Chapter 21

Remus returned home, carrying a copy of the latest best seller that he hoped to dig into before Wendy got home. He was quite surprised when Cappa appeared in front of him.

She was wringing her hands. "Master? Please, you have to help Mistress. She is not being well, and I is not knowing what to do. She has shouted for Cappa to go away many hours ago, and…and…"

He knew that Cappa could not return to where Wendy was without being summoned, and that would account for the elf's agitation. "Where is she?"

"In the library. Master, I is so glad you is home. You will make her better, right?"

"I'll do my best," he reassured. He knew that Wendy was not generally rude to her house-elf, and he wondered what might account for her behavior.

When he opened the door, he was met with a shout, "I said go away!" Wendy looked up and saw that it was Remus. "Oh. It's you." She downed the contents of her glass and refilled it from the bottle of whiskey on her desk.

Knowing that something bad had happened, he asked gently, "What happened? Why are you home so early?"

"Lucius fucking Malfoy and my arse of a brother. Those bastards conspired against me. With some rather creative reports to the Ministry, I have been suspended. They are investigating the reports. Depending on the outcome…" She once again downed her glass.

Remus grabbed the bottle before she could refill her glass. "Do you really think they will fire you?"

"I saw the reports and they weren't all filed by my brother. In addition, I'm sure Lucius will get to testify about the raid I conducted on his house." She stared at the bottle Remus was holding. "Give me the damn bottle," she ordered.

"No. I'm not going to let you wallow in alcohol."

After staring at him for several seconds, she rose to her feet unsteadily, and retrieved another bottle. This time she didn't waste time pouring into a glass and drank straight from the bottle. "I haven't even got to the good part yet."

He approached her to try to take the bottle away and found she could still draw her wand quite quickly. "Wendy…"

"Don't try to rule my life, too! You want to hear the best part? She had my house searched. SEARCHED!"

"Did they find anything?" he asked cautiously. While all her prohibited items were concealed, there was a fairly good chance whichever Aurors conducted the search might have found something.

"Of course not. I'm not stupid. They raised some eyebrows at a couple of my books, but it was nothing too bad." Since she was having trouble standing, she slumped onto the couch.

He sat next to her. "What do you do now?"

"Sit on my bloody hands. What the fuck else do you think I'd do?"

He finally grabbed the bottle from her. When she tried to get up, he pushed her back onto the couch. "I think you've had quite enough to drink."

"Not by a long shot. Now, give that back."

"No. Cappa!" Once the house-elf appeared, he said, "Brew some strong coffee, please." He turned back to Wendy. "Can't you prove that they are affiliated with You-Know-Who? That would surely solve your problem."

"Yeah, well, that's a little hard to do, now isn't it?" Her speech was really starting to slur.

"I think you should go to bed, and then we can talk about this some more in the morning. Even if you aren't in the Ministry, you can still be helpful. Now, let's get you some coffee, food and then to bed."

"Don't mother me," she growled.

Cappa returned with the coffee and Remus handed her the cup. "Now then, you'll feel better once you drink this."

Wendy took a sip. "Tastes horrible. Are you trying to poison me?"

"No, darling, I'm not. Keep drinking. It will help. I would really rather prefer to discuss this with you while you're sober."

He finally got her settled down and sober, and they were discussing the specific charges against her, when the doorbell sounded.

"Were you expecting anyone?" he asked.

She stopped, fork midway to her mouth. "Lucius," she whispered. "Cappa! Wait a minute on the door." She turned back to Remus. "Can you go?"

"I don't want to leave you alone with him." He knew that Lucius had already threatened to have her removed from fieldwork so he could spend more time with her.

"Please? I need to find out why," she pleaded.

"Be careful," he replied and kissed her quickly before hurrying to the entrance hall so he could Disapparate. Wendy rushed out of the room. "Give me a few seconds to get upstairs, and then you can let him in, but don't let him upstairs." She ran upstairs.

Not long after arriving in her room, Cappa appeared. "Mistress, Mr. Malfoy is downstairs."

"Thank you, Cappa." Nervously, she headed downstairs. She saw Lucius in her library, perusing her books. "Lucius," she said coldly.

He turned to face her, a smug grin on his face. "Ah, so good of you to see me. I was just looking at your books, it seems some of your titles are missing."

"They aren't missing."

"Ah, good girl. I thought you might keep stuff like that…hidden. I did hear about the bad news, and of course, I had to come over and check on you."

"To see how mad I am at you? I know you had something to do with this."

"Actually, no. This was not my idea. It was your brother's. Of course, I know how much your work means to you, and I would never do anything to ruin that," he said smoothly.

