Its not really a class A felony when your dad practically runs law enforcement.
"Oh and by the way, I don't slither about... I am not a snake!"
APOV
I sighed loudly as the fog of exhaustion clouded over me. 'Another late night of snooping i guess.'
I had luckily already tracked down or enchanted the rest of the holiday presents, this being the last one on the list. I'm glad I remembered that it was even in here or I'd be hard pressed to find something Scor's dad might actually like.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was probably going to be the most important present of all. Who knows what our families might do when they found out who our respective best friends were. 'Might as well make a good impression' I thought to myself, resisting the urge to sigh a second time.
Well at least that was the excuse I kept telling myself for why I had broken into the ministry of magic when I should have been in bed at Hogwarts.
'My own dad had done this in his school days too' I mused. Although to be fair it had taken him five years longer than it did me, I added smugly to myself.
I walked my way through the dark stone corridors, my hand trailing delicately against the elegant black tiles as I did. I knew this place too well for a child... maybe one day I'll end up working here too? If our parents didn't murder us before then.
The present really was more for Scor than his dad, but I didn't know how long it would be before he'd actually get it… It would have to be passed down in the end.
I slipped wraith like down a corridor to press my back firmly against a wall. I had moved quickly the moment I noticed a lit wand appear, probing into the hallway down from the press offices.
Lucky me, it was that old fart…
'Ministry security is a joke these days' ninety five percent of the spell work involves sight based CCTV surveillance. It was a muggle based idea originally, drawn from their security cameras. The rest of security consisted of old semi-retired personnel who roamed the ministry at night like inferi or near sighted ghosts.
Well alright, Dad and Hermione's departments are different…they are guarded like fortresses.
Heeheehee I don't imagine dad ever thought I'd be using the cloak for this when he decided to hand it over.
I followed behind the old geezer who happened to be patrolling along the same route I had decided to take.
'Blasted Whitehall!' I cursed internally. A government building shouldn't be as confusing as this… I swear nobody who works here has ever actually seen the whole damn thing. The only reason I knew as much of my way around as I did was because my dad, aunt, uncles and grandfather all worked here. Well... and let's be honest... because I had this awesome little trinket to help me sneak about.
James's map would have come in handy had anyone ever thought to make a version for the ministry… of course that would be a major breach of protocol but for snoops it'd be a lifesaver…
Heeheehee I'd have to start on that as soon as possible… 'i'm feeling unusually Slytherin tonight.'
"They still keep you around, Robards? Fossils belong in a museum not as part of the night staff." Shot Minister Reevus Prel, the secretary of Magical Agriculture & Botany, as he emerged from his office to greet the patrolling guard. I almost laughed, i couldn't disagree with that.
"Oh you know me Reevs, I'm good for naught else these days. Are you going home for the night or getting some coffee?" The former Head Auror asked back with a smile, wrinkling his aged face terribly in the process.
"Yes to the former, although I don't know why I even bother going, i'll be back in an hour or two. Oh and come off it man, don't sell yourself short. I'm sure Harry finds good use for you." Prel offered reassuringly. "Speaking of, he still working late tonight?"
"Yeah, he always is. Some crisis with the foreign trade delegations. Delia Cresswell the head of the Goblin Liaison office was raving at the MM this afternoon. Apparently the Gringotts affair is still in full swing." the old auror paused then to look around for prying eyes and ears. "Actually, Draco is in Harry's office right now… was called in the middle of the night to see what he knew about the purists movements and intentions for the next few days. Not to mention to get his insight on the Banking Mess." Gawain continued, trying to seem important by demonstrating he was in loop.
"The Pureblood is in there alone with Harry? No security?" Prel asked incredulously.
"Aside from Delia, no. Harry can take care of himself." Gawain retorted indignantly. "And its not The Pureblood it's Supreme Founder Malfoy. He is head of the council. How quickly you young people forgot his family's station after the war. He has more power and money than any of his forefathers and has done little to express their singularly twisted interest in causing trouble." he finished, chuckling as though he had said something terribly clever. The Robards were part of the old council too although Gawain had had no children to continue his line. I think he might have had a nephew but I wasn't sure. Either way, one voice in that room meant nothing unless of course it was Draco's.
Gods dad was always working late… but this sounded important… I might pop in to eavesdrop later...
Before my brain had finished the thought I had begun to shake my head. 'No no, none of that. Stay on plan.' I corrected suddenly, thinking better of it. I'm here for something else tonight.
I had to find that 'item' and get back to Hogwarts before anyone realized I'd gone. Thank goodness for floo networks I thought walking carefully around the two chattering men.
The ministry at night is actually really amazing. I love watching the ministers and officials working late. Each office illuminated by a small light. A lone beacon, like a lighthouse in the middle of a black sea, signaling to the lost.
One time during the Flash Frost incident of 2011 none of the staff had the time to take Lily and I home so we actually got to stay the whole night. It was amazing to see everyone responding to an actual crisis, they all seemed so important and powerful. The best part was I hadn't needed the cloak then. Hot chocolate and nobody to stop us wandering. Vivienne had taught me two cool spells that night.
