A/N: The fic muse is dragging me through this story by the hair. Evil bitch. And then the review whore is whining and wailing about how tossing out chapters so fast means less review. Also evil bitch. But all putzing aside, I'm thankful for those who are reading/reviewing this, and hope that you like it. More minor character ship stuff in this chapter, but some Draco too. Remember in the beginning where Su Li was described as being the cold and bitter Defense Professor? Yes. How all that came to be... here you'll get it.
Disclaimer: I merely own a demanding bint of a fic muse and a whining terror of a review whore. You don't want to sue me. Gaining possession of either of them might be rather unpleasant.
~*~
It had been done with a suggestion from Dumbledore. He'd been grateful for Pansy's help, more than he could express. And now... just to get used to it all...
And there was much more to worry about, greater and more dire things than getting accustomed to living shrouded in secrecy in the middle of nowhere, Muggle establishment no less.
Like the others' desire to take a location for their base of operations...
~*~
"I hate you," the eighteen-year-old woman commented idly, looking about the office with laughing eyes that belied her statement. "You're only two years older than me. And you're already disgustingly rich, get this... this whole cushy office, and everyone listens to you. It's honestly not fair."
"I know," Cassius Warrington smirked down at her. "I guess I'm just lucky like that."
Su Li laughed as she gazed up into his face, her head comfortably settled in his lap, "Your ego hasn't decreased over the years since I'd met you, I see."
"I wouldn't dream of disappointing you," he retorted, idly twirling a lock of her hair around his finger as she reclined on the leather couch. The young man gave her a smarmy sort of grin, "Besides, there ARE benefits to being named amongst Witch Weekly's 'Top Ten Shaggable Corporate Wizards'."
Su wrinkled her delicate nose and gave him a swat in the chest, "They wouldn't know a THING about that."
"Granted," he said thoughtfully, "But it's the thought that counts, wouldn't you say?"
"You... are an absolutely incorrigible, utterly conceited, snarky evil bastard," she declared, shooting him a mock-glare.
He laughed, running a finger down the side of her face, "Your love means a great deal to me, sweetheart. I am flattered by your kindness and generosity."
She rolled her eyes, poking him in the side with a finger. "You twist everything I say into a compliment for yourself."
"Because that is the underlying meaning behind everything you say," he remarked complacently as she shifted into a sitting position next to him on the couch.
Eyeing him with amusement, she remarked, "Don't you have anything better to do than to sit here in this plush office, flirting with me?"
"Until the meeting at two, no," he replied with a grin, "I suppose I COULD hypothetically flirt with my secretary instead, but he's seeing someone else... and moreover, I don't fly that side of the Quidditch pitch."
She laughed again, giving him a teasing glance, "And the secret comes out, then... that 'shaggable corporate wizard' or not, you have a truly boring existence."
"I can think of several ways which would make it far more interesting," he shot back, arching an eyebrow, "Since you're determined to bring this 'shaggable corporate wizard' issue up again. And my desk IS quite spacious."
She couldn't help but flush slightly, but her voice was light as she matched his slight leer with a smirk, "Be that as it may, I am not quite sure I would want my first time to be in a situation where I might upset an ink bottle and have to explain why I have a huge patch of navy blue skin on my neck."
"How about 'my outrageously handsome and wonderful and godlike boyfriend was marking me as his own while I was visiting his office and doing evil things on his desk'?"
But before she could reply, there was a sudden, hard banging on his door. A harsh voice, sounding out over the thuds, bellowed out, "OPEN UP, WARRINGTON!"
~*~
Warrington stiffened abruptly, eyeing the door with a wary look. There was something very familiar about that voice... Su's eyes had widened, and her grip on his arm tightened as both of them stood up. Taking out her wand in silence, the young woman muttered a Revealus charm at the door.
And both of them paled as the group standing on the other side became visible, as if through a one-way window. Dark robes and white masks was all that Su was able to make out, the figure in the front muttering spells furiously at the locked door even as one of his burly companions continued to bang his fist against the wood... before Warrington, muttering a snarled curse under his breath, shoved her back towards the desk, one hand removing a silver hoop from his ear and rapidly calling out an incantation even as the area by the door sizzled with magic, the Charms keeping it locked being broken relentlessly down.
And just before the door slammed open, the former Slytherin Head Boy pressed the small, glittering object into the hand of the Muggleborn witch, his eyes not filled with humour now. "I want it back later, so hold on to it," he murmured quickly, before leaning forward and seizing her lips in a quick, hard kiss. And as he was pulling away, he uttered the activation spell. "Spiro Deporto!"
And as the Death Eaters burst in, they caught a mere glimpse of a young Asian woman, her face filled with unspeakable fear and worry, just before she vanished into thin air.