"Why do I find that hard to believe?" She crossed her arms defensively.

"Come now, my dear. Don't be so glum. This actually works out quite well." He paused a few seconds. "Is your house guest in?" He watched her shake her head and then moved closer to her. "That is good news. I had hoped to get here before he returned from whatever it is he does. Until this whole investigation is resolved, you will have plenty of time on your hands. I thought I might offer you a pleasant diversion. It's much easier for me to get away during the day." He placed his hand on her shoulder and ran it down her arm.

"Are you sure you didn't plan this?" she asked. She knew that he had a lot to gain personally from her new status.

"I will admit that there is an unexpected benefit to this problem you are having, but I assure you, I had nothing to do with this. Of course, Amelia has asked me to testify for your investigation." He brushed her hair aside so he could nibble at her neck. "I will do my best to help you, but I can only be seen showing so much support for you. It may not be enough." He continued to kiss her, letting his hands caress her body. "If you are looking for employment, I can offer you work. Something suited to your unique talents."

She was only half listening to what he was saying. "Sounds tempting. What sort of work?"

"Just something to take advantage of all the knowledge you have, and that marvelous library you have hidden." He led her over to the couch. "I have a small research project for you. I ran into a Seer a few days ago and was fortunate enough to hear a prophecy. I know that prophecies can be stored, but I don't have anything in any of my books. I thought that perhaps you could help me with that?"

"If you've heard a prophecy, why not talk to the Unspeakables?"

"Well, I don't completely trust them. I think you can understand that, especially after that ugliness earlier. You understand, don't you?" He leaned over her, unfastening her robes.

She really didn't see the harm in helping him. It was such an innocent request, wasn't it? "Of course. I'll look into it."

"Good. Then I'll just have to come back tomorrow and see what you've found."

"You don't have to do that, I could send you an owl at work."

He suckled on her nipple. "I would much prefer to come here."

She moaned at his touch. The rational part of her mind knew that it was an aphrodisiac wreaking havoc with her senses, but it was overruled by the more primitive part of her mind. "Okay," she whispered as she ran her hands through his hair.

"Good girl," he commended. Shifting her to a better location on the couch, he took his time satisfying his urges. Now that she was not actively working for the Ministry, he would have to spend more time with her. This was the way it was supposed to be. A man of his importance should not have to spend all day in his office.

When Remus returned home, he had been gone about two hours. Rather than Apparating right to the entrance hall, he arrived outside and came in through the front door. Cappa met him and informed him that Malfoy had departed. He found Wendy in the library, reading a book.

She looked up from the book and said weakly, "Hi."

He was pleased to see that she had not resumed drowning her sorrows in alcohol. Leaning over, he tried to determine what she was reading about. "Prophecies?" he asked.

"Something Lucius is interested in. He claims to have heard a prophecy, but doesn't want to go to the Unspeakables."

"Do you believe him?"

"Not really, at least not anymore. I did when he explained it. I'm going to have to test out those antidotes. I can't go through that again. It's bad enough I have to be with him, but to lose control like that?" She shuddered. "I wonder why he is interested in prophecies? I'll see what information I can get out of him tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

She sighed. "I know. But now that I'm temporarily unemployed, he's decided I need something to occupy my time during the day. Since I'm not sure I'll be an Auror much longer, I'll need to find something else to occupy my time. I'm sure my skills can translate into something, or I can always take a more active role in the administration of my holdings."

"Your holdings?"

"You know that I don't maintain this lifestyle off my Auror's salary. Among other smaller holdings, I own the broom company that makes the Nimbus and Firefly models. They've been working on something to compete with the Firebolt, but haven't come up with anything. My involvement may change that."

"Are you serious?" he asked incredulously. There were times he forgot that as a Westin, she had a great deal of money.

"In the past, I have found they work harder if I'm breathing down their necks…"

He interrupted, "No, not that. About owning the Nimbus company."

"That, oh, yes. I suppose I ought to sit down with you some day and go over my holdings. Aside from the candy company, the others are all pretty mundane. As a general rule, I stay out of the day-to-day operations. I have final approval on all new products, but that's about it. Anyway, back to Lucius and the prophecy, I'll see if I can get a better idea of why. I got the impression that he is using this as a test. He indicated he was willing to give me employment suited to my talents. Now, we both know that I don't need the money, so I can only guess that he is starting to trust me."

"I don't like it. I think it's getting too dangerous." He scowled at her.

She moved over so she could wrap her arms around his neck. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. I'm assuming they'll give me a series of tasks, each increasingly more difficult, before they make their decision to really invite me in. Of course, having been an Auror was a good reason not to join them. It's not like I could really have the Dark Mark on my arm, could I?"

