Violet
As always I have to say that I own nothing :p
She watched him furiously pace his study as he muttered and hissed to no one in particular. Never had she seen her brother this upset, tired, or fearful. His rapidly changing aura was hurting her eyes and his magic was rolling off him in tidal waves that were making her sensitive skin ache.
"You need to tell me now Ambry!" Jareth demanded. Ambry shook her head and stayed silent for a moment.
"If I tell you what I have Seen the outcome will be worse," she admitted quietly. "You need to calm down," she admonished him, and then smirked. Jareth glared at his sister. "I know you are taking Hermione out again," she chuckled. "No need to go to her in a foul mood."
"Fine," Jareth conceded and heavily sat in the chair situated behind his desk. His sister sighed in relief as his aura stopped its rapidly swirling and changing patterns, and his magic calmed down to smooth waves that soothed her delicate skin.
"Thank you," she said to her considerate brother. He gave her an apologetic glance and continued to allow his magic to soothe her. "When was the last time you checked over the castle ledgers?" Ambry asked.
"What are you not telling me?" Jareth asked as he stood from his chair, stretched, and crossed his study to unlock a cabinet he had not thought to open for a while. "Seeing as I am the only person that-" he stopped and Ambry smiled widely. Jareth looked at her, as if to confirm he was not seeing things, and she nodded. He pulled out a faintly glowing crystal their mother had given him before fading across the veil to be with their father.
"Why has she not-"
"She does not know yet," Ambry lightly interrupted. "It will be very soon though." Jareth gave a resigned sigh.
"Just when everything is going to the bog something like this happens," he said quietly. "Not that I am complaining," he added, smiling thoughtfully. "How long have you known?" Jareth asked his sister who was smiling dreamily.
"Since the beginning," she answered softly. "I could not say anything yet with you pining over that girl. That is just how things are," Ambry said.
"You," Jareth pointed at her, "Ambrosia, Queen of the Fairies, are an enigma. I cannot wait till you meet your match," he smirked. Ambry laughed.
"You do realise this will give you so many more allies as well as enemies...old and new," she said quietly. "I suggest you keep this as quiet as possible for the time being." Jareth nodded, taking the Seers advice to heart as he always did. "Good. Now go get ready."
"So in so many unspoken words you are telling me this is something that must happen," Jareth stated.
"Yes it is," she admitted. "I have not Seen how this will end...but I feel it will be a happy ending."
O.o
This cliff was her favourite place in all of the aboveground. It was where she came to relax and organise her mind. At times, when everything seemed as if it were trying to compact itself into a small ten by ten centimetre box, this was were she would come to sort it all out and throw the unneeded away, and organise the unwanted from the necessary and the direly needed thoughts and actions into that small theoretical box. She opened her eyes and smiled at the setting sun before deciding it was time to return home.
"So I finally catch you here," a voice said behind her. Ambry turned and frowned. "You would not have Seen me," he answered. "I have Seen you so many times…and you have yet to See me," he said quietly. "You will after this," he smiled at the woman.
"I have Seen the end," he said softly when she still did not speak.
"You have?" Ambry finally spoke after a few more minutes of trying to figure out the stranger...to See him, but his future was blocked from her...for now. The stranger just smiled softly.
"Soon," he said quietly, understanding her frustrations. "For now just know that I will be, and am, an ally," he said before turning on the spot and leaving with a quiet Crack.
Ambry frowned at the spot he stood before fading back to her own castle.
O.o.O.o
"Are you trying to annoy me by your continuous fawning?" Hermione asked a bit more harshly then how she intended to ask and blushed. "Sorry, I have just been a little tired lately," she apologised.
"Don't be," Jareth said understandingly, almost too understandingly in her opinion. Hermione gave him a curious gaze. "You are the most beautiful witch in the room and I want you to notice me," he smiled. Hermione lightly blushed.
"What are you not telling me?" She asked. Jareth tried not to frown at her perceptiveness.
"This is usually not something one brings up on a third date," he said quietly. "Usually this is something one should know beforehand." Hermione smiled inwardly to herself but outwardly frowned.
"What are you talking about?" She asked, her brows furrowing. Jareth looked at her from across the small table.
"I am talking about who I am," he answered quietly. Hermione smiled.
"You are Jareth," she answered.
"Have you not wondered what my last name is?" Jareth asked the witch, noticing her lips twitch at his question. "Hermione," he said quietly, and she caught the warning note in his voice.
"Oh all right," she conceded. "I looked you up in the Ministry's Family Archives after that first time you visited me at my office," she blushed at the memory. "After not finding you under any new files for muggle-born, half-blood, or pureblood families I extended my search to extended family members and still found nothing."
"You would not find me in the Ministry's Family Archives," he chuckled.
"Now I know that," Hermione answered. "I decided to broaden my search to the Ministry's General Archives and summoned any record with the name Jareth."
"What did you find?" He asked curiously.
"Nothing much...your Majesty," she answered, smirking. "Though I am interested in knowing why you..." she paused and cleared her throat, "...the first time and the second time," she said quietly. Jareth was quiet and that worried her.
"I admit the first time would not have happened-" he grabbed Hermione's hand when she moved to stand. "Let me finish!" He said hurriedly, pulling her back into her chair. "I regret that you do not remember most of what happened, that is what I mean."
"I do not regret that it happened. I regret that I was also influenced with the alcohol," he said quietly. "I would have liked for us both to have our full working wits about us for your first time. The second time was something I wanted and I am sorry if I came off as forceful." Hermione smiled behind her hand.
