CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"THE MINISTER KNOWS! HOW? HOW DOES HE KNOW?" George was loudly ranting and pacing through his new kitchen after he had received a request to meet his wife at their new home. Mackenzie had decided far away from his family, and any place Draco Malfoy could never find them, hear them, or suspect them of being would be the best place to deliver this bit of news to George. And now George knew that his new father-in-law had knowledge of his daughter's marriage.
"Please calm down George." Mackenzie tried reasoning with her husband.
"Calm down?!?" George yelled, realizing instantly that he had unintentionally yelled at Mackenzie. "I'm sorry Ken." He quieted, unable to hide his anxiety. "I didn't mean to scream at you. Really I didn't." He walked over to her, embracing her. "How did he find out?"
"He found our marriage license. Said he wouldn't dare say anything to anyone."
"Well, that's one positive thing."
"Another," Mackenzie's eyes turned up to his. "Is that he would like to meet you, officially, as my husband. And I know nothing would make me happier right now than for my father to know and see how happy my husband and I are together. When we see him, he'll know all of the reasons I care for you so much."
George smiled, unable to deny his wife anything, especially when they looked at one another. His love for her ran far deeper than anything he'd ever experienced.
"Your wish Kenny…my command."
Mackenzie smiled brightly at him before her face dropped a little bit. "And now, I've got good news, and I've got bad news. Which will it be first?"
George gave her a wary expression. "The bad I suppose."
She took in a deep breath. "I'm having dinner with Draco tomorrow night at his insistence."
George let the frustration wash through him, gaining a quick hold on control. "Okay, what's the good news?"
"You and I have each other all day long. We can sleep in and do whatever we want for the entire day."
George smiled again. "That is good news. I can certainly think of only one thing we should do…all day long. I'm not letting you out of bed or my arms."
"I'm all yours."
The two were happy to know that they had so much time together. Alone. They were blissfully content until George stopped to ask his wife an inevitable question. "Where will you be tonight?"
Mackenzie turned and stuck out her tongue. "With my husband and my father." She replied very playfully to his question.
"Tonight?" George exclaimed. "We're meeting with the Minister tonight?"
Kenny stifled a laugh when George caught her nearing laughter. "You'll survive sweetie. I'll hold your hand. Besides, daddy is a teddy bear."
George shook his head. "A teddy bear that will undoubtedly turn into a fierce grizzly bear when he meets the man who has gone off and secretly married his only daughter."
"The man who has saved his only daughter in more ways than he will ever realize."
George groaned as she said those words, knowing he was fighting a losing battle to argue with his wife. Arguing was her specialty. Not that she ever had reason to argue with George.
"Alright Ken. You win my love. What time are we expected at Chase Manor?"
"One hour. Go into the bedroom, shower, and change."
George closed his eyes, and kissed her on the forehead. "The things I do for you." He said, opening his eyes. "I love you."
"I love you George."
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The couple apparated just in front of Chase Manor together. They were five minutes early, and Mackenzie was still trying to get George to breathe normally. They walked to the front door where they were met by Carrie.
"Hello Ms. Mackenzie." She spoke, timidly seeing George at her side.
"Carrie, this is George." Mackenzie introduced. "George this is Carrie. She gives me most everything I want here at daddy's Manor."
"Most everything?" He questioned her.
She smirked. "Well, she couldn't very well bring me you."
"No I suppose not."
The two shared a deepened kiss before stepping into the sprawling manor.
"That was sort of weird." Mackenzie said, walking through the double front doors.
"What?" George held tight to her hand, his eyes wide with curiosity.
She turned her head up to meet his eyes. "I just walked into Chase Manor as Mackenzie Chase-Weasley, with my husband at my side." She paused. "I was sure this moment wouldn't happen until we were past the Malfoy issues."
"Me too." George commented, pulling his wife closer to his side, his arm moving around her shoulders. He kissed her again, happy to see his wife so elated by one single event in their life together.
"Mackenzie dear." The pair heard Samuel Chase walking down the staircase to greet the two.
"Daddy." Mackenzie rushed up the last few stairs of her father's journey down. She hugged her father. With her marriage to George and the inevitable destruction of one Draco Malfoy, Mackenzie had still spent very little time with her father. Not to mention his own work that kept him busy at the Ministry. The two held tight together, descended the stairs.
"Daddy, this is George. My husband." She beamed back and forth to each man. "George, you know my father."
Samuel smiled at George. "It is nice to see you again Mr. Weasley." He said, leading the two down the hallway as he talked. The three entered into the Minister's private office as Samuel silently instructed the couple to walk inside. He sat down behind his large desk, offering the other two chairs across from him.
