Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did I would have a masseuse give me a back massage. Every day. For the rest of my life. And then I would feel really good everyday. : ) And thanks to
louey31: there will be more d/g encounters, just not in this chpt., sry, but I promise more later on
FroggHopper: I know, if I were Ginny, I would have kept him, more d/g but not in this chpt, sorry to you too
GPGA: one of the best? That make me really happy and fuzzy inside! Yay!
Angelique Collins: I know, secret reasons, muwhahaha, but more to be revealed in not this chpt, but maybe the next one, or the one after that, and I will explain it all
Wizzabee: you're one of two that picked up the secret reasons part, go you!
QuinkyDink: hey, constructive criticism, I love it, and I know what you mean, this next chpt is on the intense side, so I threw in something at the end
Guineviere: thanks for the review, I luv Dragon too
Melanie: thanks, and I will see this through to the end
Lin: you and your friends? Cool, thanks for the review
mierette: thank you a lot, I'm glad that you see me improving as a writer, its on of the best compliments I writer could get
mask: luv ya babe ; )
padfootedmoony: thanks, I appreciate it
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Ginny and Draco didn't talk about the kiss, and working with her after the…incident wasn't as hard as Draco thought it would be. Things were a little tense for the week afterwards, but gradual they settled back into their boss/manager routine and a month later Ginny was acting as if the incident had never happened. Two months later and Draco's mind still flashed back to the kiss every time he saw her, but he was still an excellent actor, and no one noticed that his eyes would linger on her as she left his office after a meeting or briefing.
It was August now, and England was once again one of the most prosperous nations in the world, thanks to Draco's efforts. Harry and Padma were still going steady and the Cannon's were in the World Cup, scheduled for August 29, a Saturday. The hype had been steadily rising all throughout the summer until the whole of Diagon Alley was covered in orange streamers.
No one saw it coming. In hindsight, Emmeric had in fact seen the whole thing, but hindsight is twenty-twenty. It was the first Tuesday in August and Draco was playing outside with the family. Playing his and the Weasley twins patented 'capture the flag' game in fact. The entire family was involved, minus Mrs. Weasley and Emmeric. Mrs. Weasley was cooking and Emmeric was complaining of a headache again, and was sitting against a tree, scowling with a book in his hands, as he watched the family play.
"Explrimas!" Zak was shouting at Harry with a play wand as the boy hero and Draco went at it, each trying to 'X' the other's shirt.
"Unfair, Zak!" Harry cried. "That's two against one!"
"You're the bloody Boy-Who-Lived," laughed Draco. "Or are you going to meet your down fall at the hands of a child like your nemesis?"
"Very funny, Malfoy," said Harry, ducking under a curse. "And no matter what any one says, you were my first nemesis."
"I'm touched, really," said Draco, launching himself towards Harry in a surprise attack.
Harry rebuffed his attempts, but then stared as a blue X appeared on his shirt. Snape stepped out from behind a tree, smirking widely.
"Unfair," Harry protested again. "You were hiding."
"Slytherin," said Snape and Draco together.
"I think you're dumb luck is running out," said Draco.
"It had better not be," said Harry. "We still have the World Cup. Weren't you counting on my dumb luck winning it for us?"
"Change of plans," said Draco. "I really am going to buy the Cup."
There was movement behind him, and Draco whipped around and took a hex straight to the chest and an X blossomed on his shirt as well. Ginny smirked, ducking out from behind a tree and sending a curse at Snape as well, however the former spy had much better aim and reflexes and managed to peg her first.
"You were hiding," said Draco to Ginny as they walked to the sidelines with Harry to sit out. "That's not very Gryffindor."
"I've been hanging out with too many Slytherins," said Ginny, shrugging.
They had just reached the boundary when the screaming started. Draco immediately took off with Harry and Ginny towards the noise and found Emmeric doubled over on the ground, his fingers clutching at his temples as he screamed bloody murder. The rest of the players came as well, Penny and Percy skidding to their knees beside their son as his body began to convulse.
"Emmeric? Emric, can you hear me?" Penny shouted over the boy's cries. She pulled him into her lap as the convulsions slowly died out, leaving his limbs twitching slightly from the after affects. "Emric, what happened?" she asked, her voice full of worry and fear.
The boy's black eyes opened, blinking away tears as his breath came in shuddering sobs.
"Could-could hear them," he said, his voice catching on a sob. "They were screaming and-and the ground was breaking."
"Who was screaming?" asked Penny, desperately.
