Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Read on, oh faithful ones...
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Chapter Thirty Six
...
Pansy barely waited for her knock to be answered before walking in to Blaise's bedroom. She was almost surprised to see all three of them dressed - admittedly, Ginny was wearing Blaise's shirt, and Blaise and Draco were merely in pants, but it was more than they'd been wearing last time.
"I'm not even going to bother asking how you got through my wards again, Pansy dearest," Blaise said off-handedly.
"Good, because I'm still not going to tell you how," she replied with a smirk. "Gin, you have something for me, I believe?"
Ginny nodded and rummaged through the pile of clothes and shoes on the floor to find her purse. Finding it a minute later, she took out the red-ribboned scroll, returned it to its original size and held it out for Pansy. Without a word, Pansy untied the ribbon, skim-read the scroll, then threw it into the fireplace and set the parchment on fire.
"Congratulations on succeeding your task."
"Wait, that's it? All of that for... that?!" Ginny asked, pointing to the burning parchment.
"Yes. Did you expect something more?" Pansy asked, both curious and cool.
"Kind of, yeah. Something more than a five-second skim-read."
"I read all of the information I needed, the scroll cannot be returned to the Malfoy's library without alerting anyone to the fact that it was missing, and I cannot have that information falling into the wrong hands. So, what else do you suggest that I do?"
Well, Ginny couldn't exactly think of an answer to that.
"At least you didn't try to read the scroll; that never ends well," Blaise said, smirking.
"Did those boils ever go away, or is poor Zachary still stuck like that?" Draco asked with a smirk of his own.
"They faded after his three-month probation," Pansy replied. "If you'd like to hand over your items, I'll leave you three to your day."
"Oh, before you go, Pans: what was Claudia's mission for last night?" Blaise asked as he found his robes and emptied out the various pockets.
"You know I can't divulge other's missions, Blaise," Pansy said with a sigh; they'd obviously had the conversation before.
"No, no, nothing like that. It's just that she tried to use a love potion masquerading as a perfume to get to Draco. If her mission wasn't to make him fall in love with her, then I'm just wondering if I need to hex the witch," Blaise said, handing over a silver ring.
"Hey, that's my mother's ring! Blaise, you bastard, when did you even steal that?" Draco asked.
"When I was thanking Narcissa for inviting me. I did a spell to make everyone believe that the ring was still on her finger, and your poor mother didn't even notice that I'd taken it. In fact, if Gin had made me leave the queue any earlier, I might not have completed the spell at all," Blaise added.
"It was a difficult spell to notice; it took me longer than I'd like to admit to notice it," Pansy admitted.
Blaise seemed proud at that. Draco finally found his item tucked in a handkerchief and handed the locks of blonde hair to Pansy carefully.
"That's more strands than I expected," Pansy said.
"I simply mentioned how much I loved her hair colour and she practically cut off a lock of hair herself," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "I thought we taught better security than that?"
"Whose hair is that?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Claudia's," Draco replied.
"Do we dare ask why you needed her hair?" Blaise asked Pansy.
"No, you'd better not. I'm not paying you enough to know that," Pansy replied with a slight grin.
"Right; I'm not sure I want to be paid enough to know that, then," he muttered.
Pansy shook her head at him.
"Since I'm working at The Quibbler for the next three months on probation, do you want to set up a lunch date, Pansy?" Ginny asked.
Pansy's expression softened a touch and she nodded. "I'd like that."
Ginny grinned. "I'll owl you on Monday then?"
"I'd better owl you first; owls that aren't registered with Cloffice rarely reach me," Pansy said.
"Is that why you never replied to our lunch invitation?" Draco asked.
"No, I just didn't want to eat lunch with you two. I already did enough of that at Hogwarts: I've seen how you two eat when you're irritable and hungry, and it's not pretty," she added.
Ginny snorted in laughter, Draco and Blaise offended and glaring at her. By the time Ginny had composed herself again, Pansy had Disapparated without a sound or word of goodbye.
"It's terrifying how she does that," Draco muttered to Blaise, who nodded in agreement.
...
Ginny headed back home after eating breakfast with Draco and Blaise, her agreement with Ginevra playing on her mind to the point where she almost Splinched herself. She arrived to find a note from George saying that he was out to see a man about a Horklump: that was their code to say that he was out on Cloffice business and not to expect him back before their lunch date. His note was sitting atop the newest edition of The Quibbler, which included her 'apology' article to Blaise. It basically stated that he was a gentleman among wizards, the Malfoy Ball was everything she had expected and more (and that's all she could say), and that her previous allegations about Blaise and Draco sleeping together were misinformed.
It was as close to an apology as they would get; Ginny doubted there would be any further comments from Blaise or Draco on the matter. At least, not publicly. They'd had plenty to say about it that morning, after all. Most of it was between laughter at how the 'misinformed allegations' were true because they weren't sleeping when they were together anyway. Ginny didn't know whether to laugh or groan at their terrible innuendos.
I take it you're ready to hear about Amelie now, as per our agreement? Ginevra asked after Ginny sat on the lounge and made herself comfortable.
