preciousonee - lets just say he's playing someone LOL

Fiona() blush Thank you.

Empire and Exigency

Chapter 20: Keys to the Plot

by Annie B

Rated PG-13

JKR gave me Hogwarts and Harry. Yeh. In my DREAMS she did. NOT.

.o00o..o00o..o00o..o00o..o00o..o00o..o00o..o00o.

Draco slid down the serpent tail to where the others were already assembled.

"Worked." he announced as soon as his feet hit the sand.

Harry passed Draco a diet Pepsi. (Leftovers from the Granger's last visit. They liked to keep the youngsters well stocked, so Hermione wouldn't be drinking high calorie pumpkin juice.) Popping the top, he drank it on one long gulp.

That done, he collapsed onto the hump of a stone snake.

"Draco!" Hermione hurried up. " Are you all right?"

"Other then the urgent desire for a shower? Or a strong disinfecting potion?" Draco reached down, scooping a handful of cool water and splashing it over his face. "I'm fine,Mi-mi."

The Order of We-Don't-Have-A-Name-and-If-You-Need -To-Ask-You-Aren't-Us ( AKA Friends of Harry ) had to hold it's meeting in the under parts of the castle that had once made up Salazar Slytherin's domain. It was the only part of Hogwart's that they could be sure wasn't spying for Dumbledore. Fortunately, in the years since Harry had discovered the Chamber of Secrets - and eventually realized what that meant for him - the crew had made a number of improvements. What had been - when Harry first found it - a dark and murky loch guarded by stone serpents was now a pleasant fresh-water pond with Hawaiian-style lanai and lots of mail-order beach furniture. Not to mention a changing cabana, Malibu lights, and a barbecue grill.

(Harry's aunt was addicted to home-improvement catalogs, but as she didn't actually make any improvements unless Harry was around to do the work? Most of the catalogs found their way back to Hogwarts, where Harry could get Dobby to do the heavy work. )

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all in swim suits, having decided to kick back and fire up the barbie while they waited for Draco.

Draco hoped they had left a few shrimp for him. School food tended to be greasy and bland. Besides, he was watching his weight.

Hermione brushed back his hair. "I don't know that I trust that Pansy around you."

Draco caught her fingers, kissing them. "You shouldn't."

Not that he was really willing to fool around on Hermione at all. Not before they were married. He loved her and was true to her she had a nasty hex-hand besides.

Hermione's hand went to her wand.

"But what she wants," Draco continued, "is the Malfoy name - not me - and I don't want her at all."

Hermione hugged Draco. "Shortsighted Fool"

"For which we should be grateful." Harry clapped Draco on the back, a silent 'well done'.

Ron didn't move. "So you say she bought your story?"

"Hook,line and hexed Key-of-Arcana."

Draco smiled ( viciously ) as he thought back on the meeting at Malfoy manor.

"Who's next" Ron had asked.

"No one too near to Dumbledore." Hermione frowned. A cute little wrinkle appeared between her eyes. It indicated how deep in thought she was. "I mean - we've already shifted Remus. If we go after another core Order member this soon?"

"Plus we don't want to weaken the Order too severely." Ron glared at Draco. "Not yet."

Draco glared back over steeped fingers "Not unless we can take down the other side at the same time."

"Lucius balances Remus." Harry counted out two fingers. "Both potential major pieces - but both temporarily out of play. Remus for being out of work and Lucius for being.. well..."

Ron snorted. "Dead, is the word you're looking for."

"TEMPORARILY dead." Draco snapped back.

"That was a brilliant move. " Hermione soothed them both. "But ... finding another...?"

"I already have." With a magicians flourish ( The stage type - not the Hogwart's type) Draco pulled a small black box out of the air. "Here. A gift for our dear friend Moody."

Harry pried open the silver-bound lid.

Inside, on a bed of troll-skin - lay a single golden key. It's teeth were just that - carved thestral teeth - and it's head was a crystal hand set with ruby nails.

"Ohhh." Hermione waved her hand over the box. "Dark."

Ron did likewise. "And spooky"

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"The First Key-of-Arcana."

"Which is?" Ron was interested now.

"Half of a pair." Draco answered smugly. " One key powerless without the other. With both, a wizard could open the Skull Coffer and gain..."

"Let me guess..." Harry smiled. "Immortality and endless power."

"Or some such shite." Closing the box, Draco tossed it on a side table. "I figure it can 'appear' suddenly in the Alley. In one of the shops we know the Order is watching. Moody finds it. Well - some Auror does - and whoever that is? Once the news gets out - Moody will hear."

All three of the others nodded.

"We set it up so they think that Voldemort's supporters have the other half? Say - in a hidden crypt guarded by zombie trolls."

"Wow." Ron looked impressed - even if he didn't want to be. " That is guaranteed to set Moody off."

"And Moody cant do much good for Dumbledore if he's off hunting Moldy-Warts in Rumania.

Ron frowned."Is Voldemort there?"

"How the hell should I know." Draco rested back against the sofa pillows. "Does it matter? There or not, Moody will keep looking until he finds him."