"Everyone," said Emmeric, the tears building up again as his breathing increased. "Everyone was screaming and things were breaking and I could see it all!" He fought to sit up, but Penny held him down. "People are going to die!" he yelled. "All of them dying, all of them…," he trailed off and when he spoke again, it was in an ethereal whisper. "The earth hungers and when she opens her mouth she will devour all, for who is more fitting to feed her, than her own children?" He gave one last shudder then his eyes rolled back in their sockets and he went limp.
"He's a Seer," said Snape quietly from the back of the concerned group that was huddled around the child. Everyone turned back to look at him. He shrugged. "I've suspected it for a while now. The insomnia, his extraordinary insight, have you ever held a conversation with him? It also explains the moodiness. Often times a young Seer becomes very withdrawn and subdued before their first vision."
"You knew and you didn't day anything?" asked Percy, rather indignantly.
"It was only an assumption," said Snape shrugging. "And wouldn't have things been worse if you had known and were trying to ask about it? He would have just withdrawn even further."
His words were the truth and no one pressed the matter. Emmeric was taken inside and placed on a bed where Penny and Percy stayed with him. The rest called the game off early and while the children played, the adults discussed the words of the young Seer.
"It sounded traumatic, what ever it was," said Pansy.
"Something about a mother eating her children," said Charlie.
"Earthquake," said Draco quietly. Everyone turned to look at him. "He said that the ground was breaking. And that bit about the mother devouring her children? That's Mother Earth. He said the ground was breaking too. That can be an earthquake, and from the sound of it, it's going to be a big one."
"Yeah," said Bill. "But when?"
They weren't kept in suspense for too long. That Thursday in the early morning Draco was woken from his slumber by a slight tremor in the ground. He was immediately wide awake and grabbing his wand as the earth shook yet again.
"Master!" cried Rolly, popping in even as Draco was pulling a pair of pants on over his boxers. "Master, the ground is shaking!"
"Yes, Rolly," said Draco. "Go get all the rest of the elves and go to the green study, alright? It's safest there." He pulled on a shirt, grabbed his watch, and then his radio. "Go, Rolly! That's where I'm going as well."
The elf disappeared and another tremor rocked the house, causing Draco to stumble as he made his way down the stairs. The Green Study had no windows and very few large objects. Draco figured it was the best place to be as there wasn't really anything that could fall on top of them and smush them.
The earthquake never got too bad at the Estate. It was only serious enough to shake a few things off of a couple of shelves, but the mansion was situated quite a ways from London and Diagon Alley. All the while, Draco was trying to find a radio station that was broadcasting so that he could know what the damage was like in the city, but the only thing he was able to pick up was a Muggle station with a frantic news anchor blathering on. He glanced at his watch. The quake had started at five in the morning; it was now five-thirty and things seemed to be settling down. At five-forty he went back to his room, changed into black, baggy jeans and a blue shirt, put his cell phone in his pocket, and Apparated onto the outskirts of London. He didn't bother staying around the Muggle section, but headed straight to Diagon Alley.
It was a mess. Shops were completely collapsed, broken glass and wooden beans littering the roads, while people slowly began appearing to pick through the rubble. Draco was suddenly reminded of the war, the haunted look on the survivors faces for days afterwards, watching as life dealt them a crippling blow and all they could do was observe. Within minutes emergency personnel had arrived on the scene and Draco headed to his office building to see the damage and to get out of the way.
His building was still up, as were many of the office buildings. Draco went straight into the deserted building and to his office. His laptop was still sitting on his desk, though the pictures had fallen from the walls and the bookcases had toppled over. He flipped his computer on and then picked up as best as he could while the laptop booted. Once it was on he sent a quick email to the Minister.
Minister,
Will
give any support needed.
Draco
Malfoy
There was an almost immediate response which led Draco to believe that Lupin was in his own office as well with nothing to do until the damage reports came in.
Draco,
We
need to meet. Can you make a portkey to my office? The wards are down
now so you can come by. If you need a portkey, I can send you one.
Remus
Lupin, Minister of Magic
Relieved to be finally doing something, Draco pulled out the stress ball Shelia kept in his desk drawer for him and pointed his wand at it. Muttering 'Portus' he shoved his laptop into his carrying bag and grabbed hold of the squishy sphere.
The world spun round him rather sickeningly and he appeared in the large round office of Minister Lupin, staggering a bit before he fully found his footing.
"Ah, Draco," said Lupin, coming forward and shaking his hand. "Thank you for coming here. Please have a seat; there is much we need to discuss."