As ready as I'll ever be, Ginny replied shortly, still upset with Ginevra.
That's good enough. For now.
Ginny closed her eyes, expecting Ginevra to start talking. However, like falling into a Pensieve, she found herself falling into a memory instead.
...
Ginevra was anxious for her three-month probation to finish. She had been counting down ever since she had started this mind-numbing job within the Ministry, passing on relevant information and gossip dutifully to Pansy whenever she requested it. While she had pride over the changes she'd seen happen with that information, Ginevra wanted to get out into the world to do more. Finally, after waiting for so long, Ginevra only had two days left.
She headed to her luncheon with Pansy and Gabrielle with a bounce in her step that hadn't been there for the last two months and twenty-eight days.
"You're looking awfully chipper," Pansy commented as she slid into the booth across from her and Gabby.
"Two days left and I've finished my probation," Ginevra replied, not even bothering to hide her excitement.
"Has it been three months already? I thought it was only two," Pansy said, her brow furrowing as she frowned.
"Oh, no, you're not pulling this shit on me again. It's been three months and you know it. Tell her, Gabby."
"It has been three. My clothes know it, after eating lunch out nearly every day for three months," Gabrielle muttered, looking down at her shirt.
"You look as lovely as ever, Gab," Pansy said, patting her hand.
"Oh, you must be excited for the weekend, right, Gabby?" Ginevra asked, grinning.
"I 'ave no idea what you are talking about," Gabrielle muttered, her accent heavy and her cheeks pink.
"You're introducing Jean to the family. Finally; I thought mother was going to have a fit if she didn't meet your girlfriend sometime this decade."
"We might not after all; Jean is... Well, she doesn't like being paraded around in front of other people. It was hard enough to get her to meet Fleur and Bill at the same time. All of ze family at once might be too much for 'er," Gabrielle said, shrugging.
"It's not a parade, Gab. She's just going to meet everyone, then you'll eat lunch and escape before mother calls on people to do the dishes. Everyone's partners have done the same, and it's relatively painless; just ask Fleur. Besides, I'll be there to support both of you," Ginevra said with a grin. "If Jean gets overwhelmed, you two Disapparate, and I'll take the fallout."
Gabrielle bit her lip, still looking worried. "You promise?"
"Of course."
"All right, I'll convince Jean tonight," Gabrielle said.
Pansy shared a quick look with Ginevra, and she knew that Pansy was worried that Gabrielle had to convince Jean of anything. Family was important to Gabby, even her extended family in the Weasleys, and everyone who knew Gabby well enough knew that. Jean should know that too and want to meet the people so important to her girlfriend, surely? Ginevra gave a slight shrug in response, hoping it would turn out for the best on the weekend.
"Good afternoon, wonderful ladies. You want your usuals?" Marco asked with a grin.
Ginny recognised Marco as the owner of The Horse's Hooves, and was surprised to see him here as a waiter. Ginevra paused the memory to tell her that Marco was their waiter and chef for three months; he had made it known that he wanted to make enough money to have his own restaurant and they had always tipped him well for the good service and food. Pansy had talked of providing him enough money to start his own restaurant with the provision that it would be a safe house for her agents.
They ordered their usual lunches and drinks, Marco leaving a moment later.
"Tell me it's three months and I can get out of this job, Pans," Ginevra begged.
"Maybe it's been two-and-a-half months?" Pansy mused, and Ginevra could see a twitch on her lips that proved she was joking.
"Not funny, Pans. Not funny at all," Ginevra groaned.
"It was a little funny," Gabrielle said, smirking.
"Ugh, I hate both of you."
"No, you don't," they answered in unison and without hesitation.
"Tell me what I'm doing when I get out of this place, please, Pans?"
"You'll find out in two days, just like the others."
"Fine. I'm going to call in sick for the next two days and stay home fucking Draco and Blaise instead."
"Do that and I'll make you all stay on probation for another month."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Wouldn't I?" Pansy replied, smirking at her coolly.
Ginevra sighed heavily. "Fine."
"I thought it would be. Now, what's the latest gossip at work?" Pansy prompted.
Ginevra reported the Ministry gossip dutifully, continuing even when their lunch arrived, and finished her meal between words or when Pansy or Gabby talked instead.
Two whole days and she didn't even have a hint of what to expect afterwards to get her through. Damn.
Thinking that the next two days would drag on, Ginevra was almost surprised when Friday evening came and she realised that she wouldn't be coming back to the Ministry on Monday morning. Merlin, she bloody well hoped not!
She had dinner with Draco and Blaise, all three of them nervous about what the next day would bring. They all had individual meetings with Pansy to discuss their future within Cloffice, and they were so highly strung that they spent the night training to the point of exhaustion rather than fucking or doing any other more pleasurable activities.
Waking up on the training mat the next morning, Ginevra reflected that it was probably a poor choice of bed for the night. She didn't blame the house elves for leaving them where they'd fallen; the last time a house elf had tried to move them to their bed, Blaise had almost stabbed the poor thing with his sword in his sleep.