When Warrington turned around to face the masked men, he wore a slight sneer. "And to what might I owe the honour of this visit, gentlemen?"
The Death Eater in the front, dark hair visible behind the mask, gave a venomous laugh. "I hope we weren't interrupting anything... with you... and that little Mudblood."
Perhaps-five against one. But they weren't known for fairness.
~*~
By the time that Su Li had been allowed back to the research company that Warrington had managed, there were Magical Law Enforcement Squad personnel all over the scene. Warrington was nowhere to be seen.
The young woman, her face pale as ash against dark and dishevelled hair, ran heedless through the crowd of witches and wizards, calling out Cassius' name.
She only belatedly realized that someone was calling HER name, someone who grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. A young man with brown hair and blue eyes, of her own House and year. "Su, don't go in there..."
"ARGH!" Su struggled as Kevin Entwhistle dragged her away from the scene, "I NEED TO FIND CA---"
"He... er..." Kevin swallowed, looking distinctly ill. Su felt a chill rise sharply in her chest.
"What is it?" she demanded, nails digging into Kevin's arms through his shirt, "What did they go? Oh Gods... what did they DO?"
There was a note of rising hysteria in her voice, and Kevin winced, continuing to pull her away from the scene.
"It's a curse that works slowly... kills in stages," he told her gravely, "Consopio Acedia Abscessus... ever hear of it?"
Su's eyes widened, recollections of Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons filling her mind. A curse that shut down one system after another... nervous and circulatory and...
Kevin hastily held her up as she stumbled backwards, her face a mask of horror and shock. "He's still alive," he told his former classmate quickly, "But... critical condition..."
Su clenched her jaw to the point of pain, shutting her eyes tight for several minutes. But when she finally opened them, they were cold... filled with so much chilling, intense hatred that Kevin, who'd thought he knew her well, almost reared back in surprise at the pure venom in her stare. "Please find out for me who did it," she told the young man in a stony, deadly calm voice.
~*~
In the glow of a most garish (in his opinion) Muggle electric light that night, Draco Malfoy, a solemn expression on his face, started writing a letter that he would need the help of others to deliver.
"Dear angel,
I cast a curse upon an old friend and former teammate today... one that kills in stages, slowly.
And I did so because it was the only chance that he could stay alive. Jugson had Avada Kedavra on his lips when I intervened.
When you read of the wealthy and successful C. Warrington in St. Mungo's, in a comatose state... that's why.
And I hope that Su Li, wherever she is, will understand someday..."
Disclaimer: I merely own a demanding bint of a fic muse and a whining terror of a review whore. You don't want to sue me. Gaining possession of either of them might be rather unpleasant.
~*~
It had been done with a suggestion from Dumbledore. He'd been grateful for Pansy's help, more than he could express. And now... just to get used to it all...
And there was much more to worry about, greater and more dire things than getting accustomed to living shrouded in secrecy in the middle of nowhere, Muggle establishment no less.
Like the others' desire to take a location for their base of operations...
~*~
"I hate you," the eighteen-year-old woman commented idly, looking about the office with laughing eyes that belied her statement. "You're only two years older than me. And you're already disgustingly rich, get this... this whole cushy office, and everyone listens to you. It's honestly not fair."
"I know," Cassius Warrington smirked down at her. "I guess I'm just lucky like that."
Su Li laughed as she gazed up into his face, her head comfortably settled in his lap, "Your ego hasn't decreased over the years since I'd met you, I see."
"I wouldn't dream of disappointing you," he retorted, idly twirling a lock of her hair around his finger as she reclined on the leather couch. The young man gave her a smarmy sort of grin, "Besides, there ARE benefits to being named amongst Witch Weekly's 'Top Ten Shaggable Corporate Wizards'."
Su wrinkled her delicate nose and gave him a swat in the chest, "They wouldn't know a THING about that."
"Granted," he said thoughtfully, "But it's the thought that counts, wouldn't you say?"
"You... are an absolutely incorrigible, utterly conceited, snarky evil bastard," she declared, shooting him a mock-glare.
He laughed, running a finger down the side of her face, "Your love means a great deal to me, sweetheart. I am flattered by your kindness and generosity."
She rolled her eyes, poking him in the side with a finger. "You twist everything I say into a compliment for yourself."
"Because that is the underlying meaning behind everything you say," he remarked complacently as she shifted into a sitting position next to him on the couch.
Eyeing him with amusement, she remarked, "Don't you have anything better to do than to sit here in this plush office, flirting with me?"
