~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Chapter Twenty Four
Globetrotting
Ron shuffled through the files on his desk nervously. Hermione kept her office neat and tidy with all the files properly indexed and cross-referenced. He never thought that he would have to sneak into his own office, and the fact that he'd had to pissed him off. He knew the report on Malfoy's activities was here somewhere.
Harry's wand light went out abruptly. Ron froze. Footsteps echoed down the hall and paused. A door opened and shut. Ron let out a breath of relief. Someone else was working late too.
Harry's wand went back on. Ron looked down to see the proper file in his hand. He flipped it open and began reading. The first page said Malfoy's name had been on the passenger manifest on a flight from Chicago the day after his escape from the Americans. The next page was a list of properties owned by the Malfoy family. After the arrest of Malfoy Sr., Narcissa had moved the rest of the family to the mansion in Spain. They also had houses/mansions/ski lodges in Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Monaco.
Ron decided that Malfoy wouldn't think that the Ministry was tracking down the villa in Italy, so that was where he would go. He and Hermione had been able to narrow it down to three likely choices. Problem was that they were all widely scattered across the island of Sicily. They could Apparate to all of these places, but it would still take some time.
"Where do we start?" Harry asked.
"I dunno."
"Which one is the biggest?"
"Marsala."
"Sounds like a good place to start."
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Hermione considered testing the bars on the window again and decided against it. After all, they couldn't have come loose during the last ten minutes. Or could they?
Hermione had thoroughly examined every inch of the small cell. The villa had been a resort hotel which had gone bankrupt long ago. All the furniture had been carted away long ago for more successful hotels. Only a single long mirror had been left behind, and only because it was set into the wall. The gilded frame in the empty room was very depressing. The magnificent ocean view, complete with the sun setting into the ocean, was marred by the ornamental metal bars.
She walked around the room one more time, looked in the bathroom, glanced in the mirror, and wished that she had her wand. She'd already tried Disapperating, but it didn't work. The villa had an anti-Apperating spell similar to Hogwarts'.
Hermione kicked a piece of debris into the corner. Malfoy couldn't have thought of everything; and it annoyed Hermione that she couldn't find the hole in his plan. She shook the bars experimentally, but of course they didn't give way. The intertwining metal was installed by the original owners to keep thieves out. Hermione thought the irony would be amusing, if she wasn't trapped.
Hermione gazed out of the window, unable to think of a feasible plan. The hotel was perched on a long gentle slope to the sea. An abandoned vineyard covered most of the surrounding countryside. An ornamental shrubbery edged the villa's walls. A pygmy mudhatch perched itself on the windowsill and trilled cheerfully. It was all very tranquil and pastoral.
The door swung open, almost silent. Hermione glanced up to see Malfoy, hovering triumphantly in the doorway, then turned back to the window.
"Pleasure to see you too, Mudblood." Hermione felt a muscle in her arm twitch.
"Please, Malfoy. Don't tell me you've come to tell me your plans for world domination like every other B-movie villain in the world." No reply. "No don't tell me. You're going to use me to trade for one of your friends in Azkaban. Oh, no, even better. You're going to set yourself up as the new leader of the Death Eaters."
The window wasn't much of a reflective surface, but Hermione was still able to follow Malfoy's movements through the room. When he was about a foot away she turned to look him in the eye.
"No wait, I've got it now." She drawled slowly. "You're going to try and raise Voldemort from the dead." A muscle in his cheek twitched.
"You had everyone fooled, Granger." Malfoy laughed hollowly. "You really are an idiot. Even Goyle wouldn't be that stupid. Why on earth would I want to resurrect the Death Eaters?"
"Oh, then please tell me your brilliant plan for world domination."
"Money."
"Money?" Hermione pretended to be shocked.
"Yes, money. The Death Eaters burned and pillaged their way across England, and what did it get them? A lifetime in Azkaban!"
"I work in the Ministry, Malfoy. I don't have much in the way of ransom money."
"Pity. You won't need it anyway, that's not how you fit into the Grand Plan Miss Mudblood." Malfoy chuckled ominously.
"Oh? And just how do I fit into this Grand Plan of yours?" Hermione's stomach felt like ice, but she kept up a veneer of contemptuous calm.
"Live bait."
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Questions, comments, critisicms, complaints? Review, my friend, review.
.•´¨`•»¦«•Kerowyn•»¦«•´¨`•.