A clock struck eight in the hallway, and Ginevra swore loudly, realising that she was going to be late for her appointment with Pansy at nine. Her swearing woke Draco and Blaise up, and they all threw their swords to the side before rushing upstairs to the bathroom. Ginevra reached the shower first, but that didn't matter to her boys, both of them crowding inside. Draco decided that they had time for sex after all, and well, Ginevra couldn't argue with that.
She finished her shower feeling much more relaxed, and spent a few minutes drying herself before heading into the bedroom to get dressed. Draco and Blaise spent a few more minutes in the shower by themselves before following suit. Ginevra had finished changing into her pants, top, heeled boots, and even fixed up her hair by the time Draco and Blaise joined her in the bedroom. Ginevra kissed their cheeks and pushed them towards the walk-in closet.
"You're going to be late if you don't get changed, boys," Ginevra called, heading downstairs to eat breakfast.
Her stomach was in knots over her anticipation, but she forced down some tea and toast, and felt somewhat better for it. Draco and Blaise stumbled in to the dining room a few minutes before Ginevra was due to leave, both dressed in a similar fashion with pants, shirts, and boots, and they kissed her eagerly in turn.
"Now, take a deep breath, don't forget your training, and always remember that we love you," Draco said, watching as Ginevra breathed in deeply.
"But especially remember that last part. You can forget the training if you like," Blaise said with a snicker.
"Oh, of course. Now, both of you... Deep breath, remember your training, and that I love you, too."
Draco and Blaise breathed in deeply, a tad dramatically, but her boys had always been a bit over the top and Ginevra didn't love them any less for it. Ginevra smiled and kissed them each, squeezing their hands tightly before stepping back and Apparating.
Fifteen minutes later, Ginevra was no longer smiling.
...
"I don't see what this has to do with Amelie. And thanks for adding in the shower sex, that was a nice touch," Ginny muttered, scowling.
I am getting there, now stop interrupting. If I have to deal with you having sex with our boys, then you can do the same for me.
Ginny muttered obscene words under her breath, but Ginevra just laughed.
"Hey, Gin. You're home, I thought that was you," George said, coming into the lounge room with a yawn. "Did you get Draco to stop smelling, or was that a very weird dream I had?"
"It wasn't a dream. And I'd thank you to not proposition my boyfriend while I'm right there."
"He was the one that firecalled me half-naked," George replied, grinning as he turned to head to the kitchen. He needed tea.
"So not the point, Forge."
George froze. "What did you call me?"
"Forge; it's what I always used to call you. Well, before that little memory repression I went through, at least. I'm sharing my memories with Ginny. Amelie's memories, really, and she's letting me say hi to you. She's stubborn, isn't she?"
"As stubborn as you've always been. You're in Ginny's head?" George queried, a little confused.
"You mean Pans didn't tell you? Oh, Forge, what's been going on with you two? She would've told you that the same day I told her before all of this."
George shrugged, though his chest ached. "Things change. We couldn't stay together with everything else falling apart around us."
Ginevra made a noise of displeasure, and gave him a half-hearted glare. "It's when everything's falling apart that you need to stay together the most. Don't let it happen again this time."
"What do you mean 'this time'?" George asked.
Ginevra laughed, sour and bitter. "Why do you think I've been coming back? It's not just to deal with Little Miss Stubborn, y'know. Things are going from bad to worse, and I can't run away and hide this time."
"Any chance you can elaborate on the bad to worse part?" George asked hopefully.
"Not a chance, Forge. It's way above either of our pay grades," Ginevra replied, grinning.
"All right, I think that's quite enough now," Ginny muttered. "Sorry for waking you last night, George. Did you get enough sleep?"
George was a little startled by the sudden transition between his sister and ... well, his sister, but gave a brief nod. "Enough to live. I'll have a better sleep tonight, I'm sure. I've got to get to the shop soon, but I'll come back for lunch, okay?"
"Look forward to it," Ginny said with a smile. "Oh, and I'm not stubborn!"
"Yeah, you are, Gin," George said, laughing as he headed into the kitchen again.
I take it you want me to continue? Ginevra asked.
Ginny nodded and closed her eyes.
...
"You're to leave for Nepal in two hours. Your international Apparation license has been granted, and is in the envelope, along with your instructions. You'll be there for a month, and if you do not complete this assignment in this time-frame, you will have another three-month probation period before being reconsidered for field duties," Pansy informed Ginevra.
"Two hours? Do I get any say in this at all?"
"Yes, two hours, and no, you don't. You were practically begging for field work two days ago, Ginevra, don't tell me that you're going to refuse it now?"
"No, I'm not going to refuse. I'm just surprised, that's all. It's more sudden than I realised. Do I get time to say goodbye?"
"George is here to say goodbye and pass on any messages. Your family will believe you are being sent on a job for the Ministry and be in a remote region without any way of communicating," Pansy added.
Ginevra nodded firmly and took a deep breath.
"You might like to read your instructions while I retrieve George for you," Pansy added, a slight twitch on her lips as she stood up from behind her desk and headed to the door.