Hmm… Ok…
The item would most likely be in the Office of Objectionable Material.
I stopped for a moment to think, contemplating the best way to get there without running into security down tight corridors.
On the way I passed the DoM and stared at the door to that Chamber…
I had to shake myself out of the feeling I got from being near it. It was beyond eerie. My hand tingled and I could see Scorpius's shifting eyes staring back at me in the void.
'Brllllblblblblblb… snap out of it!' I thought distractedly. I caught two unspeakables garbed entirely in black and white robes, walking down the corridors with purposeful intensity. They were headed to the CIB, I realized with a shiver. Spooks not researchers, I thought, gulping.
After a few minutes of wandering through the outer maze of DoM corridors, I finally made my way to the storage hall in the OOM. This room was an extension to the Dark Artifacts storage hall so in essence it had become a repository for ancient evils that had been confiscated and accumulated over centuries.
"Hmmmmm…" I mused aloud... "Lets see, the manifest says…" ahhh ok.
Malfoy... Malfoy... Lot 49… isle 14... row 7, shelf 7, no way… box… 7. That was weird this log was altered since the item was placed here twenty years ago... i wonder who moved the box?
Ok well here we are. Ashera and Merlin be good! There should be better security for this place. Hermione's unspeakables guarded her artifacts much more carefully. Well in all seriousness they knew if they didn't she'd torture them to the point they'd wished the Ministry had brought back The Kiss to end their suffering.
"What a small thing" I whispered, removing the box from within its cardboard shelling.
'The ministry had had no right to take this from them' I thought, running my finger over the design. Things went missing from storage halls like these all the time… I reasoned that nobody would even miss it. The items of the post war purge were relics that were taken as a lesson more than to prevent their use as potential objects for dark magic. What harm could such a thing ever even do?
Now off we go before some unfortunate accident lands me in Azkaban, or worse, before Scor wakes up and realizes I've gone.
"Where have you been skulking off to again? You twit. I don't like the idea of you getting into trouble and losing us points." Scor scolded as I tried to slip into the bed as quietly as possible. He was genuinely concerned for me?
"Awwww, Mom. You were worried about me?" I asked moving to hug him.
"Oh leave off… I thought I made my worry plain. Points Al, House cup…" He corrected, only half resisting my hug.
"Oh yeah surrrrre… points! As if I'd actually get caught with the cloak." I spat sarcastically in a tone that suggested i was smiling... and that I knew he knew i knew he knew.
"I was not worried about you!"
He turned his back on me at that, displeased that he couldn't convince me he was a cold heartless bastard. 'Heehee… such a shit sometimes' I thought to myself.
After a minute he finally folded.
"Well maybe I don't want you getting into trouble over something as stupid as presents." He finished quietly without turning around.
Shit, how could he have known? Don't panic… maybe Louis or Rosie had mentioned that I craft my own presents or maybe...
"W-who.. Um told you?" I asked hesitantly, praying he hadn't found out about what I had just done for him. Although I couldn't have imagined how… then again he was quite resourceful...
"Louis mentioned you do stuff like this every year. I don't want you getting into trouble…" he repeated, turning back towards me… "Without me that is…" he was grinning mischievously from ear to ear.
"There's my Scor in his proper Slytherin colors! You weren't worried, you just didn't want to miss out on the action."
"Yoouur Scor? What am I, a stuffed bear?" He asked sarcastically. I nodded energetically in response, moving to hug him again.
"Oh just shut up, I want to sleep."
I saw him smile at the last second before he finished turning over.
"I was hoping you might get to see all the presents over Holidays…" I started not sure if this was the right move. "I even got some for you and your parents too."
"What?!" He had nearly jumped when he'd heard that. He turned back to me again with that strange stare of his. He was going to get whiplash flipping over again and again.
"One, I hope you didn't go through all of this for us. Two, and more importantly, I really don't think thats a good idea." He finished, eyeing me as though I had sprouted fur on my eyeballs.
"No no…" I lied. "Only family gets super late night awesomeness…besides I was thinking it might be better to ask for permission now while they still have no idea who you are, instead of having them find out through James or a letter that we're friends. Don't you?" I asked tepidly.
"You really want me over during hols?"
"Uhh yeah, isn't that what best friends do?" I asked seriously, not understanding his reluctance.
"Well… if you think it'll work… then I want you to come over to the Manor too… if you don't… mind…"
Scor has this terrible way of alternating between extremely arrogant self-confidence and insecure hesitancy. He was only ever the latter with me.
"Are you kidding? I'd love to!" I squeaked a little too loudly for three in the morning. I heard someone shush us from several beds over.
"I guess we should write home soon about it? Besides I have to tell my parents about our venture with uncle George, before they flip. I can't believe your dad said yes." I was beyond excited by the opportunity.
"Well the numbers looked solid and it is my money, not dad's, so why not?"
"One because you put in a lot more money than me… and all I contributed was a bunch of licensing on some of my potions…" I said in response to what had obviously been intended as a rhetorical question.
"Al... shut up… partners fifty fifty each." he finished smiling.
He was really amazing sometimes… much too kind to be a snake I thought as his eyes lit brightly… at least they were still blue tonight.