"Mackenzie dear, a package arrived for you this afternoon. It's on the table in the sitting room."
Mackenzie stood, taking her father's statement as code for he wanted to talk to George in private. She was perfectly alright to go along with the muted request, so long as it remained nice and civil, without the severe fatherly judgments.
"I'll go and see what it is then." She kissed George's cheek, whispering a 'good luck' to him before leaving the room, disappearing down the hall.
If George hadn't been nervous walking into Chase Manor, he sure was tense now. Samuel didn't say anything to begin with. He first sat across room George, methodically tapping his index finger to the desk top, before rising from his chair, turning to pour two glasses of wine. He offered the one to George before taking position in his chair again. George took the opportunity of silence to his advantage, being first to talk.
"Minister, if you'll allow me the opportunity to defend the actions of myself and Mackenzie, I'd like to begin by telling you that I did not ask Mackenzie to marry me as a means to an end. I love her with every single part of my being. She has been the missing piece of me."
"Funny you should choose that phrase, 'A means to an end'." Samuel interrupted the man. "You should first recognize Mr. Weasley that my daughter has also been a missing piece in my own life. She is incredibly important to me. Although she is at an age to make her own choices, her happiness is my greatest joy." He paused briefly, sipping his wine. "As Minister, I never would have allowed my daughter to participate against her own will in marrying Mr. Malfoy. I do have the power to legally annul contracts within reason. However, my job has been done for me. I can certainly see that by saving my Mackenzie from that fate, you must care very deeply for her."
George nodded.
"I only wish that you two might have told me of your intentions. It is very difficult for a father to discover second hand that his only daughter walked herself down an aisle to be married."
"Minister," George spoke up. "We thought long and hard about whether or not to reveal this secret to you. I do not disagree that as her father, you should have been present, but Mackenzie's final word won out. She was very insistent that you be kept from having to lie to the public or…anyone else who may ask questions. She only wants to protect you. I'm sure you are well aware of how stubborn and strong-minded your daughter is."
"I am." Samuel laughed.
The two went on talking for longer as they drank and waited for Mackenzie to return to them.
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Mackenzie hurried off to the sitting room, finding first an envelope marked with her name in typical Ministry script. She tore open the closed paper, pulling out a note that read:
I've sent a port key. The key inside of this envelope will take you to your destination. We must talk immediately. I'll wait for your arrival.
There was no signature to tell her who had sent the note and key. Only the urgency of an impromptu meeting with her. Mackenzie's first assumption was that the key was sent by Draco. She then wondered if he would go to these lengths to spend more time than she desired with one another. The crux of her curiosity soon won out. She had to know who requested her time. Carefully she set down the note, and shook the envelope. A key fell onto the table that had earlier held the note to her. Recklessly, she picked up the key, immediately being sent to her destination.
Mackenzie was in a long hallway as the key had transported her into the Ministry. She looked around. She was in the Hall of Records. She was between walls and shelves of folders, organized and magically resorting themselves to bins in between the stacks.
"Okay." She breathed out. "I'm here for a reason." She walked between the stacks, picking up a folder. She read. "Marriage licenses and contracts. Oh shit." Suddenly every bad thought that recognized she and George had been caught appeared in her head.
"Mackenzie." Her name was said behind her.
She waited for whoever had sent for her to appear to her. She turned around.
"Angelina."
"I'm sorry to call you away from your events so unexpectedly without notice, but…"
"I'm in a hurry. No one knows that I've left the Manor. " Mackenzie stated to the other woman. "What do you want?"
Angelina leaned onto a stack of folders. "I'm sure whatever your plans are, they can wait a few minutes after you hear what I have to say."
"I doubt it." Mackenzie stood with her arms crossed, challenging the woman who stood feet from her.
"You may or may not be aware that I currently work for the Head of Magical Contracting, Lydia Price."
"So?"
"So, contracting not only includes marital agreements and settlements, but also signed licenses. Mackenzie's expression turned fearful, but she was unwilling to show that apprehension to Angelina as she recognized that the woman opposite her was in league with Draco Malfoy.
"Marriage licenses? What should that have anything to do with me?"
"Nothing except that you've signed one."
"That is not your concern. What Draco and I do concerning our upcoming marriage, is…"
"Not Malfoy." Angelina said. "George Weasley."
Mackenzie held herself up by grabbing at the shelf beside her. Angelina knew. But how? And oh, what would happen now? Would she tell Draco? Would her family be under fire? This was not problematic, but sure trouble.
"Oh don't worry Mackenzie. I'm not going to say anything." Angelina assured her.