Ginevra barely waited for the door to close behind Pansy before ripping open the envelope and reading the parchment. She would be going to Nepal, staying in a wizarding village within the Muggle Annapurna Conservation Area, and would be escorting a herbologist into the Kali Gandaki Gorge, the deepest gorge in both the wizarding and Muggle worlds. Apparently, the herbologist was married to an Unspeakable working in the Time Room within the Department of Mysteries. Due to the herbologist's work, as well as their marriage to an Unspeakable, they were a high profile target for either kidnapping or an assassination. Unspeakables marrying common witches and wizards was rare enough, and if anyone wanted to access the Time Room with a supposed store of Time Turners still safely hidden away, they would most likely use the herbologist as a way to force the Unspeakable's hand.
The herbologist had made several enemies within the academic world with their findings and publications, a high percentage of which disputed the claim that the Horklumps were a beast and had no discernible use. While the Horklump was listed in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with a single X Ministry of Magic (M.O.M.) classification (meaning boring), the herbologist was arguing the fact that it was actually a plant, just somewhat more self-aware than most flora. The Horklump was native to Scandinavia, it had spread throughout northern Europe, and there had been several sightings of the creature/plant in Nepal, which was the herbologist's main reason for travelling to the country.
All of this over a plant, Ginevra thought to herself. Neville might kill me for thinking that, she added with an internal snicker.
She was about to return the parchment to the envelope when Ginevra noticed one more piece of information at the bottom: Draco and Blaise were to go with her.
Ginevra was seething by the time Pansy and George returned, and she barely acknowledged her brother's presence. "I'm being babysat while I'm babysitting? Do you think I can't do this on my own?"
Pansy didn't bother responding to her outburst, calmly moving around the desk until she was seated once more. "There are rumours that people have been hired to either assassinate or kidnap the herbologist to either ensure they do not publish their findings, or to gain access to the Ministry's Department of Mysteries. We are sworn to protect the people and the Ministry, and despite what you think, this is not a babysitting job. One of you will be required to protect the herbologist and ensure their safety while in the gorge, and the other two are to stay in the village and ensure that no kidnappers or assassins complete their mission. Any kidnappers or assassins that you come across are to be kept alive if possible and turned in to Cloffice.
"Of course, if you think that this is nothing more than a babysitting job, I am more than willing to find you something behind a desk instead," Pansy added.
"I just don't see why it's necessary for three people," Ginevra muttered.
"I am doing it as a courtesy to all three of you; would you prefer to go with one, or neither? There is another in your graduating group that I'm sure would love the opportunity," Pansy pointed out, fully aware of Ginevra's dislike for the wizard.
"It's fine; I'd prefer Draco and Blaise. Thank you, Pans," Ginevra said quickly.
"You'd better be; it took a lot of explaining as to why I was sending three people on that mission instead of two," she muttered. "I've got interviews with Draco and Blaise now, so you have ten minutes to say goodbye to George. Then I suggest you head home and pack. Nepal is cold this time of year."
"So, who is this herbologist, anyway? You're not going to protect Neville, and just having one big holiday for a month, are you?" George asked, grinning.
"Obviously not; Dennis doesn't work in the Department of Mysteries, and he and Neville aren't married anyway," Ginevra replied, shaking her head.
"They might be, y'know. I'm pretty sure if they did get married, it would be a small affair with the celebrant there under an Unbreakable Vow not to utter a word about who they were marrying or they'd face certain death."
"If I come back in a month to find out that you've become a celebrant and have married off Neville and Dennis without me being in the damn country, I will make you regret it," Ginevra said firmly.
"Oh, I don't doubt that for a second, dearest sister."
"Good. Now, since I'm not going to be at the family lunch tomorrow, you have to look after Gabby and Jean, okay? Jean's worried about being paraded around in front of everyone, and I promised Gabby, so you have to promise me, okay?"
"All right, I promise to look after Gabby, and I'll try my hardest to not let our family overwhelm poor delicate Jean."
"Hey, don't be a bastard; you know that our family is overwhelming even when they've got everyone's best interests at heart," Ginevra pointed out.
"I know, I swear I do. I'll look after them," George promised, hand over his heart.
"Thank you. Now, give me a hug, and tell me everything will be fine."
George nodded seriously, pulling Ginevra into a firm hug. "Everything will be fine if you don't fuck it up, and I know you won't fuck it up."
Ginevra laughed against his shoulder and hugged him tightly in return. "Say goodbye to everyone for me. Try to lessen the blow that I didn't say goodbye myself, and make sure mother doesn't owl me. I'll be trying to keep someone else alive."
"Hm, true. It's hard enough for you to keep yourself alive sometimes," George said, grinning wickedly, laughing when Ginevra whacked his arm. "You'll do fine, Gin. This is an easy starting job, trust me. If you're lucky, it will be like a holiday and you'll be appropriately disillusioned for your next job."
"I'd prefer not to be disillusioned if I can help it, Forge."
...
"And I'm still not seeing the point to this," Ginny interrupted. She had agreed to hear about Amelie, not all of this other useless information.