Draco sat on one of the gold brocade couches, Lupin sitting across from him, and he noted that the Minister's office seemed very much intact. He wondered if it was because there was a charm on the room, or if his aides had come in a cleaned up already.
"I'm going to be blunt, Draco," said Lupin, looking very old at the moment, old and weary. "There's been a lot of damage and I don't know if the economy can handle another hit like this. Most insurance companies don't cover earthquakes and those that do will be swamped with the amount of rebuilding that must take place. Any smart business man would pack his bags and leave, and I know that doing so may be the best option for you because you have so many other companies around the world-,"
"No," said Draco firmly, shaking his head. "I'm not leaving."
Lupin smiled, obviously relieved. "Then here is what I am proposing. Normally, relief efforts would come straight from the Ministry. Unfortunately I inherited this office with a great deal of debt, and so any involvement by the Ministry will only put the nation further in debt which will once again throw the economy into turmoil. I want you to lead the relief efforts. I will give you use of Ministry employees such as Aurors and the Magical Enforcement Squad, however, being in charge means paying for all of this. Accepting this responsibility could ruin you, it could cause major bankruptcy, but if you pull this off, the Ministry is prepared to pay you back with interest, and England will be saved."
Draco stared at Lupin. Him? In charge of all of the relief efforts? He was twenty-three for Merlin's sake, but at the same time, the little voice in the back of his head knew he was the only one with the recourses and the business savvy to pull it off.
"If you want a couple of minutes to think things over, I understand," said Lupin.
"I'll do it," said Draco. "On a couple of conditions. One, the base of operations is right here. If people see things happening from the Ministry, it will give them a better sense of security. Two, I want to pick my own team to run this shindig and three, no reporters get in here. I don't need some reporters hanging over my every move like vultures."
"Done," said Lupin. "What do you need first?"
"Coffee," said Draco. "Coffee and Ginevra Weasley."
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"You're insane," said Ginny. "You do know that, right? That you are absolutely, certifiably insane."
"I've had my suspicions," said Draco as his business manager paced in front of him. Already the Minister's large conference room that was right off of his office had been turned into the Headquarters for the relief effort. It was seven am and Shelia was in one corner of the room sorting through damage reports and several other people were pasting up large maps of Diagon Alley and the surrounding wizarding world and housing developments.
He glanced at the people gathered around the side table piled with coffee machines and hot water boilers. There was Simon Crow, his CEO of New Foundations along with the head logistician and head architect, Samantha Daniels and the young Jon Carter. His CEO of Alchemists, Randy Jenson was present as was MagicTec lead technicians Mr. and Mrs. Jeremy Rook, who were setting up computers and phone lines.
Lupin entered the room, seemingly shocked at the amount of damage Draco had already inflicted on the conference room. Right now it was hard to move without tripping over wires or without getting in the way of the countless owls that were flying in the open window and dropping off even more parchments at the already swamped Shelia.
"Some one's here to see you," said Lupin, jerking his head towards the door that lead to his office.
"Thanks," said Draco. "And I swear, I'll pay for the damages."
"Get this country running again and I'll pay for them myself," said Lupin, who seemed to be taking it rather well. Draco nodded and headed for the door. Padma was sitting on one of the brocade couches along with a camera man and a sound technician.
"Padma," said Draco, "I'm sorry, but no reporters."
"I understand," she said. "How about a documentary?"
"What?" asked Draco.
"The public deserves to know what happened here, and while reporters publishing and critiquing your every move will only create a hindrance, I want to record exactly what happened here. I swear I'll only release it after this whole thing is over."
Draco frowned. "What's in it for you?"
"The Creevey Award for journalism," said Padma. "Colin's won it for five years straight now."
"It was named after him," said Draco, who remembered the collage of pictures of the last battle that had prompted the creation of a reward for the news world.
"It's the chance of a lifetime for me," said Padma. "We won't be in the way."
"Alright," said Draco. "But not a word to anyone what happens here. Not even Harry."
"Deal," she said.
"Alright, now come on in, we're about to start."
Draco entered the room to find that everyone was seated around the table, although Shelia was still at the desk in the corner opening mail. More people had come in, including the Head of Aurors, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Lisa Sable, head of Public Relations, Jason Camping, the head of the Magical Enforcement Squad and Tom Statis the top economist.
Draco stood at the head of the table and looked out at everyone.
