless death threats....... it may come as no surprise, but apparently working alongside the Dark L-.......... Voldemort has ruined the Malfoy name. I want to clear it and I believe by holding a position at the Ministry that could potentially-"
"Your name was cleared, Lucius, the Daily Prophet and I have spoken numerous times about your family's intentions during the war. I can't stop anyone from having qualms with you and your family, that I'm afraid you've done on your own."
"Thank you, Kingsley, but I am well aware of the damage that was done." Lucius drawled. "My family has paid for it countless times."
Kingsley let out a long sigh and calmed himself before things escalated. "There is a position for the head of the Department of Mysteries, now I won't deny that you would be the ideal candidate for the job despite your dark history, however, I could never put you in such a position if I don't trust you and that is quite an obstacle to overcome."
Lucius was quiet for a moment and then gave a short nod and stood up. "Well, then I best be going, good day, Kingsley," he said making his way towards the door.
Kingsley watched him and then rubbed the bridge of his nose as he seemed to have an inner fight with himself and then finally spoke. "Arthur Weasley is one of two candidates to fill the position of the Head of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Harry Potter is working in the Auror Office as I'm sure you're aware from the Daily Prophet." He paused, giving the words a chance to reach Lucius before he continued. "The Department of Mysteries and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement work very closely together." He paused again; looking up at Lucius, who was listening intently with a slight sneer.
Lucius turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Go on." he drawled.
"The position is yours if you can prove to me you have changed your ways and that you're not taking this position for malevolent reasons."
"Surely you're not suggesting-"
"Perhaps a formal invite to...... I don't know, let's say.... dinner, should be extended to the Weasley family from the Malfoys."
"You must be completely mental to think that any Weasley would accept such an invite." Lucius snarled.
"And you must be to think they won't," Kingsley said with a slight smile.
Lucius stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say, there was no way he would ever invite the Weasleys to the Manor; the two families were just not a good mix.
"Think about it, it will be a bit before the positions are ready to be filled so you have time."
"Time for what exactly?" Lucius snapped, unable to control his anger any longer.
"Time to start making amends."
Lucius scowled at him and then fled from the room, slamming the door behind him and apparating back to Malfoy Manor.
_______________________________________________
"GINNY, DEAR, SUPPERS READY!"
"JUST A MINUTE, MUM!" Ginny called from her bedroom.
She turned back to the letter she had been writing to Bill and sealed it up, then turned to make her way downstairs when she stopped and looked herself over in the mirror. She gave a sigh at her ripped jeans, faded T-shirt and worn out sneakers.
"No wonder you're single," she mumbled to herself.
It's not that she was unable to buy herself new clothes, especially after playing professional Quidditch for two years for the Holyhead Harpies. She had put everything away into savings so that she could get her own flat but wanted to have a stable job first before she took that next step.
Ginny was always grateful for the things she had and everything her parents gave her, so much so that countless times she offered every sickle she made to her parents if needed, but they had always refused any of it. She took another glance at her body and was even more grateful that she filled out a bit more in the chest and buttocks area the past few years. Playing Quidditch those couple of years left her toned and lean in all the right places. Her hair, though, seemed to turn even more orange, but thankfully started to develop some volume to it rather than the boring flat strands that just laid against her head.
She gave a soft sigh and headed downstairs to the kitchen and over to the window where a big brown owl was perched. She started to tie Bill's letter to the bird's leg when her mother spoke up.
"Ah, sending a letter to Harry?"
Ginny smiled to herself and rolled her eyes in amusement before sending the owl off into the evening sky.
"No Mum, it's for Bill and why do you always think I'm sending letters to Harry?" she said with a slight giggle; taking a seat at the table.
"Sorry dear, it's just that-"
"I know, I know....... Harry's a great guy and we make such a lovely couple and Harry this and Harry that....... I know Mum, you remind me almost every day." Ginny mocked in annoyance.
Molly turned to her daughter with a small smile; placing a stack of plates down on the table. "I don't mean to push or pressure you, you're just such a beautiful young woman and I want the very best for you........ you deserve it."
"Well, that's just it Mum, Harry isn't the very best for me.......... he may be a great guy and I love him dearly, but not in that way........ we just aren't meant to have a romantic relationship....... no matter how much you think we should.....
got it?" she said in a definitive tone followed by a slight smile.
Molly put her hands up to show she would back off and then turned back to the stove and soon the kitchen grew quiet with just the sound of Molly bustling about. Ginny let out a long sigh and thought back to her and Harry's break-up...... if it could even be called that. They both just ended up growing apart when it came to being more intimate and found they enjoyed each other's company a lot more when there was no pressure of pursuing a relationship between them. Well, that is what they told everyone anyway, there were other issues that she just couldn't bear to share with her family. She knew they held out for a while before splitting up because neither of them wanted to upset the many people that were cheering for them to be this power couple, especially her parents.
"Oh, Ginny dear, I'm packing some leftovers I'd like you to take with you over to George and Percy at the Joke shop tomorrow," Molly said suddenly, pulling Ginny from her thoughts.
"Oh, uh, I don't think I'm going......" Ginny said in a small voice.
"Why not?"
"Because Mum, I only offered to help them at the shop temporarily until I found something else........ and they don't even give me anything decent to do..... it's always just stocking and getting stuck in the basement sorting through papers." Ginny complained. "It's too boring and definitely not what you would think a job at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes would be like."
"Well, then you should ask Harry to get you a job-"
"Mum, please can we not do this right now?" she lightly pleaded with her Mother.