I am getting there, but we have to take the long way round. Now shut up and keep listening, Ginevra snapped.
...
Two weeks later, Ginevra was almost used to the elevation and then the sudden drop that she experienced every day by Apparating with Nicole from the middle of Annapurna I mountain over 4,000 metres above sea level, down to the bottom of the Kali Gandaki gorge over 5,500 metres below sea level. Travelling the 9,500 metre difference in the span of seconds was not something that Ginevra had enjoyed. Draco and Blaise had both tried, taking their own turns to protect the herbologist in the gorge, but had been so ill after their attempts that Ginevra had to take over as the primary protection detail while they stayed in the village.
Nicole was a pleasant woman to protect, even if she became over-excited at times and rushed off the self-imposed trail they'd created to look at a different species of plant instead. Ginevra found herself guiding Nicole back to the Horklumps that were growing in the gorge most of the time. The rest of the time she was setting up wards, checking that the trail was safe, and investigating the different worrisome noises she heard over the course of the day (Ginevra had spotted 42 different bird species so far).
Nicole usually chattered away about Horklumps or plants in general, and Ginevra had learnt more about flora than she even knew existed. If Nicole became too engrossed in her work of cultivating or testing the Horklumps, she often trailed off or stopped speaking completely, and while it had freaked Ginevra out to start off with, sure that Nicole had been kidnapped right under her nose with the way the her talking suddenly stopped, she was used to it now. Instead of focusing purely on Nicole's idle chatter, she listened for the sound of her boots on the forest floor, the rough scrape of her thick material, the squelching noises the Horklumps made when Nicole neared, their tentacles digging into the ground further.
Draco and Blaise had spent their time in the village, keeping warm by the fireplace, and listening to local gossip. They'd been the cause of most of the gossip in the first few days, two witches and two wizards arriving at the Annapurna wizarding village so late in the year and with winter on their heels, but it soon died off and reverted back to the usual gossip of a small village. By the end of the first week, they knew nearly every shopkeeper by name, if not sight, and had promised to take Ginevra to the local glass blower's shop further up the mountain.
With two weeks of Nicole's grant-paid research passing, Ginevra was sure that the next two weeks would be much the same: Apparating 9,500 metres far too early in the morning, then Disapparating back up the 9,500 metres in the mid-afternoon when the sun no longer reached the bottom of the gorge, and not much else in between. She was proven wrong that very afternoon when she Disapparated with Nicole and a few Horklumps back up to their small house, only to have Draco and Blaise pull her aside when Nicole went to do some more testing on the Horklumps they'd gathered.
"Someone else is in the village. One witch and one wizard, not locals, not tourists, and not friendly," Draco muttered.
"How do you know they're not tourists?"
"They don't have the right currency, or the right clothes for this time of year," Draco replied.
"Doubtful that they're planning on being here for very long," Blaise added.
"Did you get photos?" Ginevra asked, keeping her voice quiet.
Nicole was just as easily worried as she was excited, and if Ginevra could keep her from finding out about this, she hoped that it might be resolved without Nicole ever knowing.
"Yes, several. We've already sent them to Pansy to try to find out who they are. She hasn't replied yet."
"Then we'll have to keep an eye on them until we know exactly who they are. They might just be nothing more than badly prepared tourists," Ginevra murmured.
"Doubt it, but we'll make sure they stay away from you and Nicole," Blaise said with a firm nod.
"Thanks, boys," Ginevra said, kissing them firmly, wrapping her arm around Draco's neck and pulling Blaise in close.
"Ooh, Gin! Look at this! I think it's oozing!"
"Oh, you can't miss out on that," Draco said with a grin, nudging her towards Nicole's workroom.
Ginevra gave him the middle finger, but grinned back at them both before she headed into the workroom to see what Nicole was talking about.
Later that night, long after Nicole had gone to bed, the fireplace lit up with an incoming firecall from Pansy. Apparently, the witch and wizard in the village were assassins for hire, and they were well known as they never missed their target.
Ginevra was nervous the next day, though she tried to stay rational, telling herself over and over that Draco and Blaise were dealing with the threats and that she and Nicole would be fine. She was right; Draco and Blaise had trained with her in Cloffice, after all, and they were just as good at their jobs as she was. They had cornered the assassins, taking them by surprise after they'd followed decoys that looked like Ginevra and Nicole, and before the witch and wizard knew what had happened, they'd been Portkey'd internationally back to Cloffice where Pansy waited for them. When she'd heard what had happened, Ginevra almost felt sorry for the two assassins; travelling internationally by Portkey was almost worse than her 9,500 metre Apparation. Almost.
The next week was full of exclamations and excitement on Nicole's part, but was quiet for the other three. Nicole claimed that she didn't need to go down into the gorge now that she had Horklump ooze to work with, and while Ginevra was glad she didn't have to Apparate so early in the morning, she found that she was somewhat bored with nothing to do.
