Everything belongs to JK. I merely do her bidding through my own plots and stories.
This story includes events from DH excluding the epilogue.
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Chapter Nine - Sweet Oblivion
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"Ron?"
I must have said his name aloud because his head snaps to attention and even through the partial darkness I can feel his blue gaze on me.
"Who's there?" He shakily calls out, the key falling into his pocket as he retrieves his wand and points it forward. Even after all of his years an Auror, Ron is apparently still spooked about entering a dark building alone.
We have stepped back just far enough so that the bands of light stop a foot in front of us, covering Draco and myself in the shadows while Ron's silhouette is marred by darkness and emphasized by the street lighting behind him. There's a chance that he won't recognize us through our glamours - but equally, he is likely to put the large pieces together and see through our disguises. Either way Ron will be alerting the Aurors or Harry, or both, about the location and our suspicious activity.
"Who's there?" Ron repeats, his hand waving back and forth as he points in every direction. "Show yourself!"
Draco is on edge, barely two seconds away from running forward and tackling Ron to the ground so that he can shut the door and end any other outside suspicions. My hand fists in the back of his robe, pulling with just enough force to sway him backwards and gain his attention. Thinking quickly, and hoping my emotions won't cloud my magic, I hold onto Draco while wordlessly chanting a powerful invisibility spell. My eyes squeeze shut as I will all of my energy into the magic and they pop open a half second later when I feel him relax slightly under my down I cannot see my body, even through the shadows, and I exhale steadily to calm my blooming anxiety.
There's no use in Ron being able to see us until we can weasel some answers out of him. I'm exceedingly curious to know why he is here, now of all times, and who prompted him to come.
"Shut the door you imbecile," Draco barks at Ron, his voice dropping deeply to better conceal his identity.
Ron flinchs and turns in our general direction. If he takes a handful of steps forward he will run into us but he remains ignorant to our true location as he stares through us without really that he is probably better off shutting the door and keeping these possible hallucinations to himself, Ron reaches a hand behind him without glancing away from where he thinks we must be and flaps his wrist several times until he bats at the edge of the door. The echo of the wood meeting the frame sounds louder than it ought to and there is only the unmistakable heaviness of our breathing left as soon as the outside noises are sealed off.
"Who's there?" Ron repeats with a tremor of fear, blindly hoping that the third time will be the charm and his invisible company will be revealed.
He's going to find out sooner rather than later that it's me and I know I have to act now if I want to keep Draco from unleashing fury on my dimwitted brother.
"Ron - " I state his name clearly, hoping he'll recognize my voice and begin talking. "What are you doing here?"
"Come snooping for clues, eh?" Draco taunts him, a sneer as present in his voice as I'm sure it is on his face.
The faint light coming through one of the windows on either side of the front door highlights Ron's features as he cocks his head to get a better listen to our words. My brow tightens as I notice wrinkles around his eyes and the permanent frown to his mouth. I wonder if his stress lines were caused recently by my fiasco or if they are just another thing I hadn't noticed in the time since he and I have drifted apart.
"What are you on about?" Ron questions us suspiciously, no doubt to buy himself time because he cannot recognize his own sister's voice anymore. "Why would I be snoopin' 'ere?"
I feel Draco take a step backwards so that he is standing next to me and as his shoulder nudges mine I know he is silently mocking my brother's inability to catch on to the larger picture. Surely Ron is just pretending to be unknowing of why anyone would be here. I certainly hope he is not so daft as to think that we would believe his innocence of this dire situation.
"You tell us -" Draco grunts, folding his arms over his chest by the brushing motions I feel against my side. "What are you doing here?"
Ron tenses and I can only guess that he is sizing us up by our voices. He now knows there are two of us to his one and he must guess that Draco would be willing to intercede on my behalf if something were to happen. Afterall, Draco is such the gentleman.
"Ron - we're not going to hurt you," I state calmly hoping to either catch him off guard or buy a bit of his trust. Draco bristles beside me and I push my hip sideways against his, quieting him for the moment. Though I say that no harm will come, I know I cannot promise Ron that his ego will not be bruised after our encounter is over. "Just answer a few questions and you can go."
The light overhead comes to life and I'm struck by the sudden brightness. My heart beats at a galloping pace and the color drains from my face. With wide eyes I look up at Ron and the scowl twisting his features gives me pause. Oh yea - we're still invisible. Grinning at my brief panic, I glance to where Draco should be and tentatively reach my left hand out until I feel the mass of his arm. Grabbing his forearm I squeeze once and he inches closer. Still completely frustrated with our lack of appearance, Ron takes a hesitant step forward with his wand wavering back and forth in front of him.