"Good morning," he said. "And congratulations. You are about to do something entirely wonderful, something that will make you forever remembered as a hero. Right now there are people outside weeping over the loss of loved ones. Right now there are people out there crying because their whole way of life has just been crushed before their eyes. Right now, they are hopeless, lost, confused, angry, scared, and they have no idea what is going to happen to them. Right now, we are sitting here with the fate of the English Wizarding World in our hands, and we are not going to fail them. So once again, congratulations." He paused and let his words sink in before continuing. "Now this," said Draco, gesturing to Ginny, "is my business manager, and right now she's your business manager as well. She's going to give you the statistics so far, so please pay attention to Ms. Ginevra Weasley."
Draco sat down and Ginny stood up and looked around the room. Draco listened to her confident voice as he looked over the report put in front of him.
"I'm not going to lie," she said. "The amount of destruction is staggering. The death count is at one hundred and rising. Of the four thousand wizards that live in magical London, one thousand are homeless, and another one thousand have severe damage to their homes. One hundred and twenty businesses are completely destroyed, sixty are in need of extensive repair, and nearly all businesses won't be able to open for an undetermined amount of time as of yet. This isn't even beginning to discuss the economic repercussions of this disaster."
She sat back down and Draco closed the folder.
"Here's the plan," he said. "By tomorrow, we are going to have all of the roads cleared up and power restored to the business and home district. In one week, we are going to have every one back in their apartments and houses. In nine days we are going to have all businesses up and running again and in two weeks, the wizarding world in England will be right back where it was yesterday."
Those around the table just stared at him.
"Impossible," said Simon. "At our best, working day and night, we may be able to get half of the houses done, but one thousand in one week?"
"You forget that most of the housing is apartment buildings," said Draco.
"Alright, so may be we get three-fourths of the homeless back into homes. We still have two-fifty to worry about, plus that other one thousand with severe damage to their homes. Not only that, but these people have lost everything, all of their furniture, all of their clothes, what are they going to do about that? And how are we going to pay for all of my builders?"
"I'll be paying them," said Draco. "And as for clothing and what not, the charity organizations have enough money to at least get the people started, plus I expect a great deal of foreign aid as well. Not only will New Foundations be working on building up the homes, but I will be contracting the other construction companies as well."
"Where are we going to put them until their homes are done?" asked Kingsley. "We can't have them roaming the streets."
"There was a plan once in the Ministry," said Draco. "One where the possibility of a destroyed England was considered and so the Ministry bought a bunch of big tents, cots, and blankets. We will be putting those into use."
"We're putting them in tents?" asked Samantha.
"They have no where else to go," said Draco. "Those who can stay with friends and family are welcome to do so, but until then we will have to use the tents. That is why it is important to get them in their houses as quickly as possible. Which brings us to another topic. St. Mungo's is already full so we will have to put the not so ciritcally wounded in a medical tent as well and we will have to recall every medi-witch and wizard to be on duty. Any questions so far?"
There was silence across the table.
"Good," said Draco. "Now you are all an important part of this team. To keep all of you in touch, Jeremy and Sally Rook will give you all cell phones, and show you how to use them. It is important that you keep in communication with each other because to get this done as quickly and safely as possible every one needs to be aware of what is going on at the same time, got that?" There were nods so Draco continued. "Simon Crow, your job is to get every one of your men available and start clearing the streets and shifting through rubble for the injured. Go see Shelia over there when this meeting is over and she'll tell you where the worst damage is. Jason Camping, I need you to get your Magical Enforcement Squad to help Tom look for the wounded. I also need you to get a team of men that will be in charge of getting all of the wounded to St. Mungo's."
"Can do," said Tom, nodding.
"Good. Now Jon, I need you to survey the entire area affected by the quake and get a report for me by tomorrow telling me which places are in the worst shape. Randy, I want you to get all of your chemists and Potion Masters available so you can help stock up St. Mungo's with all of the medicines they will need."
"Our lab was destroyed," said Jenson.
"Alright, go get Severus Snape and he will take all of you to my house there's a lab in the basement. It's small but it will have to do. You can also use the private lab at St. Mungo's, just tell them that I sent you, they should let you in. Jon, find Randy here a suitable potions lab as soon as you can. Tom, I want you with my economists figuring out ways to help this economy get back up. Kinglsey, I want your Aurors protecting the shops that are still up. I don't want any looting, or at least as little as possible. I also want your men to find those tents and start setting them up. Lisa, you're in charge of informing the public of what is happening and to start directing them to the tents. It might be a little hard because they probably don't have any working radios, but I'm sure you'll figure out a way. I also need you to direct all medical personnel to the hospital. Samantha, as a logistician, you'll be working with Ginevra here. I want these people to know at all times what is going on so we can avoid accidents. Everybody clear on what they need to do?"