"If you were forceful I would have smacked you and told you to go to hell," Hermione said with a small laugh. "Thank you for that though," she said softly. "But why do you continue seeing me? I am sure there are better...options for you."
"You think you are not a suitable option?" He asked the lightly blushing witch. "Let me tell you this," he said gently. "You are the most suitable woman out there and I have been blinded by someone who was very inadequate that I would have ignored you not three months ago," he admitted ashamedly.
"What type of relationship do we have?" She asked aloud what she had been asking herself the past few days. Jareth squeezed her hand he still held in his.
"I know you are still hurting over your recently ended relationship," he said softly. "I would like us to be more then what we are now. I want a family," he admitted to her. "I can see myself having that with you." Hermione blushed.
"I-is there anything else I need to know about?" She asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer. Jareth frowned.
"What do you know about the 985 B.C. treaty?" He asked. Hermione brows furrowed with the question as she sifted through history dates in her head.
"There is no such thing," she answered quickly. Jareth shook his head.
"Only the Minister and the Wizengamot have knowledge of this treaty," he said. "We all are under oath." Hermione looked at him disbelievingly. "That is why I have asked them to join us," he motioned to the couple entering the private room the restaurant reserved for their evening date. Hermione looked at him, surprised, and smiled when Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy joined them for dessert at their table.
"This is a delightful surprise," Hermione said, giving them each a kiss on their cheek in greeting. "I would make a joke about this being a muggle establishment but I think that comment is enough," she chuckled, Narcissa laughed, and Lucius frowned though the corners of his mouth were lifted. "So what is this about a treaty that only the Minister and certain people know about?" She asked.
"Down to business as usual," Lucius drawled. Hermione just smiled and Lucius decided to indulge her and get straight to the point. "A few years ago I overheard-"
"You overheard," Hermione interrupted Lucius with a small snort. He glared half-heartedly and she laughed.
"As I was saying," he said pointedly. "I overheard," he smirked at Hermione, "Cornelius Fudge talking to his Under-secretary about a certain treaty between the Ministry of Magic and a certain Goblin Kingdom-"
"That witless Minister attempted to start a war between wizards and goblins again!" Jareth interrupted.
"If I may continue," Lucius said impatiently. "Since I am neither under oath to discuss the treaty and overheard most of its basic points Jareth was able to explain the rest to me, and later, I to Narcissa."
"Since I know nothing about it he cannot explain," Hermione said quietly and looked at Jareth who gave her a small nod.
"I can only tell you that it does exist," Jareth said.
"Yes," Lucius agreed. "The treaty was written by Jareth's father a century before Merlin's time. During that time witches and wizards would wish one or most of their children away because they could not afford to feed them. King Jareth II would, by his laws, have to fulfil their wish, collect the child or children, and offer the person who wished the child away their dreams or a chance to earn their child back by running through a labyrinth to reach the castle in the centre within the time limit of thirteen hours.
"The Ministry of Magic was loosing a lot of citizens this way and became worried, and the Goblin Kingdom and its neighbouring kingdom were gaining too many subjects. King Jareth II, and his sister Queen Bethesda I, knew it was imperative to come up with an accord. Those witches and wizards who were wished away would be given to relatives who were willing to take in the child, but the relatives had to run the labyrinth to earn the child back. The Ministry was already considering waging a war against the underground to gain back the children so King Jareth II successfully avoided this from happening with the accord, which the Ministry insisted become a legally binding agreement.
"The Ministry had only one stipulation to add to the, now, treaty," Lucius explained. "If a witch or wizard was to be wished away and not given back to a parent or relatives, the Ministry would wage a war to reclaim their lost citizen."
"That is hardly a fair stipulation!" Hermione exclaimed. "It is just one child who would be getting the essentials they need to survive and grow. If it were fifty or one hundred children taken away, then I would consider waging a war to reclaim the children. One also has to consider if the child or children were to be abandoned by their parent or parents who take their dream instead and had no relatives to reclaim them! What then?"
"That is exactly what is happening right now," Jareth spoke up, gaining Hermione's attention. "Her name is Violet Craftsen. She is two months old now and her mother abandoned her," he said curtly, clenching his fists in barely concealed anger. "By my laws, since she has no relative to run for her, she is to become one of us. With this treaty in place I have to give her back, but the magic binding me to my laws restrain me from doing so."
"How much time do we have to figure something out?" Hermione asked. Jareth turned to her in surprise.
"We?" He asked. Hermione smiled.
"You are not alone in this," she answered determinedly. "How much time?"
"Your Minister gave me a month to figure something out but I still have not and I only have until tomorrow," he answered. Hermione tensed at the unfortunate news.
"Well," she said quietly. "If it is a war the Ministry wants then it is a war they will get." She looked up at Jareth then Lucius and Narcissa. "What do you think about calling an emergency Order meeting?" She asked them. Lucius lifted an eyebrow, smirking, and Narcissa smiled.
"I think that is a good idea," Narcissa answered. "I only wish we would have thought to do that yesterday." Jareth smirked.
"Your wish-"
"Is not for you to grant," Narcissa answered swiftly. Jareth laughed.
"An Order meeting it is then," Hermione said, tapping her wand to a galleon. Lucius and Narcissa pulled the burning coins out of their pockets, grinning down at their coins.
I feel I really must apologise for this overdue chapter...I really did mean to have it up this past Monday, but alas, I had myself confined to my room because of this wretched hay fever I have practically all year round :p :p (this time of year is the worst...weeds suck...and the rains have not helped one bit :p) and today is one of the days I can stand any source of light without an accompanying headache :p