Chapter One

"He's ready to see you now."

Hermione stood, smoothing her heated palms on her trousers and thanked the young woman sat at the grandiose desk before the double doors.

Anthony stood up next to her, pushing his glasses up his nose as he gathered the files they'd brought with them.

"Ready?" Hermione turned to him.

"As we'll ever be." He returned with a nervous smile.

The secretary stood to guide them through to the vast office behind the great oak doors.

"Sirs, Ms. Granger and Mr. Goldstein to see you."

"Thank you, Minnie, that will be all." The smooth tones of Blaise Zabini filled the room around as the secretary excused herself and drew the doors closed behind her.

"Please, be seated." Zabini gestured to high-backed chairs positioned closest to Hermione and Anthony in front of the great mahogany desk.

"Thank you, Mr. Z-Zabini." Anthony stuttered.

"So, how are you progressing on our... project?" Zabini leant forwards.

"Ah, very well, er... Mr. Zabini, sir. The report from the Galapagos Islands was very informative, and, er, we believe that it may just be, um, useful when put into context with, ah-"

Hermione placed a gentle hand on Anthony's arm as she interrupted him.

"Unfortunately, we're not progressing as far as we had hoped." She stated firmly. "We've been hard pressed in following our leads in this area of research, and whilst we have very much appreciated the boundless resources offered to us, I'm unsure that we're able to move much further forward on this front."

A dead silence filled the room as Anthony looked at her with wide, startled eyes. This had not been their plan going in, but he wouldn't have understood if she'd suggested being direct, as startled as he normally was.

"Not good enough." Draco Malfoy smacked his open palm against the table making all but Hermione jump.

She nodded in concession, "I appreciate your frustration, Malfoy, but we're limited with how far we can go from here."

Zabini piped up, "You mean to say there's nothing that can be done?"

"W-well, there are certain limitations to the developmental process..." Anthony began.

"And did you not foresee these limitations, Granger?" Malfoy demanded.

"My apologies, Malfoy, I did not choose to continue the study of a subject as pointless as Divination." Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"Now, now," Zabini cut in "Let us get back to the subject at hand..."

"The subject at hand, Blaise, is that Granger and Goldstein took our money on the basis of a promise that we would see results within six months."

"I do understand that, Draco, but..."

"And four and a half months later we are now being told that we are facing limitations and that we are unable to progress much further. Well excuse me, but that sounds like absolute bullshit."

"Mr. M-Malfoy, if I could just..."

"No. We hired you on the basis that you are the best. Clearly, your best is not good enough. You are dismissed."

"Draco-" Zabini leaned forwards.

"Understood. Thank you for your time. Zabini, Malfoy." Hermione stood to leave.

"N-No." Anthony shocked them all, Hermione included.

A long moments pause of uncomfortable silence seemed to echo around the room.

"Excuse me?" Malfoy's quiet tone should have been warning enough.

"If I could just explain..."

"We are past explanations."

But Zabini raised a hand. "Please continue Mr. Goldstein."

Anthony took a long breath before continuing. "There is another lead. A small chance, mind. But a-a chance nonetheless."

Hermione looked at him with raised eyebrows. He couldn't seriously be suggesting...

"There is a plant. In Ecuador. That we- That I believe may hold great potential in this project." The rapt attention from Zabini and the mild interest from Malfoy seemed to give him confidence. "I believe that if we could harness the natural yield of this plant in it's own environment, we may well unlock an advanced stage in the cure for Cruciatus after-effects."

He was suggesting it. This bloody plant. After all this time, he'd been clinging on to this hope - why hadn't she seen it? What hadn't she stopped him?

"A plant?" Zabini asked.

"Yes. It's said to grow deep in untouched parts of the Ecuadorian jungle. It's rumoured to hold many properties, but I believe this could be one of them."

"Rumours, hearsay. Do you have any solid proof, Goldstein?" Malfoy interrupted.

"W-well, not as such, but the sources..."

"The sources do not give you facts, it appears."

"I understand w-why you might have trepidations..."

Zabini again cut in, "You really believe in this?"

"Yes, Mr. Zabini."

"And where can we get this plant?"

"As I s-said, it grows in Ecuador and..."

"So how do we go about getting it here?"

Anthony swallowed noisily. "W-we don't."

"We don't?"

"Bloody brilliant. Our one lead and we can't get our hands on it. Even better news. What a fucking fantastic day. Thanks for stopping by." Malfoy stood to leave.

But Anthony stayed firm. "W-we go to it."

Hermione cut in. "Anthony, you know we don't have the resources for that trip."

"We can give you more money, Ms. Granger." Zabini offered, "That would be the least of our worries."

"Speak for yourself." Malfoy muttered.

Hermione looked at Anthony's pleading face, saw the belief in his eyes. She sighed and turned back to Zabini.

"It's not so much the funding, it's more... who would go."

"B-but the funding still matters." Anthony cut in, reaching into another file for a printed spreadsheet tucked into the back of a folder. "I've calculated the costings that this trip would entail. It won't be cheap, but to do this p-properly, we'll need the best we can get."

He slid the paper across the desk. Zabini reached for it but wasn't as quick as Malfoy.

"Are you shitting me? We've given you a bottomless pit of Galleons for the past four months, and now you ask for this?!"

Zabini leaned over his shoulder. "Done. When do you plan to leave?"

"I'm not sure we can put this into action so quickly..." Hermione began.

"Two weeks." Anthony cut in.

"And how long will the expedition be?"

"Two months, all being well."

"And you're absolutely sure about this, Goldstein?"

"Yes. Sir." Anthony nodded.

"And you, Granger?" Zabini turned to her.

Hermione sighed. "It certainly holds promise."

"Well then, an adventure awaits the two of you!" Zabini crowed as he stood to shake their hands.

"Wait, you're seriously planning on giving them this money?" Malfoy turned to his companion.

"Absolutely. It's the best lead we have. Mungo's have done nothing on this for the past three years. We've tried other ventures and this is the first promising lead we've had in years." Zabini placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Money is money, Draco. Let them do this. Let us do this."

Malfoy paused for a long moment, studying Zabini closely.

"Fine." He eventually relented. "But I'm going, too."

A chorus of 'WHAT?!'s echoed around the room.

"You heard me. If you're taking all this money off us, I want to be sure it's spent wisely."

"But Malfoy, you're hardly in a fit state to be..." Hermione couldn't help her outburst.

"I'm in a perfectly fit state thank you, Granger, although I'm not sure what you're insinuating."

"What I meant to say was you're not exactly prepared for a trekking expedition..."

"And neither are you but we have two weeks to get ready. So I'll be joining you in preparations and on the trip."

"Malfoy, I don't think you fully comprehend exactly what-"

"And I don't think you fully comprehend, Granger, that I am coming with you."

"Draco, are you sure about this?" Zabini interrupted the back and forth with an amused smile.

"Absolutely. Why is everyone so uptight about it?"

"You're not exactly outdoorsy, my friend."

"Thank you, Blaise, but I assure you - I will be fine."

"Very well then." Zabini turned back to face his visitors. "Mr. Goldstein, Ms. Granger, I wish you the best of luck dealing with this stubborn, narcissistic, indoor-dwelling, silk-sheet-sleeping, wanker."

"Shut up Blaise."

"Just making them aware of what they're walking in to."

"By all means, Zabini, I had no intentions of walking into this when we came here today." Hermione remarked.

Zabini met her eyes with a grin as he clapped his hands together. "Well, you'd best get started."


A/N: Thank you for reading! Any reviews would be greatly appreciated.

-SimpsonSortia