Molly looked at her daughter with a tight smile and then nodded. She knew Ginny was struggling with trying to find out what she wanted to do from here with her life and she wanted to be supportive of whatever it was she decided on. She knew Ginny was struggling with far more than that inside, but every time she even lightly touched on the subject Ginny would switch it or act as if all was carefree in the world.
Quickly trying to steer the conversation to anything other than her, Ginny desperately thought of something to say. "So, I wonder how Dad's meeting went with Kingsley." she finally decided on saying, then let out a sigh of relief when she saw green flames illuminate off the far wall from the fireplace in the living room.
"MOLLY!" Arthur's voice rang out in anger.
Before Molly could run towards the living room, Arthur stormed into the kitchen and plopped down in a chair. Molly quickly sat beside him and placed her hand gently on his arm as he tried to calm himself.
"What happened, Arthur? How did the meeting go?"
He finally softened his face a bit and leaned forward to give Molly a kiss on the cheek and flashed a bright smile over to Ginny, who returned the same. He let out a long sigh before he began.
"Apparently, Lucius was there....."
"LUCIUS? AS IN LUCIUS MALFOY?" Ginny said loudly; a surprised look covering her face. She hadn't heard the Malfoy name in years; the last time being in the Daily Prophet about their roles in the war and their names being cleared.
"Yes, he had just left before I got there and Kingsley filled me in; he's trying to get a position in the Department of Mysteries."
"That's absurd, surely Kingsley won't agree to it," Molly said, waving her hand to dismiss it.
"Well, that's just it........ he kind of did," Arthur said in a softer
voice, this time looking down at the table as he seemed to get lost in the previous conversation he had with Kingsley.
Molly turned around and just stared at her husband and then glanced at Ginny with a disbelieving look etched on her face.
"Dad, what do you mean, "kind of did?"?" Ginny asked finally after a short period of silence.
"Kingsley mentioned that both I and Harry are working in the Magical Law Enforcement Department and with this new position I'm hoping to get it will be working closely with the Department of Mysteries." he stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. "Kingsley wants to make sure that any animosity between Lucius and I is settled before he gives either of us these positions."
"So he's testing Lucius' trust...... but why can't he just let you have your position, you have nothing to prove to him," Molly said, anger rising in her voice.
"Kingsley has been trying to fill this position in the Department of Mysteries for a while now and he feels Lucius would be an ideal candidate IF he can trust him. Kingsley also thinks I'm perfect for this other position, but he wants to make sure I am willing to make an effort also." Arthur said, rubbing his hands over his face in frustration.
For a few moments, nobody said anything.
"What does Kingsley suggest?" Molly asked, placing a platter of chicken in the middle of the table before taking a seat again.
"Dinner.....to start with anyway," Arthur said as he stabbed a piece of chicken with his fork and dragged it onto his plate.
Ginny watched her Mother just shake her head in disbelief and her Father become deep in thought.
"Well, whatever you decide, dear, I will support you." Molly finally said, giving him a bright smile.
"I think you should do it," Ginny said suddenly.
They both stopped and looked at her.
Ginny couldn't help but be amused by her parents' reaction and a light giggle escaped her. "Seriously, Dad, you want this position so badly and you're great for it, don't let someone like Lucius Malfoy stop you from getting it. They're just people after all." she finished; taking a bite out of a warm biscuit.
After a few moments, she saw her Dad start to nod. "You know what? Your absolutely right, sweetheart," he said, pushing his dinner plate back and gesturing for Ginny to bring back a piece of parchment and quill.
She finally returned and handed it to her mother, who naturally took it upon herself to write the letter. Ginny sat back down and watched her Mother scribble away on the parchment as an image of her family and the Malfoy's sitting around a dinner table invaded her mind. After countless attempts to try and forget it she burst out into a fit of laughs as she watched her Mother tie the letter to a small gray owl and send it off into the evening sky.
___________________________________________________
Narcissa Malfoy sat nervously at her dining room table staring at the clock for the past half hour. She was fidgeting with the rings on her fingers and unknowingly shaking her leg in anticipation. Lucius was expected home at six o'clock and it was now a half hour past that, which caused a tightness in her chest as she thought about the many reasons for why he was running late. It wasn't very often that any of them left the Manor, especially after the war. Narcissa herself hadn't been outside the Manor since the last interview with the Daily Prophet and that was almost three years ago. She would occasionally visit a family friend, but otherwise, their family remained distant from the outside world. She suddenly jumped in surprise at the sound of a light pop and whipped her head to the side of her where a small house elf stood.
"You called for Tilly, Mrs. Malfoy?" the elf said in a small squeaky voice.
Narcissa quickly cleared her throat and looked back at the clock above the fireplace mantle. "Yes, Tilly, go fetch Draco for dinner," she demanded, not taking her eyes off the clock.
"Yes, Mrs. Malfoy" Tilly squeaked out before disappearing with another light pop.
Just as Tilly's soft pop subsided an even louder one came from the foyer, making Narcissa jump up from her seat and race towards what she knew to be Lucius' arrival.
"Lucius, are you alright? What happened? What kept you?" she berated him with questions and looked him over for any injury.
"I'm fine, just pulled aside for questioning on my way out of Kingsley's office about what business I had at the Ministry," he said with annoyance.
Narcissa let out a relieved sigh and took another deep breath to steady her nerves.
"Why questioning? Haven't we answered enough q-"?
"You know why Narcissa...... It looks suspicious," he said making his way towards the dining room.
She pursed her lips and shook her head before following and joining him back at the dinner table. She wanted to ask how the meeting went but decided to wait until dinner started to give him a moment. She was annoyed and angry at the entire situation, she hated not being able to show her face anywhere without getting death threats or pulled aside and questioned.
