Review Responses:
ElavielBlack – Yay, I got a Squee! I love those! Thanks for the review but don't blame Percy too much after all nobody had actually told him about Pettigrew. :o)
Dark-Lady-Devinity – Harry doesn't need a dumb potion, he was just born that way, lol! Sorry, not a Harry fan! Hehehe! People do in fact have to start filling Percy in, but they're about to twig about that. Thanks for the review!
Golden Lass – Thanks for the suggestion but the story's pretty much plotted out right to the end so it would have required a major rework to do that, interesting idea though. I'll try to get round to looking at your fics when I get the time. Thanks for reviewing!Cooldot – Yay, I'm so pleased you're still reading! I noticed you hadn't been around for a while and I was missing the lovely long reviews you leave me! I'm glad you like the way this is heading! I agree entirely with your assessment of people not telling Percy things and how if it weren't for them this whole mess wouldn't have happened but not everyone may see it that way. Harry vs. Draco's always fun, I loved writing the upcoming quidditch match and next chapter you get to see why. I love Ron too and I think he gets to do some cool stuff in this so hopefully it'll come across well. Neville's supposed to be acting a little oddly, he's still Neville but he's been through a horrible experience and it's taken it's toll for the moment. As for Dru and Remus, just wait and see. ;o) There was so not enough Percy in book 6! And I agree with you, I don't believe Snape is evil! To me it just doesn't make sense. Thanks for the lovely review! Oh and I don't think the site will let you type in URLs, addresses never show up.
honestiago – Thanks my friend, I think heroic Ron is something the whole world could use! See, I finally updated! Thanks as always for reviewing!
Kathy – Glad you liked it so much! Personally, I always have an urge to smack sense into Harry! Lol! Hehehe, the bet's outcome becomes apparent in the chapter after this and I think that if nothing else people will find it interesting! Thanks for reviewing!
A Subtle Change
Emphasis
Thoughts
Chapter 6
The fallout from the 'pettigrew incident', as Moody had termed it, was mostly directed at Percy and came both from his family and the Order of the Phoenix members, plus his crazed employer who was busily developing various conspiracy theories surrounding the incident.
An Order meeting had been called for the evening after the rat had made it's visit to Hogwarts, due to Dumbledore having held an emergency staff meeting the previous night and so being unable to call the Order together.
Percy had arrived home from work on the day of the incident well past midnight, having spent the day chasing up a report from The Department of Magical Games and Sports. From what he could tell the employees in that department spent much of their time tossing a quaffle back and forth and arguing with the American ministry about whether Quidditch was superior to Quodpot. That of course was when they made it into work at all and weren't busy charging quidditch games to their expenses accounts under the dubious heading of 'field research'. When they finally settled down enough to write their reports they were often past their deadlines and written late at night while someone stood over them and forced them to concentrate. Due to this it was not until the following morning that Percy found out exactly how much trouble he had inadvertently caused.
"Percy, dear, there you are. We wanted to talk to you last night," his mother said the moment he entered the kitchen the next morning.
"Sorry, issues with reports at the ministry." Percy refrained from regaling them with the whole story, deciding he'd heard quite enough about it himself.
"Percy," his father spoke from his seat at the table, looking serious, "Did you send Scabbers to Ron at Hogwarts yesterday?"
"Oh yes," Percy had all but forgotten about the rat in his annoyance over spending his afternoon and evening chasing up reports from annoying quidditch obsessives. "Poor little creature turned up in my office, goodness knows how. I wish Ron would take better care of him."
Arthur sighed, "There's something you might want to know about that rat."
"What's that then?" Percy asked, not expecting anything terribly interesting.
"He's not a rat. He's an animagus by the name of Peter Pettigrew."
Having had far too little sleep to register his father's statement properly Percy merely asked, "Isn't he the one who was killed by Sirius Black? Friend of the Potters, went after Black when he found out what had happened and was killed by Black along with thirteen muggles. Awarded a posthumous Order of Merlin, first class."
"Right, that's him yes," Arthur's amazement had never ceased when it came to his son's ability to reel off all manner of information most people couldn't care less about, "But Pettigrew didn't die that day and Black didn't kill those muggles. Percy, did you not even know Sirius was innocent?" Arthur asked in clear surprise.
"He is? I mean was?" Percy was looked deeply confused.
"Yes, Pettigrew was the Potter's secret keeper, he betrayed them to Voldemort and when Black found out what he'd done and caught up with him he faked his own death and framed Sirius," Arthur was well aware that this was sounding like a somewhat unlikely tale.
"Then he lived as my pet rat?" Percy asked sceptically.
