Hermione was furiously working at her desk while Blaise sat across her. Last night, someone sent an anonymous package in the Improper Use of Magic Office causing the entire section of the department to be contained for inspection and thus, therefore, unusable. Employees had to share with the other divisions in order to continue running operations.
"You'd think that we're a thousand times more vigilant now after the hell we went through ten years ago," Hermione said as she perused the documents in front of her.
"They've been complacent. It was, after all, as you said, ten years ago," Blaise said earning him an eye-roll from Hermione. If only Alastor Moody was alive right now.
They heard two knocks on the door and after a beat, Penelope poked her head in. "Theo's here."
Hermione looked at Blaise then back to her secretary, "Show him in."
"What do you think he wants?"
Hermione shrugged, "Most probably the legislative agenda. It's quite rare for the Minister's secretary to travel down the dark hallways of the DMLE. A gesture of respect, no doubt—which I appreciate, even if it comes at a cost. Let's see if I was right about Elphias Doge."
"Do you want me to stay?" Blaise asked his boss who only shook her head no.
He then stood and opened the door revealing his former fellow Slytherin housemate standing on the other side. "Hello, Theo. Fancy seeing you here."
"Hello, Blaise," Theo smiled, not quite reaching his eyes.
"I'll see you around," Blaise ushered him inside then took his leave, closing the door on his way out.
Hermione stood and greeted the Minister's secretary. "Good morning, Theo. I appreciate you making the trip down," she held out her hand.
"Of course. My pleasure," he smiled while taking the proffered hand, giving it a firm shake.
"I assume we're discussing education?" Hermione asked as they took their seats with Theo sitting in the chair Blaise recently vacated.
"First things first," Theo placed the folder on her desk and opened it, pointing to a spot. "The seating chart for the Inauguration. How do these two work for you and Mr. Malfoy?"
Hermione immediately noticed McLaggen's name two rows in front of them. She could already feel a bubble of anger rising through the surface. "Wow."
Unfortunately (or fortunately for her case), Theo mistook her words as some form of gratitude. "Which comes with a complementary set of tickets to the Inauguration Ball."
"Lucius will be over the moon," Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"Good, I'm glad. So, education. We have Elphias Doge drafting the legislation," Theo beamed as he took the folder back. Hermione wanted to raise her fist in the air but settled for a slight curve of her lips instead. "You can imagine the bind that puts us in."
"The bill's going to be two steps to the left of Cornelius Fudge."
Theo sighed and leaned back into the chair. "Percy and I had advised the Minister against it but education has been Doge's baby for twenty years. We have to let him take the lead."
"You want me to advise him. Bring him toward the middle?" Hermione raised an eyebrow and Theo only nodded. This was definitely going to be tricky. Elphias Doge was an experienced Pureblood with lots of political influence. Even Lucius had a hard time shooting down his laws when he was still working in the Ministry back in Fudge's term. "Do I have absolute autonomy and authority on this?"
Theo seemed relieved though that Hermione understood what he wanted her to do. "Yes. We need this bill to pass smoothly through the Wizengamot. Kingsley wants to make a pledge in his inaugural address."
Hermione pondered for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. After a beat, she smiled at Theo. "Consider it done."
"I know it's a lot to put on your plate what with..." he gestured outside where her employees are round the clock working, finding out who sent the anonymous package.
She waved her hands in a dismissive way, "You've got a hundred days before the honeymoon is over. Anything you want to put on my plate, feel free."
"Thank you, Hermione," Theo stood, and Hermione followed suit. She walked him out of her office, through the halls to the lift. Before he stepped in, he turned to Hermione and smiled. "Keep me posted?"
"I'll have my secretary set up a meeting with him. I'll check in with you later this week."
"Terrific," he said as the doors to the lift slid open. Theo stepped in and nodded to Hermione in goodbye.
Blaise was waiting for her at her office door with a stack of parchments tucked under his arm.
"You were right, weren't you?" he smiled.
"Were you eavesdropping?" she arched an eyebrow at him.
"Don't need to," he opened the doors for her and they both settled back inside her office. "You need to work on your facial expressions if you want to become the next Minister of Magic."
"Lucius said I do just fine," Hermione whined.
"Yes, but that was before our timeline changed. It's a different game we're playing now and we have to keep our cards close to our chest," Blaise said as he placed the stack of folders on her desk. "So what does Theo think?"
"He thinks I can be bought by a pair of two tickets as if I'm some post-war vagrant. What he's asking will cost far more than that. Kingsley's political capital rises or falls with the success of this bill. And I need to be at the center of it. Theo might not trust me as far as he can throw me. But he doesn't have to. If I prove myself indispensable, he can't afford to throw me very far."
Blaise nodded. "I'll ask Penelope to set up a meeting. In the meantime, I just finished the list."
He tapped on the stack of parchments on her desk and together, they brainstormed through the list of candidates until they're down to the last four.
"Sturgis Podmore?"
"Too old."
"Millicent Bulstrode?"
"Too stupid."
"Ludo Bagman?"