In the light I can see that there is a slight ringing of black underneath his eyes. His once bright ginger hair has lost some of its color and the slight scruff that covers his sharp jaw looks like it hasn't seen a razor in too many days. The dark brown robe he is wearing has several stains near the collar and his khaki slacks have definitely seen better days. Ron looks tired and worn and I openly frown at his sagging shoulders and slumped posture. I wonder if his mishappen appearance is because of work and his association with my case or the stressful addition of having his first child. My chest constricts as I think of little Rose - the only image I have seen of her was the photograph my mother had at the Burrow after her birth and I pray that one day I will be able to meet my new niece without so much looming over my head.
"Only if you answer mine," Ron bargains, carefully inspecting every inch of the hallway as he steps forward, reactively sending Draco and I moving backwards with his advance.
"Alright," I concede, still holding onto Draco as if he and I could be separated at any moment."How did you get the key to the front door? I know you don't have one yourself."
My words make Ron stop and I hold my breath that I may have triggered his realization of us. His blue eyes narrow slightly and his wand stops when it is pointing directly in front of him, right at us. His lips pucker while forming a straight line, a habit he has had since childhood, and the expansive distance that has come between us looms like a treacherous and deadly sea in the middle of the short hallway. Ron quit speaking to me entirely when I joined MNZ Ventures and in turn I held my head high and hoped that one day he would come around. To this day I still think that Hermione persuaded Ron a little too harshly in an effort to keep anything from changing in her perfect little bubble.
But years of his wife whispering in his ear cannot undo his recognition of family. He knows it is me now - I can tell by the way he attempts to smooth over his expression, only to fail miserably as his brows furrow together. His cheeks pinken with Merlin knows how many years of anger and his knuckles whiten around his wand.
"I swiped Mum's key from the Burrow last night when I was there for dinner," Ron answers with a snap and what I assume is a sneer deepens the lines of his mouth. "Old bat doesn't even know I took it."
He fixes us with a triumphant smirk and I know Draco is using all of his strength to keep himself in check. The Malfoy heir has met my mother on several occasions in the last year and half and each time she has sung his praises more vividly than the time before. Draco has admitted that he enjoys her cooking and can see the appeal in having such a overly protective mother. It is no surprise to me that he is angered further by her own son's disrespect and I am half tempted to let the blonde haired wizard loose.
"So much snark for such an infinite coward," Draco drawls smoothly.
Ron seems to absorb his words and his entire demeanor shifts after a deep inhalation. His hackles rise with his chest puffing out and his body becoming eerily calm. He recognizes his longtime foe with a widening of his stance and suddenly Draco has blown any chance we had for getting some answers from Ron.
"Get away from my sister, Malfoy," he growls protectively, not having to see us to know that Draco and I are touching somehow.
"Not on your life, Weasel," Draco spits back and instinctively he places an invisible foot in front of me and stands to partially conceal me from Ron.
"What are you doing here, Ron?" I question feverishly, my voice squeaking as I place a hand on Draco's forearm reassuringly, letting him know that appreciate the gesture but I need to say my piece. "How did you show up right after we did - was it pure coincidence?" Surely he can hear the scraping hope in my words that he did not come here on purpose, at this exact time.
"Your little boyfriend was very useful this morning," Ron baits me, his wand never wavering as he points it at us. Why he hasn't cast Finite Incantatem yet is beyond me but I am silently grateful enough to not point out his error just yet. "When he made it known that he was going to be leaving Malfoy Manor for a holiday we knew that he wasn't really going anywhere. So we tracked his magical signature and his Floo grates all day until tonight - when you made the mistake of Apparating."
The smug grin on his freckled face is enough to make me want to run across the hallway and smack him. He is so sure that he has caught us. He almost seems delighted to be so near to arresting us. My own brother - closest in age but farthest from love - is eager to throw me in prison and be done with the messiness that is association with me.
The odd silence is broken by a thick chuckle from Draco. I infinitely wish that I could remove the invisibility spell but the knowing sound gives me pause and I begin to count to ten, allowing him those seconds to say something or else I will.
"Did you ever think that perhaps we wanted you to find us?" He rhetorically asks just as I get to five. "Did you really think it would be as simple as watching the grids to find us?" Draco's voice drops off and I recover quickly from his implications when Ron's smirk disappears and his mouth goes slack.
Did we lure him here? Was that Draco's plan, why he was so giddy about performing this task tonight? It is certainly possible that he assumed our appearance at my townhouse, the crime scene, would attract some attention but was he aware that Ron would come to investigate?
"Where's Harry and Hermione?" I suddenly blurt, suspicion and accusation laced in the short query. Ron's eery sneer returns with my panicked question and he lowers his wand slightly. "Where are they! ?"