"Odd and disturbing as it may sound, yes," Charlie said from the doorway, stifling a yawn and shuffling towards the large pot of tea which stood on the table.
"My rat was a murderer and an informant for Voldemort!" Percy finally seemed to take the idea in.
"I'm afraid so." Arthur nodded.
"But, but…I talked to him, told him things!"
"Like what?" Arthur asked in concern.
Percy coloured in embarrassment, "Well about Penelope and me."
Charlie laughed suddenly, "Percy, I don't think the Dark Lord's too interested in your teenage romance with the Ravenclaw prefect!"
"Still!" Percy looked indignant before suddenly glancing back at his father in horror, "I sent him to Hogwarts! I sent him to Ron!"
"It's alright, you missed the excitement yesterday, he was stopped before he could do anything but he still managed to escape unfortunately," Charlie informed his brother.
"Oh God, I could have ruined everything!" Percy sank into a seat at the table next to Charlie.
"It's not your fault Perce, I think we all just assumed you knew," Charlie shrugged.
"Knew! How would I know! Nobody told me!" anger began to edge into his voice.
"I'm sorry, Percy, it just slipped my mind," his father said tiredly, "Dumbledore's called an Order meeting for tonight and we're going to make sure there's nothing else that you or anyone else needs to know that they don't at present."
His father's clear weariness wiped away Percy's anger in an instant. "What time's the meeting?"
"Eight O'clock, Grimmauld Place as usual. Oh, and if you could tell Professor Thornfield that there may a breach of security in her department that would be helpful," Arthur smiled ruefully.
"She's going to have a fit!" Percy predicted. "She was there when I found him."
"Well you'd better fill her in on what's going on," Arthur said, not envying his son that task.
Percy nodded weakly, not at all looking forward to that conversation. He suffered his mother's fussing over his breakfast for half an hour before deciding that putting off talking to Druscilla was only going to make things worse, that and give his mother too much time to make a fuss of him.
Having arrived at work a little later than usual but still earlier than he needed to be, Percy went immediately to his employer's office and knocked a little nervously on her door before entering cautiously.
The woman glanced up and smiled, "Good Morning, Percy."
"Good morning, Professor. I was wondering if I could have a word?"
"Of course, have a seat," she gestured to a chair and Percy sat down.
"Well," Percy gave an apologetic grin, "It's about that rat I found yesterday."
It took more than half an hour before Percy had managed to explain the whole story to a deeply bewildered Druscilla who was torn between the idea that her assistant had been inhaling cauldron fumes and that, despite all likelihood, he was telling a joke. Eventually however she was persuaded that the rat really had been a murderer and death eater informant and was left trying to address the uncomfortable issue of how he came to be roaming loose in the ministry, more to the point on her floor.
"Professor, he could have had help getting in," Percy suggested.
"That is unfortunately what I was thinking and I don't like the idea one little bit!" She sighed and rested her chin on her hand, "I have been noticing that information, supposed to be confidential, has been leaking from this department, I just haven't been able to put my finger on where it's leaking from. This however suggests things are much worse than someone simply spying on us for Fudge, this suggests we have a traitor in our midst, someone who's selling us out to Voldemort!"
"Who would do that!"
"Plenty of people, Percy. They'd do it through fear, or greed, or even stupidity. Look at the mess Bagman caused during the last war by simply talking to an old family friend!"
"This doesn't look like an accident though," Percy pointed out.
"No, you're right. Whoever's doing this is doing it with the intention of aiding Voldemort." She ran a hand distractedly through her hair. "This is just bloody wonderful!"
"Well did you have any ideas about who was leaking information?"
"Yes, I did and as they were snooping around this floor yesterday I'd say that right now they're a pretty likely suspect. Trust Fudge to go and hire himself an assistant who's working for the other side!"
"You think the Minister's junior assistant did this!" Percy was shocked.
"You don't?" Druscilla asked.
"Well I could believe that he was spying on you but he seems so loyal to Fudge!"
"So did you," she pointed out, "Until you started back chatting him over werewolf rights and defending your father and what not. For goodness sake Weasley whoever this person is they're not going to have Death Eater Informant stencilled across their chest!
"Yes, Professor, I'm sorry."
"Talk to the Order tonight, tell them I'll hold some sort of investigation here as quietly as possible. Don't mention the minister's assistant yet, I don't want to get him in that much trouble if it's not true!"
"Yes Professor." Percy nodded and gratefully retreated, simply pleased that his boss hadn't reproached him for his blunder in what he done in sending Pettigrew to Hogwarts.