Mackenzie's expression didn't change. "Why not? You seem so close to Malfoy. If you intend on blackmailing me, I must ask, what do you gain or should I ask what do you want in return for not going straight to Draco with this?"
Angelina waved her wand, summoning two chairs to the women. She sat down, motioning for Mackenzie to do the same.
Mackenzie sat across from Angelina. "What do you want?"
"George."
Mackenzie scoffed. "Not likely. He wouldn't…even if… I wouldn't allow that even if I risked Azkaban prison."
"I know." Angelina stopped her. "I don't want him in that way. There is no hope on that horizon. He loves you. He has married you. He is happy again, and that makes me happy to see."
"So then what do you want from him?"
"Friendship." Angelina stated. "I miss his friendship."
"And you think I can convince him to…"
"You're the only one who can convince him."
The two women sat silent for a few moments.
"You know that I left George on the day that was to be our wedding. What you don't know Mackenzie is that even before that, I had begun to emotionally drift from our relationship." Angelina explained. "There were things in my life that I still wanted to experience. I wanted to see the world. I wanted to meet new people, make new friends. George had done much of that. He left school and started a brand new life, while I was still dreaming of life to come. I didn't want to be married and have nothing to show for it."
"I can understand that." Mackenzie agreed. "But why not just talk to George? Why didn't you tell him your dreams, and your thoughts. He is very understanding."
"George Weasley is incredibly understanding. However, the George you know, and the one I knew before the war and during are not the same. He had made it crystal clear that he did not understand much of my desire to explore my own life. He wanted me to stay, knowing that looking for any soul searching answers from my end would inevitably break us apart anyway."
"So, you left him anyway. You destroyed him." Mackenzie accused her. "You came close to making it impossible for him to feel that same feeling for any woman again."
"He feels it for you."
"I said you came close. I didn't say you succeeded."
"I didn't want to have anything to regret in my life. I didn't want to regret not taking the chances given to me. If I'd gone through with the wedding, I would have resented George for the rest of my life. He would have resented me in return."
"Are you making excuses for what you did?" Mackenzie sounded insulted.
"No." Angelina calmly said. "I'm telling you the other side of what you don't know."
Mackenzie looked carefully over at the woman before coming to a decision. She had no other choice. The risk of not doing it was too great.
"I will talk to George. I'll do what I can. But if I can get George to cooperate and do as you request, might I ask how you intend to keep my secret safe?"
"Your secret is safe with me if you help me. The licensing department is backlogged with filed licenses for marriages. I'll simply keep yours in my possession for awhile. Once you're ready, I'll slide it to the top and no harm is done."
"Done." Mackenzie agreed. "But what about Draco?"
"Draco won't find out." Angelina promised. "Believe me, I wouldn't want to be married to him either."
The two chuckled before Mackenzie flooed back to the Manor.
Her return was met with a stumble. Literally. She stumbled out of the fireplace and into the arms of her husband. His eyes shined brightly down at her. His smile could've blinded her.
"Where did you run off to sweetheart?"
"I apologize for leaving without notice." She said to her husband and father who were now both standing in the room along with her. "I received a message and immediate request to … well, I'll explain it all later." She smiled at the two who were clearly having a good time despite her absence. "How have you two been getting on then?" She questioned.
"Very well." Samuel softly said, happiness in his tone. "You have chosen a fine man to marry Mackenzie. I will do everything in my power from this point to see that it stays that way." He hugged his daughter as he smiled.
"Thank you daddy." She laughed. "But won't you get into trouble for knowing if…"
Samuel looked down at his only child. "Don't you worry about that my dear. You and George are very happy. I intend to make certain that you continue your happiness. Who better to keep your secrets than the Minister of Magic. Should anyone find out, well… well, let's not have you worrying about that Mackenzie. Just know that you are safe under my protection."
"Great." Mackenzie said, hugging both men. "Thank you daddy."
"Nothing I wouldn't do for you princess."
Samuel moved off to the side, pouring his daughter a glass of wine.
"So what more did you two talk about in my absence?" She quietly asked George, placing her arm around his waist.
"As a matter of fact, we were discussing having another wedding. One where the bride has her father at her side this time."
Mackenzie's eyes brightened. "Really?" She turned in the direction of her father as he handed her a glass. "That would be fantastic."
The three smiled, laughed, drank, and ate happily together through the evening before the Minister parted ways with the couple, saying goodnight, leaving them to discuss on their way out the door how much happier and relaxed they were with Samuel Chase on their side, looking out for them. Mackenzie was not yet ready to discuss her spontaneous meeting with Angelina with George. He seemed far too happy for her to take anything away from the moment. In time she would discuss the idea with him. But for now, she would enjoy being Mrs. George Weasley.