Ron frowned even more. "If he does - Voldemort will destroy him."

"Which would definitely be a removal." Harry was not so fond of Moody. Unlike the rest of the Order - who's visits had ranged from benevolent indifference to active kindness - the old Auror had scared the crap out of a younger Harry.

"That does it for the Order." Hermione drew them back to business. "Now - for the other side?"

She looked at Draco, prepared to be impressed.

He smirked back.

"Like I said. This is half of a pair."

Ron suddenly sat up straighter. "And the Malfoy's own both halfs."

"Not as much a moron as you look."

"Thank you - I think.."

Draco waved his other hand, and again a box appeared. This one was bound in gold, and the key inside was silver. The head was of black onyx, with opal nails. While the other had been carved like a right hand, this one was the left. Other then that, the two keys were identical.

"So... " Hermione turned it over in her palm. "Who do we pass this half to?

"Goyle."

They looked at Draco.

"Goyle Senior. Maybe Crabbe Senior too - if we're lucky and they are dumb."

Ron snorted. "Well - I'll guarantee half of that."

"Why them?" Harry asked.

Their son's are my friends. If I can, I want them out of Kadavra-range when things get nasty.

"Makes sense." Ron took the case. "You let it slip to one of the junior blobs that the much-mourned Lucius Malfoy had a 'secret map' showing that other half was being guarded by Dumbledore in... oh.. Peru. Atlantis. Wherever."

Heroine bounced in eagerness."So each side takes half of the pair."

"And they carry it to the opposite ends of the earth." Draco slowly.

"Where they spend all their time and energy hunting each other down and guarding it from each other." Ron's grin turned wicked.

"Leaving them no time or energy to bother us." Draco finished

"Brilliant." Harry smiled at Draco.

"I rather thought so."Draco bowed. "But..." He looked at Ron. " I'm not sure I want to risk that close a contact. Crabbe and Goyle are both known to be mine. I don't want Dumbledore getting more suspicious than he is.

"Which would be hard, since Dumbledore already has you down as DeathEater pin-up boy of the month."

Which, Draco thought, just proved that the Headmaster wasn't a total idiot. Pity Voldemort was. Draco suspected that he would have made one hell of a Dark Wizard. Too bad that the current Dark Lord was s psychotic mud-blood with dreadful fashion sense and serious personnel motivation failures.

Oh well, Draco sighed to himself. If he had to serve the Cause of Virtue, at least he could be sneaky about it.

"Dumbledore wont move against me until he's certain he cant bribe me into his service. Until he moves against me, he wont want to harm my friends. Unless - of course - the thinks they are going to Volde on their own."

"True."

Harry sipped at his brandy - them made a face. Evil, he thought, must affect the taste buds. In which case he clearly wasn't dark enough yet. The stuff tasted like cough syrup. The cheep sort Aunt Petunia kept in the guest bathroom. "If not them - then who?

"Does it matter?" Draco sipped his brandy, clearly with pleasure.

"No." Harry tried another sip. Still cough syrup. "Not really but...."

"Parkinson."

"Is she..." Ron Weasley suddenly looked worried.

"She's ambitious." Draco answered. "Besides - she doesn't know I know- but she's dating Vincent on the side."

Harry gave up on his glass. "I thought.."

Oh. She'd like to be Lady Malfoy - but no good Slytherin gambles it all on a long shot." Draco took Harry's glass and finished it himself. No use wasting expensive booze. "Given the chance, she'll take the news to Crabbe Senior. That will secure her welcome in that family. Crabbe needs to prove himself directly to Voldemort, since his house no longer has my father's protection." Setting the two empty glasses on the table, he turned to Harry. Either alone or with Goyle - I assure you that Crabbe will take the bait."

bing bing bing

Hermione's watch chimed. It was a muggle watch, but she had charmed it to work on Wizard time as well.

"Oops." She said. The digital display read 'late for dinner'. "We have to get back."

She kissed Draco.

He kissed her back.

Harry and Ron tried hard not to look.

"Soon, my sweet serpent." Hermione held Draco's hand until she was at the fireplace. Then she shouted. "Flourish and Botts."

"Usual time" Harry grabbed the floo powder."Shrieking Shack."

"Usual place." Ron aimed at the fire place. "Ditto."

And so they had gone, leaving Draco alone for the night. Well, alone except for Remus ( who was actually a lot more fun when he was a wolf ) and the house elfs and Draco's internet friends. (He was SneakySnakeLJ. Having found the Goth sites, he was using his computer to discover new and interesting kinks. This years Muggle Studies class was going to be... interesting... )

But now he was back, mission accomplished ( of course ) and his lap full of bikini-clad Hermione. Life was good.

He accio'd over a plate of shrimp and salad and another diet Pepsi. "Who's next?"

Harry smiled. Almost nicely."How about the old man's biggest fan."

"You mean?" Hermione's eyes grew wide.

"Exactly. " Harry answered. "Leave this one to me."

.o00o..o00o..o00o..o00o..o00o..o00o..o00o..o00o.