XXXXXXX
The Order, by the looks they were giving him that night, were less willing to allow the issue of Percy accidentally mailing a mass murder to Hogwarts to drop. Percy couldn't really blame them but he was slightly annoyed that no one seemed to have had the decency to apologise for not telling him the truth about his rat.
The Order did have the decency not to vocalise any ill will towards Percy, though that could have had something to do with the glares Charlie shot anyone who even looked at his brother funny. Percy was embarrassed but pleased by this, but was perhaps even more pleased to see Bill doing the same thing. The two brothers had been slowly mending their relationship after years of mutual resentment and coldness. Bill was still capable of demonstrating impatience with his younger brother but his attitude had in general improved and he had in fact become surprisingly protective of him.
Percy was rather put in the spotlight by Dumbledore who made it very clear that he did not consider the young man to be to blame for what had occurred and that it was all simply a near disastrous breakdown of communications within the Order.
After Percy explained the situation at the ministry and what Druscilla had said Dumbledore instantly turned to Remus Lupin.
"Remus, perhaps you should go and talk to her about this?" the headmaster suggested, "She knows you and your presence in her office can be easily explained by the werewolf rights she's campaigning about."
The man nodded, "I'll go and try. However if she thinks ministry security is compromised then she may not be too willing to talk."
"That was part of my reason for asking you to go, Remus, she seems to trust you and gaining Druscilla Thornfield's trust is not an easy thing to do, in fact I would say that of the people in this room there is only yourself, Arthur and Percy who have managed it and Arthur can't be seen to be interfering at the ministry. You are outside of Fudge's jurisdiction so even if he gets suspicious there will be nothing he can do."
"She trusts Kingsley!" Tonks gestured to the older auror sat across from her.
"No," Kingsley shook his head thoughtfully, "She likes me and we get along with I think a substantial amount of mutual respect but I doubt very much that she trusts me. Indeed she may only trust Remus in so far as she can see no motive he would have for betraying her in any way."
"Oh I'm sure there's more to it than that," Dumbledore smiled.
Remus shrugged his shoulders, "Well I'll go and try. Nothing to lose by it I suppose." Except my dignity, he added mentally, remembering their last encounter where the woman had succeeded in half undressing him in her office without him being able to work out quite how it had happened.
XXXXXXX
Upon arriving at the ministry the next morning Remus made his way directly to Druscilla's office, deciding not to disturb Percy by going to see him first.
Her office door was open but seeing she was talking to a young man Remus was going to leave so as not to disturb her but in noting her behaviour he leaned against the doorframe to watch her at work.
Druscilla was oblivious to Remus' presence at first as she was rather preoccupied with the man in her office, he was in fact the person responsible for reporting security situations to Fudge and she knew very well that if she randomly began monitoring fireplaces he would be the person who would alert the minister to her behaviour.
Druscilla leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, her short skirt riding up to mid-thigh length. She allowed a hand to drop to her lap, her fingers idly tracing patterns on her exposed leg. "Now, Dave," her voice was low and seductive, promising all sorts of indiscretions without actually promising anything, "I'm sure we can sort this out between us. No need to bother poor Cornelius, he's so over worked right now and I'm keen to help in any way I can." With these last words she slipped her tailored jacket from her slender shoulders, allowing it to slide down her back, revealing the crimson silk blouse, well fitting and low cut at the neck.
Dave swallowed nervously and seemed not to know where to look. Druscilla looked up and caught Remus' eye, batting an eyelid in a playful wink. Remus rolled his eyes in response. Dave had no idea Druscilla wasn't giving him her full attention and he was certainly giving her his.
"Well, quite, Professor Thornfield, why don't I leave this in your capable hands."
"You know, I think that's a splendid idea! I'd never have thought of it myself but you're quite right as it happens, this is best left to me." She gave him a brilliant smile and stood to indicate the meeting was over. Dave followed suite and followed her as she sashayed towards the door. At the doorway she grinned at Remus before turning to Dave and extending a perfectly manicured hand. She shook his hand firmly, "I'm glad we had this chat."
Dave, looking dazed, stumbled out into the corridor and away, giving the woman several backward glances.
Remus wasn't sure whether to be amused or not, "Wiped your feet on yet another young man?" he asked.
Druscilla gestured him into the office and grinned again, "Now is not a good time to be a man. They don't know what to do with women anymore, they're not sure whether to worship us or fight us and so for the most part they've settled on fearing us. It's great! If you're a woman that is. So yes, Remus, I use a certain amount of sex appeal to get what I want but if I walk all over men it's only because they keep lying down in my path."
Remus chuckled, "Not something you've ever objected to, I'm sure."
She raised her eyebrows, red lips curling into a self-satisfied smirk, "Well, maybe not."
He shook his head, "I feel sorry for the men you work with."