A look passed over Hermione's features before it settled to calm neutrality. "Too queer."
"Really?" Blaise asked incredulously but Hermione only gave him a look. "But he's married with two kids."
"He propositioned Lucius during last year's Christmas gala."
"What?!" Blaise sighed and flipped to another page. "Alright, what about Susan Bones?"
"Susan Bones," Hermione looked up from her desk a contemplative expression on her face as Blaise handed her a sheet of parchment containing Miss Bones' political resume. "But she was vocally anti-Shacklebolt. She hated how Kingsley pardoned and only gave light sentencing to some of the well-known Death Eaters arrested including my husband."
"But she's got the experience," he countered. "Her resume's nearly as good as yours."
"Is that admiration I hear?" Hermione teased but Blaise only shrugged indifferently. "Do you think she'll be receptive to a meeting? She's well aware of who my husband is, right?"
"Susan Bones was on the board of governors for two years before she stepped down and moved on to DIMC," Blaise reminded her. "She had worked with Mr. Malfoy on some of the educational reforms for the Hogwarts' curriculum."
Hermione pondered it for a moment. "Alright. Set up a meeting with her too."
Blaise gathered the rest of the papers and left the office. Hermione leaned back in her chair as she read through the rest of Susan Bones' paper.
"Interesting."
Lucius was standing in the middle of the conference room, staring through the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the view of Muggle London. He had just finished reading Hermione's letter when he heard the familiar knock of his secretary.
Justin Finch-Fletchley opened the door a little and poked his head in. "Sir, Rita Skeeter is here."
"Thank you, Justin," Lucius adjusted his cravat in the reflection of the window as he addressed his secretary. "Send her in."
A minute later, the doors swung open and Rita Skeeter entered dressed in a seafoam green shirt and a skintight leather skirt that squeaked every time she moved while a purple scarf adorned her slim neck. Lucius thought the colors made her looked like a clown.
"Good afternoon, Miss Skeeter, please, sit," Lucius motioned to the chair across him. He planned to be as far away as possible from the horrendous witch. After his divorce and pardon, she's one of the many women who kept throwing themselves at him, hoping to be the next Mrs. Malfoy. Lucius shuddered at the memory.
He poured whiskey from the decanter on the side table across the room and levitated it to the reporter, then proceeded to sit on the chair opposite the witch.
Rita took a sip but grimaced and coughed at the taste. "It's strong," she remarked, coughing a few more.
"You like it weak?" Lucius smirked.
"No, the stronger the better," she answered as she unwrapped her scarf and placed it on the table beside her crocodile handbag. Lucius noticed the first four buttons of her blouse were undone revealing some cleavage.
He couldn't control the revulsion that crawled across his skin but the diminutive witch seemed to misinterpret his body language as something else.
"There's no harm in looking," Rita Skeeter purred, and it took his entire willpower not to hurl the glass he was holding at her. Merlin, help him. He's starting to regret suggesting this idea to Hermione.
"That's a cheap ploy, Ms. Skeeter," Lucius growled.
"Cheap but effective," the witch had the gall to wink at him. Ten years ago he wouldn't hesitate to curse this bitch to the depths of Hades but now, he would settle for mildly annoyed. He has, after all, a deal to offer her.
"If your goal is to distract me—which you haven't."
"I don't want you distracted. I want you focused."
"Well, you certainly have my undivided attention," Lucius drawled as he crossed his legs and placed both hands on top of his thighs. A perfect picture of a gentleman at leisure.
"Good, then I'll get straight to the point—"
Rita Skeeter was interrupted by a mirthless chuckle coming from the wizard in front of her. Lucius then raised an eyebrow mockingly, "Is foreplay over?"
"I heard somewhere that Kingsley Shacklebolt never lasted more than three minutes," the reporter smirked.
Interesting, he thought as he filed away the information at the back of his mind. "The point being?"
"That time is precious. Powerful people don't have the luxury of foreplay," she looked around before settling her eyes back on the blond wizard. "Is Mrs. Malfoy not joining us today?"
It was his turn to smirk. "No. I'm afraid there will be no interviews today, Miss Skeeter."
The smile vanished and she instantly paled, "Why am I here?"
Lucius slightly leaned forward, his countenance all businesslike. The sooner this thing was over, the sooner he can get to his wife and fuck her senseless until Rita Skeeter's poor attempt at seduction was erased from his mind.
"It's quite simple. I need somebody I can trust, and someone who trusts me," he simply said.
"You came for the wrong person for that Mr. Malfoy. Or have you forgotten to whom you are speaking?"
Lucius tapped his index finger on his chin and pondered for a moment. "Maybe trust isn't the right word. An arrangement perhaps."
"As in…" Rita Skeeter trailed off, finally grasping what the Malfoy patriarch was implying. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What makes you think I don't already have such an arrangement with one of your colleagues?"
"Oh, I know all about your arrangement with my wife. But Hermione's current position at work meant that there's only so much she can divulge without it coming back to her. I, on the other hand…"
"And in return? I already have a large and steady readership plus my credibility as a writer is impeccable, all thanks to your wife. And before you say it, no, I'm not interested in your money."