Ron and Harry have been Auror partners since the day they graduated from the training academy. Their completed missions and arrests total in the three digit range and they have received several honors and medals for their bravery. But everything they do, from staking out to the final capture, they do together. Which begs the question, where is Harry? Hermione I know would never go on reconoscence even if it meant running into her fugitive sister-in-law. But Harry - could he be coming up behind us, Ron having been the distraction so that he can catch us unawares? I turn around and shift my feet until my back touches Draco's. He does not give Ron any indication of my movement but slides his hand down to grasp my palm and squeeze it tightly.
"I know you're alone, Weasley," Draco speaks again, gathering Ron's attention even though I cannot see the slight of panic run through my brother at his assured tone. "Potter's not here and Granger is probably at home, spewing lies to your child."
Ron's face has become increasingly flushed as Draco rattles his chains and he explodes in a cry of fury and runs forward. Draco, still holding onto my hand, grabs my other wrist and moves me sideways with him as the angry oaf comes lumbering at us. I twist my head to watch him come to screeching halt just before he slams into an adjacent wall and Ron swivels around, a murderous glare searching the entryway.
"Not so easy to pathetically fight your opponent when you don't know where they are, eh Weasel?"
This whole scheme has turned out so differently than what I had anticipated and without warning I'm hit by a wave of exhaustion. My right hand falls out of Draco's grasp and I wearily rub my forehead as I only half watch Ron turn abruptly to where he heard Draco's voice.
"Why don't you quit cowering behind your spell, Malfoy, and show yourself! - like a real man," Ron practically shouts, a vein bulging over his eye as he frantically looks for some clue as to where we are.
Draco chuckles again, the noise sounding neither humorous or hopeful. "I wouldn't waste my time on the likes of you, or Potter, Weasley." He pauses and I imagine he is snobbishly raking his gaze up and down Ron's less than standard appearance. "Why don't you just run back to your puppet masters and tell them you failed - again."
Ron's mouth pops open to retort and I am fairly certain there is steam coming from his ears. He looks as angry as the time Mum spanked him for destroying half the plates in the kitchen, damage that of course had been done by Fred and George. Draco sweeps in, once again, before my sputtering brother can speak.
"In fact -" he begins thoughtfully, obviously humoring Ron to a slight degree before he enacts whatever trick he has thought of. "I'll just make sure you have your story straight and then we'll send you on your way."
"Draco - what are you going to do?" I grapple until I get a hold of his arm and I'm sure he is looking down his nose at me, probably curious as to why I'm questioning him now. My voice is a thick whisper as I add, "No surprises, right?"
It is a knowing phrase the employees of MNZ have come to use to covertly ensure that they will not be killing or seriously injuring their target. Even though trouble has befallen my relationship with Ron, Draco would never enact vengeance on him for his spineless actions - not with me present at least. I feel his body move slightly as he nods his head and he confirms my inquiry with an almost amused, "Right."
The wool fabric of his coat rustles as he pulls out his wand and I look to Ron, his freckled face twisted into a dreading yet curious expression. He too has raised his wand again and if I didn't know any better, I would think this was a scene from our Hogwarts days. Ron has no idea where to aim if he is to hit Draco and he must not care to consider that I could be hit as well because he opens his mouth, his nose scrunching up in the process, to angrily spew some spell at our general area. Draco beats him to it.
"Obliviate!" He roars beside me and a blue mist of magic shoots towards Ron and surrounds his head before soaking in to his body.
His eyes glaze over and he wobbles on his feet. Without removing the invisibility spell that is still on Draco and me, I unclasp my tight grip from Draco's arm and slowly walk the short distance down the hallway. Ron seems to come to a little bit as I place my fingertips against the cool skin of his neck. His gaze sluggishly moves back and forth and when he realizes that he cannot see whoever is touching him he cautiously flinches.
"Sssshhhhhh," I whisper soothingly. My left hand reaches up to brush the hair off his forehead and I am reminded of simpler times when we were children and Ron didn't hate me.
He relaxes slightly and his eyes slide shut, only to open widely as a look of coherent consciousness flashes through his gaze. As quickly it came, the spark disappears and Ron returns to staring blankly ahead. I glance over my shoulder and glare at the invisible Draco, silently cursing him for the reenforcing drowsiness spell that he projects with his Obliviates.
Placing a light hand on his elbow, I gently turn Ron and slowly pull him towards the front door. He easily complies and I grab the doorknob as he patiently stands beside me.
"Go home, Ron," I tell him. "Go home and kiss your daughter. Tell your wife that you didn't find anything and you saw nothing." He blindly nods and makes no move to leave. "Go Ron - go home," I prod again and give him a push as he nearly trips over the open threshold.
He gains his footing and stands on the stoop for a long minute. I shut the door quietly and sidestep to one of the windows to watch as he haltingly walks down the steps and pauses on the sidewalk in front of Number Twenty-Three. He looks back at the red door, for a moment I think he is staring at me through the window, as if there was something he has forgotten to do.