He looked around the table as those gathered nodded, looking apprehensive, but determined.
"I picked you because I know you will get this done," said Draco. "Alright, now get to it."
The occupants of the table practically sprang up. The Rooks had a hard time snagging them all to give them cell phones.
"Ginevra," said Draco to the red-head beside him. "I want you to find whoever is in charge of the Apparation points and get them working on clearing them. I also want to talk with the heads of the other construction agencies within the hour on helping to get the roads clear. Samantha, I want you to start up a program that will help us track the progress of everyone here. Shelia will help you use the computer if you need it. I'll be in the Minister's office making phone calls."
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Draco worked well into the night, as did everyone else on the 'Operation: England team', or the Op. E's as Jon took to calling them. Right now he was alone in the conference room as Ginny and Samantha had taken off to find a late dinner. The roads were cleared out quicker than Draco expected them to and now the night shift was working on removing rubble from plots of land so that in the morning the houses could start going back up.
"Hey," said Padma, coming into the conference room.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" asked Draco. "It's almost one in the morning."
"I wanted to get a quick interview with the head of operations," said Padma, raising the mini video-camera she was carrying. "Do you mind?"
Draco shrugged. "Guess not. Does my hair look okay?"
She laughed, pulled a chair next him and sat. She flipped out the attached monitor and pressed record.
"Friday, August 7, twelve fifty-four am. Draco, how do you feel things are going so far?"
Draco turned to the camera. "It's hard to say this early on in the scheme of things. Right now we're ahead of schedule. All of the roads are empty and workers are getting started clearing out the debris so that we can begin building new houses in the morning."
"Why did you clear out the roads first?"
"So that it's easier to move the injured and also to move supplies once the building starts."
"What is all of this equipment in here for?" Padma asked, turning the camera to get a shot of the whole room.
"Well, these screens are so that we can keep an eye on how things are going. On this monitor you can see the site C workers clearing out the main street area. Over here is site B workers clearing out what used to be Clearview Apartments and there's a shot of the tents. These computer screens next to the monitors report the progress people are making and what needs to be done. The computers are hooked up to the individual cell phones of the people involved so they can just email what is happening to the computers and we will know what they need."
"Some people are saying that you will never get all of this done in two weeks."
"Those are the same people who said Voldemort would kill Harry. There are always going to be pessimists just like there are always going to be optimists."
"Do you think you're being optimistic?"
"I know what my people can do and I'm letting the people know what they can do. Granted it's not going to be pretty trying to get all this done and I'm sure that we may all start hating each other in a couple more days, but I don't make promises I can't keep, and Merlin knows I'm not looking for silver lining in the clouds. So no, I'm not an optimist. I deal in facts, not false promises."
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No matter what he said to Padma, it began to look like a false promise that people would be back in there homes in a week. Several mistakes occurred, such as workers clearing out Mapleway Road instead of Maplewood Road and so when the construction workers appeared they had no where to build. That cost them half a day and then the foreign aid came in the form of beds, dressers, couches, and tables, which Draco was very thankful for, but had no place to put. So all of the furniture stayed on the boats while the custom agents and captains started charging him exponentially increasing prices while they waited. Plus there was a raid on the boats and the thieves got away with who knows how much and so Kingsley had to go track them down.
Things got complicated money wise as well. The economy didn't just decline, it dropped like a man in concrete shoes off of a bridge. Draco was beginning to wish he was that man, because then he wouldn't have to deal with the bad publicity and the constant headache he received from shouting members of Op. E.
They were shouting right now. Simon and Jon going at it with Steve Reynolds from Reynolds Building Co. Draco didn't really know what the problem was, but they had been hollering for the past six minutes and Padma was getting all of the drama on tape.
"Sit down and shut the hell up!" Draco yelled over the noise, slamming his fist on the table and jumping to his feet. If he had to listen to one more second of that he might go insane. It was the first time he had every yelled at them, or at any of his employees besides Ginny and Shelia, and immediately a shocked silence fell over the group. They all sat, looking abashed and angry at the same time.
"Thank you," said Draco. "Now does someone want to tell me what the bloody hell is going on?"
"Reynolds decided to shove his little-," Simon began.
"Oh, blaming this on me are you, you little bas-,"
"Would you two shut your damn mouths one damn minute?" Ginny exclaimed. They did so, once again shocked into silence. "Thank you," said Ginny, sounding exasperated. "Now if you could just listen to me and Samantha, you would understand that there is a shortage of dry wall, and so yes, Reynolds took his share before hand, but no, Simon, he did not take your share. Yours is coming in a few hours."