"I suppose, the chance to interview my wife and I doesn't please you?" Lucius asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Full access to any information. Ask whatever you want."
Rita Skeeter pondered it for a moment, her lips turning up. "I haven't told my editor about this yet, but I was planning on retiring soon."
"A sad news for your readers, I'm sure," Lucius said sarcastically.
She ignored the jab and continued. "Before I retire, I'm planning on writing one last article. Something that everyone will not forget anytime soon."
Lucius narrowed his eyes at her but remained quiet.
"What better story to write than the story of two different people who came from two different backgrounds, who overcame their differences and fell in love," Rita Skeeter smiled sweetly at him. "It'll be the story of a lifetime!"
"I didn't peg you as the hopeless romantic type," Lucius couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes.
"I'm not. But most of my readers are. And no, it will not be on the Prophet. A thousand words wouldn't do it justice," at Lucius's puzzled look, Rita Skeeter grinned, crooked white teeth glistening in the dim light of the conference room. "You and your wife's story, Mr. Malfoy, will be published in a book."
Lucius stared at her for a moment before bursting into a laugh, "Ambitious as always, Miss Skeeter. Very well, then. You have yourself a deal. A story for a story."
"What are the terms, Mr. Malfoy?"
"The same thing you had with my wife. I've had a very long, very successful career avoiding this sort of intrigue with the press so you'll understand my need for absolute discretion and trust."
"Use whatever word you like. I don't care," Skeeter shrugged.
"Words matter very much, Miss Skeeter," Lucius narrowed his eyes at her. "You should care more, given your profession."
"Then yes, you have my trust. Because if I were to betray it I stand far less of a chance surviving the consequences."
"That desperate to interview us, huh?"
"Who wouldn't be?"
"Oh, I could think of a handful of people," Lucius replied drily.
"I assume Mrs. Malfoy is aware of this meeting?" at his nod, she pulled out a notepad and dictaquill. From what Hermione had told him, ever since increasing Rita Skeeter's status as a writer due to her and his wife's arrangement, the sneaky reporter had forgone the use of quick quotes quill and had opted to use the regular dictaquill instead to be precise and factual, something her new readers appreciated more. "So, Mr. Malfoy, how exactly can I help you?"
"The Administration's legislative agenda."
"I see," this certainly piqued her interest. Kingsley was being tightlipped about it. This might be a better arrangement than I had with his wife, she mused. "You must know something."
"What would be your guess?" he challenged.
"Revision of draconian laws is too controversial. International trade isn't sexy enough," Rita Skeeter considered for a moment, the dictaquill suspended mid-air. "Shacklebolt would want to start with something everyone can get behind with and something impactful. I'm thinking of education."
Lucius smirked, glad that the reporter had some brains after all. This was going to be a very propitious arrangement.
The lift to the top floor of Malfoy Industries slid open and Hermione stepped off, her kitten heels clicking on the ornate marble floors as she walked through the hallway towards her husband's office. She could've flooed directly from her office to his but she needed to drop by Flourish and Blotts first to pick up a book she'd pre-ordered. As she turned the corner she saw Lucius's secretary behind the desk, shuffling some papers
"Good evening, Justin," Hermione greeted him as she approached the desk.
"Good evening, Mrs. Malfoy," he replied. "Mr. Malfoy is in a meeting at the conference room, I'm afraid."
"I know," she smiled at her former schoolmate. "Oh, do call me Hermione, Justin. We're in the same year!"
Justin Finch-Fletchley thought for a moment before returning the smile. "Very well, Hermione. Would you like to wait inside his office?"
Just then, they heard the doors to the conference room swung open and Hermione saw her husband escort Rita Skeeter out. It was the reporter who saw her first.
"Mrs. Malfoy," Rita Skeeter said as she approached her. "A pleasure to see you again."
"Likewise Miss Skeeter," she replied as she looked at the woman from head to toe. A false smile of politeness firmly in place.
Lucius came over and gave her a quick peck on her cheek. "Hello, my dear. I hope you weren't waiting that long. Miss Skeeter and I had just finished discussing some things," he turned to face the said witch. "I trust you know your way out?"
Rita Skeeter nodded, "Mrs. Malfoy, until next time."
They waited until they heard the doors to the lift closed. Lucius then turned to his secretary. "Did you put Miss Skeeter in the visitors' ledger?"
Justin shook his head. "I was just about to."
"Don't," Lucius then grabbed his wife's hand and proceeded to pull her to his office.
"Does that work on anybody? The undone buttons and the push-up bra?" Hermione asked him, amusement dancing inside those bright whiskey-colored eyes of hers.
"Well if it does, I don't know who they are," Lucius impatiently drawled.
As soon as the doors closed, Justin Finch-Fletchley cast a strong silencing charm to the room, something he'd perfected since working here in Malfoy Industries.
The silencing charm was more for his sanity than his boss's privacy.