"Until the meeting at two, no," he replied with a grin, "I suppose I COULD hypothetically flirt with my secretary instead, but he's seeing someone else... and moreover, I don't fly that side of the Quidditch pitch."
She laughed again, giving him a teasing glance, "And the secret comes out, then... that 'shaggable corporate wizard' or not, you have a truly boring existence."
"I can think of several ways which would make it far more interesting," he shot back, arching an eyebrow, "Since you're determined to bring this 'shaggable corporate wizard' issue up again. And my desk IS quite spacious."
She couldn't help but flush slightly, but her voice was light as she matched his slight leer with a smirk, "Be that as it may, I am not quite sure I would want my first time to be in a situation where I might upset an ink bottle and have to explain why I have a huge patch of navy blue skin on my neck."
"How about 'my outrageously handsome and wonderful and godlike boyfriend was marking me as his own while I was visiting his office and doing evil things on his desk'?"
But before she could reply, there was a sudden, hard banging on his door. A harsh voice, sounding out over the thuds, bellowed out, "OPEN UP, WARRINGTON!"
~*~
Warrington stiffened abruptly, eyeing the door with a wary look. There was something very familiar about that voice... Su's eyes had widened, and her grip on his arm tightened as both of them stood up. Taking out her wand in silence, the young woman muttered a Revealus charm at the door.
And both of them paled as the group standing on the other side became visible, as if through a one-way window. Dark robes and white masks was all that Su was able to make out, the figure in the front muttering spells furiously at the locked door even as one of his burly companions continued to bang his fist against the wood... before Warrington, muttering a snarled curse under his breath, shoved her back towards the desk, one hand removing a silver hoop from his ear and rapidly calling out an incantation even as the area by the door sizzled with magic, the Charms keeping it locked being broken relentlessly down.
And just before the door slammed open, the former Slytherin Head Boy pressed the small, glittering object into the hand of the Muggleborn witch, his eyes not filled with humour now. "I want it back later, so hold on to it," he murmured quickly, before leaning forward and seizing her lips in a quick, hard kiss. And as he was pulling away, he uttered the activation spell. "Spiro Deporto!"
And as the Death Eaters burst in, they caught a mere glimpse of a young Asian woman, her face filled with unspeakable fear and worry, just before she vanished into thin air.
When Warrington turned around to face the masked men, he wore a slight sneer. "And to what might I owe the honour of this visit, gentlemen?"
The Death Eater in the front, dark hair visible behind the mask, gave a venomous laugh. "I hope we weren't interrupting anything... with you... and that little Mudblood."
Perhaps-five against one. But they weren't known for fairness.
~*~
By the time that Su Li had been allowed back to the research company that Warrington had managed, there were Magical Law Enforcement Squad personnel all over the scene. Warrington was nowhere to be seen.
The young woman, her face pale as ash against dark and dishevelled hair, ran heedless through the crowd of witches and wizards, calling out Cassius' name.
She only belatedly realized that someone was calling HER name, someone who grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. A young man with brown hair and blue eyes, of her own House and year. "Su, don't go in there..."
"ARGH!" Su struggled as Kevin Entwhistle dragged her away from the scene, "I NEED TO FIND CA---"
"He... er..." Kevin swallowed, looking distinctly ill. Su felt a chill rise sharply in her chest.
"What is it?" she demanded, nails digging into Kevin's arms through his shirt, "What did they go? Oh Gods... what did they DO?"
There was a note of rising hysteria in her voice, and Kevin winced, continuing to pull her away from the scene.
"It's a curse that works slowly... kills in stages," he told her gravely, "Consopio Acedia Abscessus... ever hear of it?"
Su's eyes widened, recollections of Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons filling her mind. A curse that shut down one system after another... nervous and circulatory and...
Kevin hastily held her up as she stumbled backwards, her face a mask of horror and shock. "He's still alive," he told his former classmate quickly, "But... critical condition..."
Su clenched her jaw to the point of pain, shutting her eyes tight for several minutes. But when she finally opened them, they were cold... filled with so much chilling, intense hatred that Kevin, who'd thought he knew her well, almost reared back in surprise at the pure venom in her stare. "Please find out for me who did it," she told the young man in a stony, deadly calm voice.
~*~
In the glow of a most garish (in his opinion) Muggle electric light that night, Draco Malfoy, a solemn expression on his face, started writing a letter that he would need the help of others to deliver.
"Dear angel,
I cast a curse upon an old friend and former teammate today... one that kills in stages, slowly.
And I did so because it was the only chance that he could stay alive. Jugson had Avada Kedavra on his lips when I intervened.
When you read of the wealthy and successful C. Warrington in St. Mungo's, in a comatose state... that's why.
And I hope that Su Li, wherever she is, will understand someday..."