Draco looked at the two men, who looked down rather guiltily.
"I don't want to hear about this kind of behavior again. Now I put you two together because I thought you two could see past your little competition and work together. Now, if I have to, I will hire two new companies to build the houses. Do I have to do that?"
They shook their heads but didn't answer. Draco decided to let it go.
"So, how are we?" he asked.
Ginny handed him a folder. "We're building at central Diagon Alley today."
"We're supposed to be done by now," said Draco. "What's taking so long?"
"A whole bunch of things, mostly the fact that people are trying to build their own homes back up and are refusing to let us help."
Draco turned to Lisa. "What are you going to do about it?"
Lisa sighed. "The public is getting restless in the tents. They say that you're just trying to get more control of the economy by taking over the Ministry. They're convinced that you blackmailed Lupin somehow and are now going to be the next Lord Voldemort, but instead of killing people, you're just going to take their money and control them that way."
"What a splendid idea," said Draco. "But I believed I asked 'what are you going to do', not what they bloody think. Right now I couldn't give a damn about them."
"You don't need to get snippy, Malfoy," said Ginny.
"I'm not getting snippy," said Draco. "I'm getting annoyed. And you can tell the public that, if I was the next Dark Lord, I would kill them off right now while they're sitting helplessly in their tents, which isn't sounding like a bad idea at the moment."
"Yeah, 'cause that's smart," Ginny retorted back at him.
"I didn't ask you if it was," said Draco, feeling another one of their rows coming on and so he dismissed them. "I want central Diagon Alley finished today; I don't care if you have to work all night. Now go and no more fighting."
They all left, most of them in bad humor as the long nights were taking a toll on everyone's patience. Draco leaned back in his chair with a groan and ran a hand through his hair, tugging on it rather fiercely. He really was going to pull his hair out.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday morning. No, Draco was not in a good mood. The economy had hit depression levels causing mass panic in the tent-bound public and Draco knew that if they didn't get into their houses by tomorrow like he had promised, there would be riots. He couldn't blame them. They had lost so much in the depression, only to have it lost once more in the earthquake.
Draco had stayed up all night last night and most of the night the evening before, fielding calls from his businesses overseas who were also feeling the aftershocks of the earthquake. Thanks to a rather slandering article on the front page of the Daily Prophet, the entire world knew that Draco Malfoy was heading relief efforts in England, and now that the economy had slipped so much, people were pulling their own investments from his companies, both local ones and overseas, and for the first time in its history, Malfoy Enterprises, the foundation for all of his other companies, was threatened with bankruptcy.
It was actually quite a shock for Draco; even during the depression things hadn't been so bad. Sure, he'd wondered if he had permanently crippled the economy, but he could have always pulled out, now he was committed. If Malfoy Enterprises collapsed, so would approximately twenty companies all around the world. Not just any companies, but major corporations, ones that could bring down the economy in several other countries as well.
He gratefully grabbed the large mug of coffee Ginny handed him as the Op. E's assembled, looking only slightly better than himself.
"Well?" he asked.
Simon merely shook his head. The entire room seemed to deflate even further.
"What's the verdict?" Draco asked.
"We might have been able to get it all done by tomorrow, but Reynolds pulled out. Something to do with our companies going bankrupt."
There were a few, disgruntled exclamations, but they were only half-hearted. They all knew it was a big risk staying with someone who may or may not be able to pay them once they were finished. Draco swiveled his chair around and stared at the wall behind him. For some reason the image of the impending bankruptcy and ruin of the entire Malfoy legacy didn't upset him, instead he felt numb.
"Draco, should I tell the public that they won't be getting into their houses tomorrow?" Lisa asked hesitantly.
Draco turned back around. "Tell the public that they will be able to go home tomorrow morning," he said. "We will start moving them from the tents at eight am, sharp."
The room stared at him shocked.
"Draco, did you hear what Simon just said?" asked Lisa. "How can I tell them that when we won't be able to move them?"
"We will be able to," said Draco. "Right now I need you all to get back to work. This will work out."
"And if it doesn't?" Ginny queried, the only one brave enough to ask.
"Then we're royally screwed," said Draco. "Now if you don't mind, I need to make some phone calls and all of you need to get to work." He stood and left the room, Ginny following and shutting the door behind them.