"Oh so do I, the poor dears seem to be running around like headless chickens whenever I see them."
"Can't think why," he said in amusement.
She grinned, "Anyway, what can I do for you?"
"I was sent by the Order to speak with you about the possibility of a security leak here at the ministry."
"Well there's plenty of those, only normally they're nothing too serious and it's the Daily Prophet they're leaking to. However this time we seem to have a very serious problem. I spoke to Kingsley Shacklebolt the other day and he said that either the Death Eaters are getting to know the way we operate or they're being told what we're going to do before we do it, because they're getting harder to fight off."
Remus had heard Kingsley voice the same concerns previously and nodded in understanding, "And things now look worse because of the Pettigrew thing."
"Precisely. He must have had help getting in here and that means we have someone here working against us from within which is never a pleasant prospect. Personally I'd rather deal with another idiot like Bagman, even though they can cause more trouble in the long run, they're worse at covering their tracks because they don't realise they're doing anything wrong and that does make them easier to spot," Druscilla responded.
"Do you know who the traitor is?" Remus asked.
She frowned, "I've got my suspicions."
"Who's that?"
Druscilla bit her lip uncertainly, "If I'm wrong, and I admit I could be, and this gets around it will finish his career and little as I like the guy I don't want to do that to him by mistake."
"Meaning you'd do it on purpose?" Remus joked.
Druscilla didn't return his smile, "If need be."
Remus thought at first it could be a joke but her eyes showed a mind made up and a determination that she would do what she considered necessary. "So, who is this?" he asked.
"The minister's junior assistant, his name's Stephen Meadows."
"Why him?"
"I'm just suspicious of him and I'm not sure if it's just because I despise him, but I have to say he was up here with that brainless blonde secretary of his when that rat appeared and he's always sniffing around."
Remus frowned, "Is there a way you can keep an eye on him?"
"Well, maybe. I need to set up an observation spell on his fireplace, he's also one of the few members of the ministry to have their own fireplace with access to the floo network. Even I don't have one of those in my office."
"Jealous?" he grinned.
"No! Anyway, I was dealing with that guy from the auror's office when you arrived and we seem to have come to an agreement whereby he isn't going to report me to Fudge for monitoring the floo activity of his assistant."
"Oh, so that's who you were turning on the charm for?"
She smirked, "Jealous?"
Remus shook his head with an amused smile, "I'm afraid not."
She laughed but something in her expression indicated displeasure that Remus didn't fall at her feet like the other men she knew.
"Anyway," she rose to her feet, "I have a meeting with Fudge in half an hour and I want to get there early so as to catch him unprepared. I suppose I'll see you again soon?"
"I expect so," Remus nodded politely before taking his leave of her to return to Grimauld Place and dwell on her theory.
XXXXXXX
That night the Order met yet again and Remus reported back what he had gathered, which was really not much more than Percy had already told them but he was grateful he could at least confirm she was doing something to investigate the issue.
Dumbledore listened during his report with an intense look in his twinkling eyes. When Remus had finished he nodded slowly, "Well I think it's about time we extend an invitation to join us to Professor Thornfield. She has already implied to you that she would be willing to help, hasn't she, Percy?"
"Yes, when she offered me the job and made it clear that she knew about my involvement with the Order she seemed to suggest she would be willing to be of some assistance."
"Very good. In that case I think you and Remus should go and formally invite her to join us."
"Me, headmaster?" Remus asked in surprise.
"Yes, Remus, she likes you and I think the invitation would sound best coming from you rather than from me, as meetings between myself and her would be closely monitored by various people."
"Very well then, headmaster."
"It might be best to give it a few days before speaking with her. She's very stressed out about the Pettigrew thing. Perhaps one morning next week?" Percy suggested.
"Suits me," Remus nodded, "Just tell me when you're both free and I'll be there."
"Are we sure about this?" Tonks voiced the concerns of various other Order members. "She's very, well no offence to anyone but she's very Slytherin. You know, very ambitious and all that."
Kingsley shook his head, "I believe she can be trusted, she has never acted against the interests of the wizarding community and she has spoken up for many worthy causes which did not make her popular."
"I agree," Arthur Weasley put in, "She's good at her job and she's a good person at heart I think."
Even Moody nodded and Severus raised his head and spoke, "If she is as I remember her then she would be an asset to us, if you can get her to join." He looked at Remus as he said this and there seemed to be a challenge in his voice.
Remus smiled, "I'm sure I can persuade her."
XXXXXXX
A/N: Sorry this took a while to post! Hope it was worth the wait. Thanks for all the continuing reviews, I love them all! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. Next time it's the quidditch match.