"Mrs. Malfoy, young Mr. Malfoy says he isn't hungry this evening," Tilly said as she reappeared beside Narcissa.
Narcissa just turned and stared at Tilly, a look of anger on her face that expressed a fuse in her that was about to be lit. She let out a frustrated sigh and closed her eyes to keep herself from exploding.
"Tilly, you tell my son if he doesn't COME DOWN for dinner RIGHT
NOW, then this will be the last time he EVER gets offered a meal IN THIS HOUSE AGAIN!." she snapped at the elf a bit louder than she intended, causing Tilly to take a step back.
Tilly gave a nervous nod and quickly disappeared.
Narcissa turned to see Lucius staring at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't give me that look, he's not going to keep taking meals in his bedroom or just stop eating altogether. That boy needs to get some kind of life back....." she trailed off, reaching for her glass of wine and taking a rather large gulp.
"Kind of hard to do these days Narcissa" he drawled.
"YES I KNOW!" she yelled back.
"Well, regardless of any of that, it's about time you get firm with that boy........ You're too nice to him." Lucius said in an almost mumbled voice as he started on the food that appeared on his plate.
"I am not; I just want what's best for him."
"By coddling him?"
"I don't coddle him, I-" she paused for a moment before continuing, "I don't mean to coddle him, it's just with everything that's happened these past few years he-"
She stopped speaking when she saw Draco make his way into the dining room and take a seat at the table, a look of utter annoyance etched on his face. She watched him pick at his food with a sneer and she eyed him carefully before she could no longer hold her tongue.
"Nice of you to finally join us..... I think it's been almost two days since I last saw you." she snapped at him.
He glared at her through the platinum blond pieces of hair that hung in his face and then went back to pushing around the food on his plate.
"You know a shave or even a comb through that hair before dinner wouldn't have killed you." she continued as she started on her own meal.
Draco threw his fork down on the table and sat back in his chair.
"May I be excused?" he drawled.
"No, I want you to eat"
"I'M NOT HUNGRY! CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME BE?" He shouted at her.
"DRACO! Do not speak to your Mother in that tone, if you don't wish to eat, then you will at least sit here with us." Lucius demanded.
"Why? What's the point?" Draco spat.
"ENOUGH!" Lucius bellowed glaring at his son. "You will hold that tongue of yours boy and sit through dinner with us." he continued in a threatening drawl.
Draco just shook his head and slouched down in his seat like a child as he listened to his Father start to tell his Mother about his meeting with Kingsley. He couldn't help but sit up a bit when he heard what Kingsley's demands were in order for his Father to be considered for the position.
"A dinner? With the Weasley family? That's...... there's no way that will happen." Narcissa said outraged at the idea.
"I know, but Kingsley was set on this......... I suppose it was worth the attempt anyway, best to just leave it be and forget the whole thing." Lucius said, dismissing any attempts at sending out an invite to the Weasleys.
"Why?" Draco asked suddenly.
Lucius looked at Narcissa and then cleared his throat. "Because Draco, they're the Weasleys, there's no way they would ever agree to something so ridiculous, especially after the loss of one of their children."
Draco just sat there with a sneer on his face, he wasn't sure what he was angry at, he was just......... angry. His parents tried to pretend they lived this normal life within the walls of the Manor, but it was what waited outside of these walls that forced them to stay inside all this time. After the war there was no place in the Wizarding World for the Malfoy family, everyone either wanted them locked up or killed. There was one of Draco's attempts to leave the Manor on his own that was a day he wouldn't soon forget and ever since had spent his days living in the Manor. He knew his family deserved everything they got; well that's how he felt anyway. The guilt of the things he did was so overwhelming that he couldn't help but feel he was paying for it by being trapped inside the walls of his own home. He thought about trying to show his face again in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, but his mother was against it. He knew if he pushed it enough, she would want to go with him and he wouldn't want to put his Mother in danger like that, it was a risk he would not take........again.
He was pulled from his thoughts when there was a light tapping on the dining room window. There was a small gray owl waiting outside with a letter, causing them all to exchange a look and continue to sit there and stare at the bird. They had hardly received any letters from anyone except for the occasional death threat ones. It was Draco, who finally stood and opened the window for the owl and took the letter and turned it over. His lips curled into an amused smirk as he read who it was from and tossed it on the table as he took his seat again.
"It's from the Weasleys," he said casually, folding his arms as he watched his Father and Mother exchange a look of surprise.
Narcissa opened the letter and read it aloud.
Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy,
We were hoping you will accept our dinner invitation for tomorrow evening.
Arthur and Molly Weasley
She stared at Lucius for a moment before folding the letter back up and setting it aside.
"What do you want to do, Lucius?" she finally asked in a small voice.
He remained silent for a moment and they both snapped their heads up at the sound of Draco roughly scraping his chair back and standing up and starting to walk away.
"Draco?" Narcissa called to him.
He just shook his head in disbelief and continued walking back to his room. Why his parents wouldn't jump all over the opportunity to try and get them some positive reputation was beyond him. Sure the last people he would want to be sitting at a dinner table with was a bunch of Muggle loving gingers, but how much longer were they suppose to live only within the walls of the Manor?
"What do you think, Narcissa?" Lucius asked her.
She turned to look at where Draco had just stormed from the room and thought of how lost he was.
"Accept it." she whispered.
_____________________________________________________
Grab it and pull it through, grab it and pull it through, grab it and........Ginny quickly let out a frustrated sigh and threw the crochet hooks aside on the couch.
"Something wrong, sweetheart?" Molly said over her glasses as she continued crocheting the perfect stitch.
