Ronnie and Luna? Maybe. :-) I was sort of thinking Pansy. After all, she won't be marrying Draco any time soon. :-)

And I'm sorry about the change in the page breaks. (Like the one between the header and the story. ) I had to change it to letters because ff. net in the new upload no longer lets me have the pretty squiggle and stars.

Empire and Exigency

Chapter 14: And the Answer Is....
by Annie B

Rated PG-13

JKR owns all things Hogwarts. I only wish I did. But I own all things plot-like. So there! :-)

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"You want to me me your Minister of Magic?"

Lucius Malfoy didn't bother to keep the incredulity out if his voice. Anyone making such a... inconceivable... offer would either be too stupid to catch the meaning or aware of just how absurd the question was and thus too clever to take offense. In to one of which categories the famous Potter must fit, since the boy did not frown at the tone. Instead, he smiled at his fellows and calmly answered.

"Sure."

Ronald Weasley stepped forward, likewise smiling. "You're smarmy. "

"Phonier than a three-galleon coin." Hermione agreed approvingly.

"You lie." The Weasley, again.

"Every word that comes out of your mouth. " Hermione voice was as indifferent as Narcissia in a reception line. "Including and and the."

"You'd as soon stab a man in the back as shake his hand."

"And just as often do both at the same time." Draco entered the conversation. "Which diplomatically speaking demonstrates an admirable flexibility."

"In other words?" All three of the side kicks turned to Harry.

Harry smiled at Lucius. "You are the consummate political candidate."

"Lucky for muggles you despise them. Otherwise you'd be PM by now." " Hermione busied herself with repacking the picnic basket, a detail which Lucius not only noticed but took as a hint that time was once pressing.

So? he thought. Let them wait. He had acted in haste once before, and he could see now where that had gotten him.

Besides, hadn't his mother told him that anything worth having was worth waiting for? Well, a Malfoy was very much worth having - so Potter could wait.

Harry must have caught that thought. He settled back more comfortably in his throne, the perfect image of a man who had all day. Rather - all night.

"You see?" Hermione slid past, collecting the sandwich wrappings. "Lying, cheating, double crossing, butt kissing, arm twisting... all those things you so excel at... those are not traits people are willing to accept in a hero."

Harry Potter nodded. "But they are the ... necessities... if one wants to get anything done."

True - although it surprised Lucius that someone in Dumbledore's thrall would have the fist inkling of realpolitik. His disdain for the Brat-Who-Lived softened considerably. If Potter could manage to to as Dumbledore insisted he would - destroy the Dark Lord and bring in a new age of... not light. Lucius want at all sure what ( the reign of Potter could be classified as... but... not Light. Not in Dumb-bore-dore's lifeless definition of that word. So...Perhaps. Just perhaps...

In response to Hermione's unspoken command, Ron Weasley started collecting the butterbeer bottles. "Since Harry can't be the sort of bottom feeding scum sucking swine that would make back room deals with crooked vote-fixing politicos.

"And neither - obviously - can my dearest personal friends."

Hermione nodded enthusiastically, sending her night-frizzy hair bouncing like so many miniature slinkies."Side kicks only get to have funny lovable flaws. Like bushy hair or bad teeth."

OH" Lucius realized suddenly - that would explain why... certain details had not been taken care of. Rather restored his hope for good looking grandchildren - and his faith in his sons personal taste.

"But they absolutely have to have hearts of gold." Ron Weasley's expression looked more like heart burn.

"While the classic protagonist." Draco took a bow

Hermione gave him kiss. "Is allowed to do almost anything."

Draco returned the kiss, then signed. "Except to make the hero look bad."

Harry shrugged. "I told you - I'd try to off snake-eyes before the Quidditch finals. Not that playing fair would help your chances."

Draco chuckled. "But I never planned to play fair."

AH!. Lucius thought. Another detail - which restored his faith in his own decision to... foster... Draco's Quidditch career. Throwing a game for profit was entirely permissible in a Malfoy. Losing fair and square was not.

Lucius regarded the Potter boy over steepled fingers. "Minister of Magic would suit me well - in the long run. But that would be a very VERY long run - contingent on your outwitting or overpowering not merely my nominal Master and the Order of the Phoenix and the Minister Fudge."

In the corner - Draco snorted.

"OK," Lucius conceded gracefully. "That last might not be such a challenge. But removing the current powers is not sufficient as an end in itself. You would also have to field your own forces."

"Such as the DA?" Harry's smile edged into smirk territory. It didn't look as natural on him as it did on Draco. Still...? Lucius considered. Irony in a Griffen-dork was as discomforting as social climbing in a Hufflepuff. Discomforting was a very useful thing for a potential dark mage to be. So?

Dumbledore's Army." Lucius dropped his voice to a purr. "The very name..."

"Doesn't matter." Ron cut him off.

"Except perhaps as it affects Public Relations." Hermione added. "Something Riddle should have taken into consideration. Death Eaters indeed. Phycho-linguistic analysis alone..."

"Later dear.." Draco kissed her again, then turned his attention to his father. "As of last week, Harry could field more armed wizards then the Riddle and the Headmaster - COMBINED."

Interesting. Very interesting. Lucius wondered briefly if Voldemort was aware of that. Or even - and this was a longer mental pause - if Dumbledore was.

His own lack of awareness he excused on the grounds that Askaban was not on the owl-delivery route.

Most of the DA were children. Near children. But so were the three standing across the sand from him. If Lucius was to take them seriously ( and given the sheer force of magic used, he had no choice ) then those other students...?

Lucius rubbed his chin. "Do they know who their fighting for?

Harry's half-smile didn't waver - but his voice was iron hard. "They will when I tell them."

"Recruitment is counterproductive to the revolutionary." Hermione quoted. " When the Revolution is due, the revolutionary proletariat will appear." (Lucius didn't know the source, but her recognized a quote when he was subjected too it.)

"Impressive. But still... a thing for the future. As for today?" Lucius paused, measuring his words carefully. "Say I was to enter your service. I could expect to..."

"Keep breathing?" Hermione suggested.

"NOT snog a Dementor?" Ron Wesley added.

Draco twirled his wand. "Not spend the next twenty years working for minimum wage as a towel boy in Puerto Vallarta?"

Lucius shuddered. He had raised his son to be vicious, of course, but... did he have to be that vicious?

"Or repeating 'do you want fries with that? every three minutes." Harry added.

Lucius swallowed, Hard. He had missed the muggle reference. The threat worked anyway. Any curse that could compel one to repeat so banal a phrase over and over... bordered on the Unforgivable.

Lucius stood, the image of pure-blood self-possession. Crossing the rune-marked sand until he stood just before the serpent throne, he sank gracefully to one knee. "My wand is your's, Lord Potter."

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And let me assure you this is NOT the end of the story. It is only the beginning. So look forward to the next chapter, when Ron says "All we're missing now is your rotting corpse."

Oh - and that nice little button at the bottom of the page? Hit it please. It would make me SO happy if you did. Thank you.