Draco and Blaise ensured that Nicole would be fine on her own for the afternoon, warding the small house until it was difficult to walk around, and then took Ginevra out as they'd promised. The glass blower that lived further up the mountain was ancient, but knew his craft better than anyone else in the world, and while her boys were distracted, Ginevra commissioned a piece of work for them.
When they arrived back that evening, Nicole had collected three whole jars of Horklump ooze and planned on sending various samples to people in the potions industry to see if there was a use for the Horklump after all. They were no longer needed in Nepal, as the Horklumps in this area had simply migrated to avoid being eaten by gnomes, and any Horklumps found in northern Europe would suffice if more ooze was needed.
Pansy congratulated them on a job well done, ensured that Nicole was escorted home safely, and let Ginevra, Blaise, and Draco have the next week off. They spent the first two days sleeping off their Apparating lag and the rest shagging.
Draco and Blaise worked with her for most of the jobs Ginevra was given: a job in France with the Minister of Magic that resulted in his scandalous ways being featured on the front pages of the paper; another job in Russia that involved too much vodka on Draco's part. Ginevra also worked with others - Skeleton and the Herbologist in France, and Holey Forge in Egypt - but she was lucky to be given most of her missions with Snow and Storm.
After yet another successful mission together and another week off to recover, Pansy arrived at Zabini Manor four days later to offer Ginevra another job, this one on her own.
...
"Seriously, a whole job about Horklumps? I get that Horklump juice is used in healing potions now and you must be very proud, but Horklumps still look like weird hairy cocks, no matter what healing use they have."
You don't want to know how Nicole extracted the ooze from them, Ginevra said, smirking.
"You're disgusting."
I've been waiting more than a year to make that joke; not even the boys know how the ooze was extracted. Although, Blaise did mention that they looked like hairy cocks as well, so I doubt you're the only one that thinks so.
Ginny tried not to laugh too much, and Ginevra continued.
...
"What's so important that you had to drag me away from the boys, Pans? You gave us all a week off, remember? We're barely started day five," Ginevra said, adjusting the pair of briefs she was wearing and buttoning Blaise's shirt as she followed Pansy into the library.
"Yes, well, some of us aren't sex maniacs like you three. Honestly, have you bathed at all this week? I swear the whole Manor stinks of sex."
"I had a bath just last night, actually. Draco and Blaise joined me, would you like the full sordid details, or perhaps you'd like to explain why you're here?" Ginevra offered with a grin, knowing how much Pansy hated to hear anything about Draco or Blaise.
"What I'd like is to be in my office for this, but apparently that's not going to be a viable option considering your state of undress," Pansy muttered, raising her eyebrow at the uneven buttons on the shirt Ginevra was wearing.
"It's difficult to button up a shirt and walk at the same time," Ginevra muttered, tugging at the hem of the shirt self-conciously.
Pansy looked to the armchairs that were organised around the room, and with a flick of her wand, two armchairs were facing each other. She sat on one and nodded to the other. Ginevra realised that Pansy was putting on her serious face, much like the one she had when determining what Ministry gossip would be useful or not, and stayed quiet as she sat down across from Pansy. Pansy barely waited for her to be seated before erecting a sound-proof shield around them, ensuring that no one outside of their little bubble would be able to hear them.
"I need you to go undercover for a company in wizarding France. They're a front for an organisation that..." Pansy trailed off for a moment. "Well, let's just say that they don't have the wizarding world's best interests at heart. We know that they're bad, but we just don't know how bad or what their end goals are. I need you to go in, find out what they're doing, and report back to Cloffice."
"All right."
"I haven't finished, Ginevra. Just wait and think about this before you blindly agree to it. Please," Pansy added.
Ginevra sat up a little straighter and nodded firmly.
"The job will be undercover, and it will not be a short one. You will not be the first that we're sending to this company, and after the loss of Regis two months ago, this is not a job to be taken lightly. I need someone to send in that won't be recognised, won't be thought of as a Cloffice agent, someone who can stay there undercover for as long as it takes to get the information. I need someone who can hide their alter-ego better than anyone else I know."
Ginevra could hear the desperation in Pansy's voice, but she didn't let that sway her for the moment.
"Who else are you considering?" Ginevra asked.
Pansy glanced to the library door behind Ginevra, and she knew that she would be one of three possible candidates. They'd trained together, knew just as much as the other did, but they all had their specialties. Pansy was right in saying that she could hide her alter-ego better than others; where Ginny had been tested on her emotional response to Harry and Cho in public, Ginevra had been tested to face her mother in the street and not be recognised. She had done so well that Pansy hadn't even been sure that she was evaluating the correct person until Ginevra had removed all of the Glamours and charms she'd used.
"How long do I have to think about it?" Ginevra asked.
Suddenly, she was all too aware of the fact that she was being offered what sounded like a very important job while wearing her boyfriends' shirt and briefs.
"Time is of the essence with this job, Ginevra. I need an answer within the hour," Pansy said.
"Do I get any more details, or this is all I can be given?"
"Until you decide, this is all you'll be given. If you accept, you'll get the rest of the information you need from Shadow and Whisper."
Ginevra shuddered at their names, but nodded.