Ginny looked at her Mother's perfect pattern and shook her head before getting up from the couch and making her way over to the chess set. "Dad, please come play a game with me so I don't have to bore myself to death with knitting.
"It's crochet." Molly corrected her daughter.
Ginny folded her arms and glared at her Mother. "Dad, please."
"Alright, alright," Arthur said, placing his paper down and joining his daughter in a game of chess.
Just as Arthur sat down there was a tap on the living room window by the same small gray owl they had sent out just a couple of hours earlier. Ginny quickly jumped up and ran over to the window and gently took the letter from the bird. She looked at the back of the letter and gave a small nod to her parents before opening it and reading it to them.
Weasleys
In regards to your invitation, we will accept. Dinner at the Manor tomorrow at 6.
Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy
"Weasleys? Did they really address us as Weasleys?" Molly asked in a calm but angry tone, causing Ginny to flash her a small smile.
"Of course they want us to go there, I knew the Malfoys wouldn't dare come to our home and it was our invitation." Arthur went off on a rant. "That Lucius is a real piece of work; you know I ought to-"
"Calm down, Arthur, dear, let's just accept the invitation to go there."
"But Molly-"
"Be the bigger person, Dad." Ginny cut in.
Arthur looked at his daughter before finally letting out a defeated sigh. "Alright, I guess tomorrow night....... we will be dining with the Malfoys."
"Well, in that case, I better head on up to bed now..... I'm going to need plenty of sleep in order to hold my tongue tomorrow evening," said Molly, getting up from her chair.
"Yes, I think I'm going to take a rain check as well, Ginbug, on our game," he said, getting up and placing a quick kiss on the top of Ginny's head.
"Alright, night Mum and Dad."
Ginny climbed the stairs shortly after them and went to her room, throwing herself on her bed. She laid there for a while just staring at her ceiling and got lost in her thoughts. She let out a bored sigh and turned on her side taking in her perfectly organized bedroom, which only was organized because she was completely bored these past few months. Having none of her brothers living at home anymore sure made things a lot duller around the Burrow and since she had stopped playing professional Quidditch she'd been living at home.
She got up and walked over to her window and stared out at the night sky and let her thoughts fall on tomorrow's dinner. Having dinner with the Malfoy family wasn't exactly ideal, but she would be lying if she wasn't a bit curious to see the famous Malfoy Manor. A part of her welcomed the uneasy and unsure feelings that filled her; it was like she was yearning for some kind of adventure or something completely unexpected to occur and this certainly caught her attention.
She could no longer take the silence that filled her room and she was getting fidgety with just sitting around doing nothing. She couldn't even visit Ron or Hermione right now, especially after her Mother ordered her to give them their privacy since their engagement. As for Harry, he was always busy with work, sometimes she would stop by to see him, but even then his focus was never on the visit. As for George and Percy, they were always swamped at the joke shop and she hardly could get a word in whenever she went to help out or just to go say hello.
She suddenly was filled with a bit of anger and decided to make her way downstairs to have a late night broom ride. She may not have been able to continue playing Quidditch, but flying just for fun was always something that she enjoyed, especially under the night sky. She mounted her broom and pushed off the ground and welcomed the warm breeze that whipped against her face.
She flew as high as she could and then would dive down as fast as she could towards the ground and pulled up at the very last moment as the adrenaline filled her body. She kept zipping through the nearby trees and just above the small lake in the distance feeling the mist wet her face as she flew by.
She stopped and looked around the dark grassy field realizing how alone she was. She took a few deep breaths before gripping her broom in frustration and took off at another high speed towards the sky. She sat on her broom for a moment and looked down at the dark home beneath her where just her bedroom light was on. She rubbed her face roughly with her hands and then stared down at the ground, letting her eyes drift over to the lake. She took off at top speed into a downward spiral towards the water; squinting her eyes as the rushing air passed over her face.
As she neared the lake she swung her other leg over her broom and just jumped from it from at least fifty feet above the water. Once she let go of the broom and started falling, her heart began to race and it was a feeling she so longed for. Her body hit the water hard and she felt the cold sting of the water engulfing her as she continued to sink deeper and deeper into the lake. She just floated there as still as possible just taking in the thrill of what her body was feeling. She watched her copper strands of hair floating around her as she slowly started floating up and felt her lungs begin to tighten, but she didn't rush to the surface........not yet. It wasn't until her lungs started burning that she felt her head break through the surface and she gasped for air, taking in huge breaths at a time.
She swam to the bank of the lake and stumbled out into the grass making her way over to where her broom landed.
"Great," she mumbled, as she picked up the pieces of debris that were once her broom.
She made her way back to the Burrow and threw what was left of her broom aside on the porch, then looked over her soaking wet body. A small satisfied smile stretched across her face as her racing heart was just now starting to slow down. She kicked off her wet sneakers and tiptoed upstairs to take a quick shower and finally settle down for the night.
"Sorry for the wait, I was in a meet-" he froze in front of his desk and then slowly took a seat behind it; a look of surprise covering his face. "Well, well, Lucius Malfoy......... it's been about what?
Four... Maybe five years since we last spoke..... So I can't say I'm not surprised to see you here." he said with a raised eyebrow at the unexpected visit from the Ex-Death Eater.
"Kingsley....." Lucius said with a stiff nod.
Kingsley sat there for a moment in silence and then cleared his throat. "Forgive me, it's just I'm overwhelmed by your being here...... nobody has really seen any of the Malfoy family since the war...... and then of course after....." Kingsley trailed off and then cleared his throat real quick and then continued. "What is it that I can do for you, Lucius?"
"Yes, well, I suppose I'll get right to it then. I'm here for a position with the Ministry, specifically in the Department of Mysteries," he said with some distaste without looking in Kingsley's direction.