"But now, that has changed."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm still not going to become one of them."

"Wendy, this is serious. You aren't an Auror right now and depending on what you do, you might not be one again. I thought you had respect for the law."

"Normally. But then again, I've never been afraid of skirting the law. See, the problem is, I know the law very well."

He saw a gleam in her eye; one that he thought meant trouble. "What are you planning?"

She gave him a gentle kiss. "Nothing."

"Wendy, I know you are planning something. What is it? Is it something to do with your brother?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm not going to do anything dangerous. I know better than to go after him directly."

"I would prefer you not do anything. Promise me."

"Don't make me give you a promise I can't keep."

He looked her into the eyes. "I don't want to lose you. You have to admit that you have a habit of being somewhat reckless. I want you to be careful. Don't go after any of the Death Eaters by yourself, and I'd really prefer it if you broke things off with Malfoy. The situation is especially dangerous now."

"We've talked about this before. Now, more than ever, I'm being placed in a situation to learn what they are doing, why they are remaining so quiet. Already, I've learned that they have an interest in prophecies. While we may not know what significance that has, perhaps Albus does. If I can give him some information on that, and I'll keep it vague, I should be able to draw more information out of him." She nibbled at his ears. "I promise I'll be careful, and I'll test out those antidotes, find one that works."

"Why is it I find I can't say no to you?"

"Because you love me," she replied coquettishly as she led him out of the library.

Wendy was waiting behind the desk. Checking the clock on the wall, she knew he would be arriving soon. She waited until he was hanging up his cloak before saying, "Hello, Timor."

He spun around, wand at the ready, wondering how someone got in his office.

Wendy summoned his wand before he could cast a spell. "I can't have you doing that."

"You're trespassing. I'll call the authorities."

"Not until I let you. The room is sealed. No one can get in, no one can hear." There was a menacing edge to her voice as she toyed with his wand.

"What do you want?" He tried not to sound nervous.

"You have committed a grievous error by filing those complaints against me. You'll regret it."

He tried to sound confident. "Threatening me? That will be a nice one to add to the others."

She rose and slowly approached him. "Oh, dear brother, it's not a threat, it's the truth. Go ahead. Add it to the others. You've taken everything away from me. I have nothing left to lose," she growled. She was pleased to see beads of sweat forming on his brow. "You see, you've made a very powerful enemy. I was content to leave you alone. You've changed that."

"So what are you going to do to me," he asked nervously.

She sat on the edge of his desk, still toying with his wand. "I haven't decided yet. I want to make sure it's particularly nasty. You won't know when or where I will exact my revenge, but I will."

"I have powerful friends and I'm well protected. I caught you at the house, I can do it again."

"Can you? I got in here no problem. As for your friends, they don't concern me. You all made a serious mistake all those years ago." She stood and got ready to drop his wand on the desk. "Oh, I would ask for a refund from whoever set your protective wards, or are they yours?" She could see that he was getting angry and assumed it was the latter. "Well, until later, brother." She Disapparated with a pop.

Remus woke and found that he was alone. He worried about what she was doing. She had not promised him to behave, and he feared that she had decided to go after one of the Death Eaters, probably her brother.

He decided to wait for her downstairs. While he didn't feel like eating, he thought he would take some tea.

It was shortly after nine when he heard Wendy Apparate. He hurried out of the dining room to catch her before she went somewhere else. "Where have you been?" he demanded.

"I had to run an errand," she replied evasively.

"Before seven o'clock? Where did you go and what did you do? I've been worried sick about you."

She had been about to tell him it was none of his business up into the point he admitted he was worried. "It's personal." She tried to head upstairs.

He grabbed her arm. "What did you do to your brother?" he assumed that was where she had gone.

"I didn't do anything. I just talked to him."

He didn't release her arm. "Wendy?" he prodded.

"Okay, I basically told him that he made a serious mistake by ruining my life."

"You threatened him? You may not think he's much of a wizard, but he is a Death Eater."

"I didn't threaten him," she insisted. "I just told him the truth."

He hugged her tightly. "You do many things that drive me crazy, and this is one of them. You are making powerful enemies."

"Not if I play my cards right. Lucius knows what sort of value I have. They won't do anything to me based on what my brother says. I doubt he will even admit I was there. He would be admitting to his fellow Death Eaters that he's unable to protect his office from intrusion. No, I don't think he'll ask for help, and I know he can't get me here."

"Yes, but there are time you would be leaving the house. If he's in charge of a Death Eater cell, he could send them after you."

She laughed. "Oh, come now, we've gone against those. Do you honestly think any of them are a match for me?"