Pansy stood up, but before removing the shield, she looked down at Ginevra sombrely. "I don't have to tell you not to discuss the details of this job with anyone, do I?"
"I won't, Pansy. Not even Draco and Blaise," Ginevra added before she could reply.
"Good. You can tell them that I've offered you a job overseas, but nothing more detailed than that. I'll be back for your answer in an hour."
"You could stay?" Ginevra offered.
Pansy shook her head. "Sorry, Ginevra, but I can't. I need to organise things in the next hour that I couldn't possibly get done here. If you don't have any more questions, I'll leave you to think about it."
Ginevra nodded, distracted as she thought of the pros and cons of staying or leaving for this job. She barely noticed as the silence shield was removed, and only realised that Pansy had Disapparated when Draco and Blaise came into the library a few minutes later to find her sitting alone. They were dressed in nothing more than pants, barefoot and shirtless as they approached her, their wands hanging in their grips loosely by their sides.
"Everything all right, love?" Draco asked.
"Pansy offered me a job," she replied, voice slow and hesitant as she continued to think-think-think, desperate for an answer: yes or no?
"Well, that's good. Not another one in the Ministry, is it?" Blaise asked, moving to sit on the armrest beside her.
"No. It's overseas; I don't know how long I'd be gone."
Draco sat on the other armrest next to Ginevra, tugging a lock of her hair until she rested her head against him. He started to stroke her hair gently, easing the tension out of her slowly but surely.
"Would you be able to owl us?" Blaise asked a few moments later, his own hands working to roll up the sleeves of the shirt Ginevra was still wearing.
"I don't think so."
Draco's hand stilled in her hair briefly, and she felt him exchange a look with Blaise, then he resumed stroking her hair a second later.
"Is it the kind of job you hoped it would be when we first started this whole thing?" Draco asked.
Ginevra knew exactly what he was talking about: they'd spent several nights discussing where they thought Cloffice would lead them, the type of jobs they thought they'd receive once they had finished their training, just what use they could be to the wizarding world as agents within a secret organisation. Ginevra had admitted that she hoped it would be something like spies, going undercover to find out things that no one else in the wizarding world knew. It looked like she was right.
"Yes," she whispered.
"You're contemplating saying no to this job because of us, aren't you?" Blaise asked.
Reluctantly, and somewhat awkwardly with Draco's fingers still entangled in her hair, Ginevra nodded.
"Well, that's ridiculous, love. We'll still love you whether or not you have to go undercover. Just... try not to tell us any details of the honeypot missions, all right?"
"Except if they're horrible in bed, then we can all laugh about it," Draco added, untangling his fingers carefully.
Ginevra couldn't help but laugh at that, and shook her head at Draco before tugging him down for a kiss. She turned and kissed Blaise as well, her hand curled up in his hair.
"Now, if you're going to say yes and leave us miserable and alone, we're going to need some way to remind ourselves of your everlasting love for us."
"You're making her sound like a Everlasting Toffee, Dray."
Draco hopped off the armchair and ignored Blaise's comment. Blaise slid down the armrest until he was crammed in next to Ginevra. She moved to accommodate him better, and he promptly pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her firmly as they watched Draco browse the bookshelves. Blaise let out a small huff, resting his chin on Ginevra's shoulder.
"Whatever he's doing, he's taking forever," Blaise groaned.
"Patience," Draco called over his shoulder, pulling a book off the shelf and flipping through the pages.
He must have decided not to choose that book after all, because Draco placed it back on the shelf and grabbed another. He did this with five more books before he was satisfied, and brought it over to where Blaise and Ginevra were sitting. Draco tapped his wand on the small side table next to the armchair and a drawer appeared. He opened it and took out a pencil, underlining a few things in the book carefully, then handed it over to Ginevra.
Ginevra looked at the words he'd underlined, not comprehending what he'd done for a second. Trust, love, desire, understanding, love, love, love. Blaise read over her shoulder, his hands covering hers and threading their fingers together on the cover of the book.
"Well, I think I found my new favourite book," Ginevra said, taking a mental note of the page number: 315.
"Good. You find yourself a copy wherever you end up, we'll keep this one, and we'll always remember the truth, no matter what happens," Draco said, moving to kneel in front of her and pull her in close for a kiss.
Blaise kissed his way along her neck and exposed shoulder, waiting his turn as they always did. Ginevra clutched the book to her chest and kissed Draco back as firmly as she could, as if she was trying to imprint the feel of his mouth on her lips. Draco pulled away, breathing heavily and his lips swollen. Ginevra barely had time to lick her own swollen lips before she was being turned around in Blaise's lap to kiss him as well. She kissed him just as eagerly and firm as she had with Draco, both of their chests heaving as they pulled away a minute later.
Pansy arrived a few minutes later, her Apparating as silent as ever, and coughed loudly to announce her arrival.
"Merlin's beard, Pansy! Get a bell or something!" Draco muttered, falling back onto the carpet.
"That would defeat the purpose of being able to Apparate silently," Pansy said with a smirk. "Have you decided, Ginevra?"