Kingsley continued to sit there and let the words process in his head for a moment. "Why? It's no secret about the fortune the Malfoy family has, why come to work at the Ministry?" he asked, leaning a bit over his desk as his curiosity grew.
"Let's just leave it at; I simply need a change of scenery," Lucius said casually.
"A change of scenery?" Kingsley mocked, shaking his head lightly. "You know I'm going to need more than that; surely I don't have to point out the obvious about why."
Lucius' lips tightened at Kingsley's words, yes, he knew he and his family could not be trusted and yes, he was aware that they were all practically outcasts now of the entire Wizarding World. He kept remembering the conversation he and Narcissa had the other night and he swallowed his pride and went on.
"What more is there to say? Besides the fact that neither I nor my family can show our faces anywhere without receiving countless death threats....... it may come as no surprise, but apparently working alongside the Dark L-.......... Voldemort has ruined the Malfoy name. I want to clear it and I believe by holding a position at the Ministry that could potentially-"
"Your name was cleared, Lucius, the Daily Prophet and I have spoken numerous times about your family's intentions during the war. I can't stop anyone from having qualms with you and your family, that I'm afraid you've done on your own."
"Thank you, Kingsley, but I am well aware of the damage that was done." Lucius drawled. "My family has paid for it countless times."
Kingsley let out a long sigh and calmed himself before things escalated. "There is a position for the head of the Department of Mysteries, now I won't deny that you would be the ideal candidate for the job despite your dark history, however, I could never put you in such a position if I don't trust you and that is quite an obstacle to overcome."
Lucius was quiet for a moment and then gave a short nod and stood up. "Well, then I best be going, good day, Kingsley," he said making his way towards the door.
Kingsley watched him and then rubbed the bridge of his nose as he seemed to have an inner fight with himself and then finally spoke. "Arthur Weasley is one of two candidates to fill the position of the Head of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Harry Potter is working in the Auror Office as I'm sure you're aware from the Daily Prophet." He paused, giving the words a chance to reach Lucius before he continued. "The Department of Mysteries and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement work very closely together." He paused again; looking up at Lucius, who was listening intently with a slight sneer.
Lucius turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Go on." he drawled.
"The position is yours if you can prove to me you have changed your ways and that you're not taking this position for malevolent reasons."
"Surely you're not suggesting-"
"Perhaps a formal invite to...... I don't know, let's say.... dinner, should be extended to the Weasley family from the Malfoys."
"You must be completely mental to think that any Weasley would accept such an invite." Lucius snarled.
"And you must be to think they won't," Kingsley said with a slight smile.
Lucius stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say, there was no way he would ever invite the Weasleys to the Manor; the two families were just not a good mix.
"Think about it, it will be a bit before the positions are ready to be filled so you have time."
"Time for what exactly?" Lucius snapped, unable to control his anger any longer.
"Time to start making amends."
Lucius scowled at him and then fled from the room, slamming the door behind him and apparating back to Malfoy Manor.
_______________________________________________
"GINNY, DEAR, SUPPERS READY!"
"JUST A MINUTE, MUM!" Ginny called from her bedroom.
She turned back to the letter she had been writing to Bill and sealed it up, then turned to make her way downstairs when she stopped and looked herself over in the mirror. She gave a sigh at her ripped jeans, faded T-shirt and worn out sneakers.
"No wonder you're single," she mumbled to herself.
It's not that she was unable to buy herself new clothes, especially after playing professional Quidditch for two years for the Holyhead Harpies. She had put everything away into savings so that she could get her own flat but wanted to have a stable job first before she took that next step.
Ginny was always grateful for the things she had and everything her parents gave her, so much so that countless times she offered every sickle she made to her parents if needed, but they had always refused any of it. She took another glance at her body and was even more grateful that she filled out a bit more in the chest and buttocks area the past few years. Playing Quidditch those couple of years left her toned and lean in all the right places. Her hair, though, seemed to turn even more orange, but thankfully started to develop some volume to it rather than the boring flat strands that just laid against her head.
She gave a soft sigh and headed downstairs to the kitchen and over to the window where a big brown owl was perched. She started to tie Bill's letter to the bird's leg when her mother spoke up.
"Ah, sending a letter to Harry?"
Ginny smiled to herself and rolled her eyes in amusement before sending the owl off into the evening sky.
"No Mum, it's for Bill and why do you always think I'm sending letters to Harry?" she said with a slight giggle; taking a seat at the table.
"Sorry dear, it's just that-"
"I know, I know....... Harry's a great guy and we make such a lovely couple and Harry this and Harry that....... I know Mum, you remind me almost every day." Ginny mocked in annoyance.
Molly turned to her daughter with a small smile; placing a stack of plates down on the table. "I don't mean to push or pressure you, you're just such a beautiful young woman and I want the very best for you........ you deserve it."
"Well, that's just it Mum, Harry isn't the very best for me.......... he may be a great guy and I love him dearly, but not in that way........ we just aren't meant to have a romantic relationship....... no matter how much you think we should.....
got it?" she said in a definitive tone followed by a slight smile.
Molly put her hands up to show she would back off and then turned back to the stove and soon the kitchen grew quiet with just the sound of Molly bustling about. Ginny let out a long sigh and thought back to her and Harry's break-up...... if it could even be called that. They both just ended up growing apart when it came to being more intimate and found they enjoyed each other's company a lot more when there was no pressure of pursuing a relationship between them. Well, that is what they told everyone anyway, there were other issues that she just couldn't bear to share with her family. She knew they held out for a while before splitting up because neither of them wanted to upset the many people that were cheering for them to be this power couple, especially her parents.
