He ran a hand over his balding head and stared at the English couple who sat the other side of his rosewood desk. Folding his hands on the blue ink blotter in front of him, he waited patiently while they perused the taupe file he had handed them when his secretary Elodie showed them through at 9:15.
"Yes it's the same" stated the blonde wizard as he made to place the file on the desk.
The brunette next to him coughed slightly, and her colleague narrowed his eyes, handing her the file.
She slowly placed the images in front of her, pushing the open file to one side. She meticulously studied each image, her eyes darkened as she carefully considered each detail of the Trace report.
"You better Floo call Harry about the Black Notice" she told her partner, her eyes not leaving the images.
How she could bear to look at them he didn't know.
He summoned Elodie and asked her to show the blonde wizard to the Communications Department so that he could contact his boss on a secure international Floo.
"Do you require any assistance in arranging accommodation in Berlin, Mademoiselle?" He asked her with measured politeness.
The young brunette considered his offer for a moment.
"No, it's fine Minister, Mr Malfoy and I shall sort that out when we get back to our hotel" she replied, re-reading the Trace report.
There was so little to go on that he wondered what benefit it could possibly have to go through the few documents they had been passed by the German Ministry Interpol Liaison.
"Would you like Elodie to show you to the atrium?" he asked, his eyebrow quirked questioningly.
The brunette looked up at him, appearing startled by the question, before smiling politely and gathering the files into her briefcase.
"That would be lovely, Minister" she coolly replied, rising from her seat.
Elodie entered the office and smiled at the brunette, before allowing her to pass by out into the little ante-office where she found Malfoy perched on the corner of Elodie's desk. The brunette scowled.
"Everything okay Granger?" Malfoy asked her, the amusement evident in his eyes.
"Perfectly" she replied, her tone clipped.
Elodie showed them to the atrium, her bright red heels clicking along the flagstone flooring of the Ministry hallways.
Hermione continued to scowl, her eyes fixed on the heels, the noise irritating more with each step.
Red was such an obvious colour, she thought.
It could have been worse she considered, dryly.
They could have been green.