"Yes. I'll do the job under one condition: I get a copy of this book when I'm undercover," she said, showing the book to Pansy.
She seemed intrigued at Ginevra's request, but didn't question her, and simply nodded in return. "I'll make sure of it personally. I've got George waiting at Cloffice to say goodbye. He'll have to pass on any messages to your family if you have any."
Ginevra nodded, stood up, and then winced when she realised that she still wasn't dressed properly. "Give me a minute to change?"
"You have thirty seconds," Pansy said, looking to her pocket watch.
"Shit," Ginevra cursed, thrusting the book in Blaise's general direction before Apparating upstairs to get changed.
Draco and Blaise were half a second behind her, helping her by clipping up her bra and sliding her knickers on as Ginevra put her hair up into a bun. She stepped into a pair of pants that Blaise offered, let Draco button up the shirt that she slipped on, and Accio'd her socks and boots. Ginevra sat on the bed once they'd both finished their tasks, pulling on her socks and boots in quick succession, and kissed Blaise and Draco in turn before Apparating with them back downstairs.
"Thirty-six seconds. Not bad," Pansy commented with a brief smile.
"Does that mean we don't make the national team?" Draco asked, sneering.
"Qualifiers were last week," Pansy retorted immediately, sneering back at him. Her expression softened as she looked between them. "I can give you another minute to say goodbye if you need?"
"If I take another minute, I'll never leave," Ginevra said, knowing it to be the truth. Still, she turned to Draco and Blaise, pulled them in tight for a hug and kissed their cheeks. "Be good for me, boys. I'll see you both when I get back. Draco, make Blaise laugh at least once a day, and Blaise, keep Draco away from the vodka."
"That shouldn't be too hard, love. You look after yourself, and make sure you come back to us, okay?" Blaise murmured, kissing her cheek.
"You can leave Blaise if you like, just come back to me," Draco said, kissing her other cheek.
"I wouldn't leave him anymore than you would, don't even joke about that," Ginevra said, trying to keep her voice steady. She turned to face Pansy once more and nodded firmly.
Pansy held out her hand, Ginevra stepped forward to take it, and without a sound, they both disappeared.
...
"Did you actually read that book, or just always skip to page 315?" Ginny asked curiously.
I read it several times, in fact. I couldn't be seen only reading the same page over and over, and the book wasn't all that bad.
...
The farewell with George was brief, Ginevra telling him to look after everyone, tell them that she'd gone overseas for her job at the Ministry since they didn't know she was no longer working there, and that she would be uncontactable until further notice. They all knew that the latter part would be the most difficult for the rest of the family to believe, and George was granted permission to use any charm or spell he saw fit to stop them from contacting Ginevra while she was undercover. The resulting gleam in George's eye was somewhat terrifying, but Ginevra was used to it by now, and simply hugged him tightly before leaving with Pansy again.
Ginevra soon discovered that Cloffice's headquarters had more than the four levels she had thought there to be. A door that she was certain had never been there before appeared in the wall when Pansy approached it, a series of flicks with her wand showing it to Ginevra as well. The door opened to reveal an elevator and they stepped inside silently, Pansy pulling the lever to go to down to the seventh level.
"What's on levels five to six?" Ginevra asked curiously.
"You'll only ever find out if you have to be taken to them," Pansy replied cryptically, her words sending a cold shiver down Ginevra's spine.
The elevator door opened to the seventh level, a room with seven black doors and nothing else. Pansy walked to a door without hesitation and Ginevra followed her, straining to hear something behind the other doors to determine just what this place was. She couldn't hear a thing.
Pansy opened the third door and indicated into the darkness. "Shadow and Whisper are waiting for you."
Ginevra swallowed her fear, a thick lump in her throat, and nodded. "Do I have time for one more goodbye?"
"I can't get your family..."
"Not them, Pans. You," Ginevra said.
Pansy seemed surprised at her response, but nodded nonetheless. Ginevra let out a small sigh of relief and hugged Pansy firmly, just as firm as she'd hugged Draco and Blaise and George.
"I'll miss you, Pans. Take care of Gabby, all right? We both know she's better off without Jean, but it'll take some time for her to agree. And look after George, he's going to be a miserable old sod and sulk, I know he will. Most importantly, I want you to take care of yourself. Don't work so late if you can help it, go out once in a while, make sure you live outside of these walls, okay? Promise me that."
"I promise," Pansy said, neither one knowing at that time that she was lying. "Now get in there before I'm the one that refuses to let you go."
Ginevra gave her a smile, then stepped into the pitch black room without looking back. The door slammed shut behind her, but Ginevra didn't even flinch. She was ready for this job, this mission, and everything it entailed.
Suddenly, a bright light shone out of the darkness and directly onto her face.
"Your name is no longer Ginevra Molly Weasley. You are Amelie Léa Dupont."
...
End of the thirty-sixth chapter.
Thanks for reading!
Author's note: due to my account no longer allowing me to upload new stories, I've had to create a secondary FFNet account for all of my new fan fiction works. If you're interested, the link is in my profile.