"Oh, Ginny dear, I'm packing some leftovers I'd like you to take with you over to George and Percy at the Joke shop tomorrow," Molly said suddenly, pulling Ginny from her thoughts.
"Oh, uh, I don't think I'm going......" Ginny said in a small voice.
"Why not?"
"Because Mum, I only offered to help them at the shop temporarily until I found something else........ and they don't even give me anything decent to do..... it's always just stocking and getting stuck in the basement sorting through papers." Ginny complained. "It's too boring and definitely not what you would think a job at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes would be like."
"Well, then you should ask Harry to get you a job-"
"Mum, please can we not do this right now?" she lightly pleaded with her Mother.
Molly looked at her daughter with a tight smile and then nodded. She knew Ginny was struggling with trying to find out what she wanted to do from here with her life and she wanted to be supportive of whatever it was she decided on. She knew Ginny was struggling with far more than that inside, but every time she even lightly touched on the subject Ginny would switch it or act as if all was carefree in the world.
Quickly trying to steer the conversation to anything other than her, Ginny desperately thought of something to say. "So, I wonder how Dad's meeting went with Kingsley." she finally decided on saying, then let out a sigh of relief when she saw green flames illuminate off the far wall from the fireplace in the living room.
"MOLLY!" Arthur's voice rang out in anger.
Before Molly could run towards the living room, Arthur stormed into the kitchen and plopped down in a chair. Molly quickly sat beside him and placed her hand gently on his arm as he tried to calm himself.
"What happened, Arthur? How did the meeting go?"
He finally softened his face a bit and leaned forward to give Molly a kiss on the cheek and flashed a bright smile over to Ginny, who returned the same. He let out a long sigh before he began.
"Apparently, Lucius was there....."
"LUCIUS? AS IN LUCIUS MALFOY?" Ginny said loudly; a surprised look covering her face. She hadn't heard the Malfoy name in years; the last time being in the Daily Prophet about their roles in the war and their names being cleared.
"Yes, he had just left before I got there and Kingsley filled me in; he's trying to get a position in the Department of Mysteries."
"That's absurd, surely Kingsley won't agree to it," Molly said, waving her hand to dismiss it.
"Well, that's just it........ he kind of did," Arthur said in a softer
voice, this time looking down at the table as he seemed to get lost in the previous conversation he had with Kingsley.
Molly turned around and just stared at her husband and then glanced at Ginny with a disbelieving look etched on her face.
"Dad, what do you mean, "kind of did?"?" Ginny asked finally after a short period of silence.
"Kingsley mentioned that both I and Harry are working in the Magical Law Enforcement Department and with this new position I'm hoping to get it will be working closely with the Department of Mysteries." he stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. "Kingsley wants to make sure that any animosity between Lucius and I is settled before he gives either of us these positions."
"So he's testing Lucius' trust...... but why can't he just let you have your position, you have nothing to prove to him," Molly said, anger rising in her voice.
"Kingsley has been trying to fill this position in the Department of Mysteries for a while now and he feels Lucius would be an ideal candidate IF he can trust him. Kingsley also thinks I'm perfect for this other position, but he wants to make sure I am willing to make an effort also." Arthur said, rubbing his hands over his face in frustration.
For a few moments, nobody said anything.
"What does Kingsley suggest?" Molly asked, placing a platter of chicken in the middle of the table before taking a seat again.
"Dinner.....to start with anyway," Arthur said as he stabbed a piece of chicken with his fork and dragged it onto his plate.
Ginny watched her Mother just shake her head in disbelief and her Father become deep in thought.
"Well, whatever you decide, dear, I will support you." Molly finally said, giving him a bright smile.
"I think you should do it," Ginny said suddenly.
They both stopped and looked at her.
Ginny couldn't help but be amused by her parents' reaction and a light giggle escaped her. "Seriously, Dad, you want this position so badly and you're great for it, don't let someone like Lucius Malfoy stop you from getting it. They're just people after all." she finished; taking a bite out of a warm biscuit.
After a few moments, she saw her Dad start to nod. "You know what? Your absolutely right, sweetheart," he said, pushing his dinner plate back and gesturing for Ginny to bring back a piece of parchment and quill.
She finally returned and handed it to her mother, who naturally took it upon herself to write the letter. Ginny sat back down and watched her Mother scribble away on the parchment as an image of her family and the Malfoy's sitting around a dinner table invaded her mind. After countless attempts to try and forget it she burst out into a fit of laughs as she watched her Mother tie the letter to a small gray owl and send it off into the evening sky.
___________________________________________________
Narcissa Malfoy sat nervously at her dining room table staring at the clock for the past half hour. She was fidgeting with the rings on her fingers and unknowingly shaking her leg in anticipation. Lucius was expected home at six o'clock and it was now a half hour past that, which caused a tightness in her chest as she thought about the many reasons for why he was running late. It wasn't very often that any of them left the Manor, especially after the war. Narcissa herself hadn't been outside the Manor since the last interview with the Daily Prophet and that was almost three years ago. She would occasionally visit a family friend, but otherwise, their family remained distant from the outside world. She suddenly jumped in surprise at the sound of a light pop and whipped her head to the side of her where a small house elf stood.
"You called for Tilly, Mrs. Malfoy?" the elf said in a small squeaky voice.
Narcissa quickly cleared her throat and looked back at the clock above the fireplace mantle. "Yes, Tilly, go fetch Draco for dinner," she demanded, not taking her eyes off the clock.
"Yes, Mrs. Malfoy" Tilly squeaked out before disappearing with another light pop.