Chapter Twenty Four
Globetrotting
Ron shuffled through the files on his desk nervously. Hermione kept her office neat and tidy with all the files properly indexed and cross-referenced. He never thought that he would have to sneak into his own office, and the fact that he'd had to pissed him off. He knew the report on Malfoy's activities was here somewhere.
Harry's wand light went out abruptly. Ron froze. Footsteps echoed down the hall and paused. A door opened and shut. Ron let out a breath of relief. Someone else was working late too.
Harry's wand went back on. Ron looked down to see the proper file in his hand. He flipped it open and began reading. The first page said Malfoy's name had been on the passenger manifest on a flight from Chicago the day after his escape from the Americans. The next page was a list of properties owned by the Malfoy family. After the arrest of Malfoy Sr., Narcissa had moved the rest of the family to the mansion in Spain. They also had houses/mansions/ski lodges in Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Monaco.
Ron decided that Malfoy wouldn't think that the Ministry was tracking down the villa in Italy, so that was where he would go. He and Hermione had been able to narrow it down to three likely choices. Problem was that they were all widely scattered across the island of Sicily. They could Apparate to all of these places, but it would still take some time.
"Where do we start?" Harry asked.
"I dunno."
"Which one is the biggest?"
"Marsala."
"Sounds like a good place to start."
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Hermione considered testing the bars on the window again and decided against it. After all, they couldn't have come loose during the last ten minutes. Or could they?
Hermione had thoroughly examined every inch of the small cell. The villa had been a resort hotel which had gone bankrupt long ago. All the furniture had been carted away long ago for more successful hotels. Only a single long mirror had been left behind, and only because it was set into the wall. The gilded frame in the empty room was very depressing. The magnificent ocean view, complete with the sun setting into the ocean, was marred by the ornamental metal bars.
She walked around the room one more time, looked in the bathroom, glanced in the mirror, and wished that she had her wand. She'd already tried Disapperating, but it didn't work. The villa had an anti-Apperating spell similar to Hogwarts'.
Hermione kicked a piece of debris into the corner. Malfoy couldn't have thought of everything; and it annoyed Hermione that she couldn't find the hole in his plan. She shook the bars experimentally, but of course they didn't give way. The intertwining metal was installed by the original owners to keep thieves out. Hermione thought the irony would be amusing, if she wasn't trapped.
Hermione gazed out of the window, unable to think of a feasible plan. The hotel was perched on a long gentle slope to the sea. An abandoned vineyard covered most of the surrounding countryside. An ornamental shrubbery edged the villa's walls. A pygmy mudhatch perched itself on the windowsill and trilled cheerfully. It was all very tranquil and pastoral.
The door swung open, almost silent. Hermione glanced up to see Malfoy, hovering triumphantly in the doorway, then turned back to the window.
"Pleasure to see you too, Mudblood." Hermione felt a muscle in her arm twitch.
"Please, Malfoy. Don't tell me you've come to tell me your plans for world domination like every other B-movie villain in the world." No reply. "No don't tell me. You're going to use me to trade for one of your friends in Azkaban. Oh, no, even better. You're going to set yourself up as the new leader of the Death Eaters."
The window wasn't much of a reflective surface, but Hermione was still able to follow Malfoy's movements through the room. When he was about a foot away she turned to look him in the eye.
"No wait, I've got it now." She drawled slowly. "You're going to try and raise Voldemort from the dead." A muscle in his cheek twitched.
"You had everyone fooled, Granger." Malfoy laughed hollowly. "You really are an idiot. Even Goyle wouldn't be that stupid. Why on earth would I want to resurrect the Death Eaters?"
"Oh, then please tell me your brilliant plan for world domination."
"Money."
"Money?" Hermione pretended to be shocked.
"Yes, money. The Death Eaters burned and pillaged their way across England, and what did it get them? A lifetime in Azkaban!"
"I work in the Ministry, Malfoy. I don't have much in the way of ransom money."
"Pity. You won't need it anyway, that's not how you fit into the Grand Plan Miss Mudblood." Malfoy chuckled ominously.
"Oh? And just how do I fit into this Grand Plan of yours?" Hermione's stomach felt like ice, but she kept up a veneer of contemptuous calm.
"Live bait."
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Questions, comments, critisicms, complaints? Review, my friend, review.
.•´¨`•»¦«•Kerowyn•»¦«•´¨`•.