I know that look - that concentrated stare that a recently Obliviated person gives just as their awareness comes back. It doesn't lurch my heart like it would have in the past to see my brother appear so lost; Ron seems to be someone else entirely now and that person has no desire to listen to my opinions or give me a second thought. Before I can get caught up in wistful memories and what-could-have-been I pivot on the balls of my feet and glance back down the empty hallway.
Except I know it is not empty. Draco is standing close by waiting for me to say or do a word I remove the cloaking spell and turn away when I see that he is barely a meter away from me. I hear fabric rustling as he reaches out to console me but I take a step towards the door and let my shoulders slump with a releasing of the tension down my spine.
"We should go," I say to the door. "As soon as they realize what we've done, someone else will be here to investigate Ron's story." My hand grabs the cold, brass knob. "Leave the other cameras - that one will have to be enough."
I don't wait for Draco's response. I twist the doorknob and invite the outside world back in as I deeply inhale the fresh night air. Stepping over the threshold, my arms instinctively wrap around my torso and I give him a moment to follow before I feel his warmth at my back and I hear the door quietly clicking shut.
Draco places a hand on my elbow and there is a moment for me to exhale once before the familiar tug of Apparation takes us away from Number Twenty-Three Rose Road.
D/G
"And Theo just wants to obey his orders like some lap dog!" Pansy screeched as she tossed her hands up in the air, her emotions getting the better of her with the one-sided argument.
Millicent sat at the round table underneath the slate grey umbrella, her lips only moving to accept the cigarette between them before she inhaled. Her eyes followed Pansy as the dark haired witch paced back and forth across the spacious terrace overlooking her expansive backyard, her feet only pausing when she momentarily ranted, screamed and yelled, about her husband. And Draco. And Blaise - rest his soul.
"You of all people should understand where I'm coming from," Pansy stopped and stared at Millicent, nonverbally pleading with her to agree. "Blaise was always generous towards you but I know for a fact that you often went beyond your duties without so much as a thank you or any recognition from him." Her dark brows shot up and one hand went to her hip as she cocked it to the side, proceeding with her rant. "Draco and Blaise have always called all the shots and taken all the credit for the company. And now Draco expects us to keep our noses out of Blaise's murder investigation? - Ginny's arrest investigation?"
Millicent knew Pansy had a point but the anger that was now bubbling under her skin was due to her friend's disrespect, not petty past indiscrepancies that were well past overlooked. She was as callous now as she had been in their teenage years at Hogwarts except now Pansy was better able to mask her disguist and put on a happy smile when she wanted something.
Theo had always given in to Draco and Blaise's demands, no matter the circumstance. Neither were surprised when this time wasn't any different but this time Pansy's loyalties outmatched the devotion she felt for a husband who would willingly bow out of the hunt. This time the circumstances were personal and the stakes were higher - she was not going to miss out on any of the action. Nor was she willing to wait for someone else to do the work that she could accomplish more quickly herself.
"I don't know what to tell you," Millicent responded cautiously, her sentence going short as she took a drag off her cigarette. "I want to do something about it as much as you do - but where would we start? We can't very well go marching around asking questions when we're possible suspects ourselves."
Pansy stared at her skeptically, a haughty smirk quirking her red painted lips as one eyebrow arched. Scoffing indignantly she stated, "This is what we do for a living, Millie - we always know where to start."
Millicent did not quite like her tone of voice which indicated that Pansy was already plotting something. She herself had never much cared for 'in the field' assignments and prefered the predictable routine of sitting behind a desk. Whatever Pansy was scheming would surely involve getting their hands dirty and though Millicent liked Blaise and Ginny just fine, she suddenly wished she hadn't accepted her longtime friend's offer for afternoon tea that day. If she could remain in the shadows, she would - but Pansy was making it clear that she was going to make it increasingly difficult for Millicent to stay off the radar on this operation.
"The Aurors?" Millicent reluctantly, and rhetorically, questioned.
A devious grin broke the calm expression on Pansy's face.
"Let's pay Detective Hightower a visit - I have a feeling she knows more than what she has already told us."
Millicent inhaled a thick stream of smoke and crushed the cigarette butt into a large glass ashtray on the table. She sighed with a slow exhalation and slowly met Pansy's anticipatory stare.
"And if not? - then what?"
The grin morphed into a heinous sneer and Pansy gripped the back of an ornate metal chair as she leaned forward towards her friend and co-worker.
"Then - we go see the Weasel King - rattle his chains and see if a threat to his precious Mudblood changes his tune - and his story."
Millicent nodded once, her throat working to swallow a large gulp as she turned silent. Soon enough she would be using all of that training she had endured - and with any luck she would not be nearly as incompetent as she had been on her first, and only, field assignment. Only time would tell but either way, Millicent could smell the change on the air and knew that they would be in for a rude awakening before too long.