Just as Tilly's soft pop subsided an even louder one came from the foyer, making Narcissa jump up from her seat and race towards what she knew to be Lucius' arrival.
"Lucius, are you alright? What happened? What kept you?" she berated him with questions and looked him over for any injury.
"I'm fine, just pulled aside for questioning on my way out of Kingsley's office about what business I had at the Ministry," he said with annoyance.
Narcissa let out a relieved sigh and took another deep breath to steady her nerves.
"Why questioning? Haven't we answered enough q-"?
"You know why Narcissa...... It looks suspicious," he said making his way towards the dining room.
She pursed her lips and shook her head before following and joining him back at the dinner table. She wanted to ask how the meeting went but decided to wait until dinner started to give him a moment. She was annoyed and angry at the entire situation, she hated not being able to show her face anywhere without getting death threats or pulled aside and questioned.
"Mrs. Malfoy, young Mr. Malfoy says he isn't hungry this evening," Tilly said as she reappeared beside Narcissa.
Narcissa just turned and stared at Tilly, a look of anger on her face that expressed a fuse in her that was about to be lit. She let out a frustrated sigh and closed her eyes to keep herself from exploding.
"Tilly, you tell my son if he doesn't COME DOWN for dinner RIGHT
NOW, then this will be the last time he EVER gets offered a meal IN THIS HOUSE AGAIN!." she snapped at the elf a bit louder than she intended, causing Tilly to take a step back.
Tilly gave a nervous nod and quickly disappeared.
Narcissa turned to see Lucius staring at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't give me that look, he's not going to keep taking meals in his bedroom or just stop eating altogether. That boy needs to get some kind of life back....." she trailed off, reaching for her glass of wine and taking a rather large gulp.
"Kind of hard to do these days Narcissa" he drawled.
"YES I KNOW!" she yelled back.
"Well, regardless of any of that, it's about time you get firm with that boy........ You're too nice to him." Lucius said in an almost mumbled voice as he started on the food that appeared on his plate.
"I am not; I just want what's best for him."
"By coddling him?"
"I don't coddle him, I-" she paused for a moment before continuing, "I don't mean to coddle him, it's just with everything that's happened these past few years he-"
She stopped speaking when she saw Draco make his way into the dining room and take a seat at the table, a look of utter annoyance etched on his face. She watched him pick at his food with a sneer and she eyed him carefully before she could no longer hold her tongue.
"Nice of you to finally join us..... I think it's been almost two days since I last saw you." she snapped at him.
He glared at her through the platinum blond pieces of hair that hung in his face and then went back to pushing around the food on his plate.
"You know a shave or even a comb through that hair before dinner wouldn't have killed you." she continued as she started on her own meal.
Draco threw his fork down on the table and sat back in his chair.
"May I be excused?" he drawled.
"No, I want you to eat"
"I'M NOT HUNGRY! CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME BE?" He shouted at her.
"DRACO! Do not speak to your Mother in that tone, if you don't wish to eat, then you will at least sit here with us." Lucius demanded.
"Why? What's the point?" Draco spat.
"ENOUGH!" Lucius bellowed glaring at his son. "You will hold that tongue of yours boy and sit through dinner with us." he continued in a threatening drawl.
Draco just shook his head and slouched down in his seat like a child as he listened to his Father start to tell his Mother about his meeting with Kingsley. He couldn't help but sit up a bit when he heard what Kingsley's demands were in order for his Father to be considered for the position.
"A dinner? With the Weasley family? That's...... there's no way that will happen." Narcissa said outraged at the idea.
"I know, but Kingsley was set on this......... I suppose it was worth the attempt anyway, best to just leave it be and forget the whole thing." Lucius said, dismissing any attempts at sending out an invite to the Weasleys.
"Why?" Draco asked suddenly.
Lucius looked at Narcissa and then cleared his throat. "Because Draco, they're the Weasleys, there's no way they would ever agree to something so ridiculous, especially after the loss of one of their children."
Draco just sat there with a sneer on his face, he wasn't sure what he was angry at, he was just......... angry. His parents tried to pretend they lived this normal life within the walls of the Manor, but it was what waited outside of these walls that forced them to stay inside all this time. After the war there was no place in the Wizarding World for the Malfoy family, everyone either wanted them locked up or killed. There was one of Draco's attempts to leave the Manor on his own that was a day he wouldn't soon forget and ever since had spent his days living in the Manor. He knew his family deserved everything they got; well that's how he felt anyway. The guilt of the things he did was so overwhelming that he couldn't help but feel he was paying for it by being trapped inside the walls of his own home. He thought about trying to show his face again in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, but his mother was against it. He knew if he pushed it enough, she would want to go with him and he wouldn't want to put his Mother in danger like that, it was a risk he would not take........again.
He was pulled from his thoughts when there was a light tapping on the dining room window. There was a small gray owl waiting outside with a letter, causing them all to exchange a look and continue to sit there and stare at the bird. They had hardly received any letters from anyone except for the occasional death threat ones. It was Draco, who finally stood and opened the window for the owl and took the letter and turned it over. His lips curled into an amused smirk as he read who it was from and tossed it on the table as he took his seat again.
"It's from the Weasleys," he said casually, folding his arms as he watched his Father and Mother exchange a look of surprise.
Narcissa opened the letter and read it aloud.
Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy,
We were hoping you will accept our dinner invitation for tomorrow evening.
Arthur and Molly Weasley
She stared at Lucius for a moment before folding the letter back up and setting it aside.
"What do you want to do, Lucius?" she finally asked in a small voice.
He remained silent for a moment and they both snapped their heads up at the sound of Draco roughly scraping his chair back and standing up and starting to walk away.