"Malfoy, are you mad?" she asked as he walked over to the phone. "This is England we are talking about. You can't just go around promising things when you can't pay up at the end of it! This time money won't buy you a way out when you fail. I don't think you even realize what will happen when you do fail. Let me sum it up for you, people are left with nothing, they start dying because they have no money for food or shelter. Now I realize financial hardship isn't something you are used to, but maybe this once you can open your eyes and realize just how much is riding on your success!"
He whipped around on her. "How much is riding on my success?" he asked, completely incredulous. The ungodly amount of pressure he had been feeling since Thursday and the frustration at the thought of failure finally manifested itself into another emotion. Fury. "Understand this, Weasley, if this fails, so does twenty other business, and so does three other economies in three other countries. Do you know what that means? That means that the company that my father, that my whole bloody family, spent decades building up falls, taking most of the wizarding world with it, all because one sodding, stupid Draco Malfoy decided to do something to help out! Now, I have three options here. I can bloody pull out of England right now, and save my own skin and stay a rich bastard for the rest of my life, or, I can say to the public, 'oops, sorry it'll be another couple of days before you can move back in your houses' and deal with bankruptcy and mass riot, or I can take a risk, one that may save me and England. So never say that I don't realize what's riding on my success, because I realize it much better than you!"
She looked a little taken aback at his rage, and he immediately felt guilty, but he was damned if he was going to apologize for it. He dropped onto one of the couches and his hands started tugging on his hair again. There was a hesitant silence; Ginny broke it.
"I'm sorry," she said. "You're right. I'm just a little stressed; I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
He looked up at her, one eyebrow raised at the apology. She just flopped onto the couch next to him.
"Are you really facing bankruptcy?" she asked softly.
"Gringott's won't give me a loan," he said.
"It's that bad?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said.
"What are you going to do?"
"Well, there's still the Malfoy inheritance to blow through. What better to spend it on than for a good cause?"
"Wait, you're spending your own personal money on this?"
"Most of it, yeah," said Draco.
She laughed. "You should have been a Gryffindor." Then she jumped up before he could respond and ran out of his reach. He chucked a throw pillow at her, but she ducked and ran for the door. They both noticed Padma at the same time.
"You had better not have gotten that on tape," said Draco.
"What if I did?" asked Padma. Draco just groaned.
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By the afternoon, the world knew that Draco Malfoy was near bankruptcy, but not because Padma leaked it. Turns out one of the accountants at Gringott's let it slip to a certain Rita Skeeter that Malfoy Enterprises was going under and that the vault was nearly empty. That only created more of a panic, but Draco had gotten what he wanted.
He found Reynolds and paid him in advance. Two million galleons was what he offered, he ended up paying three. But Reynolds was back on the team and building recommenced again.
Even with Reynolds and his men working again, it seemed doubtful that they would be able to finish before eight, plus there was still all of the furniture sitting in the docks to be delivered to the completed apartments and houses. The entire Op. E team was in the conference, sitting on the edges of their chairs as they waited for the news to come in. It was eleven o'clock at night when Simon called in saying that all of the repair work on the damaged residences was finished and that he was putting all of his men on the Evergreen Apartments buildings, but while they would be able to finish it by six the next morning, it was doubtful that they would get all of the furniture moved into the houses.
Draco frowned then pulled out his phone. Thirty minutes later, he and the rest of the Op. E team was standing in a neighborhood of newly built houses along with volunteers from Frank Rite's moving team.
"Alright, here's the deal," Frank told them all. "The furniture arrives here shrunk and labeled. We take it to the appropriate housing and then enlarge it and set it up. Got it?"
They did get it, and although some time around one in the morning a drenching rainstorm started, they worked right through it. Even Padma and her crew helped now and then, abandoning their cameras for a pile of shrunken furniture. Draco had actually had most of the furniture moved into the apartments once they had been built, and it was only a few complexes hadn't been filled, but even then, it took them until five am to finish, and then they still had the Evergreen Apartments to move, and they were still being built.
The rain had slowed the building down, but now that it had abated, they were working double time. A few of the movers from Frank's team knew a bit about construction and were able to pitch in as well. That left the rest of the team sitting on the damp grass waiting for the buildings to be finished. The first building was finished at six-thirty and by the time they had put all of the charity furniture in place, two more were done. The sun came up while they were moving, spurring their movements faster, and at seven-thirty, the last building was completed. Even the construction workers helped move the furniture, and they had just finished putting the last table in place when the first of the residents were brought in by the members of the Magical Enforcement Squad who were in charge of making sure the mass move ran smoothly.