"If they catch you off-guard, yes." He wished she would take this more seriously. She was being entirely too cavalier.

"You worry too much about me."

"And you don't worry enough about yourself. You have proven that you are not infallible. Perhaps I should take you up on that offer to tie you up until you come to your senses?" he mused.

She relaxed a little in his arms. "Hmmm. I like the sound of that. You didn't have to go into work, did you?" she asked as she rubbed her hips against his.

He looked into her face incredulously. "You're serious, aren't you?"

She started unbuttoning his shirt. "Tie me up and have your way with me. I promise to scream for you."

He could feel his loins tightening at the idea of this suggestion. "I suppose I should punish you for being a bad girl, shouldn't I?" He gave her a shove toward the stairs. "Upstairs! Now!" he ordered.

They were upstairs cuddling in bed when they heard the doorbell ring.

"Shit! Cappa!" called Wendy. Once the house-elf appeared, she said, "Tell whoever it is, I'm not in and I didn't tell you when I would be back."

"Yes, Mistress." Cappa curtsied and disappeared.

"Do you think it's him?" Remus asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised. But I really don't want to think about him."

Cappa returned to the bedroom. "Mistress, Mr. Malfoy left a message for you." She held out a piece of parchment.

Wendy took the note and held it so that Remus could read it as well.

Wendy,

I was dismayed that you were not at home when I called. I had so hoped to see you again today. Unfortunately, my schedule precludes me from coming by later. I'll come by again tomorrow, around ten. I not only look forward to seeing if you have learned anything about prophecies, but to spend some time with you. I found the most sinful massage oil I'm dying to try.

Yours,

Lucius

Wendy balled up the letter and threw it across the room. "Sinful, my arse. I'm sure it's some aphrodisiac." She lay in Remus' arms a few minutes before saying, "I suppose I should send a message to Albus letting him know what's happened."

"I'm surprised you haven't heard from Kingsley or Tonks," Remus said.

"I'm not. Normally when an Auror is suspended, the others stay clear. Call it self-preservation. I'll probably hear from Kingsley when it's all over. He and I have been friends for years."

"When is the hearing?"

"Probably next week. They'll want four or five days to collect evidence and line up testimony."

"Do you need anyone to testify on your behalf?"

She had been thinking about this, but with the Order of the Phoenix's resurrection being kept secret, there were few she could consider. A part of her didn't want to involve Kingsley, but instead to protect him from the fallout. She sighed. "No. It wouldn't do any good and would only hurt whoever testifies for me. Right now, you are anonymous and I think we should keep it that way. Besides, anything you say about our imprisonment won't help anyway. I'll defend myself the best I can. In the end, I expect I will be fired. I'd resign if it weren't for my pride. If I resign, it's as good as admitting I did something wrong." She got up from bed, wrapped her dressing gown around her and went to the window. Once there, she tried to send a Patronus message to Dumbledore. After two failed attempts, she looked back at Remus. "Do you think you could?" She had never been very good at conjuring a Patronus.

"Of course." He rose and crossed the room to the window. After sending the message, he wrapped her in his arms. One day, he hoped to provide her with the happiness necessary to reliably conjure a Patronus. "Should we get some lunch?" When she nodded, he led her downstairs.

Albus' response and her hearing summons arrived on the same day. The hearing was scheduled for the day after tomorrow, and she had one day to submit the names of any witnesses on her behalf. Albus' message had showed slight disappointment, but assured her that her skills were important to the Order whether or not she was an Auror.

"Are you sure you don't want me to testify?" Remus asked.

She reached across the table for his hand. "Thank you, but no. I know that you are standing beside me and that's enough."

The day of the hearing, Remus saw Wendy off and went to Grimmauld Place to await the outcome. Sirius was being surprisingly sympathetic. "I know her brother. He's a real bastard. Of course, most of those purebloods are bastards. I can definitely see him doing something like this. So, what's the plan if she's fired?" Sirius wasn't sure how he felt about that. With Wendy around more often, he thought it likely he would see less of Remus. It didn't seem likely that Wendy would want to spend more time at Grimmauld Place.

"I suspect she'll spend a lot more time researching in her library. There's a chance that somewhere in those books is information on how You-Know-Who transformed into what he is. We haven't really talked about it much. Every time I try, she changes the subject," he said sadly.

"Want to play cards to pass the time?" Sirius offered.

"Sure," replied Remus, though he wasn't sure how much interest he would have.

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A/N: Sorry this update took so long. I was trying to update it before I left on vacation, but the website wasn't working and I never got the computer hooked up while we were gone. :( Anyway, the next updates will hopefully come more quickly.