"Draco?" Narcissa called to him.
He just shook his head in disbelief and continued walking back to his room. Why his parents wouldn't jump all over the opportunity to try and get them some positive reputation was beyond him. Sure the last people he would want to be sitting at a dinner table with was a bunch of Muggle loving gingers, but how much longer were they suppose to live only within the walls of the Manor?
"What do you think, Narcissa?" Lucius asked her.
She turned to look at where Draco had just stormed from the room and thought of how lost he was.
"Accept it." she whispered.
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Grab it and pull it through, grab it and pull it through, grab it and........Ginny quickly let out a frustrated sigh and threw the crochet hooks aside on the couch.
"Something wrong, sweetheart?" Molly said over her glasses as she continued crocheting the perfect stitch.
Ginny looked at her Mother's perfect pattern and shook her head before getting up from the couch and making her way over to the chess set. "Dad, please come play a game with me so I don't have to bore myself to death with knitting.
"It's crochet." Molly corrected her daughter.
Ginny folded her arms and glared at her Mother. "Dad, please."
"Alright, alright," Arthur said, placing his paper down and joining his daughter in a game of chess.
Just as Arthur sat down there was a tap on the living room window by the same small gray owl they had sent out just a couple of hours earlier. Ginny quickly jumped up and ran over to the window and gently took the letter from the bird. She looked at the back of the letter and gave a small nod to her parents before opening it and reading it to them.
Weasleys
In regards to your invitation, we will accept. Dinner at the Manor tomorrow at 6.
Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy
"Weasleys? Did they really address us as Weasleys?" Molly asked in a calm but angry tone, causing Ginny to flash her a small smile.
"Of course they want us to go there, I knew the Malfoys wouldn't dare come to our home and it was our invitation." Arthur went off on a rant. "That Lucius is a real piece of work; you know I ought to-"
"Calm down, Arthur, dear, let's just accept the invitation to go there."
"But Molly-"
"Be the bigger person, Dad." Ginny cut in.
Arthur looked at his daughter before finally letting out a defeated sigh. "Alright, I guess tomorrow night....... we will be dining with the Malfoys."
"Well, in that case, I better head on up to bed now..... I'm going to need plenty of sleep in order to hold my tongue tomorrow evening," said Molly, getting up from her chair.
"Yes, I think I'm going to take a rain check as well, Ginbug, on our game," he said, getting up and placing a quick kiss on the top of Ginny's head.
"Alright, night Mum and Dad."
Ginny climbed the stairs shortly after them and went to her room, throwing herself on her bed. She laid there for a while just staring at her ceiling and got lost in her thoughts. She let out a bored sigh and turned on her side taking in her perfectly organized bedroom, which only was organized because she was completely bored these past few months. Having none of her brothers living at home anymore sure made things a lot duller around the Burrow and since she had stopped playing professional Quidditch she'd been living at home.
She got up and walked over to her window and stared out at the night sky and let her thoughts fall on tomorrow's dinner. Having dinner with the Malfoy family wasn't exactly ideal, but she would be lying if she wasn't a bit curious to see the famous Malfoy Manor. A part of her welcomed the uneasy and unsure feelings that filled her; it was like she was yearning for some kind of adventure or something completely unexpected to occur and this certainly caught her attention.
She could no longer take the silence that filled her room and she was getting fidgety with just sitting around doing nothing. She couldn't even visit Ron or Hermione right now, especially after her Mother ordered her to give them their privacy since their engagement. As for Harry, he was always busy with work, sometimes she would stop by to see him, but even then his focus was never on the visit. As for George and Percy, they were always swamped at the joke shop and she hardly could get a word in whenever she went to help out or just to go say hello.
She suddenly was filled with a bit of anger and decided to make her way downstairs to have a late night broom ride. She may not have been able to continue playing Quidditch, but flying just for fun was always something that she enjoyed, especially under the night sky. She mounted her broom and pushed off the ground and welcomed the warm breeze that whipped against her face.
She flew as high as she could and then would dive down as fast as she could towards the ground and pulled up at the very last moment as the adrenaline filled her body. She kept zipping through the nearby trees and just above the small lake in the distance feeling the mist wet her face as she flew by.
She stopped and looked around the dark grassy field realizing how alone she was. She took a few deep breaths before gripping her broom in frustration and took off at another high speed towards the sky. She sat on her broom for a moment and looked down at the dark home beneath her where just her bedroom light was on. She rubbed her face roughly with her hands and then stared down at the ground, letting her eyes drift over to the lake. She took off at top speed into a downward spiral towards the water; squinting her eyes as the rushing air passed over her face.
As she neared the lake she swung her other leg over her broom and just jumped from it from at least fifty feet above the water. Once she let go of the broom and started falling, her heart began to race and it was a feeling she so longed for. Her body hit the water hard and she felt the cold sting of the water engulfing her as she continued to sink deeper and deeper into the lake. She just floated there as still as possible just taking in the thrill of what her body was feeling. She watched her copper strands of hair floating around her as she slowly started floating up and felt her lungs begin to tighten, but she didn't rush to the surface........not yet. It wasn't until her lungs started burning that she felt her head break through the surface and she gasped for air, taking in huge breaths at a time.
She swam to the bank of the lake and stumbled out into the grass making her way over to where her broom landed.
"Great," she mumbled, as she picked up the pieces of debris that were once her broom.
She made her way back to the Burrow and threw what was left of her broom aside on the porch, then looked over her soaking wet body. A small satisfied smile stretched across her face as her racing heart was just now starting to slow down. She kicked off her wet sneakers and tiptoed upstairs to take a quick shower and finally settle down for the night.
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