The residents were accompanied by reporters and all of them stood in shock at the apartments, which were an exact replica of the ones that had been destroyed. Cheers broke out among the group of builders and movers as they watched families go into the apartments, and come out laughing and crying, wordlessly pointing the reporters in.
Draco couldn't help but smiled and reminded himself to write very long thank you cards to both the French and American Ministers of Magic. They had both asked him what kind of support he needed and he had said furniture. They in turn had asked for donations from their own citizens and between the two countries and the charity from the areas of England not affected, they had sent enough to equip each house and apartment with a table, chairs, four beds, and a couch. They didn't all match, and it wasn't a lot in terms of what the families were used to, but the fact was they had lost everything to a natural disaster and they had been expecting shacks to live in.
The Op. E team left before the reporters spotted them and had a quick celebration in the conference room, consisting of coffee cake and tea, and then Draco sent them all home for a hot shower and a nap. Instead of going home himself, he sent the thank you letters to France and America, and then made sure everything was running smoothly while nearly two thousand people were moved back into their homes. He was planning on checking over the financial situation, but two sleepless nights were catching up on him. He walked into the Minister's office, kicked off his shoes and pulled off his sweater, leaving him in a white t-shirt and comfortable khakis, and collapsed on the gold brocade couch. He set his cell phone on the table beside him and then promptly passed out.
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"Aww, look at the poor little Draco," said a laughing voice somewhere out of the black that Draco was lost in. He frowned and shifted, burying himself deeper into the soft surface he was currently lying on.
"Come on, Draco," came the voice again. "Wake up and say 'hi' for the camera!"
Draco turned his head and blinked open his eyes. He was lying on his stomach on the couch in the Minster's office and Padma had a camera practically in his face.
"I really hate you right now," he said, almost childlike in his plaintiveness.
She laughed. "They're waiting for you in the conference room. I was sent to wake you up."
Draco rubbed his eyes and looked at the camera in her hand. "You had better not publish any of that," he said. "What time is it?"
"Two in the afternoon. And congratulations, every one is back in their house and general opinion is that you pulled off the impossible and are no longer Voldemort-like."
"I should hope not," said Draco, still half-asleep and deciding that untying his sneakers was too much at the moment. "He was a real ugly bastard, wasn't he?"
He stood up, pocketing his cell phone and followed Padma into the conference room in sock feet. He was just awake enough to wonder why she was walking backwards with the camera still in his face when he entered the room.
"SURPRISE!" shouted two dozen voices. Draco was surprised to say the least, and he was sure from the laughter that the look of absolute shock on his face was really humorous due to the laughter following the pronouncement. The entire family along with the Op. E team and Lupin was present with green streamers hanging from the ceiling with bunches of silver balloons.
"The hell?" he asked to their furthered amusement.
"Hell!" sang Zak happily. "Hell, hell, hell!" Snape scooped him up and clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Poor bloke doesn't even know," said Fred.
"Read the cake, idiot," said George.
Draco finally noticed the large cake on the table and stepped forward to read it. 'Happy Birthday, Draco' the cake read, though the icing that spelled out his name occasionally contorted into 'Ferret-boy'. From Fred and George's muffled laughter, it was something of their design.
Draco hadn't forgotten his birthday, but he was surprised that they knew when it was.
"Blaise told us," said Mrs. Weasley stepping forward to light the candles, all twenty-four of them. "Ginny planned the party."
Draco's still shocked gaze turned to the gorgeous red-head who was looking stunning in a khaki skirt and tight royal purple top. She smiled, obviously pleased with herself.
"Alright, blow the candles out and make a wish," said Mrs. Weasley.
He obligingly thought for a minute, then blew the candles out, or he would have had not they started to sing.
A very happy birthday, though you are getting old
You're hair will start to fall out, your teeth begin to mold
Though you protest, 'I'm only twenty four' you may say,
You grow closer to one hundred, with every passing day
They then burst into a miniature firework display which made everyone duck and cover for protection against the flying sparks and midget rockets that made the babies begin to wail and the younger children scream from fright. When, at last, the fireworks died out, Draco picked himself up off the floor and peered over the table at the Weasley twins.
"Trick candles," said Fred, brightly.
"Aren't they something?" asked George proudly.
Draco merely laughed then sneezed. He frowned; he hoped he wasn't coming down with something.
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Wow, long chapter
I'm sorry it took so long, next time I won't wait until the last minute to begin a new chapter. Anyways, leave a review, and yes, IMPORTANT NOTICE HERE: there will be more Draco/Ginny action coming up, so, more reviews faster update. MUWHAHAHA! Yes, I am okay.